Horror Film Study, Task 2: Explain

The convention of the masked murderer used in horror films Halloween and Scream is an effective convention because it hides who the killer is that is slaughtering innocent lives, usually teenagers, even if you discover who they are at the beginning of the film (Halloween) it stilll made you question their motive and if they were killing because of the original 'rules' (you get killed if you: 1. have sex. 2. do drugs. 3. smoke/drink) or if they were just crazed psychopaths. By showing us who the masked murderer is at the beginning it tells us that the director wanted us to get more involved in the film and become a part of it rather than watching it but also trying to piece together the evidence and work out who the killer is. This makes the film scarier because you become a complete part of the film, like you were standing in the room rather than watching it on a screen. Also because there is a detective who has been researching and studying Micheal Myers for 30 or so years we expect that at the end of the film for Myers to die after being shot several times and then falling two stories and landing on his back, but when the detective goes back to check on Myers he is gone and the film ends with camera shots of different parts of the street accompanied by Myers heavy breathing, symbolising that Myers is everywhere and anywhere. No one is safe.

But when you do not know who the masked murderer is throughout the entire film it gets us involved in the film because if it was real life you wouldn't know who the killer was but it also makes you think about all the killings and evidence and if all the evidence points to one particular person or not. But in Scream's case, because there were two murderer's sharing the same identity it confused the viewer and made them think harder about who the killer could be. The masked used also created a scarier feel to it because it was just a standard halloween mask and anyone could buy them which it meant that everyone was a suspect.

The mask was also quite scary when the face appeared out of nowhere because it was white it stood out and gave the viewer a fright. In Scream the conventional use of two murderers as 'one person' was quite a new concept so this went against 'horror tradition'. Because I personally hadn't seen a horror film where there were two murderers I didn't expect it and this shocked me that two teenage guys that had seemed somewhat 'ordinary' would rape and kill friends and that they were also smart enough to cover their tracks by using a voice changer when talking on the phone and by having two people it meant that one could scare and then the other could comecomfort and vise versa so it confused the audience and the onscreen characters.

Stage One: Pre-production. Task 1: Concept.

I am wanting to make the viewers feel excited and anticipate what will happen next. I want them to think about how much we (teenagers) could do if we put our minds to it.

My film will be about 4 young teenage girls playing hide and seek at a friends house. It will be mostly filmed from the seekers point of view but will use other camera shots also. One of the girls finds a map in the wardrobe she was hiding in, the 4 girls have to make the decision to follow the map or not. The audience will not know what choice they made and so will be left pondering their choice.  My film will be shot as an adventure film. 

Horror Film Study, Task One: Describe a Convention

The masked stalker is a recurring convention throughout the horror movies, Halloween and Scream. The masked stalker creates a sense of uncertainty. It makes the audience think about who the unknown murderer could be and if it is someone we have met earlier in the film. We find out who the masked stalker in Halloween is at the very beginning when we see him, Michael Myers, kill his sister and boyfriend after they just had sex. Compared to Scream where we don't find out who the masked stalker is until the end of the film, in Scream there are two masked murderers who are portrayed as the same person.
By Scream having two murderers using the same identity it confuses the viewer and whenever they thought they knew who the killer was, it would make them change their mind again. This was a clever technique because of the latter, it made the viewer think and question themselves throughout the film.
Becuase we find out at the beginning who the masked murderer is in Halloween it makes the viewer consider different tactics on how they could catch him. It also makes you wonder how the characters in the film don't realise that he is right there, we know he is there because you hear his heavy breathing and a specific tune begins to play but the characters are oblivious. This specific tune also builds up tension and makes the audience anticipate what is about to happen, although sometimes it is a "bus" and nothing scary happens.

Category Four: shotsize/angle + camera movement

In the opening scene of "The Pink Panther" there is no change of shot angles and size only camera movement. I think this is because the entire opening scene is very simple and because it is a cartoon does not require the use of different angles.

At the very beginning of the scene the camera zooms into and through the pink jewel, a.k.a the pink panther, the shot shows the allusion and personalisation of the jewel to the pink panther. This is shown by the way that the camera zooms into the flaw in the centre of the gem, it has been said to look like a leaping panther, therefore resulting in the name.

This links into the film as a whole because the jewel that Inspector Clouseau is searching for is often referred to as the 'pink panther' and if not for the opeing the viewer could get confusing as to if they are looking for a jewel or a panther.

Blackout is used once at the beginning after the jewel and panther are shown and at the very end and both occur the same way, the pink panther snaps his fingers. This is called repetition. The way that they have used blackout makes it appear that the panther is incharge, or that he controls what happens. Also, the snapping of the fingers symbolises the beginning and the end of the opening.

 The camera then tracks a sheet of music as it travels through the air, this suggests that we are a part of the music as we follow its journey from the music stand to the inspector where he gets tangled up in the music. This movement of the camera is effective because it includes the viewer and makes it seem as one with the viewer. Also the camera follows the pink panther as he walks from one door to another in the inspectors suit showing the viewer that he can do what he wants and get away with it, and also tells the audience that he wants us included as he escapes the inspector every time, to create a feeling that we are helping the panther to elude the inspector's waiting hands.

These camera movements appeal to the target audience because it includes them in the film, makes them feel like they are in the screen with the characters rather than watching a movie from their couch. The fog and torch hint at themes of being hidden or obscured (fog) and finding or searching for something that has been lost or taken (torch/magnifying glass).

Category Three: Mis-en-scene/Composition

The pink panther himself is an allusion to the diamond, pink in colour and has an unusual flaw that looks like a leaping panther. This allusion makes the opening much more interesting to watch because it wouldn't be funny and mysterious watching an inspector search for a jewel.
The personification of the jewel as a panther creates a more entertaining and amusing atmosphere, which captivates the viewer ensuring that they want to watch the rest of the film.

Some of the props have a meaning behind them, such as the magnifying glass and torch which both appear at least twice. The torch is a symbol of searching for something that is hiding, in the shadows or somewhere dark and secluded. The magnifying glass is a symbol that you are seeking for something that is small and in an unknown location. It may be under a floorboard or hiding behind the mirror, the magnifying glass shows that what is being searched for is small.

The use of the smoke machine, used by the pink panther shows that he is covering his tracks from Inspector Clouseau. This is shown by the way that the panther looks cautiously behind him as he walks acros the screen with the fog machine in tow. And then the inspector comes through the fog as just a silhouette at first, with a torch searching for the jewel (image above). Fog often symbolises obscuring what people see, so the use of the machine symbolises just that, the panther is obscuring what the inspector sees, he shows him what he wants to see, that he has nearly caught the jewel.

The use of the long sheet of music that Inspector Clouseau gets all tangled up in is a symbol that the inspector is trapped and muddled when it can to the jewel. He isn't sure which way to go, where it will be or who will be guarding it if at all. He is just getting more and more trapped as he goes his own way searching for the jewel. The jewel is very valuble, priceless even and if he continues to get trapped and tangled then he will never get free and find the precious jewel.



And finally the poster is a symbol of the end of the search as it floats away in the breeze, that Inspector Clouseau never finds the jewel and just gives up in the end. The poster shows that not only is the pink panther missing but Inspector Clouseau is also when he "falls" into the poster, he is missing because he is continually avoiding assassins and being caught although it is unintentionally.

These allusions and symbols prepare and set the viewer up for the ideas used during this film. The magnifying glass shows or hints to the viewer that one of the main ideas is searching for something. This is shown by the way the inspector peers into the glass closely showing what he is looking for is small.

Category Two: Colour

The way that colour is used in this opening sequence is simple and bold. Colour is used to show different settings throughout the opening. The colours are simple with a darker shade at the top of the screen lightening down to a paler shade at the bottom. The use of simple colours adds to the simple music effects and camera movements. 

The main colour scheme is blue and pink with yellow and white. Inspector Clouseau wears a blue suit, sort like a train conductors uniform, with yellow trim and matching hat. The pink panther is pink and also has yellow eyes. This gives the viewer something that is  distinguishable about the character, the blue suit of the inspector and the pink panther and blue sunnies (if he is disguised). This choice of colour scheme shows the audience that the look they are trying to achieve is simple and not too "in your face".

The background colours is blue for the majority of the scene but it does change to pink when the title appears and yellow/orange when Inspector Clouseau and the panther dance together. I think the director has made all the colours block and simple because it is a cartoon and because it is a remake of the original 'Pink Panther' made in 1963, he couldn't add new colours or make it too different from the original movie. I think the director didn't want to stray too far from the original coour scheme because then the movie wouldn't be a remake it would be almost a new film because it is not that similar to the original already so to keep it a remake he included and used the same colour scheme.

The colours used in the opening scene are similar to those used throughout the film. Inspector Clouseau wears a similar costume in the movie (although it looks more like a navy suit than a train conductors uniform and is not worn for the entire film)  and there is a lot of blues, whites and yellows and a little pink used during the film.

Category One: Music

The music in this short 3 minute opening for "The Pink Panther" is used to create a comical tone and atmosphere with the repetitive tune through out the scene and the use of dynamics also adds a mysterious edge to it.

The music opens with the piano playing the main tune, then a saxophone joins the piano as the credits appear on the screen, now with the sax. playing the main tune. String intruments are then used to create a tango feel to the scene along with castanets and piano, the tempo is also slowed down and the tune is slightly altered to make it a tango.

The main sound is the soundtrack because there is no talking, only mime. The music helps to emphasise the emotions on the characters faces. Such as when Inspector Clouseau steps on what he thinks is a burning emeber, his facial expression changes to one that looks like he thinks he is outsmarting the flame. but it changes to shock when his foot falls through the ground. The music slows down in anticipation of the inspector's fall, building a comical suspense as opposed to in a horror or thriller film the volume builds up gradually and the pace quickens. The music is also used as the characters voices and emotions, an example would be when the music changes to a tango to show the love interest in the film, this shows how the  inspector feels about the love interest.

Because there is no talking in this scene the opening also relies on diegetic sound, such as the click of a gun, and the rustling of paper in the breeze. This is to add a more realistic touch to the scene because the opening is a cartoon, and with only music the opening would appear almost dull, and unreal.
The "Pink Panther Theme" helps show us (the viewer) the different personalities of the characters, Inspector Clouseau and the Pink Panther. The music shows us that the pink panther is sneaky and cunning. I said earlier that the music gives a mysterious feeling, it also gives the panther a feeling of cleverness, because you are seeing it continually outsmarting the inspector the music adds to that. The inspector however, is portrayed as a clumsy and stupid character. This is shown to the audience by having the saxophone slide off the end of some of their notes whenever he stumbles or falls.

 The "Pink Panther Theme" is a world famous song, used as school orchestra pieces and even ballet dances, just think if it wasn't for the music in this film, it would have never existed. Henry Macini wrote this theme for the 1963 film of "The Pink Panther" and it was released as a single by RCA Records in 1964, it reached the Top 10 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart and won three Grammy Awards. I think this theme is world famous because it was used in the opening and closing credits for all the films of "The Pink Panther" except  for "A Shot in the Dark" and "Inspector Clouseau". So the use of the theme became popular around the world for teens and others who watched it.