Walter Murch's rule of editing in A Nightmare on Elmstreet

After writing about how 2 opening sequences conform to Walter Murch's "Rule of Six" I decided to discuss how a trailer shows it.

At the start of the trailer very slow paced editing is used as the man looks around for others. This complements the slow, calm soundtrack and also the slow movement of the man. The effect given from the scene is a calm atmosphere, which can be seen as creepy or a way of creating a relaxing atmosphere for the audience so they are caught off guard when Freddy Krueger jumps out. The editing is slow to signify that the man is confused as to why everyone has disappeared. This consistent slow pace is used up to the point where Freddy jumps out, where there is quick camera movement. This quick camera movement connotes a disturbance and signifies that the man is scared by the sudden appearance of Freddy. The editing throughout this scene is reflecting the mans emotions, starting with slow shots to connote he is confused, and ending with a fast camera movement to signify that he is scared. In the scene the tracking shots support this, by signifying to the audience that the shots are showing the characters emotion.

After the first scene slow paced editing is always used for times the characters are distressed. The editing is signifying that the characters do not feel safe, as they are scared that Freddy could come at any moment. In the slow paced shots the characters usually have sad facial expressions. This can be shown clearly at 0:42 - 0:52. The slow editing contrasts with the fast paced editing, which both show different emotion. When fast paced editing is used the characters are much more scared compared to the slow editing, which is because Freddy Krueger is after them. Therefore the pace of the editing signifies how scared the characters are in each shot. This is complemented with the music, which gets faster with the faster editing.

The audience learn after the beginning scene the main premise of the film through the editing. After the man searches the diner for people and is shocked by Freddy Krueger, we see a cut to him waking up. This tells the audience that Freddy Krueger appears in peoples dreams, and not long after shows that his impact in the dream can impact the real world when the man sees his bleeding hand. The placement of this scene at the beginning of the trailer is clever because it is quite slow and conventional for the start of a horror trailer, and also lets the audience figure out the story themselves through the editing, which can make the audience feel clever, and more involved with the trailer. The scene immediately after shows that Freddy is appearing in other people's dreams, by the man narrating and the shots of distressed characters. Showing the man in the internet video signifies that the characters will try and figure out why Freddy is appearing in their dreams, which means that the audience know the enigma code will most likely be solved by watching the film.

Throughout the trailer the pace slowly builds up, shown through the editing and the music. This is conventional of trailers, as they build up more and more suspense until it comes to a sudden stop, which leaves the audience wanting more. The video builds up to the climax of the title appearing, which outlines to the audience that if they want to see more they must watch the film. The pacing of the trailer is important, because it connotes the emotions the characters feel, and makes the audience want to see the film. After the title is a short scene, which goes against the rhythm of the trailer completely, almost as if it is unrelated. The scene is at an average pace, with no music, which means the focus is on the dialogue. Removing the music means Freddy's hand that appears is not expected, which can shock the audience.

Eye-traces are used several times in the trailer to direct the audiences attention to certain details. After the man at the start awakes, a shot of the man's bloody hand is shown, signifying that Freddy's impact in the dream effects real life. This is needed to show the audience the story of the film, without needing someone to narrate it. At 0:57 Freddy Krueger drags his finger knives across a pipe an eye-trace is used. This shows the audience Freddy's iconic weapon, which can signify that they will be used in the film and that they are a scary deadly weapon. The trace with his fingers connotes that Freddy is 'coming for you', creating a scary atmosphere. It is effective because it forces the audience to focus on his weapons, and it means his face is not seen, which makes the scene scarier. At 1:03 a close up of the book with a picture of Freddy's iconic weapons is shown. This shows why the woman after looks scared, as if she has just figured out the mystery of Freddy Krueger. The eye-trace creates an enigma code of  'why are Freddy's weapons in the book', which makes the audience want to watch the film to find out.

Two-dimensional plane of screen is used in the trailer, supporting Murch's theory. It is used mainly to show Freddy Krueger's relationship with his finger knives. One instance of this is when Freddy is dragging his knives across the pipe, signifying that he likes using his weapons, and that he is experienced with them. This connotes that Freddy Krueger is a violent character, and hints that he will use these weapons to kill people. The knives are important throughout the film, shown in a number of shots. At 1:12 Freddy can be seen moving his knife fingers around, close to the woman. This signifies he likes to toy with his victims, and make them feel frightened through the use of his weapons.

Three-dimensional plane of action is used in the trailer, to show the contrast between how Freddy feels in the dream and the characters. When the characters are dreaming they are always scared, because the locations are scary for example, the creepy furnace room, and because they know Freddy Krueger is somewhere. Freddy is always comfortable in the dreams. This is signified by the way he takes his time, and is always in control of the situation. He is in control compared to the characters, because he manipulates dreams to scare and kill his victims, which is why he reacts to the environment in a calm way. Freddy is not the victim, and so he is always the one chasing the other character. The locations in the dreams are usually fiery places, dark deserted buildings or the snowy room. From the way Freddy reacts in the dream, it can be connoted that these locations are the places he feels comfortable in.

To conclude A Nightmare on Elmstreet uses all of Murch's six rules of editing: Emotion, Story, Rhythm, Eye-trace, Two-dimensional plane of screen, and Three-dimensional space of action. In his theory he thinks that they are mentioned in the order of importance. The trailer supports this theory, with emotion being the most emphasized editing technique in the trailer, and the relation to the actors and the environment being the least. Emotion is shown throughout almost all of the editing rules, being the explanation for the rules use.

Batman Forever Clip Character Representations

Harvey Dent is represented in two contrasting ways, through the use of the location and his face. The close up of Harvey's his '2 faces', which signifies he has a split personality. His disfigured half is shown clearly, which looks scary connoting that he is evil. The two sides of the room are very different just like Harvey's face, with one side being light and the other dark. This is the conventional connotation of good and bad, and so the 2 sides signify Dent has both good and bad sides. The props used also support this representation, an example is where one woman holds up a lighter and a cigarette, whilst the other a blowtorch and a cigar. A cigarette is less harmful than a cigar, and so this represents his less harmful side. A lighter is much more safer and more civilized than a blowtorch, signifying the two sides. Using a blowtorch to light a cigar is not normal, which signifies Dent's out of the ordinary other side. The women on both sides both work with Harvey, but for different reasons, for dark and light. Harvey's sudden changes of mood signify his mixed personality, which can be shown in the beginning of the scene where Dent seems calm until he shouts "he's driving us insane". Harvey Dent's personality changes by the side of the room he is on, when he is on the light side he is quiet and calm, but on the dark side he is aggressive holding the gun to The Riddler's head. Harvey's voice changes quickly from an ordinary calmness to a loud angry tone, connoting his mood at that point. The sudden change signifies his split personality.

The Riddler first appears from a long shot not seen by anyone at that point, that signifies he is sneaky and mysterious. The non-diegetic soundtrack at the start of the scene has an up and down dynamic, connoting Dent's split personality. When The Riddler is seen by Harvey Dent the music is mysterious, signifying his character. The Riddler's character is represented as being happy and comedic, which is shown through his jokes, and happy expression. This signifies that his character is brave, because even when he has a gun to his head he remains the same.
 

Conventions of Opening Sequences

Institutional logos are always found in films, mostly with there own intro clips. This is done to credit the institution.

Sometimes there is not the iconic clip for the institution, but simply some text stating that they are presenting the film as seen in the video below from 'Miramax Films present'. This is more often found in older films, or for less iconic institutions. The institutional logos usually appear before the film starts, but can sometimes appear after an opening clip along with the credits and title, the opening sequence in Pulp Fiction does this.

The films title is a typical convention, which can appear either after the credits or before them, but always after the institutional logos. The film title is shown to signify the start of a film.

Film opening sequences nearly always include credits of the most important actors, the director and the producer. This can draw the audience in, because they may see a famous actor they like, and also gives credit to the actors in the film.

Conventionally the main characters are introduced in the opening sequence. This is to begin the story, signifying to the audience the character's features. In some films with many main characters, not all of them can be shown in the opening sequence, but usually at least one is. Below is the James Bond clip which introduces James Bond, although this film is late in the series his features are still connoted in the clip.
Narrative Enigma is a common occurrence in opening sequences, especially within films which start in the middle of action. These questions from the audience make the film more intriguing, meaning that the audience want to watch on to find out the reason behind the enigma codes. The James Bond Skyfall opening scene has many enigma codes such as: "where is Bond?", "Who are they chasing?" and "who is the woman?".

Representations in the Dark Knight clip

In the room the lights are dark on one side, and light on the other, the side with the Joker being the dark side. This connotes that the Joker is evil, and that the Commissioner and Batman are good.

The Joker has clown makeup, which can be seen as quite scary, signifying he is a character to be feared. The scar for a smile makes him scarier, and connotes that he is dangerous.

When talking to the Commissioner and Batman The Joker tries to make them feel anger and regret, which signifies he is manipulative. The Joker is connoted to be insane, through his evil laugh, and his strange calmness in the at 3:17 when he is grabbed by Batman. He never seems to be at, flinching or moving his body in some way which can be seen at 1:49, This supports the connotation that The Joker is insane.

Batman is dressed in black, which conventionally signifies he is an evil character. However he uses the dark for good, bringing justice from the shadows. This mixes up the usual representations of darkness. Batman is very violent towards the Joker, but his actions are justified because The Joker is a psychopath. The audience is able to forgive Batman because The Joker is not being cooperative, and Batman is in a race against time so he must turn to violence.

The non-diegetic soundtrack at the end of the scene is very dramatic, building big tension, showing just how evil The Joker's plan is. The soundtrack starts at 3:44, as we are about to hear The Joker's scene. This tone gets louder and louder, which makes the scene get tenser and tenser, and really signify the race against time.

Research into Romance Genre

Romantic films are usually aimed at a female audience, because they are usually more emotional than men. The films typically have a man and a woman who meet and fall in love, it is rare to find a homosexual relationship being the main story-line. Nearly always the male and female protagonists start off as not knowing each other, and the film is about them falling in love. Popular romantic films that do this are: The Fault in Our Stars, The Notebook, Titanic and Begin Again. Romantic films do not usually follow a typical ending, they either have a sad ending (where the couple split up, or one dies), or they will be a happy ending. Lots of romantic films are 'feel good' films, even if they do have a sad ending. RomComs are the majority of the 'feel good' films. Conventionally in romances the audience is usually given indications that the protagonists are meant for each other before they meet.


Colours used within the romance genre are usually relaxing soothing colours, which signify the film is quite slow and about the the gradual love between two people. Usually the films do not use too much colour, which connotes it is not a fast paced action film. Also the colour red is common in the genre, because it signifies passion and love. In the marketing for the genre images of the two lovers are usually seen together in love, e.g. in each others' arms. This is to clearly connote to the audience the genre, and that there will be love in the film. Locations in romantic films are usually common places, such as a park bench or a coffee shop. This is because the characters in the films are often regular people, which appeals to the audience because it shows this scenario could happen to them. The places in the films are where the protagonists are dating, and so the locations are conventional of the genre. Most of the time films of the genre are set in modern day, so costumes are the clothes we wear today. These clothes make the characters more relatable to the audience, which is part of the genres appeal. Music is conventionally upbeat and happy, which signify that love is a wonderful thing, relating to the fact that most of these films are made to make the audience feel good. Fonts used in the text for romantic film do not usually have a typical theme but are usually relevant to the title of the film, for example Titanic uses a fancy bold looking title, which connotes the grand, huge ship. Conventional characters in romance films, are relatable likable characters, so that the audience can feel connected with them and want them to fall in love.

Rick Altman's theory is about the two elements in every film, conventionally romantic films follow this. Common semantic conventions in a romantic film is relatable clothing, props such as a ring or flowers, and lots of use of red. Typical syntactic conventions are love, and sometimes sadness.

Typical actors in romance films are: Channing Tatum, Zach Efron and Leonardo DiCaprio. And typical actresses are: Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Sandra Bullock. Typical directors for the genre are: Woody Allen, John Allen and Rob Reiner.

Using the Uses and Gratification theory an audiences watch these films for escape and entertainment. Lots of romantic films are made to make the audience feel good, which is why people may watch it for escape. The main reason people watch the films is for entertainment, and so an audience may appreciate a heartwarming romance which ends sadly. A popular reason for watching these films is to make someone feel emotional, either through happiness or sadness. Many single people may watch a romantic film, because they are looking for a romance, and so this would be a form of escape.

Se7en opening sequence analysis

 Throughout the whole opening sequences very dark, dull colourless shots are shown, which signifies that the man in the clips is a dark, evil character, this clearly connotes the horror genre. Only close up shots are used in the sequence, which can make the audience feel uneasy because they can not look anywhere but at the 'killers' equipment. The shots are so close that all that can be seen from the killer is his fingers, which gives the film many enigma codes, such as 'who is he' and 'where are we'. There are many enigma codes in this sequence, which adds the element of mystery, making the audience fear the unknown. The man's fingers in the shots look dirty, and have plasters on them, which hints at the man's nature signifying he is evil, and the killer of this film. This leaves the audience with more questions, because they do not know why his fingers are dirty, and why they require plasters. When using the pen the man pushes down very hard, so hard it is making a screeching noise. This connotes that the antagonist is a very aggressive character, and that he will go about his killings in this way. Fast paced editing is used in the montage, not giving the audience much time to look at each shot. This shows just how much preparation the antagonist is doing, signifying he is obsessed, calculated and dangerous. The soundtrack builds suspense through the opening, working well with the short takes. This music uses lots of screeching, and scratching sounds, which are ear piercing sounds clearly connoting that this man is dangerous and someone to be feared. Low key lighting is used showing the antagonist is in a dark place, which not only signifies that he is evil, but that he is in his element in the dark because this is where he is preparing. All of the font used looks handwritten, signifying that the antagonist is not professional linking to the fact that he is writing by hand. This shows that the killer is working for himself, and so he has not typed up his notes. Handwriting makes the writing look more personal, which connotes that the killer will be personally tracking down his victims. The text shown is superimposed, making the sequence look like an old slightly broken video, making the footage seem like it could be real, and making it more scary. At certain points in the clip, the footage goes partially red, which signifies danger, and that there will be blood to come. Se7ens opening sequence does not obey Todrov's theory of a film starting off as an equilibrium, because clearly the disruption is being shown from the start.

Script Practice

Here I created a horror opening sequence script by combining two horror scripts. The two scripts I used were the Dawn of the Dead, and Halloween opening sequences. By completing this activity I have learnt how professional scripts are laid out, and organised. I have also found out how much usually happens in an opening sequence, which is not much. This activity will help me when I start creating my own opening sequence, showing me how to create a script.

Die Hard/Hot Fuzz Genre Analysis

Die Hard Trailer

From the Die Hard trailer it’s very clear that the film falls under the action genre, from the many explosions, gun shots and dangerous feats performed by John McClain. However the trailer does have some comedy elements in it, which confuses the genre slightly, for example at the end Bruce Willis says “got invited to the Christmas party by mistake, who knew?” An action film with some comedy in goes very well together, and has become a typical thing to do in newer films, such as Guardians of the Galaxy or Transformers.

According to Steve Neale’s theory, genre goes through a cycle. Die Hard could either be a classic film, or it could be pushing boundaries. To many it is known as a classic, but the film stretches the boundaries by using comedy. Die Hard was not the first film to use comedy in an action film, lots of films at the time also did it, but it would probably fit in the ‘pushing boundaries’ category’.

Robert Stam’s theory that genre does not exist is partially supported by this film, because two genres have overlapped. However the film is much more of an action film than a comedy, and also comedy elements have almost become a part of the action genre, because so many films now combine them.

Rick Altman’s theory is that genre is constructed via semantic and syntactic elements. The Die Hard trailer supports this, with many typical action props such as guns, and themes such as ‘one outnumbered man versus twelve terrorists’. However the comedy aspect is not shown through semantic or syntactic elements, because the only comedy in the trailer is quotes, and they do not fall under the two categories.

Steve Neale’s other theory is that an audience can enjoy a film either because of repetitive elements of a genre or a change. Die Hard repeats common elements of the action genre, it was nothing new, but it was a very popular film, which can be seen as a classic.

Hot Fuzz

The Hot Fuzz trailer is harder to pin a genre to the film. Initially the trailer looks like a typical police action film, with an expert policeman who is the main character. However soon after a funny scene is shown, where Simon Peg is being relocated because he is so good he is making the other police look bad.  After that scene the music changes and the film turns into more of a comedy. The confusion with the two genres at the beginning is almost part of the films comedy. Half way through the trailer horror elements are shown, with a slasher killer. Towards the end of the trailer lots of action scenes are shown, with car chases, guns, and explosions. This film is a mash up of an action, a horror, and a comedy. But it’s mainly a comedy. Different genres have been combined to create a more unique film, and to appeal to a wider audience. There are so many single genre films, that hybrid genres can be a positive change.

With Steve Neale’s theory this film would probably fit in the pushing boundaries part of the cycle, using a mix of different genres. On the other hand there are parody scenes, for example when Nick Frost asks Simon Peg if he as ‘ever fired two guns when jumping through the air’, this is a common thing in action films but is quite stupid.

This film would be a hybrid of action/comedy/horror, and so Robert Stam’s theory that genre does not really exist makes sense. There are too many possibilities of films that placing them under a genre can be very difficult. However similarly to Die Hard one genre is stronger than the other, and so Hot Fuzz would fall under the comedy genre.

Both the action and horror parts of the trailer can support Rick Altman’s theory. Semantic elements in the trailer are the guns, explosions and cars for action, but the violence, knife, and costume of the killer for horror. Syntactic elements are the two policemen versus murderers for the action film, but there is not a syntactic element for the horror. The film is a comedy but there are no semantic or a syntactic element of a comedy, which means according to the theory the film is not a comedy. This means that the Hot Fuzz trailer proves the theory to be wrong.

Steve Neale’s other theory of why people enjoy films is supported by the Hot Fuzz trailer. The film has repeated lots of common genre elements, for each of the three genres the film could fall under. Showing shoot outs, car chases, a slasher with a knife in black, comedy jokes and characters. However the film has made changes to the film because it is a hybrid genre, and so the theory is supported both ways, people can enjoy the film for the repetition or the change.

Lady Gaga Fame advert

The advert supports Gauntlet’s view of women, where they should be able to get what they want out of men. Lady Gaga is letting the men climb on her, so she is getting what she wants from men, because she does not seem to mind from her facial expression. Gauntlet thinks men should not dictate the terms of the relationship. The advert is the opposite way round, because if anything Lady Gaga is in charge of her relationships with men. She is seen bigger than them, which signifies she has control. Gauntlet also holds the view that women should have the right to look and dress however they like.

In the advert Lady Gaga is naked, connoting that she is in control, and does not have to wear clothes if she does not want to. However arguably the men covering her could signify that the men are controlling what she wears, because they are dressing her themselves. Also arguably the advert could connote that Lady Gaga is innocently lying down, and the men are walking all over her. McRobbie believes that woman should know their own bodies and needs, which the advert supports. This is shown by Lady Gaga lying naked, she looks very relaxed and confident with her own body. She has no problem with men viewing her because she knows her body and needs. McRobbie also thinks that women should make their own decisions based on their own interests, and not what other people want them to do. The advert connotes that Lady Gaga is in control through her expression and size, which shows she is in control and made her own decisions.

The size of Lady Gaga compared to the men connotes that she is powerful, and that she is not purely there to be a sexual object. Possibly the male gaze theory is reversed, with the men being sexual objects for Lady Gaga’s desire. The advert could support Mulvey’s theory because a seductive, naked woman is on the front. However the message the advert shows does not support it. The male gaze theory states that women are styled to be displayed to make maximum visual and erotic impact. But the advert is not created to do this, otherwise the men would not be climbing on her. The advert is aimed at women , and so it was not designed to draw the attention of men. It signifies to women that with the perfume they can be just like Lady Gaga, which is being in control and powerful. Lady Gaga is looking away from the men, which signifies she is too powerful for them. The perfume is called Fame, which signifies when famous women are above men. They have a function in media other than being a man’s desire, showing that the advert is against the male gaze theory. Therefore the advert connotes that using the perfume gives women fame, leading to them becoming powerful.

According to Freud’s Madonna/Whore theory, Lady Gaga would be a whore. Lady Gaga is not seen as the stereotypical female wife, and so she would not be a Madonna. Nothing in the advert signifies that Lady Gaga is good at ‘wifely’ domestic activities, such as cooking and cleaning. Lady Gaga is not hiding her body, but showing it to all the men. She looks unashamed of showing her body, meaning she is a whore. However the mask she is wearing could be to signify that she is hiding her eyes, because she is innocent and pure, and so possibly a Madonna. However this is probably not the case, the mask connotes that she is mysterious and sexual. The mask makes her look like a bad girl, and experienced in the bedroom, signifying in the theory that she is a whore.

The reason I have analysed the Lady Gaga advert is because in the future we will be creating our own media text, a film opening sequence, and this can me think about how I will construct female characters. However this task was mainly practice for analysing, and including theories. In the future I will analyse film opening sequences, and I first need to be able to analyse still images.

Editing

Walter Murch's theory is the "The Rule of Six", a list of criteria that shows which feature should be at the top of the editors list. Learning this  I watched two opening film sequences to see how the theory applies to them.

The first sequence I watched was Shaun of the Dead, which conformed to the theory. Emotion and story was the most emphasized features in the sequence, shown between the 3 main characters we learn their feelings towards each other which opens up the story. The three-dimensional space of action in the sequence was clearly shown when Shaun was getting ready for work. Quick shots were shown of him brushing his teeth and flushing the toilets. These shots were very quick too signify that Shaun is in a rush for work, but mainly because they are a regular routine and not significant. This supports Murch's theory, because how the actors and objects relate to each other are at the bottom of the list, when emotion and story is at the top.

The second sequence I watched was Inglorious Basterds, which also conformed to the theory. Part of the only three-dimensional space of action was the smoking of the pipe. The farmer was very nervous that the nazi was in his house, and so was smoking the pipe to calm himself down and to hide this, which is signified by his 'straight not quite at ease' facial expression. Compared to the nazis very laid back expression signifying that he is smoking the pipe for pleasure because he is in control of the situation. Arguably the point of showing the characters relation to the objects could be to show how they feel emotionally, which would show that emotion is a much more important part of editing.The whole sequence is based around the emotions of the two characters, which builds tension throughout. The nazi is questioning the farmer, asking him if he is hiding Jews, which is all part of the story. However the emotions are the key part of the sequence compared to the story. The rhythm is important to show tension, until the tension stops with the action where the rhythm speeds up. There is a long rest on screen of the camera shot showing the farmer and the nazi, which builds up the tension because the audience feel like at any second the tension could break. The tension finally does break with an eye-trace close-up of the two characters faces, to show how the farmer has given in, and how the nazi knows he has won. This is followed by the whining, jarring music, which signifies the danger to come.