Friday, 26 November 2010
Conor and Rachel's presentation!
Today we presented our horror film ideas to the whole class, in a powerpoint presentation. Overall it went well and we got feedback from our classmates on how to improve aspects of our film.
This is the feedback we got:
- Lighting may be hard to perfect on the park in dark condition - for this we will make sure we don't do it in pitch darkness, we will do it just before it gets dark.
- Lots of POV shots may cause it to look jumpy - for one we are not using all POV shots, only in the title sequence and it will add atmosphere and make it tense
- Too many shot tpyes may be confusing - we are using a selection of shot types, appropriate to what we are trying to convey and we will do it so it is not confusing.
In conclusion, we found the feedback useful and will take it all on board and we thought our presentation went well!
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Feedback on media lesson
This week in media studies we spent the whole lesson watching the first ten minutes of different horror films, the horror films we watched are on the blog below where we have wrote about where the film was set at the beginning, what was happening at the beginning of the film, what we thought was going to happen later on in the film and who we thought was the threat and who we thought was the victim in the first ten minutes of the film.
The point of this task was to find ideas and brainstorm about how we could start our own horror film. All the films we watched were very helpful because they were all psychological kinds of horror films which is helpful because we are doing a start to a psychological horror film. The films we watched were, 1408, Silent Hill, Dark Water and The Sixth Sense.
What we found out with most of the films is that at the end of the ten minutes it usually ended with a cliffhanger, this makes sure that the audience want to keep on watching the film and keep on wondering what is going to happen next, so we need to make sure that we end our beginning of the film on a cliffhanger. The films that we watched were very good at this as after the ten minutes were over we were left wondering what was going to happen to the threat and what was going to happen to the victim and where they were going to go or do next.
We thought that Silent Hill was probably best at creating a cliffhanger as the little girls mum took her back to where she kept on dreaming about which is Silent Hill, we instantly thought knew that both the mum and the daughter were the victims and that something bad was going to happen in Silent Hill later on in the film.
The point of this task was to find ideas and brainstorm about how we could start our own horror film. All the films we watched were very helpful because they were all psychological kinds of horror films which is helpful because we are doing a start to a psychological horror film. The films we watched were, 1408, Silent Hill, Dark Water and The Sixth Sense.
What we found out with most of the films is that at the end of the ten minutes it usually ended with a cliffhanger, this makes sure that the audience want to keep on watching the film and keep on wondering what is going to happen next, so we need to make sure that we end our beginning of the film on a cliffhanger. The films that we watched were very good at this as after the ten minutes were over we were left wondering what was going to happen to the threat and what was going to happen to the victim and where they were going to go or do next.
We thought that Silent Hill was probably best at creating a cliffhanger as the little girls mum took her back to where she kept on dreaming about which is Silent Hill, we instantly thought knew that both the mum and the daughter were the victims and that something bad was going to happen in Silent Hill later on in the film.
Friday, 19 November 2010
Narrative Analysis Openings...
1408:
In the first ten minutes of the film, we have been introduced to the main character and we have been made aware of his career which is an author of horror books, and he visits 'haunted' hotels to gain material for these. He has stayed in one hotel, that claimed to be 'haunted', but he found no paranormal activity there. Even in the first ten minutes, it sets a conventional horror film with the raining and him driving his car, it immediately puts the audience on edge and feeling tense.
We think that the next step in the film is that he will end up going to stay in a hotel that actually is haunted, here a lot of paranormal activity will happen for once and maybe have bad consequences.
The film is set in America, yet it is not set in one particular location as he is travelling round to different hotels etc. in the first ten minutes we have not been made aware of a threat, but we have been introduced to what it could be, although we have not seen it yet.
Silent Hill:
Straight away, we were introduced to the paranormal nature of the film, the little girl was sleepwalking and was standing on the edge of a cliff as her foster parents searched for her. The girl was chanting the words "silent hill" over and over again. We were told that she came from west virginia where silent hill is located suggesting something strange about the link between them.
The mother decides to take the child to silent hill which we believe will be a bad decision. The town is deserted which again suggests that paranormal happenings will occur. We think that the girl will go to sleep again and something very bad will happen.
It is set in america but the majority of the film will be set in silent hill. The lighting is all quite dark containing may shadows etc.. However the scene in the field is a massive contrast to the rest of the film, perhaps relating to the massive contrast in the girls character once she goes to sleep. The victim/threat is in a way introduced in a strange way, the little girl is both the threat and the victim in a way.
Dark Water
It starts off with a scene from the past in 1976 in Seattle, where the modern day mum in 2005 was in school waiting for her mum. Then it moves onto present day in 2005 where the mum and dad were arguing about who should have the daughter. The mother and the daughter move to manhattan where they stay in a block of flats, here is when the paranormal activity starts to occur.
We feel that the janitor will play a big part in the horror that will unfold, we think that the mum and the girl will both be victims but we are not sure what will be the threat. The setting is at a creepy, dingy apartment building, where we feel the horror will be mainly set - although it may carry on darting between present and past of the moms childhood.
The Sixth sense:
It starts off with the woman in the cellar getting some wine, when she appears to get sort of creeped out by something, and starts shivering and then runs up the stairs quickly - maybe a hint at what is to come...
But then it goes to a scene emphasizing normality, with the husband and there is no feel that something is about to occur. The beginning ten minutes are not particularly tense or leave the audience in suspension, as much as the previous films did.
We think that the film may turn more sinister next, yet in the first ten minutes there are no particular indications as to what apart from the woman experiencing something in the cellar.
At the beginning the film is set in the house, however we do not feel it will be set primarily here. In addition, the lighting is also dark and low lit, adding atmosphere and an ominous feel to what may occur.
Finally, at the beginning we are not yet aware of the victim or the threat in the film.
In the first ten minutes of the film, we have been introduced to the main character and we have been made aware of his career which is an author of horror books, and he visits 'haunted' hotels to gain material for these. He has stayed in one hotel, that claimed to be 'haunted', but he found no paranormal activity there. Even in the first ten minutes, it sets a conventional horror film with the raining and him driving his car, it immediately puts the audience on edge and feeling tense.
We think that the next step in the film is that he will end up going to stay in a hotel that actually is haunted, here a lot of paranormal activity will happen for once and maybe have bad consequences.
The film is set in America, yet it is not set in one particular location as he is travelling round to different hotels etc. in the first ten minutes we have not been made aware of a threat, but we have been introduced to what it could be, although we have not seen it yet.
Silent Hill:
Straight away, we were introduced to the paranormal nature of the film, the little girl was sleepwalking and was standing on the edge of a cliff as her foster parents searched for her. The girl was chanting the words "silent hill" over and over again. We were told that she came from west virginia where silent hill is located suggesting something strange about the link between them.
The mother decides to take the child to silent hill which we believe will be a bad decision. The town is deserted which again suggests that paranormal happenings will occur. We think that the girl will go to sleep again and something very bad will happen.
It is set in america but the majority of the film will be set in silent hill. The lighting is all quite dark containing may shadows etc.. However the scene in the field is a massive contrast to the rest of the film, perhaps relating to the massive contrast in the girls character once she goes to sleep. The victim/threat is in a way introduced in a strange way, the little girl is both the threat and the victim in a way.
Dark Water
It starts off with a scene from the past in 1976 in Seattle, where the modern day mum in 2005 was in school waiting for her mum. Then it moves onto present day in 2005 where the mum and dad were arguing about who should have the daughter. The mother and the daughter move to manhattan where they stay in a block of flats, here is when the paranormal activity starts to occur.
We feel that the janitor will play a big part in the horror that will unfold, we think that the mum and the girl will both be victims but we are not sure what will be the threat. The setting is at a creepy, dingy apartment building, where we feel the horror will be mainly set - although it may carry on darting between present and past of the moms childhood.
The Sixth sense:
It starts off with the woman in the cellar getting some wine, when she appears to get sort of creeped out by something, and starts shivering and then runs up the stairs quickly - maybe a hint at what is to come...
But then it goes to a scene emphasizing normality, with the husband and there is no feel that something is about to occur. The beginning ten minutes are not particularly tense or leave the audience in suspension, as much as the previous films did.
We think that the film may turn more sinister next, yet in the first ten minutes there are no particular indications as to what apart from the woman experiencing something in the cellar.
At the beginning the film is set in the house, however we do not feel it will be set primarily here. In addition, the lighting is also dark and low lit, adding atmosphere and an ominous feel to what may occur.
Finally, at the beginning we are not yet aware of the victim or the threat in the film.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Title Sequence
In this lesson we had to think about how we could create our title sequence and what would be suitable for our film, in order to achieve this, we watched several examples of title sequences in productions linked to horror. This is what we made of them:
1) Blade 2 - Throughout this title sequence the main character spoke over aall of the images, explaining his role in the film and how he has got this far, this is due to this being a sequal to the original "blade" This gives the viewer and insight into what may happen. Also during this speech, blade mentions many conventions linked with vampires (such as garlic and sunlight) this makes magnifies the theme of vampires in the film. This is accompanied by several shots of preparation for what looks like a battle, swords, bullets and other weapens are seen in close up shots which makes the scenes very mysterious as we dont get the whole picture. Also in this sequence there are many clips of the previous film, maybe to refresh the minds of anyone watching this after the original, this also informs the new viewer of any important things that they would need to know.
2) Halloween - Very simple scene in which a black background is constant, on which there is a pumpkin next to orange writing, obviously highlighting the aspect of halloween in the film. We hear a tense, reasonably fast paced soundtrack which is in great contrast to the images we are seeing, the camera gradually zooms into the pumpkin throughout this sequence which introduces a very strange feeling, the pumpkin does not look like a typical example, its face looks more intimidating than the normal. We also have flashing orange lights which again reinforce the theme of orange/halloween. This sequence is ended by the sounds of children singing halloween songs which also adds an eerie feel to the scene.
3) Dawn of the Dead - Flashing images of death, blood, gore and horror. Inbetween each one, the screen turns black then flashes back again (could suggest life...death...back to life as a zombie) Over all of this carnage we hear a press conferance in which the disease is introduced and announced. Also we hear doctors talking about the symptoms of the disease each of which makes it feel all the more real. What was very strange was that the soundtrack to this horror was a very light hearted american song, which was in great contrast to the imageswhich made it seem extremely strange.
4) True Blood - Typically hillbilly american culture, we see a mix of religion, sex, death and wilslife. This was to show that the vampires fit into this typical environment. Again with this sequence we hear a very american soundtrack, however this time it was linked to the images we see. We see important actors and producers alongside these shots. This is a very action packed example, showing the american culture and what lies within it.
After watching these examples we were asked to come up with our own version. This is what we came up with:
As our film is set within wollaton park (inside the clubhouse) we thought we could show the lead up to our character entering this location, we would show a P.O.V shot of his/her jounrey through the park and what she witnessed, this would include swings inadvertently swinging and the paranoia of our character leading to him/her escaping into the clubhouse. During these scenes we thought that we could have the shot freeze at which point the names of each member of our group would appear in the scene (eg - he/she could be walking down a path at which point the name of one of us would appear on a nearby tree or on the ground) This is still a work in progress but we feel that this could be a success.
1) Blade 2 - Throughout this title sequence the main character spoke over aall of the images, explaining his role in the film and how he has got this far, this is due to this being a sequal to the original "blade" This gives the viewer and insight into what may happen. Also during this speech, blade mentions many conventions linked with vampires (such as garlic and sunlight) this makes magnifies the theme of vampires in the film. This is accompanied by several shots of preparation for what looks like a battle, swords, bullets and other weapens are seen in close up shots which makes the scenes very mysterious as we dont get the whole picture. Also in this sequence there are many clips of the previous film, maybe to refresh the minds of anyone watching this after the original, this also informs the new viewer of any important things that they would need to know.
2) Halloween - Very simple scene in which a black background is constant, on which there is a pumpkin next to orange writing, obviously highlighting the aspect of halloween in the film. We hear a tense, reasonably fast paced soundtrack which is in great contrast to the images we are seeing, the camera gradually zooms into the pumpkin throughout this sequence which introduces a very strange feeling, the pumpkin does not look like a typical example, its face looks more intimidating than the normal. We also have flashing orange lights which again reinforce the theme of orange/halloween. This sequence is ended by the sounds of children singing halloween songs which also adds an eerie feel to the scene.
3) Dawn of the Dead - Flashing images of death, blood, gore and horror. Inbetween each one, the screen turns black then flashes back again (could suggest life...death...back to life as a zombie) Over all of this carnage we hear a press conferance in which the disease is introduced and announced. Also we hear doctors talking about the symptoms of the disease each of which makes it feel all the more real. What was very strange was that the soundtrack to this horror was a very light hearted american song, which was in great contrast to the imageswhich made it seem extremely strange.
4) True Blood - Typically hillbilly american culture, we see a mix of religion, sex, death and wilslife. This was to show that the vampires fit into this typical environment. Again with this sequence we hear a very american soundtrack, however this time it was linked to the images we see. We see important actors and producers alongside these shots. This is a very action packed example, showing the american culture and what lies within it.
After watching these examples we were asked to come up with our own version. This is what we came up with:
As our film is set within wollaton park (inside the clubhouse) we thought we could show the lead up to our character entering this location, we would show a P.O.V shot of his/her jounrey through the park and what she witnessed, this would include swings inadvertently swinging and the paranoia of our character leading to him/her escaping into the clubhouse. During these scenes we thought that we could have the shot freeze at which point the names of each member of our group would appear in the scene (eg - he/she could be walking down a path at which point the name of one of us would appear on a nearby tree or on the ground) This is still a work in progress but we feel that this could be a success.
Paranormal Activity - Textual Analysis - Conor.
In Paranormal Activity, almost the whole film is set in the bedroom in which you get the view from a home camera placed in the corner. In this shot you can see the bed and the door making the film very simple in this sense. The door being visible forces the viewer to expect something to occur directly in relation to it which is further magnified by the door being wide open throughout the night. Away from the bedroom, the film contains several setions in which the couple are living their normal lives, this is included in order to have the viewer get to know the characters and therefore feel more sympathy for them in their predicament. These scenes are made up of typical everyday happenings which also gets the viewer to relate to the characters magnifying the horror due to its link to everyday life.
Sound is used to great effect in paranormal activity as during the night all is silent for several minutes of viewing time during which the viewer sees next to nothing happen, luring them into a false sense of security until a loud, sharp sound or action occurs (eg - a very sharp blast comes from downstairs or the door slamming shut). Apart from the main strange happenings which i have mentioned, there are many examples of abnormal sounds being heard, this leads the viewe to expect something supernatural and just maked the whole experience a lot more mysterious.
Lighting is pivitol in this film as naturally during the night, everything is very dark and it is only the cameras light allowing us to see what is going on, this is a great example of phobias which are exposed by these films such as being scared of the dark or close spaces which is also highlighted in the use of a small bedroom in which there is nowhere to run apart from out into the open where "it" seems to be.
As i have mentioned the film is mainly set in the bedroom within the home which inadvertently causes the viewer to feel safe. This is only natural as the home is supposed to be a place of sanctuary for someone and their family. Therefore that being abused is something which would make the viewer feel even more vunerable.
In conclusion i feel that each and every aspect of this film aims to create a vunerability within the viewers mind, from living every waking hour with the couple which eventually leads to the viewer feeling like part of the chaos, to the sharp sounds, tight spaces and dark lighting involved in the film from beginning to end.
Sound is used to great effect in paranormal activity as during the night all is silent for several minutes of viewing time during which the viewer sees next to nothing happen, luring them into a false sense of security until a loud, sharp sound or action occurs (eg - a very sharp blast comes from downstairs or the door slamming shut). Apart from the main strange happenings which i have mentioned, there are many examples of abnormal sounds being heard, this leads the viewe to expect something supernatural and just maked the whole experience a lot more mysterious.
Lighting is pivitol in this film as naturally during the night, everything is very dark and it is only the cameras light allowing us to see what is going on, this is a great example of phobias which are exposed by these films such as being scared of the dark or close spaces which is also highlighted in the use of a small bedroom in which there is nowhere to run apart from out into the open where "it" seems to be.
As i have mentioned the film is mainly set in the bedroom within the home which inadvertently causes the viewer to feel safe. This is only natural as the home is supposed to be a place of sanctuary for someone and their family. Therefore that being abused is something which would make the viewer feel even more vunerable.
In conclusion i feel that each and every aspect of this film aims to create a vunerability within the viewers mind, from living every waking hour with the couple which eventually leads to the viewer feeling like part of the chaos, to the sharp sounds, tight spaces and dark lighting involved in the film from beginning to end.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Textual Analysis of The Shining By Niall Page
Camera
When the axe comes through the door of the bathroom the camera is on the wife, while you keep on seeing the axe chopping down the door. The wife is vulnerable, you can tell this because the camera is focused on her as her husband is trying to kill her. By the camera you can tell who the good guy and who the bad guy is by who the camera is on, in this case the camera is on the good guy (the wife). Because it’s a psychological horror the angle of the camera is at an angle when the axe is coming through the door.
Lighting
Because there is a big threat from the axe the lighting in the bathroom is quite dark, however there seems to be a bright light on the wife’s face while her husband is breaking down the door. You can tell by the lighting that Jack Torrance’s wife is vulnerable because there is a bright light on her face so the audience is focused on her. The light shows who is the good guy and who is the bad guy, the good guy (the wife) has a bright light on her, while the bad guy (Jack Torrance) has a dim light on him.
Music
Every time Jack Torrance breaks the door down with the axe there is a sharp background sound, this increases the threat to Jack Torrance’s wife. While the background music is being played the camera is focusing on Jack Torrance’s wife so this means she is vulnerable. Because it’s a horror the sound is very sharp and very sudden while the axe is breaking down the door.
Location
Because the location is quite small in the bathroom, so the threat is increased as it is in a small place. Because the location is quite small the vulnerability is increased. Because it’s a horror film the location that is used in this scene is quite small so that Jack Torrance’s wife feels more at danger and nowhere to go.
Brainstorm - Psychological Horror's
Friday, 5 November 2010
'What Lies Beneath' Textual analysis by Rachel.
What Lies Beneath -
To begin with, What Lies Beneath uses a variety of different camera angles and shots, to keep up the tension, pace and suspense of the film. They use close ups of the characters faces to represent the threat they are facing and this is shown in the victims, Claire Spencer, face. They also use these close ups to emphasise the vulnerability of her, as we can see the fright and fear in her face. Again, by using close ups, but instead on the villains face, Norman Spencer, as an audience we feel frightened and are made aware of the characterisation of him as a bad guy. What Lies Beneath also uses canted angles, I think these reflect the confusion and tension that runs throughout the film and this fits in the with the genre of psychological horror.
Throughout the film the lighting is always seen to be dim, even in daytime, to represent the eeriness. Also, in the scenes where violence or something scary is happening the lighting is always dark, shadowing, proposing the threat. Furthermore by casting the victim in this light it emphasises her vulnerability, as she too would be scared as it is dark. The ghost of Madison Frank is always cast in an eerie light, with a bright light seen to be shining on her face, but the rest of the background in dim light conditions. I think this is good characterisation of her, as she is feared by the character Claire Spencer and the audience. Many horror films concentrate on having the lighting dark to emphasise a tense atmosphere etc.. and so does What Lies Beneath, to fit the conventions of psychological horror.
At tense moments throughout, music would be played to emphasise this and keep the audience on edge. For example, when there was a threat to the victim the music would become loud and urgent, emphasising this. However, at the beginning of the film it all seemed quite innocent and no threats and neither was the victim yet vulnerable, so the music was not particularly tense or scary, as it would not have fit in with the mood. Again, the music does fit with the conventions of psychological horror, as it is tense when needed and definitely adds suspense to the film.
The location is quite crucial to the film, the house is relatively deserted, apart from the 'suspicious' house next door and next to the lake that the characters have access to. The isolation of their house, adds to the threat for the victim and the lake as it is crucial later on in the film. Also, it emphasises the vulnerability as effectively there is nobody to help if a situation occurred...Finally, this fits in with the conventions of a psychological horror, as the victims are helpless.
There are a few props throughout the film, that are explained at the end, yet we do see them at the beginning and they reflect that something bad could be connected with them and occur later on - adding tension and suspense for the audience, from beginning to end.
To begin with, What Lies Beneath uses a variety of different camera angles and shots, to keep up the tension, pace and suspense of the film. They use close ups of the characters faces to represent the threat they are facing and this is shown in the victims, Claire Spencer, face. They also use these close ups to emphasise the vulnerability of her, as we can see the fright and fear in her face. Again, by using close ups, but instead on the villains face, Norman Spencer, as an audience we feel frightened and are made aware of the characterisation of him as a bad guy. What Lies Beneath also uses canted angles, I think these reflect the confusion and tension that runs throughout the film and this fits in the with the genre of psychological horror.
Throughout the film the lighting is always seen to be dim, even in daytime, to represent the eeriness. Also, in the scenes where violence or something scary is happening the lighting is always dark, shadowing, proposing the threat. Furthermore by casting the victim in this light it emphasises her vulnerability, as she too would be scared as it is dark. The ghost of Madison Frank is always cast in an eerie light, with a bright light seen to be shining on her face, but the rest of the background in dim light conditions. I think this is good characterisation of her, as she is feared by the character Claire Spencer and the audience. Many horror films concentrate on having the lighting dark to emphasise a tense atmosphere etc.. and so does What Lies Beneath, to fit the conventions of psychological horror.
At tense moments throughout, music would be played to emphasise this and keep the audience on edge. For example, when there was a threat to the victim the music would become loud and urgent, emphasising this. However, at the beginning of the film it all seemed quite innocent and no threats and neither was the victim yet vulnerable, so the music was not particularly tense or scary, as it would not have fit in with the mood. Again, the music does fit with the conventions of psychological horror, as it is tense when needed and definitely adds suspense to the film.
The location is quite crucial to the film, the house is relatively deserted, apart from the 'suspicious' house next door and next to the lake that the characters have access to. The isolation of their house, adds to the threat for the victim and the lake as it is crucial later on in the film. Also, it emphasises the vulnerability as effectively there is nobody to help if a situation occurred...Finally, this fits in with the conventions of a psychological horror, as the victims are helpless.
There are a few props throughout the film, that are explained at the end, yet we do see them at the beginning and they reflect that something bad could be connected with them and occur later on - adding tension and suspense for the audience, from beginning to end.
Homework Exercise - Marking Previous Work
- Have a look at the mark scheme below to get an idea of each level.
- Then watch all 4 videos
- Now using the mark scheme give each video a mark out of 60 and explain why...?
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