A Scary Good Point of View

In today's reading the main topic is point of view.  What I mean by point of view is, in terms of filming, the way the camera shots help tell the story. There are a number of ways you can use point of view to change the meaning of the story you're telling. Often times you can use specific points of view for specific genres like action, romance, horror, etc. The key behind choosing which point of view you want to use to tell your story is first deciding what perspective you want the storyteller to take.

What I want to focus primarily on in this post is the point of view used in horror movies. Since it is October and my favorite holiday is Halloween, I figured it would be fun to take a further look into what makes the horror movies my friends and I enjoy so much so good. One of the most famous point of views used in scary movies is the long-moving camera shot. This is where the audience is looking through the eyes of the monster or predator in the story. Such examples of this are movies like Predator, Halloween, and many werewolf movies.  The long-moving camera point of view utilizes the ability to show the unsuspected prey being watched which helps build suspense.

By using this point of view along with reaction shots of terrified victims suspense is instilled into the story making it more enjoyable to watch for those who appreciate the genre. Without using the right point of view, the entire movie can be compromised because the story wouldn't be conveyed to the audience the right way. This is the same for all movie genres. If a director tried to use the horror movie point of view for a romantic movie the main character would come across as a stalker rather than being portrayed in a good light. Choosing the right point of view is vital to telling a story properly. More so than any other aspects of movie making, point of view is probably the most crucial.



Daily Questions to Ponder:

What points of view work for seemingly polar opposite genres?

Does the main villain or the point of view used make a horror movie scarier?