Research: Film Image Analysis (Dawn Of The Dead 2004) 3

This is an over the shoulder shot of Ana attacking a zombie with a metal rod. Straight away we can say that that the censorship of gore is a lot less strict to that of the original version of the film in 1979. This is due to the context of horror is getting harsher to shock the audience as much as possible. We can also say that the ideology of sadism is seen a lot more in horror films to make as much impact on the audience as possible. For example in a scene in modern horror film “Hostel”, a surgeon is getting enjoyment out of torturing a guy. This is a perfect example of sadism which means personally I don’t think Ana is being sadistic she is just protecting herself. Ana in this scene is also going against the character stereotype of blonde female victim.  Despite her blonde hair, she has many characteristics that show she is the final girl of the film. Her background of being a nurse makes her good with gore, this modern change connotes the continuing rise of feminism.

Research: Film Image Analysis (Dawn Of The Dead 2004) 2

This shot is a fast edit of Mike getting chased by a hoard of zombies. There are many techniques used in this scene to make a dramatic impact on the audience. Firstly we can say that the character and representation of the zombies is a fast moving monster. These are a generic factor in horror films to make the audience feel as though the characters can’t get away from them. The cinematography of this shot is a handheld camera; this is also used to make the audience feel as though they are there with the characters. Finally Michael is using a phallic weapon (gun) which connotes that he has more power over the zombies. This scene shows the institutional context and how it has changed since 1979. Slow moving zombies are now rarer because modern audiences are conditioned to faster films and more threatening enemies. This can also be seen in newer films like “World War Z”.

Research: Film Image Analysis (Dawn Of The Dead 2004) 1

This shot is seen in the opening credits of the film, this shot is of many in a fast paced montage of clips all relating to recent disasters or the film itself. This is put at the start of the film to make the audience feel panic and to build excitement before the start of the film. This specific shot is showing a gathering of Muslims praying. Bearing in mind the 9/11 disaster was three years before the release of this film; this might have been added to create historical context that the audience recognise and may be frightened of. Edited over the top of this montage is the parallel music of Johnny Cash's song “When the Man Comes Around.” This goes with the montage as the song is used to connote the spreading of the virus, whilst also linking to Biblical ideas about the Armageddon. 

Research: Film Image Analysis (Dawn Of The Dead 1979) 3

This wide shot shows the zombies in the shopping mall that the characters stay in. Firstly we can say that the mise-en-scene of this location is creepy and enclosed. It is popular for horror directors to use creepy enclosed locations because the vast majority of people fear from claustrophobia. We can also say that this shot connotes how large organisations determine what we buy. There was a lot of uproar about consumerism at the time this film was made. This means we can say that this film relates to the historical context of its time. Another technique used in scene is contrapuntal music of stereotypical ‘mall music’; making the mall eerie. Romero’s films usually challenge the CDI which may be why his films were so succesfull. For example, in this film there is a black hero. For the time it was released this was out of the norm and was possibly influential to other directors of the time.

Research: Film Image Analysis (Dawn Of The Dead 1979)

                              

This is an important shot within this scene and is why it has got an impressive censorship history. The mise-en-scene of body horror is clearly used in the shot to make the audience feel really uncomfortable and possibly queasy. Tom Savini is the special effects director and is well known for his gory on screen body horror. He has worked on many other well-known films such as “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Django Unchained”. Cinematography techniques were also used to emphasise this shot as much as possible. By using a canted angle and close up shot, it creates the effect that the audience is right up close to the guts which may make them feel uneasy.

Research: Film Image Analysis (Dawn Of The Dead 1979) 1

In this scene we see the male hero Stephan not being able to shoot a zombie so roger has to step in and help him. From this long medium shot we can straight away see that they have power from the use of a phallic symbol (guns). Throughout this film there is a constant theme of the fear of death and of being trapped which appeals a lot to a wide demographic. George. A Romero’s auteur style throughout his films is going against the character stereotypes of normal horror films. Especially for its time, having a black male hero (Peter) and a blonde female survivor (Fran) was an unusual character stereotype. Even in this scene, the shorter character is more dominant than the taller one. I feel this is partly why the characters work really well and still engage with modern audiences.

Research: Film Image Analysis (Psycho) 3

This is just after the montage of Marion’s death in the shower, as this is quite early within the film we can say that she fits in the horror’s character and representation as a female victim.  A lot of cinematography techniques have been used to make sure the audience feel emotion to the character. Firstly we could say that the expressionist angled extreme close up shot of her eye is to show her expressionless eye, showing she is dead. Before this shot there is another shot of blood ‘spiralling’ down the drain. This shot was added as a connotation to Marion’s life ‘spiralling’ down the drain. The use of collision cutting from quick to slow is used to show that Marion is dead and the contrast between her being alive to her being dead. Hitchcock was fascinated with how montage’s are used to create an emotion and because of this he was very skilled in this area of cinematography.

Research: Film Image Analysis (Psycho) 2

This opening title is very simplistic but has lots of connotations and preferred meanings that refer and relate to theme of the film; with the first one being the contrast between the text being white and the background being black. From experience I could say that white connotes good and black connotes evil. Hitchcock purposely created the altered line of text in the middle of the word to connote and resemble disruption in good. This could be another indication that there is a part of evil in all of us (Schizophrenia). Over the top of this scene is non-diegetic parallel music; by using harsh string instruments like violins to make the audience feel tension.  The animation of this is disorientated and ‘choppy’. This resembles the disorientation of someone who may have schizophrenia, indicating the narrative.

Research: Film Image Analysis (Psycho) 1

This scene from PSYCHO shows Norman Bates spying on Marion Crane getting in the shower. Straight away from this we can say that Norman is shown to enjoy the act of voyeurism. Alfred Hitchcock was known for enjoying this sort of thing, from this we could say that because he added his personal obsessions to his work he supports the Andrew Sarris’s Auteur Theory (established in his essay “Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962”). We can also say that that this is a representation of Laura Mulvey’s Gaze Theory  ( From her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” 1975) that appeals to the male-dominated cultural dominant ideology.

A bright light from the peephole is lighting up Norman’s face but the rest of his body is in a low key lighting. Shadows can signify different things with dark being evil and light being good. From this we could say this is a connotation of his split personality disorder (schizophrenia).

Research: Film Review 2 (The Exorcist)

Film title:  The Exorcist              Director: William Friedkin
Year of Production:1973                                                     Genre: Horror

Brief plot outline:

A visiting actress in Washington, D.C., notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behaviour and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, a young priest at nearby Georgetown University begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother's terminal sickness. And, book-ending the story, a frail, elderly priest recognizes the necessity for a show-down with an old demonic enemy.

Which two scenes impressed you the most? Why?

The two scenes I found most impressive used a lot of stereotypical horror conventions which I though made them effective, the first being father Karras’s vivid dream after the death of his mother. I thought this scene was effective as it used many techniques to make it clear that it was not reality and in his mind. The first thing I spotted was the diegetic sound of snoring/heavy breathing and ambient subtle music using synthesisers over the top of the montage. This creates effect and embeds that it is in his dream. Another thing I liked about it was at the end of the dream there is a collision cut to Regan screaming, this is a big change in sound and is unexpected to the audience. This makes sure it keeps the audience interested and engaged in the film as it keeps them on edge. The other scene that impressed me when the final exorcism scene. By using a low blue lighting in the whole room, it emphasises the coldness of the room but also connotes evil of the demon that is inside Regan. By using lots of diegetic sounds of doors slamming and screaming helps build up tension of the scene. This makes the audience feel anxious/scared and worried about what might happen next.

How was watching this film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in this film? When? How?

From watching the film it has showed me that moderate use of many different horror genre techniques can be very effective and make it more realistic. When watching this film I found many aspects of the horror genre checklist. These aspects were spread out throughout the film to make it interesting all the way through. What I first noticed about the characters and representations of the film was that there weren’t the typical character types like that of a normal generic horror. Father Karras is the male hero of the film, we see this when he sacrifices himself to the devil whilst Regan is the female victim for being possessed by the devil. There aren’t any other representations of characters I found which may go outside the expected characteristics of a horror film. The mise-en-scene of body horror and low key lighting is used subtly but effectively in the film to make sure the audience feel a sense of uncomfort. Body horror is used in many scenes of when Regan is possessed, for example when her head turns a full 360 degrees. Low key lighting is used when Chris goes into the attic to hear what the noise is. This makes the audience feel anxious as to what is in there and creates a sense of vulnerability. The use of parallel music is used throughout the film, by using instruments like pianos and string instruments the audience recognise that it is a horror film and feel tension and anxiousness from this. There are many editing techniques used in this film like slow editing, fast editing and montage/collision cutting. Slow editing is mainly used when there is an important scene that shows emotion. For example when Chris speaks to father Karras about Regen the use of slow editing is used to show both of their emotions and their reactions to what is happening. Fast editing is used when a major thing happens in the film, mainly to show everyone’s emotions to what is happening. For example fast editing is used when the exorcism is trying to take place, fast editing between father Merrin and Karras and Regen’s face for impact and create a fast pace scene. Collision cutting is the most frequent editing technique used throughout the film and is effectively used to scare the audience. For example a collision cut is used at the start of the film between Chris’s house and the train station. The contrast in sounds (from silent to loud) is a shock to the audience and keeps them intrigued as to what might happen next.

Which aspects of the film would you like to INCLUDE in your own trailer? Why?

The main aspect I would like to include in my own trailer is the use of collision cutting. I think from this film it has showed me how effective it can be to help attract the audience by shock tactics from silent to loud and slow to quick. Another aspect I would like to include in my trailer is expressionist angles as I feel it portrays someone’s insanity very well.

Which aspects of the film would you like to AVOID in your own trailer? Why?

There is only one aspect I would avoid from this film and that is the lack of characters and representation. I think by not having many representative characters it could make the film have less diversity that could make it boring. I will make sure in my film that I have different roles that represent the generic horror characteristics.

What was the best aspect/more enjoyable moment of the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How?

The most enjoyable moment of the film for me was the final exorcism on Regan. I think the use of lighting and demonic sounds creates an eerie vibe. Another aspect I think is really effective is seeing vapour on the characters breath when they talk, I think this really emphasises how cold it is in the room. I would be able to recreate this by either filming in a cold location that is well lit. This could work well with what I want to so I might take this technique to consideration.

How does the film reflect its institutional or historical context? Analyse two scenes/events that reflect the time which the film was made?

 This film has a few historical contexts which can be seen in the film the main one being unemployment and poverty in the capitalist slums of America in the 1960/70’s. One scene we see this when father Karras is walking back to his house. There are children climbing on cars and graffiti on the walls. This is a connotation of poverty and could show how it was time when not many people had money and it may have been an unsafe place to be at this time. Another historical context I spotted was that this was around the time of many major historical events in America. There was mounting power of communism from other countries at the time; the Vietnam was in full swing with the highest death rates of Vietnamese civilians. This was also around the time that J.F Kennedy was assassinated. All of these things are the manifestations of evil and could be the result of why this film was made at the time it did.

Research: Film Review 1 (Mr Jones)

Film Title:  Mr.Jones                           
Director: Karl Mueller

Year of production: 2013                   
Genre/Genres: Drama/Horror/Thriller

Brief Plot Outline: A documentary filmmaker and his girlfriend move to a cabin in a wood to find mysterious art pieces created by ‘Mr.Jones’. After encountering with him, they begin to enter what seems to be an endless nightmare.

Which two scene impressed you the most? Why?

The first scene that impressed me the most was the first discovery of Mr. Jones’s house- This is because of the tension created by a slow montage with the use of hand held camera’s and low key lighting to make the audience feel uncertainty and overall scared. Another scene that impressed me was when they were waiting endlessly for the sun to come up after a surreal nightmare experience. This scene used certain techniques such as slow editing and dramatic parallel music with string instruments like violin and cello. By using these horror conventions it helps to create suspense and emphasises the characters emotions.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?

From watching this film it has given me a wider understanding of how editing is used in important scenes to create bigger emotional impact using features like character and representation, mise-en-scene, sound, editing, cinematography, themes and narrative.

Within this film they have the stereotypical character roles that support the horror genre. For example, Penny is the first out of the two to become possessed by the sculptures of Mr. Jones and Scott at the end of film defeats Mr. Jones and protects Penny from demons. This is a perfect example of a generic male hero and female victim. Mr. Jones is classed as a slow moving monster. We see this when Penny first discovers the sculptures. He is seen slow moving within the trees in a black robe. This is sometimes more effective than a fast moving monster as it creates slow tension and the feeling that you can’t get away. From the establishing shot of the film, we can see straight away that we are in an enclosed creepy location. This makes the audience feel a sense of helplessness, that there is no one around to help if something was to go wrong. There is also frequent use of low key lighting throughout the film. The scene that stood out the most for this was when they first entered Mr. Jones’s house. By making the house a low visibility it creates a sense of vulnerability to the audience which makes them scared. Throughout the film they have also used parallel music in emotional/intense scenes in the film. For example when they are stuck in this surreal nightmare, Karl Mueller has used high pitched staccato music using mainly string instruments like violin and double bass to create suspense and make the audience feel uncomfortable. In this film they have used specific editing techniques in certain scenes that are seen as mandatory within the horror genre. Slow editing is used in scenes that are important and/or emotional. For example, when Penny and Scott are in bed talking about how they miss home it is slow editing to help make the audience feel the same way. Fast editing is used when there is action/something bad is happening. For example when they are trying to get out of Mr. Jones’s house there are many shots ranging between 1-2 seconds per shot. Cinematography is one of the main aspects used the most in horror films. Close-up shots are used frequently in this to show the characters facial expressions to convey their emotional state to the audience. This is achieved again when they are escaping from Mr. Jones’s house. There are many close up shots of Scott’s face to show his fear of being in the house. Other aspects that are used through the film are the use of point of view shots and the use of a hand held camera. The whole of this film is mainly on a hand held camera held by the characters. This creates the illusion that the audience feel as though they are there with them/it is more personal. Finally the use of expressionist angle is used when Scott and Penny are stuck in this surreal nightmare. It shows that both of them are going insane and it is not reality.

Which aspects of the film would you like to INCLUDE in your own trailer? Why?

Some of the main aspects I would like to include in my own trailer is low key lighting and moderate amounts of hand held camera. This is because I feel this is an effective way of the audience feeling tension/fear and being drawn into the diagesis of the film. Another aspect I would like to include is a slow moving monster character because usually slow moving monsters are harder to kill and are more intelligent killers. Because of this I find them psychologically scarier.

Which aspects of the film would you like to AVOID in your own trailer? Why?

I would like to avoid making the ending scene too long. I felt as though the ending of this film was longer than it needed it to be which my it drag and become boring. This meant it lost its effectiveness and might lose the attention of the audience. In my own trailer I will make sure that the important ending scene is short and snappy to keep the audience wondering what will happen. I can achieve this by using collision cutting to finish on a jump scare. This will hopefully leave the audience wanting more.

What was the best aspect/more enjoyable moment in the film? Why?  Can you recreate this in your own film? How?

The best aspect of the film was the montage of symbolic clips e.g. a reversed shot of milk being poured into a cup of tea. This is an artistic connotation of time going backwards / rewinding. I could recreate this in my film by simply recording the desired shot and reversing it in the editing process. This is something I might consider when creating my horror trailer. 

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