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.
(1) THE EXPERIMENTAL - e.g Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr Calligari.
Nosferatu
By experimental we mean the phase of early films, which explored and experimented with horror themes in its narratives.
(2) THE CLASSIC - e.g Frankenstein, Dracula,
By classic we mean the phase of films which established the narratives conventions of the horror genre in its most succesful and defining period.
(3) THE PARODY - e.g Scary Movie, Abbot and Costello.
Scary Movie
By parody we mean films that have mimicked the horror genre in some comical way.
(4) THE DECONSTRUSTION - e.g Se7en, Blair Witch, Scream, The Sixth Sense.
Blair Witch Project.
By deconstruction we mean films that we have taken the generic elements of the horror genre and amiagated them into a varying sub genre.
Love Actually is a British film directed and written by romantic - comedy veteran Richard Curtis, who is responsible for classics like "Bridget Jones Diary", "Notting Hill" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral". It's budget was 30 million est. and it grossed, worldwide, $247,472,278. It was produced by four production companies; Universal Pictures, Studio Canal, Working Title and DNA Films. It's set in London, and begins 5 weeks before Christmas and the plot involves many different couples,whose lives cross paths at one time or another.
Mise en Scene
Billy Nighy as "Billy Mack"
Colin Firth as "Jamie"
The scene itself is very brightly lit, and has high key lighting. The setting is the arrival's gate at Heathrow airport and has people hugging, kissing and running up to one another, glad to be reunited so close to Christmas. It has many different people and types of relationships featured in this opening scene, and the phrase "love actually is all around". The titles are in a white and red which could signify love. It then cuts to a recording studio, where we are introduced to old, retired, rocker character who is recording his comeback Christmas single. He is swearing and comes across as "common". The scene dissolves into a montage of stereotypical scenes of a snowy London at Christmas time. It then cuts again to a bedroom (the titles are still dissolving in and out), and we are introduced to our second character of the film, who is late for a wedding. The scene is then cuts again, to a "study" of some sort. Compared to the other scenes this scene is dark and gloomy, and even though the lighting is still
Liam Neeson as "Daniel"
relatively light, the scene is sad. This is where we meet character 3,who has recently lost his wife,and is now in main custody of his stepson. We then visit other locations like 10 Downing Street, where we meet the new priminister, and his receptionist. We see lots of posh houses and normal houses, so they reach out to people of all classes. Everyone in the first scene remains nameless, and we are only introduced to the beginning of the characters lifestyles. Camera Angles
At the beginning in the Heathrow scene, the angles are close ups, extreme close up, and medium shots. The camera in hand-held and its almost like a documentary style kind of scene, which shows the reality of the shot. There is then a master shot, of a music studio followed by medium shots and close ups of the man singing and his back up singers. When the scene changes location, e.g to a bedroom, or 10 Downing Street, the scene more often than not begins with a master shot, followed by a series of close ups and medium shots, to show the emotion and feelings of the actors and actresses. There is alot of crane shots of a snowy, Christmas-y London from high angles. There is many tilts when we first meet the actors,and actresses and not many long shots at all. Many of the actresses are shot from higher angles.
Martine McCutcheon shot from a higher angle.
Sound
The intro begins with upbeat, slow music, with a narrative over the top of it. The sound then becomes diagetic, as there is a scene, where a man is recording a song. There is also dialogue. A song begins and continues from one scene to another,which could show that their lives of these separate people, may link together, during the film. There is diagetic phones ringing, and a lot of dialogue compared to horrors and thrillers. In a wedding scene there is a Gospel Choir "surprise", which is very out of the blue, and could suggest something similar is going to happen in the story, and people play instruments out of the crowd.
Editing
The editing includes, slow motion at Heathrow airport, and is mixed together almost like a montage. The editing is continuous, with lots of over the shoulder shots, two shots and shot reverse shots.
Halloween is a 1978 independent American horror film, directed by John Carpenter, starring Jamie Lee Curtis in her début fil role, and Donald Pleasence. It is credited as one of the first in a long line of slasher films (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Nightmare On Elm Street) and was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. It grossed $47 million at the box office, which is equivalent to $150 million in present day. It is the most profitable independent film of all time.
Mise en Scene:
The credits are an orange text on a black background, which is a colour connotation for Halloween itself, and to the left of the titles there is a pumpkin in the dark that gets bigger as the titles progress. The titles then change from orange to blood red, and finish on a blood red title, which could signify blood and what is about to happen. There is a caption screen then, to set the scene of where they are, and the date and time of the story. The setting becomes very house and there is a shot of a house and a couple sitting inside. We then follow someone around a house as if its there POV and they pick up a mask and wear it. We then look through the mask with this person and enter a room, where a girl is brushing her hair. She is then stabbed and we leave the room, running down the stairs and out through the front door. A car then pulls up and a man speaks to the person who's POV we have been viewing. The shot then flips round and we are in a sense, looking at ourselves and it is revealed that it is a young boy, in a clown outfit who is carrying a large butchers knife. The scene then ends.
Camera Angles
To begin with we have an extreme long shot of a pumpkin, which slowly zooms in to an extreme close up. As we get into the actual film, the camera changes to a handheld camera and it stays as one, throughout the whole scene, until the very end. We are also looking through this person's point of view, and it gives the illusion that this person is an adult. There is and extreme long shot of a house. When we have entered the house the person puts on a mask, which makes our vision distorted.
As we leave the house, still wearing the mask, a man de-masks us. And there is a reverse tracking, crane shot at a high angle, showing a child with a butcher's knife.
Sound
The music that accompanies the credits, is traditional of a horror film, and is ominous, repetitive and eerie. The caption screen is accompanied by children chanting a halloween song. A high pitched noise, that emphasises that something bad is going to happen sounds, very loudly. As you look in on the couple, the clock is ticking and then chimes, as if time has run out. The ominous, high pitched sound starts again, as we make our way through the house. A girl is humming which represents innocence. Volume builds to a crescendo as the girl is stabbed, and then the sound stops and church bells sound, in the distance. You can then hear footsteps, and an increased breathing rate as we go back through the house, and outside. A man then says "Micheal?" and a high pitched sound breaks out once more, to increase tension.
Se7en is a 1995 American crime film, directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey. It was distributed by New Line Cinema.
Its a film about two police detectives, Somerset (Freeman) and Mills (Pitt), who are in a race against time to solve a series of "Seven Deadly Sins" themed murders.
Analysing the Opening of Se7en:
Mise en Scene:
The opening begins with Somerset sitting in his bedroom, in his bed. The titles then appear and the writing is almost child like and messy, but has an air of precision about it. A selewction of different video clips and pictures then flash up. The objects are random and weird, and like somebody making a book. It shows somebody sewing and crossing things out on books and pictures, and also shaving off thier fingertips. Their hands are dirty and the dull lighting, twinned with the dirty hands, makes the audience think that this person is some kind of recluse, and doesn't leave the house. His hands are also bandaged and their is lots of blood, which could suggest the person is very psychotic and takes pride in what they do. The setting could be a basement.
Camera Angles:
Most of the angles are predominately extreme close ups, to show the distress and precision of the opening itself. There is also alot of POV shots of the person, who is making the books and a tracking shot of hundreds of books lined up on the shelf.
Editing:
The titles are scratchy and the editing is predomionately jumpy and jumpcuts. Sound:
It begins with a metronome ticking, which could signify time running out. The metronome, then becomes drowned out by the rain which turns into thunder, which could show that this is the calm before the storm. The sound is incidental non diagetic sound full, of creaking and screams and ends with a man saying, "You bring me closer to God".
