Exploring Halloween: A Review and Analysis
Dive into the world of Halloween through a detailed review and screening/lecture discussion, covering aspects such as the portrayal of women, what makes the film scary, the use of leitmotif, diegetic vs. non-diegetic sounds, suspense-building techniques, and a comparison to controversial films like Birth of a Nation. Discover insights into the horror genre and filmmaking techniques used in this iconic film.
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Presentation Transcript
REVIEW And Screening/Lecture about Halloween
Early Career Fan of Science Fiction and Horror Made 8mm shorts with his friends Made a monster movie publication (zine) Dark Star 1975 Assault on Precinct 13 1976
Halloween 1978 Made with girlfriend Debra Hill One of history s best and most successful horror films Hill and Carpenter wrote the screenplay 320,000 to make Carpenter directed and composed the score Screen debut of Jamie Lee Curtis
What does this convey about women? Sex and Evil Carpenter claims that the film isn t about a psycho killer Criticism arises about girls being murdered (after they are sexually active) This became a convention of many horror films to follow Carpenter claims that he meant to portray the main character Lori as being as sexually repressed (like Michael)
What Makes it Scary? Most violence occurs offscreen (not a bloody film) Subjective camera Michael can be seen in the foreground and background while the other characters are unaware of his presence Darkness is used a lot in the frame
Leit Motif a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation. https://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=A9QTSyLwd4w
Diegetic vs. Non-Diegetic Sounds Score vs. Location Music Dialogue vs. Voiceover Sound effects
Suspense Suspense in editing is not about quick cutting It is about longer strips of film Anticipation
Birth of a Nation DW Griffith Thomas Dixon 1915 Extremely Racist pro Klu Klux Clan Griffith just thought it was presenting the Southern perspective Shown in the White House (Woodrow Wilson) First Blockbuster 60 million also first Independent film
Oscar Micheaux It is only by presenting those portions of the race portrayed in my pictures in light and background of their true state that we can raise our people to greater heights --Oscar Micheaux By 1928 there were over 700 theaters catering almost exclusively to African Americans The race picture industry was wiped out by the depression and the invention of the sound picture (made production and distribution cost prohibitive)
Continued The Homesteader 1919 Within our Gates 1920, First film to depict lynching from an African American perspective. More of a businessman than an artist Would travel from town to town with his films and Advertising materials
Lois Weber First woman to direct a feature The Merchant of Venice (1914) Made social issue dramas (over 400 of them!) (controversial, because of her activism regarding contraception. It was illegal at the time to distribute information about contraception or sexually transmitted diseases)
Avant Garde Maya Deren, Meshes in the Afternoon Deren studied journalism, literature and dance Used primitive 16mm equipment Externalizes her inner world much like Un Chien Andalou (surrealist film by Luis Bunuel)
Genre Type of Film How do we recognize them as such? Within the context of other films What genres have we viewed in class? Is determining genre an exact science? Conventions
Plot? Plot vs Fabula? Plot vs Story?
Scene How do you determine what a scene is? What is a shot?
Ida Lupino The Hitch-hiker Quotes Production Company Filmmakers
Carnival of Souls Director? What did the director do before he made the film? Did he make more features? Plot?
Hollywood Blacklist House Un-American activities committee investigating alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having communist ties. First hearings held in Los Angeles in 1947 The event moved to Washington and ten screenwriters and directors refused to answer questions The Hollywood ten were sentenced to six to 12 months in prison They were blacklisted as well (couldn t work in Hollywood again until the 60 s) The hearings continued through 1953 Even during the period of its strictest enforcement, the late 1940s through the late 1950s, the blacklist was rarely made explicit or verifiable, but it directly damaged the careers of scores of individuals working in the film industry. (more than 300 artists) Being a Communist was never against the law during this time
B-Movies What does the term refer to?
George RomeroNight of the Living Dead What do we know about the representation of race in this film? What are some of the meanings of the film? How much did it cost? Where was it shot? How much did it make after a decade (internationally)? End
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1978) What was it about? Describe Cassavetes sources of funding. Were his films financially successful?
Cinematography Lens Film Stock Lighting Contrast Framing
Mise en Scene Settings Costume Figure Behavior Performance Casting Staging
