App Store/iOS Release Date: 24th October 2014 Last Updated: 17th January 2015
Other Platforms: Android, Kindle
Genre: Arcade (Endless)
Story Mode: No Age Rating: 9+ for: Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence, Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humour
Aim: Survive as long as possible by crossing over roads, streams, rivers and more whilst avoiding the various obstacles encountered including trees, cars, trucks, animals, boulders, gravestones and more. Avoid standing still too long or moving backwards three spaces, or else the Eagle will come and kill you before anything else even has the chance!
Controls: Tap to move forward, swipe left, right and backwards to move in those directions.
Review
Welcome to my first non-school related post - a game review! Now, I'm not going to lie, I haven't got much experience in reviewing games, so this may not be quite to the standard you may expect. However, since downloading this game yesterday (yes, only yesterday...) I haven't been able to stop playing it, and I wanted to convey my thoughts on it in more detail beyond a few tweets on my Twitter account @thereaderrunt.
Crossy Road is a simple game with a simple objective: to get as far as you can without dying. It has become a hit in countries across the globe, and is a familiar sight on any style of phone in any social setting. It was born of the old question 'why did the chicken cross the road?' - hence both the initial character of the chicken and also its name, 'Crossy Road'. This in itself I found to be quite a clever idea, to turn that old concept into a game. If you ask the question with relevance to the game, the answer is still 'nobody knows' originally, and then it slowly turns into 'because this is an addictive game, and I can't stop making it cross roads'.
The first thing which you encounter when you start the game is the screen simply saying 'Crossy Road'. Your character is a chicken, easily recognisable from the colouring and appearance, and when you tap the screen once there is a very short induction into the game controls (described above). From there, you are let loose to play the game, and believe me, it takes a few deaths to get used to exactly what you are required to do.
This is a game which very quickly becomes addictive due to its simplistic graphics and gameplay, both of which are very easy to become accustomed to. It is also vaguely reminiscent of Flappy Bird (block graphics, repetitive motion, controls), Spikes (character/appearance variations) and Dumb Ways To Die (colour scheme, sound effects, controls, unlockable characters) in its way, which are more of the most popular mobile games of recent times. Each of the 'lanes' of cars, trucks, trains etc. are, to my best recognition, on a loop - if you watch them long enough you see that there is a set pattern which repeatedly continues. This means that it should, theoretically, be very simple - but it isn't, trust me!
Crossy Road is a game which requires a lot of patience (though not too much, as that can also get you killed...) and skill, as well as forward-planning and looking. Bearing in mind just how many dangers are lurking, you have to be quick on your virtual feet to move forward and not get flattened. I personally find it fun, yet challenging, and it certainly manages to both make me jump and make me laugh. Just be aware that, if you played Flappy Bird and felt the frustration of that, you WILL be made to feel the same way when playing this game. It has the same effect on you.
One of the key features of the game is that you can unlock more playable characters using the in-game currency you collect: small, bright yellow coins with a 'c' in their centre. These can appear anywhere throughout the game - on floating logs, in the roads, on the grass, on the railway lines etc. - and usually appear in more 'difficult' locations to reach, meaning that they are both challenging to get and rewarding to collect. Free coin gifts are offered by the game at timed intervals, starting every few minutes and progressing to every few hours, and once you have collected enough coins (100) you can use them in the vending machine (see below) which will then give you a box containing a character. Be warned: sometimes the machine can give you characters you've already unlocked, so it's not necessarily as easy as using it x amount of times to unlock all of them! This is another factor of the game which makes it addictive, as you have to play it for a long time and collect an awful lot of coins in order to finally collect all of the different characters. As pictured above-right, there is a huge variety of characters available - currently, there are 69 - ranging from the chicken you start off with to a kangaroo, a rusty robot, a crazy old man and more. Special characters designed by famous YouTube stars such as PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg) and AmazingPhil (Phil Lester) even appear - the Pew Die Pug and the Emo Goose being the examples of those two named YouTubers. Most of the characters are equally available to purchase through the Apple/Google Play Stores for £0.79 if you really can't bear the aggravation of collecting the coins and buying the slot machine chances that way, or if you just have money to spend.
Above: The process of using the vending machine to try and unlock a new playable character. This time, I unlocked the 'Big Fat Pig'. (Now I need more coins again...)
The automatic screenshot feature is one I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, it is great if you're not quick enough to capture a particularly annoying/humorous death, but on the other, it is also quite irritating to have to watch every so often when you are keen to just play and play non-stop. I overall think it is a good feature, but perhaps should be modified to be a manual feature, prompted by the player themselves when they want a screenshot of their death taken.
The final thing I have to mention about the game is that I like its layout. After each game there is a clean options screen with clear and easy, recognisable icons, and it is not easy, like in many other games, to click the 'purchase' button for characters and other in-game purchases. I am sick to death of pressing such buttons in other games, so I am so glad that in this one the buttons are kept firmly away from the game-relevant ones such as replay, the leaderboard and the screenshot library. Equally, I like the layout of the settings menu as all are clearly described and easily toggled where desired. In particular I am fond of the 'no shadows' option, as I feel it makes the game slightly easier to play, e.g. coins are not as hidden away in many situations!
Overall, I easily award this game five out of five stars. Though based on an age-old concept it is creative, fun, engaging and aptly challenging, providing that sense of accomplishment and amazement where appropriate. I would recommend it to everyone, but with the warnings that a) you WILL get frustrated at both it and yourself and b) you WILL become addicted to playing it.
Hello and welcome to yet another of these blog posts! It's quite sad that I haven't been able to post up anything non-school related thus far, however, don't fret; something will eventually come! For now, my most recent assignment was to analyse three different videos. The videos that I chose were Meet Me Halfway by the Black Eyed Peas, and Next Year and Changing of the Seasons, both by one of my personal favourite bands - Two Door Cinema Club. I hope you will enjoy reading what I've picked out of these videos!
Meet Me Halfway by
Black Eyed Peas
Meet Me Halfway is a
2009 song by the American hip-hop group the Black Eyed Peas. It features all
four members of the band who all perform as the narrative of the video unfolds
– as that is what it is, a narrative video which tells a story. Though perhaps
the story is not directly relevant to
the lyrics of the song, it is a story nonetheless; from Wikipedia, it is
written as follows:
“The video features the members in different parts
of the Solar System. The video opens on a road in the middle of a desert
panning up to the cosmic sky which shifts to scenes of each of the members
singing in different locations of space: Fergie lies in the middle of a lush,
green jungle, apl.de.ap levitates on a desert planet in nomadic clothing,
will.i.am rides an elephant on a moon of Jupiter and Taboo glides around the
Sun in a spacesuit. Apl takes out a map and will.i.am uses a compass to search
for a path to the other members. After a while, will.i.am finds a dial which
reveals gateways for each of the members to go through. All the members use a
stargate and turn into shooting stars, and land on the planet (presumably
Earth), with the road in the middle of the desert. This is the first video of
the album that does not end with the phrase "The E.N.D.”
The song itself can be interpreted in many ways, however the
majority of people perceive it to relate to a couple who are going through a
difficult time in their relationship. They are both trying to do the best they
can for each other but it is not quite working out – so the song is about how
to recover their relationship and how they are planning to solve the problems
that they are experiencing. The video in a way does reflect this, as all of the
members ‘meet halfway’ in the its narrative – they all travel some distance,
however small, to get back together again and be a successful and understanding
couple. This therefore means that while the video is quite different, it still
conveys the same key messages – making it conform to the convention that music
videos are an extension or an expansion of the lyrics and the song playing over
the top of it.
This video is one which also employs a lot of the
traditional techniques for music videos. For one thing, it is partially
animated – the use of CGI and special effects is present throughout to create
specific elements of the video such as the ‘stargates’ which all of the band
members travel through to be reunited. Even the surroundings are also animated
to an extent; the starry skies, the scenery, and the backgrounds – no doubt
either created with a greenscreen effect or else a purely digital medium. As
well, there is a focus on all of the artists as they are singing – no doubt
miming – along to the lyrics of the song, which is also a convention where the
artists appear to be singing when actually they are not; they are just acting
and performing under direction by the production team. Finally, there is quite
a significant focus on the different camera angles. The shots used greatly vary
from close-ups to long-shots, even sometimes involving sweeping shots that move
across the screen, and these very clearly present the video in a very smooth
and enjoyable fashion that make people want to watch the video the whole
through. Combined with great video quality in terms of definition and also
cinematography, this is a video which ties together effective elements and
conventions to present, very well, the song Meet Me Halfway.
From this video, a strong impression of the artist (Black
Eyed Peas) is given. This is again a new style of video for them to produce, meaning
that it shows them to be very innovative and creative, and the animation and
technical elements of the video also show them to be very adaptable and unique.
Although they are commonly described as a ‘hip-hop’ group, they are clearly
capable of a lot more, and they are capable of producing different sounds and
kinds of videos which suit those sounds. As a group as well, they are shown to
be proud of their work and keen to show it off in videos of varying styles that
embody their creative spirit. They look like they love and enjoy what they do
and are keen to continue doing it.
The reason why I chose to analyse this particular video was
because I liked the style of it – not necessarily directly relating to the
lyrics, yet retaining meaning. I would like to emulate this in my own music
video as the ideas that I have are not necessarily directly relating to the
song, but do have enough relevance that people will recognise the message that
I am trying to convey through it. I will not aim to re-create the extravagant
effects etc. as I do not have the technology available to me to do so – but I
will incorporate some of the more basic elements to make the video that I
create as successful as I can be.
Next Year by Two Door Cinema Club
New Year is Two Door Cinema Club’s third single from their
2012 album Beacon. The video for it is comprised of footage from a concert of
theirs in Dublin on the 19th of January 2013 (as stated in the video
description on YouTube) – making it a concert, or ‘as live’, style music video.
These kinds of videos are typically either partially or wholly composed of
concert footage – which is what is present here, with the entire video
featuring footage from this one concert in Dublin in 2013.
Due to the fact that the video is based around concert
footage, there are no links to the lyrics or the song whatsoever – barring the
fact, of course, that the performers who feature in the video are also the
people who sing the song, and that this is a concert where that song was
played. The music video is carefully put together to ensure that the lines
being sung match up with the lyrics of the song – almost creating a ‘lip sync’,
as if the song playing is a live recording. The various parts of the concert
are spliced together into one full video, with several recurring shots and
concepts appearing throughout. The video returns to, for example, the lead
singer Alex Trimble in close-ups and extreme close-ups regularly to show him
singing some lines of the song into the microphone, and shots from the back of
the stage and opposite the stage showing the crowd and the cluster of balloons
floating above them are common. These recurring ideas throughout show, easily,
that this was a video filmed all in one night and that this performance has
been recorded live from the stage in Dublin. These recurring ideas also help to
convey that the band is both passionate about what they do and fun-loving; they
are seen to be enjoying themselves up on the stage, and their focus, too, on
the fans in the crowd and as they are entering show that they are an extremely
fan-oriented band who love to involve their crowd as much as themselves in the
creation of a work such as this music video.
The shots mentioned above with regard to Alex Trimble are
just the beginning of the shot variations used throughout this video; there are
extreme close-ups right up to long-shots and everything in-between. All of
these different shots allow viewers to get a fully-comprehensive look at the
stage and the performance and enjoy the spectacle that is unfolding before
them. These shots are also key in conveying, as said above, the emotions of
both the performers and the crowd members; it becomes very easy to see how much
they are enjoying themselves, and how much of an experience a live performance
is for those who attend one.
A number of visual techniques are employed in this video in
order to make it appealing to watch – the first is a constant blue and black ‘hue’
over the video which gives it a consistent visual colour spectrum. Though it
would ordinarily appear to ‘dull’ the bright colours of a video of this nature,
it is actually effective at accentuating the sheer size of the crowds watching the band perform and also gives it a
tolerable appearance which can be watched in any lighting. It is also effective
at cutting the bright flashing effects of the strobe lights at the concert – potentially
enabling more people to watch the video in itself as those with epilepsy or
other conditions triggered by such visuals will not be affected.
Other than that obvious video effect, there are also specific
effects and features which appear throughout. The first of these are jump-cuts
and minor blur transitions to effectively link the clips together. In some
places these are very appropriate to use as they match the beats of the music
and the visuals change accordingly when the tune takes a turn, making the video
dynamic and fun. As well as these, slight filters (including blurs and
focusers) are used which make shots, though similar, individual and unique in
their own way. These filters also help to draw attention to specific points of
the video, for example where the balloons are floating on the crowd – those are
automatically what you focus on as they are the only distinguishable objects
under the filter. Similarly, variations in clip speed are used to this same
effect – to draw attention to certain aspects of the video, particularly clips
which involve members of the crowd. Having these clips slowed down allows
viewers to see every small detail of their actions; whether they’re dancing,
laughing, cheering, and so on. It really helps to emphasise how the attendees
of the concert are feeling and how much of a good time they are having watching
one of their favourite bands (no doubt) playing live right in front of them.
I chose to analyse this music video as it is a song by the
same band as I am planning to make a video for – Two Door Cinema Club. In
addition, the style of song is very similar to the song I have chosen to make a
video for (Changing of the Seasons) and I wanted to see what styles of video
have been made for such examples of their music before. The concert, or ‘as
live’, music video style was not
actually what I was expecting from the band given some of their other videos – however,
it has been greatly useful to watch and analyse as it has shown me that they
are a very creative and diverse band who dabble in a lot of different genres
and styles. Even their music is diverse, even where it seems similar, so this
will definitely be something that I bear in mind when I make my video. I will
aim to emulate and re-create the vision of Two Door Cinema Club that has been
portrayed here; that they are enthusiastic, keen to perform, have a good
relationship and influence on their fans, and that they have a creative spirit
which will keep on evolving and developing in order to bring their fans quality
music and quality music videos that they will enjoy.
Changing of the Seasons
by Two Door Cinema Club
Changing of the
Seasons is the eponymous track for the newest instalment in the Two Door Cinema
Club music library, their Changing of the Seasons EP, released in September
2013. The single also features on the re-release of the band’s second studio
album, Beacon, as the twelfth and final track. On the EP (digital download),
the original tracks ‘Crystal’ and ‘Golden Veins’ also appear, as well as the
Monsieur Adi remix of Changing of the Seasons. These tracks are different on
the CD and vinyl releases, however.
This video would probably be considered a hybrid of two
styles: narrative and concert/as live. This is due to the fact that there is a
story being told throughout the video, but also throughout there are
interspersed clips of the band performing up on a stage in front of a crowd.
This is therefore a video which combines the two types to create something
bigger – for the effect of showing both their creativity and innovation for the
story, and their dedication and level of success in the form of their live
performances. The clips of them performing do almost look concert-like;
however, it equally looks like these clips were staged (literally) for the
purpose of the video. Either way, they are still present, making the video a
hybrid of two different styles.
This is quite an interesting video with regard to its
narrative, as it is unique with respect to the other two. The narrative of the
video itself does not appear to have any direct relevance, again, to the lyrics
as from hearing the song and then from watching the video, it is possible to
come up with completely different interpretations. The song itself, for
example, is held to be with regard to a failed relationship that has come to an
end, with neither party really knowing what to do as a result other than be
absolutely certain what they had is now over. An alternative interpretation is
that the song does not focus on a romantic relationship at all, instead perhaps
a platonic one or a friendship – and this is the interpretation that I will be
playing upon in my own music video for this song. I feel that the romance
element is a little obvious, and whilst it may be the true meaning of the song
(which has not ever really be confirmed) it is also one that I can play on –
and hopefully create an effective music video about for the band. This is also
something which I can empathise with, meaning that on an emotional level I will
no doubt be able to influence that particular effect on viewers who may have
also gone through the same or a similar situation.
Although the lyrics may not appear to directly link to the video, however, the combination of the two is
able to influence people to develop their own interpretations of what the song
is about. The video therefore works as an extension of the lyrics, to symbolise
some lines in a vague way which can then be interpreted by viewers. This is, of
course, a convention of music videos – that they do actually work to enhance
and expand upon the listening experience. This video is just one take on what the song means; anyone
is able to develop their alternative ones, including me, as I will do in coming
assignments.
Where the other two videos I have looked at cut straight ‘to
the chase’ and start immediately with the song, the existing music video for
Changing of the Seasons has an introduction in excess of a minute. This
introduction sets the scene for the remainder of the video by introducing the
idea of a press conference with the band; the rest of the video then largely
focuses on the chaotic events which unfold in this single space between the
band members and the reporters and journalists.
One interesting part of this introduction is the reporter asking
“are you surprised at the band’s level of success considering...” – with him,
on ‘considering’, gesturing at the band as if to say ‘considering how you are
and what you’ve been producing’. This almost appears relevant to the band
themselves in reality; and as such this is the line which ultimately creates
yet another interpretation of the video – that it is about the band’s decline
in popularity following their change in lyrical and auditory style. They have
adapted their music and updated it slightly, which is held to have lost them
some credibility and fans; could this video therefore be about how their fans
are feeling like they are losing a band they truly love, and that this band
does not seem to care about their interests – or even vice versa? This is a
very intricate and interesting idea but no doubt one that is thought of only by
a minority of people, hence making it unlikely that the video and song is about
this anyway. Another interpretation, which in a way links to the previous one, is
that from watching the video alone but with the lyrics in mind, the song could
potentially be discussing the end of
the band (which is unlikely since they are still reportedly making their third
album as I write this) and the video dictating their actual slow demise. Again,
this equally unlikely, however.
When the song kicks in roughly a minute in, the
sub-narrative of the video is revealed – the concert side to it. The majority
of the video focuses on the events and chaos unfolding in the conference room
and following it their escape into a taxi, but the other half shows them
performing to fans – perhaps in a concert, perhaps in a theatre, it is never
made completely clear. This dual narrative is quite an interesting feature as
it is not usual for music videos to ever go beyond one clear story, if any; it
makes the video unique and with a much more intricate premise, as expected of Two
Door Cinema Club who generally put in huge quantities of effort in both their
music and its presentation.
With regard to the visual presentation of the video, there
are a number of points to raise. First of all, the entire video is in black and
white. This is relatively unheard of nowadays considering the technology we
have; therefore it was done with meaning, and done with purpose. Perhaps the
two colours could symbolise the two-sided nature of fame – the glamour and then
the constant attention – or any number of things, such as the two parties in
the relationship/friendship, or the two aspects of a fanbase (the idol and the
fan). Potentially it could also be symbolic of how obvious things are, and have
been – this is again up for interpretation, though, as any aspect of music
videos are.
Secondly, the shot types are again greatly varied – as they are in any of Two Door Cinema Club’s
videos. Much like in the video for Next Year, there is a range between extreme
close-ups (arguably) and long-shots, with every kind of shot in-between. This
variety helps to give a complete picture of the narrative and also ensure that
viewers can see what is happening clearly and easily. The shots are sharp and
focused to directly affect how viewers watch the video. Close-ups on the band
members and also the ‘reporters’ shows their contrasting appearances and mannerisms,
too; the band members hide when the chaos erupts, whereas all of the media
representatives fight between each other and cause mayhem. Equally, though, the
band is shown in the sub-narrative to be quite mischievous, with some of their
previous antics shown to us. This helps to create a wholesome image of the band
as well, who look to both have a professional and a troublemaking side to them –
which can be both frustrating and endearing for fans it seems, as also
presented within the video. In addition, some of the shots are again slowed
down to accentuate key information and the key elements within them. This is
exceptionally evident due to the monochrome colour scheme of the video – and works
well to make key parts of the video stand out and be cinematographically
brilliant.
The final element is the fact that, as with the majority of
videos (especially by Two Door Cinema Club), the three band members are shown
to be miming or at least lip-syncing with the audio. During the editing process
the filmed clips and the audio have been very clearly carefully aligned so that
it appears as if they are actually singing the song – though it is obvious to
tell that they are not due to the pristine audio quality (a giveaway if ever
there was one). This is of course a common feature of music videos as it
directly creates a link between the artist and the song, showing who it is who
is behind it. Often where an artist is not featured in their own video, it is
easy for viewers to become confused and assume that an actor or similar is
actually the artist of the song. This is therefore not a problem here as it is
clear who the band members are and that it is their song. This video therefore
is used by the band to promote their own image – their individual image – and to
demonstrate their creativity and innovative ideas yet again in the form of yet
another style of video. They prove themselves to be an all-rounded band with
skills and talents in many different areas, including acting.
The obvious reason why I chose this music video to analyse
is that this (Changing of the Seasons) is the song that I will be attempting to
make a music video for. I personally
do love the existing video for the song; however, it has never embodied my
personal interpretation of the song whatsoever, nor my friends’, so I would
like to re-create this video in the hope of making it more applicable to my own
thoughts. This video is certainly going to influence the style I go for,
perhaps going for a mixture myself of narrative and another element if I am
capable of incorporating it. The dress style of the band members is also very
important and I may use this to influence how the cast members dress in the
video.
Both of the videos by Two Door Cinema Club which I have
analysed, Next Year and Changing of the Seasons, both have a visual quirk that
I will probably not be able to re-create. In contrast to most videos, which
appear at a maximum definition of 1080p, these videos appear much slimmer – I do
not have a camera which is capable of filming at this size or orientation, so
this element will most likely not be exactly
replicated. It is, however, something interesting to note as perhaps during
the rendering stage something may be done involving a black screen and a PIP
(picture-in-picture) effect on it at an alternative resolution to their real
videos, to at least re-create this idea in some form.
Well, this concludes my analyses of the three music videos! I know they were long (what post of mine on this blog isn't?) but I hope that they were enjoyably long, and perhaps usefully long if you, the reader, are a media student yourself looking for some inspiration. There's no bibliography this time due to the fact that it's just purely me interpreting the videos - but the links to each individual video are below.
Hello, readers! I hope that you’ve all had a wonderful
Christmas holiday and that you will also have a great year in 2015 – I know
that I will! I’m back on the blog again today to talk about horror films and
the conventions and theories which appear in such films. Though they’re not my
usual genre of choice (superhero films and comedies are my personal
favourites), it was fun to branch out and experience something a bit different
as part of my media studies.
A Case Study Into Horror: Structuralism and Feminism in Horror Films
The horror genre is one of the most popular in existence
today; many people enjoy a good scary film every now and then, though I can’t
say that I’m one of them! The genre was first developed in the 1890s by Georges
Méliès, whose silent film Le Manoir du Diable is often credited as being the first horror film ever made. The
horror films which I will be talking about in particular in this post are much
more modern, all being produced in the last century – Halloween (1978), Scream (1996)
and Cherry Falls (2000). These are
all horror films which I would consider to be ‘mild’ – that is to say that they
are not too overrun with extreme
violence and gore – and they provide excellent examples of the traditions of
their genre. I can’t promise that I won’t discuss spoilers, so if you haven’t
seen the films and don’t want to be spoiled for them, read ahead in this post
carefully and cautiously!
So what makes a
horror film what it is? What is it about them that makes people enjoy watching
them so much? Well, it doesn’t take a genius to recognise that there are some
common features throughout the horror genre – known as ‘codes and conventions’.
‘Codes’ refer to how the film is actually put together in terms of its cinematography
and editing (etc), and has two types: symbolic (e.g. music) and technical (e.g.
lighting and camera positioning). Conventions are those aspects of the films
which are generally expected by viewers – so in superhero films, for example,
you expect the hero to wear some kind of costume which symbolises them and
their alter-ego. Codes and conventions are the two components generally
associated with structural theory (the idea that meaning is conveyed through systematic
ideas and rules) and as such structural theory in itself is applicable to the
horror genre. Developed by Michel Foucault and Jacques Lacan, structuralism is
still an important film theory now, and others such as Ferdinand de Saussure
have also impacted how structuralism is perceived by incorporating elements of
semiotics.
The codes and
conventions of horror are often considered to define what a horror film is, and
should be, and they are therefore used to determine whether a film is ahorror film or just a gory action film. Some of them I am sure you will be
aware of, even if you don’t realise it: suspenseful music leading up to key
scenes, excessive blood and gore, giant bloody knives as weapons, women being
slain for their sexual promiscuity, male killers... The
list goes on. In addition, there are some more subtle codes and conventions
which might not be as obvious to you: have you ever, for example, realised that
there is always side and back lighting which serves to emphasise what is happening
on-screen? It’s something that you see, but might not necessarily always
realise is there. Cool, huh?
Viewers and critics
often look for these codes and conventions for a number of reasons: in order to
predict the endings of horror films (because if they follow the conventional
structure, it is usually likely that they will end in a conventional way, e.g.
with the usual single female lead surviving to tell their horrific tale), to
see if films are controversial and contrast the conventions by having
unexpected twist(s), to decide whether the film is worthy of the title of
‘horror film’ – etc. Essentially, the codes and conventions are seen as ‘defining’
horror. All three of the films I am discussing (Halloween, Scream and Cherry Falls) exhibit at least some of
the codes and conventions of the horror genre, and I am soon going to point
seven of these out to you, whilst also incorporating the theory of feminism –
which is also hugely prominent topic throughout almost all, if not all, horror
films.
Feminist theory within the horror genre shows the female characters to take two primary roles: that of the victim, and that of the main, victorious character who survives until the end (the 'final girl'). The female victims are weak, often characterised as 'dumb blondes' - girls who focus more on partying or drinking than sensible activities like studying. These girls are therefore shown to lack common sense and are ignorant, giving ample 'reason' for them to die. In contrast, the female protagonists who work to try and defeat the male antagonist are shown to be virginal and pure, with innocence and intelligence that puts them above others. They are shown to have the positive qualities which support their success, even if they are lacking in physical strength and courage.
Now then, shall we begin talking about those codes and conventions I promised you?
#1: FEMALE VICTIMS, MALE VILLAINS
Perhaps one of the
most prevalent conventions of the horror genre is the fact that most victims
are female and the villains male. It is something that you can’t really ignore –
it is an extremely prominent tradition throughout the horror genre. It was only
around the 1970s/1980s that women began to gain more of a substantial role in
horror films, sometimes even taking on the role of the villain themselves,
predominantly due to the rising feminist movement which demanded, amongst other
things, a fairer representation of women in the media in all its forms. It is
therefore unsurprising that, in all three of the films I am discussing (Halloween, Scream and Cherry Falls),
the protagonists are female and with male pursuers – in Halloween it is Laurie Strode being hunted by the psychotic Michael
Myers, in Scream it is Sidney
Prescott running from the mysterious and terrifying ‘Ghostface’, and in Cherry Falls it is Jody Marken desperately
trying to escape from her revenge-obsessed English teacher Mr Leonard Marliston.
This set-up between the sexes has been criticised massively in recent years,
with feminist ideals working to overturn the overwhelming number of female victimisations
in horror films – but for now, all of these films match the current ‘convention’
of female victimisation and male dominance and villainy.
Something else I’d like to mention is the ‘final girl’ trope
which features often in horror films. This term was coined by Carol J. Clover,
an American professor of film studies, rhetoric language and Scandinavian mythology,
in her book Men, Women and Chainsaws:
Gender in the Modern Horror Film. What the term signifies is how throughout
a horror film where a group of girls is present, all but one will be killed off
– leaving the ‘final girl’, who is then the one to either vanquish the killer
by taking up a weapon and defeating them, or else escape alive. This is seen
very clearly in Halloween, where two of
Strode’s friends are murdered and she remains as the ‘final girl’ of their
trio. Clover argues that at this point, where only one girl remains, the female
protagonist automatically goes and adopts ‘masculine’ characteristics in order
to survive – this is again seen clearly when Strode tries repeatedly to kill Myers
by stabbing him with a knitting needle, a hanger and a knife, none of which
does the trick but does enough to allow her to escape when he is shot and falls
from the balcony. The entire concept of the ‘final girl’ therefore coincides
with the portrayal of women in horror films, and also the feminist film theory –
it is a convention of the horror genre in itself.
A final aspect of female victimisation to mention is the
classic portrayal of promiscuous women as automatic victims. It is a huge trend
in horror films that those girls who focus more on having a ‘good time’ (e.g. by
partying, drinking, drug-taking and being sexually active), more so than those
who, say, act sensibly and are studious and hard-working (like Strode), are
likely to be the first to be killed – or are else the exclusive group to be
killed. Feminist film critics slam this trend due to the fact that it does,
amongst other things, undermine women and portrays them in a hugely derogatory
manner. Taking this into account, Cherry
Falls is one film which massively contrasts with the norm; it is the
virgins and the inexperienced that are targeted by the killer in this film
rather than those with copious amounts of sexual encounters. In this way, Cherry Falls does not conform to this
particular misogynistic convention of the horror genre.
#2: YOUNG/TEENAGE CHARACTERS
This second convention of the horror genre ties in nicely with the first. Not only are most main characters female, they are also young; the majority of horror films focus on teenage, or at least young, protagonists. Why this is is not very clear – perhaps because young people are more susceptible to being scared, and therefore the ‘horror’ in horror films becomes more realistic and believable? Perhaps because it is most likely that young people will watch horror films and the characters need to be easier to empathise with? Who knows? Anyway, the point is, horror films predominantly focus on young people – and Halloween, Scream and Cherry Falls are no different. Strode is a seventeen-year-old student in Halloween – Prescott and Marken are similar in Scream and Cherry Falls respectively, both also being teenage students. This is therefore another convention of the genre which the title characters in all three films adhere to – they are young teenagers.
#3: CHASE SCENES Chase scenes are just one of those sections of a horror film, much like in an action film, that you would be more surprised not to see than see. Usually appearing at the climaxes of the film where the killer's identity is revealed and also at the times of direct contact and conflict between said killer and the protagonist, they are a timelessly effective plot device to build tension and apprehension for what is to come. Both Halloween and Cherry Falls feature chase scenes where the victims are pursued mercilessly by the killers with weapons - audiences are made to watch with horror (no pun intended) and they wonder whether the victim will be caught and killed, or if they will outwit the killer and escape.
The chase scene in Halloween is particularly striking as it is Strode who exhibits the most violence. Myers does attempt to kill her, it's true, but she strikes back and stabs him three times - once even with the giant knife that he himself was carrying! This is therefore quite a revolutionary chase scene where the chase becomes reversed - Strode pursues Myers (in a sense) in order to defeat him and be able to escape from him. Cherry Falls on the other hand exhibits the standard chase scene, where Marliston is the one solely trying to attack Marken - and she is saved by others, rather than working to save herself.
#4: EERIE TENSION-BUILDING MUSIC This is the only code of horror films that I have chosen to mention - predominantly because it is the most obvious, but also because it applies not only to these three films, but all films. Playing music to build up tension is a key device to use and is symbolic of a horror film - without it, audiences would not be as affected by the film's events as they would not be made to feel jumpy, tense, worried... and then utterly terrified when something happens, catching them off-guard. Scream for instance features some quite dramatic and chilling music in various scenes, increasing the perhaps absent fear of the otherwise comical-looking 'Ghostface' (I personally think that mask is hilariously bad, anyway). Halloween is quite interesting when it comes to the music, as it has the same sections repeat throughout the film, making the overall soundtrack a very familiar and haunting piece. At key parts of the film the same melodic bars drop suddenly into the audio, and you instantly know that something is coming - good or bad, funny or terrifying, you just don't know. That's the terrific thing about the film; you come to associate the music with something chilling, but it infact indicates anything can happen. It is a semiotic effect that we come to associate it purely with the bad things - just because it signals those more than anything else. In this way, the few non-scary occasions the music starts seem very odd and unique - drawing attention to them. Cherry Falls mimics this, with dramatic and familiar music signalling the beginning of key parts of the film - perhaps inspired by Halloween itself? Many of the more modern horror films take inspiration from the 'classics'. #5: GIANT BLOODY KNIVES... Barring maybe #7, I don't think there is a more obvious convention of the horror genre out there. The giant blood-covered knives (or blood-covered weapons in general) are a hugely integral feature of horror films - without them, horror films probably wouldn't be horror films. Knives in particular though always seem to be the weapons of choice, getting incredibly gory very early on and never quite losing their terrifying appearance and reputation as killing tools. Halloween has a double-whammy dosage of giant knives; before the events of the film Myers murders his sister with one, and in the film he appropriates another and proceeds to kill off Strode's two friends with it. From there, as we all know, he chases Strode around and tries to kill her, too. The poster art of Cherry Falls (embedded near the top of this entry) gives away the presence of the giant bloodied knife there too - as does the art of Halloween, infact, now that I look again - which Marliston uses to murder his victims and carve the word 'virgin' into their corpses. Scream is the most discrete of the films, therefore, but does again feature the standard giant knife as a weapon; infact, the knife is iconic of Ghostface, and is his/its signature weapon - proving just how ingrained knives are in the horror genre.
#6: ISOLATION AND ISOLATED SETTINGS We're nearly on the home stretch now! Horror films often feature the isolation of the main characters and also the isolation of the settings of the films. Take Stephen King's The Shining for example; the hotel in that is in the middle of nowhere, and means that the main characters can't get help easily from anyone when events begin to unfold. Isolated characters and isolated settings are not mutually exclusive; though horror films often employ the bizarre twist of having an isolated setting but with non-isolated characters in it (like in Cherry Falls where the town is small, but Marken is surrounded by all of her classmates for the majority of the film), or isolated characters in a non-isolated setting (like in Halloween where Strode is by herself in the house, but in the wider scheme of things she is in a fully-populated neighbourhood), the two are seen equally often together. The various combinations are all very common in the horror genre - but particular films put a different spin on the variables in other to try and create a new and unique set-up.
#7: DEATH, DEATH EVERYWHERE! "Hooray! It's the last one!" you may be thinking - I'm sorry if this has gone on a while! This final point refers to the various recurring themes throughout the horror genre which all three films do display. The one I've picked out as the title for this category is 'death' - the most obvious of all. What horror film can you name that doesn't at least reference a death? I doubt that there are many at all. The truth is, death is the overwhelming feature of any horror film. Extreme gore, violence and absurdity is present, yes - but death is even more so. Most of the good horror films out there are good because they involve the element of mystery in them - the question of who is the killer behind the mask. Common themes such as death and violence crop up so much because they symbolise the very nature of 'horror' - horrific things being done, and happening, to people. All three films (Halloween, Scream and Cherry Falls) have numerous incidents of serious injury and death. Halloween of course references Myers' previous murder numerous times - and his new killings are of the same cold, calculated standard. Scream has the character of Ghostface inflict huge numbers of injuries, and cause huge numbers of deaths - whilst still managing to be comical. Comedic horror films are on the increase these days, with the popularity of films such as Scary Movie helping to boost crossover numbers; it seems like an impossible concept to combine the two, but it has been done very well so far and will continue to be. Finally, and I mean finally, there is Marliston from Cherry Falls - he has numerous victims, all with grievous injuries inflicted on them post-mortem and even before. Death is almost overpowering in the film, and the level of violence, mayhem and graphic content is almost off the charts. So, in summary... After considering the three films (Halloween, Scream and Cherry Falls) it is clear to see that the codes and conventions of horror which form the basis for the structuralism within the genre are ever-present. It becomes obvious that they centre mainly around the different themes (death, violence, sex etc.), characters' situations and also the settings, and all provide certain 'criteria' which many viewers feel that horror films must meet for them to be any good. Feminism, in turn, is evident throughout the horror genre - though the equality of women is few and far between. Cherry Falls is perhaps one of the most feministically-driven I have seen, purely due to the fact that it does not victimise sexually free-thinking women; infact, it encourages relationships to an extent as being something that is not to be condemned or have people ashamed of. Cherry Falls is equally the lone film to exhibit any kind of deviation from the conventions of the genre, due to the same reasons stated above. The other two films, Halloween and Scream, developed the conventions and upheld them respectively - and do not appear to go against them in any way. Infact, arguably Halloween is a film which pioneered the horror genre's first codes and conventions - it is considered a classic now, and is clearly one of the first films to exhibit the majority, if not all, of the main codes and conventions of the genre today. Overall, therefore, it is evident that both structuralism and feminism can easily be applied and found within the horror genre - and I'm sure that you will now subconsciously recognise these elements when you next watch a scary film! I hope that you have enjoyed reading this post. As always, I'll see you in my next one - and information regarding my sources and my references when writing this are left below. Thank you for reading; until next time!
This piece of writing is for Unit 26 of Edexcel level 3 BTEC Media (Film Studies).
Bibliography of references/my reading to be able to write this post: here.
