Location : The Woods

Today we started filming at one of our locations ( Biggin Wood).
The scene meant that myself and Tyanna were the demonic characters in front of the camera and Atimango and Sabrina in front of the camera. Even though I was behind the camera i did give my input in terms of shots, as well as positioning of myself and how I moved in terms of body movements. When Storyboarding,narrative writing,we collectively used our research of horror trailers and movies to influence the shots,make up and location.

The forest scene when Miss Chapel (played by Tyanna) and Miss willow are characters that are joint forces who try to evoke their powers within the woods. This scene meant that i had to wear smart attire as I am the physiatrist I had to smart attire to show my status within the play. The smart attire for the physiatrist is meant to juxtapose the environment that she was in. the smart grey shirt symbolises the fact that she is not as innocent as she seems to be and the black tights and skirt portrays that she is not sophisticated and is superior.

For Miss chapel we decided that because she is the main demonised character that she should be wearing a white shirt. Miss chapels shirt had a deep purple/red colour which connotes danger and blood . this worked well in terms of the plot of the story as these colours symbolise a variety of connotations that come along with the colours.

Scripting

Scripting

(Sydney is in her room as commotion is happening downstairs. Sydney is listening to music the audience doesn't 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

Physiatrist: 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)

 Physiatrist: 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 Diegetic 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 open
• 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!' 

Shooting schedule

We want to make sure we use our time efficiently so that we get as much fottage as possible in the different locations and we have also planned out the time of day that we are going to film the footage.

A2 Media Horror Trailer Shooting schedule from A Akena

Storyboard

As a group we came up with a storyboard which shows the different shot cnages between the characters to help us when filming our footage.
Horror Trailer Storyboards by Slidely Slideshow

Choice of Production company name & logo

As a group decided to use a film production name generator to get an idea of what we could name our production company. The site www.fantasynamegenerator.com has several names which we went through as a group to see what would e applicable to the research that we had correlated before coming to this stage. We then like the name Cyclops and decided that our film production name should be 'CYCLOPS PRODUCTIONS' which also relate to our chosen sub genre within horror as we aim for our films to be mysterious and eery. we also related our production name to Georg Hegel conceptual idea of 'the other' the theory/idea states that the characteristics of the other is a state of being alien like within society. A cyclops is a immortal creature with one eye which represents our future ideas.

My group and I have decided that we should use the cyclops eye and morph it into a director chair. we tried colours such as black and white as we noticed that that is the most common colour in production logos and we wanted to use the same convention .We want ensure that our audience research and feedback makes them feel as if they are a director for the film production. Also the the use of the cyclops relates to the saying 'the eye is the window to your soul' which relates to the horror genre as a whole. The use of the one eye also relates to the cyclops as one eye is more mysterious than two. We decided to make the Directors chair an off white colour and look tatty and old which relates to the horror genre. Also we edited to the eye to make it look slightly cartooned and real which also makes it look slightly more intriguing.



Production name and logo A2 by Slidely Slideshow

Group Narrative

My group and I came up with a narrative consisting of bullet points to outline the overall story.

Synopsis:

16 year old Sydney is a foster child, she gets kidnapped which evokes the voices within her head to tell her to do things her mind also starts to play trick on her and starts to transform characters within the trailer into demons . However, Sydney is suffering with trauma however this starts to make her make irrational decisions and makes her start to believe that everyone is against her. When really its just her mind playing tricks on her. The trailer uncovers the events of her mind as well as reality but Will cause the audience to feel some confusion as to whether there viewing events from Sydney's point of view or whether its from their own... 

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!'  

Findings/Analysis of Research

I correlated two different types of research I used survey monkey and then I asked my peers what their fears were? And this lead me to draw a conclusion that the people I asked were aged 15-24 the same answers were given such as the fear of the unknown, being alone, darkness, shadows , insects and parent. This research can be taken into consideration when correlating ideas as to what themes could be used within my trailer. The fact that the fears were similar within my focus group it shows that these fears can be played on within my trailer to scare my audience. Also my target audience for my trailer is 15 and through using a 24 year old has shown that it will be scary for that age range as well.

I also created a survey using SurveyMonkey. This allowed me to broadcast my questions using Facebook to get a larger response from those who wished to take part. Considering I have various friends on facebook from different ages there was a clear distinction between what people found within horror that made them watch it.

I asked these questions:

1.     Do you enjoy Horror?

2.     What types of horror do you most enjoy?

3.     What makes you watch horror?

4.     The villain character is scary when it a...

5.     What settings in horror movies do you find the scariest?

6.     Do you prefer a realistic horror movies or unrealistic horror movies?

7.     What’s the scariest horror movie you have seen?

8.     What do you like to see within a horror trailer?

These question allowed me to gain key information that I could use with my horror as there was a clear distinction to show what people are currently finding scary and what makes them watch horror movies.

Key findings within the survey:

·         Psychological genre is the most enjoyable

·         Jump scares make them watch the trailer

·         Surprisingly the villain is most scary when it’s played by a female child

·         An Isolated house is the scariest setting

·         Realistic horrors based on true events are more appealing

·         The recurring answers for the scariest horror movies seen were: The exorcist, ‘The Conjuring’, ‘Insidious’, ‘Ouija’          

Research- Fears

As part of my audience research, I asked my target audience ranging from 15 -24 years of age. Horror movies are said to play on fears such as darkness and isolation. Because I have access to my target audience I asked them what they're fears are as I want to create a horror trailer that scares my age rating more as I want it to feel my personal to them and unlock all there fears.

I noticed that the most popular fears  are 'Parents,fear of the unknown, Darkness, being alone,insects.' Even though, the variation of ages differed the same fears applied.This shows that if I were to use fears as a a part of my trailer it would relate to a larger audience. Fears can be used subtly within my trailer as well as shown explicitly to relate to real events which i found my target audience found horror movies related to true events better.

Research into Horror trailers

Even though i find horror movies scary over the past couple of weeks I have been learning the conventions that most horror movies have and also the subversions within them. before starting work with my group I have made sure that i have researched into current trailers from the past 2 years till now. When looking at my survey i found that my audience preferred psychological horrors and through also looking at the fears that my audience had ; I found trailers that related to my research. I decided the best way to find the conventions within trailers is through watching them and finding out what makes their story convincing and intriguing.
 

Research into film magazine covers

Before starting my construction into my film cover magazine, I decided to use web 2.0 to find existing magazine covers and see there cover layouts and common themes such as colour scheme , postion of the main image and also incentives and anchors.

Below is the results that i found when using web 2.0:

Research - Questionnaire

I conducted a Questionnaire using Survey Monkey this allowed me to digitally send my questionnaire on an effective platform. I shared the link on Facebook as well as on WhatsApp. I left it open so various people from different ages answered the surveyed gave similar responses as revealed in the video below.

The results that I have conducted are going to be kept in my mind when working in my group to start my planning for our trailer. I am going to also show the rest of the group my findings to enable that we target our audience thoroughly through every aspect that has been highlighted through my research. The survey enables me to gain various types of responses as those that didn't like horror have the are intrigued to watch the same horror as those that love/enjoy horror. I have also screen recorded my survey and highlighted the highest results which I intend to keep in mind.

Research Rationale

Before  I start my planning with my group to create a horror trailer I have to take into consideration all the aspects of research that will be used to enable that my trailer targets a wider audience age ranging for 15-24 years. this target audience is easier to access as i am apart of a sixth form community where ages ranges from 11-19 (not including teachers) i can use this to my advantage and ask people that are at the cusp of my target audience. Even though 24 years are a lot older than a 15 year old i want to research as see if they have the same fears and find the same aspects of horror scary.

My research will consist of using various different types of audience research targetting those who watch horror films and what makes them keep watching them? and what makes them jump? The audience are the most important as when doing research they are the ones that are typically going to watch the trailer that i have created.

Through looking into Horror theories, it can be said that the world has some what become desensitised to issues within the world especially shown through horror movies.  Due to the fact that society has become less desensitised it makes it harder for audiences to be scared. Currently, paranormal activities and exorcism are more effective for horror lovers especially for myself. I will then research into this conclusion to see if this applies to those I am going to use for my research.

For my research I will need to use a camera when asking my target audience what they fear, I also plan on using a Mac computer to record my focus group as they watch clips/trailers. As well as doing a verbal survey to questions about their interests in Horror.

Contemporary Horror Advertising Campaign

Due to the development of technology and social media. Horror movies are advertised on a larger spectrum. Trailers appear on Tv and news outlets such as E! news and MTV news as well as appearing on social media sites such as Twitter, instagram and youtube.

When 'The Last exorcism' 2010 was coming out in the cinemas it cleverly used the internet to showcase it's film. The film producers used the Chat Roulette site which allows users to interact
with others through text,video and webcam. Now the site allows users to be somewhat promiscuous when communicating through webcam and the film producers used this to their advantage.The film consists of a young teenage girl being possessed this is what they used as an anchor to attract the users of the site. The character is attractive which most male uses would want to interact with her.

The users of the site would log on and look at a video which the users/viewers thought would show the young teenager revealing her body to the camera by slowly taking off her clothing. However the film produces filmed the actress starting to take off her clothes and then her eyes starting to roll back and then her veins in her face become more visible and she then screams at the viewers leaving them stunned and shocked. Once the girl has gone the title of the film appears as well as the website. This is a clever use of social media as well as sites like those as this prank style allows people to be persuaded to watch the film due to the snippet shown in the video. this style of advertising was also informative as it doesn't show the storyline which viewers are fed up of happening but intact it shows the teenager in an environment that is not shown within the film making the film more exclusive.Also the reactions to this video went viral therefore helping to advertise the film as it was being shared on social media sites at a faster rate.




Online the producers created their own Facebook page for the film which allowed viewers to take part in an elevator that made it seem like the events had  come to real life.  As well as having there own website 'thelastexorcism.com'. The film poster also started controversy due to the position of the teenager on the front which was said to be distressing as she was bent backwards in a bloody dress. The other poster had the teenagers in the top corner in a frog like position in a dirty white room and rob.this attracted attention by the public as it was a poster was very explicit in terms of the theme portrayed and also the BBFC rated the movie as a 15 therefore making it unsuitable for all of the public to see. Due to the stir caused it lead the film to gain popularity as due to the banned poster it made the audience more intrigued to watch it to see what is so awful for it to be banned.

Self Evaluation/Group evaluation

As a group we completed our prelim task where we had to re-shoot a clip from a horror movie. The members from the group had to work together to ensure the camera angles and shots ,mis en scene , script and location were suitable for the clip we had chosen.

 Within the group we collectively took part in all the roles in terms of decision making as well as editing. Being that i was the actor within the clip i didn't take part in the camera work but i helped to edit in terms of what clips went where as well as lighting and sound. Also when filming I raised the idea to have me act in a way that makes me look more like a victim and also correlate the shots for example the tempo that i ran out the doors and also the posting of the supernatural being present within the house. Also mis en scene was quite straightforward as the supernatural being in the original clip was seen wearing a white robe. I decided to wear casual clothing thus being a grey hoodie, black skinny fit jogging bottoms,black trainers. The mis en scene idea worked well with the location as it shows that the character was in the comfort of her own home not expecting the events to happened. The choice of costume shows a laid back attitude also the original clip was set in the 1970s and therefore the mis en scene and location have been modernised.

 As a group we evaluated our video, I have embedded it below to explain more:

Here is the final group preliminary clip:

Horror Prelim Construction

Working as a group we shared role in terms of decision making and editing. The construction of the clip relied heavily on the original clip which was present whilst filming however due to short amount of time we came up with quick decisions to enable that it would scare the audience a lot more such a positioning the demon and joining the clips. We also felt as if the original sound that came from the clip worked well as the clip itself has minimal speaking and therefore it worked well with the pre-existing audio. The lighting was slightly changed due to the time of day we filmed.

Carrie 1976 & The monstrous Feminine

'Carrie' 1976 is a film that displays Carrie as the 'monstrous feminine' as according to Barbara Creed. The audience is meant to be repulsed at events where the female is humiliated. For example within Carrie , the audience witnesses Carrie starting her period at an up close and personal angle. The close ups used and angles makes the audience feel repulsed by this and this therefore relates to the monstrous feminine theory. I have also created a press using clips and analysis to relate the events to Creed's ideas.
 

Cabin in the Woods - Final Girl

Cabin in the woods (2012)

Cabin the woods, is a film that differentiates from the typical horror movies out there. Even though the film includes gory content and zombies it is considered to have clever plot that uses horror conventions and twists them.

The film is abut five teenagers/young adults that decided to go on a comaping trip, little did they know they were being watched and indoctrineated to go to this particular cabin site. The Story unfolds leaving the teenagers the ones who choose there ways to die. However the film upholds the typical conventions of a movie for example the cabin is sitatued in a dark isolated area, which is common in horror movies where all the happeninngs take place. However the content shown within the movie has and underlying intention as it shows the 4 college students been watched as the encounter there death. It is then later revealed that the 5 college students are being used as a sacrifice to save the world from the evil Gods.

The Cabin in the woods is unconventional in the sense that in the majority of horror movies there is always a final girl tha comes cross as innocent right from the very start and out lives all the others even when the odds were against her. However Cabin in the woods differs as the film unveils that the is a predicted timeline as to which of the 5 would die first leaving the final girl last. however within the film we see her at risk of dying when the zombie character is beating her up and then she is saved by her friend who we thought was dead. They then uncover several aspects of there death plan unveiling that there are several contained characters that kill those that are sacrificed. As well as the leaders of the sacrifice plan. Towards the end we see the Final girl left and the final boy and they battle it out at first but then they realise that they'd rather die together meaning that there is a final girl as well as a final boy. 

According to Carol L Clover, The final girl is typically sexually unavailable ( Dana is the only one in the house that doesn't seem sexual in comparison to her friends who are dating. She also shyed away when her friend was undressing in his room and she could see him and quickly covered the window area up portraying her innocence and uninterested state of mind ), she avoids immoral things such as drug use, and commonly has a unisex name. This applies to 'Dana' she is a female yet her name is unisex. The final girl theory states the the final girl is no longer portrayed as the damsel in distress but being the one to drive the narrative forward,with out the final girl the audience wouldn't know who to route for to stay alive. Also the Fianl girl helps to build tension as it is a necessary factor for the surviving character to be female due to the fact that she is prone to terror and Clover states that the audience would reject the final boy rather than final girl. 

Cabin in the woods plays on this idea as most horror movies ends in the final girl serving however the Cabin in the woods theory leaves the audience stunned by the fact that they survive together before the ground breaking beneath them this divides the audiences reactions as some feel pleased that they didn't kill each other and others feel frustrated by the fact that they let the rest of the world be killed.