Setting for Our Piece

This is a location in Durham which is what we called in the description of our piece as 'the dark alley'. Obviously it's not dark on the picture, as I took it during the day, however we would preferably like to film when it is dark, in order to match the description of the 'dark alley', and also to provoke fear among the audience, and create a sense of fear and horror.

My Set Tasks

I have been set the task of creating a production schedule over the holidays, and also producing call sheets. I have already done both of these, and posted them on my blog. I will also be taking photos of potential locations over the holidays.

Call Sheet

This is an exemple of a call sheet we may find useful when in the process of filming:

Name
Photo
Contact Number
Meeting Times

Production Schedule

Production Schedule

By:

30^th November – Plan genre and ideas, decide group.

14^th December – Research into existing opening sequences, analysed in detail, notes on how it may be useful to you.

11^th December – Pre-production planning completed. Must include: storyboards, production schedules (this), call sheets, script etc.

1^st February – all material shot and uploaded onto media server.

17^th February – Rough edit completed and uploaded to blog.

15^th March – Final edit completed and uploaded to blog and media server.

22^nd March – Group presentations of video and evaluation.

15^th April – Blog entries answering evaluation questions, plus a video commentary.

Wednesday 5^th (first day back of term) – Book Camera.

Week beginning January 10^th  and week beginning January 17th – Shooting Footage.

Week beginning January 24^th – Edits.

Planning Our Piece

We've produced an idea of what we want to do for our opening of our horror film, which Hannah will post on her blog: http://hannahharveyasmedia.blogspot.com/ . We've decided to avoid writing a script, as we've found that previous pieces we have filmed have seemed to planned, and the lines haven't been natural. It is essential that the impression of false speech is avoided, especially concerning horror, as horrors are designed to provoke your worst fears, and this can't be done if there is a low verisimilitude. We have allocated tasks to ourselves to do over the Christmas holidays in order to complete our planning, ready for production when we return. I am producing a production schedule, and also taking photos of potential settings. Hannah is writing up the plot in detail, and Chloe is going to produce a storyboard to go with the plot.

Production and Distribution Companies

I've done some research on which companies produce and distribute companies, and I have found that Lionsgate is well known for it's horror movies, it released the Saw films  . I also found a blog on myspace with some horror film production companies, including: K Studios, 500 Pieces Films and Silver Bullet Pictures. I also found that Warner Bros Pictures were part of the production for the teen horror film ''The House of Wax'', which I have previously analysed the opening to. Prom night, another example of a teen horror film, was produced by Alliance Films, Newmarket Films, and Original Film. Through my research, I have also discovered that there are many film producers and film distributors involved with just one film. For example, The Strangers     was produced by the following:

• Rogue Pictures (presents)
• Intrepid Pictures (presents)
• Vertigo Entertainment
• Mandate Pictures

and distributed by the following: 

• Alliance (2008) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Cascade Film (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2008) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Presidio (2009) (Japan) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Rogue Pictures (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2008) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Alliance (2008) (Canada) (DVD)
• Bazuca Films (2008) (Chile) (all media)
• Blue Sky Media (2008) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• Gativideo (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paris Filmes (2007) (Brazil) (all media)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2009) (Finland) (DVD) (blu-ray)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• fX Network (2010) (USA) (TV)

Opening Sequence of ''House of Wax''

The melancholic and eerie music used in the opening of this film immediately sets the right tone and atmosphere, as it is effective in building up tension and expectation among the audience. A high angle camera shot is also very effective, as it creates a sense of detachment from the scene, as the audience aren't made to feel as though they are in the scene, but in fact watching from an outside position. The fact that you can't see the characters faces intrigues the audience, but also inflicts fear, as they are blind to the situation and the people involved. The music which is played at the same time as the boy is being strapped into the chair using leather straps is fast paced, and consequently creates a sense of desperation. There is apparent violence in the opening scene suggesting that the age restrictions are quite high for this film. The dip to black is very effective in changing the scene, as it happens just after the woman hits the little boy, indicating that maybe the child has been knocked out. The technique of not showing the characters face is something that may be of use in our piece, as it is very effective in creating a sense of ''the unknown'' and therefore creating fear.

Opening Sequence of ''Scream''

The use of titles and sound together at the beginning of this film are very effective, as they immediately set the scene. The font of the title of the movie is white, and is noticable against the black. This font then changes colour to red, which has connotations of blood and death and danger. This alone begins to create a tense atomosphere, but the sound accompanied with the title further exaggerates the atmosphere, as it consists of a heartbeat, screams, and a telephone ringing. The heartbeat sound signifies panic, and consequently this feeling reflects in the audience. The screams signify terror, and torture, and fear, which again sets the scene. The fear is also increased due to the fact that the girl can't see who's calling her, which makes the scene more tense and edgy, because the audience don't know the face that matches the voice. The repeated ringing of the phone builds up this fear, and effects the audience more and more every time. The shot of the house after the first two phonecalls builds up the tension and expectation, as it implies to the audience that the caller is outside, watching the house. This shot is very effective in introducing this fact to it's audience. This fact is verified when the caller says ''I wanna know who I'm looking at''. The house that the film is set in has a lot of windows and doors, which creates an atmosphere of tension as the feeling of being exposed is created. The tension created is always built up by the clever use of a close up of the popcorn ready to pop, like tension ready to explode. The use of music at the point in which the girl is rushing to lock the doors is very effective, as it adds a sense of drama to the scence, and makes the audience panic. The close up of the girls face when she says ''What kind of game'' is effective in inflicting fear on the audience, as the girls fear is magnified by the close up, therefore the audience immediately feels everything that she is feeling. The audience to this film would be an older audience, with a high age rating, as the use of sound and camera angles is effective in creating a high fear factor. This is useful to us as a group, as our desired plot is going to be in a house, with someone being watched, and therefore we can use a lot of the skills and techniques that the producers and directors have used in the opening to this film. This film is also useful as it is of the genre we have chosen - teen horror, and therefore various techniques such as the feeling of being watched will prove to be very useful when it comes to  actually filming our piece.

Opening Sequence of ''Evil Dead''

The use of typography for this opening is effective as it immediately introduces the genre of the film. It's red and messy, connoting blood and violence etc. The setting of the opening sequence also immediately indicates how the film is going to be, as the setting is foggy, and murky and eerie. The scene suddenly changes from this setting, to the viewing of a car passing by, with someone singing. This scene does not match with the previous one, suggesting to the audience that something isn't right. The chopping and changing from these two scenes further emphasizes that something is wrong. The music played during the scene of inside the car also does not match, as it is upbeat and intense, suggesting something is approaching. The tracking shot of the car suggests to the audience that something is following the car, thus increasing the fear factor. The close up of the seat outside of the cabin indicates to the audience that it plays a significant role in the opening sequence. 

The use of camera angles and movement is an effective element of this opening sequence, as it builds up tension and fear. This type of horror is the kind of horror my group and I would like to create for our final piece. The audience this film is aimed at seems to be teenagers, as it's about a group of young people. This is the audience our film will be aimed at, as we are going with the genre of teen horror. The camera angles in this clip will be very influential on what we decide to use, as they create the feeling of being watched, and help to build up the feelings of fear and tension.

Opening Sequence to ''Night of the Living Dead''

The music is effective in the opening of this film, as it is eerie, and gradually builds up, and therefore effectively building up the tension of the scene. The length of time in which the camera films the car driving is quite long, which again builds up tension and the expectation that something is going to happen. The eerie music being played on top of quite a normal situation subtly suggests to the audience that something is wrong. Overall the most effective element to this particular opening is the use of music. From the opening of this film, it would be assumed that the age restrictions for this film wouldn't be very high, as the fear factor isn't high, and also there is no content in the opening that would be suited to an older age. The only effective element to the opening would be the eerie music, as it builds up tension and expectitation, and sets the desired tone.

Opening Sequence of ''Halloween''

The use of camera movement in the opening scene to this particular film is very effective in creating an atmosphere of fear, as the point of view camera movement creates a sense of someone watching, and therefore has an effect of the viewer, making them edgy and tense. The use of sound in this opening also contributes to the atmosphere, as the off key piano music sets an eerie tone, suggesting something is not right. The close up of the knife signifies it's importance, and indicates to the audience that it will be significant in the scene, again increasing their sense of fear. Due to the fact that the intruders face can't be seen, because of the point of view shot, the audience become even more edgy and fearful, due to the unknown identity. This also allows the viewer to create their own image in their head of what the intruder looks like. The mask the ''intruder'' puts on blocks the audience's view slightly, however this is effective, as it introduces an element of curiosity and makes them eager to see the full view. This opening scene includes an element of shock towards the end, as the image the viewer will have created in their head is completely different to who the intruder actually is - a child. The way in which the opening is filmed at the beginning of this clip will become very useful when we are producing our own piece, as the camera movement, being a point of view shot, is the kind of thing we are aiming to create, in order to demonstrate an tense atmosphere, and the feeling of being watched. This film is likely to be aimed at an older audience, due to the scale of gore in the opening scene, with the stabbing of the woman. The content is also quite disturbing, due to the fact that the killer is in fact a child, who people would usally assume to be innocent.

Opening Sequence of ''Ghost Ship''

This film is most likely aimed at an older audience, as the opening scene conatains quite gory content, which implies that as the film goes on, the content will become even more gory. The opening to this film is very effective in provoking fear in it's audience. It starts off with a calm and relaxed environment, with the characters slow dancing, and a woman singing a soft, slow and relaxing song. The use of titles is also effective in contributing to the relaxed tone, as the font is pink, connoting innocence. The scene suddenly changes, and things start happening on the ship without anyone touching anything, and the sound of the singing becomes distant, creating a sense of detachment, and changing the relaxed tone to a disconnected and disorientated tone. The fast camera movements also indicate that the relaxed mood has changed. The lingering close up of the wire with blood and flesh stuck to it magnifies the shock and horror the audience will be feeling at this time, and therefore exaggerating their fear. The lack of sound coming from the people, with a creaking sound in the background creates an eerie atmosphere, and a sense of abandonment. The screaming child at the end of the opening scene highlights her vulnerability and helplessness, as she is the only one left. The opening is extremely effective overall, mostly due to the juxtaposition of the tones included in the scene. We will include the unexpected element of this opening in our own if we feel the need, as it has an excellent shock effect on the audience.

The Opening Sequence of ''Blade''

This is the first opening sequence to a film of our chosen genre (horror) that I am going to analyse. 

The music in the opening of this film is loud and overpowering, maybe to create a sense of danger and an overwhelming atmosphere. The darkness and the use of flashing lights further contributes to this sense of danger and overpowering atmosphere, as the lack of sight indicates an element of the unknown and of danger.   The amount of people in the opening scene also develops a sense of claustrophobia, again creating a sense of danger, as the feeling of claustrophobia provokes peoples fears, therefore creating an effect on the audience. The use of titles is effective in terms of indicating which genre the film is, as the font is red, connoting danger, blood, fire etc. The red liquid spraying from the ceiling also projects these connotations to the audience. Overall it's an effective opening, as the use of sound and imagery clearly declares which genre the film is, and straight away has an effect on the audience by creating fear. The audience of this film is obviously an older audience, due to the fear contained in the opening sequence. I assume from the opening that it's aimed at teenagers, as the opening doesn't contain content that is too scary, and also the setting is a place in which teenagers might be seen. This film was in fact created from a low budget, proving that effective horror does not need money. This will give our group confidence and belief that we too can create effective horror when it comes to creating our piece. As a group, our chosen genre is teen horror, and therefore some of the content in this opening will be used as a useful reference for when we are planning our own opening. The immediate introduction of the horror genre is what we are aiming to do, in similarity to this opening .

Research Into Our Chosen Genre

I'm starting to analyse some opening scenes of our groups chosen genre, which is horror. Obviously there are various sub-genres to horror which I have found in my research to be teen horror, slasher, satanic, vampire, alien, evil children etc. I also discovered that the genre of horror is regularly crossed with other genres, the most popular being science-fiction. Horrors are designed to provoke our worst fears, but at the same time entertain us. A man called Tim Dirks published a quote on his website of films saying ''the best horror films only imply or suggest the horror in subtle ways. I also found out that the earliest horror films were gothic in style, and usually set in mansions or haunted castles. The characters generally included vampires, devils, ghosts, monsters, mad scientists etc. During my research, I also came across a list of notable horror film directors:
- Dario Argento
- John Carpenter
- Roger Corman
- Wes Craven
- David Cronenberg
- Tobe Hooper
- F.W. Murnall

Final Product

For a final product, my group members and I have thought about producing the opening to a horror movie. I already have some possible storylines/settings in mind, and am hoping to take photos once the snow clears and I can actually get to the locations!