I used my extended step outline to help me expand on my idea into this first draft of a screenplay play and once I began writing it, my ideas started to flow more easily. I found it hard to format my thoughts into a way that conveyed my ideas, but didn’t waffle on didn’t waffle on, and fit the structure of a screenplay play. And while doing this, I was surprised to learn that roughly one minute of film would equate to roughly a page of screenplay, but as I wrote it out and envisioned it in my mind, it made a lot of sense because even though there isn’t much dialogue, using a show-don’t-tell technique, you can easily fill the time.
I found coming up with an idea for a horror film very difficult, so I thought about the clichés of what is scary and considered the techniques used in German Expressionism. Using a little girl to represent the monster made a scene to me as she should be a symbol of innocence, but instead becomes a threatening, creepy character under the right circumstances and with the correct use of mise-en-scène. I believe that through the use of props, framing, and lighting, I could visualise my characters and story more easily. While I was developing my idea, I realised this took a lot of time and effort, as you have to come up with an idea and shape it into something you could pitch to others. It needs to include a scene of direction, characters, scenes, and features that people can imagine as horror.
Unfortunately i missed this lesson therefore no slide was assigned to me however from reading through what my classmates have done i am able to see how the representation of count Orlok reflects social issues and 1920s Germany. Bens slide highlights the use of lighting and framing and other typical aspects of german expressionism to make Orlok apeer as threatening and vampiric as possible while Freya reflects on how Orlok comes from nowhere and mirrors the threat of diseases prevalent at the time such as spanish flu. Harrison looked at shadows and how they have been used to demonstrate the threat Hutter is under and Meana spoke on camera angles and musical changes which where timed with the visuals she also highlighted the threat of disease but this time how it was represented by rats. Evie expanded on how the visually diseased people were imprisoned as they were shown in vignettes and the colour grading reflected the diseases and fears surrounding them.
“Cultures create and ascribe meaning to monsters, endowing them with characteristics derived from their most deep-seated fears and taboos”
“The genre can adapt to allow it to tap into each generation’s preoccupations and concerns, and its metaphorical approach can be used to deal with ideas and issues that appeal to a range of audience groups.”
Crash Course Video Quotes :
“This is the heart of German expressionism using an exaggerated, distorted mise-en-scene to reflect the inner psychology of the characters.”
“In Nosferatu… Murnau focused on lighting, staging, special effects and makeup to get at the characters inner psychology”
Slide Show Quotes:
“Themes revolve around: order vs chaos, paranoia vs actual conspiracy, fear vs hope, the system vs individual freedom”
“In the effort to reach wider international audiences, the German Expressionists also pioneered a number of film genres that remain popular today. Nosferatu was one of the first ever horror films”
Video Quotes:
“Nosferatu is one of the first films to use a highly developed sense of mood and atmosphere to enrich its narrative.”
“taught filmmakers to use set mood and pacing to build tension and horror and its imprinted itself into the DNA of horror movies”
Harvard References:
edublogs. (2025). Horror Monsters. [online] Available at: https://filmstudies2426.edublogs.org/files/2024/06/Horror-Monsters.pdf.
Benzine, C. (2017). German Expressionism: Crash Course Film History #7. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6XDyth0qxc.
Google Slides. (n.d.). British Film Institute Slideshow on German Expressionism.
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). 1922: How Nosferatu laid the groundwork for gothic cinema. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vP2whYFAKI.
Reflection (200 Words):
Write a 200 words outlining the degree to which horror films owe their look and psychology to German Expressionism.
German Expressionism developed shortly after the First World War and used unique techniques of distorted lighting and atmosphere to express cultural anxieties. Nosferatu is often considered one of the first real horror films and its influence continued years after it, as filmmakers continued to build their monsters in similar ways “Cultures create and ascribe meaning to monsters, endowing them with characteristics derived from their most deep-seated fears and taboos”.
Nosferatu wasnt the only film to use experimental teqniques in fact it was one of the most vital parts to the entire german expresionism movement. “the heart of German expressionism using an exaggerated, distorted mise-en-scene to reflect the inner psychology of the characters.” they also relied on the psychological impact on the audience which the film had on the audience to add to the fear and capitalised on the fact that the silent movies weren’t limited through language barriers. “In Nosferatu… Murnau focused on lighting, staging, special effects and makeup to get at the character’s inner psychology”.
Overall, German Expressionism laid the groundwork for much of modern horror, and although it has developed over the years, there is almost always some reflection of the movement in any horror movie you watch.
In our second Shoot, we started the morning by heading to St. Barts Harbour, where we explored the area and took a variety of shots of the boats. I realised it would be a stunning spot to snorkel and film underwater. Unfortunately due to our risk assessment, we wouldn’t be allowed to do so during school hours however it inspired me to plan come back and try and get some footage. we got plenty of shots of the area, the sea and the boats allong with some shots of rock pools. Later in the morning, we went to Petit Bot, and I was lucky enough to be able to film from inside the cave as planned. I ended up with the shot I wanted as well as some shots of the stream and water fall at the bay while the sound designer recorded foley and ambient throughout the day at various shoot locations. Overall, I would say that it was a successful shot, even if we were still unable to film on the water, it allowed us to get even more establishing shots, and it gave me more ideas for places to film. I have attached some of my favourite shots from the day at both locations.
Saints Bay HarbourPetit Bot CaveSaints Bay Harbour
In our first shoot we managed to shoot things along the west coast so we decided we want to shift our focus to the south coast for the second shoot and capture the beauty of the cliff beaches and paths. As cinematographer I want to take advantage of the opportunities the south present and plan to shoot from inside caves out onto the bay using it as a frame within a frame.
Although not being allowed in the water to film added some restrictions to filming our documentary our first shoot was largely successful overall. Thanks to our preplanning when we arrived on the day we were able to turn up and begin production almost immediatly. At our first location of Cobo, we recorded the waves from a few different angles before using the public beach toys to build sandcastles in ways that allowed us to play with the field of view and framing. We then walked just up the hill and got a few establishing shots from the fort at the Guet, where we can see the entire bay from Cobo to Grande Roques, and we could use the tree line for a natural frame within a frame. We then moved onto Vazon, where we were able to take a couple of establishing shots of the bay before we recorded some poppies and other wild flowers on the headland, and we used the rocks on the bay to form towers on the sea walls. Our final location of the shoot was in town, where we filmed around the harbour, and we got a few shots of boats entering the marina as well as shots of the lighthouse and water breaking on rocks just past the breakwater.
By preplanning the locations and times, we should be able to turn up and begin production almost immediately out goal is to shoot more establishing parts of the documentary since we aren’t allowed to actually record on the water due to the risk assessment we developed we wouldnt be able enter the sea without a qualified life saver which we don’t have access to. However, we are still able to focus on capturing some of the big and little beauties Guernsey’s coastline has to offer.
Julius Caesar Was Buried in a Pet Cemetery (2019) Sam Green (A visit to a pet cemetery)
Your Analysis:
“Julius Ceaser was Buried in a Pet Sematary” is an observational documentary that presents the entire film almost without adding any commentary or persuasion by showing a variety of shots of graves in a pet cemetery in a beautiful way that can capture the love and emotion around the location. Defined by Bill Nichols, “A style of documentary embraced by thecinema verité movement, observational documentaries attempt to discover the ultimate truth of their subject by acting as a fly-on-the-wall—in other words, observing the subject’s real-life without interrupting. Cinematographers on observational documentaries will often be asked to be as unobtrusive as possible to capture their subjects in a raw, unguarded state. An example of this direct cinema type of documentary is Primary (1960), a film chronicling the Wisconsin primary between John F. Kennedy and Hubert H. Humphrey.
“Masterclass. 2021. Film Documentary Guide: 6 Types of Documentaries. [online] Available at: <https://www.masterclass.com/articles/film-documentary-guide> [Accessed 14 September 2022].”
The Opening shot is interesting because, objectively, it isn’t aesthetically pleasing, and it is an ugly establishing shot of a road and airport. During this opening shot is the only time where a voice over is used, where the narrator speaks and explains how he and a friend explore a pet cemetery on the way to the airport at the end of a trip. Exploring a cemetery is a sombre way of passing time, but a good way to reflect on good times within life, like you might reflect on good times after a holiday. This documentary is quiet and peaceful in a respectful way, without an influencing voiceover, it allows you to mourn animals that you never even met.
Throughout this documentary, it is shot in a handheld footage way, which reflects the spontaneity of the moment in visiting the cemetery, if they turned up and just shot it on their phone to capture the memory. At the pet cemetery, they explore and show a series of graves, each with its personal touch, whether it’s a simple comment like “our buddy” or a funny name. Each grave represents the life of an animal that was truly loved by its owners, and the loss of a pet is a type of grief most people have or will experience in a lifetime, making the subject relatable and more emotionally influential.
Reflection:
Looking at documentary shorts is a good way to quickly expand my knowledge on documentary styles and techniques, and allows me to consume more content quickly. Here I chose to explore an observational documentary because although documentaries can never show the full truth and will always reflect a sense of bias, this mode is a beautiful way of visually representing something while still giving an audience more freedom to view and interpret it independently.
Unfortunately, this is the worst textual analysis I have produced since beginning the course in September. I scored a total of 14/28, which is divided into 4/8 for cultural contexts, 6/12 for Film elements, and 4/8 for Relationships within the film text. Normally, I am able to produce work to a much higher standard, but due to poor mental health at the time, I performed much worse than expected. However, I intend to redraft this essay and do significantly better once I am in a healthier headspace.
