Task 3 research into the drama -Christian Metz model of genre

This task consisted of identifying films in the horror drama and using Christian Metz's model of development.
Introducing Metz theory

Christian  Metz in his book Language and cinema(1974)explored the development of genre film and suggested that genres pass through four phases of existence these being :

1)The experimental

2)The classic

3)The parody (spoof)

4)The deconstruction

Explanation of the four phases-

1) By the experimental  stage we mean the phase of early films that explored and experimented with the horror genre themes in it's narratives.These films included Nosferatu (1922),The Cabinet of Dr Caligari(1919). This is because they helped to formalize the narrative conventions of the horror films in it's earliest phase.                                                                                                                Christian Metz     

2)By Classic we mean the phase of films established from the narrative convention of horror. It is the most successful defining period for the genre horror. These include the Hollywood films Dracula (1931) , Frankenstein (1931).All these films were made by universal.

3)Parody means films that have mimicked the horror genre in some type of comical way. Films in this category include Carry on screaming (1969),Scary movie (1999). These films were also created by universal studios it seems as time progressed universal looked for a different type of horror to be incorporated with there classic horrors they had already produced.

4)By deconstruction we mean films which have taken the genetic element of the horror genre and integrated them into varying sub genres.Such films that fall into this category are Seven(1999) which has a sub genre of thriller , The sixth sense (1999) which has a sub genre of supernatural/thriller, The Blair witch project (1998) which has a sub genre of documentary and Scream ( 1996) which has a sub genre of teen horror.

Some argue there is a second period of Classic films which appeared in the 1970's this is when a new age of horror emerged with films appearing such as Friday the 13th and Halloween.This films were re imagined and now contained more gore and graphic images.

Along with the Hollywood horror films introduced to us early on the British film makers also latched on to the German expressionism. Such films usually included the famous actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee who starred along each other in many horror films the Dracula saga being one of many.

Horror mood board

This is my mood board for a horror i have added some pictures which stereotypically corrospond with the genre horror and ideas that could be present in a horror film. Such as a knife a connotation of violence and gore and a dilapadated house a connotation of spookiness /daunting all things which are associated with the genre horror.

Romantic Comedy mood board

This is my mood story board for a romantic comedy.A mood story board is a type of poster design that may consist of images,text and sample objectives Designers and others use mood boards to develop design concepts and communicate to people on the design team. Mood boards are also used like here to explain a certain style of film. I have picked certain images that are a connotation of romance such as flowers which the connotation of which is girly and pretty and marriage as this is associated with love and romance something usually present at the beginning of a romantic comedy or at the end.

Comparing and contrasting Romantic comedies

The two romantic comedies I was comparing and contrasting were how to lose a guy in ten days directed by  Perrie made in 2002 starring Kate Hudson  and Just like heaven directed by Mark Waters made in 2008 . The first difference between these two films is they are made by two different studios so there is bound to be differences between the two films of the same genre. Just like heaven belongs to DreamWorks which was created by Spielberg and How to lose a guy in ten days was created by paramount, However DreamWorks is part of paramount.

The beginning of How to lose a guy in ten days starts off with the incidental music starting when the studio titles appear and continues throughout the titles creating a sound bridge. Which creates the atmosphere of a fun bouncy uplifting feel to the movie from the word go. This is different to the incidental music at the beginning of red dragon and Halloween as the music in both of those particular films was very dark and dreary so you instantly know this film is the polar opposite to that. The colours in this movie also contrasts to those present  in the horrors as the titles were red , and black in the horror titles whereas in this romantic comedy the titles are pink and orange and look very subtle and soft which is very stereotypical of romance and love. The images behind the title are also very female orientated as there are bright glossy magazines with female related queries.

In comparison to horror the main character is introduced in these opening titles where in Halloween the characters were not introduced until after the titles had ended. This is shown visually by her being present in the articles and clips of her life springing up and sliding on to the screen. This Creates the effect also of a magazine being photo shopped for one of her articles. The bounce to the titles also gives a lively atmosphere which is stereotypical of a romantic comedy as everything is seen to be perfect. As the final title swipes in “the lose a guy” part of the film title is bolder implying this will be her next article.

Both Romantic comedies present two very independent empowered successful women with glamorous jobs such as in How to lose a guy in ten days the women is a magazine journalist whereas in Just like heaven she is a doctor. Both jobs are very respectable implying this is a key feature of romantic comedies (for the main woman to be this powerful figure). Another similarity between the two romantic comedies is the fact there titles stem into their main action and don’t stop until about four minutes into the film. Implying this also is a key convention of this genre, this along with the sound bridge at the start of both films as the studio title appears infers the genre is a rom com as it sets the atmosphere instantly as upbeat and exciting in both films. Both romantic comedies also contain well known popular songs such as Katie Melua whose song features in Just like heaven suggesting romantic comedies aim to be up to date and with the times so there films see fresher and more realistic.

As How to lose a guy in ten days continues into its opening scene two girls are presented as friends and colleagues from there closeness and banter which is stereotypical of girls having girly chats about boys. As the titles end the last name is the directors this is the same in Just like heaven inferring this is the person of main importance. The main actor is then presented to us. It is made obvious this is the main male in the film as he very attractive and handsome which is stereotypical of all male leads in these types of films the same is apparent in Just like heaven. The man is wearing a leather jacket and riding a motor bike suggesting a stereotypical rebel character giving him the appearance of someone very cool and good-looking, therefore living up to obvious male lead role. The woman in the scene with the male lead are power dressing again creating the idea of a perfect world where women have dream jobs and therefore the audience aspires to be like them.

Like How to lose a guy in ten days the title background in Just like heaven is formed of pink fluffy colours implying the genre of this movie is also romantic comedy as pink is a connotation of romance. After the studio title mentioned previously the camera then switches to an aerial shot floating down, rotating down to a rose garden and again roses are a connotation of love. The clouds the camera floats through is a play on words because the word in the of film title “heaven” give a connotation of clouds. This is revealed as a daydream which is stereotypical of women who dream of a perfect world.


Like How to lose a guy in ten days her job is evident as she is wearing a green medical outfit a connotation of doctor. The titles continue as mentioned previously as the action continues and the female lead is revealed as an overworking friendly girl shown by a close up of the coffees she keeps drinking which is a connotation of tiredness but also determination to work to the best of her ability as she does not stop. The shot reverse shot between her and her sister reveal her sister to have the opposite life to her as she has a family and kids where it is revealed the female lead only has her job as her co workers say to her in the bathroom “at least you only have work to worry about”.

This is different to How to lose a guy in ten days ,even though romance is the centre role the background story is very different implying there is a wide diversity in the different types of rom coms available.

In conclusion there are wide range of similarities and difference in these rom coms but in the opening sequence there is a lot of similar conventions that are presented as always being  used  in romantic comedies  such as the vast majority of songs being  played throughout as in both films as the songs are instantly springing u again and again suggesting this is used too help the story along and reveal what is happening to the characters  more clearly through song. Both books are novels this is why they may have been made into movies as there is already an existing audience for them.

This is the promotional poster for the 2003 film Red dragon

Analysing the opening of Red Dragon (2003)

Analysing the pre title sequence -
The opening titles colour are a mixture of red turning to white inferring the idea that evil is dominating pure. The background behind the titles like in Halloween is black and gives a connotation of horror,death and darkness things usually associated with horror/thriller films implying the nature of this film as it can not be any other type of film from these connotations.


The incidental music behind the title gives the impression of a shrieking sound implying pain and anguish while the instrument playing is a violin and the music is an orchestral sound implying more than one person is playing and stereotypically this is not the type of music to be played in a children's film for example therefore it suggests the nature of the film is horror as it creates a sinister mood.


The camera then turns to a point of view shot/establishing shot which the frame of which is extreme long shot of the opera house.


scene one opera house
Throughout this scene a set of images used to convey the meaning of the scene in contrast to a scene which contains dialogue. The camera shots used in this scene are very interesting one of which is a crane shot which shows a sweeping movement among the crowd of people and the orchestra this is used it seems to introduce the audience to the situation and what is going on.A medium close up is used to show the irritability on the conductors face clearly showing the man playing the flute is playing his instrument incorrectly. There is a focus pull as the crane shot is taking place as our attention is drawn to the main character of focus.


The doctors juxtaposition in the crowd of people is centralised clearly pointing him out as our point of interest.Also along with the doctors juxtaposition is his status as an actor as he is well known and therefore people our bound to pick him out as the main character. The close up of the doctor Hannibal's face which takes place after the crane shot reveals alot about what is happening in the scene as he turns his head to the side. This is a connotation of a dog who is about to eat implying the doctor two is about to strike. This close up used also reveals him wincing at the flute player and twitching implying he is irritated and annoyed by this mans mistakes. This also implies the doctor must be an intelligent man to pick out such a small mistake present in the orchestra.


The people in the crowd are also wearing sophisticated clothes suggesting they are rich people who are of upper class .


Scene 2 dinner
Hannibal's house is revealed to us through the use of a wide shot showing the street he lives in has houses that look like town houses which are usually found in London. The camera cuts to inside Hannibal's house where he is serving guests, the house if full of sterling silver , fine china and silver candelabras all things associated with a Victorian house implying Hannibal is very wealthy.However the film is set in America,Virginia so the fact his house is painted as very unique and out of odds with the normal implies Hannibal to is not a normal man.


Hannibal is shown serving red whine , red whine is a connotation of the blood of Christ inferring the idea of religion this again highlights the idea of Hannibal not being the sane man he is made out to be. The camera begins to pan and track round the table creating the illusion of Hannibal as the predator and his guests are the prey as he is circling them like he is about to pounce upon all of them.A low angle camera shot is then shown of Hannibal implying he is the dominant person in this situation and he has the power over these people.


Hannibal is represented to the audience as a modern day count Dracula. This yet again enforces the idea of horror this is presented by his sophisticated clothes he is wearing and his darkness and slickness in his posture and facial expressions as they show his pure evil streak. Hannibal is also wearing a white shirt shown by the wide shot used at the end of the scene. White is usually a connotation of purity however this is a contradictory statement as the viewer already knows Hannibal is anything but this.


 In this dinner scene Hannibal's intelligence is highlighted once again as a dinner guests dialogue consists of him admiring Hannibal's intellect "cribbing the line from Horris". Hannibal's dominance again is shown in his dialect "well done Charles" as he is applauding Charles for recognising his intellect therefore it creates the impression he is treating him like a student/ child. The same men then goes onto address his fellow guests as a "herd" implying again Hannibal is there predator. Finally an over the shoulder shot shows Hannibal's evil streak as he smiles maliciously as the unbeknown guests begins to eat her fellow orchestral player.
Scene 3 special agent Graham
An over the shoulder shot at the beginning of this scene as Hannibal opens the door to another man indicates the doctor knows this man at the door as he refers to him as inspector Graham who is part of the FBI. Therefore this is an indication to us rather than him to who this is.Through this sequence shot reverse shots are present between the doctor and the inspector revealing alot about the two men . Inspector Graham is wearing a gun belt implying he is well equipped and a threat to the doctor. Inspector Graham is revealed as visiting the doctor in order to reveal his view on who the murderer is implying the two have a very close and personal relationship as he has come into the middle of the night just to talk to the doctor about his suspicions. This personal relationship is touched upon again when Hannibal touches Graham on the chest implying a close father and son relationship between the two.


Hannibal's dialogue throughout this scene reveals him to be the murderer as he inquires into whether Graham has told the bureau of his suspicions suggesting it is him who is the murder and is worried Graham is going to find him out. Later on he also asks if Graham wants to go to the "couch" inferring he wants Graham in a venerable position so he can attack.


Hannibal's office reveals alot about him as it shows he's a weird man as he has Japanese sculptures ad dead bugs on his shelf shown by the Pov shot of Graham which also hints at the later films in the series. There is a close up of some hunting arrows highlighting Hannibal's animalistic streak as it creates the idea of a predator and a prey commented on previously.As the inspector picks up Hannibal's book  that he uses to make his victims body parts into something to eat a sequence of shot reverse shots take place between the book and inspector Graham  the camera also begins to zoom in this builds up tension as he is slowly coming too realise the truth about the doctor as his eyes are starting to get closer to the words "sweetbreads".


The incidental music surrounding the scene begins to get louder and faster implying something epic is about to happen as the pitch continues to rise which in turn builds tension. This is followed by the action sequence between the doctor and the inspector as the two struggle and fight with one anoher as the doctor tries to kill him.Doctor Hannibal's dialogue consists of him telling Graham not to struggle and that he doesn't want him to feel any "pain". This implies a sick nature to the character as even though a loving feeling is present between the two he is still killing him.A low angle shot if Hannibal shows he is in power and succeeding.However as Graham begins to attack a medium long shot shows Hannibal enduring pain and still proceeding towards Graham which is a connotation of a monster from old horror films who even when injured pursue their victim.This is follwed by a pan from the inspectors body to a close up of Hannibal's face showing the two are gravely injured as it shows there is no life in Hannibals eyes.

Scene four actual titles scrapbook

After the pre title sequence another set of titles appears with Anthony Hopkins name coming up first implying he is the most famous actor in this film. The titles fade in and out once again. Light passes over a scrapbook implying the book has been there for a long time and the person is constantly constructing it.


The lack of day light upon the scrapbook implies that the book is being constructed in either a basement or attic implying this book is one which wishes to be kept secret. The incidental music behind this sequence like at the beginning of the pre title sequence is dramatic , mysterious and dark consisting of an orchestra of strings and is stereotypical music to be heard in a thriller film.


A close up of the scrapbook reveals it to be a book documenting the case of Hannibal as it reveals newspaper clippings over time about Hannibal’s legal battle including titles such as “Fiend serves organs to guest” and “chambers of Horrors revealed” implying Hannibal is in trouble from the murders he has committed and is found guilty. As the camera zooms in and out of the titles and pictures and pans and tilts across the book the incidental music is synchronized with the editing signifying the progression of time between each page of the book was made as the edits become faster the incidental music becomes faster.


Along with the pictures of Hannibal’s career there are disturbing images shown such as the anatomy of man and next to this is a dragon a connotation of the Armageddon 12:5 (known as the end of the world) implying this maker of the scrapbook believes he is not normal and is turning into this red dragon who will bring around the end of the world. This also indicates the maker is pouring out his thoughts in the book as he has disturbing written thoughts and images in the book such as a disturbing picture of a child. Suggesting this man is deeply disturbed. A zoom in on a picture of a boy with scratched out eyes also highlights on the abnormality of this scrap book maker maybe he is ashamed of what he has become and can’t bear to look at himself. The titles Juxtaposition is now on the left as the scrapbook is our main focus.

The opening and evaluation of the film Halloween

The beginning of the film Halloween opens with the opening titles fading in and out but before each title fades away they change from yellow to orange to red . This has been used I believe to create a sense of danger and spookiness as each of the colours represents a key connotation of horror. Such as red being blood, aggression, anger and orange being, fire and destruction. The fading of the titles also gives the feeling of unnaturalness as they seem to appear and disappear by magic. A lighted pumpkin also creates this fiery atmosphere as it is flickering darkly next to the fading titles. The pumpkins juxtaposition is the left of the screen whilst the titles juxtaposition is centre so the title can clearly be seen by the audience. The background behind the titles is also a connotation of horror as it is black and therefore implies a sense of coldness , darkness and most of all death. All off these things are stereo typical of this type of film , the type of film being horror/thriller. Incidental spooky music begins to play as the pumpkin appears and the frequency and tempo of the music go up. The sudden build up of music may have been used to put the viewer on edge as it creates the atmosphere it is building up to a dramatic event.    

Throughout, it seems the title appear in order of importance  and Jamie lee Curtis in mentioned as introducing. Finally as the titles begin to come to an end the camera begins to zoom in on the pumpkin this build up suspense and terror because as the pumpkin is drawing ever nearer it feels as if the pumpkin is literally coming towards you and your personal space ,putting you into a sense of fear before the film has already begun and therefore setting you up for what the film is all about. A sound bridge of kids saying a Halloween rhyme plays as the setting is introduced to the viewer. Creating a spooky atmosphere as the sound bridge sounds very jingly and spirit like. The camera than pans to a white house at night and the ambient sound of an owl can be heard . This creates a murderous mood as an owl is a connotation of hooting and killing for its food implying something of the sought is about to take place in this house as the camera zooms into the front door .

This is followed by a hand held /subjective point of view shot which slowly and steadily creeps round the house this has been used maybe to create a sense of danger and not belonging as it seems the person is spying on the house . Through a window a girl and a boy are seen they are both represented as teenagers as they are wearing stereotypical teenager clothes from this time period of time e.g such as the girl in a tight top and short skirt and the boy in laid back youthful clothes . The two are seen through the subjective point of view going upstairs together . Iincidental music again begins to play which sounds very screechy and like someone is screaming. This may has been used as it puts you on edge and agitates you as screaming is a connotation of pain and danger. The subjective point of view also has been used as it makes you feel you are their  to witness the actual murderer and therefore feel the literal terror surrounding the scene. As Micheal moves up the stairs the ambient sound of a ticking clock begins to sound and the girl singing creates a sense of a countdown to a certain event as the clock keeps ticking constantly like a ticking time bomb as Micheal makes his way up the stairs .

When stabbing his sister Micheal is looking at the knife .Michael is homage to Alfred Hitchcock psycho as he is witnessing his own act of violence towards his sister.Micheal's  Breathing starts when he has got his mask on and as he floats down the stairs the subjective point of view makes it seem almost creepy  and not natural like he is floating. The director filmed the subjective point of view  from a higher view creating the illusion it’s an adult and maybe competition for the boyfriend so therefore the viewer is shocked when a boy is revealed as the murderer.

Micheal's sister shouts at him and  covers herself up but he doesn’t leave the room he hurts her instead.Micheal's subjective point of view shows him seeing the bed is messy and therefore this is a connotation of a post sex scene implying Micheal is so  Repulsed by the act his sister has just committed he felt he had to kill her.

The scene ends with Micheal being shown in a Halloween clown outfit shown by a medium long shot . Clowns usually have the connotation of being creepy ,freaky and  scary. Therefore his costume is a perfect representation of his character. The medium long shot used also reveals two older people in suits implying they are Micheal's parents . The sudden switch to this shot creates a shocking feeling as the murderer is revealed as a boy who is usually innocent then a  crane shot is used showing the camera sweeping away from Michael and his parents suggesting there confusion at what Micheal has just done.

Task 2:Research into existing products

Analysing the opening scene of the horror film Halloween (1978) directed by John Carpenter .Halloween is an American independent horror film set in the fictional suburban town of Haddonfield, Illinois, USA on Halloween. The plot of the film is a psychotic murderer institutionalised since childhood escapes on a, mindless rampage while his doctor chases him through the streets. Halloween was produced in a tiny budget of $320,000 and grossed $47 million at the box office in the United States, as of 2008 it is equivalent to 150 million. Halloween is becoming one of the most profitable independent films ever. Some critics say the film is the first in a very long line of slasher films which is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's psycho from 1960s. Halloween contains very little graphic violence and gore.

My Preliminary video



This is my Preliminary task video; it abides by the one hundred and eighty degree rule. My video contains a shot reverse shot, a match on action shot and finally an eye line match as required

Preliminary task

In media we were set a task to create a sequence of shots using HD cameras whilst abiding by the one hundred and eighty degree rule.The hundred and eighty degree rule is a basic guideline, the guideline being that two characters or elements in a scene together should always have the same left/right relationship to one another. If the imaginary axis is crossed between the two characters this is called crossing the line and if this happens it can lead to the scene no longer making sense to the audience watching. My Preliminary task had to include certain camera shots such as:

Shot reverse shot : This is a technique where one character is looking at another character and then the camera shows the other character looking back indicating they are both looking at each other as they are both looking in opposite directions.

Match on action: This is when something is happening in the scene when there is a cut whilst the same piece of action is going on and shows from a different angle for example the same action taking place. This is an example of continuity editing.A match on action shot helps the audience to fully understand what is going on in that moment of action.

Eye line match : This is a continuity editing technique again.It is when a character is looking into a space which is off screen.However the audience still knows what they are looking at as the camera cuts to another character for example and there eye line will match that of the other character signifying the

are looking at one another even though this isn't shown in one shot.