Sergio Leone, the motifs of Leone is how he uses a very similar cast with his own style. In the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly he uses many of his many characteristics in film. This is seen by the:
Opening titles what are always the same what he uses to add his own artistic style at the beginning.
The main principle actors are made up of a 11 people who play different roles in the dollar trilogy.
The Mexican standoff by itself is a trademark of Leone.
The shots of the eyes to signify conflict and tension is a clear style choice by Leone as well.
James Cameron is a hard one to decide if he is a auteur or not as he doesn’t stay with one genre or has clear film style. However there are stick out things what can lead to you considering him as auteur:
His way of balancing multiple protagonists in a movie.
How he handles females as the main hero and are the ones who are usually made to be both strong and compelling.
He casts actors he’s worked with before occasionally.
He is able to make nonhuman people feel real and give them emotion.
His biggest detail of him being an auteur is how ambitious and incredible is his cinematography is in movies.
Horror Film cinematographers, Neal Frederick’s (Blair Witch Project), Pablo Rosso (REC 2). These 2 cinematographers are going to be the cinematographers I am going to be inspired by as both shoot in first person and have been behind the most classic POV horror films. Rosso’s switch between first person and security cameras will be definitely the main inspiration of the whole scene though in general as it shows different types of cinematography.
Sport Film cinematographers, James Crabe ( Rocky), Maryse Alberti (Creed), Vittario Starrio (Apocalypse Now). Crabe and Alberti’s styles will be the main inspiration from the shots as they are able to show ambition and ability of a person through camera shots. Starrio’s scene from Apocalyse Now, on the boat will also be inspiration as I want to show enjoyment in the character.
What I am aiming with these 2 scenes is to have them both being able to show a complete contrast. What I mean by that is the both style and movement of the camera as in the Horror scene it will itself contrast from switching between a still and moving camera what may be presented as a messy style while on the other hand the sports film will be clean and continuously moving with many different shots what will present a cleaner style.
Both films are similar in that they put a spin on the concept of ‘genre’ with combining around three different genres as a whole. The concept was accurately coined a ‘hybrid-genre’ (also known as cross-genre) where multiple elements from a genre are combined to create a new style of a film. ‘Black comedy’ was introduced into the arts by surrealist André Breton in 1935 who actually coined the term in his 1940 book ‘Anthologie de l’humour noirafter’, wrote after he acknowledged the merging of comedic and dark elements in particularly the work of poet Jonathan Swift. Within film, the first strong example comes from director Billy Wilder, with the 1940 academy award hit ‘Sunset Boulevard’ which utilized elements from comedy but also had quite a dark tone.
As film revolutionized, ‘Black Comedy’ became more popular, with around 88 films being produced after 2010 compared with only 20 in the 1980’s. this shows the growth in popularity of the genre mix because many people are wanting to see it onscreen. ‘Happy Death Day’ successfully employs elements from this hybrid by maintaining a dark and somber tone usually seen in horror films with the killer stalking Tree but also the nature of some of the killings. But this is juxtaposed with a lighter mood, with constant jokes and ridiculous moments. The film takes inspiration from ‘Scream’ (1996, by Wes Craven) to combine comedy and a dark mood to create a contemporary, successful black comedy
Whereas, arguably sci-fi horror is a much larger and more popular area. There is debate over whether or not the genre combination is actually a hybrid, due to the similarities in genre it can be difficult to actually define whether or not a film is a sci fi or horror because many science fiction films can unintentionally create fear and horror can typically rely on science for justification. So as a result, many films can be referred to as ‘sci fi – horrors’ although some can only contain minimal elements of either genre. The hybrid genre can be seen as early as 1918, with Michael Curtiz and Edward Fritz’ Hungarian sci fi-horror ‘Alraune’. Although there is not much actually known about the film since it is now lost, it is believed to be about a mad scientist creating a demonic child which perfectly unites common tropes and elements from both the sci-fi and horror genres.
Arguably, Alien can be considered a science fiction film from afar, in general terms. It involves the discovery of extraterrestrial life then the struggle for survival. The film does employ horror tactics however, with the alien itself scaring some viewers with its grotesque look but also the infamous scene where the alien rips its way out of Kane’s chest. Although the film contains elements of horror to engage the audience through fear, the main premise is science fiction which defines Alien as a sci-fi horror, with some elements of a thriller from the intense action. The success of Alien inspired many sci fi horrors, most notably ‘Predator’ (1987, by John McTiernan). The film was similar to Alien in the way that it blurred the line between horror and sci fi, creating a hit which showcased the successes of both genres.
Ultimately, both films can be classed as horror hybrids because they mainly utilize strong elements of a horror to scare but also engage the audience with the plot and the characters. HDD also uses comedy to add a lighter tone, and also adds a refreshing spin on the ‘slasher genre’with the idea of Tree’s killer hunting her down until she can break the time loop by figuring out who is behind the mask. There is also an element of sci-fi with the film because the time loop plot, but this is focused more on in the sequel ‘Happy Death Day 2U’, whereas the original focuses mainly on a slasher horror, with a general comedic tone. On the other hand, Alien centers around a sci-fi heavy plot, but the film was released at a time where horror was arguably much bigger and more widely received than it is now in contemporary cinema so as a result: the film employed scare tactics to reach the large horror fanbase. Even today, Alien is constantly referenced as a horror masterpiece, regardless of the inital sci-fi plot
The development of film theory was influenced initially from second wave feminism, and women’s studies in the 1960’s/70’s. A main aspect of the theory is generally based around how women were being sexualised throughout the mid 1960’s particularly through the era of second wave feminism. However, theorists such as Clover argue that women are not always the victims because they are typically the only survivor and face an intense showdown with the rival throughout the film. These characters succeed due to their own skills and instincts rather than being saved by a male character
However, it can also be considered that these characters are on the gender borderline with many having ‘masculine names’ (such as Ripley and Laurie Strode). Also, when successfully defeating the male antagonist, they do so by taking up a weapon such as a knife or chainsaw to finally defeat the killer or entity. The idea of a typically male dominated audience of the horror genre, identifying with a female protagonist raises many questions about the relationship between feminism and the horror (particularly slasher) genre.
Happy death day was only released in 2017, a modern take on the slasher genre, which (like Alien) subverts the concept of genres by utilizing most of the major elements from several genres itself of sticking with the conforms of the a slasher. Released at a time where strong female protagonists are the norm, this is one of the most strongest example of a contemporary ‘final girl’. However, script writer Lobdell plays around with the ‘final girl’ trope, creating a refreshing new twist since our protagonist ‘Tree’ is essentially a mean girl who we only begin to understand and invest in as the film progresses. As the concept of a ‘final girl’ has evolved over time, the expectations and traits of these females have developed too, for example the ‘final girl’ Erin from the 2011 horror hit ‘You’re Next’ (directed by Adam Wingard) is another example of a strong and powerful ‘final girl’ who is ruthless when opposing the killers.
The time-loop concept of the film was based around the infamous ‘Groundhog Day’ (by Harold Ramis, 1993) and the film even gets a reference towards the end, with the characters acknowledging that the situation ‘was like the movie groundhog day’. Also, the character development and growth throughout the film is another significant element director Landon took inspiration from. This juxtaposes nicely against the ‘final girl’ trope, because we end up rooting for ‘Tree’ and investing in her because we can appreciate and understand her character growth throughout the film.
Although there is some confusion over the genre, the film is widely and generally classed as a ‘slasher-horror’, which is simply from the concept of Tree getting repeatedly killed and having to work out who is killing her and why, as well as obliviously stopping them from doing so. Director Landon cites ‘Scream’ (by Wes Craven, 1996) as one of the main influences because it combines comedy and horror extremely well, with similar techniques being employed in HDD. The mask itself is also by Scream, with it being created by Tony Gardner who had also created the ‘Ghostface’ mask
Cinematography is the art of motion photography, and in film; it relates to the composition of the scene. Cinematographers compose the lighting of the scene, and how the camera is used from the model chosen to the perfect angle a shot is taken from
Most notable cinematographers:
Leon Shamroy – won four academy awards, most famously from his cinematography on the Henry King films The Black Swan (1942) and Wilson (1944)
Roger Deakins – recipient of the 2011 American Society of Cinematographers (A.S.C.) Lifetime Achievement Award, and won an academy award for his cinematography on the 2017 film Blade Runner 2049 (By Denis Villeneuve)
Editing within film is the composition of shots into a coherent scenes then form these scenes into a sequence. This used to be done manually before the digital age, but nowadays computers are used instead
Most notable editors:
Michael Kahn – won three academy awards for the following films directed by Steven Spielburg: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Schindler’s List (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Thelma Achoonmaker – won three academy awards for her work as editor for the following films directed by Martin Scorsese: Raging Bull (1981), The Aviator (2005) and The Departed (2007)
Sound editing involves the assembly and sometimes creation of sound recording to produce a final sound mix for a film.
A sound editor is different to a designer because they focus more on assembling the sounds together rather than initially creating original sound.
Notable sound editors include:
Richard King – won Academy awards for his work on Dunkirk (2017) Inception (2010) directed by Christopher Nolan
Paul N.J Ottosson – won two academy awards for his sound editing on The Hurt Locker (2008) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012) both directed by Kathryn Bigelow
A film director is the person who has the vision for the film and plans to recreate that vision for the screenplay for the final cut of the film. To do this they guide the cast and crew to perform their certain roles while also choosing what goes into the film. Directors can be also screenplay writers.
Notable directors are:
James Cameron, Terminator 1/2, Aliens, Titanic, Avatar
