Remembrance

Preliminary Task - The Anti-Climax

Friday, October 31, 2008

Beginning Of 'The Descent'



The opening sequence begins with titles introducing the production company. This text is displayed using a wipe effect against a dark background and flashes of lights are seen occasionally. This sets the tone of the whole movie, where the girls are eventually stuck in the dark in a cave, have slight glimmer of hopes, but can’t seem to find an escape route and encounter dangerous situations. It is accompanied with quite creepy music, which seems to show an approaching disaster.

The film begins with a family and their friends on a trip doing white water rafting. There is screaming and laughter, but the audience still seems to get a feeling that an accident and tragedy will take place now. This is down to the camera techniques used, for example the hand-held, jerky movements of close-ups in the boat. There is also a use of wider shots to set the scene.

As we are introduced to the characters, we are also shown that the man and little girl standing on the rock are related to one of the women, as the little girl shouts “mummy!” at 0:36. They are shown again at 1:15 clapping and waving. This shows that the women in the boat are out of danger, for now, as the audience are unaware as to what will happen next, but are relieved for the moment.

The use of slow motion at 1:02 builds tension as it shows they are falling clearly and keeps the audience, as well as the occupants of the boat anxious. This also shows that they are heading for disaster.

The next few seconds of conversation and laughter shows the strong bond between the people, but as it reaches 2 minutes, the audience are made aware that something is not quite right, and possibly, one of the friends likes the other’s husband or is having an affair with him, this is shown at 1:55, 2:01, 2:10 and 2:17. The third friend notices this at 2:12, but as the man returns to his family at 2:14, the disappointment is shown on the woman’s face. This all begins to show the breakdown of friendships that will occur as a main theme throughout the film, due to the situation that they find themselves in.

At 2:33 the scene changes to the family returning home in their car. There is no music, just the background sound of the car and conversation between them. The conversation between the mother and daughter portrays happy family life, but this soon changes as the woman turns to her husband who replies quite bluntly and seems distant. This is to be their last words, as the man isn’t watching the road, we hear the breaks of a car and there is a car accident, where the poles go through the car killing the man and daughter. There is then a crane shot which moves out to show the disaster of the accident and the shot fades to black. This portrays the death of the characters.

The next scene then enters the dream of the woman, who is currently in hospital. The music used is very eerie; the shot begins out of focus, showing just the candles on the birthday cake of the daughter. This again symbolises the darkness they will enter. As the camera tracks in towards the cake, it becomes in focus and we are able to read the writing ‘Happy Birthday Jessica’ on the cake and are made aware that it would have been her fifth birthday. We then hear the little girl blowing out the candles, and this sound is enhanced and exaggerated, making the shot seem unnatural, and therefore a dream. It then cuts to the woman lying in the hospital bed who is shown to be disturbed at this memory, but the audience are made aware that it is still part of her dream due to the use of low key lighting that doesn’t look very natural. It is then cut back to the little girl who is shown fully in this shot and all the candles are blown out, moving straight to a black shot, again signifying the darkness that surrounds the woman at the moment, and what she is going to encounter in the future.

At 3:43, it cuts back to the woman at a medium close-up, who we believe is beginning to wake up, as she looks around the hospital room. The audience hears the sound of hospital the machine beeping, which becomes a consistent sound as the woman removes the wires and we feel the sense of her urgency.

At 4:11, it cuts to a deserted and dark hospital corridor, as the character moves into the shot at a medium shot and calls for her daughter. It then cuts to an extreme long shot, and we are shown just how isolated the woman is. This signifies the people she has lost (her family) and how she now feels alone. The corridor frames the shot as a tunnel, and in the distance, we see darkness approaching and closing in on her as each light goes out. As she turns and realises this, it cuts to a medium close-up at 4:22 and we see the character’s expression of shock and horror. This shot is quite strange as the camera doesn’t seem to move, but the background seems to be moving, this gives the effect that escape is further away.

At 4:25 it cuts to the woman looking back into darkness and realising that she has to run to avoid this darkness. As she runs and passes under each light, they turn off and it turns black, giving the feeling that she can’t escape the darkness and it feels very claustrophobic. It seems the faster she runs, the faster it closes in on her.

At 4:38 however, it cuts to the back of her and begins to give a bit of hope. The camera stays in the darkness, but shows the woman heading for light. However the darkness catches up and the screen goes pitch black again.

At 4:45 it then cuts to the woman running into the arms of her friend and the audience are made aware that it was a dream. This next scene is very emotional, as the woman grieves for her lost loved ones. She completely breaks down in tears and falls to the floor. The camera then circles her, showing that she is in this nightmare that never seems to end. This is shown when the film ends in a cliff-hanger, and she is still stuck in the cave.

At 5:07, it then cuts to a close-up of her friend also crying, this really conveys the emotion felt by the characters. At 5:09, it then cuts back to the woman crying on the floor and reverse tracks. This shows the same corridor as before, one of the friends leaving, and the woman distraught on the floor with her friend.

It then fades to black and at 5:20, it introduces the title of the film ‘The Descent.’ This is in white font, but is wiped off the screen, leaving the screen black again. This again conveys the darkness, and we see a torch light effect again as before with the credits, signifying the whole theme of the film.

At 5:29, it cuts to a helicopter shot of a forest, which sets the scene and the audience is told that is in the mountains in the USA. The music hear is eerie again, which alerts us that another disaster might strike. We are also told that it is one year later, therefore we know time has passed since the accident. The area is shown to be deserted, emphasising their isolation when they are alone in the cave, or so they believed.

We then see the car they are travelling in, as the music changes to a slightly happier tone from the radio, and the woman talking. Then they turn off the radio and we are shown bullet holes through a road sign. The music changes back to the eerie type and we are shown their destination, ‘Chatooga National Park.’ However the fact that this sign has bullet holes through it, already signifies the danger they are entering.

As they approach the house they are staying in, the music changes to more adventurous music, to seem as if they are going on a journey. The rest of the scenes are just of the women meeting again and having conversations, seeming in a good mood, but unaware of what is going to happen.

The feelings sensed in the opening sequence are also conveyed in the trailer, as it states

Claustrophobia, Disorientation, Hallucination and Fear.

The Trailer:

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Costume & Make-up in Horror Films

Costume, hair and make-up are often a huge part of horror movies. They are part of what makes the films successful and as scary and shocking as possible.

An example of good costume and make-up is in the horror movie, ‘The Descent,’ (2005).

Plot Synopsis:
After a tragic accident, six friends reunite for a caving expedition. Their adventure soon goes horribly wrong when a collapse traps them deep underground and they find themselves pursued by strange, bloodthirsty creatures. As their friendships deteriorate, they find themselves in a desperate struggle to survive the creatures and each other. With a lack of supply, they fight for survival and they face the hunger and savage breed of predators.

SCREAM YOUR LAST BREATH!

Characters:
The whole construction of characters and their appearance is used to heighten the shock and fear in the film. The villains in the film are created as strange, unrecognizable creatures, and the dark cave adds to the mystery as to what they exactly are.

As well as these villains, the make-up of the main characters (the six friends) is essential, as their situation is shown to gradually deteriorate and a lot of make-up such as blood and slime is used to add to the fear.






Another example is in ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ (2006)

Plot Synopsis:
The Carters, an idyllic American family are travelling through the great American southwest, but their trip takes a detour into an area closed off from the public, but more importantly from society, due to being misled to a shortcut going to nowhere by the owner of an isolated gas station. An area originally used by the U.S. Government for nuclear testing that was intended to be empty...or so they thought? When the Carter's car breaks down at the old site, they're stranded...or are they? As the Carters may soon realize that what seemed like a car casually breaking down, might actually be a trap. This trap might be perpetrated by the inhabitants of the site who aren't pulling a prank, but are out to set up a gruesome massacre. Absolutely trapped by the psychotics, they have to fight to survive.

THE LUCKY ONES DIE FIRST…

Characters:
The group of deformed cannibals that begin to attack this family were created well using skilfully designed costumes and make-up. They are made to appear very savage and threatening, frightening the audience who are watching. This adds to the experience of watching a horror movie. As the audience feel for the main characters (the family), they realise that they are in danger as the creatures are unwilling to give up and determined to kill them. The villains’ appearance emphasises this feeling and the family find themselves in numerous dangerous situations.

The family member’s costumes are originally normal holiday makers clothes, but are also adapted as time passes. Time, attacks by the villains and injuries all affect the costumes, therefore they have to be changed to fit the storyline. For example there is use of a lot of blood and dirt added to garments.

Below is the trailer, which shows some of the costumes and make-up of the characters:

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Sound

Diegesis means the ‘world of film.’

Diegetic Sound: Sound that is part of the action is called diegetic sound and whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film. If something seems to be part of the world of film, it is called diegetic (what we’d hear if it was in the film world.). eg. wind noise, screeching cars etc. They may also be added in after filming, or may be exaggerated for effect, eg. louder footsteps. The audience are aware that there are things taking place in the diegetic world around the edges of what we actually see on the screen.

Non-Diegetic Sound: It's not part of the film world and is added on. Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action. For example a narrator's commentary, sound effects which are added on for the dramatic effect, mood music etc.
Sound is often added to create mood or atmosphere.

Sound Bridge: This is when the sound from one scene continues into or over the next scene. The images we see change but the sound is still from the previous scenes. A film will be very disjointed if there were no sound bridges. They create a wider, more coherent diegetic world. Gives the film a sense of linking and joining together – part of a film’s continuity.

On Screen: You can hear it and see it at the same time.

Off Screen: You can't see it, but can hear it, often in a sound bridge. Sometimes used to give us clues as to what is going on around us that we cannot see.

The use of on screen and off screen diegetic sound helps to create the sense of our viewing a three dimensional world, rather than a flat screen.

Contrapuntal Sound: This is when we hear sound that doesn’t really match what we are seeing.

Parallel Sound: The music tone and mood matches the action on screen.

Foley Track: Sound effects track. Some sounds need to be made from scratch and others enhanced. Foley artists enhance and create sounds to be added after filming.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Film Crew

During my time when working on the ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ film set, I also worked as a set runner where I worked under the direction of the 3rd AD. This gave me a chance to watch how the film was made behind the scenes and who was mainly involved.

A film crew is a group of people hired by a production company for the purpose of producing a film. Crew is distinguished from cast, the actors who appear in front of the camera and is also divided into different departments, each of which specializes in a specific aspect of the production.

There are many people on a film set, however I have just summarized below the main Film Crew involved when making a film:

Producer:
A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. The producer initiates, coordinates, supervises and controls matters such as raising funding, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors. The producer is involved throughout all phases of the filmmaking process from development to completion of a project.

Production Manager:
The production manager supervises the physical aspects of the production (not the creative aspects) including personnel, technology, budget, and scheduling. It is the production manager's responsibility to make sure the filming stays on schedule and within its budget. The PM also helps manage the day-to-day budget by managing operating costs such as salaries, production costs, and everyday equipment rental costs.

Director:
The director is responsible for overseeing the creative aspects of a film, including controlling the content and flow of the film's plot, directing the performances of actors, organizing and selecting the locations in which the film will be shot, and managing technical details such as the positioning of cameras, the use of lighting, and the timing and content of the film's soundtrack.

First Assistant Director:
The first assistant director (1st AD) assists the production manager and director. The ultimate aim of any 1st AD is to ensure the film comes in on schedule while maintaining a working environment in which the director, principal artists (actors) and crew can be focused on their work. He or she is in charge of overseeing the day-to-day management of the cast and crew scheduling, equipment, script, and set. A 1st AD may also be responsible for directing background action for major shots or the entirety of relatively minor shots, at the director's discretion.

Second Assistant Director:
The second assistant director (2nd AD) is the chief assistant of the 1st AD and helps carry out those tasks delegated to the 1st AD. The 2nd AD may also direct background action and extras in addition to helping the 1st AD with scheduling, booking, etc. The 2nd AD is responsible for creating Call Sheets that let the crew know the schedule and important details about the shooting day.

Production Assistant:
A production assistant assists the first assistant director with set operations. Production assistants, almost always referred to as PAs, also assist in the production office with general tasks.

Script Supervisor:
Also known as the "continuity person", the script supervisor keeps track of what parts of the script have been filmed and makes notes of any deviations between what was actually filmed and what appeared in the script. He or she makes notes on every shot, also keeping track of props, blocking, and other details to ensure that continuity is maintained from shot to shot, and from scene to scene. The Script Supervisor's notes are given to the Editor to expedite the editing process. The script supervisor works very closely with the director on set.

Stunt Coordinator:
Where the film requires a stunt, and involves the use of stunt performers, the stunt coordinator will arrange the casting and performance of the stunt, working closely with the director.

Director of Photography:
The director of photography is the chief of the camera and lighting crew of the film. The DP makes decisions on lighting and framing of scenes in conjunction with the film's director. Typically, the director tells the DP how he or she wants a shot to look, and the DP then chooses the correct aperture, filter, and lighting to achieve the desired effect.

Camera Operator:
The camera operator uses the camera at the direction of the cinematographer, director of photography, or the film director to capture the scenes on film.

Production Sound Mixer:
The production sound mixer is head of the sound department on set, responsible for recording all sound during filming. This involves the choice and deployment of microphones, operation of a sound recording device, and sometimes the mixing of audio signals in real time.

Hair and Make-Up:

Make-up artists are beauticians that apply makeup to anyone appearing on screen. Their role is to manipulate an actor’s on screen appearance whether it makes them look more youthful, larger, older, or in some cases monstrous. The hair stylist is responsible for maintaining and styling the hair of anyone appearing on screen. He or she works in conjunction with the makeup artist.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Costume

Costume is a vital part in any film and the types of costume used can make a huge difference to a film.

During my work experience, I managed to work in the costume department and as a set runner on the ‘Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ film set. I mainly worked with Set Costume who stay on set at all times. This gave me a chance to see how a film is made behind the scenes.

Whilst working in costume, I saw the process of making garments, the different effects that could be added, the process of breaking it down and how they were changed to fit the storyline. The main effect that they used was the process of making the clothes look quite old and worn, in order to look as realistic as possible. Also, during a scene such as a fight, the clothes would gradually be torn, ripped and dirty, therefore many copies of the same garments are made, and the clothes are broken down in different stages, to also add realism.

I also saw other aspects of costume such as continuity, where they had to concentrate on making the costume identical if the same scene was shot at different times. This was vital, in order to not incur continuity errors.

An example of costume in a different Harry Potter film is in ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,’ where the director has given a brief and direction to the costume designer to place Dolores Umbridge (Senior Under-Secretary to Minister for Magic) in pink constantly. The garments change, but the colour is consistent throughout the film. This could be seen as ironic as pink generally represents girly, fluffy, soft etc. but Umbridge is not seen to be this type of character, in fact the opposite. Therefore this colour could be used to fool the audience into a false sense of security and add a twist.


People involved in Wardrobe:
Costume Designer :
The costume designer is responsible for all the clothing and costumes worn by all the actors that appear on screen. He or she is also responsible for designing, planning, and organizing the construction of the garments down to the fabric, colors, and sizes. The costume designer works closely with the director to understand and interpret "character", and counsels with the production designer to achieve an overall tone of the film.
Costume Supervisor:
The Costume Supervisor works closely with the designer. In addition to helping with the design of the costumes, he or she manages the wardrobe workspace. He or she is responsible for supervising the construction or sourcing of garments, the hiring and firing of support staff, the budget, paperwork, and department logistics.
Key Costumer:
The Key Costumer is employed on larger productions to manage the set costumers, and to handle the Star's wardrobe needs.
Costume Standby:
The Costume Standby is present on set at all times. It is his/her responsibility to monitor the quality and continuity of the actors and actresses costumes before and during takes. They will also assist the actors and actresses with dressing. This person is also known as a 'set costumer'.
Art Finisher:
An Art Finisher may be employed during the pre-production stage to "break down" garments. This specialised job includes making new clothing appear dirty, faded and worn. They are also known as breakdown artists.
Buyer:
On large productions a Buyer may be employed to source and purchase fabrics and garments. A buyer might also be referred to as a shopper. This distinction is often made when the lead actor in a production has control over their wardrobe, and they may personally hire this person.
Cutter/Fitter:
A costume technician who fits or tailors costumes, usually on-set. They can also be called cutters, seamstresses or tailors. Some celebrity actors have favorite cutters, and larger productions may hire several and have them on set at the same time, particularly in period film projects that might have complicated or extremely expensive extras wardrobe.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Horror Genre


GENREIdea of repetition and difference

Horror Genre Conventions:


CHARACTERS:
Victims - Female
Male villain/killer - (distorted image? monster? demon? mask? psychotic?)
Human heroes
Children are common

THEMES/FEELINGS:
Eerie
Suspense
Shock
Secrecy
Fear
Anticipation
Tension
Jump
Heart Race
Nervous
Disturbing
Claustrophobic
Dramatic

COMMON NARRATIVE:
Stalking
Being watched
Obsession
Death/impending
Killing/murder
Psychopathic behaviour
Chase
Being Trapped
Superatural
Revenge
Jealousy
Lust/crimes of passion
Torture
Mutilation
Spying

LIGHTING:
Dark
Low Key Lighting
Unnatural light

ICONOGRAPHY/PROPS:
Blood
Gore
Mist
Shadows
Silhouettes
Weapons
Candles
Cloaks
Mask
Bloody Dagger

CAMERA MOVEMENT:
Distorted – different angles
Fast paced - action
Slow movements - tense moments
Tracks
Hand-held
Point Of View Shots
Enigmatic Shooting
Use of lots of close-ups

LOCATIONS:
The ordinary – home (bedrooms, bathrooms, basements)
Deserted/abandoned buildings
Forests
Hospitals
Dark Alleys
Dark Places
Haunted, isolated places

SOUND:
Screams
Heart Beat
Creaks
Weather – Thunder
Breathing
Silence
Creepy Music

Monday, October 20, 2008

Characters and Plots

For this task, we were given 11 plots and had to pick two of them to use as examples of who we would cast in the films and why.

Plot Four:
The story is about a woman in London who is very wealthy.
Instead of spending money and sitting around all day, she has an ordinary job, does charity work, and enjoys being helpful and caring. Basically, she is a wonderful person who helps people because she wants to. She enjoys having money, but wants to feel normal, so she gets the tube to work every day. She gets the tube at the same time every morning and every evening. This is observed by her train driver.
He is a disturbed man in his late forties with an unhappy wife and an illegitimate 8 year old son who the man ignores. The train driver watches the woman every day, and becomes really intrigued as to what her life is like. He therefore begins to stalk her.
He finds out where she lives, and steals small, personal things from her, and his favourite item is one stud earring. One day he sees her get on the train with a man, who she kisses as she gets off the train. This makes the train driver go mad with jealousy and he decides to fulfil her wish of being normal – murderers go after “normal” people.
He waits until one day when she is alone in her carriage. At the next station, he tells everyone to get off the train, but doesn’t open the doors to her carriage. He takes her close to the end of the line, where he ties her to the train track. He attaches a note to her body – “bad things happen to good people, so why be good?” He leaves, and when the next train comes into that station, she is crushed.
You then see him get back into his driving pod and put the single stud earring on his dashboard. The camera pans to show rows of other single stud earrings sticking out of sponges. Each one is different and symbolises a woman he has stalked and killed.
The next day, the train driver notices another nice woman and his obsession continues…

Characters:
I chose to cast Nicole Kidman as the wealthy woman.

I made this decision because I believe she would play the role well. She has an appearance that represents the characteristics of the woman in the story.

She has an image that shows elegance, sophistication and wealth. Whilst at the same time, she looks ordinary, approachable and seems kind. She is also attractive and therefore likely to attract male attention; therefore it is believable that the train driver spots her out of others. As well as these characteristics, she also looks quite innocent and naïve, making her an easy victim to choose.

She has had successful appearances in many films and remains to be an extremely good actor. She starred in ‘The Others’ (2001) which is a horror film, where she played Grace, the main character, a mother who isolates her two children in a Victorian mansion on the British isle of Jersey near the end of World War II. It is said to have been “an ice-cold grabber of a performance by Nicole Kidman.” She has also starred in many other successful films such as ‘The Hours’ (2002), which is a drama, and ‘Margot at the Wedding’ (2007) which is a tragicomedy.

I chose to cast Sean Bean as the other main character (train driver.)

I thought he fit the character perfectly as he has a slightly sinister and distrusting appearance, and would be convincing playing a murderer driven by depression, obsession, boredom of day to day life and troubled family life. I think this would all be conveyed well by Sean Bean and therefore make it scarier for the audience.

Also he is an actor who usually plays a villain, which he has done in many of his films which were successful, for example ‘Lord Of The Rings’ - Boromir, James Bond's adversary in ‘GoldenEye’ - Alec Trevelyan, Nicolas Cage's competitor in ‘National Treasure’ - Ian Howe, IRA fringe terrorist out for revenge on Harrison Ford in ‘Patriot Games’ - Sean Miller.

Therefore I believe Sean Bean would be perfect for playing the villain, and a dark character to use in this plot.


The other plot i chose was Plot Two:
This is a sci fi thriller based in modern day New York. The film follows a middle-aged man suffering from total amnesia as he attempts to retrace back his life, relying fully on an official government badge stating only his name. The man discovers he was part of a secret government organisation whilst finding his way inside a government building, but when found unrecognised, he is interrogated and misjudged to have forged his badge (the only way of entering the building) using the name of an existing employee of the organisation.
After lengthy prosecution, the man and employee are discovered to be the same person through genetic testing, and little by little, with the help of the agency, the man’s existence is uncovered to strangely be a future version of the current employee.
In a shocking resolution, the man is forced to recapture his memories revealing a stunning truth – that he was sent back 2 decades in time to deliver a message to the present world and prevent the future from happening; a future that would inevitably lead to the destruction of mankind itself.
The man is ‘the rectifier,’ and holds all the answers the world needs to help maintain the existence of the human race. The problem is, will he be able to reach these answers from the deepest corners of his own confused mind, or will the unseeable flaw of “time travel caused amnesia” be the ultimate downfall for planet earth?

Characters:
I chose to cast Will Smith to star in this film.
I thought he would play an extremely successful role in this movie as the main character, and fits the description perfectly.
He has experience in a large number of different genres of films, and has played similar types of roles.
In 2004, he starred in ‘I, Robot’ which was a science fiction. This shows he plays roles similar to this well, as this plot is partly a science fiction film.

In the ‘Men in Black’ films, he played agents, which would link to his role in this plot as a Government agent, and was also a sci-fi, but showed his comical side as well.

The extremely successful 2007, ‘I Am Legend’ was a post-apocalyptic science fiction film. It starred Will Smith who portrayed the story well, and showed good acting. Confusion was a feeling felt by Will Smith in the film, which he would also show in plot two.

The 2008 ‘Hancock’ was an American superhero film, which starred Will Smith as a vigilante superhero, John Hancock. This would link to the part in the plot where they realise he is ‘the rectifier’ and will help maintain the existence of the human race.

As well as these successful films, he has also starred in more subtle genres, such as ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ as Chris Gardner, with his son Jaden Smith which was quite an emotional film.

He has starred in many different films, and this shows he is very adaptable and has shown qualities in his previous films that would be useful in this plot. He is also the perfect age of 40.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Psycho

Psycho was a horror film made in 1960 by the extremely well-known and successful director Alfred Hitchcock. He was an iconic and highly influential British filmmaker and producer. Psycho was a powerful, complex psychological thriller and is seen as the "mother" of all modern horror suspense films.
Despite the fact that the stark black and white film was low-budgeted ($800,000), it was brilliantly-edited and shocked audiences when it was released in 1960.
The master of suspense skillfully manipulates and guides the audience into identifying with the main character, luckless victim Marion, and then with that character's murderer - a crazy and timid taxidermist named Norman.


Main Characters in Psycho:
Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates.
Janet Leigh as Marion Crane.
Martin Balsam as Detective Milton Arbogast.
John Gavin as Sam Loomis.
Vera Miles as Lila Crane.

Plot:
The movie opens in Phoenix, Arizona, where discreet lovers Marion Crane and Sam Loomis, want to get married but cannot due to financial problems. Unhappy and desperate to improve their situation, Marion steals $40,000 from her office and drives to California, where Sam lives. All the while, Marion is nervous and apprehensive; eventually arriving at the Bates Motel, but this choice is proven to be an extremely wrong decision. The Motel is isolated and out-of-the-way, with no other guests staying; however she wanted to avoid a suspicious policeman.
She is greeted by the young, boyishly handsome and innocent-seeming owner, Norman Bates. Norman does what little work is left, and also looks after his mother in a sinister-looking house on top of a nearby hill.
Forgetting the problems that plague her for the time being, Marion takes a shower. Suddenly, a human figure enters the bathroom, shadowy through the shower curtain, and brutally stabs Marion to death (the famous shower scene.)
Meanwhile, Marion’s friends, relatives and a private detective are growing increasingly worried as to her whereabouts. The detective, Milton Arbogast traces her to the Bates Motel and questions Norman, who lies poorly. Arbogast sneaks into the old house to question Mrs. Bates, but is stabbed to death and falls down a flight of stairs.
Lila then sneaks into the house with the intention of talking to Norman's mother. Furious and panicked, Norman knocks Sam unconscious and races to the house. Seeing him come through a window, Lila hides from him in the fruit cellar, where she discovers that Mrs. Bates is a semi-preserved corpse. At that moment, Norman (wearing his mother's clothes and a wig) enters, screaming and holding a knife. However, Sam has regained consciousness and arrives just in time to save Lila.
At the end of the film, we realise that Bates's mother, is dead, but is still living on in Norman's mind. When his mother found a lover, Norman became jealous and murdered them both. He was so dominated by his mother while she lived, and so guilt-ridden for murdering her ten years earlier, that he tried to erase the crime from his mind by bringing his mother back to life. In effect, he is half Norman, half mother.
The last scene shows Norman Bates seated in a cell. The physical shell of Norman Bates sits unmoving, as "Mother's" thoughts dominate the mind, free of "Norman's" mental presence. We hear "her" internal voice as a voice-over. She blames Norman, and plans on demonstrating to the authorities that it was Norman who did the crimes, whereas she is utterly harmless. She knows that people must be observing her, and will show them what kind of a person she is. As a fly appears, Mother continues, "I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching. They'll see, they'll know, and they'll say, 'Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly'". We see "Mother" give a smile of satisfaction, which shows through Norman's demented stare. The film's final shot is of Marion's car being recovered from the swamp.

Many of Hitchcock's films contain cameo appearances by Hitchcock himself. In Psycho, he makes his cameo appearance 7 minutes into the film through a window, outside Marion Crane’s office.

To view the trailer, click here


The original trailer of Psycho made in 1960 has extremely different conventions to the trailers being made presently. It features the director of the film, Alfred Hitchcock, giving a visit of the set, it begins with “The fabulous Mr. Alfred Hitchcock is about to escort you…on a tour of the location of his new motion picture, ‘PSYCHO.’” The main difference that I can notice is the length of the trailer, it is six and a half minutes long, compared to the average of one and a half minutes that we see nowadays during advertisements of films. Hitchcock’s continuing commentary throughout the six and a half minutes implies that what he is describing is a real incident that has taken place. As he takes us on a tour of the house, we are immediately informed of the house’s sinister feeling. He drops little hints to the audience of what’s to come, for example “the bathroom, well, he cleaned all this up now, big difference, you should have seen the blood.” Also the trailer doesn’t follow conventions and is the opposite from trailers nowadays as it is a continuous structure, where it doesn't follow a narrative and usually just features different parts of the film. The trailer then ends with a shot from the famous shower scene, of Marion screaming and part of the music used in the scene.

My Opinion:
Overall, I thought Psycho was quite a good horror movie. I think it was extremely successful for the time period it was produced in, despite the lack of technology and knowledge of other effective techniques in the 60’s. Psycho is generally identified as the ‘mother’ of horror, as it established the genre and no similar film had been made previous to this.
I thought the shower scene and ending scene were extremely effective in the film. The shower scene was really disorienting for the audience, with the use of frequent cuts, fast pace and the sound. The combination of music and Marion’s screams really adds to the fear. Music is also used effectively in the scene when Marion is driving, before arriving at the Motel. This music adds to the suspense and alerts the audience that something is going to happen. The shower scene lasts three minutes and features fifty cuts with various different angles. The use of many close-ups is really effective as the audience feels closer in the shot and can clearly see reactions of the character, making it more intense. I also thought the ending scene was extremely effective and successfully finished the film. Instead of using violence to put across the idea of horror, Hitchcock effectively uses psychological horror to scare the audience. Anthony Perkins plays this character extremely well and displays good acting. The audience is aware of Norman’s problem that he has, after the explanation from the detective, but after being lead by the camera into an empty room containing Norman, they are scared once again. We hear Norman’s mother’s voice and then Norman bows, giving a creepy smile.

“As if I could do anything except just sit and stare--like one of his stuffed birds. Well, they know I can't move a finger. And I won't. I'll just sit here and be quiet, just in case they do suspect me.”
“They're probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of person I am.”
“I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching. They'll see. They'll see, and they'll know, and they'll say...'Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly!'”

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Horror Moodboard

Iconic characters and shots depicting well known scenes from Horror movies:

Monday, October 6, 2008

Notes On Continuity Techniques Used In The Pursuit Of Happiness



I have decided to analyse a clip from 'The Pursuit of Happiness' (interview scene) in order to demonstrate continuity techniques.
[I am analysing from 0:23]

The clip begins with a tracking shot of Will Smith (Chris Gardner) running very quickly. It is a medium close-up and profile shot. He is running down a busy street and this is shown effectively as objects wipe the foreground of the frame, which gives a sense of speed. Despite the fact that it is a busy scene, the camera always keeps the focus on the main character.

There is a good transition into the second shot, which also uses a tracking shot but changes to a long shot. The viewer’s eye is not disturbed as he is still running at the same pace and the area is still busy. This shows good continuity as the audience does not notice a change.

Towards the end of the second shot, it becomes less busy and therefore making it easier on the eye as it cuts to a medium long shot. This shot does not involve as many objects or people but due to a good cut, this goes unnoticed. This shot contrasts to the previous two shots as it is handheld and from behind the character, giving it a sense of urgency and realism. It places the audience in his situation. The framing in this shot is also done effectively, as the camera uses the wall and road to create a feeling of perspective, meaning he is going somewhere and there is a focus point. The lighting has also stayed the same throughout the three different shots, as the sunlight is in front of Chris Gardner.

All throughout these three shots, the feeling of importance and desperation is never lost. This is down to the timing of each cut and the continuity of the shots’ composition and contents. The use of cuts and match on action also add to the pace.

The next shot is a medium shot and despite the fact that he has a different pace, the frantic feeling is not lost. The people in the foreground and background walking at a normal pace emphasises his hurry. The use of a pan and tilt effectively follows his path up the stairs, leading to the building. This emphasises his destination and establishes a change of location.

The next shot is handheld and a medium shot. This is the first time the character and camera come to a stop, as well as the fast paced music. However, similar to the previous shots, this sense of urgency continues to be present. In the build up to this shot, the audience believes that the character has not stopped running. This flow and camera movement shows good continuity. Also the use of shot order throughout this part of the clip takes the audience smoothly through the narrative.

The sixth shot is a huge contrast to the previous shots as it is a big change. There are no props, different lighting, different camera movement and no sound. However, even though these have all changed, that sense of urgency is still conveyed through the use of a close-up shot, the camera tilt and zoom, and the character’s expression. The tilt up and slight zoom of the camera resembles the feeling in a lift. Also the tilt up shows he is still going somewhere and the close-up creates the feeling of pressure and stress. Despite this big change in mise-en-scene, the continuity is still successful from the previous shots.

The next shot is a long shot and contains no camera movement. This represents the passing of time. This contrasts to the other shots where there was the sense of speed and movement; however it still shows stress as he is waiting. This shows that it is still continuous but we have hit a point where he has done all he can and now must wait.

The shot at 1:05 is a close-up profile of the character and shows his expression and hand gesture clearly. The audience concentrate on him mainly, however when the door opens, the attention is diverted to the door which is framed in the centre of the shot and Will Smith goes out of focus.

1:14 uses a tilt up of Chris Gardner, emphasising the fact that he is rising to challenge and is on the move again. He walks towards the camera as a medium shot and exits the frame to the camera’s left. This matched cut changes the shot to an over the shoulder shot as the camera moves behind him; however the timing of the shot causes the cut to go unnoticed by the audience. This change in shot means the audience can see from his perspective as we enter with him and therefore the audience has the same feeling of apprehensiveness. This feeling has been built up by the previous shots which didn’t include much movement or action but have led up to this point and always kept the audience’s attention on the room.

The shot continuing from 1:16 uses a steady-cam. It is 15 seconds of camera movement, following the character as a medium shot. However he is slightly out of focus to draw our attention to the busy and hectic surroundings. Towards the end of this shot, the music becomes noticeable and creates a sense of achievement.

The next shot is a close-up, to show the expression of the character and his reaction to the previous shot. Now he is in focus and the background is out of focus, in order to divert our attention to him. The cut works well as it is a continuation of his movement through the busy place, using a steady-cam but in a reverse direction.

The next shot is a point of view shot, therefore the audience can see what he sees and are placed in his position. The cut is timed well as he looks to the left, this POV matches his view. 1:35 uses another point of view shot. It is still the use of a steady cam but pans right matching his head movement which leads on well to the next shot which uses a steady cam and close up of the character.

There is another POV shot at 1:52 but this time is tracking to the right, which creates the effect of physical movement. This shot is different as there is a change in the setting. The continuation of the previous six shots, which used POV’s and steady cam, lead on well to this new setting.

As he enters the interviewing room, the shots show a conversation between Will Smith and four men. This part of the clip includes shot-reverse-shots, placing the audience in the action. It is also a conversation which is shot over the shoulder to allow both characters to remain in the shot. The 180 degree rule is also considered in this part and it matches on action, allowing the dialogue to flow consistently.

Continuity is good down to well timed cuts and the use of a combination of effective shots. These all create the ‘invisible’ editing which allows the audience to see the narrative clearly and establishes a plausible, professional scene.