Unit 10 Assignment Brief A
- 1. Unit 10 Assignment Brief A – Fiction Codes and Conventions Genre 1 – Horror For the horror genre, I will be analysing some of the stylistic codes and conventions of the genre. The two movies that I will be analysing are ‘Hereditary’ and ‘Insidious’. Genre is the way that we recognize and understand certain films. Theorist Steve Neale believes that genres are instances of repetition and difference. Within the repetition instance, Steve Neale believes that an audience experiences pleasure and satisfaction in the recognition of familiar forms and in the difference instance, an audience expects familiarity but demand a variation so that it is not the same thing over and over again. These two instances can be seen very clearly in both Hereditary and Insidious since they are both categorized in the ‘supernatural’ sub-genre of horror. Hereditary is well known for the unbearable tension and the insanity that it creates. This horror film does not rely on jump scares to frighten their audience but instead is very unique to how it slowly makes the audience more and more anxious as the film goes on. This film follows the stylistic codes and conventions of the horror genre perfectly. In the final act of the film, Peter (the son of the family) wakes up in the middle of the night. In the background is his possessed mother (Annie) who is floating out of Peter’s sight in the corner of his bedroom (Ref. 1). This scene lasts a whole 30 seconds before Peter slowly turns his head to look behind him. In these 30 seconds, the tension and suspense starts to slowly build since the audience know what is behind and he does not. The set also uses one source of low-key lighting which is situated outside of the bedroom window which acts as the moon light shining in. This creates a dark atmosphere in the room which is common within the genre and creates a uneasy feeling. Once peter has turned around to look behind him, it cuts to a medium close up of peter continuing to turn his head whilst Annie is seen floating out of the room unseen (Ref. 2), the possessed floating of Annie fits perfectly into the supernatural part of the horror genre. This whole scene mostly uses one long shot with no movement. This helps to build the tension since the audience will be waiting for something big to happen and the slightest bit of movement in the frame will be very noticeable.
- 2. (Ref. 1) (Ref. 2) Another stylistic code that is very important to the genre or any film in general is the sound. Sound is so important because it can be used for creating the atmosphere which is very important for the audiences’ viewing. Another stylistic code that is common with horror films is to include an audio ‘sting’ whenever there is a jump scare. This helps emphasise the jump scare and pretty much make it an actual scare. However, a lot of the time in Hereditary, there are many moments when there is barely any sound at all (except for ambient sounds). But this is effective for the film since it is all about creating tension and anxiety for the viewer. Insidious on the other hand is more known for the jump scares rather than the tension and anxiety that Hereditary brings. This too follows the stylistic codes and conventions of the horror genre and has a lot of similarities to Hereditary in terms
- 3. of the Mise en Scene. This scene takes place in a flashback dream from the grandmother of the child in the bed (Ref. 3) This particular scene is a part of a build up to a jump scare which is very common in the genre. Just like Hereditary, this particular scene also uses a source of low-key lighting that is placed outside of the bedroom window to act as moon light but it also uses a small nightlight/lamp to give the demon like character some contrast and to make it stand out in the corner of the dark room. In this particular scene, there is a small humming sound in the background and then a crackling sound when the demon moves its hand to point at the boy (Ref. 4) The humming that is in the background is non-diegetic since it does not exist within the world of the film and the crackling sound is diegetic since it comes from the demon which does exist within the world of the film. This scene used a steadicam so that the whole shot moves slowly into the bedroom from the hallway. The steadicam is most likely attached to a camera man so that it is easier to get the camera around the tight corners of the hallway and through the doorway. The steadicam also works for this scene since it provides a smooth motion around the scene and since the scene is part of a dream, it wouldn’t work if it was shaking like a handheld camera. (Ref. 3) (Ref. 4) Narrative in film refers to the ability to tell a story. We as an audience expect a satisfactory climax and resolution. We also expect to feel certain emotions and, in this case, to be scared since that’s what the horror genre is all about. Tzvetan Todorov’s theory has devised a typical narrative structure that most films conform to. He has identified 5 key stages of a narrative that can be applied to most films:
- 4. Equilibrium > Disruption of the Equilibrium > Recognition of the Disruption > Attempts to repair the damage > New Equilibrium. Hereditary and Insidious both follow this theory very closely throughout as do many other horror films. However, the Equilibrium of Insidious and Hereditary are very different. Hereditary starts off with the mourning of a death in the family and Insidious starts off with a happy family moving homes. This sets a completely different tone to each other but still continue to follow the 5 key stages together. However, the New Equilibriums of each film are also different. Hereditary see’s the family all be murdered by an evil spirit one by one and Insidious sees the family resolve their issue but lead to a sequel. This is not a bad thing since the horror genre is not always going to have a good resolution at the end and is going to want the audience to be unnerved by the film. Genre 2 – Action For the Action Genre, I am going to be analysing some of the stylistic codes and conventions of the genre. The two movies that I will be analysing are ‘John Wick’ and ‘Baby Driver’ Genre is the way that we recognize and understand certain films. Theorist Steve Neale believes that genres are instances of repetition and difference. Within the repetition instance, Steve Neale believes that an audience experiences pleasure and satisfaction in the recognition of familiar forms and in the difference instance, an audience expects familiarity but demand a variation so that it is not the same thing over and over again. These two instances can be seen very clearly in both in ‘John Wick’ and ‘Baby Driver’. John Wick is known to be one of the best action movies of the decade. The story follows a retired assassin named John Wick who goes on a killing rampage against a Russian mob boss’ son who breaks into his house, kills his dog and steals his car. In the scene that I have chosen, the Russian mob boss has sent a group of assassins to John Wick’s home to try and assassinate him before he can get to his son. However, since John Wick is known to be one of the best hitmen around these assassins are no match for him. This whole scene consists of John Wick taking out all of the assassins one by one. This scene involves a lot of fast paced editing and quick cuts to make the scene full of action and non-stop. This helps keep the audience entertained and interested on the films next move. A technique that action films tend to use to make the actions scenes more intense is use a handheld camera to give the shot a shaking effect however this movie only uses a Steadicam but does it so well that the action sequences still look intense. The lighting that they use in this scene is high-key (everything that is important to the scene is well lit). However, the lighting in this scene is done quite similarly to the
- 5. two scenes I chose in the horror genre. This film also uses lighting that is outside the set shining into the windows to create a moonlight feel and also uses ambient lighting in and around John Wicks home. Whenever a weapon is fired, that gives off a bright flash (Ref. 5) which also helps to briefly light up the room however it is not a main source of lighting and is not very effective since it is not supposed to be a source of light and is more for the realism aspect since guns in real life create a flash whenthey are fired. The props (guns and knives) in this scene are very common within the action genre and are typically used in most action films of this type. Sound is one of the most important in the action genre. In this scene there is a non- diegetic soundtrack playing in the background which is accompanied by diegetic sounds of gunshots and things getting broken within the fights. The use of the non- diegetic soundtrack playing in the background helps intensify all of the action that is happening in the scene. Since the soundtrack intensifies the action, it can help the audience be more engaged in it. (Ref. 5) Baby Driver is another action film that follows the stylistic codes and conventions of the action genre. However, Baby Driver and John Wick are two completely different films. John Wick focus’ mostly on the killing of enemies to the protagonist however Baby Driver focus’ more on protagonist’s life/relationship with music and his driving. In the first scenes, the protagonist ‘Baby’ is sat outside of a bank waiting for the robbers to come out with the money. Since Baby is the getaway driver he is waiting outside for the team of robbers. During this time, this is where we are introduced to his relationship with his music. Then the robbers return from robbing the bank. The next scene features quick editing as Baby speeds through busy streets, weaving around cars and dodging the police cars (Ref. 6). There are 164 different shots during the getaway which are spread over 3 minutes and 5 seconds. The longest scene during the getaway is approximately 6 seconds long. This fast paced editing helps with the intensity of the chase and keeps the audience on the edge of their seat in case they get caught. The cameras to capture all of these 164 are would typically be placed on tripods and the camera pans with the motion of the cars passing by. Most of the scenes on this chase however are most likely mounted onto the side or the back of a dummy car that has some of the camera crew inside and driving alongside the main car. The car mount is useful since the camera crew can get up close to the action and make the audience feel like they are truly a part of the situation.
- 6. All of the lighting in this scene is natural lighting since it takes place outside and the natural light comes from the sun and there is no need to add any extra lighting. The only unnatural lighting that is used is the flashing lights from the police cars and the cars headlights. During the robbery scene, the 3 characters that go into the bank go in with masks and guns. Just like John Wick, this film also uses typical action film props. The police cars are also very typical of the genre since police is always connected with the crime that happens a lot within the genre. During the scene there are also many car crashes and car crashes are used a lot withinthe genre since it creates a reaction from the audience, keeping them engaged. Similar to John Wick, Baby Driver uses similar props like guns and masks. These props are very common within the genre as well as others. Sound is also insanely important for this scene of Baby Driver. This film uses a soundtrack that is played over the top of every other diegetic sound in the scene. However, the soundtrack is in fact diegetic. The soundtrack comes from Baby’s earphones that are plugged into his MP3 player. This further builds on top of the relationship that Baby has with his music compared to his profession. The use of the soundtrack is similar to the soundtrack in John Wick; it also helps to intensify the action that is going on in the police chase. This scene has other diegetic sounds too. There's always a police siren in the background since this whole scene involves a police chase; there's tire screeches, car crash sounds and little bits of dialogue from the robbers themselves. All of this goes into a thrilling and enjoyable experience for the audience. (Ref. 6) Narrative in film refers to the ability to tell a story. We as an audience expect a satisfactory climax and resolution. We also expect to feel certain emotions and, in this case, to be scared since that’s what the horror genre is all about. Tzvetan Todorov’s theory has devised a typical narrative structure that most films conform to. He has identified 5 key stages of a narrative that can be applied to most films: Equilibrium > Disruption of the Equilibrium > Recognition of the Disruption > Attempts to repair the damage > New Equilibrium. John Wick and Baby Driver both follow this narrative structure but do it much differently. Both of these films have a disruption of the Equilibrium both the way they have it is very differently. John Wick’s disruption happens once a group of thugs
- 7. break into his house, kill his dog and then steal his car. Baby Drivers disruption happens when he thinks he is finally free and clear to have his own life after being a getaway driver; but is hired again with a bunch of thugs and everything he loves is in jeopardy. The New Equilibrium is also completely different with both of these films. In John Wick, he manages to accomplish his goal of taking out the mob bosses' son therefore fulfilling the mission he set out to do. Whereas Baby Driver ends with the protagonist getting into some serious trouble with the police, people he used to work with and people who he cares about and then eventually ends up in prison as a conclusion to all the things that he has done.