GENRE ANALYSIS
I have, as you can see chosen horror as the genre I want to study.
Horror has been a favourite of mine for sometime now and I have always been interested as to what they make and how they do it, I think it is very interesting.
The film industry really began in Europe and Russia, starting in the late 1800s with the likes of Georges Melies and the Lumiere Brothers. One of the first films, Nosferatu, was filmed in Germany.
Since the late 1800’s when the film industry begun, horror has slowly become a predominant genre among all of the others. It’s prime aim to scare people and give them a fright, however the way this has been attempted has changed over the years.
From the 20s till the 40s Berlin became an iconic city in Europe prospering in mass culture boost due to its art deco’s and films. One of their best genres that they produced was in fact the horror genre.
Horror has been around for a very long time, possibly since the very of when humans could speak. We’ve been telling creepy stories for years, tales of ghosts and ghouls, vampires and the like. We try to scare each other. This is where the horror genre of film has come from, horror tales.
The early days of horror back in the early twenties saw the likes of films such as Nosferatu and The phantom of the opera. Both silent films but none the less eerie and scary, well, at least for those who were around back in those days.
Films such as Nosferatu were really a big mark in the film industry, kind of a signal to say that “Look! Horror is becoming bigger and is getting a bigger audience”.
Interestingly, the first ever horror movie to ever be made was “Le Manoir Du Diable” or in English “The devils castle”. This film was made in 1896 and released on Christmas Eve 1896. Creative director Georges Melies made the film
Nosferatu was a silent film made in the early 20’s. It was set about a man called Thomas Hutter who is sent by his employer to Transylvania to visit a new client named Count Orlok (Nosferatu) and from there things go badly.
You will notice that the monsters in the horror films have changed over the years. In the early days monsters in the horror genre were more along the lines of vampires and Frankenstein.
The early days of horror usually only had the same shots, and these were one shots. The cameras back in those days never used to be able to move whilst filming and therefore everything had to happen in front of the camera where it was facing or they would pause the camera and move its position or angle and proceed with filming again.
Horror has been a favourite of mine for sometime now and I have always been interested as to what they make and how they do it, I think it is very interesting.
The film industry really began in Europe and Russia, starting in the late 1800s with the likes of Georges Melies and the Lumiere Brothers. One of the first films, Nosferatu, was filmed in Germany.
Since the late 1800’s when the film industry begun, horror has slowly become a predominant genre among all of the others. It’s prime aim to scare people and give them a fright, however the way this has been attempted has changed over the years.
From the 20s till the 40s Berlin became an iconic city in Europe prospering in mass culture boost due to its art deco’s and films. One of their best genres that they produced was in fact the horror genre.
Horror has been around for a very long time, possibly since the very of when humans could speak. We’ve been telling creepy stories for years, tales of ghosts and ghouls, vampires and the like. We try to scare each other. This is where the horror genre of film has come from, horror tales.
The early days of horror back in the early twenties saw the likes of films such as Nosferatu and The phantom of the opera. Both silent films but none the less eerie and scary, well, at least for those who were around back in those days.
Films such as Nosferatu were really a big mark in the film industry, kind of a signal to say that “Look! Horror is becoming bigger and is getting a bigger audience”.
Interestingly, the first ever horror movie to ever be made was “Le Manoir Du Diable” or in English “The devils castle”. This film was made in 1896 and released on Christmas Eve 1896. Creative director Georges Melies made the film
Nosferatu was a silent film made in the early 20’s. It was set about a man called Thomas Hutter who is sent by his employer to Transylvania to visit a new client named Count Orlok (Nosferatu) and from there things go badly.
You will notice that the monsters in the horror films have changed over the years. In the early days monsters in the horror genre were more along the lines of vampires and Frankenstein.
The early days of horror usually only had the same shots, and these were one shots. The cameras back in those days never used to be able to move whilst filming and therefore everything had to happen in front of the camera where it was facing or they would pause the camera and move its position or angle and proceed with filming again.
Horror films in the 20’s had some Iconic scenes, which really show what horror is all about. Take for instance, the scene from Nosferatu where you see Count Orlok’s shadow climbing up the staircase.
Over the years, the monsters in the horror films changed. New monsters and evil characters have entered the scene. The technology advances enabled these new ideas and creations to flow and come to life.
The new technology paved way for a ground breaking and insanely good way to scare people. They were able to incorporate new shot types and angles that previously weren’t available. They could now really develop on visuals and characters as they were beginning to be able to show more and express more.
The way in which producers and filmmakers could sell their films changed as the years went on. In the early days of film they didn’t have television or Internet, so there were no trailers for films that people could see at home or anywhere really. They used things like posters and pictures, which they would put up around places so people could see what was coming up at the cinema.
Getting to around the 1960s you started to see more advanced horror films. This is when horror became more widely appreciated by viewers. Horror became more popular from the 60s onwards. The genre of horror began to develop things called sub-genres, which are basically a combination of two different genres put into one. Lots of sub genres were being made combining the likes of thriller and horror, or slasher/horror.
In the year 1958, two years before 1960, the film War of the worlds (Based on the novel by H.G Wells) was released. This is one of the first sub-genres to ever be made, it is known as Horror/Sci-fi. This links in with one of the films I watched called “The Mist” as it is also a horror/sci-fi.
Along with these new films came new ways of marketing to their respective audiences. Instead of simple poster and trailer techniques, whilst they are still used, they started to make toys and products that tie-in with the film. For example with the 2005 War of the Worlds film they made Tripod figurines and models, which people could buy. This method rapidly increased from the 60s onwards.
The products tying in with the films proved to be a really good method. Sales massively increased and made people feel as if they are a part of the film almost.
The product tie-ins really helped promote films and still do today, if there is a film that someone really likes and the film has product tie-ins then it will be most likely that the person would buy the product.
If you look at the tripod figurines sold alongside the 2005 Steven Spielberg War of the worlds you can see that the figurines really helped sell the film to the masses.
Moving on, storylines in horror has changed quite a bit over the years, you often see a lot of horror films based or set around a family unit, this is evident in the two films I watched. The Mist and War Of The Worlds (2005).
The Mist follows the Drayton family consisting of David Drayton (Dad), Stephanie Drayton (Mum) and Billy Drayton (Son). One stormy night as the Drayton’s retreat into their safety basement for protection from the storm, a tree comes flying through the pitcher window where David Drayton’s film art is.
The following day he goes to see next-door neighbour Brent Norton about the Boathouse, which got crushed because of Mr Norton’s dead tree.
David Drayton, Billy Drayton and Brent Norton head into to town to get some stuff. They head into the grocery store meeting a few people, soon after whilst they are about to pay for their shopping, the Mist surrounds the store preceding a terrified man running with blood on his face and an air raid siren sounding off.
Things get worse from then on.
The other film I watched, War of the Worlds (2005) follows Ray Ferrier, a divorced father who has to look after his kids for a weekend because his former wife is visiting her mother in Boston with her new partner. Slightly different from the mist in the sense that War of the Worlds follows a Father and his two kids and The Mist follows a father and his son.
The film progresses and we get to see that Ray doesn’t seem to get along too well with his son Robbie, They play baseball in the back yard for a few minutes resulting in Robbie going off in a mood due to the two arguing. Ray goes inside to take a nap and later wakes up and comes down to watch TV with Rachel who eventually tells him that Robbie has taken off with his car, the two hear stories on the news channels about so called Lighting storms being recorded in multiple places across the globe. Rachel and Ray go outside to witness a storm going on, which results in them having to retreat inside. Ray heads out to find Robbie who is distressed.
He is told by Ray to get back inside and watch over his sister whilst Ray goes out to find out what is going on. On the way Ray chats to people he knows. He arrives at the scene of where the lighting kept striking; the scene soon erupts with earthquakes and eventually a giant three-legged tripod wielding alien weaponry. Ray runs back home straight away to rescue his kids. And from then on the journey to Boston begins.
Both “War of the worlds” and “The Mist” fall into the sub-genre of horror/sci-fi
The two films are very similar in the sense that it is a father left with the role of protecting his children.
Both of the two films involve lightning storms and the military.
The plot in both films is similar in the sense that the families survive as the days go by. The endings however are different. In the Mist it seems like the mist just wont let up and so David Drayton agrees with everyone in the truck that they should commit suicide, four of the characters die including son Billy Drayton, David is left and so screams for the alien creatures to come and kill him only for him to find that the army is arriving.
The ending in War of the Worlds is quite the opposite, as Ray Ferrier arrives at Boston safe and sound with his daughter Rachel. His son Robbie meets him as well; none of the main characters die.
More and more horror/sci-fi films are being released as the years go by. The genre is becoming a big hit nowadays and is being watched more and more by fans of films and the horror genre
The new technology paved way for a ground breaking and insanely good way to scare people. They were able to incorporate new shot types and angles that previously weren’t available. They could now really develop on visuals and characters as they were beginning to be able to show more and express more.
The way in which producers and filmmakers could sell their films changed as the years went on. In the early days of film they didn’t have television or Internet, so there were no trailers for films that people could see at home or anywhere really. They used things like posters and pictures, which they would put up around places so people could see what was coming up at the cinema.
Getting to around the 1960s you started to see more advanced horror films. This is when horror became more widely appreciated by viewers. Horror became more popular from the 60s onwards. The genre of horror began to develop things called sub-genres, which are basically a combination of two different genres put into one. Lots of sub genres were being made combining the likes of thriller and horror, or slasher/horror.
In the year 1958, two years before 1960, the film War of the worlds (Based on the novel by H.G Wells) was released. This is one of the first sub-genres to ever be made, it is known as Horror/Sci-fi. This links in with one of the films I watched called “The Mist” as it is also a horror/sci-fi.
Along with these new films came new ways of marketing to their respective audiences. Instead of simple poster and trailer techniques, whilst they are still used, they started to make toys and products that tie-in with the film. For example with the 2005 War of the Worlds film they made Tripod figurines and models, which people could buy. This method rapidly increased from the 60s onwards.
The products tying in with the films proved to be a really good method. Sales massively increased and made people feel as if they are a part of the film almost.
The product tie-ins really helped promote films and still do today, if there is a film that someone really likes and the film has product tie-ins then it will be most likely that the person would buy the product.
If you look at the tripod figurines sold alongside the 2005 Steven Spielberg War of the worlds you can see that the figurines really helped sell the film to the masses.
Moving on, storylines in horror has changed quite a bit over the years, you often see a lot of horror films based or set around a family unit, this is evident in the two films I watched. The Mist and War Of The Worlds (2005).
The Mist follows the Drayton family consisting of David Drayton (Dad), Stephanie Drayton (Mum) and Billy Drayton (Son). One stormy night as the Drayton’s retreat into their safety basement for protection from the storm, a tree comes flying through the pitcher window where David Drayton’s film art is.
The following day he goes to see next-door neighbour Brent Norton about the Boathouse, which got crushed because of Mr Norton’s dead tree.
David Drayton, Billy Drayton and Brent Norton head into to town to get some stuff. They head into the grocery store meeting a few people, soon after whilst they are about to pay for their shopping, the Mist surrounds the store preceding a terrified man running with blood on his face and an air raid siren sounding off.
Things get worse from then on.
The other film I watched, War of the Worlds (2005) follows Ray Ferrier, a divorced father who has to look after his kids for a weekend because his former wife is visiting her mother in Boston with her new partner. Slightly different from the mist in the sense that War of the Worlds follows a Father and his two kids and The Mist follows a father and his son.
The film progresses and we get to see that Ray doesn’t seem to get along too well with his son Robbie, They play baseball in the back yard for a few minutes resulting in Robbie going off in a mood due to the two arguing. Ray goes inside to take a nap and later wakes up and comes down to watch TV with Rachel who eventually tells him that Robbie has taken off with his car, the two hear stories on the news channels about so called Lighting storms being recorded in multiple places across the globe. Rachel and Ray go outside to witness a storm going on, which results in them having to retreat inside. Ray heads out to find Robbie who is distressed.
He is told by Ray to get back inside and watch over his sister whilst Ray goes out to find out what is going on. On the way Ray chats to people he knows. He arrives at the scene of where the lighting kept striking; the scene soon erupts with earthquakes and eventually a giant three-legged tripod wielding alien weaponry. Ray runs back home straight away to rescue his kids. And from then on the journey to Boston begins.
Both “War of the worlds” and “The Mist” fall into the sub-genre of horror/sci-fi
The two films are very similar in the sense that it is a father left with the role of protecting his children.
Both of the two films involve lightning storms and the military.
The plot in both films is similar in the sense that the families survive as the days go by. The endings however are different. In the Mist it seems like the mist just wont let up and so David Drayton agrees with everyone in the truck that they should commit suicide, four of the characters die including son Billy Drayton, David is left and so screams for the alien creatures to come and kill him only for him to find that the army is arriving.
The ending in War of the Worlds is quite the opposite, as Ray Ferrier arrives at Boston safe and sound with his daughter Rachel. His son Robbie meets him as well; none of the main characters die.
More and more horror/sci-fi films are being released as the years go by. The genre is becoming a big hit nowadays and is being watched more and more by fans of films and the horror genre