Some Setting Ideas

Many of the settings we have been looking at are set in  remote areas and one which is very dark and shaded and next to a graveyard. We are planning to shoot at round 3 to 5 each day where it will be becoming dark and murky. Also the top picture is very remote and it would be very unlikely to see people or a car, creating more of a impression of our character being lost and threatened. And also with the snow, it will make it even more remote. We will have to make sure all of our actors are able to get there on time. It will also, be more likely that it is very icy, so we will have to make sure it if safe and that we do not drop of break our equipment. A advantage, however is that all of these photos are above are right next to each other, which means it would be easy to shoot all of these in the same area.

Misfits E4 Opening Scene

One of my favourite opening sequences is from Misfits E4. It uses a range of medium shots and close up to show general appearance and emotions. The opening shows a range of 6 characters (4 males and 2 females) wearing orange jumpsuits about to start community service. This furthers the stereotype of teenagers being troubles makes considering they are about to start community servicefor there crimes. The fact that they are wearing orange jump suits furthers the impression that they are being forced to help in the society and that they are clearly forced. Around the first 30 seconds, it shows the 6 characters and all of the camera shots are filmed in slow motion. The fact that it is shot is slow motion gives more of a impression about the characters personality for example,

• one (male) is shown smoking,
• another(female) is caring allot about her appearance and isn't really in a rush to be on time
• one male, the audience can see straight away that he is nervous, well dressed and looks very out of place with the rest of the group
• however, the other 2, seem quite low class. e.g.lots of gold cheap jewelry

After, all of these small introduction, the 6 are shown shot outside. The shot of them all stood together in a line, emphasises the fact that they are likely to become a group, but it may not come across straight away because they are so different. And the end of the 2 minutes, two of the main characters have already got in to a fight, showing a immediate class of personalities. Also as the character's where males, it could also be a sign of males having big egos and male dominance.

Audience for our final piece

Audience

 

Our movie is aimed at the slasher horror genre film and is clearly has an audience of 18+ (rating). The past, violence was one of the most problematic aspects when passing a film with an 18 certificate was fantasized violence. Horror films were often the culprits for depicting graphic violence and this often results in a lot of grief to the examiners.

Even though we are only shooting the first 2 minutes, we will try and get a few certain pieces across to the audience that will clearly signify that is an 18 rated horror for example, blood, murder, frightening settings and a large period of the opening will be likely to be shot in the dark.

Our audience wouldn’t be just aimed at male or female as they are both a huge audience to horror, but it might be likely that there is slightly more of a male audience, as there is a larger audience in male video game violence that are 18 rated also.

Saw 1 - Opening Scene

Saw 1
Studio - Twisted Pictures  -  Evolution Entertainment  -  Saw Production
Sidtributed by - Lions Gate Films
Budget - $1,100,000
Gross Revenue - $103094345
It is the first installment of the Saw film series.  The film's story revolves around two men who awaken kidnapped and chained in a dilapidated industrial bathroom. They are each given instructions via a micro cassette recorder to kill the other man in the room as that is the only "rule" of their "game".

At the beginning of the scene, it is a close up of a tape recorder ( it uses a close up to show that the tape recorder is relevant in the further storyline). It then shows the first of the 2 males characters. The first, who is shoeless, chained by his left foot to a metal pipe and even though you get the impression he has just woken up, his clothes give the impression he has been there for while, as there are incredibly dirty, unclean and the buttons are undone. It then however, turns attention to another character, who looks much cleaner, awake and has clearly been there for a shorter amount of time in comparison. the first male, sees an tape and then has to lie down to reach the tape player in the middle of room.Then revealed to the audience, is that the take recorder is help by a dead man in the middle of the room. This will be very disturbing to the audience and also the fact how relaxed the two men are about a man covered in blood in the room. When he is unable to reach the recorder and the two men figure out how to reach it, you get the feeling that they do not no each other, but are very willing to work together to save them both. At this point, there is a low angle shot of the character, making the audience think they have a even smaller chance of getting out, or being ok.

Sorority Row Opening Scene

Sorority Row

• is a 2009 American slasher film
• Summit Entertainment
• The film is a re-imagining of the 1983 slasher film The House on Sorority Row
• budget  -12.5 million
• Plot -

The college sorority is home to seniors and best friends Jessica, Cassidy, Ellie, Claire, Chugs and Megan who, constantly throw wild parties. During one of these parties Megan discovers her boyfriend Garrett is cheating on her. As payback she and her friends decide to pull a prank on him. Megan fakes her own death while she is making out with Garrett. With the sisters, Garrett brings Megan out to a steel mill, intent on dropping her body down a mineshaft. After the sisters (jokingly) mention they need to release the air out of her lungs so her body won't rise to the top, Garrett stabs Megan through the chest with a tire iron, actually killing her for real. Panicking, the group dumps Megan's body in the mineshaft, vowing never to speak of the events that transpired ever again.

The opening to the scene is very average and has various shots of people having fun, couples, drinks, dancing etc, and just by the opening you wouldn't associate it with the "slasher genre of horror". Also the main gender is female and women are generally seen as not as violent as men, which makes the next couple of scenes even more disturbing. There is also a lot of bright lights at the begging and "modern" music, making the setting have a much higher verisimilitude of a party. the camera then focuses on one character (female) and uses a tracking shot to follow her around the house and up the stairs. The character is then dragged into a room and then the camera looks over down onto the rest of the people at the party having fun, the camera angle also makes them look vulnerable, as if they are being watched from above.

"The Grudge" - Opening Scene

Distributors - Ghost House Pictures

At the beginning of this movie, before any subtitles, a short phrase comes up reading "when someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage. A curse is born. the curse gathers in that place of death. The words then blur out, yet the word "Death" remains on the screen and becomes bold and turns from white to red, most likely representing blood. The camera then does an upwards tilt across an average looking city e.g. rivers. housing flats and then focusing in on our certain apartment, which also emphasises they are up a height. As it camera keeps tilting the shot upwards it then zooms out and the back of the character is now in the shot, as we cannot see his face, this also adds some more tension. when the shot finally lets you see the character, the audience can see quite early on that the character looks worn out, tired and quite lost. As the shot changes it then shows his partner who's appearance is completely different as she generally looks happy and relaxed. The males character's clothes look very worn out and are mostly blacks and greys, which furthers that he isn't happy. As his partner talks to him , yet he seems very uninterested. the male character gives his partner one final look and turns back around, raises himself up and falls of the balcony. The horror is this is shown even more, as there is no screams or struggle, which gives the impression he couldnt handle it and it has been planned.

"Scream " Opening Scene

Scream is a 1996 American horror film directed by Wes Craven from a screenplay by Kevin Williamson. It was released by Dimension Films. Filmed mostly in Santa Rosa, California, the film tells the story of the fictional town Woodsboro, California being terrorized by a masked killer who enjoys tormenting his victims with phone calls and movie references
The font of the title of the movie is white and could be connected to the white scream mask. At the beginning of Scream, the setting is very important because it is set in a average looking home on a evening, when the main character is alone cooking. This opening has very high verisimilitude as the audience can connect with a very realistic evening. About 1 minute into the movie, the main women character ( which is also quite stereotypical of women being vulnerable) receives a phone call. Also another stereotype is that the main women is blond and  furthers the "stupid" stereotype of blonde's. At this point the representation of the women presents her as being quite "dumb" and no very sensible in a panicked situation.  We are going to use this part of the movie for our inspiration for when the fear kicks in. In the shot below, more fear is being built up for the audience, as they can see the killer/unknown man behind her and she cant. It also makes the audience more likely to like the character and not want her to get hurt. At this point the audience wouldn't be worried or think that any think bad is about to happen. It is then reviled that it is a strange, you can tell this also by the women's extremely worried facial expression. As soon as "the villain", starts to ask suspicious questions, such as "are you doors locked", the audience will connect more as they will being imaging this could happen to me as it is so realistic.
Scream - Production Budget: $14 million
              Domestic Total Gross: $103,046,663

Research for final Project

Me and Imogen has thought about different categories of horror such as

• The hills have eyes
• Scream
• The grudge
• Amityville horror
• Halloween

We know that some of these horrors will be harrd to create ourself such as amityville horror as it has many affects such as someone ontop of the roof, spirits etc. However, a film like scream would be very easy to act as the opening scene only involes to characters, a mask, a phone and a house. The opening scene to that film is more about building up the tension for the audience. Even though these film still cost alot of money, there storyline is gernally quite easy to make and doesnt involve alot of technology that we do not have, as for our horror film we can get fake blood, a house and outside settings as well.

After some more research, we have found that many of the horrors that build up alot of tension, the main killers/murderers as wearing masks such as in

• Halloween cost around Production Budget: $17 million
• Friday the 13th - (in 2009) cost Production Budget: $19 million

Which are generally aimed at the teen slasher horror movie generation. Even though it would be quite easy to shoot, the camera's we are using shoot very poorly in the dark and as we are generally shooting a horror, it will be quite a problem. However after we have planned out alot of our plan and script, we will think about the problems and try to avoid them.