Enjoying Horror Discussion
I think an excellent example of Diegetic sound comes fairly early in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer in which Buffy is in a classroom and starts to dream in this dream there is a little girl with a small wooden box singing a song with a bit of a nursery rhyme cadence. The song seemed to go, “Can’t even shout, can’t even cry, the gentle man are coming by. Looking in windows, knocking on doors, they need to take 7 and they might take yours. Can’t call to mom, can’t say a word you are gonna die screaming and you wont be hear.” This is a pretty classic horror trope. A little girl singing a nursery rhyme that has a bit of an ominous tone and language to it. I chose to use this example for Diegetic sound because this is something we see all the time in horror movies and it has a creepy, chilling, effect to it that makes the audience feel a certain way.
My example for Non-Diegetic sound happens at about 13:09 into the episode and there is some ominous music as the camera pans to a clock tower in the night, this again as several classic horror tropes in it as old clock towers in the night are used often in horror movies. Then there is a box next to some hands of a man who is clearly very old, however we do not see his face yet. Next there is more Non- Diegetic sound with inaudible whispering as the box steals some ghostly mist from the bodies of several people including Buffy. This was really the best example of Non- Diegetic sound I found in this episode as it pertains to horror movie affects. Non- Diegetic sound is a very important part of horror movies, particularly in the form of background music, as it helps create the creepy aesthetic that directors of these types of films are after. There is a reason that the most iconic part of many classic horror movies is the theme music.
My example for mis-en-scene happens directly after the example above, as the old creepy hands shut the box closed that has just stolen some kind of mist from the bodies of the people in the town, the camera slowly pans up and reveals the face, the same face Buffy saw for a flash in her dream. The face of the man was a very intricate and elaborate costume consisting of large fake silver teeth, clammy looking grey colored skin, an elongated nose, and piercing yellowish beady eyes. This is a clear example of mis-en scene and the slow pan of the camera before the reveal of the face gave the shock value that makes this valuable in the context of a horror movie. There is also a bit of an ominous feel to this scene as this is a face that Buffy has seen before and this character will clearly be the antagonist that Buffy will have to deal with. Mis-en-scene like Non- Diegetic sound is incredibly important for horror movies and costume, scenes, and camera work all play there part in creating the horror movie aesthetic. Similar to how iconic theme music is remembered, many horror movies are remembered for the famous costumes of the main antagonist.
I think that these three instances are great examples of Diegetic, Non- Diegetic and Mis-en-scene respectively, especially in the context of a horror movie or show. They all add to the creepy, foreboding feeling that the director of a horror movie is trying to make his audience feel. There is an impending since of doom at this point in the episode as the man with the evil looking face has just stolen something that is valuable to the people in the town, and even Buffy herself. All of these concepts have played a part in this episode to create the feel and the aesthetic that the director of this episode wanted to give it the classic feel of a horror movie. It is this aesthetic that gives the audience that tingling in the spine and need to look over their shoulders that they want to feel when they go to watch a horror movie and stays with them for days weeks or even month after. Without these film making concepts it would not be possible to give a movie feel or character, it really wouldn’t be possible to make any type of movie at all. This is why these concepts are so important.
Filed under Unit 06 | Comment (1)One Response to “Enjoying Horror Discussion”
Both of your examples for the diegetic and non-diegetic are great, I remember those two scenes perfectly. Those are some of the significant scenes that stood out to me also. I do agree with your comment about the how the costumes that make up part of the mis en scene are remembered just like some iconic theme music is. I guess one example of mis en scene from classic horror movies would be from the movie psycho, where Norman’s mom is up in the old house, just sitting by the window of their old house. I remember her clearly, just how even her shadow was memorable, they didn’t even really need to show her costume, but the shadow of her in the wheelchair was memorable because of the creepy feel she was giving out and how they made her come off to the audience. The music during the classic shower scene was also very memorable. There are so many unique things that make up horror movies compared to other genres. I think that the combination of all of these put together and how they are put together with the timing of acting and the music and lighting are very important pieces of this. Placing them in a way the portrays the horror and gothic sense, I believe is a form of art in itself.