Fear in our daily lives

Hello! Today, I will talk about fear in our daily lives. I had already talked about Japanese horror movies appeared ghosts or goblins. “Ring” series and “Juon” series are famous Japanese horror movies which not only Japanese but also foreign people can enjoy. Although, ghost or goblin that has strong character appeared in any horror movies, and not a few horror movies surprised audience by many effects. It is not only Japanese horror movies but also foreign it as monsters and zombies appear. There isn’t big difference in a way to surprise audience all over the world. However, “Torihada: theater edition” (September, 2012) has a different idea. In this movie, any ghosts or goblins don’t appear and any supernatural phenomenon doesn’t occur. Then, what facts frightened audience?

 “Torihada: theater edition” (September, 2012)

　Advance billing of “Torihada: theater edition”  (1:33)

First of all, I would like to introduce “Torihada: stories that sends chilly up your spine”. “Torihada” was a Japanese TV drama with omnibus style from the beginning. This had been regularly sent in the middle of the night from Fuji-TV station since 2007. These regular televisions became popular little by little. Thanks for this popularity, “Torihada: theater edition” could decide to be made. Main point of story is describing a thing which main character experienced a matter of life and death and the person brought to bay gradually. The ends of some stories aren’t clear to let audience image the end. This movie takes a theme which fear had realness like human madness or unreason.

Next, I will introduce “Torrihada’s consist of five”. This is made to explain easily.

(From official site: http://torihada-movie.com/introduction.html) (When You open this site, this made a sound. So, you have to be careful.)

1.   Ghosts and goblins don’t appear.

There isn’t fear by them in the stories, but there is human madness instead of that. The reason is that “Torihada” had tried to describe real fear in our daily lives.

2.   Supernatural phenomenon doesn’t occur.

The strange things which can’t be explained by science don’t occur in the stories for the reason above.

3.   Don’t fan fears with background music.

Background music isn’t basically used, but live sounds are used almost all in the stories. There are no sounds sometimes. Background music played by piano is only used.

4.   Don’t direct images excessively.

Actors direct their rolls naturally without overblown direction.

5.   Don’t break away from daily lives.

The stories which it may happen to anyone are described. The stories which lack realness are made such as a parallel world or future story.

These five sections may be essential to make a more horrifying movie. Although, in this story, a setting which everybody have chances that is caught up in frightening events by a stalker or a strange neighbor is the most important key. Because of explaining why it is possible that those events occur at any time, this movie can surprise audience without ghosts and goblins. For example, in everyday life, that is highly possible that actions (by custom, culture or religion) without intent make someone be unpleasant. Then, because of it, the person may be caught in frightening events like murder or kidnapping. As I had just written this post, a would-be murderer’s escape happened in Kinshi-tyo station in fact. We don’t know what will happen at any moment. This movie makes audience find that abused and frightening events always lie behind everyday life.

Finally, I will organize my thought about Japanese horror movie. 

I had talked about it from many themes for 10 weeks. I compared two “Ring” and I explained what J-horror is. Main difference between J-horror movie and Hollywood horror movie I think is that the former tends to describe absurd fear and feel bigger fear for them. (For example, Kyako’s ghost or the video tape of Sadako’s curse indiscriminately attacks people.) The latter tends to describe the thing which can’t explain by science. Then, “woman” which has long hear and wear a white one-piece dress like Sadako become a pronoun for object of fear and symbol of present Japanese horror movie. J-horror became popular all over the world, but this J-horror boom might come to an end. So, I think that J-horror need to make new symbol or expression. “Woman” as pronoun of J-horror is much used and expression of J-horror lack freshness little by little. For example, “Torihada” was the talk of the horror movie industry because it describe human madness is hiding behind our daily lives and “Paranormal Activity” became popular because it succeeded with new approach to expression of fear as supernatural phenomenon. Like those, I think that Japanese horror movie as it will be may have to open up a new object and approach, too.

That’s all for my blogging. Thank you for your reading! :)

Animals in Japanese horror movie

Hello! Today, I will talk about animals appeared in horror movies.

Many of animals appeared foreign horror movies have grown gigantically and attacked people. For example, I can introduce a favorite animal panic movie “Jaws” . This movie's story is that man-eating shark killed many people. In addition to this, there are various animal panic movies in the world: a giant anaconda, a gigantic spider, a gorilla, zombify dogs, a crocodile, an octopus, or a cuttlefish is appeared in the movie.

Then, what animals is appeared do you think in Japanese horror movie? In many of Japanese animal horror movie, cats, serpents, raccoons, or foxes are appeared. Many of them have already become goblin. But they don’t only attack people. At times, they would enjoy dancing with people and take revenge on a woman.

In especially, a goblin cat (bakeneko) often is appeared in Japanese ghost movies. Cat is one of the most loved animals as dog in Japan. So, it is said that a long-lived cat may become a bakeneko in Japanese folklore.

Why is cat treated like a goblin? Because of the mysterious natures that cat has. For example, cat’s eye gleams in the dark and a form of irises changes by time. Even more, cat licks blood at times, walks without the sound of footsteps have a gentle side and a wild side, have sharp nails, and moves nimbly. Those natures may bear an image of bakemeko. It has been confirmed that a description of cat’s strange story appeared from Kamakura period. In Edo period, stories of bakenoko started to appeared each essay and collection of ghost stories. So, there are many legends of bakeneko all over Japan.  In especially, “Nabeshima Bakeneko Soudou” (the trouble by bakeneko in Saga region) is known as the most famous bakeneko’s legend. The legend was turned into a play and was painted as Ukiyoe by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. In the early of the Syowa period, ghost movies “Saga Kaibyo-Den” (佐賀怪猫伝) and “Kaidan Saga Yashiki” (怪談佐賀屋敷) ” on the basis of this legend became very popular. Then, actresses such as Takako Irie or Sumiko Suzuki often played the part of “bakeneko”. So, they were known as “Bakeneko actresses”.

 ”Bourei Kaibyou Yashiki" (亡霊怪猫屋敷）　(１９５８）(2:48)

As additional explanation, I’d like to introduce the story of “Nabeshima Bakeneko Soudou”. This trouble happened the age of Mitsushige Nabesima（鍋島光茂） who is the second lord of Saga Domain, Hizen Province. Matashichiro Ryuzoji (龍造寺又七郎) who is subject of him play a game of go with him as a work. Then, he was killed to give offence to Mitushige and Matashichiro’s mother also killed herself after telling her cat deep grief. Cat licked his mother’s blood became bakeneko, and it caused Mitsushige within the walls of his castle every night. However, Hanzaemon Komori (小森半佐衛門) who is Mitsushige’s subject got rid of it, and he helped Nabeshima clan.

 

In animal’s ghost stories, vindictiveness of snake, ability changing into a woman which fox has or brutality of raccoon dog could be showed apart from mysteriousness of cat; a raccoon dog appeared in a folktale “Kachikachi Yama” eat an ole woman. Even more, it is said that foxes or raccoon dogs can trick people with magic.

That animal’s mysteriousness is well matched with woman’s nature. So, I think that actress often prays the role of like this in Japanese horror movie.

Next week, I’d like to talk about fear in our daily lives finally. See you!

Special Effects

Hello! Today, I will talk about “Special Effects” (特殊撮影Tokusyu satsuei) on horror movies. I had already talked importance of special effects just a little. Those need to make more frightening horror movie.

Well then, what are Special Effects? Special Effects are often stood for SFX, SPFX or simply FX. SFX is the technique to make amazing images with art and optical processing. In old times when moving pictures are taken, SFX was called “Trick photography”. After the 1980s, the techniques to process images after taking them appeared like computer graphics (often abbreviated as CG). They are called VFX (Visual Effects, 視覚効果) compared with SFX. In the cinema business world, there is a marked tendency to draw a sharp line between SFX and VFX, however VFX don’t generally be known well and the means of SFX and VFX are mixed. So, I will express SFX in my blog, including VFX.

It seems that SFX has already been used since the birth of movie. For example, Alfred Clark who is a British movie director used first SFX in 1895. He expressed the scene of queen’s decapitation with film’s replacement.  This way is like this.

 

    As a hangman heaves an ax to cut off her head, shooting camera is stopped.

 

 The role of the queen replace dummy.

    He cut off dummy’s head!

 After those scene finished to take,  two images (1 and 3) are connected.

This way was first effect that audience believed that impossible things seem to happen.

Also, SFX is used from early time in Japan. The oldest existing ghost movie is stored up in National Film Center, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. It seems that the story of its film is “Sara yashiki” and it is taken in the mid-1910s. Its film was taken advantage of double exposures (to put some images in an image), dissolve (the thing that an image disappears as next image appears) and reversal motion (to reproduce an image conversely).

  Double exposures

From last scene of ”Youkai Daisensou" (1968)　

About "dissolve" (0:40)

It seems that the earliest commentary about SFX in Japan was written at “the original form of moving picture (活動写真の正体)”, 22-25 April, 1908 . But anybody doesn’t know who wrote it. Its commentary divided SFX into 4 head. Next, in 1914, Yukiyoshi Shigeno divided that into 9 heads. Finally, Shihou Okamura stated about SFX and Norimasa Kaeriyama divided that into 10 heads in 1917. It is this.

1 Stop Picture（カメラの止め写し)

2 Reversal Motion（逆回転撮影）

3 Quick motion and Slow motion（遅廻転と早廻転または早動作と遅動作）

4  Double Exposures（二重写し/二重露光）

5      Double Print（二重焼き）

6      Mirror（鏡のトリック）

7      String（糸のトリック）

8      Dammy（人形〔ママ〕）

9      Smoke（煙のトリック）

10   Exterior with tools（道具建の外景〔書割による背景〕）

After that, in 1960s, Toho Company, Ltd. (Tōhō Kabushiki-kaisha) made a series “the transformed human series (henshin ningen sirizu)”. Those works are “Beautiful woman and liquid man (美女と液体人間, bizyo to ekitai ningen)”, “Electronic data transmission man (電送人間, densou ningen), “First Gas Man (ガス人間第一号, gasu ningen daiichigou) and “Matango (マタンゴ, matango). Those movies have interesting ideas and tax many good ingenious. 

Toho Kaiki Tokusatsu Series (東宝怪奇特撮シリーズ　予告編集) (10:06)

In the second half of the 1960s, monster film and Japanese monster film grew in popularity. 

 ”Youkai Daisensou" (妖怪大戦争) (1968) (2:12)

"Youkai Daisensou"（妖怪大戦争）（2005）(0:35)

"Gojira” (ゴジラ)　（1954)　(2:52)

Through those stages, SFX develops rapidly. The latest horror movies is often used 3D technique like “Sadako 3D” and “Senritsu Meikyu 3D”. 

 "Sadako 3D" (貞子３D） (2012) (1:44)

I had talked about SFX. Next week, I would like to talk about animals and horror movie. 

See you!

How to take horror movies

Hello! Today, I will talk about how horror movies were taken and what it is necessary to do.

First of all, what does it need do you think? Script? Actors? Or mechanical equipments?  It needs no saying. But, there is more necessary fact. It’s money.

You may imagine that to take movie costs some billion yen. For example, a Hollywood movie “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End” costs about 24 billion yen. In Japan, a famous movie costs 100 million over. But, it is said that horror movie less costs than them. For example, a recent horror movie “Paranormal Activity” costs about 15 thousand dollars. There are three reasons.

1.    To not use famous actors
2.    To have taken at home of director
3.    Shooting time is short. (this film is had taken for 7 years.)
Especially, many horror movie were used unknown actors. So, horror movies can be taken with low cost.

Next, do you think more important fact? I think that it’s good ideas. If there were good ideas to cause an audience fear, producers could take a good horror movie. Well, what ideas cause an audience in Japan? In case of Japanese horror movie, imagination is important fact to make horror movie I think. Fear Japanese feels come from imagination. For example, if you saw a lot of hair at your bathroom, you might imagine that “who does something like this?” and you might get frightened. When there is a part of a person at impossible spot, it causes us frightening imagination: it’s hair, head, brain tissue, eyes, nose, lip, tongue, neck, arms, hands, foot, fingers, nail, and the like. When a person notices a difference with other people, she or he feels fear. Japanese tends to get rid of different things. So, it is good for you to use this tendency.

 Third, how producers stand out those fear still more? A necessity to do it is effects: for example, it’s light, camera angle, makeup, sound, color, CG, and the like. Of cause, the wok of actors is important. However, I also think the works of people who helped behind the scene are horror movie is very important to cause fear all the more. Especially, I would talk about sound and light. The reason is that those is easy to use and can be used in many situations.

・Sound

Why people feel fear to sound? When visibility became poor owing to the dark, people tend to pay attention to the sense of hearing. Also, people can give full scope to them imagination from something to hear. Then, one of the ways with sound is to use a noise. Noise is electronic sound given from radio, television, telephone, or computer. For example, when Strange sound like woman’s voice got lost in noise, you may get a fright. In Japanese horror movie, water sound is used often.            .

・Light

If you took horror movie, you might take in the night or at a dark place. Then, light is important to show actors’ faces. However, strong light may break an atmosphere of horror. So, the best light is very important. Then, it is good to use blue light. Blue light can make sharp image. If you use digital camera, you may pay attention to color. Those camera makes spectral sensitization (分光増感) by itself. It makes a dull color. So, you use an normal aperture stop (開口絞り) better.

Do those knowledge is useful for you? 

Finally, I will introduce a homepage.

ホラー講座～恐怖の書き方

  http://eigalesson.com/horror/index.html

Next week, I would like to talk about special effects in detail. See you!

Comparing J-horror movie with Hollywood it

Hello! I will try to compare J-horror movie with Hollywood remade it.

 I have talked about Japanese horror and J-horror movie for five weeks, and I have done about some characteristics of J-horror last week. So, I will try to do. Compared movies are “Ring” and “The Ring”. The reason I chose them are two. One is that “Ring” is the early movie in J-horror boom. The other is that it is the top in my poll. So, I easily compare and talk plainly because we are well-known movies. I directly watched them. I especially paid attention to their stories and expression based on characteristics of J-horror.

First, I will introduce the compared movies simply.

“Ring” (1998)

This movie made in Japan. This runs 95 minutes. The director is Hideo Nakata. This is not the original film. This is based on a novel, “Ring” written by Koji Suzuki.

Story

Main character, Reiko Asakura is a director of a TV station. She knew a strange death of her niece. She looked over the truth of death. Then, she found out an urban legend that a strange video tape kill a person watched it after one week. She got and watched it. She looked for a way she avoided her death with Ryuji Takayama who is her cooperator and her former husband. On the way, her son watched its video, too. They try to find the cause early. At last, they found out the cause why watched person because of a video tape. It is that a curse of Sadako Yamamura. They searched out her dead body from the inside of a well under a hotel. Just then they thought her curse lost, but Ryuji Takayama is killed by Sadako. Reiko Asakura noticed why she helped, the reason is that she showed its copy video other person. Because she protected Reiko Asakura’s son, she made her parents watch its copy viedo.

 “The Ring” (2002)

 

This movie made in Hollywood. This runs 116 minutes. The director is Gore Verbinski. This cost is low, but this got a great box-office record. This movie’s popularity leaded a boom that remake J-horror movie in Hollywood.

 

Next, I will try to compare. “Ring” and “The Ring” have some points of similarity and different. I pay attention to each point: story, character and expression.

1. Story

Stories aren’t big difference. Hollywood “Ring” is based on story of Japanese “Ring”. But

Hollywood it adds an arrangement. There are not explanations of the Sadako’s past in Japanese it but there are explanations in Hollywood. Hollywood “Ring” adds a little comedy.

 

2. Character
Their appeared characters aren’t difference much. But profiles of characters are a bit of difference. For example, the past of Sadako is not clear in “Ring”, but it is clear in Hollywood. Even more, Ryuji has supernatural power but he doesn’t it in Hollywood.

 

3. Expression

I found some differences.
・Sadako
Japan: Her face can’t be seen. Her left eye can only be seen. She slowly moves.
Hollywood: Her face is clear. She can do teleportation.

・Water

Japan: Well water is used in Opening and other scene.
Hollywood: It isn’t used.

・an image of the video tape

Japan: This image is eerie. There are mirror, woman, man, Miharayama Mountain and water.
Hollywood: This image is grotesque. There are muddy water, a chair, a burning tree, fingers, eyeballs, moon, and a woman.

video tape of Japan "Ring"

 

video tape of Hollywood "  Ring"

 

I compared their movies and I know a difference of Japanese and American expression.
“Ring” doesn’t only remake in Hollywood but also South Korea. I would like to compare three movies including a movie remade in South Korea. Even more, there are other remade J-horror movies in Hollywood: “Juon”, “Tyakushin ari”, “Honogurai mizu no soko kara” and “Zyoyu rei”. I would like to watch them, too. When I compared Japanese movie with other country’s it, I may find many difference of expression. So, I think this way is good if you begin being interested in J-horror movie.
 
Next week, I would like to talk about how to take horror movie. See you!