Question one
"Genres must adapt in order to survive"- Discuss
INTRO- definition of genre
- it is dynamic
- talk about slasher genres target audience and how it relates to question
YES I AGREE-
- although they must conform to audience expectations, genres also need to change in order to capture the zeitgeist of the time
- there is new technology which means that there can be more special effects made and therefore genres can be changed to be made different
- cultural differences and how times have changed...teenagers are more liberal...go on dates etc...slasher is therefore a genre which needs to surprise and shock audiences
- there is more competition in the industry and therefore films have to compete and therefore be innovative and original.
NO I DON'T AGREE
-audiences have certain expectations of the film and therefore it should stay the same to satisfy their preferences
- the slasher genre always conforms to a set of conventions which define it as that genre it shouldn't be changed as thats how it is classified..."if it's not broke..don't fix it!"- could talk about differences between the two TCMS...or compare psycho and switchblade romance
Conclusion
Overall i believe that genres do need to adapt to survive as it must adhere to the spirit of the age and the different ways of living now taking place.....however to some extent it should adapt as the slasher genre for example needs to fulfil its audience expectations so that they are satisfied.
Question 2
"Can we determine genre from mise en scene alone?"
INTRO- what is mise en scene?
- how does it show the different conventions in the genre?(what aspects)
- which genres and films will you talk about and why isit relevant?
YES I AGREE-
-mise en scene is important because it shows all the conventions...
aspects such as:
costume
lighting
makeup
props
setting
...all important as they show the main conventions and audience expectations....i.e. things like blood etc....ICONOGRAPHY...
NO I DON'T AGREE
there are several other factors which determine the genre...
-repertoire of elements is important...
- media language(style)...fast cuts can determine the pace and mood of the situation...slow cuts...show build temsion....all adds to suspense which determines slasher genre
- sound is important- music....diegetic?...contrapuntal?...adds to tension and suspense
narrative theories- the final girl
- binary oppositons- night and day, good and evil etc.
-equilibrium theory
- narrative enigmas
Conclusion-
mise en scene is important to an extent...
however other factors also determine the genre and these include aspects of media language such as sound and style and also the narrative and theories...these are all significant in determining the genre.
Monday, 20 April 2009
Monday, 30 March 2009
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Essay
"Compare the two versions of TCM. HOW and WHY are they similar or different, paying close attention to ideas/theories about the ways genres repeat themselves and the wider contextual factors that have influenced any changes."
Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974) was possibly one of the greatest slasher films of its time as it was the first film which began to reveal the horrific traits and repertoire of elements which are now so commonly viewed in slasher films today. The success of the film induced a remake to be created in 2003 which with the new technology was able to capture the horror and the graphic detail to its full extent making it just as successful. This essay will compare and contrast both versions and attempt to make a judgement as to which one is more successful in achieving its purpose.
The idea of a masked killer was first introduced by TCM as a tool to establish suspense and horror within in the film, several other films such as “Halloween” then began to use their own take on this in order to target the same audience of predominantly C1 C2 and D1 teenage males who experience voyeuristic pleasures in watching the characters within the film suffer, particularly the final girl.
The film can be perceived to be reflect the zeitgeist as it challenges patriarchal ideologies, as at the beginning of the new film the hitchhiker who is the catalyst of the action is a female, contrasting with the original. However, it can also be considered that the females stereotypical ideologies are also reinforced as by the end of the film the audience comes to realise she was merely grieving the loss of her child, establishing the ideology that women are the natural caregivers within the household. Moreover in the newer version more focus is placed upon the male deaths than the female deaths as they are seen to be killed off first and therefore the final girls supports are snatched away as she is made to seem more vulnerable.
Furthermore, due to the lack of technology the older version of the film is less graphic and gory and therefore does not create the same impact that the newer one does. The new film allows the audience to understand each character better so that we can establish a relationship with them and thus when they die the audience is able to empathise with the final girl and are therefore left satisfied at the end when she finally escapes. Both films adhere to the new equilibrium theory to an extent as the films both suffer a disruption when the hitch hiker commits suicide, a realisation when the deaths begin, attempt to repair when the final girl tries to receive help and a new equilibrium when she finally escapes. Moreover, Proppean theory is also challenged as the “princess” in need to be saved actually takes on the role of “the hero” which can be considered to challenge patriarchal ideology despite her being the subject of voyeuristic pleasure from a male audience.
In conclusion, both films are similar as they portray the same ideologies yet their content and the use of editing and direction is completely different in order to appeal to its newly developed younger target audience. Fast Cuts are used as an mtv aesthetic, substantiating this idea and some aspects of the film are altered such as the end where the story continues after the woman gets into the van. Due to lack of technology the 1974 version can be seen to be almost comedic with the benefit of hindsight, and male ideologies are challenged when “leatherface” is shown to be wearing a kitchen apron which in turn also affiliates with the film “psycho” and the idea that a “woman” is the cause of such mayhem to occur.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974) was possibly one of the greatest slasher films of its time as it was the first film which began to reveal the horrific traits and repertoire of elements which are now so commonly viewed in slasher films today. The success of the film induced a remake to be created in 2003 which with the new technology was able to capture the horror and the graphic detail to its full extent making it just as successful. This essay will compare and contrast both versions and attempt to make a judgement as to which one is more successful in achieving its purpose.
The idea of a masked killer was first introduced by TCM as a tool to establish suspense and horror within in the film, several other films such as “Halloween” then began to use their own take on this in order to target the same audience of predominantly C1 C2 and D1 teenage males who experience voyeuristic pleasures in watching the characters within the film suffer, particularly the final girl.
The film can be perceived to be reflect the zeitgeist as it challenges patriarchal ideologies, as at the beginning of the new film the hitchhiker who is the catalyst of the action is a female, contrasting with the original. However, it can also be considered that the females stereotypical ideologies are also reinforced as by the end of the film the audience comes to realise she was merely grieving the loss of her child, establishing the ideology that women are the natural caregivers within the household. Moreover in the newer version more focus is placed upon the male deaths than the female deaths as they are seen to be killed off first and therefore the final girls supports are snatched away as she is made to seem more vulnerable.
Furthermore, due to the lack of technology the older version of the film is less graphic and gory and therefore does not create the same impact that the newer one does. The new film allows the audience to understand each character better so that we can establish a relationship with them and thus when they die the audience is able to empathise with the final girl and are therefore left satisfied at the end when she finally escapes. Both films adhere to the new equilibrium theory to an extent as the films both suffer a disruption when the hitch hiker commits suicide, a realisation when the deaths begin, attempt to repair when the final girl tries to receive help and a new equilibrium when she finally escapes. Moreover, Proppean theory is also challenged as the “princess” in need to be saved actually takes on the role of “the hero” which can be considered to challenge patriarchal ideology despite her being the subject of voyeuristic pleasure from a male audience.
In conclusion, both films are similar as they portray the same ideologies yet their content and the use of editing and direction is completely different in order to appeal to its newly developed younger target audience. Fast Cuts are used as an mtv aesthetic, substantiating this idea and some aspects of the film are altered such as the end where the story continues after the woman gets into the van. Due to lack of technology the 1974 version can be seen to be almost comedic with the benefit of hindsight, and male ideologies are challenged when “leatherface” is shown to be wearing a kitchen apron which in turn also affiliates with the film “psycho” and the idea that a “woman” is the cause of such mayhem to occur.
Scary Movie
Scary Movie is a 2000 film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, as part of Wayans Bros. Entertainment. It is an American dark comedy which parodies the horror, slasher, and mystery genres. Several mid- and late-1990s movies are spoofed, including the more subtle horror film parody series Scream trilogy, The Sixth Sense, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Usual Suspects, The Matrix, and The Blair Witch Project, while it also parodies many of the classic horror films, most notably Halloween.
The tagline is "No mercy. No shame. No sequel.", with the last reference being to the tendency of popular horror movies to become long-running franchises. However, in 2001, Scary Movie 2 was released (with the tagline "We lied"). The film was followed by a series of sequels Scary Movie 3 (2003), and Scary Movie 4 (2006). The original title for the film Scream was "Scary Movie" which ironically was later used to parody it. Both films were released through Dimension Films.
In addition to parodying the Scream series and I Know What You Did Last Summer, a number of other pop cultural references are made:
* The Blair Witch Project - The scene in which Gail Hailstorm and her Jamaican cameraman are videotaping one of the killer's murders, then they get spotted and they try to escape, however, Gail's cameraman gets killed and Gail apologizes to the cameraman's family by videotaping her apology and leaving it behind so it can be found.
* The Usual Suspects - Doofy's character and situation remotely resembles that of Verbal Kint's. The scene towards the ending is an almost exact replica of the final scene from The Usual Suspects, complete with Cindy dropping the coffee mug with "Doofus Porcelain" written on the bottom (a direct parody of the scene where Detective Kujan discovers his own mug was made by a company called "Kobayashi Porcelain"), Doofy's limp gradually disappearing, him shedding clothing to reveal his real appearance, lighting a cigarette etc.
* The Shining - When Buffy is about to be killed the word "Redrum," is whispered. In The Shining, Danny Torrance writes this word (murder reversed), and speaks it, while semi-possesed.
* Titanic and Amistad - When Brenda and Ray are at the movies, a film trailer is shown showing a man on a ship at sea resembling like Captain Edward John Smith of the Titanic, and features a character (Keenen Ivory Wayans) saying the infamous "I'm king of the world!" line, leading the viewer to assume that the film is related to Titanic. Instead, a slave master whips the man, who is revealed to be a slave, as the trailer is revealed to be for a sequel to the 1997 film Amistad.
* Thinner - In the opening scene, Carmen Electra's character is run over by a car. The driver (her father) gets distracted in a similar way as in the movie Thinner.
* The Matrix - The fight scene between Cindy and the killer utilizes "Bullet time" special effects.
* Drop Dead Gorgeous - The beauty pageant scene with Buffy.
The tagline is "No mercy. No shame. No sequel.", with the last reference being to the tendency of popular horror movies to become long-running franchises. However, in 2001, Scary Movie 2 was released (with the tagline "We lied"). The film was followed by a series of sequels Scary Movie 3 (2003), and Scary Movie 4 (2006). The original title for the film Scream was "Scary Movie" which ironically was later used to parody it. Both films were released through Dimension Films.
In addition to parodying the Scream series and I Know What You Did Last Summer, a number of other pop cultural references are made:
* The Blair Witch Project - The scene in which Gail Hailstorm and her Jamaican cameraman are videotaping one of the killer's murders, then they get spotted and they try to escape, however, Gail's cameraman gets killed and Gail apologizes to the cameraman's family by videotaping her apology and leaving it behind so it can be found.
* The Usual Suspects - Doofy's character and situation remotely resembles that of Verbal Kint's. The scene towards the ending is an almost exact replica of the final scene from The Usual Suspects, complete with Cindy dropping the coffee mug with "Doofus Porcelain" written on the bottom (a direct parody of the scene where Detective Kujan discovers his own mug was made by a company called "Kobayashi Porcelain"), Doofy's limp gradually disappearing, him shedding clothing to reveal his real appearance, lighting a cigarette etc.
* The Shining - When Buffy is about to be killed the word "Redrum," is whispered. In The Shining, Danny Torrance writes this word (murder reversed), and speaks it, while semi-possesed.
* Titanic and Amistad - When Brenda and Ray are at the movies, a film trailer is shown showing a man on a ship at sea resembling like Captain Edward John Smith of the Titanic, and features a character (Keenen Ivory Wayans) saying the infamous "I'm king of the world!" line, leading the viewer to assume that the film is related to Titanic. Instead, a slave master whips the man, who is revealed to be a slave, as the trailer is revealed to be for a sequel to the 1997 film Amistad.
* Thinner - In the opening scene, Carmen Electra's character is run over by a car. The driver (her father) gets distracted in a similar way as in the movie Thinner.
* The Matrix - The fight scene between Cindy and the killer utilizes "Bullet time" special effects.
* Drop Dead Gorgeous - The beauty pageant scene with Buffy.
A Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise
A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror franchise that consists of eight slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The franchise began with the film series, which was created by Wes Craven, with various other individuals taking over those jobs for each film sequel. The franchise is based on the fictional character of Freddy Krueger, introduced in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), who stalks and kills teenagers in their dreams; if Freddy kills the teenager in the dream world then they are ultimately killed in the real world. His motives were to seek revenge on their parents, who had burned him alive years before the events of the first Nightmare film. The original film was written and directed by Craven, who returned to co-script the second sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), and to write and direct New Nightmare (1994).
The original film was released in 1984, and following it a series of sequels was produced by the independent film company New Line Cinema. New Line often attributes the growth of their company to the success of the Nightmare franchise.[2] The film series as a whole has received mixed reviews by critics, but has been a financial success at the box office. When comparing the United States box office grosses of other American horror film series, A Nightmare on Elm Street is the third highest grossing franchise in adjusted US dollars.[3] In 1988, a television series was produced with Freddy as the host. The pilot episode focused on the night Freddy was burned alive by the angry parents of the children he had killed, though the rest of the series featured episodes with independent plots. Twelve novels, separate from the adaptations of the films, and multiple comic book series were published featuring Freddy Krueger.
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The original film was released in 1984, and following it a series of sequels was produced by the independent film company New Line Cinema. New Line often attributes the growth of their company to the success of the Nightmare franchise.[2] The film series as a whole has received mixed reviews by critics, but has been a financial success at the box office. When comparing the United States box office grosses of other American horror film series, A Nightmare on Elm Street is the third highest grossing franchise in adjusted US dollars.[3] In 1988, a television series was produced with Freddy as the host. The pilot episode focused on the night Freddy was burned alive by the angry parents of the children he had killed, though the rest of the series featured episodes with independent plots. Twelve novels, separate from the adaptations of the films, and multiple comic book series were published featuring Freddy Krueger.
Contents
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Friday 13th Franchise
i will be keeping the predominant factors the same such as the storyline and particular scenes i.e. with the mother and the snake etc. However i will include some faster cuts and slower and scenes to build more suspense and tension. For example the scene where the boy comes out of the water despite the slow classical music being contrapuntal and therefore comedic, it makes the scene look almost comedic. In turn i will music which will arouse tension yet make the audience oblivious to what is about to happen.Moreover, chasing scenes and scenes where th killer has time to run away are predictable and therefore a range of differnt shots will be used.
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise that consists of twelve slasher films, a television show, novels, comic books, and various merchandise. The franchise mainly focuses on the fictional character of Jason Voorhees, who drowned at Camp Crystal Lake as a boy due to the negligence of the teenage counselors. Decades later, the lake is rumored to be "cursed" and is the setting for a series of mass murders. Jason is featured in all of the films, either as the killer or as the motivation for the killings. The original film was written by Victor Miller, and was produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham; neither returned to write or direct any of the sequels.
Friday the 13th (1980)
Friday the 13th Part 2
Friday the 13th Part III
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
Jason X
Freddy vs. Jason
Friday the 13th (2009)
Friday the 13th (1980)
Friday the 13th Part 2
Friday the 13th Part III
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
Jason X
Freddy vs. Jason
Friday the 13th (2009)
Halloween Franchise
I will be keeping most of the features of the film the same in order to meet audience expectations and perpetuate the originality of the film. The dominant iconography will be the use of a masked killer, knives, blood and screaming teenagers. The repetoire of elements including the idea of a final girl and the home alone scenes will also be included.
However, i will be changing several factors in order to adhere to the zeitgeist and appeal to the newly developed teenage audience, a mixture of fast and slow cuts will be used in order to establish tension and therefore evoke a voyeuristic effect. Moreover, i will reveal more personal traits about the final girl and her friends in order for the audience to be able to identify with them and therefore establish a relationship and care for them, doubling the shock impact. The murder scenes will also be more graphic to add to the gory effect and this will be possible due to developments in technology and the removal of censorship. The final girl will also have all of her supports snatched away from her in order to illustrate her vulnerability much like the original film, she will be a virgin in order to adhere to the slasher movie codes. Low key lighting will predominantly be used to reflect the eerie atmosphere and the film will be shot from the girls point of view so the audience can feel involved and empathise with her.
However, i will be changing several factors in order to adhere to the zeitgeist and appeal to the newly developed teenage audience, a mixture of fast and slow cuts will be used in order to establish tension and therefore evoke a voyeuristic effect. Moreover, i will reveal more personal traits about the final girl and her friends in order for the audience to be able to identify with them and therefore establish a relationship and care for them, doubling the shock impact. The murder scenes will also be more graphic to add to the gory effect and this will be possible due to developments in technology and the removal of censorship. The final girl will also have all of her supports snatched away from her in order to illustrate her vulnerability much like the original film, she will be a virgin in order to adhere to the slasher movie codes. Low key lighting will predominantly be used to reflect the eerie atmosphere and the film will be shot from the girls point of view so the audience can feel involved and empathise with her.
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