Horror Genre

Horror

Horror is a genre that focuses on evoking a negative reaction from the viewer. It does this by trying to scare the audience, often by playing on common fears. The films often contain themes of violence, darkness and mystery.

Horror films are usually set in isolated, run down areas and the majority take place at night. They also may take place in areas with a dark history (like an abandoned hospital or a mansion rumoured to be haunted). The main point is that the settings usually carry the feeling of being alone or helpless so that when there is a bad situation, it is worsened by the fact that they can’t get help.

The way horror films are shot is often unusual and not natural or similar to other genres. Often slanted or low angles are used because they are the most unusual to humans. We are used to seeing the world straight on and from eye level, so going against this makes the viewer uncomfortable and gets them on edge. Another point about the camerawork is that they often incorporate handheld cameras because the natural shake from our hands adds to the ambiguity and may not give a clear picture of the monster, which deepens our fear of it.

The narrative structure of horror films usually contains some familiar components. There is a protagonist, somebody with good intentions who must go against the antagonist who usually has bad intentions. Another usual convention is that the antagonist has gone through an event or experience that has made them the way they are; their method of thinking is often explained and not just random. Sometimes they want revenge, and sometimes they are masterminds who want to release their ideas in a cynical way.

The characters within horror films mostly remain the same. You have the protagonist who is ‘morally good’ who must face their fears and go against the antagonist who is portrayed as ‘evil’. You then have the people who die, often through stupidity and ignorance. Usually these are teenagers and in this sense horror has a negative representation of teenagers, showing them as unwise. Then you have the authority, like police who may be good or bad, and this determines whether they are helpful or not to the protagonist. Another common character in horror is creepy children. They are used because it opposes the usual idea of children; they are sweet and cute.

A theme within horrors is psychology, especially with the more mature films. They raise the questions of whether all of us could become a bad person and also what makes a person go bad, a topic explored by the psychologist Zimbardo. It makes us (the viewers) question ourselves and whether we see parts in the antagonist or whether something like that could never happen to us.

Jurassic World

Jurassic World

Jurassic World was a huge box office success this year, cementing itself as the 3^rd highest grossing film of all time after Avatar and Titanic. Although the original is a classic, and will likely be watched by generations to come for it’s exciting new imagining of extinct creatures, some say that the huge success of Jurassic World is due to the fact that it’s prequels, Jurassic Park 2&3 were under whelming. Compared to the original masterpiece, its two sequels failed to capture audiences like the original and were in this sense, a big let down. So although making a reboot to such a beloved franchise may have seemed like a crazy idea, Jurassic World really only had to surpass it’s more recent predecessors.

Also, you can accredit the success of the film to the huge technological advancements in film making since the first film. With such a bold vision, creating a film about something that no longer exists, Steven Spielberg really did need to pull out all the stops back in 1993 to make the film look as legitimate as possible, so that the film didn’t just look fake. Now, with new cameras, CGI technology and much better editing software, the creators could start to advance and provide a much more realistic looking and coherent imagining to the extinct creatures. Better technology means bigger fights, more believable animals and more high-octane action. These are all big factors in summer movie’s success.

Usually when people are talking about a film’s success, they are talking about how much it grossed in its first week or how well it sold in comparison to its budget. Film success can also be based on reviews, but of course this is variable between people. While the film may satisfy the avid summer film lover who loves action, it may not be quite the same film in the eyes of a harsh film critic who prefers the lower key Oscar nominated films. People tend to focus on the amount the film made because it’s a solid figure, no variables, just facts.

Jurassic World also did well because it has drawn in a very wide audience. As well as being a must watch for the slightly older people who were around when the original hit the cinemas who love the series, it also has a whole new, younger audience that may not have even seen the original films. I think this is evident when you see figures that show the original films having a boost in views after Jurassic World was released. Teenagers may watch the film and like it, and then go back and watch the previous instalments.

As stated on www.cnbc.com, “About half the tickets sold were for 3-D screenings, which cost several dollars more than traditional screenings”. With it being such a big, grand film, people want to see it in the best way possible, 3D. 3D is a popular option with summer blockbusters, as it adds another layer of excitement to the film. Dinosaurs jumping out the screen, bullets flying out of the screen, it all makes for a much more submersive experience that makes the audience feel more impacted by the film and want to re-watch it.

Sources:

http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Jurassic-World-66602.html

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/15/why-and-how-jurassic-world-broke-records.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_World

Favourite Film of the Summer

Favourite Summer Film

My favourite film this summer was Straight Outta Compton, directed by F. Gary Gray. The movie is a biopic centred on the former rap group NWA who were making music from 1986 to 1991 and the film covers the period from 1986 to 1996.

The film depicts the rise of gangster rap, police brutality in America, racism, and partially sexism. The first thing that drew me to the film was my interest in the music. Also the fact that it’s a chance to see how two well-known figures in current media (Dr Dre and Ice Cube) came to the spotlight.

When watching the film, I was hit with instant blunt violence and from that point onwards, my attention was held. There are slow points within the film but they are always adding to the story and are followed by a big event. As somebody who knew the story of NWA before seeing the movie, nothing was new but for somebody who is less familiar, some plot points would definitely shock them.

The soundtrack to the film features old school tracks from NWA’s albums and also newer songs from Dr Dre’s albums. It’s a perfect accompaniment to the film and represents not only Compton, but Los Angeles as a whole.

The film is not heavily edited, and where there are chunks of editing, it’s usually to add drama to a scene or to enhance the sequence artistically. An example of this is the opening scene, where Eazy-E is dealing and the police use a battering ram to break down the door. The sequence shows E running through the house frantically trying to escape, and when he does, the title of the film hits with a black screen. The way it’s edited makes it dramatic and portrays a bold statement, ‘This is Compton”.

I thought that the acting was good for the most part, but I thought that Paul Giamatti could have been better. I think that his character was desperate and absolutely needed NWA, and this wasn’t portrayed to its full potential in the film. There are many dynamics to the story and different subplots that branch off the main story.

Coming in to this movie, I was wondering how the cinematographers would attempt to make a movie set in the ghetto look good, but they pulled it off. The movie looks visually very good, while retaining the rough, torn apart feel of Compton.

The film is a story of triumph and friendship. Compton is one of the most dangerous places to live in America and to see people get out of it and become internationally known superstars was very motivating. You leave the cinema smiling, and the film credits incorporates real life clips of NWA and other significant associates (Eminem, Kendrick Lamar), which gives the film a sense of validity.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, notably for the cinematography, acting and the fact that it sticks to the facts.