Credit Research

CREDIT RESEARCH

The link below goes to the website called Fontspace that provides a variety of different fonts. These fonts are free to use and have been inspiration in our final product.

http://www.fontspace.com/search/?q=horror&p=6

The Links below go to further shortlisted fonts we chose together as a group.

http://www.fontspace.com/jonathan-s-harris/something-strange
http://www.fontspace.com/blambot/youmurderer-bbhttp://www.fontspace.com/lj-design-studios/the-darkhttp://www.fontspace.com/cloutierfontes/cf-night-of-the-damnedhttp://www.fontspace.com/lj-design-studios/dead-feather
http://www.fontspace.com/chequered-ink/halloween-heresy
http://www.fontspace.com/search/?q=horror&p=8

Then the pictures below our are final shortlisted fonts chosen. From these four we will test and edit into our main brief. Dominic our main editor, was given the final decision on the fonts and the task to apply them onto our final video.

Example Camera Shots

Age Certification

		Consumer advice
		All ages admitted. There is almost nothing unsuitable for children aged 4 years and over.
		All ages admitted, but some certain scenes can be unsuitable for young children. They should not disturb children aged 8 or older. May contain mild language  or sex/drug references. May contain moderate violence if justified by context. A parent may wish to check the content before they let their children watch or play it.
		This category applies to cinema only releases since 2002. Films under this category are considered to be unsuitable for young children. Cinemas in the United Kingdom are only permitted to supply tickets to see a 12A film to children under the age of 12 if they are accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over. However, it is unlikely to be suitable for children under the age of 12. Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, moderate language, moderate violence, sex references and nudity. Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Use of strong language may be permitted based on frequency and how they are used, as well as contextual justification. Sexual violence may be implied or briefly indicated.
		This category applies to cinema releases from August 1989 to 2002, and home media since 1994. Suitable for people aged 12 and older. It is illegal to supply a video work with a 12 certificate to anyone under that age. 12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating. The content guidelines are identical to those used for the 12A certificate.
		Suitable only for people aged 15 and older. No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema. It is illegal to supply a video work with a 15 certificate to anyone under that age. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, strong language, strong violence and strong sex references, and nudity without graphic detail. Sexual activity may be portrayed but without any strong detail. Sexual violence may be shown if discreet and justified by context. Use of very strong language may be permitted based on frequency and how they are used, as well as contextual justification.
		Suitable only for people aged 18 or older, which means adults only. No one younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema. It is illegal to supply a video work with an 18 certificate to anyone under that age. Films under this category do not have limitation on the foul language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and explicit sex references along with detailed sexual activity are also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context. Very strong, gory, and/or sadistic violence is usually permitted. Strong sexual violence is permitted unless it is eroticized or excessively graphic, in which a work will require compulsory cuts where possible.
		For our main brief we decided to choose an age rating of 15. This is because the usual age for someone watching a horror film is between 15 and 25. During that age they are at key stages of developing themselves and learning about the world, they want to try new things and experiment with different emotions and feelings (psychographic). They want to rush into life with no guidance so they can get a thrill. A younger audience is easier to thrill, scare and excite compared to an older person they would be negative towards the movie. Our overall demographic audience is 16-24 year olds because the audience would be young males who seek a cheap thrill. Otherwise it is likely to be couples who are on first dates the audience of the horror films can often relate to the characters in the film. They often form a relationship due to the similarities and therefore have a stronger emotional pull to the film. The relation of the characters also puts the audience in the shoes of the characters gaining a stronger horror effect.

Hush Textual Analysis

     In Hush horror is created in a number of ways and mise on scene sets this out from the very start. For example the house that the victim is living in is extremely secluded in the middle of what appears to be a forest. The audience can therefore identify straight away that she has no escape when the antagonist is to come along later in the film. So horror is therefore intensified by showcasing her lack of survival. Secondly by leaving the door slightly ajar this is hinting that someone is going to come inside the house and she has almost allowed this to happen by leaving the door open. Finally the use of props such as the crossbow and the mask create horror as viewers are known to be afraid of scary masks and of course weapons that cause harm. Therefore mise en scene is used in numerous occasions to successfully forebode and create horror.

   Editing further emblematizes the horror genre in multiple occasions. For example the use of a fast paced cut away when editing make this particular scene seem frantic as the victim is in a state of panic whilst she fears for her life. This allows the audience to sympathise with her level of fear therefore heightening the horror element. As well as this the use of shot reverse shots between the victim and the protagonist show the level of how scared the victim is by the intruding man. Overall the use of editing in this scene can be identified as extremely useful in building up the horror genre.

    Camera angles and movement are also a key element in personifying the horror genre in this extract.Firstly the use of a dolly zoom shot of the victims house pictures it to be situated in the middle of a forest and therefore highlights to the viewer that our victim is in severe danger and has no escape due to her location making it fearful that her death is presumably inevitable. Furthermore a point of view shot from the victims eyes shows the fear that she is witnessing as there is a man with a scary mask trying to break into her home. The audience will sympathise with this common fear therefore making the film appear even scarier and intensifying the horror genre.

Main Brief Sound

Main Brief Sound Planning

Production companies at start: the sound we will use for the productions is tension and sharp noises when they appear on screen to set the setting. NON DIAGETIC

First shot of elevator: In the first shot of the elevator the sounds that we will use is first an elevator noise and maybe some background music. NON DIAGETIC

Next elevator shots: Intense, sad and creepy soundtrack starts to play quietly in background. Gradually get louder, maybe some voices or creepy sounds on top appear to add to the creepiness and unknown. NON DIAGETIC

At end of women in elevator:  The last shot of women is her blinking and eyes turning completely black with a disturbing smile. When this happens a loud disrupted sound will occur to show the disruption. Then when she walks out of the elevator, the creepy music starts playing again. NON DIAGETIC

Title: The title at the end appears between elevator doors when the women turns the corner. A sound effect which will be quick, loud and sharp will appear to show the title. Also, creepy noises and maybe haunted voices will be put with the title. NON DIAGETIC

Last shot: This is of a dead person on floor of elevator. The sound we will use here is the creepy music continued, also maybe haunted voices or creepy singing, which will be cut sharply to end.NON DIAGETIC

Where to access sounds:

As you can see all of the sounds and music that we shall be using for our main brief are non diagetic so therefore we will need to use the internet in order to pursue the right sounds and msuic specifically for our opening. We can access sounds on We Video where we are planning to edit our opening scene. However, they have limited options for our selection of sounds we need. So another place we can access sounds is on Sound Bible and Free Sounds.

Questionnaire Results

From this information we can look to target our product at mostly at a female audience as they are clearly more interested in horror films and have taken time to answer a horror questionnaire. However this information is taken from a very small segment of the target market and appears to be rather bias in this scenario. Through further quantitative research it appears to be predominantly males who are interested in horror films. So when it comes to a specific age range and gender we will be looking to attract males aged 15-25.

When assessing the results of these two questions we shall use this data to maybe do a cross genre between paranormal and psychological horror. This clearly seems to be the most popular horror right now and this information can be supported by research I have done on the horror of history showing that both of these horror sub genres are extremely popular today. When distributing the film we will look to have the majority of our cinema showings on in the evening as this is the most scary to consumers so would attract a larger audience thus boosting our products success.

When looking at which location would be best to film in it appears that our target audience favour an elevator scene. This is because they believe this location brings the most intense horror factor and this is highly important for us so it is likely that we will no be looking to film in an elevator. With the majority of the target audience expecting to see either black or black and red in to opening credits it would be most likely that we would go for black as this colour is simple to use and red is more associated with the slasher genre which our horror is not.

Focus Group

 This focus group was highly influential when it came to deciding who our product should be targeted at and what exactly they were looking for in a horror. For example they decided that narrative was highly important along with sound. We shall look to add lots of layers of sound in order to build up suspense and intensify the horror genre.

Similar Product Reseacrch

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   When researching similar products in the horror genre I watched numerous amounts of trailers for horror films in order to give ideas for a narrative and style of horror. The trailers for Psycho and for Devil were extremely enlightening and helped to give me ideas. For example the use of the Psycho being in black and white is extremely old fashioned however I believe that it is perfectly suited for the horror genre. Secondly the mise en scene of an elevator in Devil is also a great idea as viewers are commonly afraid of small places and this claustrophobia can help in creating a scare factor to our horror product. Therefore using this research we would look to edit all of our footage so that it is in black and white and maybe look to incorporate an elevator into our scene in order to intensify horror for our audience.

The Purge Textual Analysis

   The sound in this opening scene is a key micro element in constructing the genre of horror. From the start there is almost classiscal music. This use of this non diagetic sound is contradicting to the actions being depicted in the footage - the effect of this on the audience is scary as the violence can be seen as normal as a result of the calm music. This if therefore shocking to viewers and is expert in constructing horror in consumers eyes. The cutting out of noise from the footage is powerful as it gets the audience to focus on the people and their actions. The audience is then once more shocked by such violent acts and this constructs horror in their eyes.


  Editing further constructs the horror genre firstly by using what appears to be archive footage from street CCTV cameras in America in which the public are carrying out extreme acts of violence. The effect of this is to create horror and it does this by showing shear devastation caused by the acts of violence and the publics actions. Secondly there is a reasonable amount of fast paced editing which cuts constantly from each piece of footage. The effect of this is to show the amount of violence and the scale of the situation and this is meant to be scary and a threat to viewers of what is happening in society and could potentially happen to them. Both of these editing techniques are influential in constructing the horror genre.


  Mise ene scene is also useful in constructing horror in this extract. The use of iconography shows people using props in order to cause harm to others. This fear of weapons is common in horrors especially in violent slasher like horror such as this. They create horror by using everyday objects that can cause harm and this puts fear into the consumers minds. This use of mise en scene if therefore extremely important in constructing the horror genre.
 
  Finally camera angles and movements can be seen to construct the horror genre with a variety of shots. The majority of the shots are high angle long shots showing the violence of the public on the American streets. The point of the high angle is to suggest that someone of authority is looking down on them but failing to act upon it. This results in an increase in the violence of the public as there is no order which scares the consumers. On birds eye shot depicts some men rioting in the streets and starting fires.This creates fear in the eyes of the viewers and in all helps to construct the genre of horror.

Horror Sub Genres

https://www.slideshare.net/saffronrenzullo/subgenres-in-horror
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-different-sub-genres-of-horror-films


I used this slide and video for research into the multiple horror sub genres - they were both highly informative about what each sub genre entails including examples for me to watch and analyse. The demand for a particular sub genre changes over time with popularity trends. For example some of the very first horror films were Gothic Horror whereas now the most favoured sub genre seems to be Paranormal Horror which is the fear of the unknown. This research can therefore be applied to my groups planning as we would look to place our main brief under the sub genre of Paranormal Horror as it attracts the widest horror audiences in todays market.

Scream Textual Analysis

How is gender represented in Scream?





   The non diagetic sound in Scream is used to create a sense of horror and fear. This is evident at the very start of the film when we are shown the title of the film "SCREAM". The title is complimented with a series of high pitch screams and this highlights a factor of fear and almost a warning for what else is to come in the film. This screaming is witnessed a few minutes later in the film yet it is diagetic as Drew Barrymore is screaming due to the fear that someone is after her and watching her. Drew is conforming to the prejudice of women as she is screaming and paranoid due to her easily bruised emotions. There is another example with the diagetic sound of knives as Barrymore picks one up and drops it back into the knife rack. Knives are most commonly associated with murder or some kind of bad happening so these knives help to portray a threat and increase the scale of horror. This is a counter-type as women are not usually seen to be wielding a knife or a weapon at all as they are known to be the victim more often than not - this sound is also hinting the use of the knives further on in the film.  So the gender roles in this film are conforming and the sound helps to present these prejudice gender representations via the use of screaming.

  Mise en scene is also key in heightening the horror scale as well as representing women stereotypical as a victim and in a weak shadow of men. My first example is the use of costume as Drew is pictured wearing a cream jumper. Light colours in horror are most commonly used to portray innocence. Therefore this is portraying future events that Drew is going to be our first victim as she is an innocent woman and this purity and innocence will eventually lead to her victimisation by a much more dominant figure - presumably a male as to conform to the gender roles in horror. The use of popcorn is also vital in building up the tension during the opening scene and is actually the disruption in the equilibrium as it bursts. The popcorn's tension as it heats up to burst run in tandem with Barrymore's build up of fear and the suspense of horror so is therefore a key attribute in this opening scene in using mise en scene to create horror.

  Camera angles and movement further emphasise horror in this opening scene as well as enhancing the role of women in horror as the victim. For example the use of a tracking shot that moves in on Drew and follows her around the house gives the idea that someone is watching her and following her and that she is about to be the victim. The use of a close up shot from a high angle of the phone gives reason that the phone is of high significance and that the victim should be extremely cautious with it for what is to come later on in the scene. It is used as the first sign of the antagonist in this scene. There are also a number of Point of View shots throughout this scene which can be considered the killer looking at the victim from the outside of the house as he taunts her on the phone. This creates horror as she is in danger and can be viewed on her own so she has no help therefore perceiving it as an inevitability that she will die. Therefore the camera angles and movement in this opening extract are key in creating horror and continuing the stereotype of victimising women.

 Finally editing also prevails to enhance the horror factor. When the title first appears it is coaxed in red which eventually fills the screen as the title fades out into the opening shot. The colour red is most commonly used in horror films to represent blood and death so this can therefore be seen as foreshadowing as perhaps a death is about to occur in the eyes of the audience. This use of editing thus creates horror by connoting an upcoming death. Just before the title turns blood red it is white and pure in order to signify the innocence of women and Drew who is about to be murdered innocently. Horror is therefore showed off through editing and once more through the use of all the micro-elements.

Horror Film History

Horror Film History Timeline


1920 - The 1920s were the birth of the horror film industry. Most of the stories were based on books containing supposed existing monsters as well as gothic horror so this gave the audience a real sense of fear for these films. The antagonists in the films were predominantly male due to the stereotypes of male dominance and males being feared. Women were known to play the roles of helpless victims due to their presumed weakness and vulnerability.




1940 - Due to the on raging war,  Britain's film industry came to an abrupt halt, so the US film industry decided to seize the opportunity to showcase horror films. This decade saw a change to the antagonists of horror. From the gothic Frankenstein's of the 1930s they then moved on to characters which adapted animals.


1960 - The 60s moved on from the creatures and ghouls of the past an brought in a new sub genre of horror film. Film companies began to focus on psychological horror. Rabid creatures were discarded and common looking people became the norm. People who did bad things in the film were repaid with consequences and this was used to show people this could happen to them thus scaring society.


1980 - The 80s came with gore and blood. This was possible due to the investment in special effects and high level film technology. This films were extremely gruesome and became known as slasher films. Weapons used in these films were your everyday household items such as kitchen knives and sometimes chainsaws. This got the public in a state of fear as items that were easily accessible were used for murder and torture.


2000- Due to everyone having seen gory films, creatures, monsters, gothic horror and psychological horror there was a demand for a new kind of horror film. What could it be? And that was the idea, the fear of the unknown itself. This was the rise of the supernatural horror era.


SUMMARY
From all of this information it is easy to see the transition of Horror over time and how consumer trends have changed and adapted as a result of evolving technology as well as new fears. Using this information I will look to apply a substantial amount of psychological and supernatural horror as at the current time period this seems to appeal to our target audience of horror fans the most.

Ingredients to the Opening of a Horror Film

                         Ordinarily the first thing that appears in the opening of a horror film is the title of the film. Now the title is key in adding suspense and drama to the moment. For example if the title was in bold and dripping with a red colour then this would be a connotation that the rest of the film is likely to be bloody, gory and jumpy. So the title is important in creating a bold and shocking opening just as a horror film should. Another vital ingredient in the opening of a horror film is the music used. In some circumstances quiet; eerie background music can be used to create many actions such as the creeping of a character and the build up to a shocking event. This is regularly witnessed in the opening of a horror film as we are shown a shocking event, supported by sound and music, which is used as a background story for a certain character or for future events to come in the film. Also introducing characters chronologically a the start shows the transition of time as the opening passes to the present time. Setting the scene at a dark time of the day helps to create tension as most people are afraid of the dark and what lurks in it. This connotes the horror of the dark and denotes the dark as scary for the rest of the film to the viewer.

                        These ingredients all work together and complement each other in building up suspense and tension in the opening of a horror film.

Blade Textual Analysis

How is the genre constructed in the opening of Blade?

  Sound is a vital one of the micro-elements in constructing a real sense of horror and allowing it to meet the genre criteria. Specifically with non diagetic music in the nightclub. As soon as the excited blonde guy enters the club the music is of an odd techno nature. This creates a mysterious environment around him as he is left alone with all the other ravers. He is unaware of what is going on and what exactly is about to happen and the music almost confirms his confusion and anticipation for what is to come. This music continues throughout with the blood being dropped onto the crowd and leads to his diagetic screaming which of course is always associated with horror. The use of sound is therefore key in confirming the genre of the film as horror in this opening.

 Mise en scene is probably one of the most important elements in this opening. When en route to the club it appears that the pair are walking through a butcher shop with cows and other animal carcass' being hauled about. However human bodies are seen to be passing by on one of the crates. This illustrates right away that something is wrong and that death is soon to come if not some form of danger - as of course associated with a horror. Later on in the club scene we are greeted with sprinklers that spray blood all over the crowd. This use of blood that soaks the crowd is a scary thought to viewers and links in with a slasher horror. Overall mise en scene is extremely important in constructing the genre in the opening of this film.

 Camera angle in this extract also help in constructing the genre. The use of mid angle close ups at various points in the opening can also be seen as important in showing off horror. For example when they are in the car at the start of the scene the man is shown off to be excited and happy with the use of this close up shot. However this changes later on in the extract - as blood soaks him from the ceiling a close up reveals him to be in a sheer state of horror, panic and disillusion. This transition of emotions is really emphasised with the use of these close ups and shows the effect of the horror and the state of horror that the viewers also probably are in. Another example is a tracking shot that moves about the club and constantly follows the blonde male. This suggests that he is in a spot of danger and that perhaps someone is watching him or following him - he is set up to be killed or in danger which leads the audience into believing this as he is the constant focus of the camera. So camera angles and movement can in all be seen as effective in creating horror.

  Finally the use of editing further constructs horror in this Blade extract. The use of a shot reverse shot from the lady in all white and the blonde American man lead us to believe that she is of significance and is in fact a threat to the man heightening his risk of danger and the horror that is about to approach. Fast paced cuts in the club also give evidence that tension is building up and something with a case of horror is about to occur in the scene. Editings contribution plays a key role in the overall success of constructing the genre.

Camera Angles and Movement Reserach

Camera Shots

An extreme long shot (animation on right) contains a large amount of landscape. It is often used at the beginning of a scene or a film to establish general location (setting). This is also known as an establishing shot.        

A long shot (animation on right) contains landscape but gives the viewer a more specific idea of setting. A long shot may show the viewers the building where the action will take place.

A full shot (animation on right) contains a complete view of the characters. From this shot, viewers can take in the costumes of characters and may also help to demonstrate the relationships between characters. For more information on costumes and acting refer to Chapter 4.

A mid shot (animation on right) contains the characters or a character from the waist up. From this shot, viewers can see the characters' faces more clearly as well as their interaction with other characters. This is also known as a social shot

A close-up (animation on right) contains just one character's face. This enables viewers to understand the actor's emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. This is also known as a personal shot.

An extreme close-up (animation on right) contains one part of a character's face or other object. This technique is quite common in horror films, particularly the example above. This type of shot creates an intense mood and provides interaction between the audience and the viewer.

Camera angles

A bird's eye angle (animation on right) is an angle that looks directly down upon a scene. This angle is often used as an establishing angle, along with an extreme long shot, to establish setting.

A high angle (animation on right) is a camera angle that looks down upon a subject. A character shot with a high angle will look vulnerable or small. These angles are often used to demonstrate to the audience a perspective of a particular character. The example above demonstrates to us the perspective or point of view of a vampire. As a viewer we can understand that the vampire feels powerful.

An eye-level angle (animation on right) puts the audience on an equal footing with the character/s. This is the most commonly used angle in most films as it allows the viewers to feel comfortable with the characters.

A low angle (animation on right) is a camera angle that looks up at a character. This is the opposite of a high angle and makes a character look more powerful. This can make the audience feel vulnerable and small by looking up at the character. This can help the responder feel empathy if they are viewing the frame from another character's point of view.

A Dutch angle (animation on right) is used to demonstrate the confusion of a character. The example above should disorientate you.

Camera movement

A crane shot (animation on right) is often used by composers of films to signify the end of a film or scene. The effect is achieved by the camera being put on a crane that can move upwards

A tracking shot and a dolly shot (animation on right) have the same effect. A tracking shot moves on tracks and a dolly shot is mounted on a trolley to achieve the effect in the example above. This camera movement is used in a number of ways but is most commonly used to explore a room such as a restaurant. By using a tracking shot or a dolly shot the composer of a film gives the viewer a detailed tour of a situation. It can also be used to follow a character.

Panning (animation on right) is used to give the viewer a panoramic view of a set or setting. This can be used to establish a scene

Sound in Horror

This YouTube video gave me great reasoning as to why sound is so important in horror films in making things appear scary to the audience. If there was no sounds or dialect in horror films then the audience would simply walk out as there would be no horror that attracts consumers. Viewers desire the suspense building soundtracks in order to get that thrill that they desire when attending a horror film. I will use this research in order to make sure that I implement sound in my main brief that will create suspense and horror successfully.

Mini Brief Evaluation

Camera Shots

Shot reverse shot - characters stay in the same place however camera angle changes. Used to show different characters emotions.

Match on action - matching two pieces of action together from different camera angles

 180 degree rule - camera moves 180 degrees round an object. Camera stays on one side of the characters