Genre List

Four shots i would expect to see in a horror film

I went out in my local town and took some shots of what I thought a viewer would expect to see in a horror and thriller film, I used a variety of shots to develop a daunting, scary mood in the pictures.

In this first shot, I used a extreme long shot to show the unknown murderer at the end of the bridge, I used this to show the victim has noticed me at the end and there is only one way to go because of the bridge layout, this shows that she can only go towards me which is straight to death. I used a hood and dark clothing to hide my identity to keep the audience guessing of who this murderer is and his intentions.

In this shot, I used an over the shoulder shot to show the unknown murderer with his weapon in hand. This is effective because it makes the audience feel your part of this murderer as if you’re someone helping him kill this women, I made sure my head was covering my face so that the audience are constantly guessing and do not know who this is which adds to the horror effect.

In this shot, I used a point of view shot so that the audience are looking through the eyes of the murderer, in the shot it shows the murderer following a women as if they are the murderer themselves, this makes the audience feel as if their a part of this murder. The victim is wearing white to represent her innocence and this makes the audience feeling helpless for this women.

This is my last and one of my favourite shots. It is a extreme long shot with two characters inside,  In the shot it shows the murderer following the unsuspecting victim in front of him, the baseball is out directed at the women indicating he is going to hurt her, the shot is low so this hides the identity of the murderer adding to the unknown horror.




Throughout the shots, the main parts of the mise-en-scene is the gloomy weather which effects the mood of the scene because its dull and not pleasant, The woman is dressed in white to show her innocence which contrasts to the killer being mysterious hidden wearing dark clothes. 

Film Table

Film	Genre	Conventions	Style of Opening	Info In Credits	Narrative Story Line Of Film
Pretty Woman	Drama	Rich People, Big Party, Show mains character after others, Shows setting, Title of film. Shows sex appeal of female.	Panning Style of Beverley Hills and Hollywood	Names of crew and actors	Party with rich people
Batman: The Dark Knight	Action	Showing setting, Guns, Violence, Slow Chilling music, Murder	Fight scene with villains	None	Bank Robbery with masked men
Nightmare On Elm Street	Horror	Innocent woman, showing setting, Monster watching the woman, Glimpses of monster, fear	Innocent women being chased by monster	Names Of Crew	Factory environment with monster following
The Horde	Action/Horror	Gang Violence, Guns, Blood, Murder, Masked men, Only briefly shows main characters until masked.	A gang storming another gangs hideout in apartments with fight scene	Names of actors and crew	Group of criminals storming apartment flats with guns
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny	Comedy	Religious family with one ‘outlaw’ of family who doesn’t obey, rude words and song for humour, laughable character	Humouring song to open film	Lyrics of song	Kid didn’t like his family so he ran away from home
Watchmen	Action	Retired super hero, living poorly on drugs and alcohol, then villain comes in and attacks him	Fight scene with a character and unknown villain	Fight scene where villain murders hero	Villain hunting down retired hero’s
Pulp Fiction	Comedy	Average people at diner, upbeat tune, humoristic swearing and scene	Equilibrium	Title of film and crew after opening scene and key actors	A couple who are everyday robbers
The Shining	Horror	Chilling music, Shows people are far away  from civilisation	Establishing landscape	Information about crew and actors	Family car travelling out in distance.

Different Action Shots

This is a match on action shot, it means that when something happens in the scene then when there is a cut the same piece of action must be going on. This is an example of continuity editing and this is very important in helping the audience continually understand exactly what is happening in the scene.

Shot reverse shot is a film technique where on character is shown looking at another character and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other

This is a 180 degree rule shot, this is when the camera must stay on the same side it shot the first shot so that it doesn't confuse the audience. When the camera is face one character, it must stay on the same side whilst looking at the other character

Conventions of a horror/thriller genre

Pictures you would expect to see in a horror film

This shot is a bird’s eye, point of view shot, this shot is effective because it shows the character on the floor of a toilet and from this height it gives the impression someone is watching her and looking over the cubicle. In the shot it shows the character tucked up surrounded in a small boxed area, this shows that she is frightened of something and she has no one to turn to so she is forced to be alone in this place, also she is trapped in this enviroment which represents her loneliness and she cannot escape. Also from this point of view shot it makes the viewer feel like they’re a part of this invasion of privacy and that you feel like you’re intruding in this person’s life which makes the audience connect with the shot and makes it more interesting .

This is a two mid shot, this shot is effective because it’s looking through the eyes of the murderer and that he is watching these two women. This shot gives the impression that the person who the murderer is following is the girl in white because of her innocence, however it doesn’t give that away because it can also be the other character, so this shot keeps the audience guessing and keeps them on edge of who the victim is. In the shot the branches of the push is coming across the picture, this gives the impression that someone is hiding to watch these women and that the edges of the branches represent sharp dangerous objects and how its dividing these women represents the murder killing them.

This shot is a mid-long shot, this shows a character in the mirror while someone is watching her without her knowing. This is effective because it gives the audience a sense of urgency that you know that something bad is going to happen to her and you want to tell her but they aren’t able to. However while showing this picture to the class we got feedback on the picture, They said that the character hiding should have her head lower and take her hands away, this will be better because it will hide the characters identity more and make the shot even more sinister and disturbing to the audience.

In this mid shot, it shows a character dead on the floor, this is an effective shot because as the audience you’re watching over this helpless girl and it makes the audience feel sympathy and guilt how this innocent girl has died. In the shot the character is surrounded by grass, the grass represents natural and fresh however it is surrounded this cold and dead figure. In the shot there is a shadow covering her body, this appears to be a shadow of a person and it gives off the impression this unknown figure did this to her but the audience don’t know who it is adding to the fear.

Suspense

Suspense is the element that authors use to try to leave the reader hanging, trying to figure out what will happen next, especially when the author does this at the end of the book without actually telling what happens. This leaves a particularly strong effect.

Suspense is a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions, most often referring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work. Suspense is not exclusive to fiction, though. Suspense may operate in any situation where there is a lead-up to a big event or dramatic moment, with tension being a primary emotion felt as part of the situation.

For example:

In this shot the suspense is not knowing the outcome of this showdown, will the hero die, or will the hero overcome his enemy, this leaves the audience watching and concerned for what’s going to happen

In this shot the suspense is the unknown of what’s upstairs, not knowing if horror awaits or someone is going to come down threatening the mood of the characters, this leaves the audience scared and on edge about the following scene

Analysis of front covers of Horror/Thriller Films and Music Used

This front cover is for The Horde, just by looking at the cover you can quickly pick up what the film is about and possibly main characters and scenes. On the cover you see three characters hire than all the hands, this shows that these people are the main characters in the film, also they are equipped with guns to show that there will be violence and action in this. Also they are surrounded by hands which are trying to grab them, the viewer would associate this zombies trying to grab humans to kill them, this is quickly confirmed by the quote " The die hard of zombie flicks", This has 'Die Hard' and 'Zombie' in bigger font than the rest of the sentence this is because they want the viewer to look at these certain parts which gives them a hint to the film. The music in the opening scene varies a lot, it starts off very tense with the seeing of a dead body, but then when the scene changes to a calm setting the music is softer and peaceful.

This is the front cover for Orphan, straight away the first thing you notice is this girl, this is because there is a close up of the girl's face which shows to the audience, this girl has some importance to the film and possibly the main character. Also the way she is looking straight is almost as if she is looking at you as a person and it is disturbing and makes the viewer uneasy even before watching the film. The slogan for this film is "There's something wrong with Esther", this brings the seriousness of the story down and how even know this girl may seem normal there is still this sense of disturbance about her and this makes the viewer uneasy and uncomfortable about her from the start. The music at the opening scene is very calm because it is just showing the equilibrium of life and how everything is okay and what they are
doing is perfectly normal to adopt a child.

By listening to the music of the opening scenes, it had given me idea's to the types of music I'm going to use in my own opening scene, i will either go with the drums to build the tension in the scene or the calm mood to show to the audience that yes it's okay for now but there will be a twist in there soon.

Denotation and Connotation

Denotation is an explicit or direct meaning rather than by suggestion.

Here is an advert for the perfume Eternity and a basic description of it. The description is purely factual an does not in any way analyse or evaluate the advert.

The word 'Eternity' is written in capital letters across the top of the image. The font used is a long thin sans serif font which is also used at the bottom of the image for the words 'Calvin Klein' and 'Parfum' which could represent that its a strong long lasting fragrance.

The background depicts a country side scene and there is a glare which appears to have been created sunlight which represents the fresh and natural essence of the perfume. 

In the foreground is a woman who is smiling and holding a child in her arms. Both characters have their arms wrapped around each other which shows the bond between these two people either mother and daughter or sisters.

Connotation is the idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing.

The word "Eternity is written in capital letters across the top of the image. Why?

The font used is a long thin San serif font which is also used at the bottom of the image for the words 'Calvin Klein' and 'Parfum'. Why this font?

The background depicts a countryside scene and there is a glare which appears to have been created by sunlight. Why? What are the connotations of such a setting?

In the foreground is a woman who is smiling an carrying a child on her shoulders. How are both character depicted? Represented?

Connotation of colour?

10 Favourite Thriller Films



 

1) Psycho is my most favourite horror film as it has a very chilling story line that makes me engaged throughout the film, also the use of shots within Psycho are very effective to really capture emotions of characters and the links between the two.

 

 

2) The Sixth sense is also another film I enjoy a lot because it has a large amount of psychological twists to that that make the audience think about what they are watching but also carry a chilling factor along with it.

3) The orphan is another film I enjoy because they have a story line that consists of an unsuspected villain being this little girl, no one would think that the girl would hurt anyone which allows her to get away with so much, therefore it's a good twist to normal thrillers.

4) The grey is a good thriller film as they have an animal villain instead of a human, this is effective as it is more face paced and engaging when it's unexpected when the animals are going to attack building a lot of suspense.

5) The Island is an effective film for when you want a surprise throughout the film, whilst watching the first hour etc. it seems like the place they live is there actual living environment and every day life, however it surprises the audience later when it's not actually real which makes audience question everything else about the film.

 

 

6) Disturbia is a great film for constant suspense and chilling action, throughout the whole film only one character and yourself know the truth about what's happened involving another character, so every time the other character enters you instantly think something bad is going to happen and get an uneasy feeling.

7) Inception is a good film because you have to pay constant attention to what is happening otherwise you will most likely lose what is happening within the story, there is so much going on that it is fully engaging for the audience to watch.

8) REC2 is also very engaging as your seeing it in a Point of view perspective as they search around this house full of the undead, this is the best possible way to get the audience engaged because they feel as if their actually there with them.

9) 127 hours does not consist of any horror or villain at all, it is a true story where someone gets trapped, this is very effective because it's based on a true story it can happen to any of us so having that makes it very interesting to the audience.

10) The woman in black is a good film as it also has a constant daunting effect all the way through because the audience never knows when the supernatural event is going to take place, the film also consists of long silences to build a lot of tension.

 

Introduction with my Top 10 Favourite Shots

This shot if from the horde, I like this shot because it shows this man has bad intentions compared to the others in his group. Also he is wearing a hat on his head which is also used as a face mask to cover his identity so it adds a mystery to the scene as of why is he hiding his face and where are they.

This shot is from Zombieland, I like this shot because it shows this powerful figure from a low angled shot which shows this guy is dominant in the story. The way he is holding two chainsaws openly shows that this guy is violent and also arrogant that he can use this against the zombies. Also there is a burning car behind him which may of been something he done or just a natural disaster which shows the audience what type of world this is.

This shot is from Black Hawk Down, I like this shot because it shows that the main character is overpowered but the massive population of enemies, and this makes the viewer feel like this is the end for the character they sympathized most with. In the shot you can see a guy holding a gun which shows his dominant power however there is blood on the wall which represents how weak he is and that he’s very vulnerable.

This shot is from holes, I like this shot because its showing the point of view of the character and as he looks on to this town it shows that this place is very isolated from any type of modern day residential environments, also every person in the shot are wearing orange jumpsuits and this would symbolise a prisoner or criminal.

This shot is from Bad Boys 2, I like this shot because it shows the power of the two men who are the main characters and also the relationship between them both, the way that there standing close back to back shows the trust they have in each other which shows to the audience there good friends/work partners.  Also one character is clearly showing the police logo which shows instantly that these guys are good and the others are bad

This shot is from Godzilla, I like this shot because it shows that even though the military have all this high machinery and weapons, they are nothing compared to the size of the footprint of what’s coming, This makes the viewer feel slightly unsafe whilst watching because you would associate them being big and powerful and you feel safe with them, but now there’s something bigger you don’t anymore.

This shot is from Déjà Vu, I like this shot because it shows people watching another person go about their everyday life’s. This is unusual to see because normally if someone is watching someone its normally a bit disturbing and horrible that people are watching this woman, however they are doing it for the right reasons so it messes with the viewers iconography of certain things.

This shot is from The Crow, I like this shot because it shows the hero actually looking like a villain and murdering people with weapons that you would associate with evil men, however this contrasts to the man he is killing because he also uses knives to kill people, so it’s as if he is getting revenge on him like he does to others making the irony of his lifestyle to come back to get him. Also the murderer is wearing makeup, which in a way looks like a ghost or dead person, this links to the film because he is actually dead so the he may of put of the makeup to show he has accepted his fate that he is dead.

This shot is from the film Shooter, I like this shot because of the way that the identity of the man is hidden but how he is wearing all white contrasts to the innocence of his identity, at first it seems he has bad intentions with the rifle and as if he is going to kill someone, but normally the character killing people would be wearing black, however this character is not which shows that what he is doing is for a good cause.

This shot is from The Hurt Locker, I like this shot because it represents someone’s life, by the bullet dropping to the ground, it represents someone’s body falling down to death, this is very effective because instead of showing the blood and gore to show action, it represents the emotional side and what impact this death has had on life.