Chapter 5: Sound

There is only one song for the entire length of my movie and it is played over and over again throughout the entire movie.

1. The sound effects are not that dense and complex, they are more edited down and simplified. The only sounds that are actually in the movie are basic sounds such as stabbing, footsteps, wind, glass shattering, breathing, etc.
2. Silence is used to provide a high amount of suspense. Since it is almost completely silent right before Michael comes on-screen. It's almost like POW!, when he is thrust into a scene the music or sound effect starts.
3. The song used for the movie was written and performed by John Carpenter himself, in 5/4 time on a simple keyboard.
4. The only instruments that are used are a keyboard and possibly a synthesizer.
5. Music is used to provide a certain amount of creepiness to the movie, it is never played during a conversation, only during times of suspense.
6. The dialogue in the movie is very spare and functional, except for a few short speeches from Donald Pleasence.
7. Most character can display what they desire through their actions: such as struggling, screaming, running or walking.
8. There are a few swear words and also a few fancy words.

Chapter 3: Movement

1. Since there isn't really any fast-paced action in this movie, the action really isn't emphasized very much throughout. One stick out camera shot, is shot directly through the eyes of the killer, Michael Myers when he kills his older sister, Judith.
2. There are a few long shots in the movie, but most of them are medium shots, especially when Michael Myers is involved in the scene. The action is definitely quite slow-paced.
3. Some of the movements are definitely stylized, especially when Michael kills his victims. Some are also naturalistic, especially when the veteran actors are involved.
4. The camera movements are almost always very smooth, this was one of the first movies to use the steadicam. The camera was also very slow moving, when it moved at all.
5. There is no fast and slow motion, freeze frames or animation.

Chapter 8: Story

1. My movie does not have any kind of narrator.
2. The story of this movie tells itself through the actions and reactions of the characters on-screen.
3. Time is presented in chronological order over the span of Halloween night. Although, there is one flashback at the very beginnning of the movie, from then on it's chronological.
4. I believe the narrative to be realistic because something like this could actually happen in real life.
5. This movie is definitely a part of the horror/slasher genre. This movie started the slasher genre, so it evolved from this movie.
6. At the time that this movie was filmed, crime in the big cities was at a very high level. This movie just proved that point.

Chapter 6: Acting

1. There are a mixture of amateur actors and professional stars in my movie.
2. Since John Carpenter was a very young director at the time, he was given alot of advice from the veterans on set.
3. Since the movie was filmed in the span of one month, 21 days to be exact, there wasn't room for alot of cuts and retakes.
4. This movie was the one to give Jamie Lee Curtis her big break, therefore, she is given just as much screen time as her co-star, Donald Pleasence. Although, they aren't in the same scene together until the very end of the movie.
5. The only other movie that I have seen Donald Pleasence in is "Dr. No" as James Bond's enemy, Blofeld. His character in Halloween is quite different than his character in Dr. No. In Halloween he is the protagonist, in Dr. No, he is the antagonist.
6. Some of the acting is stylized, an example of this would be Jamie Lee Curtis's two teenage friends. Other acting, such as Donald Pleasence is very realistic.
7. Donald Pleasence brings his acting experience to his character.

Chapter 9: Writing

1. My movie isn't literary at all.
2. There is one lengthy speech near the middle part of the movie where Donald Pleasence's character, Dr. Sam Loomis, explains his take on Michael Myers.
3. Donald Pleasence seems to be very literate throughout the movie, just because he is the most veteran actor in the movie. He lets us know whats bothering him through words. Jamie Lee Curtis does it through action.
4. My movie was written by both John Carpenter and Debra Hill.
5. The dialogue in my movie is for the most part, stylized.
6. Michael Myers is said, many times throughout the movie, to be the embodiment of pure evil.
7. This idea makes the movie emit a bigger sense of dread and fear.
8. The movie was told from and all-knowing, third person point of view.
9. There is no voice-over narrator in the movie.
10. It is not a literary adaptation.

Cinematographer

Dean Raymond Cundey was born March 12th, 1946 in Alhambra, California. Cundey's work on Halloween is considered by fans to be among his best as cinematographer. He was among the first cinematographers to make use of the steadicam, or panaglide.
He would go on to work with Carpenter on the films: The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, Halloween II, and Halloween III. Some of his later works include, Psycho II, Back to the Future trilogy, What Women Want, Apollo 13, Jurassic Park, Romancing the Stone, Roadhouse, Garfield, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, among others. His work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit earned him and Academy Award nomination. Cundey is also a member of the American Society of Cinematographers. He is currently working on a project in Canada that will be released soon.

Introduction

A. I would like to be a mixture of a critic and reviewer.

B. I would also like to use a little of both formalism and realism, if possible.


C. 3 A's

Artist: John Carpenter


Art: Written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Cinematography by: Dean Cundey, Editing by: Charles Bornstein and Tommy Lee Wallace


Audience: Mature

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Awards: Critics Award (win), Saturn Award(nominated)
Runtime: 92 mins.
Release date: October 25th, 1978
Tagline: "The night HE came home."