codes and conventions
codes and conventions of horror;
- Split into sub genres , often hybridised
- Primary target audience – male, 16-24, Mainstreamers
- 15 or 18 Certification (promises of pleasure) – debates on passive consumption
- Uses and Gratifications (active audiences) theory can apply
- Extensive use of Narrative enigmas
- Exploration of Narrative Themes
- Slow pace of Editing, builds tension. Long takes
- Three act narrative structure
- Predictable narrative content (follows format)
- Clear binary oppositions e.g. good v evil
- Use of low key lighting
- Use of CGI, FX
- High production values but many low budget horror films
- Dominant, hegemomic representation of gender: The Female Victim
- Extensive use of close up
- Incidental non-diegetic sound
- Distorted diegetic sound
- Extensive use of narrative off-screen space
- Young/teenage characters
- Use of hand-held camera: audience identification/realism
- Point of view shots
- Low angle shots
Horror Stereotypes
Female victim;
-There is almost no horror film without a female victim, as they are portrayed as being vulnerable and in need of protection.
-This representation dates back to earlier horror films that were made in a more sexist era, and the idea continued.
-Usually young, blond and attractive, helping to appeal to a wider male audience.
-This character is often portrayed to be stupid and annoying, and one of the only characters the audience sometimes knows will be killed. Although she is shown to be dumb, she isn't typically the first to be killed. But when she is killed, it is usually gruesome or graphic.
Non-Believer;
-Can be of either gender, although often male.
-Portrayed as being cocky and at ease, convincing the other characters that they are over reacting and that nothing is going on.
-Typically over confident, which usually lead to them being the first to be killed, and their death will trigger a mass killing of the other characters.
Hysterical character;
-Usually female.
-They are typically known to not want to leave the building they are in, usually after witnessing the murder of her friends.
-The other characters try to move her, but she often breaks down into hysterics and refuses to move.
Hero
-Pretty much always a male character of strong, masculine build.
-Although he is the 'hero', there aren't many horror films where the good triumph over the evil. In these cases, he tends to be the brave character that goes after the murderer, often never returning.
-These characters tend to show little emotion throughout the film, perhaps to stay strong and supportive for the other characters that cope less well.
-In more recent horror films, the hero has begun to appear as a female. This makes the film more unpredictable, and challenges the older, more traditional conventions.
Evil character
-Can take many forms; serial killer, demonic possession, ghost, monster (vampire, werewolf, zombie etc.)
-If they are human, they will often wear a mask, disguising them completely of appearance or emotion, and the audience can make no connection to them whatsoever. Wearing a mask also plays on the fear of the unknown.
-They will never react in a normal way to injuries; if they were to be stabbed, they usually manage to get back up again unharmed, hinting towards the idea of them being inhuman.
-Any other type of killer, such as a monster or demon also plays on the fear of the unknown, and as there is never any solid proof that they do not exist, they play on the audiences more primal fears and the thought that they could actually be all around at night.
-This character obviously has the biggest impact on the audience and strikes fear into them. They are what the suspension throughout the film and all other codes and conventions have been building up to.
Loved up couple
-Male and female characters, usually all over each other when they are killed.
-They are typically away from the rest of the group when the first murder occurs, and therefore don't know that there is a killer out there.
-So preoccupied with each other that they don't notice the killer, even when he is close to them. At this point, the audience are often shouting at the characters, and are frustrated at how oblivious they are.
-They are usually killed just as they are about to have sex.
-They have an impact on the audience, as they get frustrated at them, putting the audience on the edge of their seat, building up tension further.
-There is almost no horror film without a female victim, as they are portrayed as being vulnerable and in need of protection.
-This representation dates back to earlier horror films that were made in a more sexist era, and the idea continued.
-Usually young, blond and attractive, helping to appeal to a wider male audience.
-This character is often portrayed to be stupid and annoying, and one of the only characters the audience sometimes knows will be killed. Although she is shown to be dumb, she isn't typically the first to be killed. But when she is killed, it is usually gruesome or graphic.
Non-Believer;
-Can be of either gender, although often male.
-Portrayed as being cocky and at ease, convincing the other characters that they are over reacting and that nothing is going on.
-Typically over confident, which usually lead to them being the first to be killed, and their death will trigger a mass killing of the other characters.
Hysterical character;
-Usually female.
-They are typically known to not want to leave the building they are in, usually after witnessing the murder of her friends.
-The other characters try to move her, but she often breaks down into hysterics and refuses to move.
Hero
-Pretty much always a male character of strong, masculine build.
-Although he is the 'hero', there aren't many horror films where the good triumph over the evil. In these cases, he tends to be the brave character that goes after the murderer, often never returning.
-These characters tend to show little emotion throughout the film, perhaps to stay strong and supportive for the other characters that cope less well.
-In more recent horror films, the hero has begun to appear as a female. This makes the film more unpredictable, and challenges the older, more traditional conventions.
Evil character
-Can take many forms; serial killer, demonic possession, ghost, monster (vampire, werewolf, zombie etc.)
-If they are human, they will often wear a mask, disguising them completely of appearance or emotion, and the audience can make no connection to them whatsoever. Wearing a mask also plays on the fear of the unknown.
-They will never react in a normal way to injuries; if they were to be stabbed, they usually manage to get back up again unharmed, hinting towards the idea of them being inhuman.
-Any other type of killer, such as a monster or demon also plays on the fear of the unknown, and as there is never any solid proof that they do not exist, they play on the audiences more primal fears and the thought that they could actually be all around at night.
-This character obviously has the biggest impact on the audience and strikes fear into them. They are what the suspension throughout the film and all other codes and conventions have been building up to.
Loved up couple
-Male and female characters, usually all over each other when they are killed.
-They are typically away from the rest of the group when the first murder occurs, and therefore don't know that there is a killer out there.
-So preoccupied with each other that they don't notice the killer, even when he is close to them. At this point, the audience are often shouting at the characters, and are frustrated at how oblivious they are.
-They are usually killed just as they are about to have sex.
-They have an impact on the audience, as they get frustrated at them, putting the audience on the edge of their seat, building up tension further.
Ouija 2014
The mise-en-scene in the still image shows the stereotypical horror of a group of friends in a darkened room. The light is mainly on the Ouija board to show its the dominant in the shot- and by extension of the movie.
Two of the teens are trying to find the source of the light, by doing so their faces become visible and their expressions show fear and that they are shocked but mostly they are scared. The low-lighting key helps to highlight the main event that is happening and the people in it. It also shows that the torch on the ground next to the 3rd person involved, was being used as the light source beforehand.
The image also shows that there were more people in the room, but all you could see was their feet. This helps to show that the Ouija board and the people around it are the dominant in the film, where-as the feet of the people observing the event were the subsidiary contrast compared to them. This helps to symbolize why the title of the film is called Ouija, by the Ouija board in the still image and its role throughout the film.
The character proxemics shows that they are all friends and know each other but are trying to stay close because of the fear of not knowing what is to come next.
The mise-en-scene in the still image shows the stereotypical horror of a group of friends in a darkened room. The light is mainly on the Ouija board to show its the dominant in the shot- and by extension of the movie.
Two of the teens are trying to find the source of the light, by doing so their faces become visible and their expressions show fear and that they are shocked but mostly they are scared. The low-lighting key helps to highlight the main event that is happening and the people in it. It also shows that the torch on the ground next to the 3rd person involved, was being used as the light source beforehand.
The image also shows that there were more people in the room, but all you could see was their feet. This helps to show that the Ouija board and the people around it are the dominant in the film, where-as the feet of the people observing the event were the subsidiary contrast compared to them. This helps to symbolize why the title of the film is called Ouija, by the Ouija board in the still image and its role throughout the film.
The character proxemics shows that they are all friends and know each other but are trying to stay close because of the fear of not knowing what is to come next.
Mood board
Here is our teams mood board, The mood board was to help us shape what our opening was going to be based around and what our film would portray. The yellow and black background helps show the contrast of darkness and light. The 'GOOD' is shown with the black colour, this help portray our plot because the darkness is shown as good instead of the light. Whereas 'EVIL' is merged on the brighter colour to show that the light is the evil, this is how we have portrayed our film compared to other openings we have seen.
The cross has a great impact on religious meaning and it also fits in with a characters back story in the film. The shadow in the left hand corner is the dominant of our film, this is the main villain we are using. The country side represents our setting, it helps show that our horror opening is not going to be based on the conventions of horror because a country side is associated with peace, whereas a wood full of dead trees represents death and would commonly be in the horror genre.
The sunset helps to show the shadow killers weakness, this is vital as all villains need and have a weakness. The bottom pictures show a family of shadows, this is important as it shows the reason why the shadow killer became what he is, and the reason behind it. The picture of the four shadows represent the main characters in the film, it also shows that they are involved with the shadow.
The picture in the center on the right shows purgatory, this is the gap between heaven and hell, this is where the shadow killer is trapped between.
The cross has a great impact on religious meaning and it also fits in with a characters back story in the film. The shadow in the left hand corner is the dominant of our film, this is the main villain we are using. The country side represents our setting, it helps show that our horror opening is not going to be based on the conventions of horror because a country side is associated with peace, whereas a wood full of dead trees represents death and would commonly be in the horror genre.
The sunset helps to show the shadow killers weakness, this is vital as all villains need and have a weakness. The bottom pictures show a family of shadows, this is important as it shows the reason why the shadow killer became what he is, and the reason behind it. The picture of the four shadows represent the main characters in the film, it also shows that they are involved with the shadow.
The picture in the center on the right shows purgatory, this is the gap between heaven and hell, this is where the shadow killer is trapped between.
Plot
The story is of a group of misfits that have formed a friendship together, but in there area, there has been frequent killings. The victims often lying in a pile of their own blood. The 4 friends must have find out the horrible past of this unknown killer, with how they are each picked off slowly by the killer, until only one reminds. The final character learns the truth of the killer and how to stop him from killing again, but the catch is that the final character has a close connection with the killer as she is linked through the killers family. This causes major distress for the final character as she is forced to make a decision that may effect her sanity.... The decision is made, She chooses to kill the shadow. She does this by shining a bright light on the shadow to eliminate and destroy the shadow once and for all. In the end the final character becomes mentally insane after the killing of the shadow, this soon leads to the next shadow being born...
Pitch
Audience Research
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With our results from the audience research we found out that the majority of our audience preferred the villains to have a more standard weapon like a knife, rather than a more machine like weapon such as a chainsaw or gun.
The main age range that answered our questionnaires were teenagers between 15-18. This information will allow us to focus our opening sequence around this particular demographic and make it more relatable, by making our actors play protagonists roughly the same age as our audience. Horrors was the most commonly remembered opening sequences for our audience when they was disequilibrium/ disrupt to the norm. So for our opening sequence we can film an opening that starts off disrupting the narrative structure to help appeal to our chosen demographic. |
Story board
This is the first of three storyboards that we made, the first shot is our production companys, but to save time we didnt write down each of the names individually. The titles would start to merge with the story itself going into the next shot, which is a shot of the sun panning down to a shadow figure which will be the dominant of the film opening.
The film name will appear then shall fade in to a close up of a football, the football will then be kicked towards an actor which then leads on to our next storyboard.
The film name will appear then shall fade in to a close up of a football, the football will then be kicked towards an actor which then leads on to our next storyboard.
The first shot of our second storyboard is the football being kicked in the group shot. The shots after this one are close ups of each of the actors indiividually saying their lines so the camera is able to pick up each word being said. We also decided to do over the shoulder shots so we can add variety within the opening, the last shot was of one character that starts to talk about the story through a voice over.
The voice over will be on the end section of the opening sequence, this section will be shot in a different setting. The setting will be of an alley where the murder will take place. The blood that we have made will run down the actors wrist and hand as the character tells the story of what happened. The last shot would be a long shot of the school as the bell rings to help convey the feeling of it being so close to a big group of people, but the murder going un-noticed.
What we changed;
The last few shots was completely changed, so now the ending is of blood splashing on to the wall then we have a fade shot into the actors hand with the blood running down her hand. The finishing sound of the opening was changed to a fade out of the voice over into a girly scream, as if someone had found her helping the story become more realistic for the audience.
The last few shots was completely changed, so now the ending is of blood splashing on to the wall then we have a fade shot into the actors hand with the blood running down her hand. The finishing sound of the opening was changed to a fade out of the voice over into a girly scream, as if someone had found her helping the story become more realistic for the audience.
Actors
Jess Eccleston - Actor
Jess is one of our actors in our short 2 minute film opening. We picked her because we wanted our film to be less stereotypical and more believable to our target audience.
Jess's stereotype is the troubled teen.
Her character is down to earth who didn't enjoy life. she understood the negative of living and how the world can stop and change in a matter of seconds.
Jess is one of our actors in our short 2 minute film opening. We picked her because we wanted our film to be less stereotypical and more believable to our target audience.
Jess's stereotype is the troubled teen.
Her character is down to earth who didn't enjoy life. she understood the negative of living and how the world can stop and change in a matter of seconds.
Kadie Williams - Actor & Editor
Kadie is playing the happy go lucky character, but she is also the editor of our short film with Thomas.
Kadies stereotype is the happy go lucky character or better know as the 'final girl'.
Her character smiles a lot and tackles the world with a smile, however even if she is smiling a lot, she has a tragic past that she hides under the smile, links into the main storyline.
Kadie is playing the happy go lucky character, but she is also the editor of our short film with Thomas.
Kadies stereotype is the happy go lucky character or better know as the 'final girl'.
Her character smiles a lot and tackles the world with a smile, however even if she is smiling a lot, she has a tragic past that she hides under the smile, links into the main storyline.
Thomas Smith - Actor & Editor
Thomas is also an actor in the film opening but like kadie he is also the co-editor in our production team.
Thomas stereotype in the film opening is the jock.
His character has no respect for others and doesn't see the moral value behind life and death, he just thinks its all a game. He will most likely die first because he doesn't no how to fight back without it involving words.
Thomas is also an actor in the film opening but like kadie he is also the co-editor in our production team.
Thomas stereotype in the film opening is the jock.
His character has no respect for others and doesn't see the moral value behind life and death, he just thinks its all a game. He will most likely die first because he doesn't no how to fight back without it involving words.
Caitlin Taylor - Actor
Caitlin's character stereotype is a hippy.
She is all about peace and love, she is not one for anger and violence. She's the calming one in the group that usually resolves most issues. She hangs around with the group for the fun of it.
Caitlin's character stereotype is a hippy.
She is all about peace and love, she is not one for anger and violence. She's the calming one in the group that usually resolves most issues. She hangs around with the group for the fun of it.
Script:
Shooting Script
Before we started filming we wrote down a shooting script to help explain the time, date, what we are going to film, how long it will take, what props we need and who we will be filming. This is to help us have an efficient time filming and to help everything run smoothly so nothing will go wrong.