Group: Preliminary Task

Feedback

Positive

• The close up of the bell was commented on by the audience as being a great shot with the resonating sound creating atmosphere.
• Our acting was described as very good and is definitely a strong factor to our group's success.
• We made effective use of our surroundings by using them as props. For example the hat and phone were found in a cupboard and the bell was on a nearby desk.
• Our shot reverse shot was a very powerful shot and in itself made the production look professional.
• Our plot had a very clear narrative whilst also not giving too much away.
• Unlike our previous preliminary task "Time I$ Money" we followed the 180 degree rule.

Negative

• Audience feedback told us that they thought some angles shown were a tad strange and didn't really fit the situation.
• The camera work was a bit shaky at the start when handicam was being used so we will try and fix this for our real production.

HB: Concept development - Colour

• We have decided that we want our opening to have as dark a feel as possible to it
• To achieve this we have decided we want to use a desaturation effect along with low key lighting
• This is similar to the effect that can be seen in the opening of Sucker Punch (Snyder, 2011) and throughout The Others (Amenabar, 2001)

Sucker Punch

This is a clear example of desaturation and it creates a unsettling mood. This would be appropriate for the scenes within the house as it will help to show the audience the contrast between there and the outside, giving the implication that there is a presence.

The Others

This still shows low key lighting with the use of a lantern, this is what we want to emulate in our opening as we will be using candles for lighting within the ritual scene. We will have to be sure we test this before filming.

Group : Pitch Feedback

Overall the pitch went very well. We got very good feedback from the class. Lots of the questions that were raised we have responded to.

• One key issue that was raised is how we will get the bone to move. We decided prior to this that we will use fishing line as it almost invisible especially in the dark gloom of our set.
• When the girl is moving around the room we are going to use jump cuts to fade her in and out of shot. We will also use jump cuts to show individual objects around the room moving.
• We have now completed our location recce which unfortunately we were unable to do prior to the pitch due to uncontrollable circumstances (lighting).
• Another issue that was highlighted was how we are planning to light all the candles using matches. We have decided to invest in buying a long candle lighter like the ones used in churches. This will combat the match issue whilst still maintaining a good horror feel for our film.  
• Unfortunately we are being forced to shoot the film during the winter. Ideally we would like to film in the spring but as this isn't an option we will be shooting in winter and taking advantage of certain winter aspects such as frosty grass to create an effect.
• We have decided to bring our titles into the film as the two main characters walk down the path towards the derelict structure. This is easy to introduce and can be very effective if done well.
• The sequence will open at the break of dawn. The sun just rising over the hill and the fresh dew of the morning still crisp.
• Inside the house it will be dark but light enough for all but the dark corners of the room to be seen.
• The cutting rate at first will be slow but it will increase in pace as the boys enter the trance.

Below is our pitch which we presented to the class. We will add a recording of us presenting the pitch once it has been uploaded to YouTube.

JH : Technical Analysis - The Women in Black (Watkins, 2012)

Shot Duration	Camera	Mise-en-scene	Sound
00:00-00:11	----------------------------	----------------------------	----------------------------
00:12-00:22	Close up of china cups, establishing shot.	Two china cups are sitting on a small table. We can tell from the size of the cups and the fact that nothing comes out that its a child playing.	Eerie background noises, quiet chink of china hitting china.
00:23-00:25	Close up of doll.	Girl pretends to let her doll drink the “drink”.	Background noise continues. A new instrument joins the already creepy mix.
00:25-00:28	Close up of male-doll.	Same as before girl pretends to let her doll drink the “drink”.	Eerie Background noise continues.
00:28-00:33	Mid-shot taken from a low angle with girls at same level.	Three girls having a fake tea party in a child’s bedroom.	Eerie Background noise continues.
00:33-00:35	Close up of doll.	Doll having hair brushed in the background. Out of focus doll close to camera.	Eerie Background noise continues.
00:36-00:38	Close up of doll lying down.	Doll being tucked into a small bed.	Eerie Background noise continues.
00:38-00:40	Two young girls in shot. Mid-shot.	Two girls smile at the other girl and keep pretending to pour tea.	Eerie Background noise continues.
00:41-00:42	Mid-shot of girl smiling back.	Other girl smiles back at the other two.	Eerie Background noise continues.
00:43-00:45	Low angle, mid-shot showing scene.	Three girls sitting round the tea set but no faces can be seen.	Eerie Background noise continues.
00:45-00:52	Higher angle shot showing full scene.	Three girls stop making tea and look towards the camera.	Background sound intensifies.
00:53-00:55	Low angle, mid-shot.	The girls all turn to look the left, towards the windows.	Eerie music continues.
00:55-00:58	Mid-shot that slowly zooms to windows.	Three windows for the three little girls.	Eerie music continues.
00:58- 01:00	Low angle, mid-shot.	Three girls begin to rise.	Eerie music continues.
01:00-01:01	Low angle, mid-shot.	Close up of left two girls rising.	Eerie music continues.
01:01-01:02	Low angle, close up of feet.	Close up of girls feet as she rises.	Eerie music continues.
01:03-01:05	Low angle, Close up of cup in hand and then feet.	Shows girls hand as she drops the cup and then it smash.	Eerie music continues.
01:06-01:11	Low angle close up of feet as they walk.	Showing them walk across china cups and dolls.	China being crushed and eerie music continues.
01:12-01:16	Girls eye heart medium shot , tracked backwards.	All of girls shown walking towards the windows.	Eerie music continues.
01:17-01:20	Medium long shot.	Girls step up onto window ledge. They all reach for handles.	Eerie music continues.
01:20-01:24	Close up of hand.	Close up showing one girl open the window.	Eerie music continues.
01:25-01:36	Medium-long shot.	Girls jump out the window in unison.	Music peaks as they jump then the scream of a women.
01:38-01:40	Close up	Shows dolls lifeless face.	Women screaming then says “my babies”
01:40-01:42	Medium long shot	Shot of the full room showing open windows.	Music returns but quieter and creepier.

 

Analysis of Findings

• None of the opening sequence shots show the protagonist. Only the three little girls are shown and a short glimpse of the antagonist
• The cutting rate of the shots are quite fast with lots of shots only lasting a few seconds. The majority of the shots last between 2-3 seconds. Some last over 10 seconds but this is only for dramatic effect.
• The camera is positioned at low angles most of the time as this is the same height as the girls as they sit on the ground.
• The pace is very slow which contrasts with the high cutting rate of the clip. The scare factor the opening is prolonged by the opening sequence having a slow pace.
• They decided not to use any effects on the scene but there is a very nice dolly shot away from the windows after the girls jump.

 
• The close up shots of the feet are very effective and act as a contrast to the previous calm seen as we see the china smashed by the small feet.
• The feet shots are also shot from a low angle which is very noticeable and adds depth to the scene.

In our production just like The Women in Black the protagonist will not be shown. It will use a fast cutting rate once inside the house but before that it will be relatively slow to build up suspense. We will be making good use of low angle shots and like the opening to The Women in Black our opening scene will use music as the opening soundtrack however this will dissolve into a small amount of dialogue near the end. 



CK: Technical Analysis of The Possession opening (Bornedal, 2012)

For this task I chose to analyse the opening sequence of The Possession (Bornedal, 2012) because it's sub-genre is supernatural horror which means it directly relates to what our group are planning to do, as well as this it's box office success makes it a valid film to draw from technically and take inspiration from.

 

Technically, what I have learn from this is:

 

Mise-en-scene:







• Old fashioned objects are very eerie.
• Darkness also adds mystery and fear to the audience.
• The elderly woman adds a sense of powerlessness and futility to the film, if the director had chosen a young man in the prime of his life to play this part, then it may not have been as effective.
• The distorting of the woman's face is extremely disconcerting and seems very unnatural.

Camera:

• The use of tracking left to slowly reveal the room in the establishing shot builds the tension and adds to the mystery, this can be noted in the first shot.
• Tracking in helps to draw attention to the focus of the shot, in this case it was the box, this can be noted from 23-29 seconds.
• At the beginning of the clip the camera movement is very slow and controlled, which builds tension, however, towards the end of the clip (when the woman is writhing on the floor for example) the camera movement speed increases notably, and this makes her agony seem more immediate and dramatic.
• The box is generally framed in the centre of the shot, which makes it feel like its drawing everything in towards it, and thus it has all the power. The woman on the other hand is usually framed in the first third of the shot, which makes her seem timid and powerless in comparison.

Sound:

• A backing track which is asynchronous with what is occurring on screen, for example the jazz music combined with the tense struggle of the woman trying to destroy the box (which can be noted from 53-109 seconds) is very effective at causing discomfort and tension within the audience.
• A child's voice out of context is very disconcerting, this is shown in the establishing shot.

Editing:

• A faster cutting rate increases the tension dramatically (noted towards the end of the opening).
• The vast majority of shots feature the protagonist, which gives her prevalence, however it also makes shots which feature the antagonist (in this case, the box) seem more important and stick out more.


                                                        Here is the clip and analysis: 

 

HB: Technical analysis - The Blair Witch Project (Myrick & Sanchez 1999)

http://www.mojvideo.com/video-the-blair-witch-project-part-1/a7b4b8606ecf30cea4c2

• For my technical analysis I looked at the opening to The Blair Witch Project, this is a paranormal film so fits in with what my group want to make for our opening. 
• This has been a helpful film to look at as it follows the idea of 'found footage' so is made entirely on handicam.
• As we won't have a big budget for our opening this is helpful to get ideas from.

• From this analysis I can learn that the character who is featured most is the female protagonist as she has the most dialogue, giving her prevalence. This is something we will need to consider in our film when deciding which character we want the audience to relate to the most.
• The clip had quite a slow cutting rate, the shots were commonly over 10 seconds, however, this made sense due to the films documentary/found footage style. 
• The cutting rates had some points of increase though these weren't so much used for building tension as they were to show setting montages which is still useful and effective. I think in our film opening it will be beneficial to experiment using different cutting rates as some will be more appropriate for different points.
• The camera was often shaky since the whole thing was handicam, however, this added to the found footage effect. This also worked as the whole film was handicam, one of the issues with our Wilderness Woods shoot was that we changed from using a tripod to handicam in random places which looked unprofessional so we need to be sure to stick to one or the other unless we show a clear reason for change.
• There was also use of fade to black transitions during the title sequence at the very start of the clip. We have tried using this particular transition previously and it was effective, however, we overused it slightly so if we decide to use it again we will need to be sure to do so appropriately. 

• There is significant framing used in the wide shots which follow the rule of thirds:

• This is something we will need to consider as I think the composition in these stills are very effective. 
• The images above show black and white colour grading that was done to the film; my group have discussed the idea of doing this in our opening also as it is seen in many other horror films e.g. Pyscho. This is an effect that works well in the paranormal sub-genre as there is less blood and gore in them, meaning the black and white gives it a darker feel instead.

HB: Concept Development - Costume and Props

Costume:

• We have decided that we want the two male protagonist to wear black hoodies, trousers and shoes to create a darker scene. The hoods will also be worn up in order to covey a 'ritual' mood for the audience.
• One of the males will also be carrying with him a rucksack.
• The female antagonist, who is a ghost, will be wearing a white, old fashioned, dress. As we have the intent on using a pale actress, the white will put emphasis on this and also contrast with the black costumes of the protagonists. 

Inspiration from these costumes can be taken from Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007) and House at the End of the Street (Tonderai, 2012) 

The costumes we have chosen are suitable as they aren't bold colours which will draw attention away from the plot or look out of place, but contrast well with each other allowing to audience to see the clear binary between the protagonist and the antagonist. Having both of the male characters dressed the same also shows the audience that they are of an equal status so should have the same prevalence.

Props:

• Lantern
• Work tools e.g. Axes, shovel
• Candles
• Matches 
• Animal bone
• Duct tape
• Tome
• Knife
• Fake blood - pro-filmic effect 

Many of the props which we have chosen to use hold typical connotations with horror e.g. knife and candles. These will all help to increase the fearful atmosphere of the film as they contribute to the authenticity and cause the audience to visualize and believe the story more. The use of pro-filmic effects will further add to this as it will create verisimilitude. 

JH : Concept Devlopment - Sound

Sound is a very important part of any production and ours will be no exception. We will be using diegetic sound in most of our shots with a few added non-diegetic effects. Most of the effects will come from-

https://www.freesound.org/

For example when the door to the small house opens we will use a sound like-

https://www.freesound.org/people/Bratok999/sounds/173567/

or

https://www.freesound.org/search/?q=Door+creaking

We will also be using some slow dramatic music as we head towards the small building.

Group: Premliminary Task

What we believe went well:

• The 'over the shoulder' shots were both within the boundaries of the 180 degree rule.
• The editing made the sequence look like a classic old fashioned film, which fits in with the theme of 20s New York Gangsters.
• The establishing shot of the feet of one of the characters created mystery and interest.
• The title design was effective, and the use of the $ sign instead of an S linked in with the theme of money.
• The relative status of the characters was clear.

What we believe didn't go as well:

• We broke the 180 degree rule at one point.
• We should have allowed the door to close in the shot where the character walks through the door.
• The plot had some holes in it: What was the purpose of the meeting?

CK: Concept Development - Casting

The cast for our production will be three characters:

• Two teenage boys of 16, with pale skin, dark hair and dark eyes. This links to the idea of devil worship and ritualistic activities.
• A younger looking girl, around 13 or 14. She could be the younger sister of one of the boys. She is blonde and pale skinned, her makeup would make her look more ghostly.

The two boys will be teenagers, because at around that age people tend to be more experimental and risk taking with this sort of thing. Also the loss of the boy's sister could have driven him to develop a mental illness, which adolescents are more susceptible to. The young girl will be featured because the ghosts of young children are featured frequently in horror films, and there is something unsettling about them.

These are the actors we are planning on using, we are still unsure who to use for the younger girl.

Group : Treatment Task

It is raining. It is dusk. An old abandoned house stands alone in an overgrown field next to some dark woodland. Some of the windows have been smashed out and the timber used to build it is rotting away, rain penetrates in places.

            An old path through the still, quiet, woods. The rain patters off the canopy overhead, it is autumn and the ground is littered with sodden, rotting, browning leaves. The silence is disturbed by the sound of footsteps, two friends dressed in black walk into view down the old muddy path through the woods. One carries a heavy looking rucksack. They do not speak.

            They arrive at the house, it looks foreboding. They stand outside; take a deep breath, the door swings open. They enter into the dusty gloom. The sound of the rain continues when they are on the inside. The door shuts behind them. All is black for a second before one of the boys lights a small lantern. The room is eerily illuminated. There are a number of work tools around the room: shovels, axes, saws etc. They move towards a dusty staircase, the floorboards creak as they ascend to the second floor. They kneel next to the only window on this floor. The room smells of damp and mildew. One boy turns to the other and ominously says “Shall we begin?” In reply the other boy begins to remove objects from his bag: five candles, duct tape, some matches, an old tome, a curved blade and an animal bone. He begins to draw a pentangle on the floor using the tape. He places a candle at each point and the animal bone goes in the middle.

            One of the boys lights the candles one by one whilst the other opens the book. They begin to sway and chant in Latin. The boy who lit the candles draws the knife and slashes across the palm of his hand. He then squeezes the blood on top of the animal bone. As he does so objects in the room (most notably the bone) begin to move. A knocking can be heard from under the floorboards, keeping with the rhythm of the chanting. The tempo increases and the objects in the room begin to move faster. When the chanting reaches its peak an entity flashes in and out of existence at different points in the room. It is a young, pale, blonde female. Eventually she appears in the middle of the circle arms raised high. The chanting continues her face is deathly and ill looking. She has blacked out eyes. She slams her hands down and with a woosh all the candles blow out and the cheating and knocking ceases.

            All is still for a second then once again the lantern is lit. The boys’ cold pale faces are illuminated. They say nothing. They collect their things, get up and leave the building. As they walk away the girl watches them from the window.

Group: Concept Development - Discussion in Class

We have had a group discussion concerning our analysis of a opening sequence, audience, location, montage on antagonist and plot. This has all been beneficial to thinking about our own production in the following ways:

Analysis of opening sequence - This has allowed us to learn about the typical horror conventions and think of ways we can incorporate these into our own work. 

• We started by thinking about any stock situations/characters/locations that occurred within our sequences and spoke about which of these we may like to include in our work. 
• Both 'The Conjuring (Wan, 2013) and Insidious Chapter 2 (Wan, 2013) are set in a creepy or haunted house. This is something we later considered when we were talking about our ideal locations.

The Conjuring house setting

The Insidious house setting

• We also thought about music and sound; Insidious Chapter 2 and Ghost Ship (Beck, 2002) both included music, however, they contrasted. 
• While Insidious Chapter 2 had the general creepy music which you would expect from a horror film, Ghost Ship had calm music which we felt to be effective because it gave a false sense of security to the audience making the horrific events which would later take place more shocking and therefore scary. 
• This is something for us to consider as we know we want to include music but will have to give further thought about what we want to replicate. 
• All of these film openings were very beneficial in terms of us finding all of the best camera techniques and plot points that are common within supernatural/paranormal horror films.

Audience pleasure - We though of the best ways that we could cause the audience to feel uneasy, we decided that music and slow cutting rates could be effective in doing this. Another thing we discussed was creating an enigma for the audience as it is something that can both build tension and create a sense of unease which is ideal in the paranormal sub-genre. We also thought about including a jump scare as these are common yet effective in the majority of horror films, we decided that this could be best done alongside the use of music to help further increase the tension before the jump occurs. 

Location - For the location of our opening we decided that our ideal location would be a creepy/abandoned building and also the woods. This is something that we are actually fortunate enough to have access to so it is a possibility. We will have to carry out a location reccie as it is important that we consider things such as weather and power, because if we are unable to control the lighting ourselves it could effect our shots. 

Montage on antagonist - We fully considered what we wanted our antagonist to be, because we want to follow the paranormal sub-genre our antagonist will have to match this theme. We decided that we wanted to do this by including silhouettes of the figure, windows opening, and reflections in mirrors to fully create the presence of the antagonist.

Plot - We discussed the idea of the ghost being a blonde young girl as this is something people typically find creepy in horror films, this is also something which we will need to consider when we think about casting. We wanted the opening to layout the antagonist's back story, possibly including the event of a suicide or murder, through a flash back. The protagonists would be 2 male characters, one of which is the 'skeptic' while the other is brave and curious of the rumour. 

Our mindmap from class - 

Group : Audience Feedback On Wilderness Wood Film Shoot

What techniques were effective?

• Opening fade shot (Cut to black).
• Opening sequence music was described as "effective".
• Actors were said to have shown a convincing performance (Accents).
• Good continuity editing.
• Used the woods to full effect, taking advantage of surroundings.
• Over the shoulder (180 degree rule scene) were very powerful.
• POV shot felt very "real".
• Nice, clean titles.
• Whip pans were very effective in creating a sense of unease.
• Low level splash in the water shot added diversity to the film.
• Very clear narrative.

What techniques could be improved?

• Remove background noise.
• Some cuts were too "jumpy".
• The pond shot was too long and slightly unnecessary.
• Camera was a bit shaky at some points.
• Overuse of fade to black.
• Audio levels were inconsistent.

How can this information be used in future productions?

• Good acting and a strong narrative can really improve a film so in our future productions we will strive to keep this up.
• If background noise gets in the way of a shot and ruins it we will re shoot the shot. When we were in the woods unfortunately we could not redo any shots.
• We will use the tripod whenever possible in an attempt to keep a stable shot.
• When shooting we will keep audio levels in mind to remain consistent.
• This production showed us how powerful non-diegetic sounds for effect.