Many films are now often classed as a mixture of different genres, and the one i shall focus on is the cross between horror and thriller.
Both genres contain many similar characteristics, such as attempting to create a tense atmosphere and a sense of suspense, and also that there is a bad event about to occur. however they differ slightly in the sense that horror focus a lot more usually on the blood and actual death that commonly occurs in the films. This is illustrated well in the clip below from the 2007 film 'Disturbia'.
In this extract, the director focuses more on the suspense building with the people moving about the house, and less on actual killings, the death of the police officer in particular is a very minor part.
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
FIlm Planning - Day for NIght Filters/editing
When researching possibilities for lighting the set, I discovered that there were ways of filming during daytime and creating a 'night time' effect. This was either done using a special blue filter on the camera itself, or by editing the footage in software such as Final Cut Pro.
Videos like the one above were helpful for editing the light balance in videos to create the night time effect.
Upon researching the filters I discovered that they were extremely effective, but also incredibly expensive and very out of budget for this film. Therefore I decided to use Final Cut Pro to add colours to the footage and make it look like it was shot at twilight or after dark. There were tutorial videos on the Internet to show newcomers to Final Cut how to get the effects for a night time look.
Videos like the one above were helpful for editing the light balance in videos to create the night time effect.
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Film Planning - Working as a team
I have decided to make this film a joint project between myself and another classmate, Harry Baker. I have chosen to work with Harry due to his strengths in English, so as a creative outlet when it comes to writing a script/storyboard for the film. I have also worked with him on a film project once before at GCSE, where we worked well together on a stop-motion animation film.
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
FIlm Planning - Day or Night shoot?
The decision has to be made, will the shoot take place during daytime, twilight or at night. Each has its different connotations and practicalities, but each needs to be properly analyzed as a possible time.
During the Day
This has got to be by far the easiest to film in because of the abundance of natural light, and less need to create artificial lights to shoot the film in. The light is also very practical for setting up shots and props etc.
However, this is possibly the least scary environment out of the three proposed and, as discussed in the lighting section, it is much harder to hide the protagonist in daylight, and it generally allows you to hold back less information from the audience. Also it is the most common time of day for people to be out walking and therefore may make framing more difficult, and filming could take longer.
At Twilight
This gives you greater effect when it comes to darkness, and chances are that less people will be out where you are shooting at this time. The lighting on the camera always appears to be darker than i actually is, making twilight seem a lot more like night.
But it is a dangerous time to film due to the rapidly fading light at this time of year making continuity errors a lot more common, eg. if you have a pause between shots, the light can change very dramatically. There is also the fact that light may vary on different days, making it hard to keep a constant light within the film, eg. if it cloudy one day and then sunny the next, there will be noticeable difference. it may also be harder to incorporate artificial lights into the scene and keep it looking natural.
During the Day
This has got to be by far the easiest to film in because of the abundance of natural light, and less need to create artificial lights to shoot the film in. The light is also very practical for setting up shots and props etc.
However, this is possibly the least scary environment out of the three proposed and, as discussed in the lighting section, it is much harder to hide the protagonist in daylight, and it generally allows you to hold back less information from the audience. Also it is the most common time of day for people to be out walking and therefore may make framing more difficult, and filming could take longer.
At Twilight
This gives you greater effect when it comes to darkness, and chances are that less people will be out where you are shooting at this time. The lighting on the camera always appears to be darker than i actually is, making twilight seem a lot more like night.
But it is a dangerous time to film due to the rapidly fading light at this time of year making continuity errors a lot more common, eg. if you have a pause between shots, the light can change very dramatically. There is also the fact that light may vary on different days, making it hard to keep a constant light within the film, eg. if it cloudy one day and then sunny the next, there will be noticeable difference. it may also be harder to incorporate artificial lights into the scene and keep it looking natural.
At Night
Filming at night poses the most problems due to the complete
absence of light from the set. This means that all lighting will have to be artificial and set up in such a way that it looks like natural moon/star light. This is a very difficult effect to simulate and often in films the light is sourced from an unnatural source, eg. a torch or candle, so there is no need to make the light look natural. The alternative is to not shoot in total darkness and to use blue lights, g
iving the scene an eery blue glow, as seen in films such as 'Saw' or '30 Days of Night'. The alternative to blue light is to give the scene a red tinge, either with lights or in the editing software. This is a common technique used in slasher films eg. 'Freddie vs Jason'.
Above (left) is a still from '30 Days of Night', showing the blue filter effect used, and (right) the red filter effect used on Freddie Krueger in the film 'Freddy Vs Jason'
However Darkness can create the greatest effect within a scene because of the element of the unknown, where there is so much information hidden from the audience. This creates a scene of suspense.
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Film Planning - Location Shoot
Below is a short video of the area I have considered to use as the setting of my film.
I have chosen this location because it provides a range of different landscapes, but very close together. The woodland environment also allows for places to hide the protagonist so they can be kept hidden from the characters, and therefore building suspense in the scene. It also allows for shots to be taken from multiple angles and it possible to make a different spot altogether, because of the lack of distinctive features in this environment, and therefore I get more shots out of the area then a suburban area. It also contains two different environments for my scene to begin and end in, creating a place for a beginning and and ending of the scene to occur. The ending of the scene could occur running up the path shown at the end of the clip, as it leads to suburban housing and is very different to where most of the rest of the scene is set.
I have chosen this location because it provides a range of different landscapes, but very close together. The woodland environment also allows for places to hide the protagonist so they can be kept hidden from the characters, and therefore building suspense in the scene. It also allows for shots to be taken from multiple angles and it possible to make a different spot altogether, because of the lack of distinctive features in this environment, and therefore I get more shots out of the area then a suburban area. It also contains two different environments for my scene to begin and end in, creating a place for a beginning and and ending of the scene to occur. The ending of the scene could occur running up the path shown at the end of the clip, as it leads to suburban housing and is very different to where most of the rest of the scene is set.
Monday, 23 November 2009
Film Research & Planning - Lighting
Lighting is a very important part of a horror film because the effects it can create can be very effective when it comes to setting a mood for the film.
Lack of light in a scene can mean that there is a lot more place for characters or the protagonist to hide. Darkness can conceal a lot from the audience, and therefore creates an air of mystery around the setting. It is also a very unusual setting for humans to stay in, due to the lack of visibility, and this makes the characters and the audience feel vulnerable.
Darkness is also associated with Gothic Culture and the supernatural, Vampires especially, as they are unable to survive in sunlight. Therefore darkness is associated with evil. However a certain level of light is needed so that the characters are visible, which needs to be achieved while keeping most of the shot dark and mysterious.
Michael Myers from the remake of the 'Halloween' series of films, directed by Rob Zombie. This image shows how the set is dark, yet the streetlights have been strategically placed to allow the audience to see the protagonist, and the weapon in his right hand.
Lack of light in a scene can mean that there is a lot more place for characters or the protagonist to hide. Darkness can conceal a lot from the audience, and therefore creates an air of mystery around the setting. It is also a very unusual setting for humans to stay in, due to the lack of visibility, and this makes the characters and the audience feel vulnerable.
Darkness is also associated with Gothic Culture and the supernatural, Vampires especially, as they are unable to survive in sunlight. Therefore darkness is associated with evil. However a certain level of light is needed so that the characters are visible, which needs to be achieved while keeping most of the shot dark and mysterious.
Michael Myers from the remake of the 'Halloween' series of films, directed by Rob Zombie. This image shows how the set is dark, yet the streetlights have been strategically placed to allow the audience to see the protagonist, and the weapon in his right hand.
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Film Research - Horror Film Music
The music and sound in horror films appears to come in many forms, each intended to create a different effect in the film.
One type of music is very calm and low level, often incorporating slow strings or low level pipe music (as found in the opening of 'Halloween'). This music is used to create an air of suspense and mystery, key to creating a false sense of calm in a horror film, and often followed by a sudden scary moment which is designed to make you jump.
As in the thriller film 'Psycho', music can have a memorable affect when it is associated with a piece of action. In 'Psycho', the shower murder scene is always remembered with the screeching violin strings this music adds intensity to the scene and the scene probably wouldn't be as memorable without it.
I have discovered that diegetic and non-diegetic sound have very different effects on a scene, and only very rarely does a scene contain no sound at all. Even if there isn't any non-diegetic sound, there is often the sound of breathing, footsteps or possibly an animal or car sound if outside in the open. The non-diegetic sound is only used as another atmosphere creator, and is often used with the diegetic sound and written especially to fit with a character's movements or actions.
Music is often a very good indicator of when the character is going to fun into danger, and so the audience gets a sense that something is going to happen. However, because of this, directors like to use music to create a false sense of danger, building up the music, and then nothing bad happening to the characters. This is followed by an unexpected moment of danger, and the audience get more of a thrill. This is a technique used in films such as 'Dawn Of the Dead', '28 Days Later' and '28 Weeks Later', where the anchors of the stories are that danger is lurking everywhere, and the stories are about fight for survival.
One type of music is very calm and low level, often incorporating slow strings or low level pipe music (as found in the opening of 'Halloween'). This music is used to create an air of suspense and mystery, key to creating a false sense of calm in a horror film, and often followed by a sudden scary moment which is designed to make you jump.
As in the thriller film 'Psycho', music can have a memorable affect when it is associated with a piece of action. In 'Psycho', the shower murder scene is always remembered with the screeching violin strings this music adds intensity to the scene and the scene probably wouldn't be as memorable without it.
I have discovered that diegetic and non-diegetic sound have very different effects on a scene, and only very rarely does a scene contain no sound at all. Even if there isn't any non-diegetic sound, there is often the sound of breathing, footsteps or possibly an animal or car sound if outside in the open. The non-diegetic sound is only used as another atmosphere creator, and is often used with the diegetic sound and written especially to fit with a character's movements or actions.
Music is often a very good indicator of when the character is going to fun into danger, and so the audience gets a sense that something is going to happen. However, because of this, directors like to use music to create a false sense of danger, building up the music, and then nothing bad happening to the characters. This is followed by an unexpected moment of danger, and the audience get more of a thrill. This is a technique used in films such as 'Dawn Of the Dead', '28 Days Later' and '28 Weeks Later', where the anchors of the stories are that danger is lurking everywhere, and the stories are about fight for survival.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Film Research - Horror Film Opening
The Opening scene of John Carpenter's 'Halloween'
This is the opening to a classic horror move, and uses an interesting style to maintain an air of suspense.
The first few seconds of the opening scene is a long shot of a house. This shows the setting of the story, a small suburban house, with the pumpkins outside showing that its on, or very near to, Halloween, linking to the title of the film. The initial camera movement appears very shaky as it zooms towards the house. The slight movement from side to side creates a walking effect, which becomes apparent later in the scene. There is very little sound, diegetic or non diegetic, which is very unnerving because it puts the viewer in the scene, as they would not be able to hear any music.
The Camera then surveys the house as it gets closer, showing the front door, close up of the pumpkin, and a bush to the side. All this appears to be done in a one shot, which keeps the feel of a stranger watching the house. This feel is continued as the camera moves round to the side of the house and watches the young couple through the window. This is the first appearance of diegetic sound, when the couple start to talk. This gives very little background on the story, and certainly not enough for the audience to understand what is going on. The effect of being in the scene is continued as the audience can hear what the people are saying, although slightly muffled by the glass in the way. As the couple move out of the room, the idea of the camera being a Point of View (POV) Shot is reinforced by the fact that it follows the couple as they get up and walk out, and then looks to either side of the window.
As the camera moves back round to the front of the house, it tilts up and looks at a window with a light on. As the light turns off, non-diegetic music starts. It begins with a short sharp burst of flute music as the light goes off and the scene is completely darkened. This sound stays at a constant low for the rest of the film, and creates an air of mystery and suspense.
The camera then moves swiftly and sharply to the back door, which has been left open, and the camera moves inside to the kitchen. The fact of it being a POV shot is confirmed by the light being turned on and a hand reaching into a draw and pulling out a knife. At this point light piano music, which is similar to the music found in the theme music, is added on top of the strings. This adds atmosphere to the scene and sounds menacing. As the person moves into the hallway, a man comes down the stairs and leaves, telling the audience that the woman in the house is all alone, and it becomes clear that the person with the knife is heading towards her.
The person moves up the stairs and finds a mask on the floor. This is subsequently put on the person's face, and the camera shows the mask is on by only allowing the audience to see out of 2 small holes in the centre of the screen. The music becomes more intense as the masked person enters the girl's room and finds her in front of her mirror. The lack of vision means that the actual stabbing is concealed, and sound of the knife and the screams portray how brutal it is. This is a clever trick for the director to use, due to the fact that sounds can be more graphic if the special effects available are not of a very high quality, and it allows the audience to imagine how brutal the killing is.
The camera then moves swiftly out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house, keeping the same POV style throughout the whole of the sequence so far. The person appears on the lawn of the house and 2 people get out of the car and move towards the camera. These people appear top tower above the camera and refer to the name 'Michael'. One of the people reach out to take off the mask, at which point the camera angle changes completely.It shows a mid shot of a young boy, with a bloodied knife in his hand, intending to shock the audience. The camera then zooms out again to show the setting of the young boy, dressed in a clown costume, and in front of the house that was shown in the original establishing shot.
This is the opening to a classic horror move, and uses an interesting style to maintain an air of suspense.
The first few seconds of the opening scene is a long shot of a house. This shows the setting of the story, a small suburban house, with the pumpkins outside showing that its on, or very near to, Halloween, linking to the title of the film. The initial camera movement appears very shaky as it zooms towards the house. The slight movement from side to side creates a walking effect, which becomes apparent later in the scene. There is very little sound, diegetic or non diegetic, which is very unnerving because it puts the viewer in the scene, as they would not be able to hear any music.
The Camera then surveys the house as it gets closer, showing the front door, close up of the pumpkin, and a bush to the side. All this appears to be done in a one shot, which keeps the feel of a stranger watching the house. This feel is continued as the camera moves round to the side of the house and watches the young couple through the window. This is the first appearance of diegetic sound, when the couple start to talk. This gives very little background on the story, and certainly not enough for the audience to understand what is going on. The effect of being in the scene is continued as the audience can hear what the people are saying, although slightly muffled by the glass in the way. As the couple move out of the room, the idea of the camera being a Point of View (POV) Shot is reinforced by the fact that it follows the couple as they get up and walk out, and then looks to either side of the window.
As the camera moves back round to the front of the house, it tilts up and looks at a window with a light on. As the light turns off, non-diegetic music starts. It begins with a short sharp burst of flute music as the light goes off and the scene is completely darkened. This sound stays at a constant low for the rest of the film, and creates an air of mystery and suspense.
The camera then moves swiftly and sharply to the back door, which has been left open, and the camera moves inside to the kitchen. The fact of it being a POV shot is confirmed by the light being turned on and a hand reaching into a draw and pulling out a knife. At this point light piano music, which is similar to the music found in the theme music, is added on top of the strings. This adds atmosphere to the scene and sounds menacing. As the person moves into the hallway, a man comes down the stairs and leaves, telling the audience that the woman in the house is all alone, and it becomes clear that the person with the knife is heading towards her.
The person moves up the stairs and finds a mask on the floor. This is subsequently put on the person's face, and the camera shows the mask is on by only allowing the audience to see out of 2 small holes in the centre of the screen. The music becomes more intense as the masked person enters the girl's room and finds her in front of her mirror. The lack of vision means that the actual stabbing is concealed, and sound of the knife and the screams portray how brutal it is. This is a clever trick for the director to use, due to the fact that sounds can be more graphic if the special effects available are not of a very high quality, and it allows the audience to imagine how brutal the killing is.
The camera then moves swiftly out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house, keeping the same POV style throughout the whole of the sequence so far. The person appears on the lawn of the house and 2 people get out of the car and move towards the camera. These people appear top tower above the camera and refer to the name 'Michael'. One of the people reach out to take off the mask, at which point the camera angle changes completely.It shows a mid shot of a young boy, with a bloodied knife in his hand, intending to shock the audience. The camera then zooms out again to show the setting of the young boy, dressed in a clown costume, and in front of the house that was shown in the original establishing shot.
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
FIlm Research - Shock and Horror
Shock and Horror are different attributes to a Horror film, and create different effects within the picture.
Shock - Something that jars the mind or emotions as if with a violent unexpected blow.
In the film 'Un Chien Andalou' there is a scene where a woman's eye appears to be cut open. This creates a sense of unease for the audience, because the event is completely unexpected and shocking for them. When watching this, i personally felt shocked because of the fact that it appeared to happen to another human being, and is therefore something that could possibly happen to me.
A good way of creating shock is to create a sense of calm before the surprising event occurs. This lulls the audience into a false sense of security, and makes them feel safe. This is a common technique, used in nearly every horror film i researched. For example, the opening of '28 Weeks Later' includes a scene where one of 'the infected' appears suddenly, incredibly close to one of the characters. The character and the audience have very little expectation of the infected human being so close to the house, and it is used to create a shocking effect.
The clip can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHf6Th-E3kE, and the event occurs approximately 3 minutes through
Monday, 2 November 2009
FIlm Research - Horror FIlms
The genre I have chosen for my film is Horror, this is because it is a relatively easy film to make effective on a very small budget. The films that i watched were all relatively new and will be of the same genre as my film, therefore the techniques and effects used will be very useful for when it comes to my film.
Christopher Smith - "Creep" (2004)
This movie's opening scene was set in the sewers of London, immediately putting the audience in an environment which they are not accustom to, and making them feel insecure. This is also attributed to by the darkness, due to the lack of lighting in sewers, the only lights are torches on the workers' helmets and can only display a small beam of light. Tension is created with he lack of information given about the surroundings, and the brief appearance of something out of the ordinary during the sweeping of one of the torch beams.
Paul Andrew Williams - "The Cottage" (2008)
Thee is no immediate fear created in this Horror Comedy, instead the director chooses to introduce all the characters and set a scene for the rest of the story, with no immediate present danger. However, very little of the story is given away and this creates suspense and intrigue, and the danger the characters may be in is not immediately present.
Juan Carlo Fresnadillo - "28 Weeks Later" (2007)
This film begins in a very unusual setting, with an alternative way of life to one which we are used to, which creates an unusual setting for the story to take place, and those of the audience have not seen the first film will be immediately interested. The sudden scenes of panic and chaos then set the scene for the rest of the film, creating panic within the small environment and having gory scenes. Characters that have been introduced early have been immediately killed off, showing the perilous setting of the story, and the fact that everyone is fearful of their life.
Christopher Smith - "Creep" (2004)
This movie's opening scene was set in the sewers of London, immediately putting the audience in an environment which they are not accustom to, and making them feel insecure. This is also attributed to by the darkness, due to the lack of lighting in sewers, the only lights are torches on the workers' helmets and can only display a small beam of light. Tension is created with he lack of information given about the surroundings, and the brief appearance of something out of the ordinary during the sweeping of one of the torch beams.
Paul Andrew Williams - "The Cottage" (2008)
Thee is no immediate fear created in this Horror Comedy, instead the director chooses to introduce all the characters and set a scene for the rest of the story, with no immediate present danger. However, very little of the story is given away and this creates suspense and intrigue, and the danger the characters may be in is not immediately present.
Juan Carlo Fresnadillo - "28 Weeks Later" (2007)
This film begins in a very unusual setting, with an alternative way of life to one which we are used to, which creates an unusual setting for the story to take place, and those of the audience have not seen the first film will be immediately interested. The sudden scenes of panic and chaos then set the scene for the rest of the film, creating panic within the small environment and having gory scenes. Characters that have been introduced early have been immediately killed off, showing the perilous setting of the story, and the fact that everyone is fearful of their life.
Preliminary Film Reflection
The Film contains all the required aspects, however there will need to be improvements. In the opening shot there is unwanted camera shake, this can be overcome by avoiding touching the tripod during filming completely, or holding the camera still at all times, instead of holding the tripod handle.
There is also a small error about 16 seconds through the film where a door has closed which was previously open. More care will be taken during the filming of the main film to make sure there are no more continuity errors like this. Even though this error was only noticed by the people involved in the filming, errors like this can't be made in the final film
Friday, 9 October 2009
180 Degree Rule
Video detailing the 180 degree rule and a Presentation explaining the rule - please follow the web address below for the Slide Show
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