Archive for November 2015

Make Up and Costumes in Film

Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands. All the marks on his
face are done by professional make-up artists with prosthetic
make-up

*Makeup and costumes are part of the "mise-en-scene," or the aspects of movies that form the composition of the shot. Other elements of mise en scene include the set design, the lighting, the position of the camera and the movement of the actors.

*Makeup and costumes are an extremely important aspect of that because they help establish the film's overall look, which in term contributes to the mood and tone the filmmakers hope to establish.

* One poorly chosen costume, prop, or stereotypical use of make-up seen in a movie will immediately draw the audience out of the story, and they'll know it's not real, which could reduce the quality of the film.

* Different techniques of applying make-up are used depending on what genre of film you're going for, for example, Sci-Fi movies will rely heavily on prosthetic makeup and/or CGI to create a realistic representation of any alien life present.

Here's an example: The character Mystique from X Men 2 (X2)

Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort. Here, A lot of prosthetic
make-up was used, as well as computer generated
effects to remove his actual nose and replace
with a snake's.

* Prosthetic Make-up, or FX Prothesis is the process of sculpting,moulding and casting to create advanced cosmetic effects

*Moulds of a face or a body part are normally made with "Ultra-Cal30". A negative mould is also made to ensure that the outcome is realistic as possible

*One of the hardest parts of prosthetic make-up is keeping the edges as thin as possible. They should be tissue thin so they are easy to blend and cover giving a flawless look.

Lily James as Cinderella (2015). In her iconic blue dress,
the audience can assume that this is the moment
where she becomes like a princess; from rags to riches

*The use of prosthetic make-up to create wounds is called moulage; This is normally used by the military and medical schools to educate and lessen psychological trauma when exposed to the real thing.

*Good costumes are not only good to look at, but allow the audience to make judgements about certain characters very quickly, and identify and solidify the genre the movie is portraying.

*The novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, which is a few hundred pages long, was adapted into a film format of only 149 minutes. Costumes play a major role in making this possible because viewers of the film make assumptions about the virtue of characters according to their cultural assumption.

* The costumes give the audience visual clues as to what kind of character they will be portraying, for example in a typical horror movie, the final girl for example will be dressed modestly, in jeans, a simple t-shirt, hair possibly tied back, in order to make the audience believe that she is innocent, in comparison to a female victim, who'll be dressed provocatively, red lipstick, high heels, and the audience is less inclined to sympathise with her.

*Costumes can also be used to present false assumptions, for example in A Clockwork Orange, Alex, is dressed in mainly white clothing, which leads the audience to believe that he's an innocent character, which is not the case.

* Bad costumes can cheapen the movie as well as unbelievable. If the audience can recognise that the costumes aren't matching to the genre, or too stereotypical, it can become a bad representation of the genre.

Two people playing characters from the movie
Castaway.

The use of Sound in Film

* “Sound” refers to everything we hear in a movie — words, sound effects, and music. Sound is used in a movie to heighten a mood, provide us with information about the location of a scene, advance the plot, and tell us about the characters in the story.

* Sound is part of the production process, but mostly at the end; with good editing, it's 'invisible' ( Not noticeable)

* There are two types of sound in film, Diegetic and Non-Diegetic.
Diegetic Sound refers to all those audio elements that come from sources inside the world we see on the screen, including dialogue, doors slamming, footsteps, etc. This is also called the Diegesis. Non-Diegetic Sound refers to all those audio elements that come from outside of the fictional world we see on screen, including the musical score and sound effects like the screeches in the shower scene in Psycho. These sound effects are said to be outside the Diegesis.

* The Score of a movie is music composed, arranged and played specifically for the production of the film, usually in post-production.

*Some examples include: Celine Dion- My heart will go on(Titanic), Leona Lewis- I see you (Avatar) and Ed Sheeran- I see fire (The Hobbit:The desolation of Smaug).

*It often makes or breaks a movie, partially because the score will be remembered (Star wars, for example). It is also a good marketing scheme to the public, as they will be more recognisable.

* The Jaws soundtrack is one of the most iconic movie soundtracks ever made. The composer, John Williams mainly used string(violins, violas, cellos, double bases) and wind instruments (tubas, trombones, clarinets, oboes etc.) to create this masterpiece. As we can hear, the tone and tempo are gradually increasing and becoming more intense. Once the tone and tempo is very intensive, we can predict that something is likely to happen. Once we can hear this soundtrack in the movie, it creates the excitement and fear about whats going to happen next, therefore an effective use of the soundtrack.

This is a Waterphone, an instrument created by Richard Waters
often used in Horror movies, or to call whales.

* In a horror film, Film-makers rely on disturbing soundtracks to heighten the suspense and tension of the film.

*Horror films included the most noisy female screams, whereas in Adventure films, the screams were mostly from men.

* The water phone, created by Richard Waters is an instrument which creates many sound effects often found in horror movies, such as Poltergeist, ALIENS, Let the Right One in and many more horror and thriller movies.

*The Waterphones are Hand made, hand tuned, and finished by the creator himself. The instrument can produce many unhinged sound effects.

*They are consisting of a stainless steel resonator pan (sometimes filled with water, hence the name) with a cylindrical neck and bronze rods of different lengths and diameters, the waterphone can be bowed, struck with beaters or tapped with a hand.

* The instrument itself is not cheap: Waterphones, depending on size, can range in price from £300-£1000. DIY Waterphones are sometimes made with mallets, nails, metal bowls etc.

Here is a video demonstrating how a Waterphone sounds like :

A Clockwork Orange is a horror/ultra-violence film by Stanley Kubrick (space Odyssey) and is based on the book by Anthony Burgess.

It begins with a collision of different bright colours; blue, and reds which contrasts to the actual opening itself, followed by the title appearing after a straight cut from the other credits/colours.

The scene itself begins on the main character's (Alex) face; a fake eyelash accentuating the uneven nature of the smirk on his face, the close-up forces the audience to be in his direct eye-line for a while before the camera begins to slowly zoom out. Having read the book beforehand, I know Alex's character juxtaposes greatly with his costume when we first meet him in this scene; white clothes usually feign an innocence, but Alex is all but that, so rather than an innocence, it shows his nature to try and blame the horrific actions he carries out on the innocence his age gives him (16), and the fact that he was simply misguided. Here, we can see how costume can be used to hide a character's true nature rather than reflect it.

Alex and his 'droogs' are sat side by side on a sofa, all dressed in the same clothes showing a level of equality, or apparent equality in this case, as Alex is known the be the leader of their gang. Each of the characters have a small red accent on their clothes; Alex having two eyeballs in place of cuffs, and because they are wearing shirts and suspenders, they have a reasonable amount of 'class'. Because the background is black, it is difficult to establish their location for a while until there is a clearer shot of the whole room; the audience now know that the environment is not a normal one - littered with sexually objectifying statues/furniture of women (some of which are being used as foot rests), it already becomes an uncomfortable setting for any females in the audience. The writing on the wall is Russian (phonetic) and reflects the language used throughout, though only certain words are taken and used in substitute of common slang. The one word repeated reads 'milk' and signifies that the area they are in is a 'bar for milk', (Alex also drank some to begin with) adding some validity as to why the room is filled with statues of women - women bear milk.

Apart from the furniture's wigs and pubic hair, there is no colour in the room, and though the lights add a form of illumination, the area behind them remains relatively dark.

Famous for a Space Odyssey, Kubrick's composer is well-known for creating epic scores and music which sets the scene.
With an 80s-type synth in the background and deep timpani drums, the mood is dark and overbearing; creating tension and suspense throughout the audience, and highlights the silence in the room and lack of speech from any character. This 'silence' is soon broken by Alex, who narrates non-diegetically about what is happening, and sets the scene for a confused audience.

The Woman in Black (2012) Deconstruction

Film synopsis:

The Woman in Black is a 2012 British supernatural horror film directed by James Watkins and written by Jane Goldman, based on Susan Hill's novel of the same name. Produced by Hammer Film Productions, the film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer, Sophie Stuckey, and Liz White.

Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a lawyer, is recently widowed and grieving the loss of his wife when he is sent to a remote village to put a deceased eccentric's affairs in order. Soon after his arrival, it becomes clear that the villagers are hiding a terrible secret.

The Woman in Black (2012) Deconstrucion

* The Woman in Black is a gothic horror movie set in the Victorian era.

The scene begins with a fade in from complete darkness, then a close-up of the teacups/teapot . They are most likely to be porcelain or China , since in the Victorian era, children often imitated their parents by playing pretend, whether it be tea parties, or wars. The girls' room is typical of the victorian era, the movie is set in; the inclusion of a tea party set, placed in the middle of the room, china dolls, a pale nightstand, and a rocking horse add to the audience's expectations of a 6 year old's room in the 19th century. However, the pale green walls look yellowed with age, implying that there is a lot of history within the house
Close-up shots of the china and rag dolls having teacups placed near their mouths by the girls are seen with slow edits, as the non-diegetic glokenspiel motif is heard in the distance, (which could be referring to a music box, which, at the time was a common item in a household, representing how innocent the children are).

The non-diegetic incidental music intensifies slightly as one of the girls are seen in an extreme-close up shot, brushing a doll's hair, further denoting that the girls are normal, pure, and innocent . A Two-shot of the girls, in high-key lighting are seen wearing light pastel colour dresses as well as their hair tied back. This emphasises their innocence and purity, however, the non-diegetic glokenspeil and tubular bells imply that there is something wrong with this picture of happiness and childhood. At a point, the incidental music pauses on a minor note, heavily suggesting that something in the coming seconds will go wrong.

The non-diegetic music restarts, as the girls turn their heads slowly to face the audience for 3 seconds,completely void of any previous emotion. A long-shot used here suggests that the girls have turned to see someone/something, and the audience is put in their point-of-view, to increase the tension and mystery of the entity standing in front of the audience's view point.
Immediately afterwards, there is a quick cut and a tracking shot moving slowly towards the window, where at this point the incidental music becomes significantly louder,(an introduction of timpani drums and a harp) increasing the growing tension and suspence from the audience's viewpoint.

The girls' movements become parallel and syncronous to the 3/4 timing of the incidental music, as the editing becomes slightly faster (A 3/4 timing in music is often associated with a waltz, in a major key, usually played in joyous occasions, however in this context, the role has been reversed; it suggests danger and suspense).

An extreme close-up of the girls' shoes stepping clumsily over their china tea set accentuates that the girls are held in a trance by an unknown force, further stressed by the diegetic sounds of the china set breaking, to evoke a sense of fear in the audience. This may include elements of the paranormal, since many ghost stories originate from the Victorian era onwards.

A slow tracking shot of the girls, walking towards the camera in a three-shot emphasises the hypnotic trance that these girls seem to be held in, as their footsteps remain syncronous to the increasingly haunting incidental music. Their blank expressions are fully exposed by the use of Chiaroscuro lighting, implying that the darkness of the room behing them is, or contains the paranormal entity, suggesting that it is evil and dangerous, which is juxtaposed with the three-shot of the girls, signifying childhood innocence and purity.

In the last moments of the sequence, the girls are seen from behind, and extreme close-up of one of the girls opening the window slowly, builds the tension further, as well as diegetic creeks of the hinge. Finally, the glokenspiel motif ends on the same minor note as before, and a sudden increase in the volume as the girls jump, sends the audience into shock, especially after a brief moment of silence, a loud scream is heard. The camera begins a slow reverse-tracking shot backwards, heavily impling that the girls are dead, without actually showing us at the end.

Just as expected, a woman with a black veil is seen from the corner of the screen, which links back to the paranormal entity, which may have possessed the girls to commit suicide.

Initial Location Research

Based on our research so far, we decided to have initial locations to look at, as an appropriate location for our own film opening (which includes elements of Mise-en-scene).

This is St. Pancras Old Church, located in Central London. It is believed to be, if not the oldest, one of the oldest churches established in the UK. A church is an ideal location for gothic horror movies, not exclusive to : Vampire movies, Victorian era/Paranormal movies and movies involving monsters. In the daylight, the church looks rich with history, even though it had been restored in the 19th century. Some say that the church itself has lasted since the year 314, and remnants of references of the Doomsday Book and medieval features suggest that it has existed before the Norman Conquest.

Here's the interior of St. Pancras Old Church. The inside is as small as the outside, especially since communities of previous centuries would have not exceeded the capacity of the church. The old church was principally late Tudor. When it was pulled down to be rebuilt, several small Norman columns, pilaster piers and other remains of a Norman edifice were found among the materials used in the wall, leaving no doubt but that the original church had been a Norman structure which had been at some time completely rebuilt and part used as building material in the reconstruction.

Here, in the courtyard, This is a tree, which has many gravestones surrounding the base of it. This is called The Hardy Tree, named after Thomas Hardy, whilst he was working there. The courtyard is the burial place of many aristocrats from the 16th and 17th century, one of which was a vampire writer, named John Polidori, which interested me, since graveyards are usually haunted, in several subgenres of horror. Other famous people, like the composer Bach, William Franklin (Benjamin Franklin's illegitimate son) and John Flaxman, a sculptor were buried here. In full daylight, the courtyard isn't scary, but at night, the grave stones could turn the tree into something more menacing.
Chiurches were a rough focus as to what a typical horror location would include

Action Horror combines the intrusion of evil and the supernatural elements of horror with the gun fights and frantic chases of action. The most prevalent themes include zombies, demons, gore, and vampires e.g. Dawn of the Dead, From Dusk 'til Dawn, Blade.

PROS: Movies like this can be far more thrilling for an audience compared to just horror or action alone, and can be made with a smaller budget than a normal action, as there will be less major stunts such as explosions.

CONS: Usually, modern action horrors rely on CGI to create creatures such as ghosts or werewolves. If the quality of CGI is low, this alone may often ruin the movie. It can also be overdone quite easily by attempting a new take on a classic tale.

Body Horror involves the deconstruction or degeneration of the human body; limbs removed and reassembled as a monster, or disfiguration and unnatural movements used to create fear e.g. Splinter, The Thing, and Cabin Fever.

PROS: Even without the use of CGI, realistic effects can be created with prosthetic equipment and makeup, and it is also a good way to 'embed the movie' in the audience's minds depending on how grotesque the deformation is.

CONS: If the makeup/effects team isn't really skilled, the body horror may appear tacky, or badly done, making it seem less realistic. A budget for these tools will also have to be put aside as good quality makeup will be expensive.

Comedy Horror usually incorporates aspects of comedy in a horror environment; 'Black Comedy' e.g. Scary Movie, Gremlins, Shaun of the Dead.

PROS: If done right, rather than tacky, it can give a more light-hearted/realistic representation to situations in horror, and can be an easy leaugh for the audience. This genre is also good for people who can't handle horror too well.
CONS: If not done right, the movie can look cheaply made/tacky, as the comedy aspect will let it down significantly. For some, black humor isn't appropriate, so this may also let a movie down.

Gothic Horror incorporates traditional elements such as castles, dungeons, and the supernatural/magic. E.g. The Woman in Black, Dracula, Frankenstein.
PROS: It is easy to create an eerie atmosphere, as the setting plays a big part in these types of films, and cinematography can be used to its fullest to create beautiful imagery and scenes.
CONS: Often, due to setting, there is a big budget and a lot of permissions (of location owners) need to be given before filming can start. These films are often only suited to past eras (such as Victorian, Medieval) due to the nature of the storyline.

Psychological Horror relies on the fear, guilt, or belief of characters; the reality of this genre is what brings the horror e.g. The Shining, The Ring, The Exorcist.
PROS: Scares are easy to achieve even with a low budget as it relies on the audience's imagination. Locations can be simple/easy to find.
CONS:Relies on acting - if the actors aren't convincing, the movie won't be either.

Science Fiction, or Sci-Fi often deals with the paranormal but isn't limited to cases of 'mad scientists' or aliens e.g. Alien, The Mist, and Cube.
PROS: This type of film is usually a big success in the box office and brings in a lot of grossing, mainly because it also incorporates some action - appeals to a wider audience.
CONS: Requires a BIG budget - spaceships don't come cheap! Sci-Fi horrors also use a lot of CGI, so there should be someone on the team skilled in this field.

Slasher films deal with violent serial killers who are usually on a rampage for numerous victims. The killer usually relies on a specific weapon e.g. Friday 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, PSYCHO.
PROS: They are fairly easy to pull off, and doesn't require a big budget.
CONS: There are only certain locations which can cater to these types of killers (remote areas, forests etc.), and if the blood/gore effects aren't up to scratch, this can let a movie down.

Zombie films portray a viral revival of the dead in the form of mindless corpses that feed on the living e.g. Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, I am Legend.
PROS: Can rely on action or comedy (other genres) where the horror aspect lacks, makeup is fairly easy and does not require a lot of skill to do (so id costume).
CONS: Usually, a lot of actors are needed to create a decent horde of zombies, and location is limited to highly populated areas - cities, towns, so if on a low budget it may be tricky to block off a large amount of public space.