Editing

We layered many different track while editing, to get the effect that we wanted

Gender

 

 

 

 

Warnings

 

 

Location Scouting

Location is a very important part of our filming, and we need to choose the best possible one.

A cemetery is a good setting for a horror movie, but there might be a lot of background noise of traffic from the main road.

A creepy secluded car park in Woolwich is another suggestion.

Children's playgrounds are often used in horror films, for example Nightmare on Elm Street.

An old public bathroom would be quite a good place to film without having too many disturbances.

 

Diegetic and non diegetic sound in horror films

Diegetic sound is any sound created from a source within the world of the film. Non diegetic sound is sound that comes from outside the story.
Non diegetic sounds used in horror movies can be very effective as it can create a very eerie and suspenseful atmosphere for the audience, and diegetic sounds make scenes in the film more realistic.

This is the opening to Jaws, a very famous horror/thriller movie with an iconic soundtrack. Diegetic sound is used when there is a party. The sound of people chatting, a crackling fire, music and singing are example of this, and these certain sounds create a very relaxed, calm atmosphere, which contrasts with the horror of this opening scene, thus making it more shocking and horrific for the audience. The non diegetic soundtrack used throughout the film is used to signify when the shark is approaching. This builds suspense and indicates that danger is coming, striking feelings of fear and alarm.

Here is another iconic horror film scene- the shower scene from Psycho. This has a very different take compared to the opening of Jaws, as there is no non-diegetic music at the start, Instead, there are only the diegetic sounds of the shower curtain being pulled and the water flowing into the bath, making the scene seem very realistic, which is effective as the more realistic it is, the more scared the audience feels. Rather than having dark non diegetic music build up suspense as the killer's silhouette appears behind the curtain, there is only silence (along with the sound of water) until the curtain is pulled and the killer attacks the victim. This is where the non diegetic sound comes in, high pitched, shrieking violins with sounds of the knife plunging into the victim's body. This approach is more likely going to make the audience jump and feel shocked and alarmed.

For our film opening, we liked the idea of slowly building up tension with the use of eerie non diegetic sound. We paired this with the diegetic sound of the victim breathing, to make the scene more realistic. A lot of sound effects were used to create a larger impact on the audience, for example when the blood drops on the ground, or just after the victim gets killed. Our intention was to create the feeling of shock and fear, and our use of sound definitely helped us to succeed.

Feedback on Finished Film Opening

GET EVEN feedback

Good Aspects

"Really good concept and narrative"
"Photographs on wall were very effective"
"Great acting- I was really immersed in watching"
"Great use of sound for building suspense"
"Blood looked very realistic"
"Really liked POV shots and close up of blood"
"Off screen breathing, very effective"
"Genre very clear"

Criticism

"Typography could have been a little more imaginative, maybe bolder"
"Maybe try and strip the lighting so it has colder tones, blues or greens, and maybe a little darker, gives more suspense"

Meeting the audience's expectations

To ensure our horror movie opening would be enjoyed by the audience, we devised a survey, to ask their opinions on different aspects of the opening.

Therefore we decided to use parallel music. The majority of horror films use this type, as using contrapuntal risks the scare-factor, of  a horror film.

 

A cut arm was the least popular so we left that out all together, but we used both a wound on the forehead and a slit throat, to make our opening gory.

Several people mentioned creepy photographs, as a key part of the mise en scene, so we made sure to include that. The location we chose was dark, dirty and cold- and we used a lot of blood, so we definitely met the audience's expectations here.

The clear winner for location was 'an isolated shed'- and this also happened to be quite an easy place to get access to. Ideas like a hospital, and a mental institute would be very effective, but almost impossible to find.

Similarly with the villain, the audience wanted a realistic horror opening- so 56% of them opted for an old fashioned murderer, rather than a creepy ghost girl, clown or doll.

Storyboard

Throughout the planning process, we changed our ideas frequently.

 

Our final hand drawn storyboard is this:

 

We also had a rough, original storyboard, from which this shot is taken:

Deconstruction of Saw opening

SAW opening scene

At the beginning everything is dark and the diegetic sound of water can be heard, with the non diegetic eerie music, to accompany the opening title. The ambience is suspenseful. A medium shot of a man waking up in a bathtub is shown, allowing the audience to see the dark and dirty surroundings. The diegetic groaning and shouting of the man combined with the low key lighting creates a tense atmosphere. The off-screen deep voice gives a sense of mystery as the other man frantically looks round. When the lights are turned on, the blurry point-of-view shots give the audience a look at what the characters are experiencing. The first look at Dr Gordon, shows him as weak and vulnerable, looking around horrified, as he has his hands above his head, hiding under a metal bar. As his vision comes into focus, there's a fast tilt down, accompanied by a non diegetic wind instrument, so that the audience see what they are so shocked about- a dead body. The camera then zooms and spins upwards, in a comical way that contrasts the gruesome image. Fast paced straight cut editing is used to show the dead man's head wound and both hands, one of which has a gun, the other, a tape recorder. Straight cuts are used to show the different reactions of the two men, and as the dark-headed one starts to panic, the music intensifies, accompanied by the clanking of the chains which keep both men attached to opposite sides of the room. The camera movement gets more frantic, mimicking the fear and panic in the man.

Deconstruction of Taken

Deconstruction of Taken

The opening scene starts off with some old family footage on a hand held camera and melancholic non-diegetic piano music. Towards the end, the camera starts to flash giving the seemingly happy scene, a sinister effect. Suddenly a straight cut shows the protagonist Bryan Mills waking up, suggesting the first scene was a dream. Perhaps he is nostalgic for the memories of his daughter as a little girl. When he turns on the single lamp, the lighting is low key and eerie. The non-diegetic melancholic piano music adds to this effect. When Bryan gets up the camera focuses on the photograph he was looking at- of his teenage daughter, suggesting she plays a major part in the storyline.
          When he is in the shop, lots of over-the-shoulder camera angles are used to show the two men having a conversation. As he is wraps the present, close ups of his hands are used to show effort and precision. The music has stopped, to emphasise the focus being put in. Straight cuts are used between shots and the sound suddenly goes from silent to lots of diegetic background noise when Bryan arrives at the party. The party location is extravagant, with fountains and waiters. It is a picturesque setting with a classy white building surrounded by trees and flowers. When Bryan talks to Lenore, over-the-shoulder shots are used again, and diegetic party background noise can be heard.
          When Bryan watches his daughter on her new horse, a long shot is used, with other people's heads in the foreground. This makes him feel as though he has been excluded from Kim's life. The sad emotions he is feeling are juxtaposed by the contrapuntal sound of everyone singing happy birthday.

Lighting

Good quality and varied lighting is very important in any film, maybe more so, in horror. 

Side Lighting, suggests evil- split personality, something to hide.

Bottom lighting, creepy and mysterious

Front lighting, interrogation, light being shone in eyes

Top lighting, suggests angelic

Back lighting, gives the object/ person an outline, they're blocking the light

Natural lighting, innocent, nothing to hide

Special FX

Before the Filming Days, we made sure to practise with the special fx makeup.

At first, we weren't sure what cuts and bruises we were going to need, so we experimented on hands.

After we sorted out our plot, we knew we needed a head wound so we started practising:

However, at first we received negative feedback.

In the end, instead of a prominent head wound, we decided to simply drip blood from the victim's temple, to make sure it looked realistic:

Unlike the head wound, there was no way around the slit neck, so we used liquid latex, fake blood, and a variety of cosmetics such as eyeshadow and lipstick.

 Once we had a fake layer of skin over Yasmin's throat, we slit it open, and added red makeup inside the flaps. The finishing touch was the blood.