Research - Horror Opening Analysis: SAW

Malevolent Phantom

Horror Opening Analysis: SAW

In the opening sequence the background is black then the title of the film appears; the title is animated as it expands out and fades out. The first scene low key lightning and extreme close up of a drain however we’re not able to see the setting. There is an object which is floating on the water and shines the light then the scene cuts into a close up of a man who is under water, he rapidly gets out. There is another close up of the water being drained in the bath tub then it switches back to a close up of the man gasping for air. A close up of his feet is shown as he struggles to remove the plug in the bath tub, once it’s out the camera zooms out to a medium shot of the man inside the bathtub with his leg chained. He struggles to get out of the tub then an extreme close of the drain shows the water going through then the camera return back to the man who is now sitting upright and coughing. The lightning is still dark so they audience aren’t able see the character and analysis him. It’s set in a bathroom because we can see the tile wall in the background however it looks filthy as there is blood dripping on the wall. The man’s body language shows that he’s vulnerable and weak because he’s having difficulties getting out of the bath tub so he ends up falling on the floor. The character begins moving around regaining his balance so he walks towards the pipe that is chained to his ankle. There is use of dialogue where he asks of help suggesting that he can’t save himself as stereotypical man is strong and is capable of saving himself. Then there is a quick non-diegetic sound which surprises him as he looks around for anything suspicious then he starts calling out to see if anyone is in the room with him. His body language shows that he still isn’t stable while he shouts for someone then he swears which suggests the frustration.  The character believes that everyone is dead however there is a non-diegetic sound of a male voice proving him wrong “you’re not dead” his voice seems husky suggesting that he could be the antagonist. The vulnerable male says “who’s there” as he arms moves out to see if anything is close to him, without getting a response he yells again but is asked to stop as there’s no point. The camera hasn’t shown the second male to keep the audience curious about him then he says “I already tried” which shows that he’s a victim too as he’s tried to escape. The vulnerable man asked for the lights to be turned on as he’s afraid because he seems timid and backs away from the voice.

The camera cuts into a high angle shot and pans vertically as it lights are being turned on then changes to a medium shot of the man struggling to adjust to the brightness because he covers his eyes with his hand which is by a diegetic sound of the lights turning on.  The camera zooms into a close up which shows the man’s hand in front of him that could suggest they he’s trying to defend himself because the antagonist may appear. It zooms as the man faces the camera with his eyes closed; this shot allows the audience to analysis his character. The camera zooms into him however it changes into his perspective because the audience are able to see the blurry shot of the ceiling then the scene becomes clear which suggests that the man has his vision back. The camera turns in to medium shot showing the man in a better state than in the beginning, then we’re introduced to another character that’s on the other side chained. The second man seems like he’s been hit and his body languages shows that he’s weak too as he looks around the room. The camera changes from the second man’s perspective that shows more of the surrounding; the room is a dirty and abandoned bathroom. The first man begins to walk towards him then the shot changes into a medium shot showing the man that is accompanied with a tense music which suggests that they’ve discovered something. The camera pans down that shows the dead body lying on the pool of blood and then the close up of the recorder and a gun is shown which may suggest that they’re an important objects. 

Research - Horror Opening Analysis: The Ring

Malevolent Phantom 

Horror Opening Analysis: The Ring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gIuCfnmPQg

The opening sequence we are able to hear the sound of heavy rain and is carried from the beginning of the film. The image of the distribution company DreamWorks fades into an establishing shot of the house, the lighting is dark suggesting it’s evening which is a convention of a horror movie and the sound of the rain set the mood. The camera zooms into the house and we able to hear dialogue from the characters that are talking. The characters are in a room with the lights dimmed casting a shadow, which gives a sense of comfort as they unlikely that the antagonist is going to appear. The characters seem to be teenagers as they’re dressed in their school clothes. They’re positioned in front of the television however we’re not able to see the TV but as the girl is pointing toward the camera with the remote and also we are able to hear the non-diegetic sound of the TV playing. Becca is sitting on the floor that could suggest that Katie is the main character. The camera shot zooms towards the characters faces as they are having a conversation. The character Katie is wearing a white shirt suggesting her innocence youth but on the other hand Becca is wearing a black cardigan, which may suggest that she’s hiding something. The close up of the character shows the tired emotion and they seem bored then Becca moves onto the bed suggesting that she has moved into a position of power as she begins to tell Katie about a tape. The camera zooms into an over the shoulder and shot reverse shot is used while they have a conversation. The close up of Katie face shows the shock and scared expression as the suspense builds. Becca tells a story about the past, which is a convention of a horror movie because the plot revolves on the story. After they have a convention the camera zooms out into a medium shot as Katie begins to pretend that she’s dying as Becca looks concerned. In the background a quite eerie sound builds up as Katie lies onto Becca but Katie laughs so Becca pushes Katie on the floor. There is high angle shot which makes Katie seems weak and vulnerable. Suddenly the phone rings and Katie looks to her left and the eye line match is used so the viewers see what she’s looking at.  A non-diegetic sound used as the camera zooms into the clock that shows the time, which is 10 o’clock.  The close up of both girls using shot reverse shows the fear in Katie’s face whilst Becca realizes.

The camera shot cuts into the bottom floor as there is a close up of the phone at the end of the corridor but the background is out of focus until the character comes so the focus shifts onto the girl. After picking up the phone a tracking shot is used as Becca is going from one room to another however the focus is on Katie, the phone call turned out to be a false alarm but build up tension. The camera zooms out and turns in to medium shot establishing the new setting then the camera zooms tracking her as she moves. She grabs a drink; the camera shot is a medium shot which makes her the main focus of the shot whilst the kitchen in background isn’t on focus. She is then distracted by the diegetic static noise, which is coming for the living room. The camera turns into an extreme close up showing her scared expression when she notices that the TV is making static noise in the living room. There is a long shot of the living room then the camera returns back to the character that’s looking around the room for anything suspicious. As she enters the living room there is low-key lighting used to create a dramatic effect in the scene. There is a use of dialogue “Rebecca quit being a bitch, where is the remote” this suggest that they’re close and she believes that her friend making a fun of her. She picks up the remote and turn off the television then walks away however she soon stops when the television turns back on suggesting that the antagonist is near. The character is frustrated because she shouts; the dialogue suggests that she still believes that her friend is playing and messing with her mind. The camera zooms in slowly to show that the character is vulnerable and the audiences are able to see that she’s frightened because of her body language. The girl walks toward the television and she stop so the camera turns into a close up of her face which shows that she’s panicking as she pull the power cable of the TV (Match on Action). The camera pans around which stops behind her however she turns around quickly as she hears something so the camera pans quickly towards the kitchen.

There is a close up of her face, which shows that she very startled and afraid by this. Cautiously she moves to the kitchen when the fridge door opens which shows that there are paranormal activities occurring. The editing pace gets faster as the shot cuts back to Katie who goes off the shot as she hurries to close the fridge door then a close up shows her nervous expression as she breathes heavily. The character looks toward the hallway then there is an over the shoulder shot and the hallways is in focus which shows that she’s going through the hall. There is eerie non-diegetic sound so the audience may believe that there will be a presence of the antagonist soon. There is a high angle shot from the stairways, which the character peeks out, as she’s anxious; the shot makes her look helpless and defenseless. The camera is in a long shot, distorting the character and focuses on the liquid which is on the floor which looks like it’s coming from the locked door. When she comes up the camera focuses on her as she slowly walks towards the liquid that’s coming from the room. The character steps on the liquid, which shows that its water then she stands outside the door; there close up shot shows her cautious expression. There is an extreme close up of the doorknob as the character reaches her hand to open the door then it moves back to her face. There is a setting change, which shows the inside of the room that the main character is opening. As soon as she opens the door there is a close up of the TV that shows woodland scenery then it zooms out quickly then it zooms rapidly toward Katie that has a shocked expression then her face changes into the antagonist that has possessed her. The opening ends with the static of the T.V.

Research - Horror Opening Analysis: Insidious

Malevolent Phantom
Horror Opening Analysis: Insidious

The opening scene is a black background then the red writing appears this could connote danger, death or mystery then its fades out introducing the credits. There is non- diegetic sound that creates a tense atmosphere. The scene pans downwards toward the light source, which includes the director of the film then, it rotates around. When the camera is up right it turns into a long shot then slowly pans down showing the surroundings, which shows a boy sleeping which could be the victim. The camera pans towards the right, moving into the kitchen area, we can see the silhouette of a woman outside the window, which suggests that it’s the antagonist she begins to move. There is non-diegetic sound of string instruments that is used to build up the tense surrounding as the antagonist is revealed. The woman looks like a cliché antagonist in a horror film with a creepy looking face that shows no expression.  The camera movement allows the audience to enter the film as the shot looks like it’s from a person’s perspective. The women enter the room and we are able to see a face holding candle as we get closer to it however as the camera turn into a close up of the woman the scene fade away.  As soon as she disappears the title appears in red with a loud non-diegetic fast paced music. 

The title of the film connotes blood and we are able to see the light flickering underneath the title, which could relates to the antagonist as she was holding a candle before the scene faded out. The non-diegetic sound stops as the screen goes black again.

The title fades in introducing a picture of a house that could be the location of the film and it’s in a black and white effect that could suggest that it’s set in the past. There are casts being introduced at the corner of the screen in red and it fades out like a candle that has been blown out which connotes that the narrative may be set in the past. There is a picture slideshow that shows the different areas of house shown which exposes the family and also the bottom of the images flicker, which could relate back to the antagonist that was holding a candle. There are some supernatural activities occurring whilst the credits are being shown. There are boxes with things in the middle of the room that shows that a family might be moving in the haunted house. We only see the family picture of the characters involved that shows the family looking happy, smiling and they are dressed in white clothing suggesting their innocence however the male in the picture isn’t smiling instead has a stern face suggesting he isn’t innocent. The male is seen to be holding his family members close suggesting that he’s protective which conforms the stereotypical role in a family.  In one of the pictures we are able to see a silhouette of a man near the window and he’s quite blurry compared to the surrounding that looks clear. The image of a dining table is shown which shows a chair being moved without someone pulling it and in an empty room the lamp suddenly sways which could mean that there is going to be paranormal activities, which is going to occur in the film. An image of the corridor appears with a grandfather clock at the end but the camera shot is canted which gives the shot a dramatic effect and portrays an uneasy feeling.

There is a low angle medium shot then footsteps appear on the wooden floor, which is a convention of a horror movie. The use of tense non-diegetic sound throughout the opening gives it an eerie feeling. Throughout the opening the lighting is low key suggesting it’s mysterious and emphasizes the importance of certain areas and may have something hidden. The editing is slow which allows the audience to take their time looking at the images in detail as it gives hints and gives a sense of enigma. After every shot there is a fade out from one image to another that gives a mysterious effect.

Research - Interview With Actors

Malevolent Phantom

Interview With Actors

Research - Certificate

Malevolent Phantom

Certificate 

U:

·         Suitable for audiences aged four years and over

·         At U we only allow infrequent use of very mild bad language (e.g. ‘damn’ and ‘hell’).

·         Characters may be seen kissing or cuddling and there may be references to sexual behaviour

·         Violence will generally be very mild. A U film may include brief fight scenes or moments where characters are placed in danger.

·         ‘Baddie’ characters may carry or use weapons, but there will be no emphasis on these.

·         E.g. Curious George, The Bee Movie

PG:

·         PG stands for Parental Guidance

·         A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older

·         A PG film will not contain any theme which is inappropriate for a child. PG works can explore challenging issues such as bullying, bereavement or racism.

·         There may be mild bad language (such as ‘shit’ or ‘son of a bitch’)

·         Sex references are unlikely unless they are undetailed and infrequent.

·         Violence will usually be mild.

·         E.g. Saving Mr. Banks, Shrek

12A

·         12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12

·         The 12A requires an adult to accompany any child under 12 seeing a 12A film at the cinema

·         The BBFC's Guidelines state that strong language (e.g. 'fuck') may be passed at 12 or 12A (Non Aggressive)

·         Moderate language (e.g. uses of terms such as ‘bitch’ and ‘twat’ at 12 or 12A).

·         Sex may be briefly and discreetly portrayed at 12A or 12. Verbal sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers also there may be nudity

·         At 12A, moderate violence is allowed but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood,

·         Some horror films are passed at this category. Moderate physical and psychological threat is permitted at 12A or 12A.

·         E.g. Hancock, The Switch

15:

·         Strong violence

·         Frequent strong language (e.g. 'fuck). Occasionally there may be uses of the strongest terms (e.g. 'c***'),

·         Portrayals of sexual activity

·         Strong verbal references to sex

·         Sexual nudity

·         Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence

·         Discriminatory language or behaviour

·         Drug taking

·         E.g. 21 Jump Street, Bridesmaids

18:

·         Very strong violence

·         Frequent strong language (e.g. 'fuck’) and / or very strong language (e.g. ‘c***’), There is no limit

·         Strong portrayals of sexual activity

·         Scenes of sexual violence

·         Strong horror

·         Strong blood and gore

·         Real sex (in some circumstances)

·         Discriminatory language and behaviour

·         E.g. Taken, Kill Bill

Considering all the features of each certificate we have decided our film is a 15 as it will contain some use of strong language, although there will be no sexual  activity we still feel  is should be classed as a 15 as that’s the  most appropriate seen as it may effect a 12 year old.

Research - Institution Research

Malevolent Phantom

Institution Research

Twentieth Century Fox Film is one of the six major American film studios. The company was formed on 31 1935. Twentieth Century Fox distributes various commercially successful films such as Avatar, Stars Wars. The majority of popular films that they have created are comedy and family for example Alvin the Chipmunks, Diary of the Wimpy Kid. They prefer to make these film genre as it’s most profitable however when it comes to horror movies they distribute it rather than producing them because they’re not specialized.  They have also created some horror movies such as The Omen and Jennifer’s Body. As they are a large corporation they have made a worldwide gross of $31,556,061 by distributing Jennifer’s Body, the film was particularly males aged 17 however it earned a disappointing $2.8 million on its opening Friday and $6.8 million on the opening weekend at North American box office. As we’re producing an opening scene to a horror film, the 20^th Century Fox is suitable institution which can distribute the film however as they’re only good at distributing   the film, we may look elsewhere.

Lionsgate is a Canadian-American film production and distribution studio and a division of Lions Gate Entertainment. It’s the largest and most successful mini-major film studio in North America. They produce and distribute motion pictures, TV programming, home entertainment and family entertainment. Majority of their films are similar genre and the genres they produce/distribute are Drama, Action and Thriller. Liongate has some of the best horror films in the decade; these include Saw, The Last Exorcism, and My Bloody Valentine. Its first major box office was American Psycho; it earned $4,961,015 (USA) and £749,526 (UK) in the opening weekend. After researching horror films from Lionsgate I have found that they are not specialized on the horror genre because they mainly focus on Drama, Thriller and Action.

Hammer Film Productions is a company founded in 1934 which based in the UK. It is known for a series of gothic horror films produced in the mid-1950s until 1970s. During the late 1960s and 1970s there was intense competition in the horror film market which causes the institution closing down in 1980s. The company then in 2000 announced plans to being making film again but they weren’t produced until 2007. Their well knows films are The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and The Phantom of the Opera. They have also produced the feature film Let Me In and The Woman in Black. During the opening weekend, the Woman in Black earned $20 million which was the biggest US opening for the production in their history. It was put second place in the box office behind Chronicle; the film became the highest grossing British horror film in 20 years earning $127,730,736.  I think that Hammer Films suitable intuition for our film because they have the best experience with creating horror films. They are an independent film company so it would be cheaper to produce the film as they’re specialised in this area.

Blumhouse Productions is an American movie production company, founder and run by Jason Blum. It produces micro and low-budget genre movies like the Paranormal Activity, Insidious and Sinister franchises. The company produces these movies independently and release them through the studio system. Blumhouse has a first-look deal with Universal Pictures. Paranormal Activity grossed over $193 million worldwide when Paramount Picture released it. The partnership with Universal Studies allows Blumhouse Production gain more profit when their budget was only $15,000. The Blumhouse production makes different film genres and their horror film is popular however I don’t think this institution is great because they haven’t released many horror film and the theme of their films aren’t very broad; paranormal activities has similar plot line in their prequels.

Research - Location

Location

Malevolent Phantom

The Woods - Most horror films are set in the woods especially because the darkness and enclosed feeling to make the audience experience the frightened feeling. The trees give it a creepy effect as the antagonist could be hiding behind the large tree so the protagonist can’t sense danger. The fog is a great camouflage because it gives a chilling feeling and the antagonist identity can’t be seen easily.  This location is popular in horror movies because the protagonist can’t escape the area easily and it will be harder for the character to find help within the woods. The low-key lightning gives a sinister effect because the antagonist will be following the protagonist until it finds the right time to get the main character.

Abandoned Building - Abandoned buildings are great for horror movies because the plot will likely be about past hidden past; they are located in an isolated place. This creates tension because they are alone and usually it’s set at night. Horror movies tend to use this idea as it features an aspect of 'Fear of the unknown', This enhances the fear as the audience does not know what to expect. We hope to feature this element in our film.

A Remote Cottage  - A remote location would be best suited to a horror film as, in the film there would be know one around, the feeling of loneliness when in need of help would be the most daunting feeling of the characters. This setting is typical of the horror genre as it usually where most deaths take place. This would engage the audience with the plot and make them feel amerced in the film. The setting will increase tension as the threat is usually unknown by the characters and the audience.

Research - Costume

Malevolent Phantom

Costume 

Costume of the protagonist: The protagonist will be wearing something that makes her stand out from the other characters, this could be many different things such as a coat or a scarf. We hope to use a red piece of clothing so it hints to the audience that something bad might happen and foreshadows future events. The red color would stand out in the darkness and creates a sinister effect.  Other characters which are in the same scene will be wearing neutral colors so the audience can tell that 'Lucy' is the main character.

Costume of the antagonist: The antagonist's costume will be very straight forward, the clothes will be black all black which means it wont be seen easily. The black color will blend in with the darkness, which in turn will create more fear and tension. The antagonist will be wearing a hood which covers their face to keep their identity hidden. What influenced us to have this was films like scream, where the identity is hidden from the audience and the characters, and creates suspense through the whole film.

Research - Preliminary Task

Malevolent Phantom
Preliminary Task

For our Preliminary Task we were experimenting with different types of shot to use for our opening scene and the rules of filming however we needed to plan longer and include a wider variety of shot types. The plot for the preliminary task seems boring, as we couldn’t explore many techniques because of the time limit but what we filmed and edited seems enough to sustain the interest of the audience.

Our opening genre is horror so we tried out different ways to make that character seem defenseless. I believe that this was helpful because we had an idea of different shot types that would be suitable and portray the emotion. We realized that dialogue was important so it’s believable or the audience may get bored.  In the opening scene the use of high angle shot makes the character seems vulnerable and weak then the camera changes into a medium shot which allow us to see the surrounding. The camera pans toward the character, tracking her as she walks behind the table suggesting that she’s important and highlights the fact that she’s going to see something which affects the storyline.

There is match on action when the phone is ringing so the close up shot allows the audience to see who is calling her; we can see the caller is unknown which creates suspense. The shot changes to a long shot which allows us to see the character then it goes into a behind the shoulder shot which allows us to see from her perspective. Initially we were only going to have one character but due to the plot it was going to be hard trying to verbalize her problem. The character calls out for the second character then the shot changes into a long shot, which introduces the second character. We used shot reverse shot, 180 degree rule and rule of third when the second character enters the room and has a conversation with the main character about the caller which shows the use of the camera techniques.  The final shot is a medium shot that shows the character in detail then her dialogue build suspense and drama leaving the scene in a cliffhanger.

Research - Soundtrack

Malevolent Phantom

Soundtrack

The expression soundtrack generally refers to the music in a movie or television program, and to an album sold containing that specific music. Sometimes the music has been recorded just for the film, often but not always depending on the genre of the movie the soundtrack album will contain portions of the score, music made for dramatic effect s the movie's plot occurs. There are three different types:

- Musical film soundtrack (not relevant to our genre)

- Film scores (background music)

- Albums of pop songs heard in whole/part of non-musicals

All the different genres of film have different styles of soundtracks with different elements to them, I will analyse a few of the genres that we may pick for our film:

• Action: usually include high energy, big budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, escapes, destructive crises (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires etc.), non-stop motion, therefore a soundtrack with spectacular rhythm and pacing as well as being fast paced and having a high tempo would be suitable to carry the audience on this physical journey and to get them feeling energised like the characters. 

• Comedy: usually light-hearted plots constantly and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter by exaggerating the circumstances, the language, action, relationships and characters. For this genre the soundtrack should be more upbeat and happy to make the audience feel in a more positive mood, there shouldn't be any dramatic beats or sudden loud flashes as you don't want to make it over-serious or too scary that it turns away views. It should be a simple soundtrack that keeps the mood upbeat and shares the characters humor and joy with the audience.

• Horror: designed to frighten and to invoke the audiences worst fears, repeatedly in a horrifying, scandalous finale while captivating and engaging the audience at the same time. From the screeching violins of Psycho to the crashing chords of Jaws, film-makers have long relied on disturbing soundtracks to heighten suspense and terror, therefore the soundtrack for this genre should have much more of a suspenseful element that draws in the audience and keeps them anxious and on the edge of their seat at all times. At less eventful moments it can be more subtle and slower but it should constantly climb and build to a moment of terror with increased tempo and volume. Loud bangs and harsh, discordant and unexpected sounds should make the audience jump and heighten their fear whilst watching the film. It's scientifically proven that he "non-linear" sounds, often created by pushing brass and wind instruments beyond their natural range by playing them too hard, exploits the human brain's natural aversion to sonics that signal fear or distress. (Noise is associated with horror and fear), abrupt frequency shifts are associated with sad dramatic scenes. To use this to my advantage I will include high pitch 'non linear' sounds to tap into humans primal fear and make the audience even more scared.

Research - Horror Genre

Malevolent Phantom

Horror Genre Research

Horror came from the myths about demons that came from the Abrahamic and Egyptian as they talked about the spirits that were feared. Horror films are made to frighten the viewer, invoke our hidden fear with a shocking events taking place but it captivates and entertains their audience at the same time. The themes that are included in this genre are good vs. evil, nightmare, insanity, mass murder and revenge. This film genre became known in the late 1980s, Le Manoir du diable known as The Haunted Castle was made in 1896 which was said to be the first horror film. The budget of horror film increased in the 1960s as the public began to have interest in the horror genre that led to a range of supernatural-themed films e.g. The Exorcist (1973), which was the most feared movie and was able to break the record for horror films. This genre also overlaps with other genres such as fantasy sci-fi and thrillers.

There are sub-genres of horror movies:

Slasher: They usually involve a psychopathic that stalks and kills numerous people in a graphically violent way often with a toll or weapons.

Zombie: Zombies are portrayed as a reanimated corpse or a mindless human, these films fall into the other genres such as sci-fi, comedy and thriller.

Psychological/Supernatural: This genre is popular in modern day because of the realism, which inflicts fear in its audience. They focus around possession and dark forces that can remain spiritual presences, ghost or demons.

Most plots of a horror film include supernatural events in everyday world and some are based on true stories, which makes it even worse. The narrative of the horror film are usually the main protagonist that is on the mission to kill or solve the problem however there are classical narrative that leaves a sequel so their target audiences can anticipation and support the movie.

Elements that features in horror genres are torture, gore, demonic and serial killers. The setting is usually rural and an isolated place that connotes the people are alone with no one is close by.

Technical conventions of horror films are high and low angles, which can portray the dominance and innocence of the character. The point of view shot allows the audience to see from the antagonist’s perspective. The shots that are common in horror movies are handheld shot because it gives a sense of realism that gives the audience a feel of curiosity, as they don’t know what’s going to occur. The editing is normally fast paced that gives a sense of panic due to the events. Usually horror movies use ambient diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound such as footstep and heartbeat rate, which creates a tense atmosphere.