Research - Settings (Mise-en-scene)



 
I have researched many different horror film settings and found that the most common and most effective is a derelict forrest, because of this I think I am going to use this setting for my film as I want my final trailer to look professional. From this research I have also found that the most common time of day to shoot is the night once the sun has gone in. I think this is because people automatically seem to become more scared in darkness. This may be because not as much can be seen, however it may be because this is the conventional setting for a horror film.

The dark lighting will allow me to create silhouettes, this can act as a scary effect if used with my antagonist character as the viewer and protagonists will only be able to see the black outline of the character making her look more scary.

This research has helped me choose my final setting for my film. I am going to film in a forrest at night just as the sun has set because this is conventional for a horror film. Fimling at night will also allow me to use a night vision edit. (as used in paranormal activity for another scary effect - see below)

 

 



Costumes, related to the genre of horror

I chose this selection of costumes to include on my blog as I feel they relate well to my horror story. The antagonist in my film is a small girl so I have based my costume research around similar characters. From this research I have found out that the costume for this type of character is very minimalistic and simple. In some cases very typical outfits we would expect a little girl to wear act just as well as a simple oversizes white dress. I have decided from this costume research that my antagonist is going to wear a large oversized long t-shirt. The t-shirt is going to be slightly dirty and worn with white frilly socks which we would expect a little girl to wear.
In terms of hair styling I have chosen to have all of my antagonist characters hair down and messy, in a middle parting (similar to the middle left photograph above). I have chosen this as it can cover her face in some shots to make her look scary and I also think it looks the most effective.
I am not yet sure weather to use simplistic makeup or to make the girls eyes very dark to make her appear scary, I am going to decide this after I have done a photo shoot with my actress to see which looks most effective behind the lens. 
In some scenes my antagonist is going to be seen with an old teddy bear, I feel this will be effective as it will make the audience see her as an innocent little girl when however she is the villan in my movie.

Research - My findings from a 'The Guardian' article

Link to the site

I looked at this article, from the Guardian, as it focuses on film trailers and how film makers make them so interesting. I have learnt that some argue to believe, seeing the trailers at a screening of a film is sometimes the best bit of a trip to the cinema. They believe this because they are able to take out all the parts of the film that didn't work as they had hoped, along with all the bad acting and jokes, to be left with 150 seconds of the best and most exciting parts of the entire film, almost making the full film boring!
Another fact which I have learnt is that the success of a new film is judged by its performance on its opening weekend. Experts believe that trailers are the key in gathering the crowds for new and upcoming films. I am going to keep this in mind when creating my own trailer as this shows me that it needs to stand out from all other film trailers so that the public will come and see my film over any others that are coming out around the same time. I am going to do this by including dramatic features in my sound and editing in particular. 
This article has helped my understanding of film trailers from a professionals point of view, however the last paragraph of this article I found was the most inspirational, so I have chosen to quote it in my research:

"All in all, trailers might seem a difficult thing to love. They lie and deceive, and when they're not lying or deceiving, they're being too honest, revealing the plot. They're nakedly focused on selling a product, intent on convincing us every movie is the greatest ever made when most cannot possibly be. And yet they remain irresistible. As Don Lafontaine might put it, in a world of short attention spans - in a time when the entire movie industry is hopelessly commercially compromised anyway - only one part of a trip to the cinema remains a guaranteed pleasure. And if a particular trailer fails to deliver? No problem: it'll be finished soon anyway. Very soon. Even the trailers for Dances With Wolves and Alexander were over within two-and-a-half minutes." - Quoted from the Guardian article

Job Roles And The People Involved

Within the planning, making, production and editing of my film trailer lots of roles need to be covered. I will be in charge of the following, except one -

- The Executive Producer is the role my teacher is in control of.

The Executive Producer determines: 

1) Finances and budget -  

I have no budget provided for the making of my trailer, so anything I may need to buy I will have to buy myself. (Things such as props, makeup, catering, costumes etc.)

2) Time line - 

The time line determines when every part of the planning/making/filming/editing will be finished. It sets deadlines to ensure everything is finished on time and in a specific time scale. 

3) Key people - 

The executive producer insures that all the key roles are covered and that every job within film making is taken up by a 'key member' of the team. However, this role is slightly changed for my brief as I am making the video alone, which means I will be all of the 'key people' myself, making me in charge of all aspects of the film.

- The Writer comes up with the drafts and the final script for the film. 

The writer:

1) The writers job is simple, they develop the script from a concept or brief

The writer will simply write a script that is appropriate for the brief. As this is my job I will be writing my own script  I plan to make the majority of my film trailer scripted however because of the horror genre I feel some of the dialogue and action may be spontaneous so I will allow for some changes whilst filming.

- The Producer is in charge of various things but most prominently the shooting schedule.

The producer:

1) Secures and oversees the creative team -

This basically consists of checking everyone is doing there job properly and on time to make sure everything runs smoothly. As I am in control of this job and all other jobs I will ensure that all jobs are done properly and within the given time scale given by the executive producer. 

2) Develops a shooting schedule/schedules -

The shooting schedule is the planning of the filming. The schedule will show when the filming will happen, how long the filming will last, which actors/actresses will be needed, where the filming will happen and what scenes will be getting filmed. I will produce one of these before I set out to film my trailer.

3) Manages the budget and timeline -

As I have no given budget for the making of my film, I will have to provide any extras that I will need. The timeline is managed by the producer, again making sure everything runs smoothly and to plan for the given deadline.

- The Director  directs the cast and crew and explains the production

The director 

1) Has creative control of production -

This consists of basically controlling the creative side of the production. They will make sure aspects such as lighting, props etc are all used correctly and creating the desired effect. 

2) Directs performance of cast and crew -

This involves telling the cast and crew exactly what they want and what they need to do in order to get the correct and effective final outcome. As I will be doing this job it will mean I have to direct my actors/actresses and also make sure that I ask people to help me with my lighting etc whilst I film the footage.

- The Production Manager tracks the process of the production.

The production manager:

1) Is in charge of day to day coordination of production -

In charge of the people, equipment, facilities, catering and post production 

- The Storyboard Artist creates the storyboard.

The storyboard artist:

1) Works with the director/producer to develop the story board of the script -

This means that they will draw/create a storyboard which is a illustrated plan of what scenes will be when in the filming  It also allows the framings to be planned out to ensure there is effective cinematography used throughout to give the desired effect overall.

- The Camera Operator operates the camera.

The camera operator:

1) Operates the camera -

They will operate the camera under direction of the lighting director to make sure the filming is effective and has the appropriate lighting.

- The Lighting Director ensures the planned lighting is achieved.

The lighting director:

1) Is in charge of all lighting -

They will direct where they want the lighting to be in relation to the filming  This of corse depends where the filming is happening. Inside for example different lights can be used to create the desired effects, however if the filming is happening outside the only real light source is the sky, so the filming would have to happen in the daytime when there is natural lighting.

- The Sound Technician ensures the sound filmed is effective and clear.

The sound technician:

1) Is in charge of all sound -
They will ensure that all dialogue is clear and heard during filming, this will involve placing the microphone in the correct place or making sure the talent is close enough to the camera so the dialogue is crisp and can be heard.
2) Involved in editing -

The sound technician is also involved in post production of the film/trailer. This means that they can add in any sound effects or edit the volume of any sound that doesn't sound right. They can also enhance the sound in parts of the film/trailer so that a climax can be reached.

- The Talent is the actors involved.
The talent:

1) The stars of the film -
The talent is basically the overall term for the actors, actresses, reporters or presenters used in the film/trailer.

- The Editor is in charge of the overall edit of the film and trailer.
The editor:

1) Is involved with post production -
The editor is mostly involved in post production which involves cutting the footage to suitable timings to match with the sound/dialogue/ music. The editor also adds effects to the final film or trailer.
2) Select the best -
The editor will be the one to select the best film material, so that they can assemble the final film along with music, graphics, special effects and text etc.

Paranormal

After looking at and researching many sub genres associated with horror, I have decided to look at the ‘paranormal’ sub genre for my media products, as this is the one which has interested me the most, because of this I have decided to carry out some more research on this genre further. First of all I have chosen to find out the definition of the word 'paranormal'.

1) adjective - denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding: a mystic who can prove he has paranormal powers

2) denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding.

3) as noun the paranormal - an investigator of the paranormal

I believe that with films such as Paranormal Activity, the sub genre of paranormal has become more and more popular and appealing to the public. I feel that many more horror films are being made and molded to fit in with the conventions of this horror sub genre as, if filmed properly, can appear incredibly effective and scary as an overall result, as the audience can relate to it happening in a real life situation. Supernatural events and ghosts seem to be the main aspect in this type of sub genre, I believe this is what also makes the genre so appealing to the public as some people may believe in 'life after death'. 

I have chosen to create a trailer which includes aspects of a paranormal horror film, as it is a very popular genre and I feel I could create a very effective trailer with careful planning and filming. I feel makeup and effects are effective on a mass scale and when used by a big film company such as universal or Columbia  however for my own trailer as I have no budget for these resources I think focusing on simplicity and fear of the unknown will be more effective overall as a film trailer.

Sub Genres of Horror

Torture - This type of sub genre usually involves a victim or the protagonist being brutally tortured by a villainous character/ the antagonist. I believe an effective and recent example of this is 'Saw'

Paranormal - This sub genre of horror is very self explanatory and basically involves ghosts and supernatural beings, and obviously the most effective example for this would be 'Paranormal Activity'.

Psychological – this type of horror doesn't usually have a structured narrative as it likes to confuse the audience and let them work things out for themselves. The example I have used for this sub genre is 'The Blair Witch Project'

Monster - usually involves a struggle between a monster and a human with the monster appearing as the villain and the human appearing as the hero or protagonist. The example I have used it 'The Monster Slayer'.

Vampire/Ware wolf - like the zombie sub-genre, this type of horror uses vampires/werewolves as the main villains. I have used twilight as an example for this, although it is not primarily seen as a horror film it does include both vampires and ware wolfs.

Slasher – Revolves around a psychopathic serial killer. In most cases the killer stalks their victims and then carries out violent attacks on them. My example is 'Child's Play'.

Zombie – The main evil within the film is a group of zombies while victims, who are still alive, try to escape by fighting them off. '28 Days Later'

An audience reaction to an existing horror film

I feel this video helps back up my focus group in relation to sound and mise-en-scene and also shows me the reaction of a slightly older audience to a horror film trailer. From this video I have found that sound and sudden movements that are simple but forceful scare the audience as they do not expect them to happen. This is where I feel the audience jump the most, making the trailer scary and interesting overall.
This video also backs up my focus group as one of the members suggested that the scariest place she thought a horror film could be filmed is in your home as you can imagine it happening to you. The entire of this trailer is filmed in the home of the actors showing that this can be an effective setting for a horror trailer.

Focus Group Findings

1)      What is the scariest horror film you have seen?  And did you go to watch it because you saw the trailer first?

      Group answer: Insidious.

      Did you go to watch it because you saw the trailer first?

      Group answer: Yes.

2)      What made the trailer so interesting and scary?

       Answer 1: The silent parts where you can see what is happening and you cant hear        anything

       Answer 2: They always leave it on a cliff hanger so you want to go and watch it to see    what really happens

3)      What type of character was the antagonist and was it effective?

       Group answer: Woman

4)      What setting was used and was it effective?

      Group answer: It was effective because it was set in someones home, so it makes you, as the viewer, scared to think something might go on in your home

5)      What conventions do you expect to see from this genre?

       Answer 1: Dark lighting and fast edits

       Answer 2: Creepy sounds used

6)      Where do you see film trailers advertised the most?

       Group answer: At the cinema before a film

7)      Do you think film trailers are an effective way to get the public to view a film?

      Group answer: Yes.

8)      What do you find the most interesting thing is in a film trailer?

Cliff hanger? The sounds/music used? 

Answer 1: Both

Answer 2: I think leaving you on a cliff hanger because it makes you want to go and see it

9)      If your brief was to make a horror film trailer what ideas would you have?

      Answer 1: Dark lighting

      Answer 2: Yes, the lighting would be very important

      Answer 3: Things like makeup as well, like really dark scary makeup

This Focus group was effective as it was targeted at the age range which my film trailer will be targeted at. This meant that I could get some information from my audience on what features they did, and didn't like, surrounding my brief, so that I can include features that are going to please my audience.

The scariest film my focus group had seen is Insidious, and because of this I am going to study the trailer and see what effective conventions and techniques are used so that I can use the same in my trailer to be effective.

From my focus group found that if the mise-en-scene is familiar and the audience can relate to it then it becomes more scary as the audience can relate to it and could imagine that its happening to him.

If I was to advertise my film I would show my trailer in the cinema. This is because its the only place my focus audience have seen films advertised, so I feel this would be the best place to promote my film.

In terms of a film trailer being effective I have found that the public like cliff hangers the most. This is because it makes them want to see the final story and what actually happens in the film.

Overall this focus group has given me some feedback from my target audience, of what they like and find the most effective in a horror film. I will take this information on board when making my film/film trailer so that it appeals to my target audience.

Focus Group

The Great Train Robbery

The great train robbery is one of the first films with a trailer which involved the audience. The shooting towards the audience at the end helped connect the audience and the film and this was the very first example of this.

Idea 2

Story for the film –

This idea would begin with 4 teenagers in a car traveling to a large house in the middle of nowhere, that they are staying at for the night (one of the teen’s new house). The beginning of the film would show the teens filming there ‘road trip’ on a hand held camera just as the sun is setting. As the teenagers pull up to the house they unexpectedly hit something/someone who suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. They are all very shocked/ scared and get out of the car together to see what/who it was, there will be no one there. The night will carry on as normal and the teens will enter the house and set up beds and put music on. The teens will be having a fun time until a little girl appears, looking at them through the house windows from outside. She makes her way in the house without the teens knowing and begins to take them one by one. The film will show the teens trying to save each other until there is only one left. The last teen will become possessed by the girl. Towards the end of the film there will be a flash back to the beginning where the car hit something/ someone in the road, to show that it was the little girl, getting her own back. This idea also ends on a cliff hanger as this is conventional to a film trailer.

Idea for the trailer –

To begin this trailer I would give the actors a hand held camera to film the action on the inside the car while I film the traveling of the outside of the car. At this point there would be a sense of equilibrium for both the viewers and the actors until the viewers are shown a girl (antagonist) stood at the side of the road watching the car drive by at various different points on the road. The talent would only experience disequilibrium when the car hits something/ someone who suddenly appears in the road and I would show the shock of this by the hand held cameras jolting and making the sound/ dialogue louder and dramatic. Again I would make the actors not see the antagonist running towards the house however the viewers will be able to see this creating suspense. I would use various camera shots to show the actors entering the house. Once in the house I would use a stedi cam to film as this will portray calmness. Once disequilibrium is reached again when the girl is seen looking through the window I will switch to quick cuts and hand held/ unsteady camera as I think this will add to the panicked effect. When the real action (scary part) of the film starts I will use many quick edits and different camera shots. I will film some action from the antagonist’s point of view to show she is in control and powerful and I will also film some as a viewer looking in so that the audience feel involved in the film. These quick action edits will finish on a longer shot showing the antagonist and the remaining teen, creating suspense for the viewer making them want to see the full film.

Overview –

-          Teens drive to one of their new houses

-          Audience are shown they are being watched

-          Teens hit something in the road, nothing is there

-          The audience are shown the girl they hit running towards the house

-          Teens enter the house to set up their beds, put music on etc

-          Viewers are shown they are being watched by the girl from outside

-          Teens realise they are being watched and panic (quick edits)

-          The teens are taken by the girl one by one, leaving one reaming who becomes possessed.

Idea 1

Story for the film -

The concept of this idea would begin with teenage campers filming there 'birthday trip' for one of the characters to a forest on a hand held camera at night. They would set up there camping equipment in the forest. The campers would then all get into the tent and joking around would begin to tell ghost stories, this is when the trip would slowly turn from good to bad, they would begin to hear scary noises (footsteps, banging etc) The campers will realise that they are being watched by a young girl although some will not believe this. The hand held camera will be dropped out of the tent still on record to show the antagonist stood there looking at the tent (although only the viewers will see this). The antagonist of the film will appear possessed and capture one of the campers. The film will show the antagonist trying to take the taken camper away whilst the other campers are trying to find her. The ending of this idea is going to be left unknown to the viewer. 

Idea for trailer -

To begin the trailer for this idea I would start with a short clip of the antagonist heading to the location and watching the talent arrive. From this I would then skip back to the very beginning and show the talent getting ready for there trip and arriving at the location whilst filming them selves on a hand held camera. Next I would film the talent putting up there tent and sorting there camping equipment thought the trees and around the corner of objects to suggest to the viewer that they are being watched. In the tent I would go back to using a hand held camera so I think this would help to create suspense for the next part as it would show that they are alone. Once they realise they are being watched I would then use quick edits and use sound to make the action scary, as this idea ends on a cliff hanger and I am only making the trailer, I wouldn't need to create an ending so I would end the trailer on many very fast edits at the climax of music, ending on a clip of the antagonist.

Overview -

- Campers go camping to a forest

- They set up camp (tent, fire, sleeping bags)

- They get in the tent and tell ghost stories

- They begin to hear noises (banging, small girl singing)

- The antagonist appears in short/fast shots (to create suspense and draw the viewer in)

- The hand held camera gets dropped to show to the viewers that there is someone there watching the actors

- One camper gets captured

- Campers split up as some run and some try to save the taken camper

- The ending is left on a cliff hanger

The History of Horror

1890's - 1920's


The first horror genre films were beginning to be made around this time. The three minute long french film by Georges Méliès, 'Le Manoir du diable' (The Haunted Castle) is known to be the first ever horror and vampire film made. The film contains many elements similar to a pantomime along with similar elements which were intended to amuse people rather than frighten them.

Shortly after the first 'monster', Quasimodo was shown on screen,  and the first film with this character in was released in 1906, however three more films featuring this monster followed in 1909, 1910 and 1911.

German Expressionist film makers strongly influenced the horror genre. This in effect sprouted the release of the film 'Nosferate' made in 1922. In effect this was an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula. It took time for people to connect with this genre, however by 1923 Hollywood had recognized the genre, creating versions of 'The Monster' in 1925 and 'London After Midnight' in 1927.

1930's - 1940's

Universal studios had caught onto the new genre in the early 1930's and began to make there own horror films like Frankenstein, The Mummy and Dracula. Universals horror film making continued into the 1940's when they produced The Wolf Man in 1942, and this film was seen as the most influential werewolf film, however it was not the first to be released. Around this time actors like Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi began to be recognized as well know for appearing in horror genre films.

1950's - 1960's

Two sub-genres of horror were allowed to become more apparent in this time period due to advances in technology, these were the horror-of-Armageddon and the horror-of-the-demonic films. Great Britain began producing horror films during the late 1950's, where actors like Alfred Hitchcock created the first slasher film called 'Psycho' in the 1960's. 'Night of The Living Dead' was another highly influential horror film of the late 1960's and managed to make $30 million internationally.

1970's - 1990's

Paranormal horror films began a rise in popularity with the public around this time. In 1973 the Exorcist was released and was followed by many films in which the Devil represented the antagonist/supernatural evil, further more factors such as reincarnation became popular followed by evil children which also became a popular theme during this time. 

The Omen in 1976 was also incredibly popular. Through the 1980’s more violent and slasher horror movies were made including Friday the 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street.

The slasher theme was carried through the first half of the 1990’s with sequels being made for A Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Child’s Play and Halloween. Candy man and The Dark Half became part of a mini-movement described as meta fictional horror films. These types of films mixed fictional horror with real life horror, however horror took a down turn during this time due the reels and reels of slasher movies that were being made in the 1980's. It was found that the teen audience who enjoyed these movies so much had now grown up and moved on and to reconnect with this audience horror became more ironic and to some extent even parodic in the mid 1990's. The Scream movies began being released in 1996.

2000 - 2013

 Psychological horror became popular in the early 2000's with the likes of The Ring in 2002 and The Grudge in 2004 being released. The most popular sub-genre of the 2000's however was by far, zombie themed films, where the likes of 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead both did extremely well at the box office. A return to graphic violence came around in 2000's with the Saw franchise being the most famous. Updated remakes of older horror films have also proven worthy with today’s horror audience with Friday the 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street remakes doing well.

Mind Map

This is a very basic mind map of many typical horror genre conventions which I have created. Creating this has allowed me to get all of my thoughts and findings onto paper so I can begin to think of different and effective ideas for my film/trailer.

Definition

The internet - 
The definition of horror: an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust.

The Oxford Dictionary -
[mass noun] an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust:children screamed in horrora thing causing a feeling of horror:photographs showed the horror of the tragedy[count noun]:the horrors of civil war
a literary or film genre concerned with arousing feelings of horror:[as modifier]:a horror film
intense dismay:to her horror she found that a thief had stolen the machine 
[as exclamation] (horrors) chiefly humorous used to express dismay:horrors, two buttons were missing! 
[in singular] intense dislike:many have a horror of consulting a dictionary
(the horrors) an attack of extreme nervousness or anxiety:the mere thought of it gives me the horrors

Wikipedia - 
Horror is a film genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's primal fears. Horror films often feature scenes that startle the viewer; the macabre and the supernatural are frequent themes. Thus they may overlap with the fantasy, supernatural, and thriller genres.

Horror films often deal with the viewer's nightmares, hidden fears, revulsion and terror of the unknown. Plots within the horror genre often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or personage, commonly of supernatural origin, into the everyday world. Prevalent elements include ghosts, vampires, werewolves, demons, vicious animals, monsters, zombies, cannibals and serial killers. Conversely, movies about the supernatural are not necessarily always horrific.

Brief

Create a promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with a film magazine front cover, featuring the film and a poster for the film.