For a film, the shots, the editing, the soundtrack, and the performance are all important parts of the organic system of the film, and the same is true for horror movies. Because horror movies are generally shot at a small cost, two genres have now formed, one is to use thrilling sound effects and special effects makeup to achieve scary purposes, Japanese horror movies have a high degree of achievement in this regard, and the other is through superb camera movement and editing, to create a tense and exciting horror atmosphere, which is the specialty of Hollywood directors. The two genres are mutually reinforcing, but the latter is more inclined to artisticize horror films, proving that small-budget films can also be very advanced.
Released in 2016, Shark Beach is a prime example of a small-budget thriller, earning a global box office of $112 million at a production cost of $17 million, an impressive achievement that also heralded a renaissance in the shark genre. What is even more rare is that there are very few low-level horror methods in the film, but with superb mirror movement and the progression of the plot layer by layer, the purpose of creating a horror atmosphere has been achieved. This article will provide an in-depth interpretation of the way the mirror is transported in the film, and unveil the mystery of the light and shadow of "Shark Beach".
The main story of the movie is very simple, which can be summarized into one sentence: the heroine Nancy, who enjoys surfing in the remote sea, is attacked by a shark and finally escapes the shark's mouth through witty and brave self-help. Nancy is reluctant to surf in the crowds, so she finds a quiet and remote shark beach to enjoy alone, but is targeted by a shark. From the initial temptation to the sudden attack, the shark never gives up on the food that is about to arrive. Nancy, on the other hand, recovered her sanity in time from her panic and fear, and left the shark behind with her self-rescue again and again.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > subjective shot of predators</h1>
The lens is not only a storytelling tool for the film, but if we carefully observe the details of the use of the lens, we can analyze the director's true intentions. For example, the up-and-up shot is generally used to show the weak to the strong, and through the back shot, the audience can be more intuitively aware of the relationship between the characters. For example, in the film "Kong Skull Island", the upward shot shows the huge body of the spider monster in a complete way, bringing a strong sense of visual oppression to the audience, and creating a tense and terrifying atmosphere.
For the movie "Shark Beach", because the fear comes from the sharks in the seawater, the underwater upward shot is not to express the submission of the weak to the strong, but to become the predation of the strong to the weak. At this time, the subjective perspective of the up-and-up shot comes from the shark, which is the "predator perspective" that we are familiar with. We may not pay special attention to the way we move the camera and the direction of the lens when watching the film, but we have invisibly entered the dream of light and shadow woven by the director and the photographer. By analyzing these shots, we can explain where our fears come from when we watch movies.
Scene 1: The heroine desperately tries to escape after being attacked by a shark for the first time, at which point the "predator perspective" is switched, and the camera turns into the shark's eyes to show the protagonist's panic when he escapes. The camera moves faster and faster, and the distance between the camera and the protagonist is getting closer and closer, representing that the shark is rapidly approaching, until the protagonist climbs on the back of the whale when he is about to be chased by the camera, and the audience's heart that has been hanging can be relaxed.
Scene 2: In addition to the excellent performance in the chase scene, there is also a successful back-up shot in "Shark Beach": after the protagonist escapes to the reef, the shark once again returns to no avail, and a set of back shots that appear at this time move around the reef, forming a surround up shot. Not only does it show the protagonist's desperate isolation, but this peeping perspective also creates an extremely disturbing atmosphere. There is also a place to note, the underwater upward shot is very smooth, which contrasts strongly with the shaking shot of the protagonist on the water, and also shows that the shark is confident about prey.
In the latest movie "Invisible Man", the application of "predator perspective" has a unique advantage, the abuser puts on invisible clothes, wanders around his girlfriend unscrupulously, and the oppression brought about by close peeping is multiplied. At this point, the lens is the "predator perspective", that is, the perspective of the strong/the perspective of the dark, because the abuser is invisible, and the audience does not know where he is, but the camera can give us the answer.
Example scene: Except for the girlfriend in the center of the camera who is packing things in the room, switch the mid-shot at this time, then slowly pan to the right, and finally freeze on the other side of the empty room. Although this shot is short, it is very advanced, and it is only a single shot that obscurely tells the audience about the existence of the invisible man. The film makes extensive use of "predator perspective" footage, giving the audience another way to experience the film: imagining yourself as an invisible person, there will be a different kind of movie-going experience.
Type of use: Similar "predator perspective" shots can be effectively used in many types of films, such as monster movies with obvious strength and weakness, through which the audience can more intuitively accept the gap between strength and weakness, while the predator perspective lens on land has become a top-down shot, which can better reflect the smallness of human beings and create an inescapable sense of oppression. The other is stylized, like the classic thriller Cabin in the Woods and Jennifer Lawrence's Hunger Games series, where the shots are not a "predator perspective" but a "God perspective." Similar to Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, it uses an all-knowing "God perspective" to create a thrilling suspense atmosphere.
For ordinary photography enthusiasts, if you want to shoot similar shots, you need to pay attention to two points: you can change the stability of the lens while switching the angle of view; and the height of the lens is selected. As we mentioned earlier in Shark Beach, the shot from the "predator's point of view" is stable and fast, representing the strength and calmness of the predator. The subjective shots of the predators are mixed with shaking and panic, showing the fear and helplessness of the predators. Different lens heights can express different meanings, the overhead lens can be used to describe the strength of the "voyeur", and the head-up or slightly upward lens can show the humble status and inferiority of the "voyeur".
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > handheld photography</h1>
There is also an excellent way to carry the camera in "Shark Beach" - handheld photography, before the protagonist encounters a shark attack, the photographer uses more fixed lens and stabilizer photography, and the overall picture is smooth, dynamic and stable. However, after the protagonist goes into the water for the second time and the two new friends leave, the camera movement suddenly becomes slower, and it is obvious that the underwater lens has increased, and the way of moving the lens has also become handheld photography.
The frequency of the camera's shaking matches the fluctuations of the sea, indicating that there is an unpredictable danger lurking in the sea. When the shark first attacks the protagonist, the uneasy atmosphere created by the handheld photography reaches its peak, when almost two-thirds of the shot is invaded by the sea, and the floating shot seems to engulf the protagonist, which not only means that danger is coming, but also brings an oppressive impact to the audience visually. As the camera continues to float, we seem to be in the same environment, allowing the viewer to quickly substitute for the feelings of the protagonist, bringing an extraordinary immersive experience.
Handheld photography has always been the last resort to the atmosphere of horror movies, and the famous science fiction thriller film "Clover Files" uses "pseudo-DV style" photography, using handheld photography to create documentary-style realism. The whole film does not show the full picture of the monster, but it can make the audience have a great thriller experience, thanks to the sense of substitution generated by the handheld photography, as if the audience is controlling the camera. There are many such films, such as the Korean movie "Kun Chi Yan" and the Hollywood science fiction classic "District 9", which use a lot of handheld photography, using unstable lenses to bring a sense of reality, and using subjective lenses to create a sense of substitution.
When it comes to the application of handheld photography in horror films, we have to mention the horror film "Ghost Shadow Recording", which is a small-budget film that uses DV to shoot the whole film, and the quality of DV is not beautified, so that the audience can fully participate. From the early stage of the super long preparation, to the initial appearance of the uneasy atmosphere, and then to the "ghost shadow recording", this movie has become a classic with a small and broad lens with this gimmicky way.
Handheld photography is more widely used in today's lives, and the portability of mobile phones makes it possible for each of us to become a good photographer. Handheld photography and mobile phones have an innate fit, this way of moving the lens brings a sense of realism that the stabilizer can not reach, handheld photography makes the film closer to life and the audience, will make the audience have an illusion of participation. In addition to ordinary people to record life, another important use of handheld photography is to produce "pseudo-documentary" movies, the domestic film "Pluto Moment" through handheld photography to let the audience experience a novel exploration journey, immersive experience to this mediocre film to bring a touch of mystery.
However, although handheld photography is widely used, but its own limitations are also very obvious, this way of moving the mirror is not suitable for long-range, ultra-long-range shooting, but only suitable for close-up and close-up, only by reducing the distance between the lens and the audience, in order to play the maximum potential of this way of moving the lens. It is also not suitable for large close-up shots, because the slightest shake can have a devastating effect on the lens. When ordinary people use handheld photography, they must pay attention to the orderliness in the shaking lens, only reasonable and restrained shaking can create a sense of immersion, once beyond a certain degree, lens shaking will bring a strong sense of discomfort to the audience, often counterproductive.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the way out of horror movies</h1>
Today's horror film market is gradually developing and deepening into more segmented fields, the monster movie genre has gradually grown since the last century, and Legendary Pictures has built the prototype of the monster movie universe with "Kong: Skull Island" and "Godzilla". The evergreen of the "Death" series and the "Chainsaw Horror" series shows the strong vitality of horror films, the reboot of the "Jurassic World" series proves the ability of classic IP to absorb gold, and in recent years, the small fresh horror films represented by "Escape from Breaking Town", "Joker Return" and "Shark Beach" have triggered a cultural boom and become the favorite of young audiences.
As the film production process matures, the film market becomes more perfect, and the horror film market has undergone many reshuffles. In the past, works of inferior quality that relied only on gimmicks to circle money were gradually eliminated, and replaced by a batch of more elaborately designed and better-quality horror films emerged. Shark Beach undoubtedly points out the right way for horror film creators: horror films are no longer an adrenaline that only stimulates the audience, but can use more advanced techniques to complete artistic creations.