Planning

Now that we have done all of our research for our opening sequence, we will now begin to plan for the filmimg. In order to film we will need to do many things before including:
A Storyboard
A Script
A Moodboard
Decide on Group Roles
Call Sheets
Planning

Sub-Genres of Horror

There are three different sub genres that are used within the horror genre which set more of a storyline.

Apocalypse

In this sub genre, mankind is threatened by other inhuman creates or monsters which as trying to achieve the extinction of the human race. The antagonist in the apocalypse sub genre may consist of creatures that have come from out of space or a threate of a plague or virus of which is threating to becom bigger and completely wipe out any humans and mankind. A film with this sub genre typically end with mankind dying out and the disturbing creatures dominating. An example of a film with this sub genre is Resident Evil

Haunting and Demonic Possessions

Films that follow this sub genra play on the audiences fear of the unknown and makes the audience believe that superstitions do exist and that there are evil forces such as spirits and ghosts in the world. These evil forces are usually exemplified through teh use of spirits, ghosts of demon. Often in this sub genre, religion is a very important theme as many plots indlue a fight between good and evil. Many films that follow this sub genre also use the audiences superstitions such as using a Ouija Board to attract the audience. An example of a horror film that follows this sub genre is The Exorcism Of Emily Rose and also The Exorcist. In these films we also witness the cathlic priest trying to fight the devil out of the victim.

The Human Monster

This sub genre deals with the horror of the personlaity such as physcopathology and murder of physcosis and insanity. This sub genre shows the audience the mind of a killer who automiatically the audience belives is insane. This kind of sub genre exemplifies that some people may be born with no sense of morality and therefore this may lead themto become a killer. An example a film that uses this sub geanre is Silence of the Lambs

Primary Research

To target a specific audience for my film I had to create a questionnaire and give it out to the public, so that I could receive some basic knowledge about what the audience enjoy to watch and what attracts them the most to a horror film. My questionnaire included questions such as what have been their favorite horror films and reasons why.

We gave our survey to a variety of girls and boys, who were mainly between the ages of 15-21. The majoruty of the results shown that both genders between the ages of 15-21 prefer their horror film to have a supernatural antagonist, such as a ghost or a demon. As well as this, they also chose that the sub genre in the horror film would be demonic posession. There was mixed feedback on whether of not the audience would prefer the equilibrium to be dirputed during the beginning, middle or end of the film. The most popular choices of music in a horror film was slow and also dramatic.

 

Credits and Titles

The credits and titles durnig the opening of the film are important as they help to set the genre and also introduce themes to the audience.



This is the opening title to the film Scream. The color red represents blood and danger in the film. This title is also bold and clear so that the audience can read it clearly. Black background represents darkness, relates to the color that the antagonist wears.



Titles and credits: used to show the production company, weird creepy writing shows the creepiness of the film. The use of white font on the black background contrasts how creepy it is, and it also makes it stand out more. This is shown in the opening sequence to The Ring

Opening credits used to introduce the actors, directors and producers of the film. The color and font in this shot is also interesting as pink may show the girly theme that is used within Grease

Distribution and Production Companies

A production company is  a company that is responsible for the development and physical production of new media, film, radio or a television programme. The company may also be directly respnsible for the raisig of funding for the production.

A well known and popular prouction company is Warner Bros. It is a media conglomerate and the type of company that has wolrdwide distribution.

A distirbution company will make sure that the film gets out to as many cinemas as possible, and will try and distribute it to the biggest cinema chains as possible such as Odeon and Showcase. However, the smaller distributor companies will try and get the film out to the smalle cinemas.

Pathe is a major distribution company, and Optimum Releasing is one of the smaller British Distributors.

Dimension Films are another distributor and they released Scream, they are owned by The Walt Disney Company and Weinstein Company and based in New York.



Lionsgate who distributed Saw II, they are an American company that originated from Vancouver, British Columbia, now however they are located in Santa Monica, California. They are also the most successful film and television company in North America. Other famous releases by Lionsgate include Captivity.

Target Audience for a Horror Film

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Age Range: 
When deciding on your target audience for a film you must think about the specific age range that you would like to have as your target, you must asked yourself which age range you want as your target audience and why? By choosing this specific age range this will allow you to then look  into other films and do research about what other things attract this age range for example, what genre is a selected favorite from this age range.




     Ethnic Groups:

When producing a film you can also target an audience by the use of a range of different ethnicities in the cast. The race of the characters in the film can be seen as being very important, if the audience are the same race as members of the cast the audience will then feel that they are able to relate to the character. The use of different ethnicities therefore helps to widen the target audiences.






Gender Groups:

It is also very important to think about the gender of your target audience. For example a mixed cast of both male and females will attract both a male and female audience, this will widen the target audience range. Therefore in the opening of our film we hope to cast both main males and females. As well as this, the type of language and clothing and mise-en-scene can also impact what gender will be attracted to the film.




15 certificate: Horror usually has strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

18 certificate:  Been created through the commission of a criminal offence where material or treatment appears to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society. Portrayals of sexual or sexualised violence which might, for example, eroticise or endorse sexual assault where there are more explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context. 


Case Study One: Scream The horror movie Scream is an 18 certificate. It is targeted for both the males and the females We can see that it should be targeted for an audience above the age of eighteen as it represents horror using weapons and gory images. It also involves sex scenes and offensive language. Scary horror films typically involve psychopathic serial killer wearing masks.    

How Are Social Groups Attracted?
- Other aspects of Media is used such as the internet and radio to advertise the film and make an audience aware of it. They will be used in specific places. For example as the film is an 18, the film would be advertised on a radio station where the majority of the audience is either at or above this age.
- Posters and trailers would also be used to advertise the film, for example the trailer of the film may be shown at a screening of another horror film where the audience is already interested in films of this genre. 
- Good reviews are also important to help attract viewers, as many people listen to others opinions and usually folllow these to help them make their decision on whether or not they will go and watch the film. 
- By putting an attractive actress such as Drew Barrymore on the posters will attract young males and will also attract anybody who is a fan of her work. 


Case Study Two: 28 Days Later
Certificate 18: Sex and Nudity, Severe Violence, Profanity, Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking, Frightening and Intense scenes, including people trying to eat each other.
I think that the film would be suited to both genders, however it would be more popular with males as they stereotypically prefer more gory and violent films. 

Social groups of both genders like shown below may be attracted to this product because of the eye catching trailers and also the titles and the layout of the cover of the film.

Case Study 2: Saw 2

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Micro Features
Camera + Angles:
 Close-ups and extreme closes up are used on characters to show specific parts of their face and body to show their emotions. An extreme close up is also used when the camera if focused on the trap, this is to highlight the importance of the trap. 
A close up shot is also used at the start on the light bulb flickering, this portrays the limited amount of light and also sets the scene more. 
Panning is also used around the room, to show the isolation.
A high angled crane shot is also used when the man is seated in the chair, this shows that the character has no strength or power and that the jigsaw is the more dominant character.


Sound:
The music used in the opening is parallel to the scene as it is very mysterious, it is also non-diegetic. 


Editing:
An interesting jump cut is used in the scene when Jigsaw reveals how the character could save his self, the jump cut represents that he is not thinking clearly and that he is panicking. 


Mise-en-scene:
There are many extra props in the scene such as the device around the mans head, the television and the knife, these are all used in the opening to allow the audience to know that the film is of the horror genre.

Macro:
Setting:
The opening scene is set in a very dark room, which also appears to be quite isolated, this is used as bad things happen in dark places.


Genre:
Saw II is a hybrid of horror/gore, as it is not too much of a scary film, however there are a lot of gory images and a lot of blood in many of the scenes. 

Case Study 1: Scream

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Camera Shots + Angles:
Close Up shots are used in the opening scene to Scream to show different emotions on the characters face, this is to allow the audience to know how the Character is feeling at a particular moment.
A close up is also used at the start of the film to show the telephone, this shows the importance of the phone call the character is about to get. 
Establishing Shots are also used in the opening sequence to introduce the setting of the film to the audience.
Medium Shots have been used in the opening to Scream so that the audience can get a view of the characters body from the hips up, this is important for the audience to see and understand the characters body language as body language can express a lot about how the character is feeling. 
High angled shots are used in the opening to the film to make the character seem smaller and not very dominant, this makes the character seem more vulnerable.  
Panning is used a lot in the opening sequence to show important things around the room such as knives.


Title:
The opening titles of the sequence represent a lot, the title of the film Scream appears in big bold letters, the title starts of white and then turns red. This portrays that something is going to happen in the film. The color red represents death and danger. The title then zooms out and the screen is red and blurry, this is used to represent blood. 


Sound:
Over the opening titles, non-diegetic screams and sharp sounds are made of which sounds like people getting stabbed. This is used to exemplify something that may happen in the film, it may also be seen as a flash forward to give the audience an idea of how people are killed in the film. The screams are used to connote something that is yet to come in the film. 
The first diegetic sound we hear is a phone ringing, this matches the stereotypical view of somebody getting a scary phone call in a horror movie. 
During the opening both parallel and contrapuntal sound is used to help set the mysterious and scary scene. The music also slowly builds up throughout the scene to show tension. 


Mise-en-scene:
The mise-en-scenein the opening sequence is very important as it helps to set the genre and the story. During the opening scene of Scream, there are some very important things introduced in  the shot such as, a set of knives, this connotes how deaths may occur.


Iconography:
Costume is also very important as we are able to see who the antagonist is, for example in Scream, the antagonist is wearing a mask and also dark colors such as black which is used to represent there dark personality.  

Settings:
There are two settings in the opening of the film Scream, a large house, this exemplifies how the character is made to seem really small in such a large environment. This shows that the character in the house is not very superior and does not have much power.
The other setting shown is the outside of the house, this is very dark and big, this makes the house that the character is in seem very isolated which represents the character being alone. 

Characters:
The opening to this film introduces the monster fodder, the film has stuck to the typical view of where the monster fodder is usually a girl, it also introduces the antagonist. 

Characteristics of the Horror Genre

There are many different characteristics that distinguish a film as being part of the horror genre including genre, iconography and location.

Characters:

The majority of the characters in this genre are archetypes, the typical sort of character that you would expect to find in the horror genre.

Antagonist

The antagonist is the bad guy or the villain in the film, we must decide whether or not the antagonist is supernatural entity of a psychopathic character.

Protagonist

The protagonist is the victim, or the good character. The protagonist is very often a female. The protagonist may sometimes be seen as the final girl.

Helper:

There is usually a character in a horror film who tries to help the protagonist and give them advice, it varies in horror films whether or not they are still alive by the end.

Monster Fodder:

The monster fodder is the victim of whome the antagonist usually kills at the start of teh film, early enough to build up a sense of terror and fright. There are stock characters who do not usually have much character development.

                                                        Iconography:

There are different props and costumes that are used in horror films to help the audience recognise the genre of the film.

Weaponry:

Different types of weapons are used to create an atmosphere and show the different ways of attacking victims.

Costume/Make Up

Look at what the antagonist is wearing, it may be a mask or make up. Also it is important what clothes the antagonist and protagonist is wearing, it will all be for a reason, to represent their characters.

Setting:

The setting in a horror film is extremely important as it reflects a lot more abut the film.

There are different types of settings such as, Suburban Environment and an Isolated Environment.

This opening to Saw 2 portrays an isolated environment.

Themes:

The themes used in a horror film are also very important, they are usually shown through a series of binary oppositions such as Good Vs Evil, Normal Vs Abnormal, Male Vs Female, Dark Vs Light and Love Vs Hate.

Narrative

- There is often the classical three act structure used. This means that the film will have three acts, the set up, the confrontation and the resolution. This is used in The Shining.

In the set up, the main focus will be establishing the protgaonist and the antagonist and also setting the story.

The confrontation then follows, where the antagonist will attack or some sort of conflict will take place leading to the resolution of the final act.

During the confrontation Jack has gone mad and tries to kill hiswife and his son.

At the end of the film, Jack family finally manages to escape and Jack is left to freeze, the problem is then solved.

Films start in a state of equilibrium which means everything is balanced out and normal. However during the events of the film, the equilibrium will be disrupted and the focus of the film will then be to restore the equilibrium on the part of the protagonist.

What makes a good opening to a horror film? - Macro

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There are many different macro aspects in the opening sequence to a film to help put the whole film together and make it what it is. For example the story line, the characters and the settings are all used correctly to make the opening sequence to the film effective.

Storyline:

The storyline should be introduced in the opening sequence, the opening sequences need to have a good introduction to keep the audience attracted and also make them aware of the plot.

Settings and Themes:

The settings and themes are essential in a theme and therefore they must be introduced well at the beginning of a film. The relevant and important settings must be introduced well using good shot. The main  themes must also be easy to recognise to make the audience aware of them.

Characters:
It is essential that from the opening of the fim, the audience are able to recognise the main and most important characters and get a good knowledge of the characters. 

The above link shows the opening to the horror film, Jeepers Creepers this is an example of where the main characters are introduced at the beginning of the fim.
Introducing the characters is essential to allow the audience to get an understanding of the characters personality.
The characters may be real or cartoon, they may also be disguised using costume, make-up or a mask.

What makes a good opening to a horror film? - Micro

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There are many different aspects in the opening sequence of a film to make it what it is, many different shots and angles and other camera movements are used, as well as sound, mise-en-scene and specific editing used. After watching a variety of opening sequences to a film, this is what i believe makes a good opening sequence.

Micro:

Shots: A variety of shots may be used in the opening sequence to a film. Using different shots creates different effects and are able to give a different view on what is being shown, for example, the audience may get a different view on a character depending on what shot is being used. An extreme long shot may make the character seem very small, lost and isolated.
Different camera shots may also including zooming on specific things with purposeful meanings in the scene. Examples of shots: Close-up, Medium-Shot, Long shot, Over-the-shoulder. 
The link below shows an example of many shots.
http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/


The movement of the camera is also very important to allow the audience to get a good view of the location, the movement may be panning, tracking, dolly, etc. 
Angles: Angles are also used to help the show the power and prestige of objects and characters, they create a place for the audience. Using a low angle, looking up on a character makes the character appear more superior and dominant. 

For example: 

This image is taken from the film Halloween , it is an example of how the camera is at a low angle, looking up at the villain to make him appear more powerful.

Other examples of angles that may be used, are high-angles, to make an object seem smaller, tilt this may be used to make a character appear drunk.

Lighting: Lighting is used to help establish the genre of the film, it also helps to set the location and the time of the day. There are many different lights that may be used to help create different moods for a film and a different effect. Examples of different lights that may be used are shown in the image to the left.

Sound and Voice Overs: Another important aspect in micro is sound and voice overs. There are two major types of sounds used, diegetic and non diegetic.
Diegetic sound can also be known as actual sound, this means sounds such as the voices of characters, or sounds being made by objects in the story. It is any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world. The opposite to this is non diegetic sound, this is simply, sounds that are not originally from the story, however they have been added in over the top, for example, background music to help create a different effect depending on the genre of the film. If background sounds have been added in, they may be either parallel or contrapuntal. Parallel meaning the sound matches the action, and contrapuntal meaning the sound contrasts against what is going on on-screen.

Opening to Scream 1



This is the opening to the horror film Scream, in this clip there are examples of diegetic sound, such as the characters speaking and also the phone ringing. There is also an example of non diegetic sound at the beginning over the opening titles, these sounds are also parallel.