Killers in Horror Films

Killers is Horror Films

This task was to explore key characters in Horror Film by investigating conventional characteristics of the protagonist in which I will apply my research and findings to my own Horror production.

Genre, Iconography and Ideology

In today's lesson I looked at two specific film posters that I have been exploring in which I analysed one in full detail which shows how genre us used to promote films.

Recognising Film Trailer Structure

Recognising Film Trailer Structure

In todays lesson the task was to break down the genre conventions and structure of a film trailer of my own choice, using a table to record my finding. The genre was Horror and I decided to look at the trailer called 'Dark Touch'.



 

Testing Burton's Formula

Testing Burton's Formula

In today's lesson I had to use Burton's formula as a guide to make a key and colour code that point out specific elements in  slash horror film plot summary's.

Colour Code:  Key Elements

•Protagonist

•Stock Characters

•Plot + stock situations                                                         

•Icons

•Background + Décor

•Themes

•  

Friday 13TH

A group of young adults set up tent near the abandoned summer camp where a series of gruesome murders are said to have taken place back in 1980. The perpetrator was a grieving mother, driven insane by the drowning of her child, Jason, whom she believed was neglected by the camp counselors. As legend has it, the last survivor of the attacks beheaded the woman. But then Jason came back, and now he is a vengeful and inexorable killer, wielding crossbows, swords, axes and other sharp instruments. The legend proves horribly true, as these campers quickly discover. Six months later, the brother of one of those campers distributes posters of his missing sister. The police believe she took off with her boyfriend; but he knows better. The brother crosses paths with an uptight young rich guy who is having his girlfriend and friends over at his parents' cabin. The brother ends up at the cabin himself just before his sister's attacker sets upon them all.

 

 

SAW

 

Two men wake up at opposite sides of a dirty, disused bathroom, chained by their ankles to pipes. Between them lies a dead man loosely clutching a hand-held tape player and a handgun. Each finds a tape the perfect fit for the player in their back pocket. They play the tapes. One is threatened, the other isn't. But they have a task: One must kill the other by 6:00, or his wife and daughter will die. They find hacksaws in a toilet, and try to cut the chains, but it doesn't work. They are the two newest victims of the Jigsaw Killer. In a flashback, we learn of Amanda, a girl who falls victim to the Jigsaw Killer. On her head is a mask, which is hooked into her lower jaw. There is a timer on it. Only one key will unlock it, and that key is in the digestive tract of her cell mate who lies paralyzed on the opposite side of the room. If she doesn't unlock the mask in time, her lower jaw will be ripped wide open. She survives, but her cell mate doesn't. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn of more victims, and of the nearly-successful capture of the Jigsaw Killer, who doesn't actually kill his victims. Instead, he finds ways to make them kill either themselves, or each other, and he thinks the entire 'game' out perfectly, with no other ways out.

 

The Card Player

Policewoman Anna Mari is forced to play a dangerous game with the title serial killer. If she loses, she witnesses the maniac's tortured victims having their throats cut in explicit close-up detail via webcam. She teams up with British cop John Brennan to find out the identity of the murderer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evil Dead

 

David, his drug-using sister Mia and his friends Eric, Olivia and Natalie travel to an isolated cabin that belonged to his parents to spend a couple of days together. Mia promises to stop using drugs and Olivia, who is a nurse, promises to help Mia in her abstinence. They discover a hidden basement with witchcraft and the Book of the Dead, and Eric reads it and unintentionally summons an evil force. Mia, Olivia and Natalie are possessed by evil and Eric reads the book trying to learn how to destroy the demon.

 

 

 

 

 

Scream

 

Peaceful town in California turns into a bloodbath when a masked killer haunts the town. Sidney Prescott, a young teenage girl, whose mother was killed a year before, becomes the target of the mask killer! Her boyfriend Billy Loomis becomes the main suspect along with Sidney's father. Local Tabloid News Reporter Gail Weathers and Woodsbroro's Deputy Dwight "Dewey" Riley investigate and try to figure out who the killer is and if it's the same person who killed Sid's mom the year before!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Genre Exploration

What is Genre?

A Genre is a type or category of media product, for example Spy Thriller or Action, which happens to have certain distinctive main features. These features are what we understand and recognize though it being repeated over a period of time.

What is an Action Genre?

An Action genre is an area of film where action sequences, such as fighting, stunts, car chases and explosions happen to take precedence over elements like characterization or complex plotting. This involves individual efforts on the part of the heroic character in contrast with most war films. The genre is closely linked with the thriller and adventure aspects of film genres.

What do you understand by the concepts of repetition and variation of a genre?

Genre films are commercial features which use repetition and variation to tell a familiar storyline using familiar types of characters and situations. By this they may have to live up to the expectations of the genre in order to be popular. In addition to Action movies they tend to follow that heroic based story line that may happen to be at war with an army or villain or potentially putting themselves forward to save the world. For example G.I. Joe and Taken again the same features that live up to the expectations of being an action movie.


What are the Key Elements of Genre?

Protagonists – Are known as the lead character which may be a hero or a villain. The lead male character would come across as ‘courageous’ and ‘good looking’ that would most likely rescue a lady that is in distress at some point. On the oth4er hand the lead female would play a character that is a second hand to the male, being also good looking.

Stock Character - A stock character is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype. They also happen to be those that surround the main characters.

Plots and Stock Situations – In a movie there is usually a beginning middle and end which is known as the plot. In G.I. Joe  
Duke becomes the leader of the G.I. Joe unit, which is framed for stealing nuclear warheads from Pakistan by Zartan, who is impersonating the President of the United States. Duke has to prevent the nuclear warheads from exploding and hitting the other countries.   When the truth comes out, Cobra Commander escapes during the battle and Storm Shadow disappears after avenging his uncle. The real President addresses the nation at a ceremony where the team is commemorated as heroes.

Icons – This is a key symbol and aspect of the genre, when we see them this is where we immediately recognize and concentrate on knowing what territory you are in. There are three main types of icons: Objects, Backgrounds and Sometime starts.   

Backgrounds and Decor – When backgrounds in action movies become very distinctive then they automatically become icons. For example in G.I. Joe the teams ship is known as there safe territory where they plan, practice and solve things. We see this ship throughout the movie, which is known as an icon.

Themes - The theme is what connects the value of the messages that are projected towards the audience. All genre narrative says something about conflict being good and evil between alternative views of right and wrong.

-      Truth vs. Ignorance

-      Loyalty vs. Deceit

-      Self-sufficiency vs. Dependency

-      Persistence vs. Surrender

-      Integrity vs. Temptation

What do you understand by the concept of a genre ‘formula?’

All the above elements add up to what we call the formula which is the equation. In terms of Television soaps there are other elements of the formula known as matriarchal figures, conflict through misunderstandings and emotional crises. Mary Ellen Brown describes this genre as:

-      A serial form that resists narrative closure

-      Use of multiple characters and plots

-      Emphasis on dialogue, problem-solving and intimate conversation

-      Female characters who have power outside the home

-      Male characters who are ‘sensitive’ men

When you understand the formula it helps you understand what is going on which gives us the pleasure of feeling that we are on familiar grounds.

Does the fact that many products work to a formula make them boring?

Purpose of a trailer