Deconstruction - The Shining - Sound and Camera shots (2 short sequences)
Throughout this sequence there is use of non-diegetic sound, mainly an orchestral-type sound which builds and fades during certain parts of the sequence.
As Danny walks over to the mirror, there is a panning shot which follows Danny's slow and steady movement, which for the audience builds tension and creates a sense of anticipation. Meanwhile, the quiet but noticeable non-diegetic screeching sounds also help to add to the anticipation and helps to build a sense of fear in the audience.
Notably when Danny starts to write 'REDRUM' on the door, there is a high-pitched screeching sound which sounds like strings which brings an unpleasant and uneasy feeling to the audience. Without this sound the sequence would not be the same as it wouldn't cause as much uneasiness in the audience.
When Wendy is hugging Danny and comforting him, she notices 'REDRUM' reflected in the mirror saying 'murder', here the camera zooms into her face to show her shocked and frightened expression. The camera also then zooms into the word 'murder' very rapidly. This movement is accompanied by alarming non-diegetic music, again orchestral sounding. This time though, less strings and more symbol sounding which sounds chaotic and frightening. This creates a panicked atmosphere for the audience, which relates back to the psychological horror genre.
In this sequence, a low angle shot is used as Wendy approaches the type-writer. This shows the audience Wendy's face very clearly and the concerned expression she has. The shot then changes to a close-up of the paper in the type-writer and the words 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'
It also shows Wendy scrolling down the paper, at first slow and then quickly in a panicked fashion, telling the audience that something is wrong
Another shot used is a zoom into the other stack of paper. The camera zooms in quite rapidly, adding to the tension and panic being created. Again, the papers read 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'
The camera shot then switches between a low angle shot of Wendy's concerned facial expression and the stack of papers as she frantically looks through them. For the audience, this framing will perfectly show them the emotions that Wendy is feeling which are fear and panic
Meanwhile an orchestral-sounding non-diegetic sound has been slowly building which consists of strings and out-of-tune sounding instruments. This sound makes the audience feel uneasy and alarmed
Towards the end of the sequence there is an over-the-shoulder shot of Jack entering the room and clearly startling Wendy. Also during this shot, there is back-lighting so that Jack appears as a silhouette adding mystery which will frighten the audience as we have just learned about his madness
Firstly I decided to do some research on sound within supernatural horrors. I looked at demon/possession sequences as well as paranormal sounds including door slams, scratches etc. I also looked at how sound can create such an eerie atmosphere by itself, even if nothing scary is going on on-screen, for example, in the Shining. Some of my sources of inspiration:
Here, non-diegetic sound is used frequently to add suspense and build tension, which is important in supernatural horrors as you are scared of what you can't see. Furthermore, you don't actually 'see' so much scary stuff in this film but the sound really gets to the audience and has them on the edge of their seat.
The Shining is a classic example of where sound is used to create an eerie atmosphere, like in this famous scene where Danny comes across the two dead girls. This film is quite old now but is still thought to be one of the scariest films ever made and I believe this is because of the use of non-diegetic sound.
As well as this I looked at tutorials and other peoples work on sound and tried to recreate some of the sounds they made as well as trying to come up with my own. After watching a few videos on YouTube I decided to download a software and try and create sounds completely from scratch. For example:
How I did it
I used the program "Audacity" which I downloaded for free on the Internet
I used a tutorial (seen below) to create my sound
I got an old guitar in my house and strummed the strings a few times whilst recording
I then slowed the track to make it creepier
Then I played around with some of the effects and managed to make it louder, almost double the volume it was before. This gave it a deeper bass and as a result made it creepier
I then played around a bit more and reversed the track.
To me, it sounds like at the end of the build up it would go silent for a second then a blood-curdling scream would come.
Tutorial:
Here are the sounds (FOR BEST QUALITY, USE SPEAKERS WITH BASS/TREBLE)
I then tried again using my own voice and piano notes from an old out of tune piano in my house. I did similar things in the editing, just playing around with the tools on the software. Here are the results...
Evaluation of my sounds
I think for a first attempt my sounds are quite good and with more practice and knowledge of the software I can produce pretty scary sounds. Also, perhaps experimenting with other software and downloaded sounds could be useful. On a whole I think I made a good first attempt at trying to create sounds from scratch and tried to approach it in a different way by attempting to use a software I have never used before.
I first filmed myself making jagged and violent movements (below) which would go on to be edited to create a possessed feeling. I filmed the single-shot sequence with my DSLR camera (Nikon D7000) on a tripod in my currently under-construction loft. Although it was only necessary for me to film myself, I felt the setting for my video was appropriate for the supernatural horror genre. I wanted to create movement which I felt could be altered to create a possessed feeling such as exaggerated and violent movement of the limbs and head. I felt only a relatively short clip would be necessary as I only needed to demonstrate various editing techniques rather than the clip in itself.
I used the program iMovie to edit my clip to create a possessed feeling to my movements. Although the movements I made in the raw clip were possessed to a certain extent, I felt that the clip should be edited to create an even more possessed feeling. I used the 'clip adjustment' menu (right) to alter the clip to create my desired effects.
I used the slide bar labeled "Speed" to alter the frame rate of the clip. I experimented with different speeds and after watching the clip at different speeds, I chose my desired speed. I chose to alter the speed to 120% (100% being the normal and original speed of the clip as shown above). Speeding up the clip makes the movement of the subject unnatural and conforms to the supernatural horror genre as the possessed individuals normally have inhuman movements. I also put the clip into reverse by ticking the box labeled "Reverse". Putting the clip into reverse added to the unnatural movements of myself and created further feelings of the subject being possessed or supernatural. I chose not to edit the contrast or brightness as I only wanted to show how movement could be altered to create various effects.
Below is the final clip complete with the editing techniques.
Watching this trailer I payed close attention to the mise en scene and sound throughout.
The location of the film is an old abandoned house in the middle of a woods far away from any civilisation, this is a common setting for a horror as it suggests that the house will hold some sort of scary experience for the main character. The overgrown plants and trees add spookiness to the picture and make the atmosphere feel more closed off and aware the audience that something is not quite right.
The inside of the house is shown the first time he walks in, it is stereotypically what we would expect, low key lighting, everything is very dark and shadowy even in the day time, it looks very dusty as if no one has entered it in a very long time, it's shown to be very big as well as very empty as no other people are around to create fear in the audience, there is a big chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the center with lots of big open areas which is classically what we would expect from a haunted house featured in a horror movie.
This is the first time we see the focus of what is being shown as the demon in the film, this is only shown for a second there is a woman in the distance behind the man dressed all in black, we cannot see her face or any physical features but we know almost immediately she is the cause of everything bad that will happen in the film. Also the sound at that point is very tense with a build up suggesting something is going to happen including this woman.
The sound building up to this point is very fast and alarming but also very spooky, there is a woman talking about the mans son then this is shown. He peels back wallpaper to reveal "you could of saved him" written in blood on the wall obviously talking about the mans child. This is shown as automatic realisation that he has now put his own son at risk because he got involved with this demon. Words written in blood on the wall is a common convention used within horror films as it creates more fear for everyone watching than something just wrote on paper in pen as it has a more alarming effect.
This shows the man digging up an old grave and opening it up, this suggests that parts of the movie are shot in some sort of grave yard which reflects the theme of death on the film. Also grave digging is commonly shown within horrors and is used in many films within the genre.
This is one of the last shots of the trailer and works well with the sound used to purposely try and make the audience jump. There is a build up with slow music where a voice says "she's always there" as he approaches the window this face is only shown for a short time and a loud high pitched scream is played immediately making him spring back in terror as well as everyone watching. I believe they purposely showed this last as it will stick in the audiences mind and finishes the trailer making them want to see the film.
The sound throughout the clip is very tense and dramatic in some points leading up to very loud fast paced music where the speed of the edits increase as well and lots of different shots are shown at once in a row, also sounds of people talking over different shots are played to add an impact to what is being shown such as "don't go chasing shadows Arthur". Lots of screams and whispers are played on top of the music as reflecting the clips being shown as lots was going on in both making it a more fearful experience for the audience to watch.
As part of my research into supernatural horror films, I have investigated the conventions used in the sub-genre. Below, I have carried out my initial research by first exploring "The Conjuring". Common Convention In Supernatural Horrors:
Usually a family
Main setting is in the family's house
Certain family members become victims of possession
Antagonist usually has supernatural powers
Elements of possession and demonic movement
Ghosts, demons
Suspense music, non-diegetic sound
Parallel sound to match and define the visual intensity
Religious elements
Regular family just looking for a fresh start - Medium close up depicts that they are a close family.
The two shot denotes a religious symbol.
Ghost like characters in the film signify the genre. They tend to make direct addresses to horrify the audience.
Main setting - a house. The establishing shot connotes a daunting vibe.
Use Of Sound, “Hide And Clap” Scene:
Scene is introduced with non-diegetic, eerie music. The music is parallel. It creates suspense.
Non-diegetic, piano low note sound
mirrors the woman’s final fall.
On-screen diegetic sound of ball bouncing: synchronous to the movement.
Off-screen diegetic sound of woman screaming
and breathing build an intense atmosphere.
We hear dialogue of “Wanna play clap?”. Sound is asynchronous. Raises questions within the audience.
On-screen diegetic clap is sudden.
This fulfils audience pleasures.
Non-diegetic chiming sound
contributes to the fright.
Sound Continued, “Wardrobe Scene"
Off-screen diegetic thumping sound
creates an enigma.
Non-diegetic music is rather
daunting, parallel to the scene. It connotes something actually being there.
The sound effectively reflects the
girl getting closer.
Non-diegetic breathing sound is
effective, as it signifies being woken up.
Off-screen diegetic sound of
hangers creates realism.
On-screen diegetic sound of the roar along with the non-diegetic sound, create shock. They also fulfil audience pleasures.
This short, just over one minute, sequence from the 2006 supernatural horror film 'Silent Hill' directed by Christophe Gans features a variety of camera shots to create different view points for the audience. The sequence includes a few wide angle and high angle shots (ariel shots) which establish the setting for the audience. The strong use of CGI (computer generated image) and the strong visuals and aesthetics that are shown within the icy setting lends itself to the establishing shots that are used. This is because the shots and the setting they are conveying are made much more interesting to the audience if the setting is much more interesting in itself. The extreme high angle shot (above) conveys (along with the droning, monotonous non-diegetic background sound) the setting as being something the main character should be weary of. The shot does this by emphasising and focusing the audience's attention on the vast icy drop that the main character is slowly walking towards. The way the camera slowly moves, much like the character herself, and tilts towards the drop and reveals more of the setting is also an effective technique to convey the dangers and suspense created within the sequence.
As well as establishing the setting, the opening shot of the sequence (right) also establishes the main character. The establishing shot frames the woman (Rose) in the center of the shot and is the focal point of the shot in the audience's view. Not only does this shot convey Rose as the focal point for this shot but also sets up the character as the focus for the rest of the scene. The camera also moves slowly away from the character which conveys a sense that Rose is lost and isolated in a setting that it is clear she is not accustomed to. The amount of empty space around Rose and the relatively small size she is shown to be within the shot also adds to the loneliness and isolation of the character.
The sequence uses an extreme low angle shot (right), a complete opposite to the high angle shot used moments before, looking up at Rose from within the icy drop. This again emphasises the drop as being a danger that is close to Rose and the way the character looks down towards the camera shows her complete unawareness of her surroundings and conveys the similarly dangerous situation she is in. Again, the size of Rose's character as conveyed in this shot compared to her surroundings further emphasises isolation within the scene.
A low angle, medium shot of Rose shows Rose's emotion and panic at the vast drop before her by focusing on her face. This shot purposefully shows the audience Rose's panic and again conveys her unawareness of her surroundings, almost as if she is lost in the setting and is desperate to find a known place where she can recollect her thoughts. The audience knows that Rose is looking for her daughter hence how she seems so uncomfortable in her surroundings and is desperate to find her daughter as well as a way out. After Rose meets a mysterious and almost monstrous character (Dahlia Gillespie), there is a close up shot (above) of Rose's face as she desperately tries to voice how she is trying to find her daughter. This close-up shot of Rose strongly conveys her desperation of locating her daughter and the lack of background content highlights how Rose is the focal point of shot and the sequence.
The following shot (right) features Dahlia Gillespie, the almost monstrous creature Rose runs into while looking for her daughter. The low angle shot is in line with the eyesight of Dahlia but rather than being shot from over the shoulder of Rose, it is shot much lower, around the same height as Rose's hip. This low angle gives the impression that Dahlia is supernatural and not human being-like when compared to Rose. As well as emphasising how strange Dahlia is by contrasting the two characters in the sequence together, the low angle shot also conveys Dahlia as slightly creepy in the way it frames her looking up at Rose whilst slightly crouching. This adds to the horror aspect of the film as its genre suggests. The low angle tied in with how Dahlia is crouched and obviously a lot smaller in size to Rose work together to create a sinister feeling and one which the audience is made to feel uneasy and uncomfortable.
The sequence also features an extreme close-up of the locket Rose presents which has a picture of her daughter inside it. An extreme close-up shot has been used to frame the locket to hold the audience's attention as it is quite an important part of the plot. The audience can also appreciate the shot more as it is framed in a way which makes it clear. The shot could also bee interpreted as from Dahlia's point of view in the way Rose points the locket into the camera. A following shot (right) is a wide angle shot which shows Rose running away from Dahlia in the direction of the camera. This shot is similar to the opening shot of the sequence where Rose is walking slowly towards the camera in the center of the frame. In this shot, Rose is seen running away from a deserted and eerie background with some rubble on the floor which gives a sense of isolation and that Rose does not really know what dangers she is running away from. The way Rose is filmed running towards the camera gives the sense that she is almost running back to the audience and into safety.
Below is the full sequence from 'Silent Hill' [1:09]
'The Possession' is a 2012 supernatural horror film directed by Ole Bornedal. The film depicts a broken family that becomes affected after one of its members becomes possessed by an old antique box bought from a yard sale which turns out to be the infamous 'dybbuk box'.
Horror conventions used in 'The Possession':
A family is the main focus of the film where one or both of the parents are the main character(s). In 'The Possession', the main character is the father, Clyde. The use of family creates a more well known scene and focus of the film which the audience can relate to.
The family includes young children. The use of young children creates a sense of innocence and vulnerability within the family. The use of children also makes the audience feel sympathetic towards the family and creates a strong liking for the family from the start. The audience is also compelled to take the side of the family throughout the film.
In 'The Possession', the feature of a divorced and single father of the young children creates a slight change from the stereotypical family usually used in horror films. This again creates sympathy for the family from the start, especially for the young children.
Using the family's house as the setting. This creates a scene which the audience can to, much like the use of family.
The house featured in 'The Possession', like in many other films in the horror genre, is located in suburbia rather than the city. This creates a sense of isolation of the family and makes the family seem a lot more vulnerable than if they were in a busier area. This adds to the supernatural horror feeling of the film.
One of the children of the family become possessed. In 'The Possession', one of the daughters of the
family becomes possessed and the fact that it is not one of the adults of the family makes it more shocking for the audience.
The possessed is one of the main character of the film. In 'The Possession', the possessed being a main character ('Em') makes it more significant and keeps the audience interested.
Deconstruction of Natural Born Killers opening 1 minute - editing and camera movements/shots
This
sequence includes a variety of different editing techniques as well as camera
angles and movement. Many of the shots seem frenzied and almost disorientating,
for example, when Mallory is dancing there is use of titled shots and zooming
in and out which helps the audience to see Mallory’s whole body and the way
that she is moving and also the music she is dancing to. Furthermore, many of
these shots are low angle shots which make her look confident, impressive and
superior. The shots all include her as the main attraction and this links back
to my previous point. Adding to this, there are straight-cuts throughout her
dancing, constantly switching angles and showing different parts of her body to
add to the image being presented of Mallory.
This ‘impressive’
Mallory is then shown to be a bit shyer and meeker when another man comes to
dance with her, as the shots focus on his facial expression and are again in
black and white. The shots show him dancing rudely and in a provocative way
towards Mallory, which she is obviously uncomfortable with, through the use of mid-shots
of her walking away and ‘calming down’ her dancing. The camera movement at this
time weaving in and out (steadi-cam) which gives an in-depth view into the
scene and the movement and shows Mallory’s discomfort and the man’s rather
forward and off-putting approach towards her and also, as a viewer, makes you
feel uncomfortable as it feels like you are up close with him too and almost as
if you are experiencing his inappropriate actions.
There is
also a two-shot of Mickey and another man, in a titled shot still where the man
makes a rude remark about Mallory. It then switches abruptly to a black and
white shot and then quickly a frenzied low angle shot of Mickey with blood all
over his face and then it zooms in closer to a close-up of his blood stained
glasses. This is effective as it shows Mickey’s psychotic side and gives an
insight almost into Mickey’s mind and personality; it gives the audience a
glimpse of what is to come. It then switches back to a black and white shot of
Mickey sipping his drink in slow-motion, almost as if he is processing the
words that the other man had just said. All of these chaotic changes between
shots help add to the chaotic build up happening in the film.
As part of my practical source of inspiration, I have researched on different techniques in creating effects portrayed in Supernatural Horrors. When conducting my genre investigation research, I found that 'ghost like' movement is a key convention of the genre. Below, is a link to a video where I have received a few ideas as to how to create special effects for my coursework.
The video gave me ideas for how effects similar in Paranormal Activity can be created, such as the ghostly movement of bed sheets.
Firstly, the movement of bed sheets can be achieved through the use of a fan. The fan can either be placed at a distance from the sheet, in order to reduce the fan being captured in the film. Or in the editing process, two videos can be joint with a 'visible line' separating the fan away from the scene.
I simply used a fan and placed it at a distance from the bed sheet, so that it was not captured in the video.
After watching Paranormal Activity, I also received other ideas which do not require editing techniques. For example, light movement, lights switching on and off, televisions turning on and doors moving through supernatural movement.
1.) Light movement: This requires someone to push a light once for it to move repeatedly, whilst someone captures this on film. The person who moves the light, must move away so that he/she is not captured in the video.
2.) Lights switching on and off: One has to simply stand near the switch, turn it off and on whilst filming the this footage.
3.) Televisions turning on: Ensure the room is dark in order to create a more spooky atmosphere. If you are filming by yourself, make sure you are using a phone, as it easy to hold in one hand whilst you can use a remote in the other hand.
4.) Door movement: I found the easiest way was for someone to stand behind the door and control it, whilst someone else films.
Evaluation:
After experimenting with these effects, I found that demonic movement can be created quite easily without the use of editing. I find that effects such as the bed sheet moving and the lights switching on and off can easily be achieved throughout a filming process. Overall, I found that my task went well, having succeeded these effects without the use of editing software.
Planning
These are our two storyboards that we made before filming so that we could plan what types of shots we would use in the final clip. The storyboards also helped us during filming as it acted as a guide of what the chronological order of the shots were as we did not film the individual clips in the order that they appear on the storyboards. The first image is the original and rough copy of the storyboard for our film and was drawn just before we went to shoot the raw clips of our film. The second image is a neat and more professionally drawn version of the original storyboard.
Evaluation of planning
In the planning/story-boarding stage we didn't think through the actual dialogue that was going to be spoken, we just decided a general idea of what was said
This led to confusion during filming and we had to think about what the actors were going to say but we should have thought about that earlier
Also, we were quite unorganised as for one shot we needed an old ‘chubb’ style key to fit the door we were using for the shot. However, we didn't bring one and ended up wasting time trying to find one
This was also a problem as we didn't have a lot of time to shoot and ended up not getting the shot we wanted
Also, we didn't get to shoot some of the shots more than once which is something we wanted to do, to ensure we had sufficient footage
So, mainly we were a bit too unorganised which led to disruption during filming.
Evaluation of filming
For the task we decided to make our short sequence on a couple having a confrontation about the woman staying out overnight with her friends
We used this as there was many different camera angles we could take advantage of whilst keeping the audience interested with the plot.
The first thing we did well is we chose the actors we wanted to use quickly and efficiently as we knew they were in a free period and where to get them from as we had used them in a previous task for taking photos
We also knew that they were reliable and would do what we asked them to make our video come out the way we wanted it to
Also we managed to find a room in the school which had sofa like chairs and a television which matched our storyboard as we wanted a setting with a living room atmosphere.
We had a member of our coursework team missing for this task which put us at a disadvantage but even so we worked very well together as a team, making sure we asked each other what shots we thought looked best and what angle to place the camera to make sure we got the best footage possible for editing in the following lesson.
What could we do better next time (during the filming process)?
Make sure there are no continuity errors. In our final cut, a few examples of these errors can be seen such as where the actors have their hands on the table in one shot but not in the following shot. We could do this by keeping track of props and the actors' positioning to make sure they are continuous throughout following shots.
Seek a location. Before getting all of the equipment and actors ready, it is important to find a suitable location to shoot in prior to going out to shoot. Although we would make sure to do this in future film shoots, on this occasion we were very rushed for time which meant we had to improvise with what was available at the time.
Plan a specific order of when the different shots are going to filmed. If an order of when the shots are to be filmed is planned, it makes it easier to film as no additional planning is needed on set which usually causes confusion. Also, making an ordered plan makes the filming process a lot quicker for the same reason.
Take the opening title(s) into account. While filming, it is important to take the title of the film and when it will be seen in the final cut. This means that if you wanted to superimpose the film's name and perhaps other details such as who is involved in the production of the film into the shot, it is important to take it into account when planning different shots (mainly at the beginning of the film).
Evaluation of editing Strengths:
The title card of the film name was introduced at a right time, giving the audience a good introductory to the clip.
Sounds effects such as the key opening the lock worked well. The sound effect contributed well in making sure the sound was realistic and synchronous.
Cuts were made effectively and joint well, systematically. This ensured that the clip had a clear storyline and was understandable for the audience.
Our editing also created humour. An example of this would be the sound effect added to the dialogue "Where were you?". This effectively built the character of Lucas even further, as a possessive husband.
The closing credits gave clear detail as to who contributed in producing the video, the casting etc. This made the clip seem more professional.
Weaknesses:
The cuts were a bit too short, making the clip seem quite quick.
The sound effect of the door shutting was rather loud, like a smash. The sound was not very suitable, as it juxtaposed how the door was actually closed.
The music for the closing credits did not match the overall mood after watching the clip - being contrapuntal.
No music apart from the music for the credits was used. Music could have been used at the beginning of the clip.
As part of my 'practical source of inspiration', I have researched different camera shots and lighting to create my own small clips which reflect conventions of the supernatural horror genre. I wanted to experiment with the movement of an individual running in a wooded area because I felt that this is a typical convention of a supernatural horror film. I felt that researching and creating my own small clips which conform to the horror genre would give me valuable experience and knowledge which would benefit in the future, notably when we film our opening sequence as our final piece.
Firstly, I looked at different existing clips and sequences from films of the general horror genre to establish a basis for my own clips and maintain ideas of what conventions I could use in my own work. I looked at a range of films from different time periods, one of which was 'Cabin in the Woods' 2012 (below). One scene of the film in particular gave me an idea to use a wooded area as a setting for my clips. The setting was similar to a local park very close to my house which I felt was an obvious choice of setting for my clips.
Several days before shooting my clips, I felt it was necessary and important to go and view the location I had in mind for my setting and look at different camera shots which would be effective. During my visit to the location (a small local park with a naval graveyard on the other side of my garden wall), I took stills of different parts of my setting with the camera I would be using to film my clips with (Nikon D7000). I also felt it was important to go on location beforehand to monitor the time and lighting to get an optimum time for filming. This was important as I needed to see what the clips would look like at a specific time of day so my final clips would not be too dark or too bright. (I noted that the best time for filming was around 6:15pm-6:30pm).
I liked the idea of using specific areas which had many grave stones to create an eerie and stereotypically horror film effect. Here are a few still shots I took of a graveyard area which I felt would be a prime location for filming in. Graveyards are typical locations used in films of the horror genre and I felt that the audience would instantly recognise the connotations of the location the clips would take place in.
The still below was shot inside the low hanging tree that can be seen in the previous shots. I liked this shot the most as the branches frame the shot with the focal point being the gravestone. The way the natural light source is outside of the tree, I felt that the idea of using silouhettes would create an eerie feeling. I felt that this tree acted as a good focal point for certain shots as it is aesthetically pleasing and conforms to the horror genre.
The still below is an attempt to create a low angle shot which is a camera angle I wanted to use in my clips as I felt it conformed to the horror genre of someone running away from something.
After establishing my setting, I viewed some more sequences and clips from existing horror films to establish further conventions which I could use for my clips. One clip from a film which inspired me was the iconic arrival scene of Father Lenkester Merrinin 'The Exorcist' 1973 (below). The strong yet very subtle lighting which gives the scene its mysterious and eerie sense gave me inspiration to use similar lighting in my own clips. By using very few or a single light source and using the subsequent shadows in my clips, as well as some natural lighting, I felt I could effectively create an eerie effect. The back lighting which is primarily used in this scene creates an extremely mysterious and ghostly feeling which is the main technique used to establish the overall eerie sense of the whole scene.
When I returned to my chosen location (in which I had to climb over my garden wall after it had closed to access the park), I felt that I had slightly mistimed it so that the natural light was too dark to film without artificial lighting. This meant that I could not film near the graves as I had planned. Because of this minor mishap, I had to locate an area in a different park of the park which had several artificial lights to create a similar effect to that seen in 'The Exorcist' scene. In a way, I felt that only using artificial lighting with no natural light sources (again, quite like in 'The Exorcist') made the setting and the clips in general more eerie. The artificial lighting was made up of multiple light sources on the one of the outer walls of the park. I used myself as the subject of the clips with my Dad filming the clips with my DSLR camera on a tripod.
The first two clips we shot were of me running past the camera (in both directions) into the darkness/out of the frame. The minimal lighting creates an eerie feeling as the viewer does not know what else is in the setting or camera shot and feels isolated, much like the subject of the clips. The fact that the clips were shot at the same level as the subject make the audience feel closer to the action and almost as if they are in the shoes of the subject. I feel that the former of the following two clips are more effective as the subject is running into the darkness rather than past the camera which creates more mystery.
The following two clips that we shot are very similar to the content of the previous two, but were shot from a much lower angle to give a different perspective as part of the experimentation process for future reference (our final opening sequence).
The following clip focused on using the silhouette of the subject as the main focus. I felt that the lack of identity and very abrupt and quick view of the subject added to the eerie effect of the clip.
I returned to the idea of anonymity in the next clip and wanted to make it so the audience saw as little of the subject as possible to create suspense. The shadows created by the subject are also very eerie and mysterious.
The following two clips focus mainly on the fast moving shadow created by the light source behind the subject. The abruptness of the subject and the little time spent within the frame creates a sense of urgency which makes the audience feel as though the subject is in danger.
The following clip is a long shot so that the subject was in the frame for a longer period of time than in the previous shots. This creates an opposite effect to the abruptness reflected in the previous clips and gives the audience more time to realise what is happening within the scene.
The following clip features a high angle shot which gives the audience a better view of what is happening within the scene. (Note that the clip goes on for a lot longer as it was more difficult to handle the camera when it was so high up. Although the clip could easily be shortened through editing, it was another problem I came across while filming and I thought that it was valuable experience to take into account for the future).
Finally, the following clip features a low angle shot where the subject almost jumps over the camera while running. This type of shot gives the audience a unique view of the action and what is happening within the scene.
Creating these clips gave me an excellent experience in taking all aspects of shooting a clip into account (e.g. camera shots, lighting, logisitcs, location) which I could build on for future reference. When I first started getting ideas from clips from existing horror films, I did not have nearly as much knowledge about shooting clips as I do now after completing filming the clips. Some problems I encountered whilst going through the process of shooting my clips will be addressed in the future, giving me a better understanding of the filming process in general.
My practical source of inspiration I have decided to explore is special effects make-up. As in my research I looked at the slasher horror genre, so thought this would be a good oppurtunity to experiment what different make-up effects I could create which we could then use when filming our coursework. The sort of effects I wanted to make were stab wounds, to make it seem as if someone had been slashed with a knife as this is a common injury in horror movies. I found some examples of what I wanted to make first:
Firstly I watched some YouTube videos that showed methods to make effective slasher wounds, some of the ones I found were very detailed and too complex to be able to create without special equipment, but I did manage to find one which was exactly what I was looking for and gave clear detailed instructions of what to do and also told me what equipment I'd need to do it:
Once I knew what I needed to create that specific effect, I went to hobbycraft and as it is near Halloween I was able to purchase red and black face paint, fake blood and special scar wax that was needed to shape the actual wound and make it look realistic. After buying these items I then asked Ellie to be the model I did the make-up on and I was ready to start.
Along with the materials I bought I also got a leaflet which gave a few examples of what you could make with the equipment, I looked through the pages and found one similar to what I wanted to do on Ellie so I then used this as well as the YouTube clip as a guideline.
Step 1: I began by taking a suitable amount of scar wax and mixing it with water to soften it, which I then applied to Ellie's face as accurately as possible.
Step 2: I then used the white scraper that came in the pack I bought to cut two lines in the scar wax and dig out the middle to create the shape of the wound.
Step 3: I then began to paint the middle of the wound, beginning with black paint and then using red over the top to create a more realistic looking cut colour than just an unnatural bright red, also mixing the two colours together meant that it was more than one colour which is what we wanted.
Step 4: I fully coloured the cut and then applied foundation over the top of the scar wax so that the cut blended in with her skin and looked more natural.
Step 5: I finally added the fake blood to the cut which created a drip down her face and also mixed well with the face paint to making the whole wound look more realistic.
After having this opportunity to experiment with special effects make-up and see what I could produce, I now know exactly what I will have to do to make the same sort of effect when filming our coursework to create realistic looking wounds on our actors. I would make some changes when doing this again, firstly when I started I was unsure on how to use the wax which made it go lumpy, next time I will know what to do immediately, also I didn't have a foundation which matched Ellie's exact skin tone, so next time I do this I will make sure to check in advance that the foundation we use is the same colour as the actors skin. Apart from these minor flaws, I think this was very productive and helpful towards our filming in the future and has helped me to expand my knowledge in the slasher horror genre.
'A slasher film is a sub-genre of horror film, and at times thriller, typically involving a mysterious psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims usually in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe. Although the term 'slasher' may be used as a generic term for any horror film involving graphic acts of murder, the slasher as a genre has its own set of characteristics which set it apart from related genres like the splatter film'
Within slasher films, there are many conventions including:
Mysterious psychopathic killer
Masked
Disfigured
Weapon of choice e.g. knife, chainsaw
Childhood trauma/revenge
Often silent and unstoppable
Will never die
e.g. Freddie Krueger, Michael Myers
Stalking and killing
The final girl
Virgin
Unlikely to be blonde, never promiscuous
Sexually promiscuous characters ALWAYS die
Location
Usually a suburb or quiet town
Safe
Or a place that the killer identifies with – e.g. When Myers comes back to his house in Haddonfield (in Halloween)
Examples of slashers
Halloween
Friday the 13th
My Bloody Valentine
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Scream
Holly's work
I looked at 'Halloween' the 2007 remake which was written, produced and directed by Rob Zombie, who is a famous horror director and is behind many other films such as House of 1000 Corpses. The film is a remake of the original which was made in 1978. The films main protaganist is Michael Myers.
Michael Myers and how he fits into the Slasher genre
Here, Michael is wearing a mask, covering his face. He refers to himself as 'ugly' as a child and says that is why he wears it. He also enjoys making them.
Below, as a child, Michael wore a mask whilst killing his family, showing signs of emotional distress/trauma in his childhood. In this remake, his family is shown to be dysfunctional - his mum a stripper, he gets verbally abused by his step-father and they are a relatively poor family.
Michael always gets up, even after being shot, shows he is unbeatable and powerful.
Here, the 'virgin' girl, Laurie, Michael's sister. She can be seen to be the 'girl next door' type. Nothing promiscuous about the way she dresses or acts, she even jokes about her lack of sexual experience in the film.
Location - family home in suburban area. Also set in Michael's old home (where he murdered his family)
Sexually promiscuous characters about to be killed by Michael - typical genre convention.
Michael's weapon of choice - a butchers knife.
Mia's Work
I focused on the remake 2010 version of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' when looking into the genre of slasher horror, it is directed by Samuel
Bayer and written
by Wesley
Strick
and Eric
Heisserer
it revolves around a
group of teenagers who are being stalked in their dreams by an enigmatic man
named Freddy Krueger. Chased and
chastised by this finger-bladed demon, it is the awakening of old memories and
the denials of a past of retribution that spurns this hellish vision of a
dreamlike state and turns death into a nightmare reality.
This film contains many classic slasher horror conventions that typically come up in many films, for example, the killer Freddy Krueger comes from a traumatic background, has a specific weapon he kills all his victims with (razor fingers), is deformed as he was burnt, and is unstoppable. The film includes the convention of sexual promiscuity in teenagers resulting in their eventual death. It also has a 'final girl' which is very common, it is Nancy in this film she is seen as lonely, quiet, socially awkward, but strong which are the usual characteristics.
This picture from the film shows Freddy Krueger's deformed face after he has been burnt by the angry parents of his victims.
This picture shows clearly the specific weapon Freddy uses to kill his victims. This also portrays the idea of sexual promiscuity in teenagers leading to their death as the girl is naked in the bath.
These pictures show a common setting that slasher horror films use, which is a suburban school. It adds a sense of realism to the film and creates fear within the audience.
This shows the final girl looking innocent and scared for her life as the killer is approaching her, but she is always kept alive until the very end.
This presents the killer in lots of shadows and darkness, as he is further away it provides a build up for him to reach the victim which slasher horror films do often to create fear.
