Representation

In my film I want to represent women. Usually in film noir, women are represented as powerless and only want to seduce the main male character. Or in Horror, the women are also represented are helpless and usually die first. Well not in my film. The women will be powerful and take control of the scenes. They will be badass like Wonder Woman.

One movie that represents women as powerful and in control is “Wonder Woman.” In this film, the main character (Wonder Woman) is a strong and intelligent superhero who leaves her home to fight alongside men in World War I. Diana (Wonder Woman) saves the Allies when they accidentally show up in her land. With her extreme strength and bulletproof cuffs, she helps the Allies defeat the Axis powers in the war. Apart from the woman being a superhero, the film represents women very accurately. Women are strong and are able to be in charge. Even before Diana’s people were discovered, she was an Amazonian princess filled with other female warriors. The film starts off by showing all of these amazing female warriors and no men. The women Amazonian women hold all of the power.

Another movie that has a strong female lead is “Pocahontas.” Pocahontas is a Native American woman who stumbles upon a colonists named John Smith. Pocahontas takes the lead into bringing unity between her tribe and the colonists. As both groups are at war, Pocahontas tries her best to understand both sides and end the feud. Pocahontas is extremely smart and understanding, so she teaches John Smith and is able to communicate with the colonists. When Smith gets captured by the Native Americans, she is able to free him and bring peace among the tribe and the colonists. This movie represents women and strong and understanding. Without Pocahontas, the two groups would not have been able to come to peace and socially interact with each other. Women in this movie are wise like Grandmother Willow, great listeners like Nakoma, and extremely understanding like Pocahontas.

I feel that the way that these films represent women are very fair and correct. Women are strong and powerful and should be represented that way. Strong female leads are very important to show that women can also be in charge and have a role in life other than having kids and staying in the house. While these movies do have strong females, many other films still represent women as damsels in distress needing a prince to come save us. In the movies that I previously explained, I would keep all of the characteristics about them. I want women to be strong and independent, not incapable of taking care of themselves. I would challenge the fact that all of the men in these films were understanding of the women being in the power. In real life, that is not how reality works. In my film, the women will not only have their main conflict, but the problems of having to prove themselves.

Horror

The second genre that I will incorporate in my film will be Horror. Yes, the film will have a noir also incorporated into it. But with the dark setting and the striking action, horror will also be expressed. The typical audience for horror is not specific to age but to who is interested in the genre.

Horror is usually set in isolated areas where there is no help for the characters and no hope in finding somewhere to run. The films usually use the sound of thunder and rain to enhance the feeling of isolation. Props that they use are usually weapons or antiques to create a dark and sinister scene. Colors used within horror are usually reds and blacks because they suggest danger and death.

Lighting used in horror give the effect of something bad going to happen. For example, shadows and light flickering causes the audience to feel scared and nervous. Lighting usually sets the mood for the movie. To give the movie an eerie feel, the lighting is dark and creates many shadows. Lighting can also be used to create a personality of character by casting shadows across their face to create a sinister minded character or a split mind personality. Costumes also create a personality of a character. Usually, in horror movies, the costumes are stereotypical to the character. For example, the jock will be wearing a jersey and the nerd will be wearing big glasses.

Sound is huge in horror films. Audio is key when editing, using Foley sound will help build suspense. Exaggerated diegetic sound will allow tension to be created in the film. Fast and loud non-diegetic sound can add to making the audience jump or feel scared. For example, the music in the shower scene in Psycho.

Many props are used in horror films to suggest horror for example Bibles, crucifix, paintings, candles, and weapons. The props such as a crucifix represent religion and the devil. It can also be used as a sign of God protecting them from the evil spirits. However, it usually just causes anger in the demon and more bad things happen.

Horror films have the typical icons that represent either the bad character or thing. It could be ghostly symbols, dark places, and unusual things happening like doors slamming and swinging lights. Horror films also have jumpy scenes with loud abrupt sounds to frighten the audience. These films also use wind, shadows, and unexplainable noises. There is normally a character that doesn’t believe or a priest that just upsets the bad thing even more.

One example of a great horror movie is “The Shining.” This movie is one of the top horror movies of all time. With the intense scenes and the loud abrupt music, the movie was an extreme hit. In this film, a family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future. This film embodies the horror genre with the loud slashing music, the terrorizing murders, and the low lighting.

Another example of an amazing horror movie is “Psycho.” This film is an iconic horror movie that is the headline of being the most known. “Psycho” is about a Phoenix secretary embezzles forty thousand dollars from her employer's client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother. The black and white scenes and loud scary music really embody the horror genre. The remote hotel gives the sense to not only the characters a sense of helplessness but also the audience, by making them feel like there is nowhere to run.

Other great Horror films are:

Alien

A Quiet Place

Get Out

Halloween

The Exorcist