'Alien vs. Predator'
Summary:
Alien vs. Predator follows the genre of horror/thriller/sci-fi. Directed by Paul W.S Anderson and written by Shane Salerno. The film is set in Antarctica and a team of scientists are in search of a recently discovered ancient pyramid. The location of the story creates a sense of vulnerability and isolation. When they are being flown over there, they reach the dead zone, there’s no signal for contact and don’t have enough fuel to turn back. In a traditional film such as this one, there are normally only two sides, this film however has three, the main focus is between the Predators and the Aliens, the humans unfortunately are stuck between the two sides.
Camera Shots & Angles:
The uses of camera shots vary from low angles and high angles. The low angle shots are used mainly on the Predator, making them seem more dangerous and over powering. The high angle shots are commonly used when an alien is above someone, again, making them more powerful than the humans. This could also be classed as a point-of-view shot as we are seeing what the aliens are seeing. Point-of-view shots are also used for the Predators as well; however, an infrared filter is used rather than ‘normal’ sight. The low angle shots are almost always used on the humans to make them seem weak and helpless. An effective shot of someone falling over and looking just above the camera is used, though we don’t actually see the Predator, we see the two blades in the top corner of the screen approaching the person on the floor, then is switches to a P.O.V shot in infrared, oranges, yellows and reds are seen for the people, but the Aliens however are shown in green black, connoting the sci-fi genre.
Lighting:
Little lighting is used for this film. Most of the film is shot mostly inside the pyramid underground; naturally, there will be little if not any lighting in that kind of location. Naturally, the audience will sense that something is lurking in the dark and that they are expecting for something to jump out.
Characters:
The main character of the film however does not follow the typical expectations of other horror films, this time; the female role is the hero rather than the hero being male. But rather than presented as helpless and becoming a hero by sheer luck, her character is portrayed as strong and confident from the start as she is first introduced climbing a mountain. She also manages to form an alliance with the Predator following up the saying “The enemy of the enemy is my friend.” The male roles in the film are very stereotypical. Carrying guns and firing at about anything that moves, they are also shown doubting the female characters plan of action whilst inside the pyramid.
Target Audience:
The films target audience is mainly targeting teenagers and possibly some adults. The age rating for this film is a 15. The genre of the film will attract the teenagers as it consists of aliens, violence and blood, however, this may be more aimed at the male audience rather than a female audience. As for the older audiences, the characters may be the main attraction. The Aliens and the Predator have both had their own films, bringing the two together in an epic battle will want the older audience to see who will win.
Editing:
The editing in the film has different filters, mostly using a dark filter to fit with the location of the pyramid. When a different scene is introduced, there only seems to be a clean cut between scenes, this allows the audience to not be distracted when a new scene is introduced. Had they used an effect such as a fade, it would ruin the effect of the film.
Sound:
The sound in the film has both diegetic and non-diegetic. The diegetic sounds mostly consists of people screaming or talking. A good use of diegetic sound is one of the extras is trapped in a room, we see him trying to get out then we shown one of the aliens about to kill him, the scene then switches to outside where he is trapped and we only hear the scream. Also, the sounds of both the alien and predator are heard from time to time. The non-diegetic sound is created from an orchestra, when the pyramid is first seen, loud booming sounds of drums and trumpets are used, this helps the audience understand how big a deal it is that the pyramid has been found. Fast paced music when the pyramid is shifting and when the humans are being chased by either the alien or predator.
-Directed by Paddy Breathnach
-Written by Pearse Elliot
Summary:
Three couples go on a trip to Ireland where they meet up with a friend of theirs whom is an expert on mushrooms, he helps them with their desire to "trip out" on magic mushrooms. Despite numerous warnings from their expert about certain dangerous mushrooms things still manage to go wrong as the characters begin to suffer what they think are hallucinations.
People start to go missing and eventually their bodies turn up, shadows creep through the trees and ghostly creatures begin to appear.
As the characters slowly get whittled down, they start to realise there's more to it than just hallucinations.
- The tracking shot is also a long shot, typically it is used to introduce a character.
-The close-up shot, used to focus on a characters emotions. A montage of these are frequently used throughout the opening, they focus upon objects of interest rather than characters. These objects, such as the maggots, noose, bloody hand etc, greatly represent the horror genre.
Lighting:
Throughout the film, very typical of horrors, frequent low key lighting is used to add dark shadows to characters making them appear ominous and mysterious.Also, at the opening very little light is used so the scene is silhouetted, however a slight blue glow is used to connote a psychological element. A lot of natural light is incorporated due to the wooded setting, the close grouping of the trees block out a lot of light to give it the eerie horror effect.
Characters:
The first character introduced to us (Lindsey Haun), is showed as a typical damsel in distress, or in the instance of Propp's theory - the "princess". This is later contradicted when she is displayed as the villain at the end of the film, similarly it is unusual to have a female killer in horror films because that don't have as much dominance as a male.
However, all the hallucinated killers are predominantly male, therefore following the expectations of Propp's theory.
Target Audience:
The BBFC age certificate for 'Shrooms' is "18", therefore it would be unwise for anyone under this age to watch the film.
It is rated at an "18" because of it content - there are high levels of violence and gore used throughout most the film, as well as disturbing images used instantly at the start.
It would be aimed at anyone over the age of 18 who enjoys gorey/psychological horrors, in particular horror films are mainly aimed at a male audience because they are more likely to watch excessively violent films, however girls enjoy being scared too.
Editing:
Shrooms is highly edited, the opening especially. This is due to the fast paced editing used to create confusing and frantic scene that makes relatively no sense to the audience, however it makes them curious.
Throughout the film a ghost-like transition is used whenever a threat is apparent, this is done to reflect the state of mind of the character during hallucinations, it also makes the character move around more disjointed and unnatural.
Moreover, a blue filter is applied to the whole film, this is done to show a detached scene that is devoid of any emotion - it makes the setting seem cold.
Sound:
Immediately introduced in the opening is the diegetic sound of heavy breathing coming from the running victim. The majority of the film uses natural diegtic sound, however the opening involves a soundtrack of drums beating. This music gradually builds, assumed to be reflecting the victim's heartbeat, until it reaches a climax and fades out to the equilibrium after the opening.
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