Key Elements

From my researching the key codes and conventions of the horror genre, I can decide what I will use in my film, to make it fit into my chosen genre as best as possible. By including these key elements, I know I will be successful in creating a film opening that intrigues my audience.

The first key element I will use is low key lighting. This is because I know it sets an eerie atmosphere, and the dark is known for being mysterious. It is harder for a character to protect themselves in the dark. This leads the audience to feel more worried about the character, creating a stronger bond between the viewer and character. I will use low key lighting when the character of Steve is walking home from work, as it will be the first scene in my opening, instantly creating a mysterious setting. It will also straight away tell the audience that the film is set in the evening. I will also use low key lighting when the character Maggie goes upstairs to find her daughter dead. The low key lighting here will make it harder for the audience to see what is happening, which makes sure they have to pay full attention to what is going on. Also, the low key lighting makes it harder for Maggie to protect herself against the potential violence that could take place.

Another key convention I will use is loud sound effects. When editing the film opening we will add non diegetic sounds effects such as the knife cutting, the door creaking and footsteps. This makes the viewer pay extra attention to the actions taking place. From my research I found out that traditional sounds used where creaking doors (to add suspense to what is the other side of the door) and footsteps (to make the viewer think about who’s walking and where they are walking to). Weapons are also a common prop used in horror movies, so by loudening the noise of a knife chopping food up, gives more attention to the knife, which the viewer will instantly associate with violence.

In my film opening I will use close up shots. Close-up’s are well known for showing the audience the character’s expressions, so they know how they are feeling. I will use close-up’s in my film to show Maggie’s emotionless reaction to her daughter’s death. This may lead the audience to wonder why she hasn’t reacted in what we would believe the normal way to be. Creating questions in their mind, and hooking them into the film. I will also use a close-up to show the dead daughter. This is because it will clearly show the rope around the daughter’s neck, showing the audience how she died. Showing the dead body will also scare the audience.

When the credits appear on my film opening, I will use a red ghostly font. This is because red is famously linked with horror, due to the association with blood. As our logo is red and black, I will stick to this colour theme, so it all ties in and looks professional. I will do this by duplicating the red text in a black colour and placing it behind it, which will also give a 3D effect. By using a ghostly font, it will show the film is of the horror genre and allow the credits to not look random.

Lastly, in my film opening I will include a selection of pan shots of the house in which the film is set. From my research I found out that many openings show where the film is set, so the audience feel like they know the setting well leading them to feel like they are in the film themselves, which makes them more vulnerable and easier to scare. I will include a pan of the living room and kitchen, when the dad has opened the door from walking home. I have chosen to do it then, as it will look as if the viewer has just walked through the door and is looking around the house themselves.

In conclusion, my previous research has helped me create my own list of key elements that I will use in my film opening, to ensure that it fits into my horror genre successfully.

Risk Assessment

This is my Risk Assessment. This allows me to know any potential problems and risks that we could encounter when shooting the film, allowing my group and I to make sure we are safe and responsible when shooting our opening. By being safe and cautious we can ensure we can put our full effort into the filming.

Shooting Tables

Here I have made a series of tables that will help me plan out my film opening. The tables included an equipment list, a crew list, a props list, locations lists and character list.

These tables will help me keep organised and let me know what I need to get ready before filming my opening. This means I will be completely ready when I begin to shoot my film opening, and will not forget everything.

Narrative Theories

Researching Institutions

I have researched a rang of film institutions to see what one I would use to produce, distribute and exhibit my film. An institution is an organisation or company, that produces and/or distributes media products.

From researching a variety of institutions, I am now able to decide who will produce and distribute my film. I believe all 5 of the institutions I looked at would be able to produce/distribute my film, however the institution I would choose is Lionsgate Gate. This is because I feel like they are a modern institution, who are already well respected within the film industry. I believe this is because of their success of understanding what their audience wants and being able to reach a large mass audience. They are also behind three of the most successful movie series (The Twilight Saga, The Hunger Games Triology and The Divergent Series). This shows they have a good relationship with their audience, as to make a collection of films they must all be equally as good and they obviously do this by knowing what their audience likes in films. They also focus in the British Horror Genre, which is the genre of my film. Their previous success will lead to a large advertising campaign, allowing my film to reach a mass audience.

Audience Research

In my group’s audience research, I was in charge of the film reviews. Hannah was in charge of the questionnaire and Maisie was in charge of the focus group. As I was in charge of the film reviews I decided to look at a variety of horror films from the distributer that I chose for my film, Lionsgate. From looking at these film reviews I can see what people of my target audience would like and not like to see, giving me the best chance to make a film opening that my audience would enjoy.

SAW

-Many of the reviews discussed the film to be ‘too gory’ and ‘too violent’. However, the main gist of the reviews was that if you are an avid horror fan, you will most probably enjoy the film due to its shocking twists and tense opening. This shows me that my opening needs to be tense, to draw the audience in. Many of the film watchers also mentioned how the film can be seen as ‘unrealistic due to the ceaseless violence and excessive gore’.

MY BLOODY VALENTINE

-The overall consensus of reviews on My Bloody Valentine was negative. This was mainly due to the ‘lame and predictable’ storyline and the ‘easy plot to anticipate’. It was said to be ‘everything bad about slasher flicks’. However, some people did say that the visuals hooked them in ‘with the twists, turns and shocks’. They also praised the blood and gore part of the film. In my opinion these reviews show me that Lionsgate horror fans prefer traditional slasher/horror films instead of turning them into ‘flicks’ or comedies. Therefore in my opening I will not attempt to use any comedy and keep it as close to a traditional horror film that I can. 

THE DEVIL'S REJECTS

-From looking at these reviews I have learnt that most people who liked this film liked the development of the characters and the story line. They believe the film succeeded brilliantly at being 'sick, ruthless and grabbing you by the throat'. The audience also mentioned how the story line was unpredictable, which made the film exceed their expectations. Some reviews mentioned how the 'fast pace opening' instantly engaged them and they was 'hooked from the start'. However, some over film-goers said that there was a pointless amount of gore being used, and that characters where just being set up for a 'violent, miserable death'. The over main negative point was that they did not enjoy the 'attempted comedy'. Once again, I now know not to use any attempted comedy and to make sure my opening is fast pace and interesting.

From my audience research I have found out that my audience like traditional horror films. This shows me that I need to keep to the identifying traits of horror that I have previously researched. I have also learnt that my opening needs to be fast pace, so that the audience is immediately intrigued. 

Moodboard

This is my mood board which I created to give me inspiration for my film opening. 

I used various film posters, as usually a film poster will include an image of the scariest character/setting from the film, to not only scare the viewer but make them want to watch it. Knowing what the settings and characters look like in real life films helps me to picture what I want them to look like in my film opening.

I also used images of spooky settings, to give me ideas on how my film set should look. Most of the settings use dark lighting, and black and green colours.

I also included famous horror movie quotes. 

To create the title of my mood board I used different horror fonts, to give me inspiration for the font and colour of writing I will use in my film opening. 

9 Key Shot Screenshots of The Shining

TASK 11

The film opening I have chosen to annotate is The Shining, this is because it in the genre of horror.

The film starts off with a shot of picturesque scenery and a peaceful lake. This is an establishing wide shot. This is a key shot because it shows the audience where the film is set. It also relaxes the viewer from the beginning, contrasting to what they may have believed the film to start off with. However, although the setting looks peaceful we can also tell it is an isolated area. We can also tell it is part of a forest, which I previously found out was one of the traditional settings for a horror film. From this shot I know that isolated areas are an effective setting for a horror film. 

Within seconds of the film beginning, the camera moves to strange angles. This shot is an establishing wide shot. This is a key shot because it is the first time the viewer witnesses the oddness of the film. This gives a distorted view which confuses the audience. The camera movement allows the idyllic view to quickly change to a confusing isolated area, where the viewer would most likely not want to be. This means that from the outset, the viewer feels that they don’t belong, causing them to be vulnerable to the film. This shot has shown me that distorted views will obscure the mind of the viewer.

After the viewer is giving a view of the isolated area, there is a shot of a car. This shot is a birds eye view. This is a key shot as it is the first time we see a sign of a character. As we have previously seen the inaccessible area, when we see the area a selection of questions are suddenly created in the viewer’s mind. We instantly start to think about why the driver is there, who they are and where they are going to. From this shot I know that mysterious images can engage the audience as they want to know what is happening.

There is then a shot of the road where the car will be driving. This is an asymmetrical shot.  The image denotes a long, narrow and wide road. This is one of the traditional settings that I found out in my earlier research which potentially sets the scene and will portray to the viewer where some of the action will take place. The winding roads make the viewer feel nervous about the journey and we begin to think about who is around the corner. From this shot, I have found out that this this could potentially be built around suspension and uncertainty about will be about to happen. It could also denote to the viewer that some form of adventure or quest will take place.   

This is a key shot because it includes the first credits of the film. This is an establishing wide shot which sets the scene of the action. The camera slowly pans in to a closer view of the car. This ensures the viewer that the character in the car may play a vital part in the film. As the camera gets closer to the car we feel like we are a part of the journey as well, which makes us feel as vulnerable as the characters in the car. In this shot the credits also begin to appear. They start scroll upwards and are aluminous blue in colour and in bold capital letters. From this shot I have learnt that making the viewer feel like they are a part of the film will make them vulnerable and more prone to be scared. I also know that the first credits should include the leading roles to interest the audience as they expect good acting in the film. 

The credits begin with the two main characters, then the title of the film, then the rest of the characters and producers. This is a key shot as we learn the name of the film and names of the main characters and producers. This shot is called an establishing wide shot. When the title of the film appears, it scrolls upwards slower than the previous credits. This is so that the audience remembers the name of the film. When reading the credits, the view of the car driving is still in shot. As we are reading the credits, it prolongs the length of the journey as we forget it is there.  From this shot I have learnt it is important to have the name of your film and the leading actor’s name included in your initial credits, so that the audience are excited about the level of acting they are about to watch.

As the shot of the car zooms out again, we see a typical horror setting. This is an establishing wide shot. Even though the car is very small in this shot, it shows the car going into the unknown.The view is of a snowy, mountainous location, which is still isolated. This view is quite a drastic change to the beginning view, even though they are both seen as traditional horror settings. From this shot I have learnt that making your character go to an unknown location can intrigue the audience, as they want to know where the character will go.

In this shot we see the first view of a building. This is an extreme long shot. The building is completely isolated from any type of shop or city. This makes the viewer concerned, as they know that if something bad happens no help will be easily accessible. In the distant there is a large, snowy mountain which looks like a holiday destination. From this shot I have learnt that the action will take place in the wilderness in a winter setting as you can see the snowy mountains and lush green forests. 

The last shot of the opening scene is of a close up view of the hotel. This is an establishing wide-shot. It looks grainy and dull and not somewhere that the viewer would want to stay. The structure of the hotel looks like a prison, which makes the audience instantly associate the hotel with violence and criminal activity. Although there are a few cars outside the hotel, it looks totally inaccessible. This is a key shot because it I the closest view of the hotel, which is the main location, that we have in the film opening. From this shot I learnt that the film opening should have some sort of cliff hanger to create enigma, for example ending the opening on a shot of the hotel intrigues the viewer on what will happen in the scary looking hotel.