Year 11 Term 2 - Nosferatu: An Analysis of Horror

Horror has been a staple genre in films for many years, going all the way back to the silent era of films. It is arguably the most popular genre of film of all time, spanning different time periods and even cultures. Despite inducing fear and terror and maybe even trauma, people continue to be to entertained by this frightful genre. While classic horror films typically feature undead, supernatural beings such as as the main villain, sometimes monsters, humans and even aliens can become the antagonist. Even tyres can be something to be afraid of. But, no matter what time period, culture, or antagonist, horror films have one goal: to make the viewer feel scared. While we might think that horror films at the time aren't as terrifying as they are now, they surely were to the people who first watched them.

Horror films typically feature a villain with malicious
intent bent on killing the protagonists.
Image courtesy of nofilmschool.com

Nowadays, horror films are typically divided into 3 main sub-genres: psychological, slasher, and gothic. Psychological horror films usually have the most supernatural elements to them, as they want to have a 'psychological' impact on the viewer, using emotions such as fear, guilt, and paranoia and effects such as sounds, lighting, mise-en-scene, and character designs to keep them scared even after the film is over. One popular example of a psychological horror is The Ring (2002). Slasher films, on the other hand, focus more on a psychopathic killer who goes on murdering people in violent ways, and therefore contain aspects of gore. They aren't as mentally scarring as psychological horror films, but can still be quite disturbing. Examples include Friday the 13th (1980), Halloween (1978), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Finally, we have gothic horror films. They combine elements of death, horror, and often romance. The typical conventions of a gothic horror include a gloomy setting, supernatural beings, curses, prophecies, damsels in distress, etc. The most well known gothic horror films were made by Universal Studios in the 1920s to the 1950s, with the collection of these films usually referred to as "Universal Horror".

One particularly famous example of a gothic horror film is Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922), also known as Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, or simply Nosferatu. It is an unauthorised adaption of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, and produced by Prana Studio. The film stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, the main vampire in the film. To avoid copyright infringements, Murnau made several changes to the characters' names, settings, and even the story to some extent. Ultimately, the studio was forced to file for bankcruptcy because they were sued and all copies of the film were ordered to be destroyed. Fortunately however, some copies have survived to this day and were restored, and the film itself is considered to be a classic.

An original 1922 poster of Nosferatu, taken from traileraddicts.com

Nosferatu is known for being a German Expressionist film, where conventions that started outside of Germany are rejected, and the reality within the movie is shown to be heavily distorted, with wild aesthetics. The movement started due to Germany's rejection of foreign films. The film is also known for using real locations rather than exaggerated sets. The film also uses iris lenses for shooting dark scenes, as cameras at the time did not work well in the dark. Therefore, the film shot night scenes in the day, while trying to make it look like it was night. Being a silent film, Nosferatu uses intertitles to show dialogue as well as narration. The effect of the intertitle may vary from person to person, but it may add suspense to the film as it can create short pauses during tense scenes, but they may also reduce suspense since they take the viewer out of the film for a second. The intertitles in Nosferatu tend to be short and only contain a few words, unless it is a narration, where it becomes very descriptive.

A very descriptive intertitle that appears in the film

The word "Nosferatu" is, in fact, made up for the film. While it is presented as a Romanian word synonymous with "vampire", there is no such word in the Romanian language. However, some theories suggest that the word does indeed have some Romanian origin to it. Some people suggest that the word may have been derived from or misinterpreted from the Romanian words "nesuferitu" and "necurat", meaning "the unclean" and "the insufferable" respectively. Because vampires are considered to be "unholy spirits", these possibilities make sense. The word may also stem from the Greek "Nosophoros", meaning bringer of plague, as in the film Count Orlok spreads the plague with him everywhere he goes.

Because of how early in film history it was produced in, Nosferatu is considered to be an archetype of the vampire genre and even the horror genre as a whole. It defined various aspects of vampires that later films would follow, and we can see various conventions that are present in this film commonly found in modern horror films. One of the most iconic scenes in Nosferatu being the scene where Count Orlok climbs the stairs to Ellen's room and his shadow is cast on to the wall.

The scene towards the end of the film as Orlok approaches Ellen.

This technique has been used time and time again to show the villain approaching one of the protagonists, usually in a helpless state. This technique is also done at the beginning of the film where the Count approaches Hutter in his room.

Orlok's shadow cast on the wall while Hutter hides helplessly at the bottom of the frame.

The above shot also happens to be a subjective shot, since we are seeing it from Orlok's point of view. It creates a sense of dread and terror as he approaches Hutter.

We can assume that Nosferatu is a gothic horror film, as it does have elements of goth, curses, prophecies and even a damsel in distress. It can't be a slasher since the Count does not go on a violent killing spree, and it also can't be a psychological horror since it doesn't leave a psychological impact on the viewer (at least in modern times).  Therefore, Nosferatu is a gothic horror.

It is easy to spot some common tropes and conventions of modern horror films in this film. For example, Nosferatu may have popularised the idea that sunlight is deadly to vampires, and doesn't just weaken them like in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Another trope of the gothic horror genre that appears in the film is the "henchman" archetype, in the form of Knock. We can see that in contrast to the Count, Knock looks much less threatening, and does not seem to have supernatural powers of his own. Also, at one point of the film the setting becomes that of the Count's castle in Transylvania, with castles being a popular setting in the goth culture. The music is also orchestral, typical of the gothic culture. When Hutter first meets Orlok, he does not realise he is a vampire until he starts sucking his blood, a common trope where the protagonist does not realise the presence of 'the bad guy' even though its somewhat obvious. The film also gives the Count ghost-like abilities, such as revealing himself to a sailor on the ship and then dissapearing again, and in a later scene he physically passes through the door to his new house in Wisborg. Finally, there is the trope where the castle gates open by themselves, as well as the other iconic scene where the Count raises himself from the coffin on the ship.

The iconic scene where Count Orlok raises himself from a coffin.

Another memorable scene from the film,
most known for its appearance in Spongebob Sqaurepants.

However, some conventions in Nosferatu never really caught on with modern vampire or horror films. For example, Count Orlok is portrayed as being hideous and having a skeletal figure with long fingernails and a bald head. In modern times however, vampires are portrayed as suave, cunning, handsome, and overall attractive. Additionally, vampires today are shown to be able to turn others into vampires, while in Nosferatu Orlok simply kills people after he sucks their blood. The Count is also able to spread disease in this film, while modern vampires don't. Also, in Nosferatu it is shown that Count Orlok has some association with rats, while modern vampires are usually associated with bats, and may even be able to transform into them.

The film also uses chiaroscuro lighting heavily, where lights and shadow are starkly contrasted. Despite being used in many scenes, only some scenes have succesfully used it to create a unique effect, particularly the scenes where Ellen gets attacked by Orlok.

Orlok entering Ellen's room

Ellen after being bitten by Orlok

In both scenes, there is a clear contrast between the blacks and the whites. This accentuates a feeling of dread and mystery within the scene. It may also create a feeling where the darkness takes over the light, or that evil has triumphed over justice. This form of lighting also contrasts the scene right after, where Orlok gets killed by sunlight.

While the previous scenes have stark contrast between whites and blacks,
here the contrast is much more subtle.

F. W. Murnau was an apparent homosexual, and this was exaggerated in the metafictional adaptation of Nosferatu's production, Shadow of the Vampire.While not shown directly in the film, some aspects may allude to his repressed homosexuality. For example, Orlok's lust for Ellen may have represented Murnau's feeling of frustration and restraint. In the film, Orlok lives in a castle isolated from civilisation. Orlok's isolation may also represent Murnau's feeling of loneliness. It is also interesting to note how Orlok interacts with Hutter. When Hutter first arrives at Orlok's castle and cuts himself during dinner, Orlok suddenly and forcefully tries to suck his blood. In fact, during the whole dinner scene Orlok is shown to simply be watching Hutter as he eats, while seemingly reading papers. Finally, while Orlok usually kills his victims including the ship captain ultimately Ellen, Orlok leaves Hutter alive. This may be hinting that Murnau is inserting part of his personality into Orlok. Orlok is also shown to have interest in Ellen, but when he actually meets her, Orlok only wants her blood and kills her. This could show how Murnau has desires to be with people, but in different ways than most would expect.

Nosferatu is considered to be a legendary film for its time, inventing some conventions that horror films would follow today. While it may not seem as terrifying compared to modern horror films, it does set a great example of a classic vampire film, and is still entertaining even today.

Sources
www.slideshare.net/lalaland_xo/horror-film-forms-and-conventions
http://study.com/academy/lesson/gothic-novels-characteristics-examples.html
http://eric.b.olsen.tripod.com/nosferatu.html
http://www.liquisearch.com/nosferatu_word/origins_of_the_name
https://news.artnet.com/market/art-house-an-introduction-to-german-expressionist-films-32845
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/Nosferatu
https://www.academia.edu/5328269/Murnau_and_the_Evil_of_Sexuality_A_Look_at_Nosferatu_and_Sunrise
https://pinoy-comics-tv-movies.blogspot.sg/2010/01/filipino-boy-and-death-of-murnau.html

Year 11 Term 1 - Passing the Salt

The first project we did this term, and therefore this year, was a short practice exercise called 'Pass the Salt'. During this exercise, we practiced about not crossing the '180 degree line', as well as the different roles, such as the cameraman, director, assistant director and actor. The basic premise of the film would be about 4 people eating at a table, and asking and passing the salt around.

The first step we took in making the film was planning and storyboarding. During this step, we as a class created the 'story' and shot types, as well as considering the genre of the film. The storyboard we created included 12 shot types.

The storyboard draft (top) and final version (bottom)

The first draft was drawn on a whiteboard. We later transferred each panel onto sheets of paper and continued from there. After we finalised the storyboard, we created a shot list to know which order we would shoot in to make filming easier. We also deviated from the storyboard a bit, and changed the last shot where C passes the salt to D. We made it so that C drops the salt and D gets upset about it, filmed that from two angles, and added an additional shot where A and B look at each other awkwardly. We decided to shoot everything in order of wideness, with wider shots being done first, midshots in the middle, and things like closeups done last.

After we completed the shot list, we decided on a place to film. We needed to film in a place with a projector since we wanted to connect the camera to the projector so everyone could see the footage more easily. We considered shooting in MPR (multi purpose room) 1, however we decided not to because the lighting was bad and wouldn't be able to connect to the projector in that room. So, we instead decided to shoot in one of the classrooms in the library.

Shooting took a total of two lessons, or two hours. While we were shooting, we each had to rotate between director, cameraman, assistant director (who managed the slate and shot list), actors, and being idle. Because we had to rotate actors, it created inconsistencies in the clips. 

The establishing shot with Sam and Shila as A and B respectively...

...but later becomes Shila and Shona as A and B in the final shot.

For equipment, we used one Sony camera, a tripod, dolly, and of course a projector, We didn't need any boom mics because it was a small project and the camera's own microphone was able to pick up the sound quite easily. When we were about to get ready for the shoot, we realised we had the french fries, yet we forgot to bring the titular salt, so we ended up using a glue stick with the word 'salt' stuck to it. Also, production took two days, and on the second day we forgot to bring the fries, so we had to disguise the containers to look like they were boxes of fries. Since we were shooting in limited space, it was sometimes difficult to do wide shots since we couldn't walk out any further and were constrained to the walls of the room. For example, the shot where Sam passes the salt to Sebastian but was intercepted by Shila could have had Sam and Sebastian within the frame, but because the room was quite small we could only get Shila and Sam partially in the frame.

In this shot, we originally planned to have only Sam (A) and Shila (B) in the frame (storyboard panel 4), however we decided it would make better sense if we included Sebastian (C) as well. Unfortunately, we couldn't get them all in frame due to space limitation.

Since the practice was supposed to be about the 180 degree rule, we needed to go around the table circularly to get everyone in. But, there were times when we actually did break the 180 degree rule, such as when C passes the salt to D and the camera looks at A and B.

Camera positions and 180 degree lines in shots 9-11

Shot 10a

Shot 10b

Shot 11

We can see that shot 11 crosses the lines of both 10a and 10b, therefore breaking the 180 degree rule. However, we concluded that despite crossing the line, it still makes sense because we already know the spatial relationship between A and B and C and D. The audience still maintains the orientation of characters from the backgrounds of the shots, even if the characters themselves have switched roles.

After filming, we realised that we forgot to shoot shots 2, 5 and 7. Looking back, we realised that those shots were combined with others. For example, shot 5 was supposed to be a close up of the salt being passed from A to B, but it was integrated into shot 4.

This was supposed to be a close-up on the 'salt'.

Most shots only took 1 or 2 takes, but shot 10, the shot where D asks for the salt, took 7 takes. We decided to change the story somewhat by adding more dialog and some acting. The shot ended up having D (Sam) getting suddenly upset and frustrated at C (Sebastian) for dropping the salt, and C acting like he doesn't care.

After we completed shooting, we all had to edit the piece individually. We were allowed to choose the genre, music, sound effects by ourselves. I decided that I would make the genre be suspenseful. I decided to keep the entire film keep the sound but add suspenseful music when D gets frustrated. I also considered adding some subtle salt shaking sounds. For my edit, I decided to make it so that shot 10 switches angles whenever needed, such as to show Sebastian's indifference when he drops the salt and then cut back to Sam. I will be editing the piece in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Editing the piece together in Premiere Pro. I had to synchronise the audio between the two clips to see where each action happens.

In the end, I decided to put the music throughout the whole video, but at a quiet volume which goes up as the video goes, and suddenly become more tense when Sam asks for the salt. The music I used is "Seeking the Truth" by Greg Noblin.

While trying to come up with an ending which is not too abrupt, I ended up expanding the last clip where Shila and Shona look at each other. I played the clip again if I could use something from that clip for the ending, and noticed that the music got cutoff right when the director says cut. I thought it would be an interesting twist if the video ended like that, so I left it so. 

In the end, I exported the project in the H.264 format at 25 fps. Rendering took ~1 minute using CUDA hardware acceleration. The final product can be watched here.