DF - Conventions of Film Noir

"Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasise moral ambiguity and sexual motivation."

Conventions of Visual Techniques in Film Noir:

• Dramatic shadow patterning
• Low-key lighting - stark light/dark contrasts
• 'Dutch' angles (canted angles)
• Wide angle lenses
• Reflections in mirrors
• Night for night sequences
• Low-angle shots
• Faces partially obscured by darkness

Scene from 'Double Indemnity' (Wilder, 1949) showing a very common use of venetian blinds in film noir.

JB - Genre, Form and Style of Film Openings

A genre is a categorisation of media texts based on a similar set of conventions, which are:

• Familiar to the audience
• Repeated over time
• Fluid and dynamic

For example, both Final Destination and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are films from the horror genre.

The form of a media text is the structure of it (i.e. the way it is put together).
For example, the opening sequence of a film may be a flashback or flash-forward, and then it could cut to the present time. Alternatively, the opening sequence may simply be the present time, to establish the protagonists.

The style of a film is very individual to the director. Even though two films may belong to the same genre, the styles of the two may be very different and are likely to vary from director to director. For example, the title sequence to one film may involve freeze-frames or still photography to establish the protagonists, whereas another title sequence may have a voiceover to establish the narrative.

JB - Analysing an Opening Sequence

"The Sixth Sense" (Shyamalan, 1999)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44VRhcFxFF4

"The Ring" (Verbinski, 2002)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e4DBZ_eeGg

"Saw 6" (Greutert, 2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNzWb3Gptp4

Genre: "The Sixth Sense" (Shyamalan, 1999)

1. This film belongs to the sub-genre of psychological horror. This is shown by the conventional aspects of the opening sequence, including a minor-key soundtrack on the title credits and dull lighting.
2. The audience's generic expectations of the text are fulfilled because the conventions are shown and immediately set the mood/scene of the narrative. A lot of the camerawork is shot from behind/through objects to create the impression that the characters are being 'watched', which is conventional to psychological horror.
3. The opening sequence conforms to the characteristics of the genre because of the preferred audience readings created by all four technical aspects (camera, sound, editing & mise-en-scene).

Film Language: "Saw 6" (Greutert, 2009)

1. In this sequence, mise-en-scene conveys a sense of claustrophobia and the feeling of being trapped. The majority of shots are from behind the cages and the poorly lit room adds to this feeling.
2. The girl is mostly shot from a high-angle which looks down on her and makes her seem inferior to a certain extent. An interesting method of filming is used, in which the camera pans around her and covers all angles which isolates her and makes the audience feel as though she is being watched.
3. The dialogue anchors the images because it creates the need for motivated cuts, for example when the clown on the TV talks about the device on her head the camera shows her grabbing hold of it and trying to remove it.
4. Through dialogue we are informed of the characters' professions. They are loan sharks, and the clown has informed the characters that they are no longer 'predators' but instead the 'prey'. The characters' body language shows their fear because the movements they make are very sharp and sudden.
5. Another visual technique used during this film opening is the camera constantly cutting to the stopwatch in order to build the tension as the timer gets closer and closer to zero.
   

Narrative: "Saw 6" (Greutert, 2009)

1. The narrative in this clip is structured in chronological order and is in real time. There are no jump-cuts or time compression, because the entire opening is set in the room/cage and it is a continuous sequence due to the 'countdown' on the stopwatch.
2. The audience is positioned to feel they are part of the trap as well. The camerawork regularly shows the characters from behind the fence/cage, from within the room, which can make the audience feel like they are part of the action too.
3. We are expected to identify with the characters to a certain extent; we feel sympathetic towards them because they are in a trap in which they compete against one another for survival. Not only are they made to cause the death of the other character, but they are made to do so by removing their own flesh from their bodies. We see the fearful look on their faces as they are forced to endure physical and mental stress. However, they are also alienated to some extent because the audience is informed that they are Loan Sharks, and they are seen to be 'predators'.
4. The major themes of this narrative are chlaustrophobia, pain and fear. The two characters are locked in cages and have head traps on which they are unable to remove.
5. Tension is maintained throughout the narrative because of the continuation of events. It is initially created when the male character leans forward and hence starts the countdown. The characters have an intense race to cut off the most flesh, and at times it seems that the male is in the lead and will survive, so we want to continue watching to see what happens to the woman. However the tables are turned when the woman manages to cut off her whole arm which poses the question 'what happens next?' and thus encouraging the audience to continue watching due to the build up of tension as the countdown reaches closer and closer to zero.

Representation & Ideology: "The Ring" (Verbinski, 2002)

1. In this opening sequence the two teenage girls represent the majority of today's urban teens. They are shown to try and 'scare' each other and to some extent they compete with each other to see who can scare one another the most. This represents the playful attitude that most modern teenagers have.
2. The ideological discourse shown in this opening sequence is that they believe the video tape which they are discussing is fictional, and as a consequence they joke about it.
3. To some extent the characteristics of the genre are conformed to; pathetic fallacy is used by the rainfall outside and the dim lighting which help contribute to the mood and are conventional to the majority of psychological horrors. However some characteristics are treated playfully because the girls are seen to disbelieve in the video tape they are discussing.

Media Audiences: "The Ring" (Verbinski, 2002)

1. The target audience for this film is primarily 15-24 year old males, because horrors are shifted towards a predominantly masculine audience rather than a feminine one.
2. The audience readings from this opening sequence are that we identify and associate with the characters within the narrative, which is what helps build up the feelings of tension which are induced by this sub-genre.
3. As a British teenager I identify with the characters, who are teenagers as well, which can help with the preferred readings of the psychological horror.

Institutional Context: "The Sixth Sense" (Shyamalan, 1999)

1. Bruce Willis features in this film, which is important because we know a little bit about his character before even seeing the film. He has appeared in many thrillers in which he was the protagonist, most notably the Die Hard series.
2. The film was produced by Spyglass Entertainment, so it is an industrial production, which is reflected by it's $40 million budget.
3. The Sixth Sense was distributed by Hollywood Pictures, who spent $25 million on prints and advertising.
4. Due to the location (inside a house) the institutional context is not necessarily evident because it would require a relatively low budget. However the title credits are nicely edited and are accompanied by orchestral music which could indicate the production values to some extent.
   

DF - Analysing an Opening Sequence

'The Shining' (Kubrick, 1980)

'The Number 23' (Schumacher, 2007)

'Se7en' (Fincher, 1995)

Genre: 'The Shining' (Kubrick, 1980)

1. This film is a psychological horror, which can be seen in the way that the plot develops by following the increased psychological damage seen in the antagonist and the child and the man becomes insane and the boy hallucinates.
2. The opening sequence shows extreme long-shots of a car driving in a clearly isolated location with a dark, suspense-building minor key soundtrack. This fulfils the conventions of an isolated location and fitting music. Furthermore, no characters are introduced and no hint of the plot is conveyed. This is quite unusual within film openings however is does display the convention of mystery, as the lack of direction alongside the music helps raise questions in the audience's mind.
3. The text does conform to the majority of the genre's characteristics in that there is no element of parody or satire to be seen.

Film Language: 'Se7en' (Fincher, 1995)

1. Mise-en-scene is used to convey meaning in this sequence by suggestion of links between the protagonist's actions in crossing people faces out and crossing words out and the possible development of the narrative. Enigma is created when the audiences questions the reason for crossing out the people and words.
2. Camera shot size affects meaning in the way that a lot of close-ups are used which serve to omit a large portion of the scene creating mystery as to what else is going on. Similarly, the camera's jerky and glitchy movements create a sinister image in the audience's mind that suggests that something is wrong.
3. The sound anchors the images in that the camera's jerky and glitchy movements are synchronised with the glitchy music. Furthermore, the ominous, atmospheric nature of the music reinforces the dark feel of the opening.
4. In this opening sequence we learn about the character through his lack of dialogue and his non-verbal language. His silence creates an enigmatic attribute to his personality and similarly his non-verbal language involving him crossing out people's faces and names connotes his investigative characteristics as well as the film's mysterious plot.

Narrative: 'The Number 23' (Schumacher, 2007)

1. The narrative in this opening sequence has no specific structure, but rather portrays the structure as being scattered over time as references are made to King George I, Hitler as well as more modern characters. This is told through typography and animation of the text to show a link between all the referenced characters.
2. The audience is positioned with no particular character - as the opening sequence shows no characters - but rather the audience is placed in a detective-like position as we are given a small amount of evidence and suggestion of a link between them. Similarly, the audience would be placed with the protagonist immedietly after the opening sequence in that the protagonist will know as much as the audience and this links them together.
3. Identification is highlighted by the text on-screen and the highlighting or crossing-out of names suggests to the audience characters involved to characters to be referenced or investigated. However, a key convention of horror utilised in this example is enigma and mystery, and this can be achieved by not outwardly specifying the protagonists and antagonists but rather leaving that as another mystery to motivate the audience to continue watching the film in order to find the answers to the questions raised.
4. It is clear that conspiracy is a major theme in this text. This is shown through the statement of seemingly unrelated facts in text that are given a ficticious yet convincing link (the number 23). Similarly it can be suggested that mystery and discovery are likely to be key themes of the film which is implied by the enigmatic feel of the opening.
5. Tension is created by use of the atmospheric, droning non-diegetic music in a minor key which, adding onto the text, suggests that the link between the ideas introduced is a negative one and possibly one to be feared. This is maintained by the consistancy of the music as well as the ominous omitting of seemingly random pieces of text which hints at a sinister backing.

Representation & Ideology: 'The Number 23' (Schumacher, 2007)

1. It could be suggested that conspiracy theorists are represented in this opening sequence in that way that somewhat vague links are being made between seemingly random facts and this is a common practice of conspiracy theorists, however, since the opening portrays no characters it could not suggest further than this.
2. The ideological discourse evident is the notion that what you think you know is not true and there is a sinister 'puppet master' controlling these events without your knowledge. The values and beliefs portrayed are that of the links between events and the number 23, such as "There are 23 letters in the Latin alphabet." and "The witches sabbath is June 23rd.".
3. I would suggest that the characteristics of the genre are not treated playfully or ironically as there is no element of 'spoof' present. The narrative follows similar conventions to similar films but is not twisted to seem too different to the standard.

Media Audiences: 'Se7en' (Fincher, 1995)

1. The target audience is the core audience, but is also skewed towards the more masculine side due to the nature of the film (horrors are more typically associated with males than females).
2. Due to the conventions of psychological horror opening sequences it is difficult to gain audience readings as mystery is a key element. However, the preferred reading of this text would be to side against the characters seen in the opening sequence as it implies they are murdering people due to the way they cross people out. On the other hand a negotiated reading might take no side due to a lack of information.
3. As a British teenager I read and evaluate the text as one of building mystery as its primary function and of setting the scene for the narrative.

Institutional Context: 'The Shining' (Kubrick, 1980)

1. Although a star is used in the film (Jack Nicholson) they are not seen in the opening sequence. This is likely a decision made based on his previous facting career, which includes very little horror. Thus, it could be said that the reason the star is not shown in the opening sequence is so that the genre of the film can be set up before the star makes his appearance, so as to not put confusion in the audience's mind about what kind of film they're watching.
2. The studios that produced this film are Producers Circle and Perrigrine Productions, and it was distributed by Warner Bros. This is an example of industrial cinema which can be confirmed by its budget of $22 million (in 1980).
3. The film war marketed with use of Stephen King's novel that it was based on. It was also marketed by Warner Bros. who took quite a traditional approach (due to it being the 1980's) with standard use of trailer, poster, etc.
4. The institutional context can be seen in the way that the entire opening sequence is shot from a helicopter following a car in an obviously isolated location.

MP - Analysing an Opening Sequence

The Covenant (Harlin, 2006)

Candyman (Rose, 1992)

30 Days of Night (Slade, 2007)

Genre: 30 Days of Night (Slade, 2007)

1. This film belongs to gore horror. This is evident from the details revealed in the opening sequence, such as blood on the photos of the families, and the eerie music.
2. I feel that the audience expectations are fulfilled greatly in this opening sequence. There are many conventions used, such as slow, minor key non-diegetic music and constant slow panning cuts that fade in and out of each other. Also, the objects shown are very iconic of horror, the broken glass for example gives a notion of chaos and terror.
3. This opening sequence conforms strongly to the characteristics of the genre, using many standard conventions and iconic items.

Media Audiences: 30 Days of Night (Slade, 2007)

1. The target audience for this film is the core audience of 15-24 year olds. This is likely to be because the theatrical release dates for the horror genre are often in between the holiday seasons to avoid clashing with the blockbusters and family films. The frequent cinema goer is therefore more likey to see this type of film than any other group.
2. I feel that the only audience reading is that the people in the photos will die throughout the film, with those who have more screen time becoming the heroes who try to save the day but die anyway.
3. As a British teenager, I can relate to the apparent deaths of the characters, as this is a regular occurence that features on the news.

Film Language: The Covenant (Harlin, 2006)

1. The low lighting in this opening sequence, suggesting a plot with death. The montage style of the opening also connotes chaos, which is strengthened by the quick cutting rate. Furthermore, all of the montage shows images that seem to portray the hunting of people who are different, and the persecution that was rife throughout the 17th Century.
2. Most of the shot sizes are extreme close ups of old books, paintings and texts etc. setting the audiences' minds into the mood of hunting and slavery that featured heavily through the time period that is initially introduced.
3. During the typographical explanation of the pre-story, there is just the quiet rumbling of thunder in the background, which gets graudually louder, until there is a sudden thunder clap which coincides with the final words of the explanation. This places great influence on these words, and sets the idea that these words are a central part of the film in the audiences' mind.
4. There is no dialogue throughout the opening of the film, which gives the feeling that the characters who are to be introduced later are very secretive and quiet about themselves, not wanting to draw too much attention from others. The fact that none of the characters are actually shown in the opening sequence furthers the thought that they keep to themselves and do not wish to give anything away.

Narrative: Candyman (Rose, 1992)

1. The audience is placed at the beginning of the linear narrative of the story, with a bird's-eye view extreme long shot setting the location as an American city. This is the only development of the narrative during the opening, with Phillip Glass' music doing all of the work of setting the haunting mood for the film.
2. The simple showing of the American people commuting, along with the non-diegetic soundtrack initially identifies them as the victims of the film, which is reinforced by the fact that the audience is looking down onto the city. This also gives an idea that there may be a killer among them, which in itself alienates everybody, as the audience is not shown a villain.
3. The major themes in the narrative are that everyone is going about their daily business as usual, with the music introducing the thought that there is something waiting in the wings which will throw the city into chaos perhaps.
4. It is clear that the tension is created and held mainly by the minor, extremely sorrowfu music. However, the length of the cut is also slightly unsettling, as this is not a usual convention of any film genre for an opening sequence.

Representation and Ideology: The Covenant (Harlin, 2006)

1. The main social group represented in this opening is the covenant and those with 'The Power' whom they protect. They are revealed in the typography that features at the start of the title sequence, which explains the background of the plot to the audience. Those who hunt the people who have 'The Power' are also represented as likenesses of the 17th Cent witch hunters. These people are also showed to the audience in the explanation of the pre-story.
2. It is clear that the beliefs of the 17th Cent such as witch-hunting and persecution are represented as alienated in the way that the Covenant is formed to protect people from them. Also, there is a strong religious aspect of beliefs that features in the opening.
3. The characteristics of the genre are treated in a conventional way, without any ironic meanings portrayed. This reinforces the genre which the film belongs to. However, the audience is placed among those with 'The Power', who would normally be seen as the antagonists. The roles are reversed however, with the humans who do the hunting becoming antagonist.

Institutional Context: Candyman (Rose, 1992)

1. No star has been used in this opening sequence, which does suggest that the studio may be independant with a small budget. However, the entire opening scene is a continuous bird's-eye shot which is taken from a helicopter - these aren't cheap to hire, so a star may appear later in the film.
2. The film was distributed by TriStar Pictures, a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures. Sony Pictures is a large film group, making this an 'industrial' film.
3. Candyman had its opening at the 1992 Toronto Film Festival, and came in at number 75 on 'Bravo's 100 scariest movies'.
4. I would not say that the production values of the institution (Sony Pictures) are evident in the production values of the opening sequence. Large commercial studios tend to have higher cutting rates and flamboyant typography and animation. The opening of this film is very visually simple, suggesting a lower budget studio.

MP - Editing Techniques From F.E.A.R. 2 (PC Game)

Editing Ideas

F.E.A.R 2 (PC game)

From 1:10 to 1:25, there is a good editing technique to make the villain suddenly appear and then disappear, giving the feeling that the image is a hallucination. This could be achieved quite easily, and would give credit to our editing. There are some other quite good techniques that could be replicated in film, but many would require a lot more gore.

DF - Presentation on Genre Idea and Research

Group - Genre Analysis (2)

Timeline of the Horror Genre 1920s - Present day

1920's to 40's
'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' (Mamoulian, 1931) from Paramount Pictures is often considered to be the first horror film. It is based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel. Technology of the change of the main character was done with coloured filters over the camera that could gradually be changed, rather than the black and white film being changed in post-production. In the same year the films 'Frankenstein' (Whale, 1931) and 'Dracula' (Browning, 1931) were released by Universal Pictures which came to be two of the defining films of the genre, setting the standard for future Hollywood horrors. The primary antagonists also became archetypical 'stock characters' - especially Dracula - and many films were based off them.




 

1940's to 60's



During the Second World War the British Board of Film Censors banned all horror films both local and imported on the grounds that it would reduce morale. Towards the end of and after the war films such as 'The Body Snatcher' (Wise, 1945) were released which helped rejuvinate the genre. Since the beginnings of horror films, the majority of them (espeically the most sucessful examples) were all based on novels ('Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', 'Frankenstein', 'Dracula', etc.) but this trend has been seen to change as the genre moved into the 60's and beyond.

1960's to 80's

'Night of the Living Dead' (Romero, 1968) was made on a shoe string budget of $114,000 and recieved critical acclaim as well as being selected by the Library of congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant". It is also notable for not having been based upon a novel, and for being an independent film.

 

1980's to 00's

'Child's Play' (Mancini, 1988) had a big controvertial protest on the date of its release due to the idea that the film might promote violence to children (a subject of debate still ongoing, but based upon new 'threats' such as the 'Grand Theft Auto' video game series). As with many horrors, the subjects of the plot must be carefully chosen, so as to avoid these kinds of issues, or else risk censorship or poor audience turnout. This has changed somewhat in recent times with a shift in moral boundaries and so the audiences today are now less hostile towards more controversial narratives and images. This may be a result of desensitisation over time. One of the most well-known psychlogical horror films is 'The Shining' (Kubrick, 1980). It shows many lasting conventions of horror and psychological horror; isolated locations emphasised by the extreme longshots in the opening sequence showing a small car in an engulfing landcape, insanity in the primary antagonist, paranormal activity and corrupted children.

2000's to 10's

During the last decade, the change from psychological horrors to films focusing more on violence, shock and gore (espeicially 'slasher' films) can be easily noticed (most likely due to the more advanced technology making special effects needed for gore, etc. more easily attainable), with the highly sucessful 'Saw' series being a prime example of this. That's not the say that psychological horrors are dead, however. Films such as 'Paranormal Activity' (Peli, 2009) which was made on a budget of just ~$15,000 by using ordinary home camcorders to create a more personal and 'real' feel was a huge sucess. The continuing success of psychological horrors in the 00's can also been seen in more high-budget films such as 'The Ring' (Verbinski, 2002) - an American remake of the Japanese film 'Ringu' (Nakata, 1998) - which made a gross revenue of $249,348,933 from a budget of $48 million.

Group - Chosen Genre

After much discussion, we have decided to choose psychological horror as our genre. There are a number of reasons for this:

• Horror films tend to have a lower budget when compared with most thriller films. This means the genre is more accessible and achievable to us.
• Well-trained actors are less necessary as horror films have a lighter focus on characters but rather on the feelings of panic, suspense, etc. incited in the audience.
• We all enjoy horror films so we already have a good experience of the genre and knowledge of its conventions.

DF - Other Useful Clips

Based on our comments, I think it would be helpful to collect the clips we each suggested so we can look over them more carefully.

Horror

'Signs' (Shyamalan, 2002)

Science Fiction Horror

Thriller

'The Fast and the Furious' (Cohen, 2001)

Car Thriller

Teen

'13 Going On 30' (Winick, 2004)

Romantic Comedy Fantasy Teen

JB - Genre Analysis (1)

No Country For Old Men (Coen, 2007)

Thriller Genre

Sub-genre: Crime thriller

Camera Techniques:
- Begins with extreme long shots to establish the scene
- The final ELS pans round to establish the characters.

The extreme long-shot pans from the right to left, to reveal the protagonist

Editing:

- Slow cutting rates to help establish the scene.
- Jump cuts/time compression skips ahead to inside the sheriff's office.

The car speeds off into the distance, followed by the jump cut to the sheriff's office

Sound:
- There is a voiceover throughout the establishing scene.
- When the scene is about to come to an end, a minor-key tone is played for dramatic effect.

Mise-en-scene:
- Outdoors setting
- Oxygen tank raises questions in audiences' minds.
- Cop car & handcuffs show who is in authority.

The oxygen tank is placed in the passenger seat and raises questions

Narrative:- 'Bad guy' is arrested, however he still manages to cause violence by strangling the sheriff - a convention of crime thrillers because the criminals are usually seen to cause trouble even when detained.

The criminal regains his control

DF - Genre Analysis (1)

'Mean Girls' (Waters, 2004)

Teen Genre



Sub-genre: Dramatic comedy.

Camera Techniques:
- Begins with a point-of-view shot which puts the audience with the protagonist.
- These point-of-view shots crop up repeatedly, asserting this and also placing the audience within the action and narrative.

 The opening point-of-view shot.

Editing:

- Many reaction shots showing the pupils reactions to the protagonists actions makes the audience feel more in her position - uncomfortable.

- Similarly, many reaction shots showing the protagonist's reactions are used to show how shocked and confused she is by this very different life.

- The typography has a modern look, representing youth.

 Shot showing her confused reaction and the typography.

Sound:
- Has a non-diegetic song playing throughout in a major key which connotes modern teenage life and the energy of the pupils.
- A voice-over from the main character immediately establishes her as the protagonist.
- Dialogue between the protagonist and the other characters comes across as awkward, further emphasising her uncomfortable feelings. This also highlights the differences between the protagonist (and her past background and experiences) and the 'average high school students' seen at the school which sets up the opportunity for the rest of the film to exploit that different for comedy or narrative.

Mise-en-scene:
- Establishes the setting as a typical American high school by the characters and classrooms. 
- The costume is designed to emphasise the conventional teen movie characters: the 'jocks', the 'nerds', etc.

Shot showing a 'goth girl' - a conventional high school stock character - and also the classroom setting.

 

Narrative:
- Displays the protagonist's background via the voice-over she does and and picture montage of her life in Africa.

- The dialogue between her and her parents tells the audience that she has just started high school having been home-schooled her whole life.

Still of the picture montage showing the protagonist's previous life in Africa.

MP - Genre Analysis (1)

'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' (Derrickson, 2005)

Horror Genre

The sub-genre of this film is 'courtroom horror'.

Camera Techniques:

-There are lots of slow panning shots, establishing the eerie location.

-These shots are all long shots, encompassing as much of the setting as possible.

Long shot of the old farm house gives eerie and secluded feelings.

Editing:

-All of the cuts in the title sequence were long, giving time for the suspense to build up in the audience. -There are also reaction shots of the man, placing the audience with him and letting them feel his emotions - unease and curiosity.

-The typography used is old looking and is also red, connoting blood and death.

Red Title gives connotations of horror.

Sound:

-There is no dialogue in the opening sequence.

-The non-diegetic music makes use of strings in a minor key.

-Sets up an eerie and empty feeling about the old farm house, also portraying that something is definately wrong about the place.

Mise-en-scene:

-Dulled colour and lighting.

-Rundown buildings.

-Bad weather

-All seem to be conventions of horror movies.

Unkept barn seems to hide something

Narrative:

-There was no voice over at all, letting the audience focus entirely on the old farm that the man is looking around, which is the setting.

-This is a convention of horror, as it makes the audience feel uneasy.