Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Friday, 17 December 2010
Friday, 10 December 2010
Textual Analysis
The main focus of my film is a chase/escape sequence between my protagonist and antagonist so I have been looking at similar sequences from famous horror films to find effects I could use during the production of my own film.
The first sequence I looked at is from: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2003, directed by Marcus Nispel.
In this sequence props are used to disorientate the character whilst he is trying to escape his attacker.
(Enter clip here)
The sheets often obscure the camera which is a very odd choice by the director but it successfully disorientates the audience which puts them in the place of the both the character and the attacker.
This particular chase sequence occurs during the day which is unusual for a horror film and therefore goes against typical horror conventions, normally the darkness/ lack of lighting would be used to isolate the character by limiting how much they can see. The sheets serve that purpose in this sequence showing that even by twisting typical conventions you can achieve the same effects and that when props are used well they can help achieve the desired response from your audience.
The first sequence I looked at is from: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2003, directed by Marcus Nispel.
In this sequence props are used to disorientate the character whilst he is trying to escape his attacker.
(Enter clip here)
The sheets often obscure the camera which is a very odd choice by the director but it successfully disorientates the audience which puts them in the place of the both the character and the attacker.
This particular chase sequence occurs during the day which is unusual for a horror film and therefore goes against typical horror conventions, normally the darkness/ lack of lighting would be used to isolate the character by limiting how much they can see. The sheets serve that purpose in this sequence showing that even by twisting typical conventions you can achieve the same effects and that when props are used well they can help achieve the desired response from your audience.
Friday, 26 November 2010
Friday, 19 November 2010
Friday, 5 November 2010
Cinematography in Horror Films
Cinematography is one of the most crucial elements in pulling off a horror film as it plays a huge role in how effectively viewers experience suspense and terror. If a horror film does not build up the right atmosphere it can come across as harmless or even boring. A horror film is intended to scare easily, too much effort should not be needed to entice the audience.
One of the main reasons that I will be focusing on the cinematography in my film is that it does not contain much dialogue. My film will portray a short chase sequence which will not contain much if any dialogue so I will need to use cinematography to make up for this fact. My film sequence will contain a flashback explaining the reasons behind the chase which will have a definite script but large amounts of dialogue should not be needed to make a horror film successful.
Some of the elements of cinematography that i will be using are odd angles to confuse and disorientate the audience and therefore put them in the shoes of the protagonist which will greatly help them empathise and understand the sequence.
I am also hoping to use point of view shots including shots that represent the view through the antagonists eyes. This will be used when the antagonist is watching the protagonist before the chase begins. This could be difficult to pull of so I will need to use certain signifiers to show the audience that it is in fact the antagonists point of view. To do this I will add sound such as heavy breathing and either use vignetting or change the colour of the footage.
During the actual chase sequence although the editing will be fast paced, which fits in with the conventions of the horror genre, the pace of editing will be different depending on what character is on screen. For example when the antagonist is on screen she will be running away so the editing will be very fast paced consisting of short shots to both disorientate the audience and add the relevant sense of urgency. On the other hand when the antagonist is on screen the editing will be of a slower pace.
There will also be other more subtle aspects of cinematography I will use to create effect like, for example, high and low angles. The second shot of my film is of the antagonist getting out of her car and will be filmed using a low angle shot so you can only see the characters feet or lower legs, a low angle shot is usually used to indicate high status or power so by using a low angle at the beginning of the film I am showing that my protagonist is of high status or at least thinks she is. Then throughout the film the angles will change, using low angles on the antagonist and switching to high angles for the protagonist this represents the obvious switch in power the antagonist now has complete power and has become the intimidating character whereas the protagonist is now made to feel very small and helpless the exact effect you would expect to see in a horror movie.
One of the main reasons that I will be focusing on the cinematography in my film is that it does not contain much dialogue. My film will portray a short chase sequence which will not contain much if any dialogue so I will need to use cinematography to make up for this fact. My film sequence will contain a flashback explaining the reasons behind the chase which will have a definite script but large amounts of dialogue should not be needed to make a horror film successful.
Some of the elements of cinematography that i will be using are odd angles to confuse and disorientate the audience and therefore put them in the shoes of the protagonist which will greatly help them empathise and understand the sequence.
I am also hoping to use point of view shots including shots that represent the view through the antagonists eyes. This will be used when the antagonist is watching the protagonist before the chase begins. This could be difficult to pull of so I will need to use certain signifiers to show the audience that it is in fact the antagonists point of view. To do this I will add sound such as heavy breathing and either use vignetting or change the colour of the footage.
During the actual chase sequence although the editing will be fast paced, which fits in with the conventions of the horror genre, the pace of editing will be different depending on what character is on screen. For example when the antagonist is on screen she will be running away so the editing will be very fast paced consisting of short shots to both disorientate the audience and add the relevant sense of urgency. On the other hand when the antagonist is on screen the editing will be of a slower pace.
There will also be other more subtle aspects of cinematography I will use to create effect like, for example, high and low angles. The second shot of my film is of the antagonist getting out of her car and will be filmed using a low angle shot so you can only see the characters feet or lower legs, a low angle shot is usually used to indicate high status or power so by using a low angle at the beginning of the film I am showing that my protagonist is of high status or at least thinks she is. Then throughout the film the angles will change, using low angles on the antagonist and switching to high angles for the protagonist this represents the obvious switch in power the antagonist now has complete power and has become the intimidating character whereas the protagonist is now made to feel very small and helpless the exact effect you would expect to see in a horror movie.
Monday, 1 November 2010
Film research
Most horror films will contain recognisable characters for example if you asked somebody about Wes Craven's film Nightmare on Elm Street they will immediately think of Freddy Kruger the films very famous antagonist. My film is going to contain an antogonist similar to that of The Ring (2002, directed by Gore Verbinski) and Silent Hill (2006, directed by Christophe Gans) which both contain young ghost/dead girls.
In both films the girls costume and make up are basic but still scary. This usually includes long dark hair covering the face which is usually extremely pale. This is the reason that I have chosen this type of antagonist for my own film as the make up should be easy to apply and re-create. You can end up with severe continuity problems if make-up changes from one shot to the other, to avoid this problem I will try to shoot all of the antogonists parts in one go. If this cannot be done it will be very helpful that the make up is very simple.
In both films the girls costume and make up are basic but still scary. This usually includes long dark hair covering the face which is usually extremely pale. This is the reason that I have chosen this type of antagonist for my own film as the make up should be easy to apply and re-create. You can end up with severe continuity problems if make-up changes from one shot to the other, to avoid this problem I will try to shoot all of the antogonists parts in one go. If this cannot be done it will be very helpful that the make up is very simple.
Monday, 25 October 2010
Friday, 22 October 2010
Aims and context (revised)
Aims and context
I will be filming a short sequence from my imagined horror film “Desolate” the sequence I am filming will be about a girl who is being chased by the ghost of a girl she killed in a hit and run and will include a short flashback that shows how the young girl was killed.
In my film I will use various micro-features to create the same effects as you would see in any film of the horror genre for example fast paced editing and dark lighting will be used to create tension. For cinematography I will use high and low angles to show the dominance of the ghost girl and the severe isolation of the protagonist as well as some odd angled shots that coupled with the fast paced editing will disorientate the audience and puts them in the place of the protagonist therefore helping them empathise with the character. I will also use various point of view shots to once again put the audience in the place of the protagonist so that the film has a bigger effect on their emotions as they watch. My film is aimed at the mainstream audience as horror is best suited to teenagers because they feel it is a right of passage to be able to see a film they could not have watched when they were younger. I believe it will be preferred by women because the protagonist and antagonist are both female.
Monday, 18 October 2010
Aims and Context (Original)
I will be filming a short sequence from my imagined horror film "Desolate" the sequence i am filming will be about a girl who is being chased by the ghost of a girl she killed in a hit and run and will include a short flashback that shows how the young girl was killed.
In my film i will use various micro features to create the same effects as you would see in any film of the horror genre for example fast paced editing and dark lighting will be used to create tension. For cinematography i will use high and low angles to show the dominance of the ghost girl and the severe isolation of the protagonist as well as some odd angled shots that coupled with the fast paced editing will disorientate the audience and puts them in the place of the protagonist therefore helping them empathise with the character. I will also use various point of view shots to once again put the audience in the place of the protagonist so that the film has a bigger effect on their emotions as they watch.
In my film i will use various micro features to create the same effects as you would see in any film of the horror genre for example fast paced editing and dark lighting will be used to create tension. For cinematography i will use high and low angles to show the dominance of the ghost girl and the severe isolation of the protagonist as well as some odd angled shots that coupled with the fast paced editing will disorientate the audience and puts them in the place of the protagonist therefore helping them empathise with the character. I will also use various point of view shots to once again put the audience in the place of the protagonist so that the film has a bigger effect on their emotions as they watch.
Friday, 8 October 2010
Synopsis of my film
Synopsis
The sequence begins with the protagonist Sarah driving home from work, she is running late so decides to take a shortcut down a desolate road when her car breaks down. She gets out of the car and opens the bonnet to check what is wrong after finding nothing she closes the bonnet and sees a flash of a pale young girl sat in the front seat of the car. She gets back in the car and tries to start it but can’t she then catches another glimpse of the girl in her rear view mirror. This sparks a flashback of the protagonist accidentally killing this young girl in a hit and run accident a few weeks earlier, she was not paying attention to the road as she was on her phone. After the flashback Sarah gets out of the car and starts to run but is pursued by the girl. Eventually Sarah gets on the ground and starts fumbling through her bag for her phone but because she has stopped the girl catches up to her and the sequence ends here with a cliff-hanger with us not knowing whether or not Sarah is killed.
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Audience
The chosen audience for my film will be teenagers, I believe that the horror genre appeals to young audiences more than any other genre. It may be because your teenage years are when you are first allowed to watch a film of this genre meaning that every time you watch, it feels almost like a right of passage. My film will appeal more to a female audience rather than a male, mainly because both main characters will be female but also because women tend to favour the horror genre more than men, this could be because they enjoy to be scared more than men.
Monday, 4 October 2010
Genre conventions essay
The chosen genre for my film is horror. I have researched the horror genre conventions:
Horror Genre Conventions
A horror movie is typically used to bring out severe emotions in an audience, for example a horror film will never be truly successful unless it causes the audience to be both scared and entertained at the same time. It is the main aim of a horror film to be unsettling and cause us to face our fears because this is what keeps us watching you do not get the sense of panic and shock with many films from other genres.
A horror film is defined by all the classic elements used, like for example low lit rooms and creaking doors, these are the horror films genre conventions and there are many of them. These conventions usually include the obvious things like dark iconography for example screaming and blood as well as disturbing characters e.g. monsters, ghosts or zombies.
A convention is something that is typical to the story or narrative of the film you are viewing and the conventions change depending on the genre of the film. Conventions are typically seen in the plot, setting, iconography, theme and characters of the film. For example in horror films the plot will always involve some kind of threat, usually death and if the film does not contain this threat then it would not be classed as a horror. So the conventions in the iconography, characters etc are what make the genre of the film recognisable.
Iconography basically means visual and aural signs so iconography of a film in the horror genre would be elements that when you see or hear them you immediately know that the film you are watching is a horror. One of the most famous pieces of horror iconography would have to be the scream as I don’t believe there will be a single horror film in existence that does not include one. Other common icon conventions include creaking doors, darkness, storms and weapons.
Sometimes the meaning of the iconography you are seeing changes with the context or form of the film for example crucifixes are often used in horror films. On their own crucifixes are a sign of god but when put in the context of a scary film a crucifix is usually used or thought of as a weapon for fighting evil. There are lots more very common icon conventions of horror films but some films can contain a lot if not all of them and not be classed as a horror. For example The Mummy (1999, directed by Stephen Sommers) contains blood, a crucifix, an antagonist in the form of a supernatural monster, death and plenty of threat yet it is classed as an action adventure rather than a horror. This will be because although it contains a lot of horror conventions it will contain a lot more conventions of the action/adventure film.
The characters of a horror film are also very typical of the genre there are not many characters that you would not expect to see. Your average horror film will contain an antagonist that is some kind of monster whether it is supernatural i.e. a dead person or ghost, or characters that are completely made up and have no link to reality like vampires and werewolves or it can even be a more realistic source of evil like a masked murderer. Once again characters are a main signifier that you are watching a horror film, if there is a monster in the script then chances are the film will be a horror. Although a lot of horror films contain supernatural monsters like Bram Stokers Dracula (1993, directed by Francis Ford Coppola) and An American Werewolf in London
Setting choices in horror films can be a lot broader then in other genres like for example in the western your choice of setting is very limited whereas with the horror genre there is a much better choice. The most common horror setting is an abandoned or haunted house (The last house on the left, 1972, directed by Wes Craven) they are used in many horror films meaning it is a very popular horror convention and we as an audience identify with this and any film that contains an isolated house we immediately recognise as a horror. Another common horror setting convention is any isolated area like for example a desolate forest (Wrong Turn, 2003, directed by Rob Schmidt) or a desert (The Hills Have Eyes, 2006, directed by Alexandre Aja) or even a village or town cut off from the rest of the world (Silent Hill, 2006, Christophe Gans). The setting is what brings the rest of the conventions together you can easily have a monster antagonist and horror icon conventions like blood and darkness but if they are placed in the wrong setting they mean nothing.
This works with all the conventions. The setting has to compliment the iconography and the characters have to fit in with the setting. Each of the horror conventions included in the iconography, plot, characters and setting work together to make the film part of the horror genre. Although any film from any genre can contain a few of the conventions like blood and death it’s the films that contain almost all of them that really qualify as being a real horror film.
Word Count: 1,025
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Brief
My brief is to develop an extended sequence from an imagined feature. I will use what I learnt in FM1 such as stylistics and theory in the production of my film sequence to help create meaning and establish the narrative. I will be working as an individual but I can use help from other members of the group and in return I will help them in the making of their own film.
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