PLANNING - Storyboard

PLANNING - Cast

The girls on a night out
I would need at least 3 girls for this, so it looks like a realistic night out. I would try and get pretty girls, as this may appeal more to the male audience. It is also traditional of horror movies. The leading role would have to be reasonably tall, so they take up more space in the camera shots.

Antagonist
I would prefer it to be a male, as this is typical of horror movies. They would be wearing dark clothes as they are not to be seen. I plan to dress them up in a long black coat, and a top hat. I would hope for them to be tall, so they seem in a more powerful position.

PLANNING - Initial Idea

My idea for my film is this:
-A group of girls have just finished a night out
-They part their ways one going one way, the rest going in the opposite direction
-The focus of the film is on the girl who goes her own way
-After they part their ways a dark figure appears out of the alley way behind them
-The girl notices him behind her but he then takes a turning, sge is safe; for now
-She continues walking until she gets to the tube station
-She gets on the tube
-She then see's the dark figure again in the opposite carriage walking fast towards her
-The train rocks, the lgiht flickers and he is right next to her
-The scene ends with her scream

RESEARCH - Montage Editing

Montage editing is when an editor takes two pieces of film then combines them to emphasize their meaning. This is used in 'Un Chien Andalou' and 'Psycho', both these films create shock, and one is a great horror movie. Maybe if i'm to create shock, montage editibng will help make it better. An example is shown below from the movie 'Psycho', it uses montage editing to combine a shot of a shower drain, to a shot of an eye.

RESEARCH - Potential Age Group Of Audience

Most modern horror's age rating ranges from 15-18. This is usually due to the amount of violence, fear, language and even nudity. Therefore I will aim my film at the age group of 15+. I did a survey from year 10-year 13. I asked each person out of the 100 I asked if they would be interested in seeing my film. Out of the 100 I asked 90% said they would be interested in seeing my film.
Whereas when I asked 100 pupils from the lower school, there was a much different result.
The result was dead even when I asked the lower school. Therefore it is clear my target audience is mainly 15 and above.

RESEARCH - Analysis Of Horror Opening Scene - Part 5 (Conclusion)

All in all from the opening scene I can take many ideas away, I believe that for my film I may use a costume for the villain; this is because it is typical of many horror films and it will stick in the audience's mind. I will also have atmospheric music to fit in with the emotions of the character, this has a very good effect as this has a huge influence on the audiences emotions. Finally for my opening I will also follow Propp's theory, as I want a villain in my opening scene, and i will also follow Todorov's as I will start off with an equilibrium, but it will then be destabilized. 

RESEARCH - Analysis Of Horror Opening Scene - Part 4 (Mise-en-scene)

To the typical horror fan they wouldn't notice why the mise-en-scene has been juxtaposed in a certain way. The main character in this opening scene is wearing a cream jumper, the walls in the house are cream, also the phone's are cream, her hair is blonde, there are cream books, and even her skin has been made to look really pale. The director has done this on purpose to anchor the character into the scene.

The villain is wearing black, black and cream are opposite colours this has been done to show that they are completely different, we only see the villain properly outside in the night. The night sky is black, and he is wearing black; the director has juxtaposed it like this to anchor the villain into the scene. Typically in horror movies the villain wears a costume, this is no different for 'Scream'. This has been done, as it has connotations of a villain. We also are meant to find their costume scary.

The setting for this scene is just a normal house, this is a common setting through out the film. The killer strikes when people are at their houses, this is supposed to fear the audience into thinking that they are not safe in their own home. The house is also very big, this is just to make the character seem smaller, and more vulnerable.

The house is located in the middle of no where; and looks very desolute. I believe the director has chosen this location to show that no one can help her. It also show's she can't run anywhere, it make's her seem smaller, and also more vulnerable again.

Finally there are two main prop's in this scene; the telephone, and the knife. This has been chosen due to them being the killers two main weapons, a knife instantly signals danger. These are also part of the films main brand image, it has been made this because it is commonly used throughout the film.

RESEARCH - Analysis Of Horror Opening Scene - Part 3 (Sound)

Sound plays a very important part in this scene, it can be there to set the atmosphere, and just from items in the scene. In the opening credits we first hear screams as the title comes on the screen, this is to set the tone for the movie that it is a horror, it is non-diegetic as the characters on screen cannot hear it. The second piece of sound in this scene, is the sound of the telephone ringing. This is diegetic as the subject on screen can hear it, this plays a very important part in the movie, and the opening as when the phone rings we know it is the killer. He has targeted his next victim. Next we hear the sound of the crickets outside, as the camera looks from outside the house. This is to show that she is all alone, and that it is empty outside, so if she needs help no one is there. You can also hear the sound of the rope of the swing, this is maybe to hint at the swing playing a later part in the film; which it does as she is hung by it. After this is the sound of the flame of the oven, and the pop corn cooking, the pop corn is focused on throughout the scene as it later causes further disaster. The sound is diegetic as the subject can hear it. She then removes a knife from its place, this makes a sharp sound, this has happened as maybe a knife has a further part to play in this scene? We hear her next locking the doors. This is so we think that she is safe, but not long after we know shes not. After the killer says "I wanna know who i'm looking at", we instantly know shes in danger. We hear the sound of a dog barking outside. Maybe to indicate that the dog has seen the killer outside and has barked at him. After the danger kicks in we hear non-diegetic music, this music is setting the atmosphere. The sharp violins and the pounding sounds automatically make us feel like shes in danger. The sound of the door bell rings this is to scare us into thinking the killer is there. When the door is answered and there is nobody there we know the killer is toying with his victim. The next sound we hear is the sound of her boyfriend being stabbed, this is so we know he has been killed. The director has done this as it is more effective and suspensful then actually seeing him get killed. During the chase we can't see the killer but we can hear his steps, this is effective because its what she hears because she can't see him so we know how scared she feels. The stabbing sound effect is repeated as we see her get stabbed this is to indiacte to the audience that she has been stabbed. The audience thinks theres hope, but then the fire alarm goes off, this keeps adding to the suspense. The mothers final scream, and the atmospheric music ends the scene, as it then signifies to the audience that she is dead.

RESEARCH - Analysis Of Horror Opening Scene - Part 2 (Camerawork)

At the start of the opening there is a close up on the telephone, that is because the director wants you to know that the telephone plays a vital role in the film. This is so we focus on its ringing and we know that something is going to come from the ringing phone.

For the next two minutes it is mainly mid-shots this is because nothing of great importance is happening, and the director just wants you to see the subjects. What they are doing and what there expressions are. The reason that it isn't a close up of there expressions is because its not of great importance at the moment. As you can't have an establishing shot of the whole inside of the house due to the rooms, we get to see the location due to her walking around the house. This is so the audience can familiarise themself with the location. Also the only way we can see that she is making pop corn, walking around, and to see her face is to use a mid-shot.After the fear has settled in on the subject, there are many close ups of her face. This is so we see her expression and get an idea of her fear. This is though the audience are looking face to face with the subject and can see her. The director has done this on purpose so we know exactly how she feels. After the fear has settled in the action begins, the subject has started to panic. She then starts running, as there is a lot of movement in this scene, the camera has to track the subject. This is used throughout the opening scene from when she's walking around the kitchen, to when shes running for her life.

As the chase will end up outside, the director shows a long shot of the house. This has been done for many reasons; firstly we see the size of the house, the killer could be anywhere in there and she has a lot of places to run but also fear from. Secondly this shows the outside of the house and shows where they end up. This could be an establishing shot of this part of the chase.Whilst outside, the subject sees a car. This car could save her, there is hope! As it is so far away it then shows an extreme long shot. This is so we can see there is hope but it is far away, and will take a long time to reach her. This is meant to make the audience panic, and for the tension to build as we want the car to get there faster, but it could all be too late.

As she runs away the camera pans around the scene, we see what distance she has to travel, and the destruction that has been caused. The director does this on purpose so that we can see her boyfriends dead body, but can also see her running.After she sees the hope and is so close to it she runs, but the killer is right behind her. There is a slow motion effect on the running to pro-long the chase. It has also been juxtaposed like this to add drama to when she is stabbed. The hope is gone, the villain has won and she has lost.

There are are then two close ups, one of the subjects dying face, and one of the killers face. This is too see her expression and for us too see how much pain she is in and how close to death she is. Also so we can see what she sees; the killers face. As we can see during this moment the camera is looking down on the victim; this is to make her seem vulnerable. The camera is also looking up at the villain; this is to make him seem big, and to show that he is in control.

Finally the last main piece of camerwork is the zoom from the mothers face to her daughters dead face. This is so we can see that it is lifeless, and that she is finally dead. The director has also done this so we have seen all three stages of her drama; her fearful alive face, her vulnerable dying face, and finally her lifeless dead face.

RESEARCH - Analysis Of Horror Opening Scene - Part 1 (Narrative)

Scream does follow Todorov's Narrative theory, as it has an equilibrium, then a dis-equilibrium, then a new equilibrium. Although the equilibrium only lasts a few minutes in this film, there is still one present. the equilibrium being that the blonde woman is happy, and about to spend a nice evening with her boyfriend. The equilibrium is broken when the killer rings her up, and she sees that her boyfriend has been tied up. Scream has an equilibrium at the end as the killers are killed, and the remaining survivors are happy. Although Scream follows the typical narrative theory, many horror films don't. Typically in a horror film there is an equilibrium just before the end, but then just when everyone thinks they are safe, the killer returns and there is a new dis-equilibrium. This is typical of a horror film, as its supposed to shock the audience and make them feel uneasy. 

From this opening scene we can't really see if it follows Propp's theory. In this scene the only character from Propp's narrative theory is the villain. The rest are not seen yet, I believe that none of the other characters are apparent in the opening scene, as it's prelude to the story, just so we can get an insight into what the villain does. So when he appears later we will know what is happening.

RESEARCH - What is Shock?

http://www.dictionary.com/ defines shock as 'a sudden and voilent blow or impact; collision.'

Shock is very hard to define, but it is in many horror's and I want the audience to feel it in my film.

The below clip is an extract from the surrealist film; by Salvador Dali, 'Un Chien Andlou'. The film was banned for many year's due to its unacceptable and shocking footage. That extract left me feeling shocked, I believe this was due to the randomness of the act, and the goriness of it. I would like to achieve this feeling in my film, as a horror is meant to leave their audience shocked, terrified and horrified.

RESEARCH - Horrors Effect on Audience

Many critics think that the horror genre has a negative effect on its audience, this has been said for hundreds of years. Plato has been quoted saying that if you watch violence, the audience will act violent in real life, this is why he wanted Greek Tragedies banned. This point was re-ittirated during the Jamie Bulger killing, the killnig represented one in the film 'Child's Play 3'. The newspapers printed that the children watched this, and got their idea's from it. However when the case came to court it turned out the children never even watched the film. This is because the press believe horror fans to be ignorant, when research suggests that horror fans know a lot about the genre.

David Buckingham a top media researcher believe children watch horror for a number of reasons: -they liek to watch horror with friends for social interaction
-it offers a growing up experience; an insight into the adult world
-it helps them learn how to cope with fear, the fact that they "survived" watching it is a big deal to them

Finally his research also suggests that children won't actually believe what happens in the film will happen in real life, its the doubt that will keep them awake at night.

RESEARCH - Introductory Analysis Of Horror Opening Scene

For my opening scene, I have chosen the genre Horror. I have been looking through many opening scenes; including Scream, 28 weeks later, and Halloween. From what I have seen in these opening scene's they have a lot in common. They all seem to be at night time, if not the scene is dark, this is because many people are scared of the dark, and it makes it more mysterious, as it is hard to see. They also all have music to fit in with the mood, this creates more of an atmosphere and helps makes the viewer feels like they were actually there. Also Halloween and Scream, both contain the same weapon. It is a simple kitchen knife, this is can help relate to normal life, as we see this in everyday life. They both also have one central villain, in this scene we can see he has phoned her up,  and is scaring her. He is scaring her very simply, as it can just be like any other prank call. I think what Scream is trying to do, i make the audience scared through the realism of his acts. Scaring someone through the phone, and killing them with a kitchen knife is very easy as they are all common household utensils. It also just starts out like any normal night, and slowly deteriorates. Finally in all 3 opening scenes the villains do not look normal, or use a disguise. Therefore in my opening scene I will use music to intensify the scene, the villain will use a disguise, and I will somehow try to relate it to a normal day, in someone's normal life, but it starts to all go wrong.

RESEARCH - Analysis Of The Horror Genre

The horror genre is a genre, which is supposed to inflict fear on the viewer. Whilst watching them, the viewer should be scared; they usually involve death, the super natural or some sort of mental illness, most have a central villain. Early 20th century horrors. are usually based on gothic tales; for example Frankenstein, and Dracula. As time went on the genre broadened, and after world war 2 many included mental illness, from insecurities due to the war. In the last 20 years many sub-genre's have come about, including slasher's and zombie. Also the use of a hand held camera has been used in films like; The Blair Witch Project, and Cloverfield. Finally there have been horror's which involve comedy; these include Shaun Of The Dead, and Scary Movie.

 

Reflection on preliminary film

At first when I did this I didn't take in to count the lighting, the shot distance, the cutting out of the body's. Also the speaking was out of sync, and one of the subjects went straight from standing up to sitting down, there was no continuity. I re-done this and took into account all of these factors. 

One of the errors in my continuity film, is that when the subject walks across the room, it cuts whilst he is walking. the audience wouldn't want to see the whole of this, as it is boring and long. I think I only just got away with the continuity here, but next time i will have to be more careful. This problem occurred due to the layout of the room; it was too small for me to show it in one shot, therefore I had to take two shots. 

On the other-hand I think there are more positives then negatives, as the distance between the end of the shot and the subject is the same between all different shots. This is good as it seems more natural to the viewer. I haven't cut the subjects body out of any shots, this is good as if the audience was viewing this in real life, the top of someone's head would not be cut out, so again it seems more natural to the audience. Also when I entered the room all the curtains were open, and when I shot the scene, it was too bright and was hard to make out some of the characters. i tackled this problem by firstly closing certain curtains, then i turned on the artificial lighting. This makes it easy to see, and is if it was just like any other classroom.

All in all I believe I have done this exercise well, as I have proved I understand what shot reverse shot is, and match on action. As well as doing this I had taken many other factors into account, which also make the film better. However next time I believe I should test out a room more, before shooting in it. This is because in my shot the room was too small, so I had to take two shots, when it would be better that one was taken. As I didn't do this I have risked a jump cut, and how natural it looks to the viewer.