Film Study: Monster House

                                      

  The movie that we want to study is Monster House, which is the 3D computer-animated supernatural horror and comedy film. The human character was used in the live-action motion capture technique. This movie was directed by Gil Kenan and the release date was July 21 in 2006.

 About the genre of this film, this film had multiple genres like horror, comedy, action and adventure. These genres had using some of the film technique to achieve and match the genre like the sound, lighting and others of the elements.  Firstly, we discuss the horror genre. Same as the previous of the report (The Six Sense), the objective of horror genre movie is making the audience scary and the feeling of frighten. So, the main purpose of is making the scary of the audience. For the example, we can notice that when the Horace Nebbercracker come out from his house, the colour of his room is the black colour, which is dark, and the face is slowly come out from the door. It makes a strong contrast between the colour and the facial expression of him is very dynamic that makes the audience feels he is very scary. About the colour, we also can notice that the colour of the Horace Nebbercracker’s house and also the surrounding of the house is dark and cool colour. This make the audience become uncomfortable and also as the portent that will happen something.

  

  The next genre is about the comedy, which of the genre that wants to make the audiences laugh is the main purpose. Comedy is a sub-genre in this film, and it archives it task by some film techniques. For the example in the Monster House, the character who named Chowder, the archetype of character is a joker. The role of this archetype is making the fun for the character around him. The interaction with D.J. Walters makes the personality of him become obvious. He is acting very funny like do some stupid things and in front of girl will change the truth of his character. There also some of the comedy elements hiding in the film. The comedy as the sub-genre can make the film become more excited and interesting, while the plot of the story is boring.

  Thirdly, the action also as a sub-genre of this movie. Actually, the action film has some of the scenes of the fighting, escaping ad others scene that can attract the attention of the audiences and make the audiences become excited and enjoy the film. In the Monster House, there have two of the part that the audience can feel the action genre, which is the main character and his friends escape from the Monster House. On the way of escaping, the acting of them is very dynamic and also catch the attention of the viewers. The other scene is they escaping and fighting with the Monster House. D.J. Walters receives the dynamic from Horace Nebbercracker to destroy the Monster House. By the way, he wants to climb up to the high place to throw the dynamic because it only has one chance. When D.J Walters prepare to throw the dynamic, he faces the crisis that he almost fell down. About the camera angle of the action film, the audiences can notice that some of the event or action will have more than two shot from a different angle. For example, the famous artist Jakie Chan escape from an explosion, there will have different angle shot like high-angle shot, low-angle shot or bird’s-eye view. In the Monster House, when the dynamic explosion there have some of the camera angles, to show the area of explosion or the people who involve in the explosion.

  The last of the sub-genre is adventure. The adventure type of movie is related to the main character that wants to achieve or research something. When in the process, they will face some crisis or challenge. Same as the Monster House, while the main characters want to destroy the heart of Monster House, they almost got eaten by the Monster House. They find out some things that in the underground of the house and the green colour in this place make us feel that the mystery of the place.

  About the story, the little boy named D.J. Walters, who was spying his neighbour Mr. Horace Nebbercracker because of the cruel action. One day, D.J. Walters and his friend Chowder go into the lawn of Mr. Horace because want to pick up the ball. Mr. Horace comes out from his house and feels very angry, he catches up D.J. Walter. Suddenly, Mr. Horace was suffering a heart attack and taken away by the ambulance. They pick up the key that drops from Mr. Horace pocket. After Mr. Horace left, the house becomes a monster house that would eat the people near to it. They save the girl who named Jenny Bennett from the Monster House and decides to destroy the heart of the house. However, they fail to destroy the heart and escape. Mr. Horace comes back to the house and tells them the fact of the house. Mr. Horace decides to destroy the monster house and give the dynamic to D.J. Walters. Finally, they succeeded in destroying the house.

  In conclusion, Monster House was created by some of the genres, the main of the genre is horror and the sub-genre is action, comedy and also an adventure. The combination of the genres makes the movie become interesting and make the audience focus on the scene. I think this is a successful movie because it used lots of film techniques.

Film Study: The Sixth Sense

   

  

  The Sixth Sense is an American movie supernatural horror film which directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It released by Hollywood Pictures on August 6 in 1999 and received well in the review of the movie which the acting performance, atmosphere and twist conclusion in the movie. In 1999, as the second-highest-grossing film, it earns about $293 million in the United State and $379 million in other markets. It became the highest-grossing horror film until 2017.

  This movie used lots of film techniques to categorized as a horror film. First of all, what is a horror film? The horror film is a genre of movie that makes the audiences elicit fear. In order to achieve this effect, the film director will use the place that familiar for the audience like washroom, bedroom, elevator and others as the space that to cut in some film techniques that related to the horror genre. For example, in The Sixth Sense, Cole sees the ghost passing and talking to him in the corridor of the house. It will make some of the audience links this sense to their daily life, which has a similar place in their house. As the horror movie, the most famous technique will be used in horror movie is jump scare, which is the technique that to scared or catch the attention of the audience by surprising them with an abrupt change in image or event, usually it will be accompanied by a loud and frightening sound. In The Sixth Sense, there have some of the scenes that used this technique. For example, when Crowe stayed with her wife for observing the broken window in their house, the shadow of the shadow of the figure passing the room suddenly. It had successfully for scaring and catch the attention of the audiences. In addition, the lighting of the scape also as important in the horror film. The audience can notice that the horror scene will only appear in the dark and gloomy place compare to other scenes. It will help to increase the feeling of scary. Due to the other scene, for example, the harmony scene is lighter and clear. The audience can feel very comfortable. The dark and gloomy of the space will give the audience a feeling of cool and forlorn. Next is about the background music. Background music has been the importance element until nowadays. The right use of background music(BGM) will make the audience have a sense about the ambience. It let the audiences involved in the scene in the movie.

  This movie was talking about the child psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe who helped lots of children to help Cole Sear, who able to see and talk to the dead people. At the beginning of the story, the teenager appears in the room of Crowe and started to accuse Crowe of failing him. The teenager is one of his previous patients, Vincent Grey. Vincent shot Crowe and killing himself. The next fall, Crowe start to work with other patients, who is the main character of the story, Cole Sear. Crowe doubted himself that didn't have the ability to help Cole. However, he tried to help Cole, and he got Cole trust. Cole told his secret to Crowe, which was he can see the dead people, mean ghost. Cole decides to face the problem and start to learn live with the ghosts. He also begins to fit in his school compare to early of the story and become the main character in the school play. At the end of the story, Cole was resolved all of the problems, and Crowe noticed that he was already dead, caused by the shooting of Vincent, he wasn't ignored by his wife, the fact was his wife can't saw him.

  In my observation, the film techniques used in this movie is very well. About the first things talking about in the second paragraph, the use of the space is base on the internal thinking of the audience. What of the places can relate to daily life? What of the space that audiences usually stay off?  So that why 10 of the horror movie, 8 of them the ghost or the scary scene will appear in the washroom. About the next technique is jump scare. In this movie, the director hadn't used this technique from time to time. So it created the best of the effect, catch the attention of the audience on time. If a movie uses this technique from time to time, the audiences will get bored because they have already numbness for the scene. Background music, which is BGM used in this film also very nice, the BGM is suitable in all of the scene, the scary scene, warming scene and others. If the wrong use of BGM will create a weird effect, what will happen if the scary scene with action BGM? It will be very weird and not suitable.

  In conclusion, it is a very nice and interesting movie. What surprised me the most is about the ending which is the ending of Dr Malcolm Crowe. Although it is a horror movie, it has some of the subgenres apply in this movie. This makes the movie become more interesting and have a good storyline compare to some of the movies, it does not only focus on the scary scene in the movie.