Buffy The Vampire slayer
What made Buffy the Vampire Slayer succeed as a TV show? What visual language is used? What was the effect of Make-up and Sound within the show? What was the Premise? these are just some of the questions I will be answering in this critical analysis of a show that reached critical acclaim and will go down as a classic of television.
Premise
Buffy The Vampire Slayer was an award winning television series spanning seven seasons from 1997 till 2003. Created by writer Joss Whedon originally as a feature length film, Whedon was approached by Gail Berman who worked at Sandollar Productions and asked whether he would like to make the Film into a TV show.
Whedon had expressed his disatification previously about how his script was handled in the feature film, as he lost control of the screenplay and was upset that his story of female empowerment was changed to one of a broad comedy and that it "devastated" him.
“My original script for the movie was kind of dark and scary and it was comedic, but the final product was much more a broad comedy,” [Whedon,1998]
He agreed and began the show under the premise of "High School as a Horror", the show follows Buffy, a high school student who is a slayer.
"In every generation, there is a chosen one. She alone shall stand against the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness. She is the Slayer."
She has increased strength and reflexes which enable her to go toe to toe with vampires and other monsters and prophetic dreams which can warn her of oncoming dangers. This is almost exactly the opposite of horror film stereotypes with the blonde girl being weak and ignorant of danger.
The show gained a cult status and gained millions of viewers, an estimated 4 to 5 million people tuning in to watch each episode. The popularity of Buffy was due in part to the strong female protaganist Whedon set up.
Cinematography
In the show there is frequent use of camera techniques such as the High/Low angle shot, Close ups and tracking shots they also make good use of steadicam and hand held shots to show urgency and action during fight scenes.Slow tracking shots are used to add suspense to scenes which work well in the horror genre, moving slowly forward to reveal a scene or build tension this is shown in the opening scene for Buffy, where the camera/audience appears to be walking through the abandoned hallways of a school.
Mise-en-scene
In terms of mise-en-scene there is lots of contrast between light and dark, in daytime the shots are colourful and vibrant, the highschool isn't dirty and in disrepair, yet in the scenes which take place at night the locations are in disrepute and dimly lit.
Whedon said he chose a bright sunny town because that is less likely where we expect to see horror and it was supposed to be anyones high school.
The characters costume such as Buffy seems to be dressed like a typical teenager during the day however at night she usually dresses in black leather.
The lighting is typically dim and forbidding, this is particularly the case with scenes that are shot at night in darkened buildings, Alleyways or graveyards, this helps portray the "darkness" in the world whilst also inducing a feeling of fear in the audience as it is difficult to see details and many people have a fear of the dark.
Make-up
The make up on Buffy (In terms of prosthetics) is quite well done, they used fades during pans and quick cuts to transition from their normal face to their monster face typically only showing the face for a few seconds, however they also show the face transitioning from human to vampire, The make up would take around an hour and twenty minutes to put on and also take off. [Boreanaz,1998]
The vast changes in appearance also have the added benefit of distancing the vampires from the humans therefore buffy wouldn't be going around apparently killing ordinary people, the effect in which the vampires turn to dust when killed was written in so Buffy wouldn't be climbing over bodies and spending hours getting rid of them.
Computrer generated effects are also used frequently throughout the series to help show the different types of magic or abilities from showing vampires turning to dust or an invisible girl picking up a knife. They tried to keep the effects simple to make it realistic and not obviously CG.
Sound
Sound is used to great effect, from the title sequence to its use within the show, The title sequences music starts of with violin music and a wolf howling, the violin gives the impression of an aged approach to vampires, the next notes are that of an electric guitar, this symbolises the modern approach.
Music is used to add tension to scenes and also is removed to add a heavy silence to the scene increasing the feelings of suspense, the contrast of noise after this allows for a more shocking moment, from silence to glass breaking or vampires growling.
Editing
The show is edited well, the use of L-Cuts in conversations help keep the pace moving and whats on the screen interesting, quick cuts help signify the urgency of a situation and whip pan transitions help hid cuts from a normal looking person to them in the vampire make up. Mixing in close ups to help sell the effect.
Subtext
There is a lot of subtext within Buffy, Whedon wanted it to be a horror show but within high school, such as a girl that is annoyed so much and not noticed by anyone turning invisible, or when Buffy and Angel have sex, he loses his sole turning back into a monster. This represents a girls fear of once a boy has sex with her he will turn into a jerk or "a monster".
Buffy was written to be a role model for young girls, she is shown as being not the smartest, prettiest or most popular but being happy with who she is, Whedon was sick of seeing horror films where a small blonde girl walks down an alley and is killed by a monster and envisioned a story where the blonde beats up the monster and walks away.
Conclusion
Buffy was a trailblazer for many feministic TV shows, showing a strong female lead who isn't objectified in every episode and is strong enough to take care of herself and for others to be ok with that. The concept of making high school into a horror took off because many people did not have fond memories of high school and could relate to the characters.
The characters were all interesting and realistic, showing Buffy struggling to keep her two lives separate and still remain popular at school, The villains also being relatable in a sense, such as a controlling mother who swaps bodies with her daughter so she can do cheerleading again.
The camera work was well planned and executed, offering interesting and eye catching shots and manipulating the characters emotions through the use of High/Low angle shots and close ups.
The Mise-En-Scene showing ideas rather than the dialogue telling the audience, which would be boring and uninteresting.
Buffy earned its right to be considered a cult classic, it was well written, actors portrayed their characters with skill and visual and special effects look realistic and believable, the premise was engaging and relatable which is a must for any show to succeed.
----Source Images & Resources ----
Joss Whedon - Screenwriter - Biography.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=355AMVyCyIg - Whedon, Joss 1998 [Conversation about the original Buffy film]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=355AMVyCyIg - Whedon, Joss 1998 [Conversation about the Vampires appearance]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=355AMVyCyIg - Boreanaz, David 1998 [Conversation about the Vampires make up]
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