World of Art

First Article:

Edge Staff (2006). “How to Make Fear”. Retrieved November 8th, 2013, from http://www.edge-online.com/features/how-make-fear/

This article mainly focused on how to make fear. It pointed out ten ideas related to making fear especially in videos or Hallowing seasons. This article used examples from Silent Hill and other horror movies or games to illustrate why people would feel fear and how to build such situations to enhance the horror feelings from the audiences.

Both the reading and this article describe the relationship between fear and curiosity. In the reading, Carroll stated that “Thus, to a large extent, the horror story is driven explicitly by curiosity. It engages its audience by being involved in processes of disclosure, discovery, proof, explanation hypothesis, and confirmation.” (Carroll, 279) Carroll pointed out that curiosity was one of the main factors to drive fear and curiosity actually sometimes replace fear or enhance fear. In the article, it also explained that how curiosity and people’s anticipation would produce impacts on making fear. The article mentioned that in order to make fear, people need to create sense of curiosity and anticipation of fear, which means that when people noticed something strange happen, they would be more willing to find out what happen and they also will produce anticipation of fear. (Edge staff, 1) At this moment, people would be easier to feel fear even they have the awareness of coming fear.

The article also mentioned a point of making fear related to put people into a isolated and unfamiliar situation. In the reading, Carroll described that “However, the horror fiction is a special variation on this general narrative motivation, because it has at the center of it something which is given as in principle unknowable.” (Carroll, 281) Carroll explained how unknown things will create feelings of horror to the audiences. In the article, it also talked about creating sense of isolation and unknown situation will enhance the feelings of fear. The article and reading explained at different approaches on how to create fear, but both of them indicated the effects from curiosity and unknown toward fear.

Second Article:

Dharmbir Rai Sharma, “Fear of the Unknown – or of the Known?”. Retrieved November 8th, 2013, from http://www.trans4mind.com/counterpoint/index-meditation-eastern/sharma5.shtml

This article mainly talks about the relationship between fear and unknown or known things. The article explained why in psychological area, many people believe fear can be created by unknown things. Also, the article pointed out that fear could be also produced by known things. The article concluded that fear could be a combination effects of both unknown and known things and the most effective way to overcome fear is to make the mind quiet and analyze the sequence of events leading to the fear. (Sharma)

Compared with the reading, Carroll also mentioned that fear could be produced by unknown things. Carroll stated that “Of course, what it means to say that the horrific beings is unknown here is that it is not accommodated by standing conceptual schemes.” (Carroll, 283) Carroll also stated that horrific beings are predictably objects of loathing and revulsion is a function of the ways they violate our classificatory scheme. (Carroll, 283) Carroll pointed out that horrific beings are sometimes produced by unknown things, because unknown things usually cannot accommodate by people’s standing conceptual schemes. In the article, it also explained that unknown things would produce fear. It stated that “From a psychological perspective there is a mutual affinity between fear and darkness. Darkness implies ignorance in the sense that we cannot see anything.” (Sharma) People are unknown of what happen in the darkness, so they are fear in the darkness. Both the article and the reading mentioned that unknown things or feelings can enhance fear. However, the article also pointed out that known things sometimes can also produce fear. The author used fear and death as an example. All people know death, but most of people will fear about death. The author pointed out that people do not fear about unknown of death, but fear about loss of known of death. (Sharma) The reading established a good approach on how people fear during horror films and the article actually emphasize the effects toward fear from unknown and known things.

Diegetic sound:

One example of deigetic sound is at 02:25 of the Buffy episode. After the girl kissed the guy, the girl is taken to another strange place. And this time there is a deigetic sound coming from a little girl that she is singing. This is an example of diegetic sound because it is the voice of a character. The source of the sound is visible on the screen which is the little girl. I choose this song because it was the first moment in the video that I feel scared. This example does contribute to the aesthetic of horror in the movie because the voice coming from the a little girl is strange especially when the place suddenly changed from a classroom with many students to a classroom with no one else. After changing the place, there are only the girl and the guy on the screen. Suddenly there is voice coming out which will make the audience feel strange and scared.

Non-diegetic sound:

One example of non-diegetic sound is 1:51 of the Buffy episode. When the girl is kissing the guys, the light suddenly disappear into dark. The sound suddenly changed from romantic music to scared wind voice. The wind voice is an example of non-diegetic sound, because it is a sound effect which is added for the dramatic effect. I choose this example because when the sound comes out, my feeling changes quickly from a romantic feeling to a scared feeling. And I know some terrible things will happen very soon. This example does contribute to the aesthetic horror of the movie because it created a scared feeling and mood for the audiences.

Mise-en-scene:

One example of mise-en-scene is 24:09 in the Buffy episode. At a night, when a girl standing in front of the window and check what happen outside. Suddenly a monster’s face show out outside of the window and the angle of the screen is focusing on the monster’s entire face. This is an example of mise-en-scene because it focuses on what can be seen in the picture. I choose this example because when I see those monsters coming out to the town and I have the feeling of the happening terrible things. I am preparing to be scared, but I still shout out when I see that white and terrible face. This example does contribute to the aesthetic of horror because it enhances the feeling of horror and makes that monster even more scared.