ParaNorman

While watching ParaNorman, I really enjoy this film a lot. It is a 3D stop motion animated horror comedy film. Seriously, I love 3D stop-motion animated film. This production used Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera to film the movie. It spend 2 more years to go through this. I admire that the patient of every crew in this production. That why this film so attracted for me. The genre of this film is comedy, horror, action and drama. This film has postmodernistic elements. We able to find out a lot of postmodernistic elements in this film if we watch it clearly.

Genre is has two approach, which is semantics and syntax. This two approaches need to work together hand in hand. Through this two approaches, we able to categories the genre of each film that we watched. Semantic element in the film is mise-en-scene. It is a cinematic language on screen by using characters, props, lighting, and composition etc. The approach of syntax is the qualities and the themes in the film. The syntax usually send the message to the audience.

Postmodernism is a theory of the film. Postmodernism is the way to challenge the system of the way of modernism. Previous film only one genre, but now had both genre or above. Paranorman is a combination of the horror and comedy genres. So this film is postmodernism.

Norman Babcock is 11 years boy that can see and speak with ghosts. Nobody in the tow believe him and there laughing at him. Except his best friend Neil Downe. His uncle Mr. Prenderghast try to convince Norman to take his place to protect the town from the curse of witch. Because Mr. Prenderghast also can talk with ghosts same like Norman. Norman don’t want listen it, until Mr. Prenderghast die. Norman try to read the story book to save the town at grave. But he fail, so 7 zombies that cursed by witch woke up from the grave. Norman and his friends tried to prevent the zombies go to town. After that, Zombie talk to Norman and Norman realize that the zombie want begging him to stop the curse from the little girl witch name Agatha. Finally, Norman save the town by recalls the happiness moment of Agatha.  

The comedy genre I can found in this film is they make fun of the zombie. In one scene, a man want to buy a snack in the machine. But he saw a lot of zombies walking toward the man. But the man still waiting the snack drop down from the machine. The man very scare of zombie, but the zombie walk very slow, even the time of snack also slow. I another films, zombies run very fast. The horror part is the lighting of this film very dark, so it can brought out the horror emotion.

Postmodernistic element I can found here is they use Jason, Friday the thirteen inside the film. One of the scene is when Norman receive a call from Neil, he open the window and saw Neil wearing a hockey mask.

In conclusion, this is a very much postmodern and various genres film. The message brought from this film is we must not blame people easily. We must think consequence if we blame someone. In order that we would not hurt another people. I like this film !