Planning: Group Roles

Within our group we all got allocated different roles and different things that we would each be responsible for.

Jade Cruise:

Jade's put forth useful idea for the film including horror conventions that we could use. She also suggested effective shots to use and possible storylines. Jade put forth ideas such as mise en scene (lighting, props etc) and sketched out the storyboard with helpful ideas from Jade and Charlotte. Also Jade carried out one of the acting roles as the victim girl and helped with filming when not on scene and ideas for the person filming when acting.

Charlotte Magill:

Charlotte helped with some ideas for our film such as a possible storyline and different camera shots that would look effective. She also put forward ideas such as mise en scene (costume, lighting etc).

Charlotte's main job role played the actor of the antagonist in the film. When not acting charlotte tryed her best by helping Jade Goldie with the filming of the opening when she could.

Jade Goldie:

I chose possible titles for the film after we all agreed on a chosen storyline. I listed shots that we could use in our opening and where and when they would look effective. Additionally, with help from Jade Cruise and Charlotte Magill I filmed the opening to our horror film and input on what I thought was and wasn’t working as the viewer so that we could make changes accordingly.






As a group we were all responsible when making sure that we analysed enough films and collected enough informatoin on other horror films and recognsed the micro and macro features. We will also all be responsible for editing the clips when it has all been filmed.

Producers and Distributors

Production companies:
A producation company is the company responsible for the development and physical production of the film. This involved hirring the cast, booking the setting and filming the scene for the film. In some cases, the company is also responsible for gathering the money to fund the film costs. However, they may not always do i through an intermediary.

The role of the distriution company is to market the film after it has been produced. There job is to attract the target audience to the film through various ways of advertising. Distribution methods used to advertise a film include posters, TV adverts, radio adverts, interviews, internet and film premieres. Certain films require certain advertising techniques to connect with their target audience. For example films such as James Bond are sterotypically targeted at males and the distribution companies may choose to advertise the film in a lads magazine. Horror films are narrowed down to the particular sub genre, for example, the film 'Prom Night' is centred around mainly female characters and has the setting and elements of a love story so would probably be targeted at mainly a femal audience leading to it being advertised in girl magazines.

A film distributer can be an independent company, a subsidiary company or an individual. It is their role to act as a final agent between the film production company or some in intermediart agent and a film exhibitor. Their aim is to ensure that the film is viewed by as many people as possible and reaches a wide desired target audience in an appropriate manner.

Target Audience

When producing a 2 minute opening of a film, the target audience needs to be considered.

Target audience is based on when a film is realise, they aim the film at a particular group of people. Such as gender groups, ethnic groups, and age range. The social groups are then attracted to the products because of film trailers, adverts, junkets, colours etc.

AGE RANGE - when targeting an audience you need to ask yourself which age range you are aiming it at and why? by chosing a specific age range we are then able to research what type of films that age group watch or what is the most popular genre watched by that age group? The age range that we will want to target will be teenagers from the age of 18+, the reason we have chosen this age range is because as teenagers ourselfs we have a good understanfing of what teenagers are interested in.

 GENDER GROUPS - we have to consider whether we want our film to be aimed at either male or female or both sex. A good example for this is high school musical, this is targeted at both genders because the two main characters in the film is a male and a female which both genders of the audience are able to relate with. The film includes sports which will interest the male gender and musical/singing which interest the females. In our opening scene we are aiming to relate our film to both genders, male and female.

ETHNIC GROUPS - The range of enthnicity in the cast can reflect on ethnic group in which you target when producing a film. The race of the main character in the film can target people of the same race as they can relate to the character. Meaning the use of ethnicity can open a wide range of audiences. We hope to aim for a wide ethnicity group so that people from different ethnicity's will watch our opening film.

Target audience for a horror film
Typically horror films are targeted at male audience because of the violence, the gore an the way that females are seen as sex symbols, the age range will usually be from the age of 15-30. this is often reflected it the certificates that are given to horror films.

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/downloads/pub/Guidelines/BBFC%20Classification%20Guidelines%202009.pdf

The use of frightening elements which might scare or unsettle an audience is part of a long tradition of story telling and film making. Many children enjoy the excitement of scary sequences, but, where films are targeted at a younger audience, classification decisions will take into account such factors as the frequency, length and detail of scary scenes as well as horror effects, including music and sound, and whether there is a swift and reassuring outcome. Older audiences often pay to see horror films because they like being frightened or shocked and such works are classified at an appropriate category to ensure that the young and vulnerable are protected from too intense an experience.

Targeting an audience
The first horror film I looked at was 28 days later, this film targets the audience in several different ways, the first thing they look upon is the age range, gender groups and ethnic groups. The creators of the film have to aim the film at particular social groups.

This film was an 18 certificate the film makers were going for an 18 and 30 audience this is due to the excessive gore and violence in the film. The presentation of the zombies and blood is quit graphic and also the film opens with an establishing shot with a full frontal nude shot.

The social group the film is aimed at is attracted to this product because of the adverts, film trailers, junkets, colours and the layout etc. They film producers do this so that the audience want to keep watching the film and they are constantly interested.

The trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBZnuUZIbBQ) for example it shows a bit of each scene cut down to show what goes on watch day. The editor for this film has edited this trailer a lot to make it short and sharp, so that it will catch the audiences attention.

The Target Audience for our horror film
The target audience of a film can be restricted due to its content and an age requirment for viewers. This is decided by the Board of Film Certification in each country. If my film was to be given a certificate, it would have to be anayse by the British Board of Film Certification and then handed the suitable label.

Suitable for all, Parental Guidence, Age 12+, Age 15+, Age 18+

'Examiners look at issues such as discrimingation, drugs, horror, imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex, sexual violence, theme and violence when making decision. They also take into consideration context, the tone and impact of a work (how it makes the audience feel) and release forat (as DVDs watched at home are at higher risk of underage viewing).

From taking note of all this, our film is based on a horror genre so we have decided to target audience would be 18+. We need to ensure that when creating this appeals to this particular age group.

What makes an EFFECTIVE OPENING of a Horror?

Micro features –
•Sound/Music, diagetic and non diagetic sounds to build up the mood, atmosphere, suspense and tension in the opening scene.
•Lighting, good use of lighting can make a horror opening very effective. It can represent many things, e.g. lots of dark shadows casting the victim to represent he/she is in danger.
•Camera angles, different series of shots can be used to help convey a horror opening sequence. Close up shots of the victims, over the shoulder shot can be used for the antagonist looking at the victim.
•Mise en scene, the setting of the scene, in an isolated area. Where props are placed, where the characters are in the room: where the antagonist is placed in the room etc.
•Editing, how the opening scene is edited to create an effective horror scene.


Macro features –
• Iconography, what in the mise en scene represents. For example a knife signifies a weapon, in a slasher film this would be the only weapon used for the series of killings. Music, eerie music represents that something bad is going to happen. Clothes, what the characters are wearing and why? Usually the antagonist/killer would hide their identity by wearing a mask. Setting, where and why would it be specifically set there.
•Characters. Who the characters are, if they are male or female. Usually in a horror genre film the antagonist is male and the victims consist of females/males. In a slasher film, it is usually a female character that survives. Also what the characters are wearing and why?
•Setting, where it has been set. If its in a open spaced setting or a closed space setting. Usually an open & isolated spaced setting for the horror genre.

Case Study 2: Scream

Micro features -
Scream opens with the title of the movie which is shown on a blank screen, running parallel with the sound of the phone ringing and a female voice. You hear and scream and then there is a special effects sound of a knife being pulled out this represents the narrative of the film and shows how the antagonists kills. The first shot is a medium show of a telephone, this is an important prop used in this horror film as its the signifier of the killings which are to beggin. Throughout the conversation of the mystery caller and the female character the camera movement are slow and steady. The shots last long to show the atmosphere and to build up tension in the isolated house. The lighting is very dull to set the scene of the night time, there are shadows and close up shots over the victim to bring all the attention on her. Non-diagetic sounds are used to build up suspense and tension, this is used to the lead up to the kill, there is also diagetic sounds used that only the victim can hear. The editing of the film shots get quicker when tension arises, this is so the audience can feel something is about to happen. There is slow movement used with the camera angles and shots of the scene so you get a good idea of the location and the amound of space around the victim.

Macro features -

The victim in this opening scene is a female. This shows vunerability and signifies the final girl theory which is used in many horror films. The iconography used is the scream mask, knife and the telephone. The phone is used throughout the film hearing the antagonists voice through the phone. The ringing of the phone in silence connotates the emptyness of the house. The characteristics of the girl played in the opening scene  sterotypically suggests that she will the first victim from her physical appearance and personality. She is a young attractive blonde female, representing innocence and vunerability. This is a typical traditional horror victim. Her personality is shown to be dumb as she doesn't get scared and is unaware of any dangers when a stranger keeps calling her and she keeps having a conversation with him on the phone. She also plays with a kitchen knife when talking on the phone which phyisically connects the antagonist killing the female by stabbing her to death. The location used in the film is a isolated house in a small village, this is the perfect setting for the killer. The Scream mask used is to hide the identity of the antagonist who is usually sterotypically male.

Case Study 1: 28 Days Later

I have conducted research on two different opening to horror films in order to find the macro and micro conventions that are most effective.

Micro features -
The opening shot shows an extreme close up of a man's eye who has just woken up from a comba. There is a high angle shot in the crash room to show that the place is isolated. The man then walks through the hosiptal to find out it is deserted, there is equiptment all over the place and the pepsi machine is everywhere. We hear a non diagetic sound in the form of music, this created more tension just as we are getting into the film. The cuts get quicker as the music gets more frantic. There are loads of close up shots of the man to show that he is confused and alone. An establisging shot of London city is shown so the audience can relate to the setting and see how deserted the streets are, we can see this by phones handing off the hooks, over turned chairs, souvenirs over the floor and no person about. A high angle shot is used here to show how isolated the protagonist is. The lighting is natural because it is taken place in the day. The streets are silent but is interrupted when an on screen diagetic sound is used when a car alarm goes off. The scene moves on to the protagonist entering a chursh, we hear a diagetic sound of the man talking and his voice echoing, showing how empty and quiet the church is. There is a long shot used when we descover zombies rising of the grounds, who then chase the protagonist out of the church.

Macro features -
Normal life has been disrupted because there has been a virus outbreak and everyone has been turned into zombies. The part of the narrative hook is to find out how he is going to survive in a world full of zombies. Throughout the scene we only see one main character who is introduced by coming out of a comba in a isolated hospital in London, he is clueless of what is going on and he walks the deserted streets until the scene where he enters a church full of zambies. We link this scene up as being a horror scene, from when we see the zombies and the deserted streets on London. The iconography in this horror film is thered gurgling eyes of the zombies looking for salvation. The horror really begings when the protagonist enters the church and we realise the theme of the film is good vs evil and normal vs adnormal. The place is full of virsue and illness, this links back to the apocalypse sub-genre.

Research: Sub-Genres & Hybrids

Sub-genres of horror:

Haunting and Demonic Possessions: These types of horror films play on the audience's mind of unknown, superstition and evil forces such as ghosts. These are usually portrayed in spiritual horror films involving witches, spirits, ghosts or demons.

An example for this is shown in a recent horror film 'paranormal
activity' involving demons.

Apocalypse: This sub gente is threatened with extinction of the human race by inhuman creatures or monsters. The antagonists may consist of creatures out of space of a threat of a plagye or virus that threatens to wipe out madkind. An example of this is the film 'Resident Evil' ending with mankind dying out.

The Human Monster: This type of sub genre involves horror or abnormality of the personality. For example murder and psychopathology or psychosis and insanity. This involves the minds of the killer who appears to be insane with no sense of morality leading them to with intensions to become a killer.

Final Girl Theory

The final girl theory in a horror film refers to the last female alive to confront the antagonist/killer. The final girl is usually the last victim left out of a group of victims to tell the story. This theory has been used in loads of horror films such as 'Scream','Last house on the left' and 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' and many more.