Audience Feedback

Audience Feedback from Holly Jones on Vimeo.


For this task, I collected together three completely different people to view my finished media product. My partner and I asked questions relating to our film opening. From there we gathered their answers; what they liked, what they thought could be improved.

We also posted our text on facebook. Here are the responses we recieved:

From these comments and responses we have gathered useful feedback that will be considered and used thoughtfully within our evaluation.

Adjustments I Made To The Storyboard And Other Clips

During the filming of my opening, I found many faulty shots within my storyboard. Some showed unwanted background; others didn't let in enough light. During editing I found more bad shots and decided to omit them. An example of one of these would be the match-on-action of the nurse flipping over a piece of paper on the clipboard. It looked very disjointed and unprofessional. Cutting the second shot of the nurse flipping the paper means we could still have a match-on-action from a mid shot of the character to a close up of the nurse and inspector's feet. Whilst editing, I found that brightening of a film clip was possible if I just selected colour correction. I upped the brightness on the scenes of the Inspector's face to balance out the light coming in from behind the character and the shadows in front. This made the character's facial features and expressions a lot clearer.

I decided it was best to leave out Quinn Wakely's thoughts as the sound of the light bulb humming over the Inspector's dialogue was messy and incoherent as it was. I turned down the volume of the sound effect so the Inspector could be heard.

Test Shots

The Night Shift - Test Shots from Holly Jones on Vimeo.

My media partener and I visited one of the two settings we will be using in our film opening. We have decided to use my workshop-to-be as our Mental Institute. This is because the room is big, empty and has very good acoustics with a slight echoe to make dialogue sound more eerie. The walls are white and clean and the room on a whole is very bright, making it a perfect scene for an institute. When we filmed the test shots there was a lot of debrie around. This will be cleared away for filming.

We looked at two of the key angles we will be using in our opening. High angle mid-shots will be used for Quinn to focus on her blank facial expressions and show she is seemingly small and therefore vulnerable. For Inspector Hodges we used a low angle mid-shot to track his reactions to Quinn's behaviour and to show he is supposedly the authority figure in the film.

Doing these test shots and investigating the setting has helped my partener and I to plan effective camera angles. We have also learnt where and where not to film within the room; for instance, the inspector standing in front of the main window blocks out light in the foreground, making the Inspector's facial expressions unnoticable and reducing the quality of the overall opening.

Props And Costumes For Film Opening

I want this film opening to be very minimalistic. This means I do not want to include too many props in one scene. I want to give off a 'clean slate' look. This deprives the audience of clues as to who the woman (Quinn Wakely) is and why she is in a mental institute. Lack of clues helps the audience to make up their own theories as to how the film will play out, getting their brains interacting with the plot.

From this props board I can now keep track of every single detail within the film. Nothing must be out of place otherwise it could ruin the whole effect of the film and/or mislead the audience in the wrong way.

Settings Board

These two images show the buildings we would want (if making the whole film) to use for the mental institute (top image) and Francis' cottage (bottom image). I want the top building to be the mental institute because it looks old and run down, as though neglected. This gives the place a miserable look. Windows are left broken or half repaired as though they were smashed by patients and the grounds are unkept. It is barred off by a metal gate to show isolation.

Francis Denver's cottage is covered in graffitti and grime. The graffitti on the door says 'DANGER KEEP OUT' which misleads the audience into believing that the inhabitants of this cottage is also dangerous. Just like the institute, this building is unkept and neglected. At first glances, the cottage looks deserted, as though Francis is a ghost. This building is also barred off by a big, metal fence to show isolation.



As shown in the previous test shots, I have chosen to film the mental institute scene inside my unfinished workshop. It is clean and white, just like an institute should be. But it also has elements of danger and neglect as wires are showing where there should be sockets. The floor is dusty and a picture frame lies in the corner, on the floor. I would have liked to use the top image to film the institute scene, but unfortunatly permission was not granted.

Actor Profiles



Storyboard

Storyboard from Holly Jones on Vimeo.

A storyboard is the most crucial part of the planning stages. Without a storyboard directors would not know what camera angles, shots and parts of the script are meant to be used and when. The first time my partner and I set out to film, we left our storyboard behind by accident. It was impossible to film anything without a plan.

This storyboard gives you an idea of what the film should look like. What shots will be used, when they will be used, how they will be used. What accompaniment will come with each shot (dialogue, sounds, music)?


With this storyboard I can film shots in order and in effective time. It will help me all the way through to editing, when I need to decide which sounds and music go where.

Script

INT. EPPING FOREST MENTAL INSTITUTE – DAY

Quinn Wakely is sat in an empty room on her own. Her face is expressionless and she is sat up straight; her clothes are very plain and simple. We can hear lots of faint voices over the top of each other. We then hear footsteps getting closer as a smartly dressed Inspector Hodges and a worried nurse walks into the scene. Quinn does not react as the Inspector attempts to communicate; his voice slightly muffled by the voices of Quinn’s thoughts.

NURSE

She has not spoken since we found her in the forest.

     (Pause)

I’ll leave you to it.

INSPECTOR HODGES

          Thank you, nurse.

Inspector clears his throat and stands slightly uneasily as we hear the nurse’s footsteps vanish out the door. The door slams shut.

INSPECTOR HODGES

Good afternoon, Miss Wakely. I’m wondering if you could answer a few questions for me on the Epping Forest murders. Any information you may give will be used as evidence and a thorough investigation into your statements will occur. Do you accept these terms?

Long pause. Voices are getting gradually faster and louder. Quinn does not move, but her eyes dart around the room. Inspector Hodges eyes follows hers. After a while, the Inspector kneels down in front of Quinn and sighs. He speaks in a pleading, sympathetic voice.

INSPECTOR HODGES

I know its hard – reliving terrible memories. But people are dead and we need to stop the monster behind these attacks. That’s what you want too, isn’t it? You want it to end?

Pause. Quinn’s thoughts get louder and more confusing. Inspector Hodges pulls out a photograph from inside his blazer pocket.

INSPECTOR HODGES

          Do you know this man, Quinn?

At the sound of her name, Quinn’s eyes flicker to look at the photograph. The voices come to a loud but abrupt stop. There is a slight hum of a light bulb in the background. Quinn starts laughing hysterically as the scene around her flickers and blood appears on her face. Next minute she’s sobbing, and then she starts laughing again. The scene halts at the janitor’s closet and the light bulb is on the brink of blowing a fuse. We see the shadow of a figure hanging from the ceiling and then the light bulb explodes.

Institutional Research

Producing my film is one of the most crucial steps within the industry. Choosing the right institution for my film is very important so I must choose one who has produced films of a similar sort. I have considered Dreamworks (The Ring), Columbia Pictures (The Grudge), Toho (One Missed Call), and Dimension Films (The Others).

I feel that Dimension films would be the best company to produce my film as they have created many movie franchises within the horror genre, such as; Scary Movie, Scream, Halloween and Children Of The Corn. These movies are very well known and are classic examples of different horror sub-genres. My film ends on a cliff-hanger, and I feel that if my movie was successful, there would definitely be a sequel. Dimension being experts in those areas, would be very useful.

Dimension Films are part of The Weinstein Company. This label was taken with the Weinstein brothers when they split apart from Miramax (owned by Disney) in 2005. Dimension Films produce and distribute many films, mostly franchises and horrors.

Dimension Films has distributed and produced The Others - a very similar film to mine in the way of characters and settings. It includes old, secluded houses and a psychotic, confused female lead. There is a lot of emotional confusion and tension in both my film and The Others, too. The audience sees the events through the confused, main character's eyes, much like my film.

I would expect a production budget of 20 million in the 'real world' as The Others had a 17 million budget in which they did not use any special effects or very well known actors except for Nicole Kidman. If I was creating a real media text, I would use high profile actors and special effects for gore.

I would expect my film to be quite high profile like The Sixth Sense, meaning they'd be in most mainstream cinemas across the UK and hopefully the US. I would also ensure an official website for the film in which people can watch the trailer and be updated on news specific to that film. This will increase hype when the film is released in cinemas and on DVD/Blu-Ray. To create more hype through means of the Internet, I would make profiles for the film on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

This research into a sufficient producer/distributor means I can see the scope for my film and predict how successful it could be when working with the right companies. It also allows me to make plans for ways of distribution.

Regulations - The BBFC

The BBFC is the biggest regulator for British media. They are trusted to filter out any harmful content that may be included in films and classify that certain text to a suitable age group. This helps protect the public, mainly children, from witnessing inappropriate matter. They also bare in mind the freedom adults have over what they and/or their children should view. The BBFC regulate not only films but games and programmes released on DVD, also.


The main issues the BBFC have to take into account would be horror, drugs, language, sexual activity, criminal behaviour, discrimination, nudity, themes and violence. The regulation of these issues are then split up into the different age classifications: U, PG, 12A, 12, 15,18, R18.


U- Universal

These films should have a 'positive moral framework' and should balance out any violence or horror in a way that is reassuring and justified. these are usually aimed at 4 year olds and over.

PG - Parental Guidance

PG films advise parents to decide as to whether or not their child can watch these films. There may be a few upsetting scenes that would not be suitable for 8 year olds or younger. The makers of PG films need to leave out any scenes that would be considered as disturbing material for 8 year olds.

12A/12 - Suitable for 12 and over

These films have violence and other such factors that anyone below the age of 12 may find upsetting. 12A films are for cinema use only, so there is parental supervision.

15 - Suitable for 15 and over

For these films, no one below the age of 15 may view, in any circumstance, the material being shown. This is due to a stronger use of violence, sexual activity and language.

18 - Suitable for 18 and over

18 films are usually a lot more explicit and for adult viewing only as many of the main issues within these films will upset and disturb younger years.

R18

Too explicit to be shown in regular cinemas. Only to be shown and sold in licensed cinemas and shops to 18+.

I have read through the BBFC specifications and guidelines, and I have come to the conclusion that my film will be classified a 15.


Guidelines Of A 15 Rated Film

Discrimination

No discriminative behaviour or language should be used at all.

Drugs

The usage of drugs may be shown as long as the substance is not glamorised or encouraged. Easily accessible drugs are unlikely to be accepted.

Horror

Threatening behaviour is acceptable as long as it is not sexualised or sadistic.

Dangerous Behaviour

Behaviour that can be easily copied, such as self-harming, suicide and hanging should not dwell on the action of which can be imitated. Any weapons used in the act should not be glamorised.

Language

Frequent use of strong words, such as 'fuck', can be used. However, stronger words can only be used if justified in context. Aggressive use of very potent language will not be accepted.

Nudity

Nudity is allowed in education or non-sexual context, baring in mind that any nudity in a sexual context is slightly censored.

Sex

Sex will not be accepted if it's the work's primary theme. However, sexual activity can be shown without strong detail and verbal reference to sex is allowed. The strongest of verbal, sexual references are unlikely to be accepted.

Theme

No theme is allowed unless it is strongly suitable for 15 year olds.

Violence

Sexualised, sadistic or the strongest gory images is unlikely to be allowed in a 15 rated film. Any violence included can be strong but should not dwell on infliction of pain or injury. Detailed, verbal reference to sexual violence may be allowed alongside discreet portrayal of sexual violence with strong contextual justification.

As my film is primarily a horror, I have to take into account any issues relating to violence or imitable behaviour. My film will not dwell on pain, injury or dangerous acts. Strong language may be used, but I will not use the strongest of language that may be upsetting. My film includes strong stereotypes, but I will make sure that there is no discriminative material. Keeping to the guidelines of this classification, my target audience will be a lot wider and at the same time, allows for more freedom of shown material.

Audience Research

Audience Research from Holly Jones on Vimeo.

For this task, I wrote a survey with a number of different questions. I then went out into my school and found a number of people around our target audience age and interviewed them. From the number of different people I interviewed, I chose the most popular and helpful answers for each question and animated each idea.

This has helped me pin point exactly what the target audience of my film wants and expects. I know that the audience like to watch horror movies quite a few times per month, showing that they are quite devoted to that genre. They feel that a good psychological horror should be realistic in a way so it stays with you even after the film has ended. My audience are not scared easily, so I doubt there would be any complaints about my film. My target audience does not like to watch psychological horrors alone; but they do not want a big, distracting group of friends with them either. Gore seems to appeal to the younger section of my target audience; even though my movie is not a slasher, I can incorporate some more gruesome seens into it.

Target Audience

In this section, I have narrowed my audience down to who I think will enjoy and want to watch my film the most. Here is my ideal audience:

From this specification I can now refer to this when I am having difficulties with my storyline and title. This means that I can always keep in mind my audience and what they would like to see in my film, making it successful and effective.

Textual Analysis - Comparison Between Two Psychological Horror Film Openings

Both The Eye and The Others have a lot of dark lighting and musical suspension. Sudden diegetic sounds cut through the music (screaming, smashing windows, rocks hitting a metal surface) to jolt the audience out of their trance created by the music. In both films the two assumable main characters are both female and do not reveal much about themselves at first. Revealing their character seems to be a gradual process. Both characters are shown mostly to be disturbed or upset by something, but the audience are not shown what it is. This builds on the psychological mystery of the film. In both openings there is a play on the audience's emotions. In The Others, the mix of a children's story and calm music with the dark setting and the screaming is used to confuse and scare the viewers. Whereas, in The Eye, the audience is confused as to who is in the wrong; the shouting, seemingly abusive children or the victim/woman who appears to hang herself in the end. The audience are made to feel a mix of suspicion, fear and pity for the woman. This play on emotions and dark settings make these two films a definite psychological horror.

From this comparison of two successful psychological horrors I have learned more techniques to define my genre. I now have more ideas for music choice and the pace of editing. I will start the shots off a little short, but they will grow shorter as the scene builds up and the music and diegetic sounds will become louder in time with the editing. My main character will remain quite mysterious throughout the opening.

Textual Analysis - The Others

The Others

 This film opens on a black screen with a woman softly narrating. She begins with "Are we sitting comfortably?", which many of the western, older generations would associate with 'Listen With Mother'. This would help the audience link this beginning to children's stories. This also helps us identify the target audience as adults and older generations.

A candle light-like effect then flickers on to reveal a drawn, dark picture montage of the interior of an old house, gothic house with childish characters dressed in old fashioned clothes. Revealing the setting of the film to be quite historic and gothic. The music is slow and classical, but with a sinister twist, indicating a tragic storyline. The credits fade in and out peacefully with the pace of the music.

The last drawn picture is of a big, historical house in what seems to be the middle of no where. The picture fades out onto an establishing long shot of the actual house. The mist has enrobed the building. Mist would be a connotation for spooky, mysterious scenes, settings and/or stories.
The music seems to come to an end slowly, indicating to the next shot.

The music is suddenly cut short by a very high-pitched scream emanating from the woman on screen, breaking the calm produced by the music and childish pictures. This could symbolise reality breaking through a story-like visage. A close up of the woman's face shows her terror. Slowly, the camera turns 90 degrees and zooms out into a mid-shot to establish that this character was lying in bed.This would indicate that was she just having a bad dream. This quick run through from peaceful, to terror, to relief plays on the audience's emotions effectively.

 The scene then moves to a long shot of the outside of the house. Mist is still surrounding the house, blocking out the background, so it remains mysterious as to where the house is situated. Three silhouttes walk across the grounds. The audience can hear distant conversation between the three. They sound cheerful as they laugh. This is a big contrast to the mood of the scene.

There is match on action in the next shot as the camera closes in on the three beings approaching the house. The long shot is taken up mostly by the granduer of the large door and face of the building, showing that the people who live here are of high class status. The conversation is a lot more audible, but we cut in half way through a sentence, so the clip the audience does hear is very confusing and sparks many questions about the trio. There is diegetic sound as they cross the gravel-covered ground towards the door.

At the end of the two minutes, we are re-introduced to the terrified woman in an earlier shot. This ties up the connection between her and the house, as she answers the door in an over the shoulder shot to the three, mysterious characters. Only her face appears in the crack of the door; implying that she may be paranoid or nervous about showing herself fully. Another connotation for this body language could be because she is a mysterious character who has yet to reveal everything.

Textual Analysis - The Eye

 The opening of this film opens on a long shot, onto a very dark, night-time scene. There are bare tree branches moving slightly in the wind, like skeleton hands; a very typical, yet a little old fashioned feature used in scary stories and films. There is very low, quiet, eerie music building tension. There is diegetic sounds ongoing through out this opening as we hear hard objects hitting a metal surface. There is also a sound of crickets in the background to emphasise the night-time.

 Fast pace editing is used as each shot changes. Some times it cuts to black as if we, the audience, are blinking; Like we are seeing this event unfold before our eyes. We still hear the music playing at the same pace and we hear more objects hitting a metal surface.

We then quickly cut to another long shot of the outside, with a blurry foreground, as though the audience is viewing this scene from behind fauna. A person sprints past the scene in a blur, shouting something in another language, so the English audience does not understand what is going on, but the frantic footsteps imply that something immediate and alarming is going on. The music gradually gets lower in pitch signifying a slow down of the action, nearing a climax.

 In this shot, there is a dark, yellowing hut, that looks like it's existed for a long time. There is a non-English word painted in red graffiti on the hut. The chosen colour suggests danger or blood, warning the audience that this will not be a nice introduction. The fast pace of the editing is kept up, as the music gets lower and lower in pitch.

There is a close up of a light bulb being turned on. the hand uses a cord to switch it on, showing that this setting is a little behind times. The background is still pitch black, confusing the audience as to where we are. We hear the sound of the light bulb humming and heavy breathing that could suggest that the character who turned on the light has been running and/or sobbing; which also suggests terror.

It then cuts to a close up of some kind of inanimate object we are unable to recognise. In the background we see the shadow of a person walking around quickly. Frantic whispering can be heard, and we connect it to the panicked movements of the shadow. The music grows lower in pitch as the climax approaches.

We are then snapped out from the dimly lit room as we are shown a long shot of the opening scene, but this time, two young characters have occupied the shot. They project childish shouts in a different language and throw rocks. We then understand that the action they are performing links in with the sound of hard objects hitting a metal surface. We presume the metal surface is the hut we were shown earlier. 

This shot then confirms that the mysterious, stressed character is inside the old hut as we hear muffled cries and the smashing of glass as another rock hits a window. There is a mid shot of the shadow and there is more frantic muttering. The music gets lower in pitch still. 

Then, the close up of a hand preparing a black wire indicates that is what the character within the hut was up to. The colour of the wire has many dark connotations such as death. A woman is muttering as she ties the wire up and the music grows lower still.

The woman grabs a chair, which helps the audience clue together what is about to take place. The room is still very dark and it is very difficult to see exactly where she is or what she looks like, keeping the mystery. Kids are still shouting and throwing rocks. The shots become slightly longer to give the audience a chance to catch up with what is happening.

Music tension increases and still decreases in pitch. More diegetic sound as more windows are smashed by rocks keeping the reality of the event. We see a close up of the woman's feet as she struggles to reach something. To match this, we hear strained gasps and muttering.

There is a medium close up of a shaft of light through a cobweb, creating creepy lighting and emphasising the darkness. An object fades in from the darkness and it almost looks like a white, hollow, face. The music rises in tension as it closes in on the climax. More windows are shattered so we receive a fusion of reality and the surreal image of that face.
The last shot of this sequence is an extreme close up of the mysterious character's eye. This links in with the title of the film as well as shows the audience that she is only young because there are no visible signs of old age. There is a shadow across half of her face, hiding her full identity. The tear drop runs down her face to show that she is either scared and/or upset. The woman, through sobs, mutters something in another language. Her voice is shaky but almost begging, showing that she wants to be free of the horror she seems to be faced with. Music reaches a climax as it hits it's loudest, highest note and it cuts to the next scene.

Synopsis - (film name here)

Synopsis

Quinn and Max  are a young, ambitious couple, struggling to make their way in the city after a long, relaxed few years in university. They live in a fairly posh town house that Max’s rich parents mostly paid for. They seem to have it better than most.

One night, whilst working the night shift in the hospital, Quinn runs into Francis, the elusive janitor everyone at work is always gossiping about. Quinn drops the bags of blood she is carrying and they burst on the floor. Francis stares at the blood for a second, glares at Quinn and then leaves. Quinn is left bewildered. At home, she frets about what she had witnessed that night, as Max watches her with a concerned expression before leaving for work.

Quinn goes back to the hospital for her next shift, unknowingly rushing until she turns up half an hour early. She confides what happened the night before with her friend, another nurse, Mary. Mary tells Quinn about how she’d had a similar encounter on her night shift the other week at which Francis had said to her ‘mind where you tread.’ Mary seems very troubled and a little scared. Quinn asks her how things are at home with her terminally ill husband, Karl. Mary brushes off the question with a nervous nod of the head and then leaves. Quinn has a long, tiring shift in which a patient of hers died in his sleep. Very stressed, Quinn blames herself and drives home in a daze, leading her to nearly run over a little boy in the street. When she returns home, she breaks down in Max’s arms and falls asleep that way for a few hours. At around 3 in the morning, Quinn awakes suddenly as if she has had some very disturbing dreams. Tired and confused, her body seems to lead her towards the laptop, where she searches the name ‘Francis Denver’, even though she has never known Francis’ last name before. No matches were found. Quinn refreshes the page repeatedly until she falls asleep at the desk.

The next morning, Max awakes Quinn and irritably tells Quinn she has an unhealthy obsession with the janitor. Quinn over reacts, and knocks the laptop onto the floor, causing it to break. Max, alarmed, books her in at a psychiatrist, to which Quinn says she’ll go to, but ends up stalking Francis back to his house. To get to Francis’ house, they have to walk through a dark forest. Quinn loses track of him and turns to head back home when she is hit hard in the head and blacks out. When she wakes up she is unfamiliar to her surroundings and develops a couple of bruises and a nasty gash on her head. As she treats herself she realises that she’s in a room full of bloodstained sacks, supposedly full of bodies. Quinn is confused as to whether they are real or not. She soon blacks out and hears a loud screeching noise

Quinn awakes in hospital after an unfathomable amount of time. She finds out she is lying in the same bed her patient died in before. She is approached by two police officers and an inspector, who accuse her of murdering her fiancé and Mary (the nurse who works with Quinn). Quinn is taken to the police station where she is interrogated. She is shown a number of pictures of Mary before and after her death. Quinn has short but gruesome flashbacks of Mary's body hanging in the janitor's closet. Quinn does not remember anything else except the name, Francis Denver. After a while the police don’t have enough evidence to throw her in jail and she is left under surveillance. Not being able to leave the house, Quinn becomes crazed and depressed. She empties her bedroom and locks herself in with just a picture of her fiancé.

After a few weeks, the inspector breaks into Quinn’s bedroom to find her weak and curled up on the floor. He tells her that they have found more bodies and more evidence that all points towards her. In desperation and insanity, she pounces upon the inspector, bites a chunk out of his shoulder and then makes a run for it. She runs through the forest towards Francis’ house. As she gets closer to the house, flashbacks of what actually happened hit her (Quinn did kill all those people through paranoia). She seemingly shakes it off and runs faster. When she gets to the house, she creeps around the back. Looking weak, insane and barely human, Quinn picks up a brick and enters the house. She creeps up to an armchair where Francis is sat, in a deep sleep. As she is about to hit Francis, he wakes up and there is a big brawl and chase through the house and out into the forest. Whilst the chase is happening, there is confusion as to who is chasing who. Quinn gets more flashbacks of herself running through the same woods, chasing her fiancé with a bloody knife in her hand. We then are shown Francis, running for his life. He stops and hides behind a tree to catch his breath. He hears a twig snap and looks up to see Quinn crouched on a branch, readying to drop the brick on his head.

The film flashes to white and then fades to black, where the credits start.

Now knowing my storyline, I can get a good feel for how the opening should look like. I can now choose tense music to match the suspense during the film. Opening on Quinn in a mental hospital will confuse the audience. A clean, plain setting will give none of the storyline away.

Psychological Horrors - Codes and Conventions

From my horror genre research below, I have decided to use psychological for my film. Before I can storyboard my film opening, I need to bare in mind the basics of Psychological horrors. This will help when I want to indicate to the audience what to expect from my film. Here are the codes and conventions of a psychological horror

Characters

• Young adult or a child (usually female)
• Mentally unstable
• Emotionally unstable
• Dark, gothic in looks
• A detective (or other figure of authority)
• An unsuspecting partener or friend

Settings

• Mental Hospitals
• Dark, gloomy, abandoned places
• Big, isolated domains

Props

• Old photographs/teddies/dolls/anything else of sentimental value to a character
• A weapon of some sort (ranging from proper weapons such as a knife to inanimate objects such as a metal pole)
• A source of research such as a laptop, book, files.

Storylines

• A story full of suspense, twists and deaths/mental torment.
• One person either mentally ill or the victim of brutal abuse from a stalker/family member/friend.
• Not always, but a lot of times it ends in the main character either dying or ending up in hospital/mental asylem.
• There is usually a strong sense of confusion and mystery inflicted upon the main character and thus, the audience.
• There is almost never a happy ending.
• The horror usually is ceased through the main character working out what is happening and stopping it. However, sometimes the horror is not stopped, either implying that you cannot stop the horror/fear or that there will be a sequel.
• Ones closest to the main character are usually killed off

Sound

• Very little dialogue throughout most of the film.
• More dialogue when the main character is trying to reason/workout what's happening to them, showing panic and desperation.
• Tense, low music to build suspense, which usually builds up louder when a scary scene is coming up.
• Sometimes there will be a very quiet drum beat in the background, mimicking the heart rate of the character and possibly the audience's.
• A lot of silent scenes giving the film an eerie effect.

Cinematography and editing

• Fast pace editing for the most part to emphasise confusion and action. However, slow paced editing is used at tense moments to build suspense.
• Characters will have flashbacks from time to time, each time they get closer to working out why these acts of horror are happening.
• Sometimes, not very linear, showing the result of horrible events at the beginning to spark curiosity and fear. It would usually show the character after being through an ordeal (e.g. in a mental hospital, alone and lost in a forest, in a hospital bed, etc).
• Mostly filmed in dark places such as night-time, dark houses, etc.
• The camera nearly always focuses and follows the main character

 From researching the codes and conventions of Psychological horrors, I know what I must include in my opening to give the needed effect of suspense and fear on my audience. A non-linear approach (opening on the after-effects if events) will create the needed 'play' on emotions towards the character and her situation. I also know that using a young, seemingly vulnerable female lead will create fear for the character.

With these in mind, I can effectively make my film into a clear psychological horror.

Preliminary Task

The doctors appointment from Holly Jones on Vimeo.



Before my peers and I started thinking about our film ideas, we had to learn the basics of film. We experiemented with reverse shots (for conversations), over the shoulder shots, match on action, and more camera angles. We also learnt about the importance of the 180 degree rule. The rule is if the camera is filming from the left hand side of a person, it can never cross over to the right hand side, and visa versa.

If broken, the audience will be snapped out of their 'trance' and brought back to reality. The camera switching angles confuses the audience's brains and breaks the illusion.

From filming this preliminary task I have learnt the skills I need to make my final film look professional and effective. I will be using match-on-actions, reverse shots, over the shoulder shots and much more to bring my film opening up to the right standard.

Horror Sub-Genre Research

Before I started planning my film, I had to research and display information on horror sub-genres to give myself an idea on how to go about creating my opening. I found there were many sub-genres related to horror. Some bordering on the edge of thrillers and others on the edge of fantasy and even comedy. I found that there was really no such thing as a solid horror movie. This, I feel, made it easier for me as I could narrow my film down to a particular, recognisable style, however, I knew it would be difficult to keep myself from turning, for example, a monster horror into a zombie apocalypse.


I decided to research horror as I prefer it to most other film genres and I have been writing a phsycological horror novel in my free time, which would give me inspiration for this film.

Other films that inspire me are: Silent House, Silent Hill, The Ring, Hide And Seek, The Blare Witch Project.