Unit 10B: Film Production - Produce material for a horror film
- Learn how to story board
- Understand rules of title sequences
- Produce own story board of title sequence
- The main purpose of meeting with the director is to get an understanding of the mood of the film, style and the directors vision.
- Working on the script and changing it as they visualise it they get better view of the story line. Doing a proper story board could shave days off the schedule and each day of production presents a huge cost.
- Another good use of story boards is to limit the post-production work and effects, good to understand the characters, story and subtext and that is often over looked in the script.
- Film should be storyboarded from begging to end. Its good to do this as the actors don't know anything else about the film so its important they do
- Good storyboard can help all the departments, it can give you an overview of locations and what designs have to be made as well as props. The editor can then put together materials for the rough cut.
- The story board artist is not hired for his drawing skills, more his imagination.
- Story board has to stay up to date with the industry, knowing the latest developments when it comes to special effects.
- Its important to know the target audience or the film
Typography Lessons from the horror genre
Typography is great at expressing strength, mystery, temptation
- Nightmarish newsprint
Taking their cue from Orson Welles’s infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast, poster designers for B-movie horror films were none too shy about attention-grabbing headlines. It’s probably no coincidence that these movies are low rent and hilarious today.- Spooky comics
Designers may not always intend to spook us with their adventurous typefaces, but when they decide to get a little wild, bare supporting typefaces can provide contrast and emphasis.
Horror Movie Titles Conventions
- They used to be really popular but they went out of fashion
- David Fincher se7en in 1995 and he made titles popular again
- The titles should give a hint at the themes in the text
- Uncomfortable or edgy atmosphere, put them in the emotional state
- Should give some clues to the narrative
- Unfolding of character
- Inclues credits and names of actors
- Titles are shorter nowadays
- snakes
- nursery rhymes - ring a roses
- music - vision of hell, gravedigger, evil nightmares 2
- smashing bottle
- chain saws
- drills
- flashing, bright lights
- hands going down door bloody
- photos of children, scribbled out, burnt
- baby toys, teddy bear
- drowning
A title sequence (also called an opening sequence or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound. It typically includes (or begins) the text of the opening credits, and helps establish the setting and tone of the program. It may consist of live action, animation, music, still images, and/or graphics. In some films, the title sequence is preceded by a cold open.
What us purpose?
The start of a film must engage the audience and captivate them so that they want to carry on watching. The opening gives hints towards the narrative of the film so that the audience watch to find out more. giving away a hint of what the film in-tales.
Film institutions
One of the first thing an audience sees within an opening sequence is the film institutions logo. this tells the audience which company produced the film, it is common to see more than one company as using two helps to spread the cost. Depending on the genre some institutions edit their logo to reflect the genre
Opening credits
During the opening sequence credits appear that include the most important people involved within the film which include directors, writers, cancer amen and key actors in order of appearnmace. There actual film title is normally one of the last things to be seen within the opening sequence as it has been built upon to it. The title normally connotes to the audience so their imagination runs wild, trying to guess what the film is about.
Genre
Opening sequence establishes the genre or any subgenera instantly through conventions commonly known and recognised. most common conventions used are low lighting, male antagonist, isolated locations and creepy music.
Music
Music is a very strong conbcvetnion used within opening sequences, it easily reflects themes and genres. the music can captivate the audience making them more interested so they carry on watching. music can also build tension, by building pace or convey a mood to set there likening scene, the mashie used is mostly always non diegetic to unease an audience especially within horror opening sequences
Narrative
The narrative within opening sequences usually follow the beginning of todorovs theory, within equilibrium. occasionally a VoiceOver is used in many films to introduce the narrative always descriptive and helps the audience to engage in the plot and grow to like or dislike characters.
Short Horror Film Example 1 – Mystery Box | Short Horror Film Example 2 – Don’t Answer | Short Horror Film Example 3 – The Jigsaw | |
Narrative structure (Todorov, binary oppositions, linear, non-linear, 3 act structure?) | What is it about? A woman is on vacation in the solitude of a cabin, on a small Island outside of Stockholm. One day when checking her fishing net, an old metal box is stuck in it. She takes it with her and place it in a shed nearby, to dispose of later. Right after dinner, a weird sound is heard outside the cabin. She opens the front door, only to discover the box at her footstep. Todorov theory presents the idea of 1. Equillbrium, 2. Disruption, 3. Realisation, 4. Restored order and 5. Equilibrium. The mystery box does go by the Todorov theory as you can see that when shes fishing at the beginning its some what of a happy start and everything is content and then when she finds that box and puts it in her shed that and it ends up at her front door, that would be classed as a disruption to the plot. Then the part where she puts the box back and it returns so she puts it back is the realisation. Then when she tries to open it and throws it back outside and goes to bed would be the restored order and finally when she throws up the key and opens it and the girl comes out would be stage 5. Binary oppositiions could be good vs evil, good looking vs ugly. The mystery box kinda does go by the 3 act structure, you’ve got the discovery of the box, the box returning and then the box being put on her head. | What is it about? Don’t answer is a short horror film about a woman who comes to house sit for her friend. Her friend warns her about some guy demanding acess and not to answer at any point. When the phone starts to ring and he some how gains acess to the block of flats she locks the door. However makes the mistake of taking the bins out. Todorov theory presents the idea of 1. Equillbrium, 2. Disruption, 3. Realisation, 4. Restored order and 5. Equilibrium. In Don’t answer you can see that it only loosely follows it as at the beginning there is a massive atmosphere of tension and someone being watched rather than it being all happy and then it does become just a joke being played by her friend. The disruption would be the guy knocking on the door. The realisation would be her locking the door and the equilibrium again would be the Malteaser rolling and the guy coming towards the girl. Binary opposisitions can be good and bad. Strong vs weak and male vs femal, empowered vs victim. | What is it about? Its an award winning short horror film about a man who walks into an antique shop and sees a jigsaw that he wants to buy. The owner says its not a good idea but the old man proceeds to buy the jigsaw box. When he comes home he prepares himself to start the jigsaw, hours later he finds out why it was a abd idea buying the jigsaw. In the 3 act structure you’ve got the set up which is him going into the store and purchasing the box and act two is the building of the jigsaw and the act three is the climax and the showing of the final picture on the jigsaw and then the man in the background with an axe waiting. Some of the binary oppositions used can be good vs bad. Strong vs weak and ignorance vs wisdom. For todorovs theory it presents the idea of 1. Equillbrium, 2. Disruption, 3. Realisation, 4. Restored order and 5. Equilibrium. You cant really see this structure that well in this short film as he doesn’t try to solve the problem, in stead he just builds the jigsaw and then gets killed. It’s a very straight forward short film. |
Character types How many? Stereotypes, counter-stereotypes? | - Young naïve, unvunerable woman alone and faced with fight the evil/monster. | - The guy friend who warns the girl - The young vunerable girl alone - Murderer with the axe, stereotypical murderer. | - Old man which you could some how describe as the sceptic. The guy that knows theres no such thing as a demon and that nothing will happen. He will somewhat laugh at other characters who believe in such things. - Shop keeper, the protagonist, he acts like a normal person would in a horror movie, not go investigate the creepy noise etc. But it then turns out to be him at the end so I guess he could have a split character who then turns into the murderer at the end. |
Horror conventions Which obvious ones are used? Why? | - ‘mystery box’ meaning an unexplained or inexplicable event, phenomenon, etc. 2 a person or thing that arouses curiosity or suspense because of an unknown, obscure, or enigmatic quality - The setting is a classic horror movie convention. It presents us with a isolated place in an urban environment with dark woods and a run down areas. Also the idea of dark history, abandoned looking cabins or sheds. - Lowkey lightening used is another horror convention as it creates dark shadows and unfamiliar shapes in the darkness. - Classic horror convention props like knifes, masking the evil thing. - Young/ teenage naïve characters which are embedded with some sort of evil which then get killed off eventually. - Use of a female, vunerable character - Themes of; madness, good vs evil, nightmares, supernatural, death, vunerability | - Young/ teenage naïve characters which are embedded with some sort of evil which then get killed off eventually. - Use of a female, vunerable character - Setting of being alone is presented of her being alone in the flat - Classic horror movie props; knifes, white cloaks. - ‘stupid’ teenager who gets killed more a less instantly. - Themes of; good vs evil, nightmares, death, vunerability. | - The man lives in a very isolated and small community with dark roads and gives the idea of being alone. - The weather is very dark and dull reflecting the mood. Typical rain and thunder in horror movies - The jigsaw also has a ‘dark history’ about it which initially gives the off putting vibe to the audience. - Traditional axe weapon used - Themes of; revenge, death, nightmares, madness, vunerability, good vs evil. |
Camera and editing – which shots, movement, framing and editing styles are used and for what effect? | Camera and movement: As the film starts we are presented with a birds eye view shot, this sets the scene for the audience and makes them aware straight away where it is. The next camera shot is facing straight at the woman and her acting, almost like you are the second person there witnessing it all too. The movement of the camera on the boat is with a hand held camera, you can tell this as the camera is portraying the swaying and waves of the sea, like the audience is in the boat too. The camera is also focused directly on the net as she pulls it up at 0:34. This helps the audience to see what it is at the same time as her. After shes pulled up the box the camera then moves to a medium close up of her face. This helps the audience to sense how shes feels when shes pulled up the box. You can really see the emotion in her face. Once again theres a birds eye view shot which slowly pans closer to her, giving the audience the feeling that someone is watching her like a bird/crow. Then the camera then tracks behind her and gives the movement of someone walking and following her. There is also a lot of single shots of the single woman in this short film. Moreover there is a lot of extreme long shots and extreme wide shots which help to make the boat look extremely small and make them feel distant or unfamiliar. It can also make the audience feel over whelmed and the use of the shot at the beginning of the boat and the sea can help emphasize the intense isolation. At 1:50 there is a full shot and this has the woman in the shot fully and all of the scenary too. Just a little after the camera then pans slightly to the left, this gives the empression that the camera is like a security camera, panning and watching the woman in the shot. There are also a few cowboy shots scattered around the short film which show the woman from roughly the mid-thighs up. At 2:10 the camera also appears from behind her so the audience can view at the same time her and what it is that shes looking at suddenly. 2:35 the camera does an extreme close on up on the box and then to the womans face. The camera movement as shes choking on the key vibrates and gives the motion of jerking forward suddenly too. Theres another close up of the key after shes thrown it up. At 9:02 the camera is focused on the woman and her reactions, this is effective as it builds up tension as the audience cant see what shes looking at but they can see her reaction. Then there is a POV shot from the woman of the girl with the box on her head. This makes the audience feel like they are the woman and its towering over them. As the girl takes the box off her head, there is an extreme close up of just her teeth, this makes the audience feel uncomfortable and on edge at what its going to look like. It then ends with a POV shot from the evil girl on the woman, it shows the audience that the woman is struggling to get the box off. Editing: In the mystery box there are a lot of cuts, the pace is also varied throughout, this ius effective as it builds tensiona dn creates a sense of urgency for viewers, fasr paces editing also disorientates the audience so they feel uneasy. There are also a few slow paced editing this draws the audience in and gives the a sense of security before scaring them. Fades are used to give a mysterious and tense feeling. There are also eyeline matches, jump cuts, J cuts, there are a few shot reverse shots but not between two actors, more between the box and the woman. | Camera and movement: As an audience we are presented with an opening scene of a woman walking. The camera however is presented in a way that makes it look like the opening and closing of blinds or eyes. This gives the audience an initial uneasy feeling as the woman is being watching by us? We are not sure who is watching her but it also makes the audience feel like theyre the ones watching her. The camera pans and follows her every movement as she approaches the flats. Then at 0:40 the camera is seen to be following behind her using a hand held camera, this gives a sense of reality and makes it seem more realistic to the audience watching. Straight after the camera angle is hidden behind the stairs, this adds to the idea of the girl being watched and makes the audience feel like theyre seeking around following her. At 1:20 the camera then moves around the room to make it look like the audience is watching from the girls POV. This helps gives the audience a first hand look at what shes seeing at the same time. The camera is also some what lurking in the darkness which makes the audience feel slightly on edge in a regular scene. The camera then switches between the woman laying on the sofa and the unknown man pressing the buzzer. This would make the audience more scared as they know whos calling but she necessarily doesn’t. As she opens the bag of chocolatethe camera movement jumps with her which makes the audience feel like theyre there with her. At 4:44 shes pressed against the door and the camera slowly moves from inside the flat to the outside, this shows both her on one side and him the other. This creates tension as once again the audience is given acess to what the man looks like but she doesn’t know, this creates a lot more tension. There is also a waist shot which only shows from the waist down, this can help depict the body language of the character without showing theyre face, once again building more tension as you are completely unaware of who it is. At 6:12 you can see both of the characters in shot and it’s a over shoulder shot. Its almost a POV shot from the murderers point of view. Then the camera focuses on the axe with blood on it and the girl still faintly in shot in the background. There is then a low angle shot of the malteaser rolling along the floor. Then there is a camera high angle as she looks up to see him running towards her. And a low camera angle of him running towards her making her look extremely small and him big and scary. Then finishes with a close up of her face so the audience can see the emotion and fear in her eyes. Editing: there are a lot of cuts and cross cutting editing techniques used throughout. Also there is a lot of eyeline match shots used to show the vieweers an idea of what the on screen characters are seeing. Moreover some j cuts are used to allow the audience to hear before they see something. | Camera and movement: The opening scene presents us with a medium close up of an old guy. The camera is a hand held one as the movement is natural and realistic. Which then spins around to show all the people hes passing to create a sense of the scene. Theres is then a few close ups, one of the old man looking at something then another of the door bell and the third of the other man looking at him. At 0:59 the camera is then hidden behind what looks like a shelf and follows the old man, giving an sense to the audience that were watching him. There is another extreme close up of the old tatty box creating suspense as it stands out. There is then a shot of both characters afcing the camera one behind the other. This is effective as it shows the shop keepers reaction as well as the old mans whereas the old man cant see the shop keepers reaction. Theres then a low angle shot of the man amking him look intimidating to the audience and makes you weary of him. Also the audience is able to understand through this subliminal message that he is the antagonist. Then we are presented with multiple over the shoulder shots so we can see each emotion in both of their faces while theyre having a conversation. At the beginning the man is fixing a clock, the clock is then later referenced in the end of the short film. The old man thinks hes hallucinating as it took him all day. There is also a high angle shot of the old man, this tells the audience that he is vunerable and inferior. As the man is driving the camera then switches to the back of the mans head, this gives the illusion that he is being watched by someone or someone is waiting in the mans backseat. Once he is home and has opened the puzzle we are presented with a very high shot of the table. This gives the audience a sense that he is under surveillance and being watched. At the end the camer rotates clkockwise which is a refeence to the clock from the beginning. |
Sound How are music, dialogue, sound effects used to create effects/meaning? | In the beginning you can hear the sound of water and seagulls before seeing anything. This creates an ominous feeling for the audience watching it as well as building tension before its even started. As she starts to pull up the fishing net you hear her struggling telling us that whatever it is is heavy and out of the ordinary. Once shes returned from the boat and is walking back to the large barn the audience ears are filled with a crows rattle noise, they often do this when the crow is interested in something or someone and is uneasy about it approaching to closely. To an audience this fills us with an atmosphere of the unknown and uneasiness. Crows have a bad omen about them and most people believe they steal, eat other birds eggs. This is effective as its not a group of nice birds singing, it’s a crow rattle calling. At 2:07 the woman is putting something in her cabinet, suddenly theres a loud bang. As an audience we cant see what shes looking at and this makes the audience feel like theyre in the room with her and experiencing just as much fear and worry. The sound also builds up as she approaches the door. The sound goes from being practically non exsistent to high pitched and on edge. At 3:46 you start to hear the music really pick up and get more and more high pitched as well as the added effects of another loud bang. The sound is irregular minor chords which trigger fear and the feeling of being threatened. The audience is also presented with the sound of her heavy breathing which will create a chain effect on the audience and make them become anxious and breathing hitch too. The sound at 5:28 is getting more and more quicker also like the heart beating in her and the audiences. The sound of her struggling to breathe makes the audience feel helpless as their watching and scared and they aren’t faced with whats making her react like that. The sound of her gagging and retching is enough to make the audience feel uncomfortable with what theyre watching. The dialogue of ‘its not funny anymore’ tells us that shes really distressed and that shes not playing games with whoever or whatever is playing them. | Straight away the audience is presented with a over powering low sound which is distorted and unhuman. It gives a bad vibe before anthing bad has happened. The audience can only hear that and the opening and shutting of blinds or eyes. Then you can hear the record player going off playing a distorted nursery rhyme which would begin to scare and creeo the audience out as not only is she alone at the moment but nursery rhymes are associated with children and laughter but the distorted audio makes it feel uneasy to listen to. Thee rhyme is “ring a ring a roses” which historically has a bad meaning. Suddenly the only noise the audience can hear is the man scaring the woman, this would make the audience jump as well as her. The sound of the intercom is loud and abrupt which is un-nerving. The mans voice is aggressive and demanding compared to her voice. ‘see you soon’ would make the audience question what he meant by that and begin to scare them too. The music intensifies as he lifts up the axe. This emphasises the danger and horror of it. | Opening sound intensifying ominous music like an off-key violin. The use of this is because opera music and instruments are most commonly used as it sounds intense and the sounds are bizarre and strange. Ambient sound of a street market gives the audience context of where the man is and sets the mood. As he enters the shop the only sounds that can be heard is the bell followed by silence. Thje scuffling and silence gives the audience the impression that no one enters and senses danger. As the man is driving the sound is prominent and makes the atmosphere chilling and terrifying for the audience. The audience can then hear the phonograph record playing old vintage music, And there is intense and ominous fast paced non diegetic music which makes the audience feel on edge. Suddenly there is a halt in music which would scare the audience. |
Mise-en-scene How do these add horror effects or contribute to the narrative? Lighting, settings, colour, costume, props etc | Opening scenary is a single rowing boat in the middle of a giantic ocean. The effects of this creates bad situations and thoughts in the audiences head before anything has actually happened. The rope creates a sense of horror as it gives the sense that something or someone is tugging down on it, stopping her from pulling it up. The scene of abanonded woods with a barn in the middle connotes the classic horror movie place for someone to be killed or for something bad to happen. The lighting of all the shots within the first 2 minutes are dull and darkered creating a dark background and this kind of lighting builds up tension as the audienve cant see everything in the shot. This technique controls how much of the surroundings and characters are revealed to the audience. The house is very plain, dull and full of monotone colours, it doesn’t reveal a hint of warmth and family home or a place the audience would like to be. At 2:53 she looks into the darkness with a single torch. The use of the torch creates more eeriness in the scene. The ‘mystery box’ seems to suddenly appear and is dark and mysteriuous which scares the audience. The open curtains and the pitch black windows makes people feel like their being watched and make them want to look away. At 6:32 the long dark corridor is a classic horror film trait and the use of it is to make the audience aware that something is there or coming but theyre not going to necessarily see it. The fact that the girl doesn’t have a face initially would make the audience feel very creeped out at the lack of knowledge of what it is or what it fully looks like. Outside at the beginning the girl is wearing bright yellow coat and the lighting is bright whereas in the houe the lighting is dull and dark and she wears a dull blue jumper, suggesting to an audience that outside in the open was safe until she took that box into her shed and that’s when the dark unknown over took. | As the short film starts there is very bright and natural lighting in a flat setting, this makes the audiencve feel comfortable and gives the a false sense of security as its very realistic. As she walks into the flat the lighting is very dimmed and limited, this contrasts to the bright lighting outside. The use of the flat being very shadowy is that it makes the audience feel like they can see something that isn’t necessarily there. The old vinyl playing in the background which is something that people would associate with old horror movies, the empty house with only the vinyl mysteriously playing. It gives a sense to the audience that someone is there and makes the flat feel unsafe. The woman is wearing all black and the man also makes a comment on it. Black is associated with funerals and death so this already makes the audience question why shes wearing all completely black and it to be commented on. The woman is alos watching a horror movie after shes just been warned that some creepy guy is lurking. This makes the audience also feel like theyre in the flat watching that movie too. Adds to the unsafe and uneasy feeling. The use of the phone also creates more suspense and tension as the audience is unable to see the man as well as the woman so it makes us feel like we are in the film. The man is wearing a long white coat, this makes me think of butchers and the coats they wear. Also adding to the fear as its highly linked to bloody butcher serial killers. The man is also wearing gloves, once again giving the negative and creepy impression that hes here to kill her. The audience is also shown the fact that the man is holding a bloody axe. Next there is a full moon, some people believe a full moon can lead to accidents and natural disasters or that popular media help to perpetuate these beliefs. Hundreds of books, television shows and movies make the link between a full moon and odd behaviour. Most of the colours used in this short film are dark, dull and mono tones suggesting the more negative things that bright, happiness. | Straight away the audience is presented with a very filtered and mono coloured scene. The busy market scene with an old man. The location seems as if it’s a deserted place, the audience will have many questions as to where he is. The makeup of all the characters are very pale and dead looking, adding to the fact that they don’t look natural or as nice charcters. The give the audience an off putting feeling. The man enters a antique shop, antique shops are synonymous with horror films as they are second hand shops, most likey from a deceased person which could have some sort of attachment. The shop seems old and dirt and is presented through the low lightening which makes it more scary and a place where no one would want to enter. The jigsaw is old and dirty giving an old and mysterious feeling. While hes driving the lighting is dark and in a secluded location which is very much typical of a horror movie and sets a suspenseful and tense tone for the audience watching. After he has done the puzzle the man in the background is shown through Uplighting – the lighting of a figure or face from below creates heavy shadowing to the face especially to the eyes, nose and brow. Distorting our perception of human features generates a feeling of unease and mistrust |
TASK TWO - COMPARE THE EXAMPLES YOU HAVE TAKEN NOTES ON -
Example 1 – Mystery box
Best bits: The best bit for me was the suspense after she’d opened the box, it engaged the audience and kept them waiting and wondering right until the end. The small glimses the audience were able to see of the girl was creepy and make the audience on edge. I liked the way the girl gradually came out of the box and was relatively realistic with the sounds, actions and feel. Despite It being a girl with a box on her head. Even when the girl had the box on her head she was scary and hair raising then when the box was slowly revealed she became even more scary. Moreoever the ending I wasn’t expecting, majority of horror films the monster kills the woman but in this case the girl made the woman her, which was somewhat even more terrifying.
Worst bits: The worst bit for me was how the box turned up at her door and she put it back and then it returned and she kept messing around with it, I thought it was slightly repeative and I could predict that it was gonna turn back up.
What influences/inspirations could you take for your film?
For my film the inspirations I can take is that the ‘evil’ character can be pretty simple but terrifying, it doesn’t have to be a ‘werewolf’ or a man with a axe but it can be something that stereotypically it wouldn’t be that scary but it can be made scary by the concept of it.
Example 2 – Don’t Answer
Best bits: I liked the fact that the intercom was more scary than the man. The simple concept of being alone and someone knocking on the door or ringing the bell would scare 99% of people so that was played really well.
Worst bits: The fact that she locked the front door and made sure the creepy guy couldn’t get in but yet she went to the bins and left the door open. It didn’t really scare me as much as I had predicted it and she left him in. I think that it was a bit stupid that she decided to take the bins out when there was a murderer about who had clearly tried to gain access. I also thought that the weapon was too cliché for horror movies, its predicted so people don’t fear it as much. Also I think the music was too intense at times and it just overkilled the situation rather than highlighting it.
What influences/inspirations could you take for your film?
To play on the idea that being alone and isolated in an unknown situation is more scary than a place your familiar with. Also the use of a vunerable girl creates more of a scary atmosphere.
Example 3 – The Jigsaw
Best bits: I loved the idea of the film, the fact that I wasn’t expecting that out come, normally when you watch films that have old jigsaws it something to do with curses or demons but this was chilling and terrifying. The fact that the last part of the jigsaw he filled in was the shop keepers face was also hair raising as not only was the man alone and vunerable but the little links throughout the film like the clocks and time going past was just as creepy. I also like the shop keeper, he was strange and demanding in a subtle way and It made me weary of him from the beginning.
Worst bits: I don’t really have any bad things to say about it, I really enjoyed watching it and there wasn’t a point where I predicted what was going to happen.
What influences/inspirations could you take for your film?
To think of a idea that isn’t stereotypical of horror movies, this idea was simple but so effective, it didn’t show any one being killed or blood or anything like that. It let your imagination run wild and that made it more chilling that being obvious. Also to use an object like a jigsaw that many people would relate to doing or associate with fun and positive things.
TASK THREE – Write an analysis of your favourite example of a short horror film answering the questions below:
1. Start by looking at the opening shot/sequence. How is the audience drawn in or attracted? What aspects of mise-en-scene, camera work, editing and sound are used to convey the genre of horror?
- The audience is drawn into the jigsaw by the audience having many questions they want to ask straight away. The tones are dull and mono and the hustle and bustle of the markets surround the audiences ears. The camera work is overwhelming the characters with so many images and things as soon as it starts, it makes the audience feel on edge before anything bad has happened. The audience wanbt to know where he is and what hes doing as you get no hints until he walks into a antiques shop.
2. How are characters and narrative introduced? How is information about the characters conveyed in a short space of time? (Think about visual shorthand through mise-en-scene and camera work, and aural shorthand through sound and dialogue).
- You see that the old man is a very stubborn man as he insists he wants that jigsaw despite the shop keeper saying no. You see that the shop keeper is inferior to the old man. The camera angles present him as big and intimidating whereas the old man is seen as small and vunerable. The audience also sees a number other people but only for a split second. All characters are filtered and it makes them look old and vintage. Adding to the dirty feeling to the setting.
3. What kind of narrative does the film have (linear, non-linear, realistic, surreal etc)? How is the narrative re-enforced through the mise-en-scene (esp setting, lighting & costume) and camera work? Make sure that you clearly discuss how the film manages to tell a whole, complete story in such a short space of time and how does the horror come through in its narrative?
- The narrative is very surreal and doesn’t seem unhuman. The idea of an old man going into an antique store to buy a jigsaw doesn’t raise any alarm bells which also makes it more terrifying and scary as people can watch it and relate to it. The film manages to tell a whole story as you see him go to buy a jigsaw and then the finishing image of the jigsaw and the man behind him. The horror comes through as the jigsaw was a picture of him sitting at the table doing the jigsaw, a photo which couldn’t of been predicted or anything. This is truly chilling and terrifying to an audience as it doesn’t make sense. Although it does have an aspect of unrealism it is don’t in such a subtle way that its effective. The lighting is very natural and doesn’t give any hint of artifical.
4. How does the film end? Is there a sense of completion? Or is it open-ended? Does the film appear to have a particular message or theme? What kind of feeling did it leave you with? Why?
- There isn’t a sense of completion however as although the audience is shown that the man is behind him it doesn’t show anymore about what happens next. It lets the audience imagine what they think is going to happen, although the audience know its not going to be good it still has an aspect of unknown. The film doesn’t reaslly have a particular message but more just to listen if someone tells you not to buy it for a reason, some people could watch it and say that he was warned. There is a theme of supernatural as it wouldn’t happen in real life but it was portrayed so well that it was realistic to watch.
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Risk Assessment for: | Filming of horror movie |
Shoot date/time: | March 2021 |
Shoot location: | Sywell Aerodrome |
Risk assessment carried out by: | Megan Booth |
Date: | December 2020 |
Hazard | Who is at risk? | Likelihood | Severity | Solution |
Tripping on/ over and walking into production equipment | Cast and Crew members | High / 4 | Individual could get hurt and equipment could be damaged depends on how bad the accident is | Do not leave unattended, cast and crew aware of equipment, keep out of the way as much as possible to reduce to risk, do not put equipment in a crowded room |
Falling props | Cast and crew members | High / 4 | Minor/serve depending on situation | Plan positing of props/objects and make sure everything is attached properly and not loose/hanging |
Electrocution/ fire | Cast and crew members | Low / 2 | Serve as people could get burnt or electrocuted which could be fatal/ serve | Lights and equipment plugged in safely and procedures put in place. Make sure people know first aid/ procedures just in case |
Slip on spillages/ get equipment wet | Cast and crew members | High / 5 | People could get hurt slipping over and the water on equipment could cause electrocution and damage to the expensive equipment. | Make sure no water left where it can be split, drinks in bottles rather than open mugs/ glasses, no liquid near equipment |
Date | Action taken
|
18/04/20 | Planned my film ideas and mind mapped |
01/05/20 | Finished idea planning and started writing my synopsis |
15/05/20 | Researched into the equipment and pre production sections |
20/05/20 | Started a story board |
25/05/20 | Started a shot list for my film |
02/06/20 | Produced 2-character profiles for my main characters |
07/06/20 | Started to produce a risk assessment and hazards |
08/06/20 | Finished my risk assessment |
12/06/20 | Began to plan my script |
16/06/20 | Uploaded everything to blogger that id done so far |
20/06/20 | Watched short horror movies for sound effect ideas |
01/07/20 | Went to my chosen location and started to take recce shots |
18/07/20 | Fished my shot list and story board |
25/07/20 | Organised my work into one PRODUCTION folder |
03/08/20 | Worked more on the script |
Accept or decline
Log line: When accepting a request from someone you don’t know seems to be the usual on social media, a naïve teenage girl soon finds out the dangers of the unknown.
Its 2021 and the whole world has been taken prisoner by social media, technology and everything online. Shopping in the supermarket has changed to a touch of a button, driverless cars programmed by technology and the whole world signed up on media sites. Going on dates is a thing of the past and dating websites are now the in thing. Popularity was no longer about how many friends you had but more about how many likes you got on your Instagram photo or whoever caused the most drama. Although the technology is phenomenal it’s also scary.
Bailey is captured by every aspect of social media; she is a 19-year-old university student and she shares in dept details of her everyday life on the platforms. She lives alone in a quiet village house which contrasts with the crowded university. She is very confident, outgoing and likes to make friends. She’s known for vlogging herself especially as she lives alone, it can get quite boring. You could describe her as a rebel and impulsive, pushes the boundaries and plays ‘devils advocate’. Her house is where it will take place, a house with laptops, iPads and televisions everywhere. The house is warm but dark and shadowy.
When she comes home from a long day at university, vlogging is the first thing she does, she turns on her laptop camera and starts to talk. She explains her day, what she’s had to eat and how she’s home alone again. After uploading that she gets a blank friend request from a guy called Jake Kingman on Facebook, thinking nothing of it she accepts and turns her laptop off. She remains in her living room with the blinds open showing the darkness of the night sky, puts on a film and starts to relax, just as she does so she gets a text.
You can also see ‘Jake’ going through all her information to get her address, middle name, birthday and every single detail about her through her social media profiles. This happens while she’s unaware and it flips between scenes
A text from ‘Jake’ saying ‘thanks for accepting my request’ she starts to reply back to see who this person is and how they got her number. The longer she takes to reply the angrier they got and the more nervous it made her. Building up the tension she gets one last text saying, ‘see you soon’. She then blocked the number and went to lock the doors and she puts her headphones in and goes to the fridge, a few moments later a figure can be seen in the background.
Suddenly she hears a loud noise, it’s her phone ringing. She declines it and declines it, but it keeps ringing, hoping to stop the noise she answers, the screen is filled with facetime. They then say, ‘you shouldn’t ever accept a request from someone you don’t know’. However, when she looks closely at the dark screen, she notices that its of her back. Petrified she slowly turns around. She turns around to see a dark figure standing then it disappears, she turns her torch on and heads towards it, you can hear the her breathing heavily and then he suddenly covers her mouth from behind her.
As she tries to run the figure grabs her arms and the phone then drops the phone and it ends zooming in on the phone screen and you can hear her struggling but its muffled and then it goes silent. The next scene is the name ‘Jake Kingman” popping up on another person’s Facebook sending a friend request to a man.
Netflix: Accept or decline is a short story of a university student who is crazy about social media, after accepting a friend request from a guy she didn’t know things start taking a turn. When the guy turns up at her house, she is soon faced with a killer out to get her.
Synopsis plan
- Rawlings, creepy girl with long white dress and black wig
- Dave, innocent engineer who’s alone in the hangar
- Set in a hangar with aircraft which is dark and abandoned photo on the right
- Grabbing his hand
- Building up tension with the camera panning and ‘stalking’ the engineer to put the audience on edge
- Lights flickering on and off she appears just for the audience to see or just for the engineer to see
- Not showing the audience what the engineer can see to build more suspense
- Focus mainly on subtle creepiness rather than blood, gore and weapons.
Plot
- Opening scene is filming of the empty hangar with the light flickering and close ups of the ‘wires’ ‘no step signs’ ‘warning’ signs just to set the on edge feeling before anything has happened
- Second scene is the camera panning behind Dave walking up to the hangar doors and following him, close ups of his boots to make him seem like the villain.
- At the same time there will be the same shot in the dark showing the cabinet door in the hangar slamming closed and opening again and something falling over to give the impression that something is there before Dave even gets into the hangar which then adds to the Atmosphere
- Music suspenses so much as he opens the loud, creaky hangar door and then the music instantly tones silent as he walks in.
- As he walks over to the lights and they flicker on the audience can see a close up of the back of this girl’s head, but Dave is unaware
- Scene of Dave getting out a tool box and realising that a spanner has gone missing from his set but doesn’t think too much into it however as he begins to get to work he notices clumps of hair in the aircraft and the music begins to tense up and he just removes the hair and rubs his eyes as if he’s seeing things
- Dave picks up a after bottle and chugs water as the camera focuses on him drinking as in the background the audience can see a figure with a spanner getting closer to him. Sounds emphasise the water bottle noise and him sighing
- The little girl then begins to throw teeth onto the floor as one rolls next to Dave’s hand
- Initially he doesn’t notice until he puts his hand onto the bloody tooth and begins to freak out at what he’s just seen and throws it across the room
- As he freaks out the little girl begins to laugh, louder and louder until Dave is on the floor covering his ears and rubbing his eyes as if he’s in dream
- Then the lights being to flash and the sound goes quiet
- Then it zooms in on caves reaction as he is faced with the girl
- She begins to laugh louder and louder and then begins to walk towards him and runs at him with the spanner as the screen goes black and you can hear Dave screaming and the girl laughing.
Hangar
- Low lighting, orange tinted lights
- Full of vintage aircraft
- Dark shadowy places
Girl
- Long white dress which is slightly ripped and dirty
- Scrawny long black wig which covers most of the face
- Black faceless mask to hide the face and make it more creepy so the audience can’t identify with her
- Shoeless to enhance the scary/frightening aspect
- Holding a blood covered spanner, subtle but effective
- Posture is hunched over and facing down with arms hanging by the side
- Hand full of teeth
Engineer
- Shy secluded engineer in the hangar
- Wearing shorts and a T-shirt
- Working alone
-
Recce shots
- Low yellow lighting
- Abandoned hangar
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