In class today we watched a documentary called 'Cutting Edge' we focussed mainly on the action and horror cutting and in that I realised just how much really goes into making these films, I realised just how much editing, shots, mise- en- scene and sound goes into making these films. First of all we watched two short extracts from 'Terminator 2' these two extracts were when the child is running away from Arnold in slow motion and when the boy is riding away from the evil terminator on a motorbike. First of all when the boy is running from the terminator, just as he begins to run the shots are much longer which adds more suspense than the shorter shots yet when he does run from bot terminators the shots are much more quicker which is at a faster pace of editing (more exciting for the audience). In this same scene there is a key piece of editing, the slow motion editing of the boy running away, the slow motion gives the builds the suspense massively and makes us feel as though the terminator will be right behind him. the footsteps is of non- diegetic sound because the steps are echoed and emphasises that the terminator is getting closer and closer to the boy. Lastly the use of close ups of the boys face emphasises and shows the emotions of the character whereas the close up of the terminator is expressionless symbolising the character is experienced and serious in what he is doing.
Car chase scene
The chase scenes are always action packed thanks to the editing, camera shots and the sounds used. The shots and camera techniques used was the point of view shots, this is the characters point of view and perspective of the situation, this adds to the impact of action and horror films especially as the it seems as though the viewers are actually experiencing what the characters are experiencing. Another camera technique was the cross cutting from the boy on the bike to the terminator in the lorry and back again. this builds a better perspective of what is happening and adds suspense on this scene because we can see that the boy is in despair and trying to escape whereas the camera cross cuts to the terminator and he is emotionless and fixed on getting that boy. the use of sound is often exaggerated such as the screeching of tyres and the smashing of cars are much more louder to emphasise the action and danger of the car chase. A big part of this scene are the peaks and valleys of the car chase, this means where the audience for a moment think the protagonist has gotten away but then something may happen to change that, it lifts the threat for a while but then forces the threat of the villain on the character again. this technique is used when the boy on his motorbike rides under a small bridge, the evil terminator crashes into the bridge in his lorry and the viewers think the boy has escaped until we see the terminator rise from the half smashed lorry. Lastly there are a lot more quick and short shots which is fast paced to add action and thrill for the viewers.
Horror/ Thriller
In the old film made in 1922 there is cross cutting of the man noticing the vampire in the distance, then to the vampire about 10 feet away, the camera cuts too the man now running and hiding, but the most important bit is now the vampire is only about 5 feet way from the man. this creates fear because it was unexpected due to us focussing on the victim rather than watching the vampire walk up to the man it seems as though he suddenly appeared. An important technique used is in 'Scream' where the audience is introduced to a new character, the audience bonds with the character but then kills them. This is used because it is different from just an ordinary person being killed rather than having someone that the viewers bond with. Probably the most well know technique used in horrors and thrillers are the low key lighting where the is hardly any light on the scene, just about enough for the viewers to see the character or object in the scene. This technique creates suspense because the audience are unknowing of what may be in the shadows and the mass of darkness. Hundreds of films involve the non- diegetic and orchestral music to the create an impact because it depending on the pace both can create emotion within us, for example the low pace of the music can be presented as being depressive and saddening, whereas fast paced non- diegetic sound could create fear and excitement as the pace is faster than our heartbeat. lighting effects the mood of the area because for example in the 'Scream' extract the blue lighting was used to symbolise depression, moonlight and sadness, it then sets the mood and atmosphere for the scene of her being killed. Having a close up of the killers/ monsters face is much more effective than having a long shot of the character because viewers may feel uneasy and intimidated due to the shot making you look into the face of the character, we also get the details of the killer and their expressions which is also much more scarier too. Yet no seeing the face or identity of the character can also equally scare the audience just as much than having a close up of them, this is because the viewers have no clue of what the character is like and what he may he/ she/ it may do. The character has no identity to enable us to imagine what the killer looks like rather than seeing them. Unfair or unbalanced control for the victim in Silence Of The Lambs' created a tense and suspenseful atmosphere because the audience were unknowing of how the fight may end, this was because the killer had night vision goggles whereas the protagonist didn't and was not in control. there was also heavy breathing by the protagonist which was edited in to exaggerate the fear of the hero which then gives the audience the emotions of being scared too.
Looking at these techniques directors used to make these films I believe my group and I could use some to create atmosphere and suspense for people who are watching our short tile sequence. I thought that we could involve techniques such as:
- Low key lighting- to create denser and darker shadows and make the audience unsure of the surroundings
- Point of view shots- get the perspective from the victim when the killer may suddenly appear in front of them
- exaggerated non- diegetic sounds (heavy/ echoed footsteps/ breathing)- builds atmosphere and suspense if something was to suddenly happen
- Sudden noise (doors suddenly closing/ branches suddenly snapping)- to frighten the audience by purposely using unexpected noises
- Silhouette of killer- masks the killers identity and forces the audience to imagine (often scarier than knowing the identity)
- Cross cutting shots- to scare the audience if the killer was to suddenly appear and to gain a better perspective of what both characters are doing
- Slow pace and fast pace build up- slowly creates suspense due to the slow shots to the sudden fast pace of the action
- Close up- visualise the facial expressions of characters to understand how they feel
- 'Peaks & Valleys'- To make the audience think the victim has gotten away (lifts the threat) but then the killer does something to catch up with the victim (forces the threat back on the audience)
No comments:
Post a Comment