Filming Day 7

Filming Day 6

 

Filming Day 5

 

Filming Day 3 & 4

Filming Day 2

Filming Day 1

This video is a brief overview of our first filming day, the props and make up we used and location we had travelled to also our shooting schedule and consent forms to filming. 

Shooting Schedule

We have created a schedule for filming our clips for our horror trailer, showing the location, time of day, and our approximate duration for filming, to help us plan, and also to give us enough production time. 

A2 Media Horror Trailer Shooting schedule from A Akena

Horror Trailer Storyboards

We have created storyboards, listing some of the shot's we intend to use for our Horror trailer:

Horror Trailer Storyboards by Slidely Slideshow

Scripting for Horror Trailer

Scripting

(Sydney is in her room as commotion is happening downstairs. Sydney is listening to music the audience doesnt hear it; the mum is screaming and there is a close up of the door knob) Sydney gets dragged out

Sydney: (screams)

Narrator: there is that one thing that affects you forever! Taking a small piece each time

Location change: 

Small intimate room with; enter: Sydney, Mrs G Jackson and Mrs Willow

Mrs G Jackson: (Hysterically, weary tone of voice) I just don’t know what happened to her I just don’t know what wrong with her

Psychiatrist: take these, this will settle you.. (Gives them to Sydney, Sydney takes them in front of Mrs Willow)

Location change: Back to house

-Pills are in Sydney’s hand slowly brings them to her mouth, commence voices!

Voices in Sydney’s head: ‘they’re trying to kill you’ Don't let them control you!’

Sydney: screams

Sydney: (throws starts to throw pills down the toilet)

Mrs G Jackson enters sees Sydney throwing them down the toilet. Squabble as foster mum tries to force her to take them)

Mrs Jackson outside of Sydney’s room on the phone (looks stiff and creepy, very straight faced)

(Mrs Jackson makes a noise and Sydney creepily turns around)

Mrs Jackson: (on the phone) I can’t care for her anymore, she doesn’t take them, she doesn’t listen ( crying on the phone)

Pyschiatrist: Well Mrs Jackson, there is a place where she can go. The Willows will take very good care of her.

Location change:...

Mrs Willow & Chapel are looking through the window

Sydney is looking at the asylum

Mrs Chapel : ‘Lights out’

Gets settled in to her room, laying in bed, looks under bed and gets dragged under the bed. Worm eye view of the demon hovering over Sydney on the floor. Long shot

Location Change : humanities or Enterprise hall

Shot of all of them coming into the class

Sydney is the last one in

Student: I’ve heard bad things about her, don’t trust her!

Sydney: why!?

(Both Walk in, student briskly walks off and sits down, Sydney slowly walks in Confused)

Mrs Chapel: Why are you late?

All Kids: ‘GOOD MORNING MRS CHAPEL!’

Syndey starts playing with her fingers

Pan shot Mrs Chapel changes into a demon and Sydney screams. That unsettles everyone in the room. Everyone starts acting crazy.

(Mrs Chapel punishes Syndey,Drowns Sydney in the bath Diagetic sounds: splashing, Gasping for breath , banging)

Stops drowning, Mrs Chapel lets go , Syndey turns around at the far end of the bathroom , Mrs Chapel is in her demon form. Sydney runs to her bedroom Mrs chapel looks her in her bedroom

Syndey struggles in the bedroom trying to get out, commence voices and people. Demons in the room

Sydney escapes asylum using a hair pin left in her hair

Location change: Woods

Mrs Chapel & willow are in the woods evoking all their powers 

Sydney’s walks through woods or alley way and see creepy people dotted on either side they disappear. ( jump scare )

Sydney runs away

Train station, she sees dark figure (sees figure staring directly at her, train leaving station, train passes person disappears

Running through tunnel (Greenwich foot tunnel)

Sydney returns home and mum opens the door and lets her in, she turns around and realises her foster mum is a demon

Mid shot of her banging frantically on the door

Pans to her almost falling in as it easily opens

Suddenly scrambles to get up scared, tracking shot Upwards

Point of view looking around 

Mid shot of her  backing away from the door and stopping

Demon foster mum grabs her around mouth

Ends : ‘The ones you love, the ones closest to you are the ones you should be afraid of!' 

Production Company Name

We chose our production company name to be called "Cyclops Producitons" to follow the title of our film "Perception. Perception means the way someone interprets and understands something. From that we decided on our main symbol which would be the "eye" as you need to see what you interpret. Using this we used an online generator to recreate similar names and from that we found our production company name.

Group Narrative

Narrative writing Characters:

Sydney- the teenager seeing demonic figures 

Mrs Willow- the psychiatrist who gives meds to Sydney but is also joins forces with Mrs Chapel

Mrs Chapel: works at the asylum is a demon

Grace (mother): is the innocent yet her body is taken over

 

1. Sydney is in her home in her bedroom, she gets kidnapped and gets dragged out 

(fear of being alone in a home) 

Pan, tilts, extreme close ups  

2. Visit psychiatrist - Mrs Willow  

• Pan of mis-en-scene then onto the characters

• Two shot mid shot

• Over the shoulder

3. Gives her meds to take

• Close up of pills dropping into hands 

• Close up of hands to mouth taking the pills 

4. Refuses to take them

• Stops suddenly, close up of eyes darting left to right

• Voices, whispers “ they’re trying to kill you, it’s poison

• Mid Shot of girl, high pitch scream, camera shakes with dynamic

5. Thinks they’re poisoned 

6. Mum tries to make her take it 

• Two shot of the confrontation, shouting while she is screaming 

• Mother begging her ( Mid shot)

7. She calls up the psychiatrist , advises her to send her to the asylum (physiatrist-demon)

• Mid Shot, cuts between conversation, “ I think the ____ Asylum would be best for her”

8. Gets sent to the asylum

9. Sydney looks under her bed then gets dragged out of her bed 

• Birds eye shot of her lying on the bed 

• Tracking shot of her getting off the bed to the floor

• Low angle point of view pan from left to right 

• Cuts  to Establishing shot of Sydney, suddenly being dragged

10. Sydney in the class room 

• Mid shot  of her sitting down 

• Close up of fidgeting hands , shaking leg , showing other parts of her body showing she is agitated/troubled 

• Off the shoulder shot as Mrs Chapel walks towards her 

• Camera slightly tilts towards Mrs Chapel, slightly zooming in

• Mrs Chapel looks normal suddenly cuts to her face as a demon  

11. Ms chapel tries to drown Sydney in the bath (shows brutality) 

-Use of go pro, slightly fish-eyed lense

12. Realises Mrs Chapel is a demon 

13. Sydney gets locked into her new room

• Birds eye view of struggle running around the room trying to get out of the room acting franticly 

• Close up’s of her facial expressions, extreme close ups contorted face

• Suddenly brakes free, close up of feet touching the ground

 

14. She escapes asylum 

15. Mrs Chapel and Mrs Willow are in the woods connecting with supernatural 

• 360 degree shot, as they are being possessed by the supernatural forces  

• Close up’s of disorientated faces and actions  

16. Sydney walks through woods or alley way and see’s creepy people and thinks she’s going mad, then they disappear  (jump scare when she turns around)

• Behind shot, frontal shot, as she walks

• Close ups to face, as she looks around

• Mainly mid shot as she continues to walk  

• Point of view as she see’s people

• Jumps scare when she turns around

• Go pro as she run’s panning area 

• Long shot of her running 

17. Sydney running away 

18. Train station, she sees dark figure (sees figure staring directly at her, train leaving station, train passes person disappears 

19. Running through tunnel (Greenwich foot tunnel) 

20. Sydney returns home and mum opens the door and lets her in, she turns around and realises her foster mum is a demon 

• Mid shot of her banging frantically on the door

• Pans to her almost falling in as it easily opens 

• Suddenly scrambles to get up scared, tracking shot Upwards

• Point of view looking around  

• Mid shot of her  backing away from the door and stopping 

• Demon foster mum grabs her around mouth

21. Ends : ‘The ones you love, the ones closest to you are the ones you should be afraid of!'  

Production name and Logo

Production name and logo A2 by Slidely Slideshow

Analysis Of Research Results

Overall the research I carried out was very beneficial, as I was able to get a real insight into my target audiences opinions along with popular trends. For example there was a lot of referral to supernatural horror's such as  Paranormal Activity. It was also interesting to learn the opinions of my target audience not only from different age groups but of  different dangers, for example a lot of the male audience seemed more weary of blood and gore in horror, whereas the females where more weary of the supernatural states and psychological horror. This research prepared me for the process of the production of my products, within creating a narrative that would appeal to our audience, creating villains that our target audience would actually be afraid of or make them cringe. This would also help with creation of out distribution material, such as the poster and magazine cover, advertisements, premier tickets.Overall this was a successful research process as the information was thorough and useful.

Audience Research- Opinions on Re-made Annabelle clip

After the group watching the clip, I then asked for their opinion on the clip they had just watched, outlining what the liked and disliked, what could be improved. This part of the research helped me understand some of the high points I could include within my own horror trailer for example more shocking and twisted psychological scenes, also not following the norm of regular trailers or clips. 

Creating a Multiple Frame Video- Tutorial

I have created a Tutorial video, into how I  put together multiple videos in one frame, in Premiere Pro CC 2014.

Audience Research- Watching the Our Re-made Annabelle Clip

I asked the same group of people within my target audience (15-18) to watch our re-made clip from the film from Annabelle and I filmed their reactions. 

Audience Research- What do you dislike about horror trailers?

I asked the same group of people from my target audience (15-18) what were the main elements that they disliked to see within a horror trailer such as a classic story line. This research, gave me an insight into what points to include within my own horror trailer, to go against the norm.

Audience Research- General Opinions on Horror Films

I asked a group of people from my target audience (15-18) their general opinion on Horror films, I asked questions such as:

What is your favorite horror film of all time?
Why is it their favorite horror film?
Is there a specific clip in the film that you like?

Asking these questions gave me an idea into popular horror's that my target audience are into which was mainly based around the Psychological horror. This part of the research also helped me understand the elements my target audience enjoy watching for example a confusing story line to make think and pay attention in the film.  

Audience Research- Horror Poster Analysis

I have asked five people within my target audience (15-18), to pick one poster from each era ( 60's-2000's). Each poster was picked from various posters of the same era. I asked them three main questions about each poster:

• What attracted you to this poster?
• What do you dislike about this poster?
• What can you connote about the film from this poster?

I carried out this research to understand, what I can include within my final Horror Poster such as colours and imagery , also some elements to avoid. This research also helped me to understand what major parts of the film to include on the film, to help the audience to partially connote the storyline, and also linking the poster to the film.

60's Horror Poster by Slidely Slideshow

70's Horror Poster by Slidely Slideshow

80's Horror Poster by Slidely Slideshow

90's Horror Poster by Slidely Slideshow

2000's Horror Poster by Slidely Slideshow

Audience Research- Age Restriction

Research Rationale

Within this video, I am discussing the research I plan to carry out in depth among my target audience and how the research will contribute to the making of my final Horror Trailer and Horror Poster.
  

Contemporary Horror Advertising Campaign

Contemporary Horror Advertising Campaign from A Akena

Preliminary Task Evaluation

Preliminary Task Final Outcome

We sucessfully recorded our clip within two hours, and we had more than enough  good quality clips to work from, here is our final clip:

Location: Boulkhalfa household
Permissions Needed: Granted by occupants
Equipment: SLR Cannon E05 350D x2
Handheld Steadicam
Tripod
Props: Ceramic Russian Doll
A Long white robe
A black Halloween wig
Beats pill speaker 

Preliminary Task- Planning

We created a shot list of what we were planning to film basing it on the clip and what equipment and props we had to film our clip

Shot Lists by Slidely Slideshow

Preliminary Task Choosing the clip

We decided to choose the 2014 film "Annabelle" which is a prequel to the 2013 film "The Conjuring" based on a once playful doll that hosts secrets and curses that taunt the surroundings of a family home. This was a film that we had all previously watched and enjoyed, we went through a series of clips of the "Annabelle" film  before we selected the final one.

 We decided on this clip as it was a simple set up that we could follow with a short amount of time that was in no need of professional special effects or any props that we could not get hold of in a short amount of time.Personally I enjoyed this clip as it followed the theory of Levi Todrov, as the state of equilibrium is disrupted suddenly. This clip also really plays on fear as it is an a warm home atmosphere of an innocent family, playing also on the fact that events like this can happen to anybody amongst the horror audience. This is a factor I would like to include within my final horror trailer as our houses/homes are somewhere of safety and tranquil, also the fear of an everyday occurrence turning suddenly sour.

Preliminary Task Introduction

Our Task is to recreate a clip from any Horror film that we choose minimum of 30 seconds. We were put into groups of four and using YouTube we were able to research into what horror films that interested us all equally, at first we looked at some horror trailers between the years of 2009-2015 to choose the horror film we would use to recreate our clip:

Horror Prelim Construction

Cabin in the woods

This film is very different from the rest as it includes various aspects from all types of horror , it includes gory content along with a unsuspecting plot however a very clever plot, with purposeful twists.

The film is about a group of  typical teenagers going on a camping
 trip, they were oblivious that this trip was indeed a set up where they were being watched from their journey from the town to the cabin .As the story unfolds as the teenagers  fates are decided for them and  they end up choosing their  way to die , while upholding the regular conventions of a  film , with the dark cabin and the classic  stereotypes , the jock, the cheerleader, the “nerd” , the hippie and the virgin. Later  in the film it is discovered that they are the sacrifice to the underworld.

This film is  unconventional, as the majority of horror films as the innocence of the “virgin” is apparent  from the very star t, she is deemed the weak one when she actually ends up outliving all the others. The film reveals the predicted timeline of the death of each of the students. Her death  was altered though as she was saved by an unsuspected  person who would have been predicted to be dead., “The Nerd”. 


Together they uncover the real agenda of  the camping trip, the contained horror characters that are released  kill , along with the leaders of the project. However towards the end , there is a final boy and a final girl which is unconventional, they fight and battle it out at first, but then decide to die together making them both the ’Heroes’.  This is seen in the first Hunger games.

According to the Clover’s theory of the final girl, she is typically unavailable, sexually, maybe socially, she is the only one within the house who isn’t dating or involved in any sexual activity. This is shown when one of the other male members of the group is undressing and she looks and shy's away in awe. 

The name Dana is also unisex .The final girl theory helps drive the narrative forward, with out this the audience will not know  the route of death within the narrative , along iwih the suspense and tension, for those who survive . This theory states that the audience will reject the final boy however that is  subverted towards the end of the film as they help each other.

Cabin in the woods uses this idea and subverts it, his leaves the audience confused and stunned as the ending is not what is expected  does not happen, they both die together by choice, her character is also subverted as she  smokes marijuana ,both pleased they din’t kill each other however frustrated that the world will have to suffer, just before the ground collapses.unsuspected

Barthes' Enigma Code

Psycho (1960) Analysis

Who is Ed Gein?

Exploring theories surrounding Horror

Created with Padlet

Monstrous Feminine & Carrie (1976)

Horror and the Monstrous Feminine- An Imaginary Abjeciton

Barbara Creed 

What is the Monstrous feminine?

Is the Idea of the most terrifying and shocking and absolutely horrific about the woman.

The main question in Creed's Theory? 

"Why is there so much emphasis on women as the victim, of the male monster  an no theoretical work around the female monster when this is obviously not a new concept?"   

The theory is based around the reversal role of the male monster, which would be petrifying for a man for various reasons which are based all on gender.

Carrie (1976)- Creed's example

The film based on a young timid girl who is an outcast within her School society , and when her menstruation commences ( Links with the age of a woman- sexuality) she finds that she possesses a power which through the film she tampers with supernatural and her budding sexuality , however the film ends with her being unable to control this immense power therefore leading to extreme chaos , and leaving Carrie to be the monstrosity.

“In Carrie, The film’s most monstrous act occurs when the couple are drenched in pigs blood ,which symbolises menstrual blood, in the terms of the setup by the film. Women are referred to as pigs, women bleed like pig’s, and the pig’s blood runs down Carrie’s body at a moment of intense pleasure, just as her own menstrual blood  ran down her legs during a pleasurable moment in the shower. Here, women’s blood and pig blood flow together signifying horror shame and humiliation”

The horror reader, Chapter Kristeva ,Femininity,  Abjection, Barbara creed . Routledge, London & New York,2000

pg.67

This theory is expressed within these clips put together and edited by Jordan Severs 

Carol J. Clover Her Body, Himself & Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The theory  analyses the conventions and  challenges  critics and   directors of slasher films. The article looks at the portrayal of women  over time along with the sexualisation of women , she also mentions “Male Gaze and “Final Girl” theories.  The article compares the effects of an attractive women being murdered to an undesirable one on men. But now that the new “Alpha female” roles have been introduced  overtime within horror films.  The theory is that these new “Alpha” women are usually the women  to make it to the end of the film hence “The Final Girl”. The Alpha female would tend to have a unisex name, intelligent and does  not go by the norms of society to drink, have sex  or take drugs , and is also usually the resourceful and the reliable one.

She identifies the processing of slasher films ,the individual characters, usually the ones with less to hang onto die early  in the horror.  This is quite an accurate observation as this is clearly shown in Cabin in the Woods (2012). The girl to make it to the end, was introduced as a head strong girl amongst a carefree group of friends, which died quickly and early.

This theory is also included in Texas Chainsaw (1974) within the opening scenes , as a group of friends go for a trip in the country.  Already at the start of the film you could see the stereotypes especially amongst the girls, the more carefree were  wearing less ,shorter and tighter  clothes and were affiliated with the boys, also they were wearing darker colours  except for one girl, who was wearing lighter colours, light blue and white.

The Girls wearing shorter and tighter clothing seemed to be more care free and less aware of the danger that was right ahead , I would guess not particularly thinking of their safety , within this unknown area. Also one of the girls attention was greatly focused on her boyfriend , completely distracting her from reality , this therefore exercised the stereotype, of the young and dumb teenage girl in love.   

These colours usually connote  innocence and purity, she also was not wearing any make up . Her friends get killed off one by one, she is able to fight her way through to the end  from the evening to the morning , she continued to try and save her life, she did not give up, even though she was exhausted. 

There is also the practicality of the the clothing that is one "The final girl" is wearing long trousers covering her legs, protecting them from any scratches and scars with a plain top and sensible shoes that would allow her to get away faster. 

however the other girls are wearing clothing giving them complete exposure to their skin , exposing more of the flesh, which made it even easier  for  "Leather-face" to dismantle them. 

Audience Theories

Mulvey's Male Gaze

Laura Mulvey- Visual Pleasure Narrative Cinema (1975) 

Using the theories of Freud and Locan, Mulvey suggests that the way women are viewed in cinema is “unequal”. 

 The camera necessarily presents women as “sexualised” for the pleasure of men .

Voyeurism: The compulsion to seek sexual gratification  by secretly looking as sexual objects or acts; the actions of a peeping tom. 

For Example: James Bond 007 

Levi-Strauss' Binary Opposition

Created with Padlet

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Created with Padlet

Propps Character Theory/Aristotle/ StanleyCohen/Paul Wells

Created with Padlet

How have vampires developed since Nosferatu?

Horror Through Time

Camera Angles and Propps Character Theory

Camera Angles and Propp's Character Theory

Key Words

Objective Treatment: The objective point of view involves  treating the viewer as an observer

Subjective Treatment:The subjective point of view is when the viewer is treat as a participant

How are camera effects used to create add meaning in the horror genre?

Camera effects are used in various ways through out many styles of Horror films , to enhance the affect of the Horror film on the audience for example:

• Close Up- Importance of an object 
• Long Shot-Describing a location
• Mid Shot- Mainly of characters or beast 

There is usually a visual pattern within similar styles of horror film, however the visual pattern is more universal within the trailers. For example within the Devil Trailer.

The main visual patterns that are usually followed within a trailer are quite similar, for example this trailer follows some of the patterns:

• Green Screen
• Names of companies "The night chronicles"
• Establishing shots,upside down (distortion)
• Mid shots of characters 
• Daunting music builds up with more momentum
• Birds eye shot on the lift
• Cutting shots of scenes, a disturbing sound of a beep
• Rule of three characters and lift 
• Sound of screaming, the bell of the lift constantly, increasing in dynamic, when cutting to scenes 
• A glimpse of the villain/ evil character, with daunting music, to end the trailer
• Almost silence with accompanying soft music, then ending credits