Author: bibitbarnett

Important Definitions

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Archetype:

[ahr-ki-tahyp] noun

1.

the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.

2.

(in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.

a character, place, or thing, that is repeatedly presented in films with a particular style or characterization; an archetype usually applies to a specific genre or type classification.

ex: the anti-hero detective in film noirs,

Two big Ms

mise en scènea French term for “staging,” or “putting into the scene or shot”; in film theory, it refers to all the elements placed (by the director) before the camera and within the frame of the film — including their visual arrangement and composition; elements include settings, decor, props, actors, costumes, makeup, lighting, performances, and character movements and positioning; lengthy, un-cut, unedited and uninterrupted sequences shot in real-time are often cited as examples of mise-en-scene; contrast to montageExamples: the harsh lighting or expressionistic angles used in classic film noirs (such as in Fritz Lang’s work), in F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise (1927) with the striking contrast between the marsh, rural life and the city; or in angular set designs of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, Germ.); or in the visual magnificence of the sets in David Lean’s epic films, such as the frozen dacha in Doctor Zhivago (1965) (pictured) or the searing desert in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), or in the claustrophobic feel on-board the Orca searching for the Great White in Spielberg’s Jaws (1975)

From Filmsite.org

http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms13.html

motifrefers to a recurrent thematic element in a film that is repeated in a significant way or pattern; examples of motifs – a symbol, stylistic device, image, object, word, spoken phrase, line, or sentence within a film that points to a theme. Examples: Keys in Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946), seen in the poster design for the film; the word ‘Rosebud’ in Citizen Kane (1941); and the visual use of the X-symbol in the gangster film Scarface (1932) signifying male violence

Hommage to The ShiNNing

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Conventions of the Horror Genre

  • Foreboding music, credits (intertitles)- ex. The Shining, best establishing shot ever

 

  • Omniscient POV- bird’s eye view, overhead angle, Steadicam (Shining), ex: Rosemary’s Baby

 

 

  • Child’s curiousity- Beg. The Shining Breadcrumbs- Hansel and Gretel, Little pig, wolf- Here’s Johnny!

 

  • Humans succumb to the ‘wild; state of nature- ex. Evil Dead
    • In The Shining, Jack is diminished to an animal at the end, can’t even articulate words

 

  • Isolation, Abandonment

 

  • A is for axe. Ex. Cape Fear, harkens back to the legend of Bluebeard

 

 

  • Grotesque bodies. Ex: Fly, The Exorcist

 

  • Aggressors are almost always white males, ex. Michael Myers, Freddy Crougar

 

  • Death by sex. Ex: Halloween, Cabin Fever, Friday the 13th

 

  • Baby Evil. Ex. Rosemary’s Baby, Alien, The Fly
·        Don’t mess with the spirits- Native burial grounds, Amityville Horror (1979), The Shining (1980), Pet Cemetery (1989)

 

  • The creepy stare (often used by Kubrick)- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Psycho, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange,

 

  • Racism- who is always the first sacrificial lamb? Portrayed by the ‘ghosts’ in The Shining

 

  • Kids are naïve and dumb OR they figure shit out- The Shining

 

 

  • A lot of something is always disturbing- a hallway full of blood, arachnids, birds

Update- Tuesday class

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Apparently there was a gas leak at school today and this has affected the servers. All in person classes have been cancelled.

There is no word on when LEA will be back up. It is possible to access your school email.

If it isn’t running in a few minutes, I guess we will have no choice but to cancel today’s class.