Clayton George Wickham - final thesis

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The remake, Friday the 13 th (2009), becomes problematic to an eye/camera
reading. While eye/camera shots are often identified through the use of hand-held
camera and relatable height, the majority of Friday the 13 th (2009) is shot in this way
without being located within the eye of a fictional character. This is a practical
presentation of the fact that this use of the camera has become a visual signifier of
the genre without needing to be an actual eye/camera shot. Even mounted steady
shots are often partially obscured by objects in the foreground, as in the scene where
Whitney and Mike are exploring Jason’s house, which does inhabit a voyeuristic
positioning. While this stylistic use of the camera creates an overall visceral impact
and kinetic sensibility to the narrative, it can also communicate a simultaneous sense
of victimisation and vulnerability, as well as aggressiveness. As Mike and Whitney
run through the forest away from Jason’s house and toward their own campsite, the
handheld camera from approximately Jason’s height intercuts moving at their pace
both in front of and behind them. The shot in front reveals that there is nobody
immediately behind them, and the shot behind them could appear to be chasing
them, but is also close enough to appear to be escaping with them. This ambiguity
creates difficulty in defining the film/spectator perspective relationship, as it can
vary from one viewer to another. In this way, spectator reading of Friday the 13 th
(2009) can be that of voyeur, victim, or aggressor, or shifting from all three at
different points. The frequent use of the camera to create an ambiguity between
the corridor and approaching a door that says “Authorized Entrance Only”. The eye/camera shots that
break from previous franchise films occur as two different characters facing each other are seen in
eye/camera shot/reverse shot situations. One primary example is a scene where Lori confronts her
father about the truth of her mother’s death. We see through Lori, standing above her father who is
talking to her, and by way of reverse shot, Lori’s response is captured through her father’s
eye/camera. Other examples will be provided later in this chapter.