These are the storyboards for our film opening sequence. These form part of our initial ideas which we will then develop and put into place when beginning to shoot.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Film Opening | Target Audience
In order
to determine the target audience for our film, we searched the internet for the
main target audience which is usually associated with horror films. Whilst
conducting research, we came across an answer to a question that had been asked
about what the target audience is for horror films. Their answer stated:
"A horror film's target audience is generally those in the age group 15-25. It is mostly aimed at men as they are more likely to be able to interact with the characters on screen. Women can interact with those on screen too but they would tend to react differently. The secondary audience is dating couples."
After conducting more research we came across the demographics for the horror genre. On the following presentation we found the information useful:
http://www.slideshare.net/baaa_sheep/horror-film-7235672
The demographics stated:
- Teenagers and young adults who want an adrenaline rush from being fearful of something/someone.
- Males aged 16-35 are most likely to watch horror films.
An example of some horror films with this target audience are as follows:
Halloween (1972) - 18 certificate shows the audience is for 18 or over because of the obvious violence that occurs repeatedly in the film.
The Shining (1980) - Certificate 15
shows this is for a younger audience (15/over) because the film, although has a
high level of gore, includes a child as a main character. Also over time,
people have become more immune to horror films.
The Thing (1982) - Certificate 18 because of the extreme graphic gore. There is also seven uses of language such as ‘sh*t’.
After reading this information, we have decided that our target audience will be the young teenage audience to early adults (15-21) but older adults can also choose to watch the film. We believe our film opening will appeal mostly to this age range.
"A horror film's target audience is generally those in the age group 15-25. It is mostly aimed at men as they are more likely to be able to interact with the characters on screen. Women can interact with those on screen too but they would tend to react differently. The secondary audience is dating couples."
After conducting more research we came across the demographics for the horror genre. On the following presentation we found the information useful:
http://www.slideshare.net/baaa_sheep/horror-film-7235672
The demographics stated:
- Teenagers and young adults who want an adrenaline rush from being fearful of something/someone.
- Males aged 16-35 are most likely to watch horror films.
An example of some horror films with this target audience are as follows:
Halloween (1972) - 18 certificate shows the audience is for 18 or over because of the obvious violence that occurs repeatedly in the film.
The Thing (1982) - Certificate 18 because of the extreme graphic gore. There is also seven uses of language such as ‘sh*t’.
After reading this information, we have decided that our target audience will be the young teenage audience to early adults (15-21) but older adults can also choose to watch the film. We believe our film opening will appeal mostly to this age range.
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Film Opening | Horror Film Conventions
Upon searching for a wide range of horror film conventions on the internet, we came across this presentation which gives a detailed outline of conventions of many horror films:
http://www.slideshare.net/marine18/horror-genre-conventions (credit to George Woodford)
The first slide which was of importance to us was the one with information on setting. This gave us a great idea of the sort of setting we were looking for and after already deciding on the old mill with the abandoned section, this reassured us that we had picked a suitable location; it is isolated, dark, abandoned and, as the presentation states in the 'Locations for any good horror genre film' section, does resemble 'gloomy underground tunnels' and also an abandoned basement.
The images on the slide after this show particular locations such as an abandoned building, a long gloomy looking tunnel and a dark mysterious forest. All of these features can be incorporated into the old mill which we have chosen as our shooting location.
A very good slide named as 'Technical Codes' gives us a wide range of information on camerawork and editing with examples from particular films they are used in. From this we were able to understand the importance of POV shots as the presentation states that they 'allow the audience to see the world from the monster's eye.' As we are shooting a film opening, we thought that instead of doing the perspective from the monster's eye, we would show the POV from the teenager who is exploring the mill as the audience can get a real understanding of his isolation and confusion in quite a dark abandoned space.
The 'Technical Codes' slide also gives us details about handheld shots which we decided we would use frequently within our opening sequence. It states that 'handheld shots make it difficult for the audience to make out what is happening. Cloverfield is one prime example of this, since the entire movie is shot with a handheld camera to promote the feeling of terror and the unkown.' The fact that we are able to promote the feeling of 'terror and the unknown' through the use of handheld shots will help establish the type of film that it is going to be and also help to build atmosphere.
In addition to the handheld shots, the presentation states 'Disturbing sounds are very important in a horror movie. Ambient sound like footsteps and non-diegetic sounds (like a heartbeat).' From this information, we now know that we should incorporate 'disturbing' sounds to make it seem all the more mysterious and to startle the audience just as much as the teenager walking through the old mill. This will then help to build pace and bring the audience right into the heart of the film. 'Types of shots like ECU (extreme close ups) on a certain victim's face can help the audience identification with horror and fear, and also to exclude any threats (if we can't see it, then it's more terrifying).' This is something we could incorporate into our own film opening sequence to help build the fear of the unknown.
As for editing, the presentation gives information such as 'Editing can create unsettling tension and suspense. If the editing hasn't been paced up in a while then you know that something very bad is about to jump out and scare you.' Again, this is something we can think about during the editing process of our film opening sequence.
A section titled 'Iconography' emphasises the importance of dark colours like red and black which links to things like evil, blood and danger. As the area of the old mill is very dark, this could give the sense of evil. It is also states that 'lighting is expressive and non-naturalistic. Low-key lighting can help to create dark shadows and unfamiliar shapes in the blackness.' Again, the dark area of the mill with lots of old columns and beams and particular lighting can be used to create these shadows and unfamiliar shapes.
The rest of the presentation talks about how the main protagonist is often the 'victim/hero'. In our case, the main protagonist of the opening sequence of the film will fall victim. The villain is described as 'often a monster' but we have decided that we will keep this unknown to the audience so that they remain engaged.
This presentation has been extremely helpful to us as we now know what particular conventions we need to incorporate into our opening sequence to make it a successful opening to a horror film.
http://www.slideshare.net/marine18/horror-genre-conventions (credit to George Woodford)
The first slide which was of importance to us was the one with information on setting. This gave us a great idea of the sort of setting we were looking for and after already deciding on the old mill with the abandoned section, this reassured us that we had picked a suitable location; it is isolated, dark, abandoned and, as the presentation states in the 'Locations for any good horror genre film' section, does resemble 'gloomy underground tunnels' and also an abandoned basement.
The images on the slide after this show particular locations such as an abandoned building, a long gloomy looking tunnel and a dark mysterious forest. All of these features can be incorporated into the old mill which we have chosen as our shooting location.
A very good slide named as 'Technical Codes' gives us a wide range of information on camerawork and editing with examples from particular films they are used in. From this we were able to understand the importance of POV shots as the presentation states that they 'allow the audience to see the world from the monster's eye.' As we are shooting a film opening, we thought that instead of doing the perspective from the monster's eye, we would show the POV from the teenager who is exploring the mill as the audience can get a real understanding of his isolation and confusion in quite a dark abandoned space.
The 'Technical Codes' slide also gives us details about handheld shots which we decided we would use frequently within our opening sequence. It states that 'handheld shots make it difficult for the audience to make out what is happening. Cloverfield is one prime example of this, since the entire movie is shot with a handheld camera to promote the feeling of terror and the unkown.' The fact that we are able to promote the feeling of 'terror and the unknown' through the use of handheld shots will help establish the type of film that it is going to be and also help to build atmosphere.
In addition to the handheld shots, the presentation states 'Disturbing sounds are very important in a horror movie. Ambient sound like footsteps and non-diegetic sounds (like a heartbeat).' From this information, we now know that we should incorporate 'disturbing' sounds to make it seem all the more mysterious and to startle the audience just as much as the teenager walking through the old mill. This will then help to build pace and bring the audience right into the heart of the film. 'Types of shots like ECU (extreme close ups) on a certain victim's face can help the audience identification with horror and fear, and also to exclude any threats (if we can't see it, then it's more terrifying).' This is something we could incorporate into our own film opening sequence to help build the fear of the unknown.
As for editing, the presentation gives information such as 'Editing can create unsettling tension and suspense. If the editing hasn't been paced up in a while then you know that something very bad is about to jump out and scare you.' Again, this is something we can think about during the editing process of our film opening sequence.
A section titled 'Iconography' emphasises the importance of dark colours like red and black which links to things like evil, blood and danger. As the area of the old mill is very dark, this could give the sense of evil. It is also states that 'lighting is expressive and non-naturalistic. Low-key lighting can help to create dark shadows and unfamiliar shapes in the blackness.' Again, the dark area of the mill with lots of old columns and beams and particular lighting can be used to create these shadows and unfamiliar shapes.
The rest of the presentation talks about how the main protagonist is often the 'victim/hero'. In our case, the main protagonist of the opening sequence of the film will fall victim. The villain is described as 'often a monster' but we have decided that we will keep this unknown to the audience so that they remain engaged.
This presentation has been extremely helpful to us as we now know what particular conventions we need to incorporate into our opening sequence to make it a successful opening to a horror film.
Pitch
After our previous session together, both myself (Jake), Anthony and Samantha came up with the pitch idea for our fiction film opening. We came up with the idea after thinking of potential locations where we would be able to shoot our film opening. I told Samantha and Anthony about an old mill where my Dad has a works unit which would be a great location for a horror film. It is dark, old and quite mysterious with a lot of old rubble and rubbish on the floor. After agreeing on this particular location, we came up with a plot which would engage quite a young adult/teenage target audience as we believe this sort of film would appeal most to this age group.
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Film Opening | Pitch
After various discussions, we decided on the pitch for our film opening.
The pitch for our film opening is as follows:
A horror in which a teenage boy breaks into an old Victorian Mill and upon his investigation becomes captive inside a mysterious hole after hearing a loud noise.
The pitch for our film opening is as follows:
A horror in which a teenage boy breaks into an old Victorian Mill and upon his investigation becomes captive inside a mysterious hole after hearing a loud noise.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Opening Credits Analysis
Today we analysed the opening credits of various films in order to see which style of opening credits we liked best and which we are going to incorporate into our own opening sequence.
The Fall (2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhARR-zmTCE
We like this style of opening credits as it starts off with simple white text on a black background before fading into actual imagery. Once faded in, there is alternating between white and black text dependent on the background which is something we could consider when doing ours. If the background is too bright then black text is used so it can still be read and vice versa with the dark background and white text. The fading in and out of each credit provides a smooth flow to the opening credits of the film and they aren't too dramatic. The only thing we don't like about these opening credits is that the title comes on too soon, they should firstly shows the majority of credits and then reveal the title at the end of the scene for impact.
Superman: The Movie (1978)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qHDWdGPomw
We don't like these credits as much as the previous film credits mainly because they look quite dated and are also a bit too dramatic. The 3D effect of the text is very 'in the face' of the viewer and although this is good for making the key names stand out, it can become very repetitive and the attention of the viewer may fade after a minute or two. However, due to the uniqueness of this opening sequence, this may capture the attention of the viewer and may make them want to continue watching the film for more.
The Fall (2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhARR-zmTCE
We like this style of opening credits as it starts off with simple white text on a black background before fading into actual imagery. Once faded in, there is alternating between white and black text dependent on the background which is something we could consider when doing ours. If the background is too bright then black text is used so it can still be read and vice versa with the dark background and white text. The fading in and out of each credit provides a smooth flow to the opening credits of the film and they aren't too dramatic. The only thing we don't like about these opening credits is that the title comes on too soon, they should firstly shows the majority of credits and then reveal the title at the end of the scene for impact.
Superman: The Movie (1978)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qHDWdGPomw
We don't like these credits as much as the previous film credits mainly because they look quite dated and are also a bit too dramatic. The 3D effect of the text is very 'in the face' of the viewer and although this is good for making the key names stand out, it can become very repetitive and the attention of the viewer may fade after a minute or two. However, due to the uniqueness of this opening sequence, this may capture the attention of the viewer and may make them want to continue watching the film for more.
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