Throughout history masks have been used by many to express outside oneself. Be it a means to symbolize a deity, to keep one safe, or just for cosmetic and metaphorical means, masks are a staple in our lives. But what gives masks a feeling to people that change the wearer? If we can't see the face, can we really call that a person?
Masks, in some way shape and form cover the users face. In that action alone we still see a person, yet there's clearly something off. Other than the obvious fact that there's something on that person's face, people naturally perceive a person by their face. two arms and legs are a fine guess, but what's to say that there isn't something otherworldly under the mask? This delves into the trope of the uncanny valley. This trope is seen more commonly in animation with anthropomorphic animals. They live in an uncomfortable place between human and animal that just doesn't sit right with most people. Masks can have that effect as well.
A good example of how a mask can make someone uncomfortable on sight alone is the famous plague doctor. The black cloak and long beaked mask has frightened people for hundreds of years. to this day the plague doctor is seen as imminent death. Due to the plague ravaging Europe, plague doctors were sent to attempt to quell the situation often with fleeting results. Medicine was not what it is now and the four humors was laughable compared to modern medicine. But back then it was all people had, and the effects of plague doctors may have actually spread the plague further because of this lack of understanding. With some solid examples, how will I relate this in my film?
The antagonizing characters in the film will be wearing masks. In fact, everyone who isn't the main character will have a mask on. The anonymity of hidden figures haunting the main character sends chills down my spine. Regular people wouldn't have a reason to do this, I thought. and naturally I decided to find a very strange Halloween mask. It's a very long mast, reaching far below the chin. I want one of my actor wearing this paired with some props I made. Two walking canes with the sleeves of an old black jacket attached to them. I will have the actor wear this along with the mask and another black jacket to make the sleeves look seamless. I believe this will properly push the boundaries of the uncanny valley by making a character look "human enough" with having parts grossly out of proportion. The other masked characters will have a standard respirator paired with ski goggles to hide the face fully, and a soviet era rubber gas mask (I bought this online thinking it was a prop, but it is the real thing and fully functional. It even came with a filter.) These characters will be useful in providing the horror aspect I plan to create.
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