Further Horror Genre research and techniques.

This is some further genre research into ideas for our opening sequence. Although we think our film idea is unique in itself, other horror movies have different ideas that have inspired us to expand our initial idea. 

The above still is from the film 'I know what you did last summer' and is one of the inspirations for our horror film. The idea we liked about this film was the enigma of the murderer to both the audience watching and the characters themselves. Also, the idea of not knowing what comes next and to expect the unexpected which is another typical convention of the horror genre.

The above still is from the film 'Cape Fear' which is about a convicted rapist. The plot behind this film inspired us to make our film based around the subject of rape as its a real life subject that needs to be brought to the realisation of a mainstream audiences eyes. However, our film has been brought more into the 21st century updated with more real life situations and based around technology.

A typical horror convention that we are using in our film and in our opening sequence is dark alleyways. This makes our film more real to the audience as wherever the audience may be there will always be a dark alleyway near by. This adds to the tension for the audience.

The above still is from the film 'Halloween' and is another typical horror convention. Our opening establishing shot is going to be of a big house at night time to create tension to the footage to come. However, unlike the house above from Halloween there won't be any decorations outside or any form of light for that matter apart from natural light and street lights.

This is an example of an over the shoulder shot. This will be used within our opening sequence when Character 1 is in the alleyway alone. However, our over the shoulder shot will differ to the one above as all the character will be able to see is the alleyway and darkness. At this point the murderer will come from behind the character and the audience will know this but the character won't. 

Here is some examples of films that have inspired our idea in some way:

 

Risk Assessment.

Risk Assessment

 

Possible risks

 

·         Using the stairs when filming.

·         Filming outdoors in the dark.

·        Filming near main roads.

·        Using alleyways at night.

 

 

Who is at risk?

 

·         Using the stairs when filming puts both the actor, who at this point will be Stephanie and the cameraman, who at this point will be Ashlee at risk.

·         Filming outdoors in the dark is a risk to everybody involved in the filming outdoors. This will be Myself, Ashlee and Stephanie.

·         Filming near main roads will be a risk for myself, Ashlee and Stephanie because we are all involved in this part of the filming.

·         Using alleyways at night is a risk to myself, Ashlee and Stephanie as we are all involved in this part of the filming.

 

Why are these risks?

 

·         Using the stairs when filming – This is a health and safety hazard as its possible for both the actor and the cameraman to fall down the stairs and could result in death.

·        Filming outdoors in the dark – This puts both the actors and cameraman at risk because objects are harder to see in the dark and it could result in a trip leading to a serious injury.

·        Filming near main roads – This puts both the actors and the cameraman at risk as filming near roads means filming near cars which could result in either an actor or a cameraman being run over or hit by a car.

·        Using alleyways at night – This puts both the actors and the cameraman at risk because there could be people in the alleyways waiting to mug or rape someone.

 

Ashlee and I are responsible with making sure that all of these risks are stopped. We will do this by assessing each area that we film before we begin our filming in that location.

Assessment 8 - Shooting schedule

Assessment 7 - Animatic

Script for the Animatic Narration.

Our opening sequence starts with the company’s logo going into the film name and the name of the producing company. We then see the establishing shot of a house in the night which isn’t shown on the animatic. The camera then goes into the house where the first shot of the character is seen. Both characters are introduced within this slide Character one being Miranda and Character two being Lucy (the friend on the other side of the phone).

 The next shot is of Lucy on the other side of the phone in her home trying to convince her friend not to meet up with this man.  She’s in her dining area and her parents are seen in the background. We then see Miranda again with a close up of her laptop and she has a new instant message. This is followed by the ending of the two characters conversation which leads into the next scene.

 The next scene is started by a long shot of Miranda walking down a dark alley alone. The use of non diegetic music is heard to create suspense for the viewer. This goes into an over the shoulder shot of her phone receiving a message which turns into a close up of her phone reading a message of “I can see you”.

 The mystery man then creeps up behind Miranda and covers her mouth to stop the screaming. He then takes her into a dark alley way for what we assume is either rape or murder. We then see nothing but darkness until a body drops to the floor in the corner of the viewers eye. All that is seen is Mirandas arm and head covered with a borwn bag as footsteps are heard moving away.

 The final part of the opening sequence is newspaper articles, stories and cutouts of the many attacks throughout the UK. Various girls all killed in the same way and this links the murderer to his murders. The brown bag is a constant theme and is his link throughout his crusade. Within these shots of newspaper articles and stories the opening credits are seen.  

Asessment 6 - Actors,Props,Costume,Location.

Characters

Our film sequence will feature only 3 characters. These will be the main character Miranda, who will be played by Stephanie Mischa Old; Miranda's friend Lucy, who will be played by Johanna Wood. The third and final character will be the murderer, who is referred to only as ':)'. The villain will be male, played by Kevin Ghassemi.

For our opening sequence we will need images of 6 different girls to use on the front cover of fake newspapers that we will create to show the previous murders committed.

Props

Brown Bags - To be used as the murderers signature thing that link all of the murders around the UK to him. Theres also an emoticon drawn on the front :) to link with the viral/messenger theme.

Newpapers - These are a main part of the opening sequence as half of the opening sequence is taken up by newsaper cut outs and stories about the murders and the killer himself.

Telephones, Laptops, Technology - These are key items of the opening sequence as without these the murders would not be instigated. The killer uses technology to target and manipulate his victims. The use of technology would also make the film relatable to the viewers and their own lives. This will help achieve the main aim and fulfill the purpose of the opening sequence, which is to convey the message that these events can happen to anyone and make the viewer more aware when online.

Costume

Miranda will wear casual nightwear at the start of the sequence to represent the atmosphere in her home. She will also have her hair done and make up on. The fact that she is wearing pyjamas but still wearing make up such early in the night could suggest she will be getting ready to go out. Later in the sequence, Miranda will wear more dressy outwear clothes to convey to the audience her excitement and eagerness at the fact she is meeting up with her date.

Lucy will wear casual clothing throughout the whole of the opening sequence to show that she is not planning on going anywhere. She will have fairly messy hair and no make up on which might suggest that she is ready for bed. The fact she will be wearing pyjamas will be used to show to the viewer the time of day and help to set the mood.

The murderer ':)' will wear very long, dark clothing with a large black hat. This will be used to conceal the identity of the antagonist and not give nothing away to the viewer. The use of shadows will also be used to disguise the murderer. It also creates an enigma around the character, as we never get to see his face and the dark, black clothing do not disclose any particular clues as to the character either.

The girls we will use for the covers of the newspapers will all have to look quite similar. The look we will be aiming to create will be quite girly and innocent aswell as fairly young. This is to show the similarities between the victims and conveys that the murderer may target young girls with certain qualities. The use of facial expressions and clothing will be important as the intention of them will be to show the naivety of the young girls as the are willing to meet up with a total stranger who they have met only online.

Location

Our first location will be Miranda's bedroom. This scene will be filmed in Stephanie's house, as it is quite a large house and a suitable location for us to create the scene intended. We will use 2 separate rooms in the house to create the illusion to the viewer that Lucy and Miranda are at different houses whilst talking on the phone.

Our main location will be in an alleyway in Peterlee. We have chosen to shoot our main scene here as it creates mystery and suspense, as this scene will be shot in the night time it will also create tension and add to the effect intended. To ensure the safety of ourselves we have chosen an alleyway close to the location of Stephanie's house.

The photos for the newspaper will be taken in college of our friends. They don't particularly need to portray any message only that these girls are young and were care-free before they were murdered.

Assessment 5 - Pitch Ideas

Plot Synopsis
A weird man stalks young helpless girls on the internet via social networking facilities. He lies about his age and says he is the same age or a few year older than his targets, and finds pictures of young men through search engines. He gains their trust through months of friendly communication, and persuades them to meet up with him at random isolated locations around the country. Little do these naive girls know, they are actually meeting up with a vile predator whose motivation is one thing - death.
As bodies of defenseless girls are found scattered all over the country, the whereabouts of the murderer are continually unknown. All the police know is that after every killing, the antagonist leaves behind one thing - an empty brown bag with a different facial expression drawn on.


Opening Sequence
The opening sequence will begin with a split screen or cut away of 2 teenage female characters (C1 and C2) talking on the phone. Their conversation will be about 1 of the girls recent online love interest, whom they both believe is a teenager like themselves. C2 warns C1 to be careful when meeting anyone who she has met online, as he may not be who he says he is. C1 assures her friend that she knows what she is doing and she won’t come into any harm, but quietly begs her friend not to say anything to her parents.


The scene then progresses to an establishing shot of C1 walking slowly a dark alley at night. As C1 walks, an over the shoulder shot will be used to show her receiving a message on her mobile phone. The viewer sees it is off the boy she is meant to be meeting. As she opens the message, the camera zooms in to show the message reading ‘I can see you’. As C1 turns round to see if she can see her stalker, she is unsuspectingly gagged by the man’s hand and dragged viciously into the shadows nearby. The camera focuses only on the darkness, and nothing can be seen. Screams coming from C1 can be heard very loudly as she is brawling with her captor in the darkness. Silence can then be heard, as a body is heard crashing to the floor. A hand can be seen falling out of the shadows, followed a head covered with a brown bag. The sound of footsteps can be heard faintly, and this links in with the titles.


Target Audience Appeal
Our film will be certified as a 15. The content of our film will appeal to our target audience, which is specifically teenagers aged 15-19 but broadly anyone over the age of 15 will find content suitable to their age group. Our film will appeal to our target audience through the use of modern technology, such as instant message, social networking websites and SMS text messages. As most teenagers from the age of 15 and over have access to these technologies, they will be able to identify to the characters and relate to any issues they may see throughout the film. They may be able to put themselves in the shoes of the characters as they may understand the situation. The film may also bring the dangers of meeting people online and bring other safety issues to light.


Creative Techniques
We will include the following creative techniques in our film: establishing shots to convey to the reader where the particular scene is being set, framing to show the disorientated atmosphere that will be portrayed within the opening sequence, non-diegetic sound such as young girls singing and jack-in-the-box jingles to enhance the whole point of the film which is to frighten the viewer and mise en scene, such as dark, myserious clothing in combination with the darkness of the night. Sound will also be used in the form of screams and cries to portray the desperation of the victim.

Assessment 4 - Initial ideas - Wordle