Recognizing the features of a sucsessful horror film

In my last lesson I studied and analysed the film paranormal activity , we achieved this by look at the three following aspects;

How Characters are established

The audience get to know the characters through the setting and surroundings they are emerged in. All the filming in Paranormal Activity was done within the house, this enables the audience to gain an insight into the characters personal life , for example we understand the main male enjoys playing the guitar as it is shown in the footage suggesting he is a music enthusiast , along with the female making jewellery  which implies she is creative.

The Dialogue plays a key factor in how the audience get to know more about the role that characters play. We understand that the main female is the males girlfriend as she express “I have the best boyfriend” , also when the two have conversations and interactions with each other and people such as their friends / Professor/Doctor. When the professor asks the female about her problem she reveals her life story , beginning at her childhood, this gives the audience some exposition.

Considering how Setting is used

As I mentioned previously majority of filming is done in rooms within the house. Overall the house depicts a very modern feel and although it’s not a traditional setting for a horror, there are certain signifiers which set the overall idea/theme off. This includes the staircase, the knife and mirrors situated around the house.

Because the filming is done by a main character within the film makes it seems more authentic and real, therefore allowing the point of view to be strongly established within the film. When the audience see the reflection of the male holding the camera in the mirror it indicates this further, we as an audience automatically feel part of the film and can relate to it with the angle and shot sizes used, as we would observe this through our own cameras as if we were filming. Footage is not shown in every room, which creates suspense further more as it suggests that there is something lurking around the corner.


Sound

There is no non-diegetic sound within Paranormal Activity , this adds to the atmosphere as it portrays how the film is not professionally made and as a I mentioned before the audience can then relate to it. The main male character however does play horror music on the computer that is shown in the filming footage, this is cleverly done as they joke about how cheesy it sounds yet it would be used in traditional horror films. All of the sound is diegetic ,example's of this are the fuzz through the camera which implies further how the film is made by an amateur. Beeping of the alarm clock which is also a signifier for how a lot of strange going on's happen in the bedroom. The constant noise of the couples dialogue and the contrast of how it then goes deathly quiet when they are sleeping , this is noticed as the camera is placed in a fixed position and night vision is switched on. There are also ordinary household sounds such as clanking and clashing of pots and pans etc, the audience will be familiarized with such noises.


Other points of evidence to suggest the film was made to appear as though an amateur had filmed the footage ;

Time and date appear upon the screen
Unsteady camera movement: when he passes the camera to his girlfriend
Reflection of him holding the camera in the mirror
The fact its done in and around the house implies how its a home-made film 

Story Board

Shot One

Shot Two

Shot Three

 Shot Four

Shot Five

Shot Six

 Shot Seven

Shot Eight

Shot Nine

Shot Ten

Shot Elleven

Shot Twelve



Shot Thirteen

        Shot Fourteen

 Shot Fifteen

Evidence:

Vampire Films

 Vampire Films have been a staple since the silent days, the depiction of vampires in popular culture is based strongly upon depiction in movies throughout the years. One of the most popular of these depictions has been Bram Strokers Dracula, this currently has over 170 different versions.  By 2005 Dracula had been the subject of more films than any other fictional character.

A poem by Rudyard Kipling called the “Vampire” was the inspiration for many early cinematic films containing vampires;

A fool there was and he made his prayer
(Even as you and I!)
To a rag and a bone and a hank of hair
(We called her the woman who did not care),
But the fool he called her his lady fair
(Even as you and I!)
Oh the years we waste and the tears we waste
And the work of our head and hand,
Belong to the woman who did not know
(And now we know that she never could know)
And did not understand.
A fool there was and his goods he spent
(Even as you and I!)
Honor and faith and a sure intent
But a fool must follow his natural bent
(And it wasn't the least what the lady meant),
(Even as you and I!)
Oh the toil we lost and the spoil we lost
And the excellent things we planned,
Belong to the woman who didn't know why
(And now we know she never knew why)
And did not understand.
The fool we stripped to his foolish hide
(Even as you and I!)
Which she might have seen when she threw him aside--
(But it isn't on record the lady tried)
So some of him lived but the most of him died--
(Even as you and I!)
And it isn't the shame and it isn't the blame
That stings like a white hot brand.
It's coming to know that she never knew why
(Seeing at last she could never know why)
And never could understand.


The following classic treatment of the vampire legend was in Universal’s Dracula, 5 years after its release , a sequal named “Dracula’s Daughter” was introduced. A second sequal “Son of Dracula” was made after  .

One other development in some  vampire films has been a change from supernatural to horror to science fiction explanations of vampirism.  Race has been another underlying theme involved in films such as “Blacula”. Since 1931 the vampire male or femal has usually been portrayed as a sex symbol. The implicit sexual themes of vampire film have become much more overt. A major main character in a lot of vampire films is the vampire hunter.

Costume and Setting

Setting

Bishop Walsh Secondary school: Classroom/Outside school/ Hallway

Forest Scenery: Sutton Park/ Back garden/ plenty of foliage

Characters

Small punk girl needs to look weak and feeble. But then strong and mysterious

4 Bullies: 2 boys and 2 girls. One of the boys gets captured and is made into a vampire

Vampire teacher: Audience and bullies think he will save the day but he is actually a vampire himself.

Costume

Main character/punk girl;  

Doc Martins 

Bullies/Casual

Boy’s clothes should consist of jeans, hoodies, polo shirts, trainers or pumps, including very stereotypical colours for a male such as blue, brown, green and orange. Very casual and cool look as the bullies are perceived to be popular.

The females are girly but mean so need to wear jeans, skirts, shorts, tank tops, jackets, t-shirts, with dolly shoe or sandal footwear. Colours I will use include pink, yellow, purple, white and pale blue.  They should depict the image that they take care of themselves and have confidence in their own style.

The bullies are a total contrast in comparison with the punk girl whom is the main character. Whereas they dress similarly to one another indicating that they have no mind of their own, unlike the main character, one of the reasons they bully her is because she is seen as an outcast. This is highlighted through what she wears as colours are seen to be quite depressing; Black, grey, dark green and deep red. She should wear thick boots on her feet to symbolize how she is adamant to stand her ground with the bullies one and for all.

Camera Angles and Movement

 The angle at which a character is shot in a film can dramatically affect the way we perceive the character, film directors will often choose to shoot characters using a range of different. Angles determine where the camera is placed, for example;

Birds-eye view

The camera is usually positioned above the subject as it looks down toward them and the ground. This shot can sometimes seem disorienting as it is rarely the way the audiences see the world. This angle is often used to create dramatic effect.

High Angle

This angle tends to draw attention to the importance of the particular environment or setting of a scene, high angle shots make the character look small and are often used be directors to suggest insignificance or withering authority.

The Eye-Level

Most commonly seen in movies , the scenes are shot at the same level  as the observer would view the scene. The shots are not as dramatic as others although are used to photograph scenes that explain story development.

The Oblique Angle

This is shot by simply tilting the camera frame, it can be used to suggest a sense of “crookedness” and anxiety. However in the case of some television news shows and music videos programs a sence of playfulness.

Camera Movement

Cameras are moved around for many specific reasons in a range of complex combinations. Movement alters the viewer’s sense of time, speed and space, follow action or characters, reveal information that was previously off-screen, concentrate the audience’s attention on specific details and emphasise ad point of view shot.

Tripod

These particular movements are the equivalent of moving one’s head up and down and to the left and right, as a result they are considered to then be a point of view shot. 

The pan turns the camera to the left or right as it focuses attention on an object or subject being followed. The pan is often used to survey surroundings and reveals what is beyond the confines of the original frame.

The tilt pivots the camera upwards or downwards again to make the audience more aware of the surroundings , whilst it also frequently mimics the sight of the character in point of view shots.

Smaller tilts and pans keep the subject in the desired part of the frame as she/he makes equally small movements.The camera doesn’t have to do an awful lot of movement to zoom in and out as it simply enlrages of redues the proportion of the frame being taken up by the person or object.  The zoom allows the camera to focus on a particular detail, over use of this shot can be distracting.

Tracking

Also commonly known as trucking, this shot enables the camera to move from left to right and is often on a pre-laid track or a specially designed truck. These shots are conventionally used to follow movement across a frame and move parallel to the object/subject.

A Dolly

These are often used as point of view shots and give the audience the impression of approaching someone/something with the character. The Dolly creates a sense of moving towards an object

Crane or Helicopter

In these type of shots the camera is mounted above the ground, therefore making it easy to, manoeuvre precisely.  Crane and Helicopter shots can survey wide areas and create an extreme sense of movement.

Handheld

This is when the camera is carried by an operator and often creates and uneven movement. This shot allows the operator to follow the action more closely, creating a greater sense of immediacy foe the audience. A common visual metaphor in moves is also created by handheld cameras creating a shaking, trembling effect in horror films. 

Camera Shots of a Horror Film

Many shots in horror films are considered to be cliché’s as they are seen so often, the following are  common ones we would expect to see;

The Silhouette against a door

Usually a silhouette is visible against the light, its purpose is to imply that there’s something nasty lurking behind the corner and that the unsuspecting token character is about to get attacked.

Spiral Staircase

One example may be how the camera moves to the top of the staircase and looks down on the character that may be standing at the very top; the spirals of the flights of stairs are used to frame the character. This shot makes the audience tense as they can visualise how big of a drop the stairs may be  and therefore there’s are danger element involved.

A mystery shape flits past the camera

This shot creates a sense of enigma and gets the audience thinking about what or who it was that flashed passed the camera with such speed and how they managed to do so.

The Spin around scare

This shot happens to begin with someone dead or mutilated facing the wall. Suddenly the character whips around as the suspension built results in this climax.

Questionnaire for Trailer

Questionnaire for Trailer

1) What age range do you fit into to?

12-15                            16-19                               20-30                              30+

2) What genre do you enjoy watching? (Tick 2)

  Horror                   Sci-Fi                      Action                     Comedy                 Romantic/chic      Thriller

                                                                                                                              flic

   

3) Would you rather the main character male or female?

 ....................................................................................................................................

4) What qualities would you want this character to have? (Tick 2)

Charming          Cute                 Funny               Athletic            Unfit                Young            Old

Ugly

5) What features would you like to see included in a trailer?

Cliff hangers          Flashbacks          Voiceovers         On Screen text        Music        Names of Actors & Directors

6) Would you like to see real-life situations?

YES       NO  

7) What is you occupation?

8) Which title excites you the most; please tick 1

Victoria

The Vampire Runner

Dead Runner

Lonley Death

9) Would you like to see all the main characters in a film to be included in the trailer?

YES

NO

10)Please explain your answer; 

 When I collect in the completed questionnaire's it will help me to conclude whom my  target audience will be.