Initial Ideas

Initial Ideas

I created the initial ideas brainstorm to consider different horror film themes i could use for my own film. By doing this, i was enabled to develop my zombie film idea by considering films i could base it on and possible storylines i could use. I will now work on developing my idea in order to create an entertaining opening that includes conventions of a horror film.

Sream Re-make

We created a re-make of the opening of the film Scream (1996), this gave us a chance to use the cameras and equipment and learn the different ways in which we could use them. We worked from a shot list and this helped us film different camera angles and for the correct amount of time. It also gave us the chance to use the editing software and practice putting different shots and transitions together. The Scream (1996) opening was filmed using Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze Theory, the scenes consisted of many high angles which sexualised the female character, Casey. Casey is also a young and attractive female which further sexualises her and her white clothing connotes her innocence. The dialect in the script shows Casey flirting with the male on the phone which further sexualises her.

We think the piece helped us to experiement with the cameras and to film interesting shots and practice putting them together to get perfect continuity. By filming this re-make, we were enabled to consider the many elements of planning that is involved in film production. We chose to set our film in a kitchen so we could be as exact to the original as possible, however we didnt consider the lighting in the room which was very naturally lit compared to the artificial lighting in the original. We tried to follow the male gaze theory which the camera angles and to improve our piece we could consider a white costume which would connote our characters innocence.

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task Evaluation

To demonstrate continuity well, we made sure when editing that it looked as if we filmed each clip all at the same time. To do this we had to make sure that every time we filmed a section of the piece, our actors had to remain in the same postition as well as any props. When we were editing and we put a few clips together to see how it would look, we noticed that the when the camera went from Jo to Georgie, Rosie wasnt in the shot but when the camera focused on Jo again Rosie was in the shot. An example of continuity in our piece is when Jo walked in and it showed her walking through the door and then you hear the door shut when it shows her walking to her seat.

We set up our camera's so that we had the 180 degree rule and our camera never broke this rule, this is to show the audience where the actors are so they dont get confused. We also used shot reverse shot between the conversation to show when Georgie was talking and when Jo was talking. These techniques were helpful when editing because it was easier and more effective to use and watch this shot rather than a wide shot.

We worked in a group of 7 and all took it in turns to film and edit. I think we worked well together as we all got along and contributed to complete our piece. We shared ideas and decided the song and transitions in our piece. I would work with them again because everyone came up with good ideas and achieved all of these ideas.

I think if we were to film this piece again, we would have to make sure our camera wasn't shaky and that we chose a different setting that fitted better with our bar scene. I think we could of used a few more actors to portray the crowded bar and we could of put a close up in our piece. We also had our object in a carrier bag which was noisy and this affected how you can hear Jo's lines.

I think we planned our video well beacuase it all worked out but we could of re-thought a few of our camera shots and our object. Our object was a saw and this was a bit random and we could of zoomed in our the object to highlight its importance. We didnt know how to steady the camera so our footage wasnt shaky which is something we could of practiced before-hand.

We tried to use lots of transitions in our piece to make it more interesting. There were mainly fade in and fade outs for the opening and end creditd. We also used fade effects when the camera shot reverse shot's between Georgie and Jo.

When we started this peicem we edited our films in Adobe Premier which he hadnt used before and we knew very little about. After we experimented with it and tested all the controls, we got a basic idea of how to use it and how to use effects like fading in credits or a song.

I think i have learnt a lot from the technologies used in media after using the cameras and the software. I didnt know how to use the software until we experimented with it.

People Under The Stairs (1991) Opening Analysis

Mise – En – Scène for ‘The People Under The Stairs’: (00:00 - 3:00)

I have analysed this film opening because of how it begins to introduce storyline to the audience and i will soon be analysing film openings to see how they use titles in the title sequence. After analysing this clip i have come to understand that storylines need to be introduced slowly to an audience so that they are not bombared with too much information from the begining.

The opening begins with the Universal instituion logo which establishes to the audience who has funded the film. It then continues to a black screen where white text appears to reveal the production company, Alive films. It then continues to another black background which reveals the words to reveal the director Wes Craven who has produced many iconic horror films.The opening credits are a simple black background and plain white letters on the screen to introduce the film producer and the director, the dark background connotes that the film is scary. The title then appears as a light coloured font which is illuminated by a flash light shining quickly and brightly through the letters as they appear on the screen. There is also a very low toned music playing in the background which connotes the film is going to be a horror and will be scary. The letters for the title are then highlighted with an orange glow which gives an eerie element and denotes that the film deals with something sinister.

The film starts with a close up of a candle and a tarot card, this already denotes to the reader that somebody’s fate is being decided and could connote a danger to that person. The tarot cards are on a red tablecloth which connotes blood and death. While the camera zooms in on different cards of swords and staves, there is a child reading the tarot cards, the child’s voice connotes an element of innocence and creates an eerie effect along with the dark table. There is a close up onto a card that says ‘Judgement’ which tells the audience what will come later. The camera then quickly closes in on the next card which says ‘Death’ this is made specific that there will be death and the card is also next to a flickering candle which denotes that death will be soon. The camera then closes in on the next card which reads ‘Mr Devil’ which connotes evil. The camera finally stops on a final card ‘The Fool’; this denotes that the character makes a foolish decision later on in the film. Again, next to this card is a flickering candle which could denote that this fool’s life is coming to an end. The child narrator then tells the audience that the character is 13 today and being 13 could connote misfortune as 13 is an unlucky number. The camera then zooms in on the word fool and onto a dog on the card, the dog could connote help for the fool but it could also connote danger. The person on the card is standing on a cliff ledge which denotes to the audience that there is danger in store for this character. The camera then zooms in on the man in the card and then fades to the same card being on a bookshelf.

The camera then zooms in on a boy in a dark room lit only by candlelight reading a book. The dark room is full of shadow due to the candle and this creates a scary environment and the audience can see a flickering candle which again can connote the near ending of this boy’s life. There is then a mid shot of the boy as he listens to his sister talk to his mum, we can see that the boy is wearing a white hoodie which is relevant clothing to the time it is set and the white highlights the significance of the boy’s innocence. The camera then tracks the boy as he leaves the room and we can see that the room he was in is small and cluttered. It is also very dark and the windows are covered by barely closed blinds so the audience can see it is dark outside. The use of the blinds shows the audience that this boy is from a poor family and we can see this from his grotty under furnished house.

Next there is an over the shoulder shot of the boy looking at his sister sitting on his mothers bed, the mother is lying in a white bed which could connote her innocence and there is no natural lighting in the room, only a lamp. This could connote that the woman is losing a battle with nature as we have already heard that she is sick. We then see his sister shut the door on him, shutting the light out and you can see only his dark room again and refers to him as ‘Fool’, this connotes that he is being shut out of the truth about his mother and is being left in the dark, not only in the literal sense of his room being dark but also not knowing the truth.
The camera then mid shots the boy to show the audience his reaction to his sister’s actions and we can see here that he is frustrated about not knowing the truth. The camera then tracks him as he walks over to a grey undecorated wall and slumps his back onto it and slides to sit to the floor. Again the audience can see his frustration and depression in being left out which could connote that he wants to do something about it.

History Of Horror

We have got our information on horror by doing research on ww.google.com . We have decided to research the history of horror so that we have an insight into what makes a conventional horror and what things horror films have in common, we think it will help us understand how horror has progressed through the decades and how we can develop our horror.

Horror films are designed to unsettle the viewers by causing fear and panic. They dwell on our fears to create terror, they focus on the darker side of life, the unknown, aliens/science fiction and death. There are many sub-genres of horror: slasher, teen terror, serial killers, satanic etc.

The first ever horror film is called: Le Manoir Du Diable (1896)
It was directed by Georges Méliès and it was only 2 minutes long.

The Plot:

A bat flies into an ancient castle and transforms itself into Mephistopheles himself. Producing a cauldron, Mephistopheles conjures up a young girl and various supernatural creatures, one of which brandishes a crucifix in an effort to force the devil-vampire to vanish.

Horror in the 1920's:
The horror genre became more popular in the 1920's and classics like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde(1920), The hunchback of Notre Dame(1923) and The Phantom of the Opera(1925) became popular. Films were very gothic and most involved monsters.




Horror in the 1930's
Classics like Frankenstein(1931) and Dracula(1931) were released and this brought on very similar films which involved monsters, like The Mummy(1932)



Horror in the 1940's
Still predominatly about monsters and many sequels were made to earlier films The Ghost of Frankenstein(1942) and The son of Dracula(1943)

Horror in the 1950's
Films shifted from gothic to technology and science, Science fiction and horror was triggered by the Roswell Event.
The invasion of the body snatchers(1956) and The Blob(1958) Alfred Hitchcock's film Rear Window(1954) became a big hit.



Horror in the 1960's
The publics view on horror films shifted and soon they demanded films on reality and the world around them, people, social psycho traditions and stereotypes.
The most famous director of this era was Alfred Hitchcock and his famous Psycho(1960)and The Birds(1963)
The Hammer Film production and Hammer House of Horror became a popular show.



Horror in the 1970's
Horror films in this decade completely reflected the grim feel of the decade and big budget films returned that dealt with contempary issues and psychological issues, children and childbirth as well as killer animals.

The Exorsist(1973) was rated the scariest film of all time and was even banned from the UK and re-released in 1998. Cinemas had sick bags for the viewers and ambulences were called due to so many people fainting. During filming, a priest was brought to bless the set as it was rumoured that strange occurances were happening. Actor Jack MacGowran (Burke Dennings) died during filming.



Horror in the 1980's
Special effects like blood and gore were used and new effects were experimented with. Many films dealt with Evisceration(disembowlement). Friday the 13th(1980), Halloween II(1981) and Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street(1984) all became big and were later led to be remade.



Horror in the 1990's
The films were mainly psychological thrillers and intelligent horrors.
The people under the stairs(1991) and Candyman(1992)



Horror in the 2000's
After 9/11 it was really hard for the horror industry and it hit recession. Horror films were nearly banned in the name of world peace.

Final Destination(2000) was made before the 9/11 attacks and is about a man who has a premonition of a plane crash. Many old classics were re-made and gore was taken to a new level with the Saw films.

Re-sit Blog

This is my re-sit blog.