Prop ideas

Prop Ideas

  One of the appeals of a horror films is that, unlike an action film that needs guns and cars, a horror film needs a very minimal number of props. The few props that we need for our scene are face paint, fake blood (both of which could be classified as makeup and not props), a lighter/matches and most importantly to the story, a Ouija board. The matches are essential to the movie plot because the last 15/20 seconds of the film involve Matt holding a match and going round the stage until the monster comes up behind him. The fake blood and face paint is essential for Luke, as he is the monster and therefore needs to look scary, we will use white face paint to make his face completely white and the fake blood will be used around the eyes to add depth and emphasis to the character. The Ouija board is the whole point of the movie and therefore needs to be to a good standard, we got Billy to create his own Ouija board which we'll be using in the film, the pointer we got in the film was made last second but still does the job we want it to do.

Script for the summoning

Script for the summoning

Characters 

Matt-Jock
Zoe-Girl
Bill-Average guy
Conor-Darker guy
Billy-Geek
Luke-Monster

Introduction

Independent film making studio's (IFM)
Beginning credits

*Camera pans upwards, revealing setting, main characters walk past the camera and enter the settings doors with the doors shutting behind them, panicked gasps are heard from some members of the group, Bill places hand on door and attempts to open it to no avail*
"Matt: well, there's no turning back now"
*Anxious looks between Billy, Zoe and Billy as they look to Conor for answers*
"Zoe: Whats the plan then"
"Conor: Well......."
*Conor takes a Ouija board out of his bag and reveals it to the group*
"Matt: A Ouija board really?"
*A dim light appears through the darkness from one of the rooms, the group share some uneasy looks and then proceed to head towards the room, camera cuts to the designated room where candles are placed appropriately around the room and on a table*
"Conor: Well here goes nothing"
*Conor places the Ouija board onto the table in the appropriate place*
"Matt: You know what to do guys"
*The group position themselves accordingly around the and place one hand on the pointer*
"Zoe: are there any spirits here?"
*Pointer moves to yes; as a close-up is shown*
"Conor: Can you tell us what happened to our missing friends"
*A few candles on the outer ring burnout and the pointer points to no*
"Zoe: why not"
*Camera focuses on group (birds eye) as more candles burnout and pointer moves in quick succession of three letters (you)*
"Matt: You? what do you want from us?"
*pointer points to five letters (death), group looks uneasily at each-other, a few close-ups one used and focuses on Billy*
"Bill: death?"
*Ouija board bounces slightly, group gets startled and Bill and Billy step back, Ouija board begins to vibrate violently*
"Matt: whats happening "
*Ambient sound presents spirit presence, which is followed by a birds eye view of the group, each member pushed back into the darkness behind them and the remaining candles go out, shuffling is heard, followed by some heavy breathing*
*Flicks lighter twice before igniting on the third attempt to shown to be distressed and looks around quickly, heavy breathing becomes more apparent and other ambiance stops. A ghostly face appears from the darkness behind Matt s left shoulder, creature becomes angry as shown on its face, the lighter is extinguished and a loud scream is heard*

Ideas for opening two minutes- The summoning

Ideas for opening two minutes- The summoning

-Ouija board   -zippo lighter -make up for ‘monster’

Genre:

 Horror.

Characters:

    -‘Leader’ – Brave. Jock. –Leather jacket, white shirt, black jeans, dark shoes.  –Matt.

    -Wimp/Geek – scared. –Geeky t-shirt, Jeans, converse, check shirt. – Billy.

    -Girl – preppy –Skinny jeans, cardigan, nice shirt, shoes. –Zoe.

    -Dark one – suggests Ouija board – Black jeans, dark clothing, dark shoes.– Conor.

    -Average – normal guy – jeans, sweater (zipper), casual clothes, Vans.– Bill.

    -Monster/ghost - Scary – Luke.

Title sequence:

    -Names of featured people.    –Names go with establishing shot.     –Logo: Independent Film Making (studios)

Music:

    -Discordant.    –Eerie.    -Creepy.    –Piano.    –Guitar.   – Goes with establishing shot.

Scenes:

    -Establishing Shot.   –Ouija Board.   –Lighter Scene.    –Title Scene.

Name Suggestions:

Initial ideas	Shortlist	Final idea
-          The Morgue	Darkening	The Summoning
-          The disturbance	Darkest fate
-          The mortuary	Candle Light
-          A game of monsters	A Ghost’s Game
-          The summoning	The Forgotten
-          Dark script	Behind it All
-          The devils deal	Veil of Darkness
-          Blood haunting	Darkness Veil
-          The devils conjuring	Gateway
-          The spirit within	The summoning
-          Possessors grip
-          The screaming flame
-          Borderline / Borderline
-          The spirits influence

  We have decided that the film we want to make will be a horror. The appeal of the horror genre is that it is very unlike any other genre; when you see a horror film you instantly know it is a horror film. In a lot of ways, this makes a horror easier to film, as you have a distinct structure and idea of what you should be doing during filming. Further appeals of making a horror film are that you only need a minimal amount of props, so the price of production is kept low.

  When brainstorming our film we knew we wanted to strike a good balance between being faithful to the genre, but also have our own spin on things. The risk of sticking too close to genre conventions is that the film becomes cliché, and while being cliché is it’s self a convention of the genre, it is not something we want to include in our film. On the other hand, if we try too hard to be different and have our own spin on things, we risk the film losing touch with the genre.

Character ideas

Monster/make up idea

Monster/make up idea

jock/leader

Goth/dark guy

average guy

Geeky/wimpy guy

Setting research

Setting Research

St. Peters mortuary, Chertsey, Surrey

The mortuary, built in the 1940’s, is a small, rectangular building on the outskirts of the main Hospital site and closed in April 2009 when the mortuary relocated to the main hospital building. It is located in Chertsey, Surrey and is an abandoned public place where anyone can go to and search. There is a bit of danger involved because when there has been lots of rain it floods and makes the building deteriorate quicker.

The shot on the left is of the hallway, shot from the front entrance and shows the body storage areas from when the mortuary was in service. The shot on the right is of the dissecting tables they used to extract organ donors organs.  The shot down the bottom left is the outside view of the mortuary which gives it the sense of being abandoned.

West park mental hospital, Epsom, Surrey

The mental hospital closed in the 90’s after its use became limited, since then it has become a place where the locals would go to trash the place. This has led to some complications because the place is not in the best of shapes. It would have been a good place to film our horror film with brain tissue and other personal items labelled and kept on the counter, as well as having a dead decomposing rat in the room will set the setting very well. However unfortunately as of January 2014 there is no longer any of the things which make the setting so perfect as the mental hospital was in a place due for construction so they have taken the first step to demolishing the establishment by removing all the props and items from the floor.

The top left picture is the outside shot of the mental hospital showing it is a rural area with lots of trees in the background which could have made it an eerie setting. The right picture is of the 3 storage bays for bodies because just like the last place it counts as a mortuary as well. The last picture is of one of the rooms where patients would stay once admitted to the mental hospital.

Cane hill hospital

Cane hill hospital was a hospital and mortuary used extensively throughout the late nineteenth century and early 20^th century. Since the 70’s it has been in constant decline and therefore the local government officials tried to make it into a heritage site. This however failed and in 2008 the scheduled demolition started and would be finished by 2010. However things took a turn for the worst when a fire erupted and burned down the original clock tower and the front of the entire establishment. This is why we can’t film here because even-though it would have been a good place to film, it is no longer there for us to film.                                     

 

The actual location

The actual location we ended up filming in was my house in Cobham. Unfortunately our idea to go the morgue couldn't happen as the morgue got closed down a week or so before we filmed. We therefore had to rethink our options and my house we thought was good enough as it is an old cottage and therefore has the freaky factor, it also needs renovating and so it can come across as abandoned and therefore is a better setting. We decided to make this change as well because it was more of a practical location for us to film in as chertsey was far away and none of us knew for sure where it was, my house however is a short bus ride away and therefore was a perfect replacement.

G321 preliminary task analysis

G321 preliminary task analysis

Strengths- The actual filming of the scene was very efficient and has all required shots included, These shots include the 180 degrees shot, Match on action shot and the shot reverse shot. This made sure that the audience was not disorientated why watching the scene. The match on action shot was used well too zoom in on the door handle to add more detail. The camera was held very steady to make it run smoothly and there was very limited background noise to interfere with the overall filming quality. There is quite a few clear cuts which then switch to the next shot, this comes across as fluid and more natural almost like a continuous film rather than having jump cuts. We didn't involve any camera cuts under 30 degrees as it comes across as unprofessional and can be a bit confusing as to why we actually added it in. 

Weaknesses- The only weaknesses in the quality of filming is where we didn't cut quick enough when Zoe reached towards the door handle and then it was almost like a freeze frame which interrupts the fluency of the film. The only other thing we could of done is changed the camera shot when Zoe is walking towards the table, we could of switched down the line of action to make it more fluid and less static. The only other thing is we could of filmed the dialogue with a bit more enthusiasm ans therefore get better achieved entertainment. This could help to make it look more natural and get a more relate-able viewing.

The only targets we have set ourselves is to make sure the editing is too the optimal efficiency, This would require us to edit out the bit leading up to the door handle and changing the shot along the 180 degrees line when Zoe walks into the classroom and sits down. This would make the scene seem more professional as the cuts would be smoother and more effective. Another target we could of used would be to use a tripod because even though there was minimal shaking in the actual filming, there was still slight jiggles in the filming which we would have to change in the actual filming of the opening two minutes.

Continuity editing in film

Continuity editing in film 

Shot reverse shot

A shot reverse shot is usually used when two characters are having an uninterrupted piece of dialogue where the camera goes from one character to another many times over for each piece of dialogue. The first shot is usually over the shoulder, The next over the shoulder of the other character, then the third a different angle of the first shot.

The 180 degree rule in film

The 180 degree rule in film is used to make sure the audience never get confused as to what is happening and where the characters are, It is used because if you film past that point it can disorientate the audience.

Match on action

Match on action is a shot which zooms in on a specific object which the director wants the audience to focus on. Its most usually used when people open doors, The shot usually starts of with someone approaching the door, then the shot changes to the view of the door knob/handle which the person is turning, then to a shot of the character walking into the room from a different angle which has to be more than 30%.

Analysing opening scene-Now you see me

Analysing opening scene-Now you see me

The now you see me opening scene has lots of close ups on who we presume to be the main characters, A close up shot is used on four main people during the opening scene, this shows the audience who the main characters are because it spends most of its time looking at these four people. The reason they use a close up is because they want us to look for evidence ourselves on how they do the magic. This is very effective because it keeps the audience guessing on how they do it, this is good because it involves the audience and makes the whole movie experience a more interesting and interactive event. An establishing shot is used when it shows the big building in the background as well as the city because it is setting the scene for this movie to take place. A tracking shot is used to follow the movements of each of the four original main characters to reveal to the audience that they will have massive significance in the overall screening of the film. We also get a two person shot in three out of the four scenes to show the relationship between the audience and the magicians, this bond is needed for a successful show because they need to not just fool the audience on screen but off screen as well. This will create a more stunning experience because as the main characters are talking in movie it is like they are talking to you as well through first person camera shots to try and get the audience to think they are there and are directly involved in the magic going on.

The sound used in the opening scene is mainly diegetic with all the dialogue used in each main characters scene. The dialogue used is very important within a thriller to help set the tone mood and atmosphere. The director cleverly uses the sound of peoples muffled whispering and the sound of shocked awes and gasps, as well as clapping to add an overall atmosphere to what an audience is usually like at one of these events.Non-diegetic music is used very subtly to fill in gaps in the dialogue with a background theme tune which adds to the experience of seeing the film. Even-though the music is not very loud it does have a big impact on the overall filming experience as it adds in a sense of amazement through the tune it makes. Diegetic sound is used in the dialogue between the main characters and the side characters, it reveals to the audience just what these magicians plan to do but doesn't tell you how they will accomplish it so that the audience is left thinking. This shows that the genre is a thriller because it leaves a sense of uncertainty and leaves us in anticipation for the great reveal which will be at the end of the film.

An enigma code is used right at the end of the opening scene when after three magicians have done their magic the forth struggles and we're left with the image if a woman being swamped by piranhas. This leaves us with a question in our head, "because she is a magician how will she escape?". This keeps the audience thinking about all the possibilities on ways in which the woman can escape because we know she is a main character by the way the camera centres on her and she is one of few with quite a bit of dialogue so as an audience member we wouldn't expect her to die so early into the movie. 

The audience can see that each character is wearing a set piece of clothing depending on where they are performing, for example the first magician is wearing a smart suit for a formal performance in front of an audience, the second a shirt and jacket for what looks like just street entertainment, the third a casual leather jacket and trousers for a boat performance and the last her swimming wear because it involves going in water. This shows the audience that the magicians will adapt to what they are doing and therefore shows us this is a thriller film because whatever they are wearing will have some sort of insight into the performance ahead.

Analysing opening scene-Pacific rim

Analysing opening scene-Pacific rim

The first thing we see in the opening scene for pacific rim is the two main companies who created the movie, Warner bro's studio's and Legendary. These two studios are both very well known and so when audiences see that the movie is made by them they will expect it to be a good film because both studios have a high expectation of creating great movies which everyone can watch. We then get a plain black screen with two definitions on it, this is curious to an audience member because they know that if these definitions are right at the start of the movie then they must have massive significance in the overall plot of the film and so they would try to remember the two words shown. The first shot we get is a zooming shot of the sky with many stars in it, this makes the audience think about the many possibility's the world has to offer with the many different life forms and landscapes for us people to explore. The next shot  is a long shot of some sort of electricity field deep in the depths of our own oceans, this makes us think of the term "down in the depths" because for the moment we no very little about what's down there and we only have 5% of the undersea area actually explored. The first major shot we get of the type of film this is going to be (action) is first person camera view showing the monster attacking the bridge. The camera shot is filmed like it is through the eyes of someone panicking and trying to run away, it is however also filmed as a low angle shot which shows the supreme power of the monster shown. We then get a long shot which the director uses to show us the massive size of the monster and how compared to our worlds architectural masterpieces its unstoppable. We then get a tracking shot of a few jet fighters trying to make an assault on the beast, the camera angle is like one of another pilot looking backwards watching the plane fly. The director then shows a series of pictures in a row to show the true effect of the destruction to every single class possible. We then get loads of different images showing us how these monsters are a world wide problem and therefore the world needs to unite against them. This shows the audience that in times of hardship we can put aside our differences and work together, this helps the audience to relate to the characters because it shows a wide variety of different people all of which come from different classes so that everyone in the audience can relate in some way.

Sound is used very effectively in the opening scene both diegetically and non-diegetically. The constant narration is used to a very high standard to fill in members of the audience into the basic idea of the story and how they got to where they are now. The narration also helps us to realize that this is indeed a horror film because it mentions things like jets, tanks, monsters and fighting back. All of this is over the top of the already shocking imagery they have managed to create to show the world in utter chaos with monsters everywhere attacking everything. Diegetic sound is used very sparingly to only get across the extent of damage and chaos these monsters are causing, they also use the monsters screams along with war sirens louder to prove more quickly the tragedy which has happened. It doesn't have a set theme tune for the movie but does have a slow paced theme music in the background to help add more of an atmosphere to the film.

An enigma code is used at the end of the opening sequence to leave people in the audience with unanswered questions involving the story line, that last line "things were about to change" leaves the audience on a cliffhanger because it makes us think about what exactly could of changed to put the tides out of their favour and how this change will affect the entire outcome of this movie.

The main characters are partly introduced in the opening scene, this is because from what the audience can figure the narrator saying all this stuff is going to be the main character, they can recognize this because throughout the entire scene there is not one other person talking or any camera shots focusing on any one person, so we can figure out that the narrator must be the main character of the film because he is the only one which our focus is bought to.

Analysing opening scenes-The lion king

Analysing opening scenes-The lion king

the opening scene of the lion king is one of the most well known opening scenes in movie history and for good reason. The amount of beautiful scenery it show with every shot is enough to shock every type of audience whether they be old, young, lower class or upper class they will all be shocked by the visual imagery of this 1993 classic film by Disney. The opening long shot of the rising sun is very affective because it shows the audience how the world wakes up when the sun rises, this is shown by all the animals moving to welcome the newest member of what they consider the royal family. The next few shots we get are all of different types of animals in different environments listening to some sort of call to gather at one place for an announcement. All these animals are displayed as very cooperative and so they all stand together, this would confuse the audience because in the wild animals do what they can to survive. This is why this image is so strong because it shows us that everyone can work together under the right circumstances and can also be referring to human nature where we are not perfect but under the right circumstances we can work together and accomplish anything. The close ups we get of the baby lion suggests to the audience that he will be the main character in this film because the camera centres on him and zooms in a lot more so we get an idea that he is the most significant character in the film. The view we get of the monkey lifting up the baby lion could be referring to the social hierarchy with the lion being held above everyone else to show that he is more important and that he is the animal they should all look up to. This helps people to relate with the animals on the floor because in every country today we have a leader whether it be a monarch, a prime minister or a president to look up to and we are taught to listen to them and take orders from them because they have more power than us. It also uses the shot when the monkey lifts up the baby lion and a veil of light comes down surrounding the baby, this is perhaps used to shoe that this baby will be their saviour and the last hope in what becomes a desolate wasteland with a dictator type ruler.

the sound used in the opening scene is nearly all non-diegetic through the song which the audience can hear which perfectly represents Africa. The singer singing in the background sings about what happens in the life of an animal and how the circle of life affect everything from the animals shown to the sun rising at the start to represent a start of a new day. The only diegetic sound we hear is of the baby lion purring, the monkey doing its ritual for the baby lion using a few items and the sound of all the animals cheering for the new arrival in their own different sounds. The fact that they only use a few sounds to properly show the scene helps the audience to take it in because with too much sound the scene wouldn't of been so eye-catching to the audience with all the stunning visuals.

The main character is introduced in the opening scene when we get multiple close ups of a baby lion and every animal in the movies attention is directed on him, the audience recognize him as the main character because the way it is filmed puts the main focus on him and all camera shots on him are close ups. An enigma code is used at the end when the monkey lifts him up because it makes the audience think about why he is so important in the animal kingdom and therefore it leaves us thinking.

Analysing opening scene-Ghost ship

Analysing opening scene-Ghost ship

The opening scene to ghost ship uses a lot of different shot types to get across a sense of normality in what's supposed to be a horror movie. We get a lot of different angled shots of the singer, this is because the director is trying to get it across as a normal scenario if there weren't so many different views of a set weapon. The main focus of the scene is on a complex wire system which runs out throughout the entire ship, this makes us think because this is a horror movie,that wire must have massive significance in the opening scene. It uses many tracking shots and different angles to suggest to us that the wire is not just for show but is a complex anomaly waiting to happen and affect all those on board the doomed vessel. We get lots of different shots of the young girl as well, this makes the audience believe that she is the main character of the film as it doesn't show anyone else very close up and it also looks very closely at her because she is a child and therefore innocent in the eyes of many and so to be in such a horrible scenario would shock the audience into thinking this is a horror film.

It uses music which is both diegetic and non-diegetic, diegetic in the fact that there is a woman singing the song so the people can hear it and it could also be non diegetic because the song seems louder to the audience and it is the only thing we can actually hear in the whole scene. The reason the music is quite slow and calm is so it makes us think that everything is normal. Apart from that the only noise we can hear is the slight ambience when the camera focuses on the set weapon,the creaky movement of the wire after it has killed everyone, the sound of bodies falling and slurred dialogue from the affected people.When we see the girl as the last survivor there is an eerie music in the background and then the diegetic sound of her screaming ends the scene. The reason the director only involves certain diegetic sound like the girl screaming and the wire cutting through human flesh is because it brings about more of an unsuspecting atmosphere tot he people in the audience who would be more focused on the music as it is displayed as louder. The music does abruptly end however when everyone has been chopped in half to give that shocked atmosphere to the viewer.

An enigma code is used at the end when only the little girl is left, this makes the audience think about what's going to happen to her seeing everyone else who was introduced in the opening scene died apart from her, this question lingers in our minds because she is only a child and therefore is innocent and for a child to see this much death would be traumatizing to her and so it makes the audience worry about her because from what we can see there is no-one left on the boat.

The costumes the cast are wearing are all very posh and old fashioned, maybe around the 1940's on a posh cruise liner. This shows that these people are all upper class businessman, this is typical of the genre because predominantly it is the middle class who watches horror films, especially the younger generation and to see rich people on screen would mean that the audience won't be able to relate as much to the character as the director would like and so by killing them it leads to way to introduce more middle class characters which the audience can relate with more and therefore imagine what it would be like to be in their position.