How did you attract/address your audience???
To attract an audience to watch our film, we first needed to see who would be the core audience of a horror movie. The main audience come to watch horror for the fear aspect. This 'fear', we constantly showed through our film; by the use of props, editing and sound. One scene which engages the audience through fear, is 'the chase', it creates anticipation and makes the viewer question themselves what will happen next; this scene is carried out for a long period of time causing tension. The last scene has a more visual use of fear, showing a gory murder, this is another way that audiences of horror are attracted. The use of blood and gore clearly in the mis en scene makes the viewer uncomfortable, also the acting showing the reaction and pain that she is going through makes the audience relate. Another aspect of horror that attracts people to watch, is the use of strangeness and weirdness. The scene in our film of the girl wearing the mask (and the killer), also raises questions, like why does it disappear and reappear? and what does it represent?. Another scene in which this is shown is of the girl sitting in the chair, fighting with herself and violently rocking from side to side. In this shot we used special effects like motion blur, to give it a dark atmosphere and make the girl look unreal and ghostly. The most important way that a horror film can attract an audience is the use of editing and music. In are film we used Jagged, jumpy, distorted editing to give it an edge which fits with the horror genre. Throughout we used quick short shots to grab attention and again to create tension, their were also close-up shots of the girls face showing emotion especially her fear. For the music we used fast tempo melodies with heavy bass, as it is very atmospheric, the music also included whispering and screams which fitted with the horror genre, especially at the end of our film, the music suddenly becomes loud with torturing screams, which brings our film to a scary and conclusive end.
How does your media product represent particular social groups???
Throughout our film the social group of gender is strongly used. The male is shown to be the aggressor while the female is shown to be the victim. This can be quite controversial from the male and female points of view. Although our film shows a more feminist view in terms of the aggressor being male, and preys on woman. This shows a patriarchal view, which is nowadays shown in films to be a positive attribute for a male character to have; for example in action movies the gritty, powerful and violent male is shown dominant and uses this for good. Although in our film we have used this patriarchal view in a negative way, as he is using his 'power' for murder. This cold blooded nature is a criticism of this view. Another controversial point is the use of woman and mental health in are film. Our film relates woman with mental illness and hysteria, showing her struggles coping with her illnesses again shows the feminine sex to be weak although trying to be strong. Unlike the male within our film who has accepted his mental illness as a way of life, the female is shown to be fighting against it, this is the one point of the film which makes the woman almost look stronger, as she has not given in but is pulling away and trying to detach herself from her negative state of mind. The psychopathic male is basically shown to be physically strong but mentally weak.
Tuesday 2 March 2010
Monday 1 March 2010
Evaluation Questions 6-7
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
When in the process of constructing our media product, we had to use a wide range of technologies in order to achieve the finished film. These technologies varied from the internet to the media software used to edit our film; each allowing us to make the progress needed to complete the film.
The internet was a huge help when researching certain elements needed to produce our film. Initially we had to thouroughly research the horror genre; including repertoir of elements, audience etc... The internet enabled us to do this as from a range of resources we collected the needed information needed in order to complete blog work. The internet also helped in researching similar films through trailers on YouTube and other related video sites. This gave us ideas which contributed towards our own film. The internet, in some cases would distract relevant work when some sites and sources became unreliable, therefore we would not be able to take information from them.
The Camera, obviously proved significantly important in the process of contructing our media product. We used a Canon XM2 16mm to record footage that was put into our film. We learnt how to use the camera and how to capture a wide arrange of different shots. As it was a professional camera, it produced high quality footage which is the look we wanted, something of a high standard. However technology does have its downfall, as unfortunately, when going to review our footage from the shooting day, the time code on the camera malfunctioned and basically ment that instead of the camera recording the footage it just played the tape when on record. Over half our footage was lost. This ment we had to storyboard a whole new plot as the props we used for our first idea were unavailable. The camera also came in handy when taking still shots which were used for location scouting.
The Editing software we used was called Canipus Edius. The editing software was simple to use a vastly helped in the process of contructing our media product as it was the way we cut and manipulated the footage which would give the overal effect of the film. The use of SFX and soundtrack along side the actual footage, edited together was which brought our film together.
Looking back at your Preliminary Task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
During the preliminary task, we had only just been taught basic camera work and how to use the editing software, plus we had a set task to achieve; so when we came to producing a final film and having more freedom, we became more experimental with ideas and camera shots. We learnt new skills in how to vary the focal lense and used more handheld shots as opposed to static shots to give the film an uncertain feel. The use of SFX in post production unabled us to manipulate the footage in order to give it a different look as to when it was un-edited. We used various different effects, ranging from motion blur, anti flicker, old film filter, mono tone. We aslo used colour balance to tone down the colour and contrast to give the film a darker feel. The motion blur effect was to create the supernatural element of our film. The anti flicker and old film effect gave the film a rough edge making the picture distorded and more obscure as we contrasted "Reality" shots with "Imagination" shots. As always with technology, somethings did not go according to plan. With the prelimnary task, it was a one day, quick shoot and edit job; with the final piece, there was thorough planning and executing. As our tape malfunctioned we lost our footage and could not re-film the scenes we did. We did not make time in our planning for any errors that might occur; this is one thing that i have learnt from the process of pre-production to post. Also we did not take into account the weather conditions on the day of our exterior shoot; this left us to film in the freezing cold and rain, putting the actors and crew in very uncomfortable circumstances.
I feel from our preliminary task to our film we excelled in the way we came together as a group, producing the film we saw on paper to the film we put to the screen. I feel we are all very happy with the finished product.
When in the process of constructing our media product, we had to use a wide range of technologies in order to achieve the finished film. These technologies varied from the internet to the media software used to edit our film; each allowing us to make the progress needed to complete the film.
The internet was a huge help when researching certain elements needed to produce our film. Initially we had to thouroughly research the horror genre; including repertoir of elements, audience etc... The internet enabled us to do this as from a range of resources we collected the needed information needed in order to complete blog work. The internet also helped in researching similar films through trailers on YouTube and other related video sites. This gave us ideas which contributed towards our own film. The internet, in some cases would distract relevant work when some sites and sources became unreliable, therefore we would not be able to take information from them.
The Camera, obviously proved significantly important in the process of contructing our media product. We used a Canon XM2 16mm to record footage that was put into our film. We learnt how to use the camera and how to capture a wide arrange of different shots. As it was a professional camera, it produced high quality footage which is the look we wanted, something of a high standard. However technology does have its downfall, as unfortunately, when going to review our footage from the shooting day, the time code on the camera malfunctioned and basically ment that instead of the camera recording the footage it just played the tape when on record. Over half our footage was lost. This ment we had to storyboard a whole new plot as the props we used for our first idea were unavailable. The camera also came in handy when taking still shots which were used for location scouting.
The Editing software we used was called Canipus Edius. The editing software was simple to use a vastly helped in the process of contructing our media product as it was the way we cut and manipulated the footage which would give the overal effect of the film. The use of SFX and soundtrack along side the actual footage, edited together was which brought our film together.
Looking back at your Preliminary Task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
During the preliminary task, we had only just been taught basic camera work and how to use the editing software, plus we had a set task to achieve; so when we came to producing a final film and having more freedom, we became more experimental with ideas and camera shots. We learnt new skills in how to vary the focal lense and used more handheld shots as opposed to static shots to give the film an uncertain feel. The use of SFX in post production unabled us to manipulate the footage in order to give it a different look as to when it was un-edited. We used various different effects, ranging from motion blur, anti flicker, old film filter, mono tone. We aslo used colour balance to tone down the colour and contrast to give the film a darker feel. The motion blur effect was to create the supernatural element of our film. The anti flicker and old film effect gave the film a rough edge making the picture distorded and more obscure as we contrasted "Reality" shots with "Imagination" shots. As always with technology, somethings did not go according to plan. With the prelimnary task, it was a one day, quick shoot and edit job; with the final piece, there was thorough planning and executing. As our tape malfunctioned we lost our footage and could not re-film the scenes we did. We did not make time in our planning for any errors that might occur; this is one thing that i have learnt from the process of pre-production to post. Also we did not take into account the weather conditions on the day of our exterior shoot; this left us to film in the freezing cold and rain, putting the actors and crew in very uncomfortable circumstances.
I feel from our preliminary task to our film we excelled in the way we came together as a group, producing the film we saw on paper to the film we put to the screen. I feel we are all very happy with the finished product.
Psychosis Production Narrative
Psychosis Production Narrative
Created By: Scott Etherington, Sophie Curd and Shannen Pilling
Wednesday 24 February 2010
Evaluation Questions
Who would be the audience for you media product?
The audience for our media product would be people of both genders aged around 18-35. We feel people of all classes would be able to watch and enjoy our film as it does not focus on one particular class. The main character Claire is of below middle class so the higher number of people in this class would enjoy our film much more. However, our film applies to basically anyone over 18 who enjoys horror movies.
By adding a combination from both of the Horror and Thriller genres, it appeals to a wider range of people also. The target audiences occupation does not need to be anything in particular, however some professions may not be encouraged to watch it such as: Religious professions, Teachers and More high paid jobs as these would mainly be people of a higher class that would probably not be interested in watching gory films.
Our film would mainly aim to students of both genders, research has shown us that students are more likely to watch horror films, and therefore would enjoy ours.
The audience for our media product would be people of both genders aged around 18-35. We feel people of all classes would be able to watch and enjoy our film as it does not focus on one particular class. The main character Claire is of below middle class so the higher number of people in this class would enjoy our film much more. However, our film applies to basically anyone over 18 who enjoys horror movies.
By adding a combination from both of the Horror and Thriller genres, it appeals to a wider range of people also. The target audiences occupation does not need to be anything in particular, however some professions may not be encouraged to watch it such as: Religious professions, Teachers and More high paid jobs as these would mainly be people of a higher class that would probably not be interested in watching gory films.
Our film would mainly aim to students of both genders, research has shown us that students are more likely to watch horror films, and therefore would enjoy ours.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
After careful thinking and thorough research of the many types of film companies that we would need if our film was ever to be published. We have decided to release our film on the Internet on sites such as YouTube.com that would allow people to watch our film for free and be able to post their thoughts and rate it. We would only allow it to be available for a month or so, then after counting how many hits and the ratings we will then go forth in seeking a company that are interested in distributing our film.
Regarding that the film is popular, having hopes that it would be, we would contact film companies such as Twentieth Century Fox, Dimension Films and Studio Canal to see if they would distribute Psychosis.
We have chosen these three companies because: Twentieth Century Fox are one of the most popular film production companies in the world, this was the company that distributed Hide and Seek with Robert Di Nero and Dakota Fanning. We have chosen Dimension Films because again these are a popular company who produced the Scream Trilogy with Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox Arquette and David Arquette. Finally we have chosen Studio Canal because these are a popular British company which distributed the horror comedy Shaun of the Dead with Simon Pegg.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The repitiore of elements in normal horror films are usually something along the lines of a scary location, creepy music and fast shots. The idea is to keep the audience scared whether it being the use of props, costumes, characters, location, dialogue etc there are many ways in which film creators do this. The mise en scene is usually very predictable, you can usually make out who is going to die (if its a slasher horror) by the use of background (the props in the background) or even sometimes the use of focus of the camera, camera people do this to point out things without the use of dialogue. Normal horror films usually start with the same basic beginning, the settings are set in a normal place where there are common people about, this soon changes with a quick scene or scenes in which the plot is explained, it then goes about that the villain goes after the hero in a bid to kill them (Vladimir Propp).
In our film Psychosis, we used a different way of using the repitiore of elements, we used some very disturbing music to create a feeling of unease for the audience. We also used some horror props and by using no dialogue in our opening we created a sense of mystery as well.
The mise en scene in our film was not very predictable, we did not use any props in the background to give anything away, the only sort of thing we used was the focus of the camera to point out some things in which we wanted the audience to pick up. Our film Psychosis has a different beginning from your basic horror film. We used the main characters face alot in the start to make sure people realize this is the main character and that this is the one you should focus on. We also wanted people to try and understand that the character suffers a mental condition without any use of dialogue.
Friday 22 January 2010
Close-up shots within are film
Within are film Psychosis we used a variety of shots to help set a theme and add to the feel of a horror/thriller film, one of the most important shot within a horror is the close-up as it engages the audiences and creates tension within the horror/thriller genre.
We used many close-up and extreme close-ups within are film Psychosis. We decided to use this shot throughout are film as it emotionally engages the viewer which is important in a horror and thriller genre add encourages the viewer to focus on the characters feelings and thoughts.
The first few shots are of the female character in are film Psychosis. The first shots are very quick and set the scene showing who is within the film. There are a couple of extreme close ups of the eyes of the character, which show her emotion through her eyes (which are evil looking). The next two shots are close up and a mid-way shot showing the character sitting within its setting, and establishes.
The close ups used help to show an input into the character and makes us view the character as if we where in the thier mind. We used many close-up shots throughout the film we made. We where influenced by the use of this shot in other horror/thrillers, as it is used again and again throughout the horror scenes.
We used many close-up and extreme close-ups within are film Psychosis. We decided to use this shot throughout are film as it emotionally engages the viewer which is important in a horror and thriller genre add encourages the viewer to focus on the characters feelings and thoughts.
The first few shots are of the female character in are film Psychosis. The first shots are very quick and set the scene showing who is within the film. There are a couple of extreme close ups of the eyes of the character, which show her emotion through her eyes (which are evil looking). The next two shots are close up and a mid-way shot showing the character sitting within its setting, and establishes.
The close ups used help to show an input into the character and makes us view the character as if we where in the thier mind. We used many close-up shots throughout the film we made. We where influenced by the use of this shot in other horror/thrillers, as it is used again and again throughout the horror scenes.
Camra shots
Extreme wide shot
This is normally shown at the beginning of a film, this is to show the setting of a film, it shows the subjects surroundings and establishes the start of any film.
Very wide shot
This is closer to the subject but still at a very long distence, the audience is shown the whole setting.
Wide shot
This is a classic shot, this has the whole of the subject within the shot, but still doesnt have 'emotional' relation to the subject.
Mid shot
This shows the object in more detail usaully from the waste up. We are now starting to see the character with more detail.
Medium close up
This shot is a bit closer, we can start to see facial features and emotion.
Close up
A particular part of the object (face) takes up most of the shot. This starts to make the viewer feel more personal to the object/person and engages emotion. See reactions and feelings and invades the space of the character.
Extreme close-up
This intrudes the characters space and shows something specific like thier facial features and emotions.
Cut-away
This shows something other than the current action. It cuts away from the shot to show something which can be symbolic to a charater.
Cut in
Shows some part of the subject in detail, used as an edit point or to emphasise emotion.
Types of shot
Two shot
Shows relationship between two characters, this is normally used in interviews and on the news.
Over the shoulder shot
Looking from behind at a subject. This shot helps to establish the positions of each person, and helps us to look at the subject from the other persons point of view.
Noddy shots
This is usaully used in interviews, when the interviewer is filmed nodding to questions being answered.
Point of view shot
This shows a view from the subjects perspective.
Weather shot
Most of these shots are of the sky and is used as an establishing shot.
Thursday 21 January 2010
Ideas for Poster
Now our film is complete, we thought it would be good to do a poster for our film. I have researched many posters and i think my favourite would be The Number 23 which is a mystery thriller starring Jim Carrey. It is about a normal middle aged man who becomes obsessed with the number 23 after reading a book about a man who becomes to realise that all the things in his life make up the number 23, Jim Carrey then starts to numerate everything and realises it too. Although it being confusing it is above all a good film. In a way i think it is similar to our film, as they are both about people who struggle with their sanity.
I love the way the poster has been set out, the big enlargement of Jim Carrey's face with the numbers 23 written all over, this tells the audience that this is the main character and can tell by the expression and drawings on his face that he has some sort of obsession or is insane.
I would most likely use this as layout for our poster, the large picture of the main characters face explains a lot to the audience. I also like the way the title is set out, the white font on the dark background sets it off, the 23 is bold and bright so it makes it more appealing.
Another poster that i liked was the Blair Witch Project poster, i love that they show the woods (which was where the main scenes were shot) in the top half of the poster and then show the face of one of the filmmakers faces on the bottom half.
The text used is also very appealing as it basically tells you what the film is about without giving to much away. With the icon for the Blair Witch above. Using text in posters is a good way to catch and encourage the audience.
This film is basically about three American amateur filmmakers shooting a documentary to prove the myth of the Blair Witch is real. It is shot in handheld view, but shows some scenes the way a normal film is shot.
While investigating the whereabouts of the Blair Witch one teen goes missing, the others being distressed and scared for their friend make a shocking discovery. It is overall a good film although very scary.
Locations
In the horror genre the type of location is very important if its to make an impact on the audience. Referring back to the older horror films such as Frankenstein and Night of the living dead, these are based in haunted houses, castles and graveyards. The scenery plays a big part in all horror films. Along with the lighting and editing the scenery is of big use. The more frightening it looks the more scared the viewer is going to be.
The most common locations horror film makers use are obviously haunted houses, woods, graveyards, dungeons and castles. However over the years the horror genre has changed and along with it everything else, now the locations can be of any place such as cabins, caves, schools, normal houses, anything that looks creepy will do!
Within our film Psychosis, we used a series of locations in which we filmed. The first location we shot at was a local park, we decided to use this as a location in our original idea but in the final piece we only used it for a few shots. We shot the film early on a muggy day, but these shots were in black and white to symbolise the past.
We also used a few locations in our school, we used the drama room for the frontal shots showing some of the characters symptoms of psychosis. We then decided to shoot the rest in a nearby disabled toilets as we thought using the mirror to show the rest of the symptoms of psychosis would give it an affect.
We used the drama room because the props available there were necessary for our film, we used the large black stage boards to make the shots look dark without turning off all the lights. The disabled toilet was used because of the mirror which was a necessity to our film, we also used it because we thought showing the characters reflection would make it different to all the other angles we used, to make it look more appealing and show we used many types of shots and angles when making our film.
Wednesday 20 January 2010
Target Audience - Horror Genre
"For a Horror Film to be successful today, it needs to appeal to everyone."
- Jim Braden, a representative for Dimension Films
The film industry is constantly striving for new ways to make their horror films appeal to different audiences, Horror films in the 50s became household names when releases of Creature from the Black Lagoon and House of Wax became instant classic; featuring eye boggling special effects for its time when cinema would be a huge experience for movie goers.
70s cult classics like The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre proved that the Horror was here to stay and was not just a passing phase from earlier releases.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was an early approach to the slasher film, falling into the grindhouse sub-genre of the gritty 70s films. This led to the kick start of the slasher craze of the 80s introducing world known villains from films such as: Halloween and Friday the 13th. The Film industry also brought book adaptations to the big screen with the release of Steven King's The Shining.
In the 90s the horror genre began to produce the horror films for the next generation with Wes Cravens Scream which featured the right mix of gore and comedy to achieve what most 80s slasher sequals didn't. The clever decision to incorparate comedy resulted in huge franchise success, appealing to a wider audience and later sporned 2 sequals.
Modern movie enthusiasts are demanding more from the horror genre; Studios are finding it a constant struggle to obtain the perfect horror film. The audience want aspecs of old films they loved, combined with new and fresh ideas which can be seen through the critism studios have been given due to their greedy rehashed remakes of the 00s.
Now the studios are producing their films to appeal to a much wider range of audience, teenagers. Many films have had footage cut in order to achieve the a lower rating, causing anger among most horror fanatics; they want to see the gore. The novalty of the typical slasher convention of hacking up attractive stars has worn off and now film studios are finding every resource in order to appease the fans.
The industry are finding new ways of bringing the horror franchise back from bring hit video games to the big screen in releases such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill and most successfully with handheld horrors like: (the hugely virally campainged) The Blair Witch Project, [Rec]/Quarantine and Paranormal Activity. These films gave the viewer an experience in which they believed the footage was real.
The Horror Genre will always remain popular as it allows the audience to expericed surreal, taboo situations within a safe enviromnent, allowing our repressions tobe confined within the film.
Most Companies sell their films through sex. This can be seen through last years release of Teenage Horror The Unborn, in which the movie poster featured a picture of the leading actress' bum; Yet given the low budget and no-name cast, the film went on to profit $50. This is a classic example of how the film industry will use a poster which is irrelevant to the actual film, to manipulate it's audience through trailers and posters in order to sell tickets; in most cases through sex.
Most horror films are aimed typically at 15-30, dominantly viewed by males. yet with the increase of Horror-Rom-Coms like Jennifers Body which widely appeals to both genders, women are becoming more involved with the genre as they can relate to certain characters within the story. Men watch Horrors for the over used gore, nudity and violence, not something that would attract most women. However more women prefer the thriller genre which adds a good storyline and drama, something in which most low budget horror films lack.
Are aim in producing are film was to add a combination from both genres to appeal to a wider range of people. We wanted to include themes of psychological horror, drama, and thriller that would attract audieces from different cinematic tastes. Exploring each theme within our film whereby the viewer would be able to make connections with themselves to the characters.
As our group is combined from 1 boy, 2 girls, the film was more so influenced towards a film that women would enjoy yet at the same time would satisfy the male viewer. when coming to planning we didn't want to use the typical horror conventions; we wanted to take the simple formula and add our own twist in order to make the film unique to us. The idea of using the over-used stalk and slashing of young women was not the idea we were trying to put across in our opening. We did'nt want the women in our film being noticed as an object but as a character in who the audience could assosiate with. Our Film deals with some pretty disturbing ideas therefore our target audience would be aimed at 18-35 of both genders.
Tuesday 19 January 2010
Research on Psychosis
Before we planned for our film we had to research the history, symtoms and effects of pychosis. Here is some extracted information on what you would expect with a psychosis patient:
Psychosis is a term that is used to describe a mental condition where somebody is unable to distinguish between reality and their imagination. People who are experiencing psychosis are referred to a psychotic. People with psychosis often experience:
-hallucinations - hearing, or seeing, things that are not there, and
-delusions - believing things that are untrue.
Psychosis is more common that most people realise. It is estimated that 1 in every 200 people in the UK has experienced psychosis. Some people will only experience one psychotic episode, while others may experience a number of episodes throughout their life.
There are four main symptoms associated with a psychotic episode. These are:
-hallucinations,
-delusions,
-confused and disturbed thoughts
-a lack of insight and self-awareness
Hallucinations:
A hallucination is when you think you perceive something that does not exist in reality. Hallucinations can occur in all five of your senses as outlined below.
Sight - someone with psychosis may see colours and shapes, or imaginary people, or animals.
Sounds - someone with psychosis may hear voices that are angry, unpleasant, or sarcastic.
Touch - a common psychotic hallucination is that insects are crawling on the skin.
Smell - usually a strange, or unpleasant, smell.
Taste - some people with psychosis have complained of having a constant unpleasant taste in their mouth.
A delusion is having an unshakable belief in something that is implausible, bizarre or obviously untrue. There are two common types of psychotic delusion that are described below.
Paranoid delusion - a person with psychosis will often believe that an individual, or organisation, is making plans to hurt, or kill them, which in turn can lead to unusual behaviour. For example, a person with psychosis may refuse to be in the same room as a mobile phone because they believe they are actually mind-control devices.
Delusions
Delusions of grandeur - in this type of delusion, a person with psychosis believes that they have some imaginary power, or authority. For example, they may think they are president of a country, or that they have the power to bring people back from the dead.
Confusion of thought
People with psychosis often have disturbed, confused, and disrupted patterns of thought. Signs of this include:
their speech may be rapid and constant,
the content of their speech appears random; they may switch from one topic to another in mid-sentence, and
their train of thought may suddenly stop, resulting in an abrupt pause in conversation, or activity.
Lack of insight
People who are experiencing a psychotic episode often totally unaware that their behaviour is in any way strange, or that the delusions, or hallucinations, that they are experiencing could be imaginary.
They may be capable of recognising delusional, or bizarre, behaviour in others, but lack the self-awareness to recognise it themself. A person with psychosis who is being treated in a psychiatric ward will often complain that all of their fellow patients are mentally ill while they are perfectly normal.
Causes
The causes of psychosis have three main classifications:
psychosis caused by psychological conditions,
psychosis caused by general medical conditions, and
psychosis caused by substances, such as alcohol, or drugs
Psychosis is a symptom or feature of mental illness typically characterized by radical changes in personality, impaired functioning, and a distorted or non-existent sense of objective reality.
Disorganized speech. Psychotic patients, especially those with schizophrenia, often ramble on in incoherent, nonsensical speech patterns.
Disorganized or catatonic behavior. The catatonic patient reacts inappropriatelyto his environment by either remaining rigid and immobile or by engaging in excessive motor activity. Disorganized behavior is behavior or activity whichis inappropriate for the situation, or unpredictable. Read more
Main Sources:
http://www.faqs.org/health/topics/57/Psychosis.html
http://www.cks.nhs.uk/patient_information_leaflet/psychosis
This research was done to enable us to plan our film; making sure we include the correct effects of the illness (and extending them to get the realisation of horror from the viewer) and also as we didnt want to call the film something it did not relate to. We wanted the correct facts so we could plan the film according to this.
Psychosis is a term that is used to describe a mental condition where somebody is unable to distinguish between reality and their imagination. People who are experiencing psychosis are referred to a psychotic. People with psychosis often experience:
-hallucinations - hearing, or seeing, things that are not there, and
-delusions - believing things that are untrue.
Psychosis is more common that most people realise. It is estimated that 1 in every 200 people in the UK has experienced psychosis. Some people will only experience one psychotic episode, while others may experience a number of episodes throughout their life.
There are four main symptoms associated with a psychotic episode. These are:
-hallucinations,
-delusions,
-confused and disturbed thoughts
-a lack of insight and self-awareness
Hallucinations:
A hallucination is when you think you perceive something that does not exist in reality. Hallucinations can occur in all five of your senses as outlined below.
Sight - someone with psychosis may see colours and shapes, or imaginary people, or animals.
Sounds - someone with psychosis may hear voices that are angry, unpleasant, or sarcastic.
Touch - a common psychotic hallucination is that insects are crawling on the skin.
Smell - usually a strange, or unpleasant, smell.
Taste - some people with psychosis have complained of having a constant unpleasant taste in their mouth.
A delusion is having an unshakable belief in something that is implausible, bizarre or obviously untrue. There are two common types of psychotic delusion that are described below.
Paranoid delusion - a person with psychosis will often believe that an individual, or organisation, is making plans to hurt, or kill them, which in turn can lead to unusual behaviour. For example, a person with psychosis may refuse to be in the same room as a mobile phone because they believe they are actually mind-control devices.
Delusions
Delusions of grandeur - in this type of delusion, a person with psychosis believes that they have some imaginary power, or authority. For example, they may think they are president of a country, or that they have the power to bring people back from the dead.
Confusion of thought
People with psychosis often have disturbed, confused, and disrupted patterns of thought. Signs of this include:
their speech may be rapid and constant,
the content of their speech appears random; they may switch from one topic to another in mid-sentence, and
their train of thought may suddenly stop, resulting in an abrupt pause in conversation, or activity.
Lack of insight
People who are experiencing a psychotic episode often totally unaware that their behaviour is in any way strange, or that the delusions, or hallucinations, that they are experiencing could be imaginary.
They may be capable of recognising delusional, or bizarre, behaviour in others, but lack the self-awareness to recognise it themself. A person with psychosis who is being treated in a psychiatric ward will often complain that all of their fellow patients are mentally ill while they are perfectly normal.
Causes
The causes of psychosis have three main classifications:
psychosis caused by psychological conditions,
psychosis caused by general medical conditions, and
psychosis caused by substances, such as alcohol, or drugs
Psychosis is a symptom or feature of mental illness typically characterized by radical changes in personality, impaired functioning, and a distorted or non-existent sense of objective reality.
Disorganized speech. Psychotic patients, especially those with schizophrenia, often ramble on in incoherent, nonsensical speech patterns.
Disorganized or catatonic behavior. The catatonic patient reacts inappropriatelyto his environment by either remaining rigid and immobile or by engaging in excessive motor activity. Disorganized behavior is behavior or activity whichis inappropriate for the situation, or unpredictable. Read more
Main Sources:
http://www.faqs.org/health/topics/57/Psychosis.html
http://www.cks.nhs.uk/patient_information_leaflet/psychosis
This research was done to enable us to plan our film; making sure we include the correct effects of the illness (and extending them to get the realisation of horror from the viewer) and also as we didnt want to call the film something it did not relate to. We wanted the correct facts so we could plan the film according to this.
Influential Films
Hide and Seek
The Uninvited
American Psycho
All films have a relation to personality disorder which relates to our 2 minute opening of psychosis.
Hide and Seek and The Uninvited show how the protagonist can play the hero/heroine and the villain.
American Pyscho relates to how the male uses the woman for sexual repressions and sees them as an object. Interesting, as the film was directed by a woman.
Are aim in our film was to combine elements from these particular films to create our own version of a personality disorder-driven film, in which the protagonist plays the victim and villain simultaeneously.
Scott Etherington
The Uninvited
American Psycho
All films have a relation to personality disorder which relates to our 2 minute opening of psychosis.
Hide and Seek and The Uninvited show how the protagonist can play the hero/heroine and the villain.
American Pyscho relates to how the male uses the woman for sexual repressions and sees them as an object. Interesting, as the film was directed by a woman.
Are aim in our film was to combine elements from these particular films to create our own version of a personality disorder-driven film, in which the protagonist plays the victim and villain simultaeneously.
Scott Etherington
Women in the Horror Genre
“All they want to see is demented madmen running around in ski masks hacking up young virgins.” - Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), ‘Fright Night’
In Cinema, the Horror is one of the least respected Genres; However the particular genre represents much of todays culture and values within it's context. The Horror Genre presents heavy symbolism, especially the portrayal of women and femininity which are depicted through sexual images, fear and the strength of the women. Most horror films present the woman as an object rather than a being. The slasher film exploits women as over sexed, damsel in distresses who inevetably are killed in opening sequences due to their stereotypical characters; this is shown in iconic slashers such as Friday the 13th and Halloween . However women in horror are also portrayed as the antagonist which is a result of mens fear of women and their power. Such films which include non-exploitive "Final Girls" are Laurie Strode in Halloween 1978, Alice in Friday the 13th and Nancy in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Horror Film still exploits women as a sex object with Remakes of Halloween (2007) and Friday the 13th (2009) where every girl who is killed is shown topless at some stage in the film.
Positive female characters are shown in critically and public aproved Horrors such as The Descent and A Nightmare on Elm Street where the women are seen defeating the male resulting in them transforming from victim to hero.
Once percieved as a sexual object, women are starting to become stronger in the genre where they are proving themselves to be equally as tough as the men. This contrasts strongly with earlier films like Dracula and frankenstein where the women are only seen as an object to be saved by a male, usually from a sexually strong villain.
Portraying women as the naked, hypersexualised being takes away from any sympathy the viewer feels for them as they seem less valuable in society. Many classic slasher films show a link between sex and death as though the murder is a symbolic punishment for the act of any immoral intercourse.
Women as villains in Horror Films is shown through The Exorcist, her demonic possession transforms her from a young girl into womanhood. The movie gives the idea that because Regain (the young girl) has had no male influecnce in her life, this has happened to her and only a male can save her. The story is dominated by male influence as even Regains demon is male. Her life is in the hands of a male. It signifies the male sexually control over women in society and how through fear, women will gain power.
Ripley in Alien is seen as the strong female character as oppsosed to her male counterparts. In contrast to the male captain and his team who make mistakes and cannot defend themselves; Ripley is able to survive what is trying to kill her and be triumphant in the film. She is seen as the active and powerful character who defeats the alien and outlives all, including the men. Mulvey therefore says, the 'representation of the more perfect, more complete, more powerful ideal ego of the male hero stands in stark opposition to the distorted image of the passive and powerless female character.' (Mulvey, 1975/1989, pg. 354). It is seen throughout the film as the roles of the male and female characters are clearly reversed. Alien as a more modern horror film focuses largely on the dominant female character being superior to the males in the movie.
Humphries Argues that The adolescent boys indentification with the final girl is indicative of a "properly Utopian refusal to the socially and culturally determined stereoptyping of active, decision making males and passive, submissive females" Humphries (2002:151)
Steve Biodrowski of Cinefantiqueonline talks about how a female character in the film Mirrors is shown as only an object not a character- "To them [the audience], Angela is not a real person, not even an imaginary one; she is simply a beautiful body to rent asunder for the sake of a cheap gross out" The viewer feels no sympathy for the female victims; the audience want to see the young women die, it shows how they only percieve them as an image of sex and have no relation to the actual character.
Todrov- structure of narrative 'In Bruges'
I have chosen to write about in Bruges as it relates well to are short film Psychosis. In Bruges is not a horror but like are film is more of a thriller, and does also have some gore and mentally engages the audience.
Todrovs structure of narrative is the visual explanation of media structure and storyline. This 'stucture of narrative' is used mainly in film, to explain the main aspects of the storyline, but this can also be used in news stories.
In Bruges is a dark comedy, about two hit men and the complications between the relationships within this harsh job. The beginning of the 'Todrov' of this film will be the two hit men and 'the boss'. These are two main components which make the 'initial equilibrium' or the two sides within the film.
This then leads to the 'disruption'; when the two components come together and make 'friction' within the story. This is when 'the boss' and the hit men meet and the problems occur creating a 'quest' which makes the main strand of the film. The 'quest' of the 'Todrov' makes up the biggest part of any film and leads the disruption to a 'Final or new equilibrium'. This new equilibrium shows how the two main 'componants' of the film come together to bring the film or story to a stop; for this makes the final equilibrium and ends the structure of the narrative for this film. Diffrent genres of film have diffrent structures; a well known one being the 'good' and the 'bad', fight against each other (disruption), and the 'good' prevail (New equilibrium).
Shannen Pilling
Todrovs structure of narrative is the visual explanation of media structure and storyline. This 'stucture of narrative' is used mainly in film, to explain the main aspects of the storyline, but this can also be used in news stories.
In Bruges is a dark comedy, about two hit men and the complications between the relationships within this harsh job. The beginning of the 'Todrov' of this film will be the two hit men and 'the boss'. These are two main components which make the 'initial equilibrium' or the two sides within the film.
This then leads to the 'disruption'; when the two components come together and make 'friction' within the story. This is when 'the boss' and the hit men meet and the problems occur creating a 'quest' which makes the main strand of the film. The 'quest' of the 'Todrov' makes up the biggest part of any film and leads the disruption to a 'Final or new equilibrium'. This new equilibrium shows how the two main 'componants' of the film come together to bring the film or story to a stop; for this makes the final equilibrium and ends the structure of the narrative for this film. Diffrent genres of film have diffrent structures; a well known one being the 'good' and the 'bad', fight against each other (disruption), and the 'good' prevail (New equilibrium).
Shannen Pilling
Saturday 16 January 2010
Friday 15 January 2010
Todrov
Tzvetan Todrov is the well known Bulgarian structurelist whos influential work on narrative from the 1960's onwards has influenced structure of film to present day.
The todrov structure is a simple way to show how a film is made by its storyline. The begining of a todrov structure beggins with two equilibriums. These two equilibriums show the begining structure and two or more characters that start the begining of the film. The two equilibriums (normally two can be more) start with two aspects of the film, for example in are film 'psychosis' we start with the female character which is one equilibrium, but to find the other equilibrium we need to watch carefully trough the two minuites of film that is shown. The other equilibrium is shown in small shots of past images of the female character, being attacked, this shows the two equilibrium of are film meetin and creating the next part of the todrov structure, the disruption. The disruption is when the two equilibrium 'collide' and create a vital change to the storyline in any film. In are film the disruption can not be clearly shown because it is only the begining, but again by the use of the flashbacks we have used, the second equlibrium is the male character, and the disruption is created when he meets and attacks the female character. This disruption normally is not shown in the begining shots, but we found that showing these shots at the begining of are film, creates tension, and engages the audience to watch further to find out what is happening. The next part to the todrov structure is called the journey. This is basically the journey for which the character or characters have to take to find the final equilibrium. This journey is shown briefly in are short start of Psychosis, but the viewer would have to watch the whole film to clearly see the journey for which the character fortakes. The final part (which has been mentioned) is the final equilibrium. This is where the character ends at the of his/her film. This is the final destination after the journey and diruption. In are short film we are not able to see this final equilibrium, but by showing shorts clips of the character, the viewer can guess what the outcome of are film will be, but to find out what the final equilibrium of any film is the viewer would have to watch the whole film. Are film is too short to clearly show the whole structure of todrov, but by using some clips of the film to come, its structure can be shown.
Shannen Pilling
The todrov structure is a simple way to show how a film is made by its storyline. The begining of a todrov structure beggins with two equilibriums. These two equilibriums show the begining structure and two or more characters that start the begining of the film. The two equilibriums (normally two can be more) start with two aspects of the film, for example in are film 'psychosis' we start with the female character which is one equilibrium, but to find the other equilibrium we need to watch carefully trough the two minuites of film that is shown. The other equilibrium is shown in small shots of past images of the female character, being attacked, this shows the two equilibrium of are film meetin and creating the next part of the todrov structure, the disruption. The disruption is when the two equilibrium 'collide' and create a vital change to the storyline in any film. In are film the disruption can not be clearly shown because it is only the begining, but again by the use of the flashbacks we have used, the second equlibrium is the male character, and the disruption is created when he meets and attacks the female character. This disruption normally is not shown in the begining shots, but we found that showing these shots at the begining of are film, creates tension, and engages the audience to watch further to find out what is happening. The next part to the todrov structure is called the journey. This is basically the journey for which the character or characters have to take to find the final equilibrium. This journey is shown briefly in are short start of Psychosis, but the viewer would have to watch the whole film to clearly see the journey for which the character fortakes. The final part (which has been mentioned) is the final equilibrium. This is where the character ends at the of his/her film. This is the final destination after the journey and diruption. In are short film we are not able to see this final equilibrium, but by showing shorts clips of the character, the viewer can guess what the outcome of are film will be, but to find out what the final equilibrium of any film is the viewer would have to watch the whole film. Are film is too short to clearly show the whole structure of todrov, but by using some clips of the film to come, its structure can be shown.
Shannen Pilling
Genre
The term genre is a French word for 'type' or 'kind'. This refers to the natural objects like plants and animals which add to the genre of a film. Genre is the 'theme' of a film and the pleasure that it brings to the viewing audiencesis, the genre is the main 'flow' of a movie and tells the story from what type it is, for example, horror, sci-fi, comedy etc ....
Are films genre is horror- thriller themed. This genre creates displeasure for the viewer and scares them in to watching what happens to the characters throughout the film. Are movie is not based on 'gore' but a more psychological type of horror-thriller, this is so that are films genre can influence the viewers state of mind. A genre of a film especially in horror can be shown by visual aids (Mis-en-scene) which are within the scenes of are film and also by the storyline (Todrov) which helps to create a story which is realistic to this genre. The exsperience of the horror genre is to be able to show a disruption which is created by normally in horror, of something supernatural, or discumforting to us which intrudes are normal day to day lives.
Are films genre is horror- thriller themed. This genre creates displeasure for the viewer and scares them in to watching what happens to the characters throughout the film. Are movie is not based on 'gore' but a more psychological type of horror-thriller, this is so that are films genre can influence the viewers state of mind. A genre of a film especially in horror can be shown by visual aids (Mis-en-scene) which are within the scenes of are film and also by the storyline (Todrov) which helps to create a story which is realistic to this genre. The exsperience of the horror genre is to be able to show a disruption which is created by normally in horror, of something supernatural, or discumforting to us which intrudes are normal day to day lives.
New Horror and female research
You might want take a look at this article by Brigid Cherry
http://www.participations.org/Volume%205/Issue%201%20-%20special/5_01_cherry.htm
http://www.participations.org/Volume%205/Issue%201%20-%20special/5_01_cherry.htm
Tuesday 5 January 2010
Horror Filming
Themes and Ideas
Horror is often very moralistic
Themes in horror have the same idea, basically the bad girls who drink, smoke and have sex die first, and the good little girls survive. Of course it’s to set an example to females, but surly with all the gore and blood that’s the last thing they are thinking about!?
Also of course the idea is to scare a person, which is the whole point of a good horror film; whether it’s brutal and gruesome or mysterious and frightening either way people get a kick out of being scared.
In our own film Psychosis, we came up with the idea with the help from a previous idea in which we did film but then decided not to use most of that footage, and after some serious thinking it was decided to make our film into a non narrative piece. We thought about how to change the film, while still having the same basic idea from before, which was the 2 minutes would show a girl being haunted by her Psychosis, we came up with the overall idea by shot by shot and seeing if it could work. Of course it did and then we went on to make our film.
We thought using a different theme (mental problems) would make our film different, as there are not many horror films like this in the real world. By making the main character be the one with the mental problem we thought it would give our film a different affect instead of it being like a usual film with the innocent victim being harassed by a crazy villain.
Use of camera
In most horror films the use of camera is used at many different angles like most films. However, in horror films close ups seem to make more of an impact, normally close ups are used to show a characters expression and this is used in the horror genre to show a characters fear.
Focusing the camera is also used in all films, and in horror this is normally done to show a character in the distance, or focusing on a particular prop, this tells the audience that they should focus on this particular thing at that time.
In our film we used a few different angles, and mainly close ups, we used a lot of close ups to show the main characters crazed expression to tell the audience that this person is the one to focus on. We used sideways angles, front angles, angles that only show the characters backs, etc. We used these particular angles because we thought these gave the best affect after practising with different ones.
Lighting
Usually in the big horror scenes the lighting set down and is commonly dark, this builds tension for the audience. The music helps considerably amounts too.
In our film the lighting was of great importance, as we wanted to make it as dark and spooky as possible but so we are able to see most of the features, most of the lighting was handled when we edited our film by turning the contrast down to the setting we thought looked the best.
Conform/Subvert
Conform and Subvert are basic opposites, conform goes along with the rules whereas subvert rebels and doesn’t go along with rules.
An example of this: In a horror film the killer (conform) but is subverting as the killer is a woman as apposed to common horror films where the killers are usually butch males.
The conform in our film would be the hooded character chasing the main character in the black and white shots, this is an common storyline in horror films, however the main character subverts when she is the one suffering from the mental health issues.
Horror is often very moralistic
Themes in horror have the same idea, basically the bad girls who drink, smoke and have sex die first, and the good little girls survive. Of course it’s to set an example to females, but surly with all the gore and blood that’s the last thing they are thinking about!?
Also of course the idea is to scare a person, which is the whole point of a good horror film; whether it’s brutal and gruesome or mysterious and frightening either way people get a kick out of being scared.
In our own film Psychosis, we came up with the idea with the help from a previous idea in which we did film but then decided not to use most of that footage, and after some serious thinking it was decided to make our film into a non narrative piece. We thought about how to change the film, while still having the same basic idea from before, which was the 2 minutes would show a girl being haunted by her Psychosis, we came up with the overall idea by shot by shot and seeing if it could work. Of course it did and then we went on to make our film.
We thought using a different theme (mental problems) would make our film different, as there are not many horror films like this in the real world. By making the main character be the one with the mental problem we thought it would give our film a different affect instead of it being like a usual film with the innocent victim being harassed by a crazy villain.
Use of camera
In most horror films the use of camera is used at many different angles like most films. However, in horror films close ups seem to make more of an impact, normally close ups are used to show a characters expression and this is used in the horror genre to show a characters fear.
Focusing the camera is also used in all films, and in horror this is normally done to show a character in the distance, or focusing on a particular prop, this tells the audience that they should focus on this particular thing at that time.
In our film we used a few different angles, and mainly close ups, we used a lot of close ups to show the main characters crazed expression to tell the audience that this person is the one to focus on. We used sideways angles, front angles, angles that only show the characters backs, etc. We used these particular angles because we thought these gave the best affect after practising with different ones.
Lighting
Usually in the big horror scenes the lighting set down and is commonly dark, this builds tension for the audience. The music helps considerably amounts too.
In our film the lighting was of great importance, as we wanted to make it as dark and spooky as possible but so we are able to see most of the features, most of the lighting was handled when we edited our film by turning the contrast down to the setting we thought looked the best.
Conform/Subvert
Conform and Subvert are basic opposites, conform goes along with the rules whereas subvert rebels and doesn’t go along with rules.
An example of this: In a horror film the killer (conform) but is subverting as the killer is a woman as apposed to common horror films where the killers are usually butch males.
The conform in our film would be the hooded character chasing the main character in the black and white shots, this is an common storyline in horror films, however the main character subverts when she is the one suffering from the mental health issues.
Film Language
Film language is very important when it comes to film making, below are the key terms in film language for horror.
Camera work: Framing- This is what is in the frame, and makes you see if the person or object is central. Shots- There are many types of shots including a high and low angle, close up, mid shot, long shot, point of view. When filming is makes you think about the purpose of the shot and how it works along with other things.
Camera movement- This makes you think about the movement such as if the camera is tilting, or tracking/following the action. It also makes you think about the meaning the movement adds to the piece.
Mise-en-scène- This term originally comes from the theatre, and it refers to the design of the shot. Within a shot there are a series of elements that work together to create meaning such as the: settings, props, colour, arrangement of objects, facial expressions from cast and costume.
Lighting- The lighting can be a very factor of the film, there must be a degree of realism and atmosphere in it to give it meaning. You have to focus on the light and shadow that has been created within the shot. Light can also be a useful factor to create drama.
Editing- The editing of the film is just as important as the filming. This is the way which the shots are cut together to make the final film. When editing you have to monitor how long the shots are, how fast it is and what meanings are created in the combination of two scenes.
Sound- There are two roles in sound in film: Diegetic (which is sound within the story) and non- diegetic (which is sound from outside the story). These contribute to meaning significantly. The most used one is dialogue obviously, but music is also used in film to create mood. Sound effects are used to add further layer of meaning.
Camera work: Framing- This is what is in the frame, and makes you see if the person or object is central. Shots- There are many types of shots including a high and low angle, close up, mid shot, long shot, point of view. When filming is makes you think about the purpose of the shot and how it works along with other things.
Camera movement- This makes you think about the movement such as if the camera is tilting, or tracking/following the action. It also makes you think about the meaning the movement adds to the piece.
Mise-en-scène- This term originally comes from the theatre, and it refers to the design of the shot. Within a shot there are a series of elements that work together to create meaning such as the: settings, props, colour, arrangement of objects, facial expressions from cast and costume.
Lighting- The lighting can be a very factor of the film, there must be a degree of realism and atmosphere in it to give it meaning. You have to focus on the light and shadow that has been created within the shot. Light can also be a useful factor to create drama.
Editing- The editing of the film is just as important as the filming. This is the way which the shots are cut together to make the final film. When editing you have to monitor how long the shots are, how fast it is and what meanings are created in the combination of two scenes.
Sound- There are two roles in sound in film: Diegetic (which is sound within the story) and non- diegetic (which is sound from outside the story). These contribute to meaning significantly. The most used one is dialogue obviously, but music is also used in film to create mood. Sound effects are used to add further layer of meaning.
Monday 7 December 2009
Claude Lévi-Strauss the “father of modern anthropology”
Claude Lévi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist; he was also one of the central in the structuralist school of thought, where his ideas reached into fields including the humanities and philosophy.
Lévi-Strauss’ ideas about narrative amount to the fact that he believed all stories operated according to certain things called binary oppositions. To put it in simpler terms, Good VS Evil, Black VS White, Rich VS Poor. The importance of these ideas is that essentially a complicated world is reduced to a simple structure. Things are right or wrong, good or bad. There is no in between. This structure has ideological implications, if for example, you want to show that the hero was not wholly correct in what they did, and the villains weren’t always bad.
An example:
DRACULA
Wilderness
Blood
Death
Fangs
Bats
Darkness
VS
SOCITEY
City
No Blood
Life
Human Teeth
Pets
Bright colours
Lévi-Strauss’ ideas about narrative amount to the fact that he believed all stories operated according to certain things called binary oppositions. To put it in simpler terms, Good VS Evil, Black VS White, Rich VS Poor. The importance of these ideas is that essentially a complicated world is reduced to a simple structure. Things are right or wrong, good or bad. There is no in between. This structure has ideological implications, if for example, you want to show that the hero was not wholly correct in what they did, and the villains weren’t always bad.
An example:
DRACULA
Wilderness
Blood
Death
Fangs
Bats
Darkness
VS
SOCITEY
City
No Blood
Life
Human Teeth
Pets
Bright colours
Sunday 29 November 2009
Vladimir Propp- Spheres of Action
After deciding on the horror genre we divided our work into categories, I have researched and wrote about Vladimir Propp’s Spheres of Action.
Vladimir Propp was a Russian critic and folklorist whose influential book, translated as morphology of the folk tale, was first published in 1928. Propp was working with folk stories so some of the terms are specific to them and have to be adapted to ‘reading’ modern stories. What Propp was asserting was that characters types exist to further the narrative- rather than characters existing in their own right they have roles or functions to perform in propelling the narrative in certain directions and ultimately to the conclusion.
Propp argued that whatever surface differences there might be in stories, it was possible to group together all characters into eight character roles:
The Hero: Character that goes on the quest, (in folk stories this would have traditionally been a male character, in more modern texts this could have taken to mean the bravest and courageous person. In horror this would be the most innocent person who survives the monster/villain and normally kills them.
The Villain/Monster: Character that tries to prevent the hero from completing the quest, in horror this would be killing the hero.
The Donor: This character provides the hero with something that will help them on their quest. In horror this would be the person who gives knowledge on the monster/villain and maybe gives them something to kill it.
The Helper: This character helps the hero in some kind of way. In horror they would normally help kill the monster or help the hero survive.
The Princess: This is a broad term, they might literally be a princess like Maid Marion in Robin Hood or would mean the heroes reward. The princess might also be the object of the villain’s bad deeds. In horror the princess would normally be the heroes reward; they also may be a main target of the villain/monster.
The Dispatcher: This is the character that sends the hero on the quest. In horror this would be the person who sends the hero on to kill the villain/monster or to get away.
The Father: This is the character that gives the princess away and sometimes can be the Dispatcher too. In horror this character would normally not survive as horror films tend to have bad endings and cliff-hangers.
The False Hero: This is the character that looks like the hero but is actually on the side of the villain. In horror this would be the character that helps the hero on the quest but ultimately tries to destroy them by setting traps, giving wrong information etc.
In most of these horror genre films many of these characters do not survive, people like the hero, princess and some others survive; an example of this would be the Scream trilogy. However in others the villain survives and the hero dies, an example of this would be the Saw series.
Example:
Scream 1996
The Hero: Sidney Prescott
The Villain: Billy Loomis and Stuart Macher
The Princess:
The Helper: Deputy Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley and Gale Weathers
The Donor: Randy Meeks
The Father: Neil Prescott
The Dispatcher: Casey Becker
False Hero: Billy Loomis
Vladimir Propp was a Russian critic and folklorist whose influential book, translated as morphology of the folk tale, was first published in 1928. Propp was working with folk stories so some of the terms are specific to them and have to be adapted to ‘reading’ modern stories. What Propp was asserting was that characters types exist to further the narrative- rather than characters existing in their own right they have roles or functions to perform in propelling the narrative in certain directions and ultimately to the conclusion.
Propp argued that whatever surface differences there might be in stories, it was possible to group together all characters into eight character roles:
The Hero: Character that goes on the quest, (in folk stories this would have traditionally been a male character, in more modern texts this could have taken to mean the bravest and courageous person. In horror this would be the most innocent person who survives the monster/villain and normally kills them.
The Villain/Monster: Character that tries to prevent the hero from completing the quest, in horror this would be killing the hero.
The Donor: This character provides the hero with something that will help them on their quest. In horror this would be the person who gives knowledge on the monster/villain and maybe gives them something to kill it.
The Helper: This character helps the hero in some kind of way. In horror they would normally help kill the monster or help the hero survive.
The Princess: This is a broad term, they might literally be a princess like Maid Marion in Robin Hood or would mean the heroes reward. The princess might also be the object of the villain’s bad deeds. In horror the princess would normally be the heroes reward; they also may be a main target of the villain/monster.
The Dispatcher: This is the character that sends the hero on the quest. In horror this would be the person who sends the hero on to kill the villain/monster or to get away.
The Father: This is the character that gives the princess away and sometimes can be the Dispatcher too. In horror this character would normally not survive as horror films tend to have bad endings and cliff-hangers.
The False Hero: This is the character that looks like the hero but is actually on the side of the villain. In horror this would be the character that helps the hero on the quest but ultimately tries to destroy them by setting traps, giving wrong information etc.
In most of these horror genre films many of these characters do not survive, people like the hero, princess and some others survive; an example of this would be the Scream trilogy. However in others the villain survives and the hero dies, an example of this would be the Saw series.
Example:
Scream 1996
The Hero: Sidney Prescott
The Villain: Billy Loomis and Stuart Macher
The Princess:
The Helper: Deputy Dwight ‘Dewey’ Riley and Gale Weathers
The Donor: Randy Meeks
The Father: Neil Prescott
The Dispatcher: Casey Becker
False Hero: Billy Loomis
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