Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When we filmed out preliminary task, I knew very, very little about cameras and editting software. Althought now I wouldn't be completely confident about filming individually away from a group, I feel like I know a lot about how to film and edit. As a group, we progressed in the way that we can now easily think of a practical plot and are able to storyboard all of our ideas and work very easily.
The cameras we used weren't of the best quality but they were suitable for us as none of us had had much experience with cameras and they were relatively simple to use. The quality if camera also added to the enigma of our film as it was kind of shaky which gave a more realistic edge to the film.
I had also never used the editting programme before, so that was very new to me too. Its quite complex to use but once I'd gotten used to it, I found certain parts easy to pick up on, for example, the cropping and Ken Burns tools.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Evaluation Part Six
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The main programme we used to edit our film on was iMovie. We used this to edit the pictures that are shown right at the beginning of our film; the still pictures of the girls. At first, we just had all of the pictures, in full colour, coming up one by one on the screen, like a slideshow, at the end of our film. We then thought it was a better idea to show these photos at the beginning instead. We used iMovie to change the colour of the photos to a sepia ton and turned the saturation right down to make it look more like photographs. We thought the pictures still just looked like still video images so we used the Ken Burns tool on each of the photos. This tool allows you to pick a certain point on the picture and then slowly moves across the picture. This created the impression that someone or something is looking over the photos whoch goes with the following/stalking theme of the film.
The main programme we used to edit our film on was iMovie. We used this to edit the pictures that are shown right at the beginning of our film; the still pictures of the girls. At first, we just had all of the pictures, in full colour, coming up one by one on the screen, like a slideshow, at the end of our film. We then thought it was a better idea to show these photos at the beginning instead. We used iMovie to change the colour of the photos to a sepia ton and turned the saturation right down to make it look more like photographs. We thought the pictures still just looked like still video images so we used the Ken Burns tool on each of the photos. This tool allows you to pick a certain point on the picture and then slowly moves across the picture. This created the impression that someone or something is looking over the photos whoch goes with the following/stalking theme of the film.
Evaluation Part Five
How did you attract/address your audience?
We combined aspects of thriller and horror films to attract a wider audience and to create something thats not totally similar to either genre. This creates enigma not only for the storyline, but for the actual type of film that the viewer is watching. The audience have the horror factor to scare them but at the same time really keeps you thinking about what is going on in the film. This causes more tension and almost confusiion where the audience don't really know what to expect next.
We combined aspects of thriller and horror films to attract a wider audience and to create something thats not totally similar to either genre. This creates enigma not only for the storyline, but for the actual type of film that the viewer is watching. The audience have the horror factor to scare them but at the same time really keeps you thinking about what is going on in the film. This causes more tension and almost confusiion where the audience don't really know what to expect next.
Evaluation Part Four
Who would be the audience for your media project?
Horror/thriller films tend to have a big following from teenagers & young adults, around the ages of 15-22. Males seem to be more interested in these films than females do, but many girls are also big fans of such films. However, these type of films are also very popular with 25-30 year olds as they're a good way of reflecting their childhood as watching scary films is quite a popular activity amongst young people. Younger children and teenagers don't tend to like these films as they're less likely to realise that the film is not real and get very, very scared! Also, a lot of scenes in scary films are seen as not suitable for children under the age of 15. People around the ages we have chosen for our target audience also enjoy the adrenaline buzz that scary films give them and not many other age groups would enjoy this.
Horror/thriller films tend to have a big following from teenagers & young adults, around the ages of 15-22. Males seem to be more interested in these films than females do, but many girls are also big fans of such films. However, these type of films are also very popular with 25-30 year olds as they're a good way of reflecting their childhood as watching scary films is quite a popular activity amongst young people. Younger children and teenagers don't tend to like these films as they're less likely to realise that the film is not real and get very, very scared! Also, a lot of scenes in scary films are seen as not suitable for children under the age of 15. People around the ages we have chosen for our target audience also enjoy the adrenaline buzz that scary films give them and not many other age groups would enjoy this.
Evaluation Part Three
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
A mainstream institution may distribute our film because the thriller/horror genre of films appeals to a big target audience and generates a lot of interest. For example, when new horror films like the Saw franchise and Paranormal Activity are ready to be released, there is often major advertising campaigns, on the radio, television and billboards which build up excitement with people. Scary films are also very popular because people like being able to see things they wouldn't normally experience in real life. They're seen as a form of escapism as they're often very unrealistic and make people appreciate their actual life after watching! If a film production company, like Columbia was to show interest in this film, they'd be able to put a lot of money into casting to draw further attention towards the film as they are a very successful company that can afford to pay the elite actors and actresses and are able to promote & distribute their films. Big actors and actresses also trust big film companies as they know they're good at producing good films that are popular with a huge amount of people.
Evaluation Part Two
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
As our film is a horror/thriller, we decided to use a girl as our main character as a lot of films from this genre use the traditional representation of females. This traditional view portrays girls as vulnerable, dependent and physically weaker than men, which fits the stereotypical role of victims in horror films, especially when females are used.
Although we used the more traditional view of females, we still incorporated modern day mis en scene into the film, such as settings and characters so people watching can find it easier to relate their lives to what they are watching. Not only will this make them more interested in the film, it also creates a more scary edge as it seems more realistic. We based our film inside our school as it is a very new building, which reflects the modern day lifestyle. Emma is shown talking to her friends and boyfriend, which are both traditional and modern representations of not just females but teenagers in general. We decided we'd keep the clothes casual, Emma wore jeans and a tshirt, as we thought more people would be able to relate to her than if the clothes she wore related to just one subculture. The character of Emma's boyfriend, Louie, also shows a traditional representation of males with the modern day mis en scene. We decided he should wear causual clothes too, but we put him in more sporty clothes to show him as a "cool" character, hence the reason he has a girlfriend. We also thought it'd be a good idea for him to wear headphones as this type of modern mis en scene shows today's technology. The stalker character who isn't seen in the film but is known through the use of the shaky handheld camera, comes across as the stronger, more powerful villain in the film. When people watched our video, the majority automatically referred to the stalker character as a male as the traditional representation of male & villains are powerful, aggressive and more violent than females.
As our film is a horror/thriller, we decided to use a girl as our main character as a lot of films from this genre use the traditional representation of females. This traditional view portrays girls as vulnerable, dependent and physically weaker than men, which fits the stereotypical role of victims in horror films, especially when females are used.
Although we used the more traditional view of females, we still incorporated modern day mis en scene into the film, such as settings and characters so people watching can find it easier to relate their lives to what they are watching. Not only will this make them more interested in the film, it also creates a more scary edge as it seems more realistic. We based our film inside our school as it is a very new building, which reflects the modern day lifestyle. Emma is shown talking to her friends and boyfriend, which are both traditional and modern representations of not just females but teenagers in general. We decided we'd keep the clothes casual, Emma wore jeans and a tshirt, as we thought more people would be able to relate to her than if the clothes she wore related to just one subculture. The character of Emma's boyfriend, Louie, also shows a traditional representation of males with the modern day mis en scene. We decided he should wear causual clothes too, but we put him in more sporty clothes to show him as a "cool" character, hence the reason he has a girlfriend. We also thought it'd be a good idea for him to wear headphones as this type of modern mis en scene shows today's technology. The stalker character who isn't seen in the film but is known through the use of the shaky handheld camera, comes across as the stronger, more powerful villain in the film. When people watched our video, the majority automatically referred to the stalker character as a male as the traditional representation of male & villains are powerful, aggressive and more violent than females.
Evaluation Part One
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our film uses a lot of aspects typically shown in thriller/horror films. Although nothing is actually seen, at the end of our credits the main character (Emma) is seen looking shocked and scared as she finds out that someone has been following her. Eventhough nothing is actually seen happening to Emma, we used the same idea used in a lot of films from this type of genre, that a big part of the storyline happens at the very beginning of the film. For example, in the Scream trilogies, someone is always seen dying in the first part of the film and then the rest of the film is spent working out who the villain is and/or why they're doing it.
In most horror films, at least one person is killed straight away and its fairly obvious what is going on. We decided that to make our we'd take more of a thriller approach and created a sense of enigma throughout our film to keep the viewers interested. We felt that a thriller film would be much easier to recreate but would also look a lot better than a horror film, as we're able to use camera angles and different shots to create suspense.
We liked the idea of a handheld camera (Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project) as we think it makes the viewer feel like they're involved in the film which causes fear. We decided that the use of the shaky handheld camera would be a good effect to our film and straight away give an idea to the audience about what type of film to expect.
We mainly used female characters in our film which is what we found a lot of similar films do. We also used one male character, who played Emma's boyfriend to show the difference in representations of males and females. We used the still images of the girls at the beginning of our film to give a clue to the audience about what they're watching but without giving too much away and making the rest of the film seem predictable which would make the viewers lose interest. We used a similar idea for our opening credits as the opening credits in Se7en which uses a black background with white writing. The titles flash up between different shots very quickly. We decided to use a white background to make our film look a bit different, and we thought it was quite effective because of the brightness. We also used the flash idea, but only a few times in between the photos to put more emphasis onto the pictures rather than the credits.
Our film uses a lot of aspects typically shown in thriller/horror films. Although nothing is actually seen, at the end of our credits the main character (Emma) is seen looking shocked and scared as she finds out that someone has been following her. Eventhough nothing is actually seen happening to Emma, we used the same idea used in a lot of films from this type of genre, that a big part of the storyline happens at the very beginning of the film. For example, in the Scream trilogies, someone is always seen dying in the first part of the film and then the rest of the film is spent working out who the villain is and/or why they're doing it.
In most horror films, at least one person is killed straight away and its fairly obvious what is going on. We decided that to make our we'd take more of a thriller approach and created a sense of enigma throughout our film to keep the viewers interested. We felt that a thriller film would be much easier to recreate but would also look a lot better than a horror film, as we're able to use camera angles and different shots to create suspense.
We liked the idea of a handheld camera (Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project) as we think it makes the viewer feel like they're involved in the film which causes fear. We decided that the use of the shaky handheld camera would be a good effect to our film and straight away give an idea to the audience about what type of film to expect.
We mainly used female characters in our film which is what we found a lot of similar films do. We also used one male character, who played Emma's boyfriend to show the difference in representations of males and females. We used the still images of the girls at the beginning of our film to give a clue to the audience about what they're watching but without giving too much away and making the rest of the film seem predictable which would make the viewers lose interest. We used a similar idea for our opening credits as the opening credits in Se7en which uses a black background with white writing. The titles flash up between different shots very quickly. We decided to use a white background to make our film look a bit different, and we thought it was quite effective because of the brightness. We also used the flash idea, but only a few times in between the photos to put more emphasis onto the pictures rather than the credits.
Se7en
The film Se7en starts with an exteme close up of a opened book on a table, the camera is facing it from the side so it can take a couple of seconds to take in exactly what the picture is, which gives the viewer a slight sense of confusion right from the start.
Almost straight away, the titles start coming up on the screen in a small white font that looks nearly handwritten. The letters ysed are tall and thin and with the music used in the background, its obvious from the start that the film is going to be a thriller/horror.
The music used is very eery and creepy, which builds tension right from the beginning. As the credits go on, close ups of hands are shown working with metal objects, the music in the background is very scratchy at this point, like the sound of drills, which creates the impression that someone is making something.
The lighting used throughout the whole opening credits scene is very dark, only black and white colouring is used, with red occaisonally used for some shots.
More close ups are shown at the beginning, the music also goes with this as its still scratchy and almost sounds like writing.
A close up is then on the screen showing what is actually being wrote on the page and a black pen is shown crossing certain words out.
As the credits get closer to the end, the pictures on the screen speed up, at the same pace of the music which causes further tension for the viewer.
Images showing torture are also placed on the screen, quickly changing from one to the other in very flickery and flashing transitions.
Although its quite obvious from the opening credits that this film is a thriller, its still quite unclear what the film is actually about as the quick shots, flickery images and music creates enigma for the viewer. These factors all used together confuse the audience as it's not totally sure what is going to happen in the film and therefore, they won't know what to expect.
In contrast, Emma looked at Wild Child which can be seen here.
Almost straight away, the titles start coming up on the screen in a small white font that looks nearly handwritten. The letters ysed are tall and thin and with the music used in the background, its obvious from the start that the film is going to be a thriller/horror.
The music used is very eery and creepy, which builds tension right from the beginning. As the credits go on, close ups of hands are shown working with metal objects, the music in the background is very scratchy at this point, like the sound of drills, which creates the impression that someone is making something.
The lighting used throughout the whole opening credits scene is very dark, only black and white colouring is used, with red occaisonally used for some shots.
More close ups are shown at the beginning, the music also goes with this as its still scratchy and almost sounds like writing.
A close up is then on the screen showing what is actually being wrote on the page and a black pen is shown crossing certain words out.
As the credits get closer to the end, the pictures on the screen speed up, at the same pace of the music which causes further tension for the viewer.
Images showing torture are also placed on the screen, quickly changing from one to the other in very flickery and flashing transitions.
Although its quite obvious from the opening credits that this film is a thriller, its still quite unclear what the film is actually about as the quick shots, flickery images and music creates enigma for the viewer. These factors all used together confuse the audience as it's not totally sure what is going to happen in the film and therefore, they won't know what to expect.
In contrast, Emma looked at Wild Child which can be seen here.
Monday, 15 February 2010
Choosing a media institution distributor
When creating the story line for our video we used other video film openings for inspiration. We also looked at media distributors and who they were, this gave us an idea of our target audience. We had decided the genre of our film previously, as a thriller/horror, and that we wanted to give the impression of somebody being watched or stalked. So we looked at films similar.
New Line Cinemas
New Line CInemas is an American film production and distribution company. The films they produce are high budget, and include thriller/horror films such as Se7en, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Rite. Se7en is the main inspiration for our video.
though of film is about a girl being stalked man, this film is similar as the main character is constantly being watch, and studied. Which eventually ends in the death of his wife. This film, although far fetched, is realistic, with a mass crazed murderer. Our film is also realistic. As this distribution company have more experience with similar films, I would choose to use them instead of an English company because English companies generally focus on the obvious side of horror, rather than the unknown.
This is the trailer for Se7en.
New Line Cinemas
New Line CInemas is an American film production and distribution company. The films they produce are high budget, and include thriller/horror films such as Se7en, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Rite. Se7en is the main inspiration for our video.
though of film is about a girl being stalked man, this film is similar as the main character is constantly being watch, and studied. Which eventually ends in the death of his wife. This film, although far fetched, is realistic, with a mass crazed murderer. Our film is also realistic. As this distribution company have more experience with similar films, I would choose to use them instead of an English company because English companies generally focus on the obvious side of horror, rather than the unknown.This is the trailer for Se7en.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Filming
As our media lesson takes place after school hours, it's provided us with a great opportunity to get our filming done as we'll be able to use the big space of the school but without having lots of students and teachers around.
We filmed each scene in order of how we wanted to put it together in our final piece. We started off in the study room which was quite busy as it's used quite a lot after school but this didn't affect our work as we were able to use a corner of the room where nobody else was working. We filmed the scene three times to ensure that we didn't miss anything important.
Afterwards we went into the corridors of school as most people had left by then, and anybody who was still in the school were in meetings or in after school clubs so weren't walking around. We were able to film quite easily out here as we had a lot of space to use and a lot of room to film from. Originally, we were going to show Emma sat with her friend in the stairwell but we found a seat in the corridor which provided us with much better lighting and gave us clearer footage. It was also easy to film from a high angle because of the different levels in the school.
Filming the scenes where Emma was in the projection room was probably the hardest part as it was quite dark. Also, because the room is like a box outside of the wall, it was very hard to find a place to film. We ended up filming from the balcony outside but it was quite hard to film good quality images as the zoom made the room look very fuzzy.
We had quite a fun time filming, and all four of us gave input and used our initiative if we thought we should change or develop something. It was quite a long process, but we still managed to finish it within one session.
We filmed each scene in order of how we wanted to put it together in our final piece. We started off in the study room which was quite busy as it's used quite a lot after school but this didn't affect our work as we were able to use a corner of the room where nobody else was working. We filmed the scene three times to ensure that we didn't miss anything important.
Afterwards we went into the corridors of school as most people had left by then, and anybody who was still in the school were in meetings or in after school clubs so weren't walking around. We were able to film quite easily out here as we had a lot of space to use and a lot of room to film from. Originally, we were going to show Emma sat with her friend in the stairwell but we found a seat in the corridor which provided us with much better lighting and gave us clearer footage. It was also easy to film from a high angle because of the different levels in the school.
Filming the scenes where Emma was in the projection room was probably the hardest part as it was quite dark. Also, because the room is like a box outside of the wall, it was very hard to find a place to film. We ended up filming from the balcony outside but it was quite hard to film good quality images as the zoom made the room look very fuzzy.
We had quite a fun time filming, and all four of us gave input and used our initiative if we thought we should change or develop something. It was quite a long process, but we still managed to finish it within one session.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Plan for our filming
We are going to film our whole opening scene in our school as its very big and has many different types of areas we can use, for example we can use classrooms, bathrooms, the outside spaces and the hall.
We are going to start filming in our sixth form study room where there are lots of computers, Emma will be using one of them and we will use a handheld camera to zoom into her.
From here, we are going to use an above angled shot of Emma meeting her friend on one of the corridors. Again, the camera will zoom in on her. The use of a high angled shot will make Emma appear vulnerable and let the audience know that she is the victim.
Then we will use some quicker shots of her sat with her friend and the camera zooming in, and then showing her walking down the stairs on her own.
We thought the projection room in our hall would make a very good setting. It's also quite dark so we can make the film look more eery. We will film the projection room from the balcony outside and Emma will be seen talking to her boyfriend.
Her boyfriend will be seen standing up and leaving the room, and the camera will quickly cut to to door of the projection room where her boyfriend will be seen leaving.
Finally, the camera will have a lot more movement and will get closer to Emma sat inside the room, as if the person filming is walking towards her.
We are going to start filming in our sixth form study room where there are lots of computers, Emma will be using one of them and we will use a handheld camera to zoom into her.
From here, we are going to use an above angled shot of Emma meeting her friend on one of the corridors. Again, the camera will zoom in on her. The use of a high angled shot will make Emma appear vulnerable and let the audience know that she is the victim.
Then we will use some quicker shots of her sat with her friend and the camera zooming in, and then showing her walking down the stairs on her own.
We thought the projection room in our hall would make a very good setting. It's also quite dark so we can make the film look more eery. We will film the projection room from the balcony outside and Emma will be seen talking to her boyfriend.
Her boyfriend will be seen standing up and leaving the room, and the camera will quickly cut to to door of the projection room where her boyfriend will be seen leaving.
Finally, the camera will have a lot more movement and will get closer to Emma sat inside the room, as if the person filming is walking towards her.
Saturday, 16 January 2010
Ideas for our work
After all doing some research, our group decided to sit down together and come up with some possible ideas for our opening scene. We decided that we'd use a female as our main character as that is the easiest way of showing a vulnerable person and the audience will recognise straight what type of film we are trying to create. We want to use a stalking theme but as we are only producing the opening scene we are going to use camera angles to create the feeling that the girl is being followed, without actually showing the stalker. This will also create a feeling of suspense as the audience won't know what is happening and make them want to keep watching.
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Questionnaire
We are going to create a short opening for a thriller/horror film, our target audience will be older teenagers and young adults. To give us a better idea of our target audience, and what they want from a thriller/horror film. We can then use all of this feedback to develop our product. This questionnaire was carried out with 20 participants, 10 female, 10 male.
How often do you watch horror/thriller films?
Rarely - 3
Sometimes - 6
Often - 11
What type of music is generally present during the opening of a thriller/horror film?
Diegetic - 4
Non-Diegetic - 13
Both - 3
Do you feel that music and sound effects are important for creating tension in thriller/horror film openings?
Yes - 17
No - 3
What do you feel is the most appropriate setting for a horror/thriller film?
School - 12
Theme park - 4
House - 4
What time of day is most effective for a horror/thriller film?
Day time - 9
Night time - 11
Do you feel the best type of victim for a horror/thriller film would be male or female?
Male - 2
Female - 18
Evaluation:
This questionnaire has helped us to decide when, where and who to use for our video. Most people thought that the use of non-diagetic music was more effective than diagetic sound. I think this is important as it means that we should use more non-diagetic music in our film, for example exterior music like a soundtrack placed over the top of the film that the characters can't hear as they're talking. I think this will work well with a thriller film as we'll be able to use tense music to build suspense. Music is an element I will definitely use as it is a very effective way of creating a certain feeling or atmosphere, and my questionnaire also shows that most people agree with this. Over half the people we asked thought that the most appropriate place for a thriller/horror movie setting is in a school. This is very beneficial to us and we have a lot of access to our school and so will be able to make a suitable looking project. The majority of people felt that night time was a more effective time for a horror/thriller film but there wasn't too much difference in what time of day people thought the film would look more effective as many people also thought that daytime would look good too. I think this means that a mixture of daytime and nighttime shots should be used to create a project of good quality. Finally, 90% of people thought that a female character would make the best victim which is what we as a group all decided would work best.
How often do you watch horror/thriller films?
Rarely - 3
Sometimes - 6
Often - 11
What type of music is generally present during the opening of a thriller/horror film?
Diegetic - 4
Non-Diegetic - 13
Both - 3
Do you feel that music and sound effects are important for creating tension in thriller/horror film openings?
Yes - 17
No - 3
What do you feel is the most appropriate setting for a horror/thriller film?
School - 12
Theme park - 4
House - 4
What time of day is most effective for a horror/thriller film?
Day time - 9
Night time - 11
Do you feel the best type of victim for a horror/thriller film would be male or female?
Male - 2
Female - 18
Evaluation:
This questionnaire has helped us to decide when, where and who to use for our video. Most people thought that the use of non-diagetic music was more effective than diagetic sound. I think this is important as it means that we should use more non-diagetic music in our film, for example exterior music like a soundtrack placed over the top of the film that the characters can't hear as they're talking. I think this will work well with a thriller film as we'll be able to use tense music to build suspense. Music is an element I will definitely use as it is a very effective way of creating a certain feeling or atmosphere, and my questionnaire also shows that most people agree with this. Over half the people we asked thought that the most appropriate place for a thriller/horror movie setting is in a school. This is very beneficial to us and we have a lot of access to our school and so will be able to make a suitable looking project. The majority of people felt that night time was a more effective time for a horror/thriller film but there wasn't too much difference in what time of day people thought the film would look more effective as many people also thought that daytime would look good too. I think this means that a mixture of daytime and nighttime shots should be used to create a project of good quality. Finally, 90% of people thought that a female character would make the best victim which is what we as a group all decided would work best.
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Research into our chosen genre.
As a group, we have decided to produce a film opening to a horror/thriller film.
I decided to research the codes and conventions of both types of film, starting first with the horror genre.
Horror Films
Films in this genre include:
Saw
The Shining
The Exorcist
Dawn of the Dead
Scream
In a lot of these films, there is at least one victim who appears vulnerable. For example, a lot of films use teenage girls as victims, not only is the traditional representation of females quite vulnerable and dependent, teenage girls also appeal to the young men and teenage boys as thats the target audience of horror films. There tends to be a lot of blood and gory scenes in these films, and the killer also has a 'trademark' about them and the way they kill their victims. In Scream, the famous white mask is used, whilst in Saw, the victims are killed in a very disturbing way.
The mask used in Scream.
Dark lighting is used quite a lot, and eery music is used to create suspense. In some films, like The Blair Witch Project, a hand held camera is used which also creates a sense of fear as they are quite shaky and give a point of view shot which makes the audience feel as if what they are watching is real.
The characters in horror films are often similar to one another. The girls are quite vulnerable but also have an element of sex appeal about them which is quite a traditional approach. The boys on the other hand come across as quite strong and very masculine. However, at least one of these boys are killed in most horror films which makes the killer come across even stronger. Eventually, one of the good characters finds a way of killing the killer or at least getting rid of them.
Thriller Films
Films in this genre include:
Se7en
Momento
The Godfather
Pulp Fiction
Thriller films take a more psychological approach rather than using gore and lots of blood. They're often more realistic looking than horror films, for example the way that the characters are dressed is a lot more casual than the characters in horror films. The characters in thriller films are often older than characters in thriller films and also act a lot more mature and less dramatic. Some horror films use humorous aspects, for example, in Scream some of the characters joke about what might happen whilst thriller films tend to use more serious storylines. Thrillers like Se7en use close ups of certain objects, like books or of people's faces, this creates tension and feelings of fear as it blocks the audience from seeing everything and makes their imagination work harder to think about what might be happening. Flashbacks are also used quite a lot in thriller films, in quite an abrupt way which disorientates the audience and puts them on edge.
The main difference which I have found between thrillers and horror films is that horror films place more of an emphasis on the actual killings or torture whilst thriller films focus more on the story of what is happening. I think that creating an opening scene for a thriller film will be much easier to do because of the limitations of location and time we have. Thriller films also use a lot of different shot types and camera angles to create the atmosphere of their film which will mean we can do more to make our work look more like a horror film.
I decided to research the codes and conventions of both types of film, starting first with the horror genre.
Horror Films
Films in this genre include:
Saw
The Shining
The Exorcist
Dawn of the Dead
Scream
In a lot of these films, there is at least one victim who appears vulnerable. For example, a lot of films use teenage girls as victims, not only is the traditional representation of females quite vulnerable and dependent, teenage girls also appeal to the young men and teenage boys as thats the target audience of horror films. There tends to be a lot of blood and gory scenes in these films, and the killer also has a 'trademark' about them and the way they kill their victims. In Scream, the famous white mask is used, whilst in Saw, the victims are killed in a very disturbing way.
The mask used in Scream.
Dark lighting is used quite a lot, and eery music is used to create suspense. In some films, like The Blair Witch Project, a hand held camera is used which also creates a sense of fear as they are quite shaky and give a point of view shot which makes the audience feel as if what they are watching is real.
The characters in horror films are often similar to one another. The girls are quite vulnerable but also have an element of sex appeal about them which is quite a traditional approach. The boys on the other hand come across as quite strong and very masculine. However, at least one of these boys are killed in most horror films which makes the killer come across even stronger. Eventually, one of the good characters finds a way of killing the killer or at least getting rid of them.
Thriller Films
Films in this genre include:
Se7en
Momento
The Godfather
Pulp Fiction
Thriller films take a more psychological approach rather than using gore and lots of blood. They're often more realistic looking than horror films, for example the way that the characters are dressed is a lot more casual than the characters in horror films. The characters in thriller films are often older than characters in thriller films and also act a lot more mature and less dramatic. Some horror films use humorous aspects, for example, in Scream some of the characters joke about what might happen whilst thriller films tend to use more serious storylines. Thrillers like Se7en use close ups of certain objects, like books or of people's faces, this creates tension and feelings of fear as it blocks the audience from seeing everything and makes their imagination work harder to think about what might be happening. Flashbacks are also used quite a lot in thriller films, in quite an abrupt way which disorientates the audience and puts them on edge.
The main difference which I have found between thrillers and horror films is that horror films place more of an emphasis on the actual killings or torture whilst thriller films focus more on the story of what is happening. I think that creating an opening scene for a thriller film will be much easier to do because of the limitations of location and time we have. Thriller films also use a lot of different shot types and camera angles to create the atmosphere of their film which will mean we can do more to make our work look more like a horror film.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
