Camera Shots And Angles

Camera Shots And Angles

Eye Level - A fairly neutral shot; the camera is positioned as though it is a human actually observing a scene, so that actors' heads are on a level with the focus. The camera will be placed approximately five to six feet from the ground.








High Angle - Not so extreme as a bird's eye view. The camera is elevated above the action using a crane to give a general overview. High angles make the object photographed seem smaller, and less significant (or scary). The object or character often gets swallowed up by their setting - they become part of a wider picture. Used in horror films to make the characters feel inferior.






Low Level - These increase height (useful for short actors like Tom Cruise or James McAvoy) and give a sense of sped up motion. Low angles help give a sense of confusion to a viewer, of powerlessness within the action of a scene. The background of a low angle shot will tend to be just sky or ceiling. The added height of the object makes you feel fear and insecurity as a viewer, making YOU - THE VIEWER feel inferior to the object/objects in the viewer. 




Birds Eye - This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognizable at first (umbrellas in a crowd etc). This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like. Hitchcock was particularly fond of this type of shot.






Oblique - Sometimes the camera is tilted (i.e. is not placed horizontal to floor level), to suggest imbalance, it is very popular in horror movies. This technique is used to suggest point-of-view shots i.e. when the camera becomes the 'eyes' of one particular character, seeing what they see - a hand held camera is often used for this.



Medium Shot - Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Any more than three figures and the shot tends to become a long shot. Background detail is minimal. Direct focus on a person, often used in the 180 degree shot during dialogue.




Close Up - This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get THAT close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film - maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character, and usually uses a zoom lens in order to get the required framing.




Extreme Close Up - As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever. This is a very artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect. The tight focus required means that extra care must be taken when setting up and lighting the shot - the slightest camera shake or error in focal length is very noticeable.




Long Shot - This is the most difficult to categorize precisely, but is generally one which shows the image as approximately "life" size i.e. the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall. This category includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still emerges.














































Over The Shoulder Shot -  is a shot of someone or something taken from the perspective or camera angle from the shoulder of another person. The back of the shoulder and head of this person is used to frame the image of whatever (or whomever) the cameras pointing toward. This type of shot is very common when two characters are having a discussion and will usually follow an establishing shot which helps the audience place the characters in their setting.












Establishing Shot - In motion pictures and television production, opening shot that establishes the environment of a show or scene. The establishing shot usually has a wide field of view and serves to orient the audience to the surroundings of the situation they are about to see.








Worms Eye - This camera angle is the opposite of birds eye view shot. it is a angle where you are looking up from beneath the object of interest. Looking right up from the floor/ground. Makes the audience feel inferior and very small, used for intimidating characters in fight scenes if one gets knocked down.













Extreme Wide Shot - Shows an incredibly wide shot, showing a large picture in the viewer. Often the end result of a shot that is like a 'rectangle shape' wider than it is higher.













180 Degree Rule - The 180 degree angle shot is a guideline for on screen shooting. This makes sure that the camera is always shooting on one side of the scene and not the other. These shots are usually used to show the relationship between two characters and is used frequently when filming conversations between characters.

The History Of Horror

The History Of Horror

Horror stories are an ancient art form. People told ghost stories to terrify eachother. This then progressed into full length novels based around these horror stories, then into television programmes (once it became available) and then finally into full length films. Stephen King quoted, 'If movies are the dreams of the mass culture... horror movies are the nightmares', this shows how he sees horror films as being important to society in the modern day world. Horror movies are films that get a negative emotional response from the audience and are invented to play upon ones fears.

Horror films are very powerful and have derived from the ballads of the ancient world, which then developed into modern urban myths. The idea if being scared is particularly appealing to some people, they want the 'buzz' (for the want of a better expression) of the film, programme or whatever they get the adrenaline rush from. This rush is provided by the action and the terror, this triggers the senses, hence leading to he overall feeling of fear. 

The first real horror film was "Le Manoir du Diable" or "House Of the Devil" which was filmed by Georges Melies of France in 1896. The film runs for roughly three minutes and is completely silent. However, many people see the first 'real' horror film (including sound) as being "Frankenstein" (1931). Boris Karloff is simply addressed as '?' in the credits and at the start of the film - because it was the first of its time - there is a short speech from an actor to 'warn' you about the contents of the film, stating how it 'isn't for the weak hearted'. This was such an unusual beginning to a film as nobody had ever experienced a horror film before and even looking back on the film today it seems strange that they would have to warn people about the contents of the film they are about to watch. 

Horror films often embody such fears as of which are found in society like;
Alienation - 'The Hills Have Eyes'
Science gone to the extremes - 'I Am Legend'
People going insane - 'The Devil Inside'
Serial Killers - 'I Saw The Devil'
Family - 'Mama'

More modern horror films tend to focus on things like paranormal activity, zombie apocalypses, serial killers and often have under-lying messages about social, political and environmental issues, whereas, in older horror films, these conventions were used, but, to far less detail and executed to a far less professional level as the technology was not available for things such a CGI and Special FX to be added to the original capture.

The Happening Analysis

 

The Happening Analysis

The opening credits are produced fading in and out of clouds. These clouds have been filmed and then sped up creating the effect that a storm is coming and fast. This mirrors the story-line of the film showing us that something bad is going to happen quickly. The music in this opening scene starts off quite quite but then as the storm builds the music becomes layered building to a climax. The clouds are filmed from a worms eye point of view, this is to create the feeling that we are inferior to the scene. The font is in white, this is so the title and the credits stand out against the sky.

This next shot is a low angle tracking/panning shot. They have used a low angle shot to make the dog look inferior to us. The tracking/panning shot has allowed us to view the area so that the viewer can establish where the scene is set. We are able to see the dog but not the owner, this makes us as viewers wonder who this man is and allows room for our imagination to try to understand the scene. In this shot we can hear background noise of the park creating a normal atmosphere, this juxtaposes with what is about to happen making the impact seem bigger to us when it happens. There is also a ere musical tone that  covers the scene, this creates a tense atmosphere indicating that something bad is about to happen.  

This is a jump cut from the scene previous to a skyline shot through the trees. The rustling of the branches juxtaposes with the scene before creating significance, showing that the storm is coming closer. There is a sound bridge, the eerie music and sound of the public talking has continued onto this scene showing that we haven't changed location.

The next scene is at a low angle shot looking down at the two characters making the viewer look superior to them as they will be the victims in this scene. The two look very normal and calm, although this is true the audience can still hear the eerie music over the top of them talking, this creates dramatic irony and tension as we know, as an audience, that something bad is going to happen to them.

Here is a close up of the characters face. This shot is used to show the viewer her confused and worried expression. This builds suspense as we cannot see what she is looking at, we can only understand by what it is by the characters narration. This creates mystery and confusion for the viewer.

We can now see some very odd behavior of a lot of characters in this wide angle shot. This shot juxtaposes with the first scene we see of the busy park making the contrast huge and uncomfortable. The strange eerie music is still playing and is building on the suspense.

Here is an extreme close up of the girls face. This is so viewer can see and connect with the characters emotions. Her look of confusion is very worrying and disturbing for the viewer as we do not know what she is going to do. The music is becoming more layered and intense, which mirrors the first scene with the clouds.

The camera is now at a high angle shot. It has followed the girls hand movement into this extreme close up. The viewer can now see clearly what she is doing. We can see that she has quite a firm grip on the sharp needle like object and is pulling it up out of her hair towards the camera, this indicates that she is going to do something harming with it. The music is of a dull beat, like a heart beat. This creates a lot of tension. The music as also changed tone as it is now of 

                                                                                         violins building up to the climax.

















This shot shows a close up of the actions that the girl had made and also the reaction of the other character. This is the climax of the opening scene. The close up allows the viewer to see exactly what is going on, the extreme close up is very intense and detailed. There are sound effects of the needle piercing the skin of the characters neck, making this scene even more horrific for viewers. All of the natural background noise of the city has stopped, indicating to us that the virus has effected everyone there.

Although there is still  music playing and the panting of the dog.

What Is Suspense?

What Is Suspense?

The definition of suspense is; a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.

OR; 

A quality in a work of fiction that arouses excited expectation or uncertainty about what may happen.

Suspense is a key theme in Horror films as it puts the audience on edge, this build up of suspense is often followed by a climax. There are many techniques used to create tension and suspense which include; 

• Music - Audiences of suspense productions need to feel uncomfortable, disturbed and at times terrified. They often include crescendo's and loud percussion hits, the use of the minor scale, (Minor Key sounds dark, scary, sad whereas the Major Key sounds much brighter and happier) dark, ambient sounds and samples, then a build up of music (often rising in tempo and pitch) to a sudden release.
• Silence - Silence can be one of the most powerful things. It has immense strength and real meaning when it comes to creating suspense. 
• Darkness - Many people have a fear of the unknown. If it is very dark and you cant see more than a meter in front of you then you are instantly more vulnerable. This sense of what could be lurking in the dark can be incredibly un-nerving for some people, therefore is excellent at creating suspense.
• To let the audience know something the actors don't -  For example, people are sitting around a table, under which is a bomb ticking away, the people at the table don't know it's there, but the audience does.
• Setting - The background of your camera shots always help, so when considering the location and setting, take time to look at the background as a dark and spooky background will always be more effective than one of a bright colourful one. 
• If you show the villain or the evil character e.g. a murderer in a Horror film in full lighting then the overall impact of the climax will be lesser than the likes of one where you show the villain in low level lighting, or filming from behind his back, this way the evil character is/can be just a mysterious silhouette and nobody knows who he/she is.

Different Genres Of Film

 Different Genres Of Film

There are many different genres of film. These include;

ACTION - An action story is similar to Adventure.

Action and Adventure are categorized together, where

one character takes a wrong turn or makes a risky move

which then leads to different situations.

COMEDY - This is normally a story that follows a series of

funny or comical events. It's intentions are to make the audience

laugh. often filled with jokes and over exaggerated actions

and consequences.

CRIME - Crime stories are ones of which tell a story of crimes

being committed or committing   It can also be an account of a criminal's life. It often falls into the Action or Adventure genres. Detective stories, murder mysteries and gangster films all fall into this category.

FANTASY - A fantasy story is a story about magic or supernatural forces, rather than technology, though it often is made to include elements of other genres, such as science fiction. Dying Earth, Harry Potter and Fairy

Tales all fall into this category.

HORROR - Horror films are stories told to deliberately scare or frighten the audience, they do this through suspense, violence or shock. Often Horror films consist of Ghost stories, a murderer, zombies or a monster.

ROMANCE - Modern writing tends to look at a relationships or
engagements, but, traditional writing involves chivalry and adventure. 
It has produced a wide array of sub-genres, most of which have a happy ending and focus on the mutual attraction and love of a man and a woman.


SCIENCE FICTION - Also known as 'Sci-Fi' and is similar to fantasy 
except stories in this genre use scientific understanding to explain the 
universe that it takes place in. Star Wars is an example of  a 
Science Fiction film.

THRILLER - A Thriller film is usually one of which includes a mix of
fear and excitement. It has traits from suspense, action, 
adventure and mystery genres. Psychological Thrillers are particularly
effective because they focus on the mind set of the hero, it also requires a mature mind to take in everything that is happening in the scene.


URBAN - Urban Fiction is also known as 'Street Lit'. As the name implies it is often set in a city landscape. The genre is much defined by the race and culture of the characters in the setting. The tone for urban fiction is usually dark and are heavily orientated around 'troubled youths' of today. They focus on drug deals, violence, sex and are usually explicit.

Horror Film Conventions

Horror Film Conventions

• Damsels in distress.
• A 'chase' sequence - a certain character tries to escape from the bad happenings and ends up getting caught.
• The use of scary atmospheric music.
• The use of the Soundtrack to make the audience jump.
• The fact that the 'goodies' always come out on top - they often tend to override the evil.
• The use of darkness.
• The setting; a cabin in the woods, remote castles, abandoned properties, haunted houses etc.
• The apparently 'indestructible' enemy - Michael Myers in 'Halloween' and Jason Voorhees in the 'Friday the 13th' movies. 
• Groups of young people going away.
• Accidental discoveries - for instance, in the film 'The Evil Dead' (1981) a group of youngsters go to a cabin in the woods and one of the characters comes across a trap door leading into a cellar, where a book is on the table. This book is wrapped in human skin and he reads a passage from the book which is Latin (thinking nothing of it) but this then raises the demons from the ground around the cabin the characters are in.
• How groups get into trouble and split up - this then makes each character more vulnerable, hence leading to each character not returning, leaving one on his/her own at the end.
• The use of found footage.
• The use of monsters (more common in older horror films) such as Frankenstein's Monster, Wolf man, The Mummy, Dracula, Phantom Of The Opera.
• The use of 'death coming to your home' - this can be very powerful because for most people, the home is a place of peace and happiness. 
• The use of 'Alien creatures' coming to Earth.

Michael Myers in 'Halloween' (1981). This character is seen as 'indestructible' or 'undefeatable' character - for instance, (the evil character) gets pushed off a balcony, then, the good character looks over and he/she is gone.




Often an abandonded house is included in the story.
As you can see the house is in a particularly remote place
which reflects on the vulnerability of the characters.
This is a common convention in horror films.