Question 6-

Question 4 and 5-

Question 3-

Questions 2

'How does your media product represent particular social groups?'

There are many different factors that contribute to the representations in my short film. Examples of these are gender, ethnicity, age, regional identity, disability and sexuality. Some of these representations can be shown in a positive or negative light in our short film. There are also stereotypes that are shown and used within the film as well as counter types.


Gender-
In our opening of s horror film, there are many gender representations that can be analyzed. Firstly, the antagonist in our short film is a male. The general expectation of an antagonist in a horror film  would be a man. The violence that is insinuated with the bat, as well as the news reports are mainly linked to a violent man, attacking the weak. You are also unable to identify the male antagonist which can links to the fact that men can be cowards in the sense of not wanting anyone to know them doing wrong, so t hey mask  themselves.  There is also a blonde male victim. This stereotype can be challenged as even though he leads her up the stairs, being a protective boyfriend, as well as being polite letting the lady go first, with the character being blonde he juxtaposes the usual strong male figure as blonde is connected to being less intellectual as well as quite girly therefore it is a countertype. This can make the character vulnerable and in danger, due to the unknown, the clown coming into the house.  As well as a male victim we have a female victim that has brown hair. The female character in this film represents and challenges many stereotypes in the film. The first one that is shown in this short film is the fact that she is the one making a cup of tea in the kitchen. This can support the belief that women are meat to be in the kitchen doing homely activities. Female characters are stereotypically meant to do a lot of unpaid labor type work therefore this representation of the female in our short film supports this. Another stereotype that is portrayed  by the female in the opening of our short film could be the fact that she has to be led up the stairs b y the male figure which shows that she is unable to do this for herself. This links to the stereotype of the fact that women depend on men, and are not independent in making decisions. The male figure insinuated going upstairs by turning off the TV as well as holding her as they walk up the stairs. But there is a counter type which is represented through the female character and this is the fact that she has brown hair. Usually the damsel in distress is a blonde women, and this is because blonde hair represents purity and innocence. All of these gender stereotypes that are shown in our opening can be supported by the theory of stereotypes that was set by Tessa Perkins.

Question 1

As the brief was to create a short film I spent several hours watching short films to see what the key features that were included in horror films in general. Whilst watching examples of openings to horror films such as Amityville Horror, Scream, Hush, Purge and IT, I gathered information from each film that helped me with my own opening to a horror film. Each micro element in the films I analysed all played a big part in forming my own idea as in my short film there are many connections to each film I watched. These micro elements include, Mise en Scene, Camera Angles, Sound and Editing. Each of these microelements contributes in m short film. For example, in the Amityville Horror that was released in 2005 the mise en scene is very important throughout the opening of the film. The location and where the start of the film takes place are key features due to how it is set in a house.  Using a house as a location is clever because it automatically gives the film a realistic feel and can create connections between the characters and the audience watching the film. It will make the audience feel more involved.  Another key feature in the film Amityville Horror is the credits that are shown. Also shown in the opening of the film is a series or montage of news reports and newspapers. This links to my own idea because in my group’s film there is a very distinctive news report on the clown craze In the UK as well as a montage of clown videos that immediately let the audience know what the film is going to be about, which is the same circumstance as Amityville Horror because it shows the audience what the whole film is going to be based on straight away which eliminates any misunderstanding of what is going to be taking place within the plot. 

Another film that can be linked to my own group idea by a certain micro element could be the 1996  American slasher film Scream written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film follows the character of Sidney Prescott who becomes a victim and target of a mysterious killer known as ghost face. This film can be linked to my groups idea and opening of a horror film with the micro element mise en scene as well as diegetic sound. An example of mise en scene in the film Scream in the very famous opening starring Drew Barrymore, the popcorn. The popcorn is used to continuously create tension that is becoming stronger as the opening goes on. By using the popcorn cooking and finally popping can be a metaphor for the suspense that is being produced.  The popcorn plays a big part in the opening of the film so my group decided that we wanted to recreate this idea and use something completely different. Due to our location being a house we thought that we should be using something that is commonly used in the kitchen of a house. We thought about what would be the most suitable appliance in the kitchen and finally came to the conclusion of using the kettle.  We realised that the kettle slowly builds whilst boiling the water as well as the sound getting progressively louder.  The diegetic sound will be the kettle getting louder as the scene becomes more serious. As the kettle boils it will cause the tension to rise as the opening goes on. By using the kettle is helps us to let the audience know that something bad is happening continuously and is leading to the climax of the opening which happens right at the end of the scene. The sound of the kettle is unsettling and unpredictable due to the outbursts of the water in the kettle when it gets hot, therefore this appliance is perfect for our opening because little elements of our plot happen throughout to cause unease for the audience, and an example of this would be when the clown appears behind the glass of the door, as well as the glass window of the living room and lastly when the camera zooms up to door not being properly locked after the victims go upstairs.

Another film that would connect and could possibly link to the plot and storyline of our film could be the 2016 psychological horror film Hush, produced by Blumhouse productions. As a group we used different shots in order to interlink our short film to certain other films that have already been produced. The link between Hush and our film is the fact that there is a strong stalking element within the film. In Hush, the first half an hour of the film contains a lot of little hints and shots that suggest to the audience that the main character is being stalked. Similarly to this, in our short film we have specifically included a long shot taken in the kitchen when the girl is standing making a cup of tea, as well as when she has just gone in to the living room, with the clown standing in the door way, where he is visibly seen through the window of the door. This is done to create a sense of tension and helplessness for the audience, as they know that there is something wrong but the characters do not. This also adds to the tension within the film as it builds up everything that will all climax at the end of the film. Another shot that is taken in our short film is a point of view shot taken outside of the window looking into the characters watching Tv. This point of view shot is very important because it shows the sites of the antagonist and helps the audience understand what the clown is seeing. This is a popular occurrence in horror films as it involves the audience in seeing what they consciously do not want to see but also subconsciously do want to see. This adds to the psychological content of the film and makes the audience want to see more.

As well as 2016's Hush, the gory horror film The Purge that was produced in 2013. Right at the start of the film there is a huge montage of scary clips that informs the audience of what the purge is and what happens. The effect of a montage of CCTV clips at the start of the film, gives the film a realistic feel and this is channeled throughout the whole of the film. In comparison, our film has a montage of clips and pictures of clown attacks that have happened throughout the world. This will grab the watchers attention and also make them aware of what is actually happening in the world craze at the moment. It will make the audience stop and think about what has happened and will maybe encourage them to research it and gain awareness. As the clown craze was actually a real and was actually happening during the time we made an idea for our film, it will give our short film a very truthful and genuine representation of the events that occur within our film. Adding to this, the news reports in the back ground of the opening titles of both The Purge and our groups film, are very similar which makes the link between the two films stronger.

Lastly, the micro element of mise en scene is seen in 'Smile' can be linked to the film 'IT'.  The costume of the villain seen in the film IT is a full clown costume with make up and a wig. This has a slight link to our film, but our film has a modernistic twist to it. In the recent clown sightings in the UK, they have all been linked to the younger generation. Therefor in our film, the clown is of the younger generation picking on two young people. Our clown has clown make up with a bloody smile to it, but has a modern tracksuit on as his costume. In the older film 'IT' the clown wears a full body costume including a wig and plain like make up, but with big sharp teeth to give the clown a scary look. But in contrast the clown in 'IT' is an older man picking on younger children.

Feedback for Film

Smile First draft

Smile Rough Cut

Weather of day of Re-film-

Sunrise-
7:11 AM

Sunset-

4:17 PM

Best time for filming would be 5 due to the fact that it wouldn't be too dark but just about getting dark to create an eerie atmosphere.

Account of Re-filming and New Ideas-

After filming our first rough cut, we as a group decided that we wanted to completely change our idea. So for our plot and story line, we have changed the rough cut into two people, a man and a women sitting in their front room watching the news. On the news there is a montage of the clown craze that happened around the time that we filmed. Unknowingly to them, there is a clown indeed outside their house trying to get in. The female character goes out into the kitchen and make a cup of tea. As she goes back into the living room there is a terrifying shot of the clown looking through the door.  Another scary shot was included when the camera was filming the two characters sitting on the sofa, and the clown is standing behind looking at them through the window.  After they watch TV for a while, the two characters go up stairs and leave the door unlocked. The clown then has an easy access into the house and follows them upstairs. The opening is finished with the dragging of the baseball bat up the stairs with slow scary clown music adding to it. After the filming of the rough draft these are the factors that we needed to consider;

- Remove some extras
- Film Tv with news reports
-Show clown stalking
-More focus ion the baseball bat
- Film kettle to build tension
- Film clown going up the stairs
- Adding more camera angles
- Change lighting


After the second set of re-filming, we were able to come together as a group and think about whats going to make our film the best it can be. we made changes to the plot. For example there were more shots added of the two characters in bed. As well as this, the group decided that it would be clever to film the intruder washing his bloody hands right at the end, to insinuate what had happened, without actually showing it. This is all done to create a sense of mystery and suspense which will make the audience want to watch the rest of the film. We also focused on the camera angles and shots that were taken, as some didn't really make sense and could have looked messy to the audience. For example there is a shot of the female main character stirring the tea with her left had, when the camera is also on the left side of her. In order to make this better and more professional, we changed her hand to the right hand which opened up the shot and made more sense.

Editing of Main Brief

After an accomplishing set of filming for our first draft of the main brief, we as a group came together to start the editing process of the whole project. We watched each shot we filmed and pick and chose which ones we thought were the best and the most appropriate for our short film. Editing together gave us the best opportunity to individually express our thoughts and feelings of the way we wanted the film to go and as a group we was not challenged with any problems or disagreements.

     

Sound research for own piece

Sound in horror film is one of the  most important features of the film. Without sound the tension and suspense is really hard to create. Therefore in our film we use a soundtrack that builds tension throughout the opening sequence and creates jump-scares when they are necessary. Due to our  film  being clown-based, we decided at the end of our film we will incorporate a a little piece of clown music. Here are some examples of sounds that we used in our film:

Kettle Boiling-




Some Examples of Clown Music-

Day of First Filming Session

In our first film session, we arrived at the location that we wanted to, when it was just dark. We went over our storyboard to remind ourselves of the specific shots and angles that we were hoping to achieve. We then set up the house exactly the way we wanted to and started on the make up of the clown. We used different types of face paint to achieve the best clown face possible. We started filming at approximately 4:30 pm which was the peak time for our narrative because it had just turned dark. This was key because the darkness outside adds to the suspense of the film and also adds a sense of realism to the story line. Unfortunately it started raining whilst we were filming but luckily we had finished all the filming we needed to do outside before this. We completed this filming session at around 6:00 pm.

production Schedule

Week 1-
Narrative planning- creating brainstorm with initial ideas which were then converted into the main brief initial idea.

Logo design- logo designed on paper at first and the converted into a real design using the Adobe Photoshop CS6. Looked at after film logo designs to get ideas on good logos.

Credits- Research into credits which sparked ideas of what our credits could look like. Later on created using Adobe after effects.

Storyboard and scripts writing- after creating the initial idea we created our script and character list which helped make the creation of a storyboard easier.

Week 2-

Research into sound- Research into horror film sound and what created a good emotion in the film. Found warranty free sound websites to download sound for our own piece and eventually filmed.

Interview questions for roles- Created an interview for the role of the news reporter reader in the film and carried out filmed interviews with two candidates.

Recce pictures- Took pictures of potential locations for filming and made a decision on where would be the best place to film based on what we could use in out narrative.

Character analysis- Created the breakdown of the characters involved in our films and their specific roles and personalities.

Week 3- 

Film voiceover of the new reporter which will later be added to the film to make the narrative appear as if it is a real life situation. Filmed a few takes in order to get the best quality possible.

Week 4-

Make up and prop research- Research into iconography. Make up research into clown make up in order to get the best possible result and to make the antagonist as clown-like as possible.

Filming- Filming to take place in order to give us time for potential re-film and editing time. Filming to take place at 5:00 to make sure the lighting outside is not too dark, but t give the film enough darkness to add to the tension.

Editing of film and gather feedback- Edit the film together with the sound roughly in accordance to how we want it to look and gain feedback from the target audience so that we can change the film based on how they want it to appear.

Week 5-

Re-filming- Re-filming to take place in order to make our film the best it can be and to make sure it appeals to our target audience as much as possible.

Week 6-

Editing- Edit the second draft together with the sound and gather more feedback in order to reassure ourselves that it the best it can be and make sure it fits with what our target audience wants and their expectations.

Week 7-

Evaluation questions- plan and create evaluation questions 1-3
Edit together and create what is need to make the question more created and appealing to the eye.

Week 8- 

Evaluation question 4-7 to be completed in the most creative way possible.

Week 9-

Sort out blog and gather everything into order.

Interviews for the news reporter role

In order to make our decision on who was to play the news reporter, we interviewed two candidates who we that would be good for this role. At the end of the interview, we decided we would pick Joe for the role as the news reporter because he was able to read the report well and with a clear voice, whereas Luke could not do this. Even though Luke did not do very well with the reporter role, with his enthusiasm, we thought we would give him a chance to play the clown in  the film instead. we belied he would be the better person to carry out the scarier role. Here are the interviews that we carried out in order to make the decision;

Job roles Breakdown

Assigned job Roles- 

Overall narrative planning-

This was a job that could be assigned to all of the group as all members are encouraged to contribute their ideas for the film. All members had the responsibility of coming up with ideas and this was done very well. 

Storyboard- 

Joe was assigned with this job because we as a group decided that Joe was the best interpreting our idea by drawing it. With his skills the drawings are very good at showing what will happen in our film. 

Production schedule-

This is a constant log of what will need to be done within each week and we will log when we do it. Each week will have a certain to do list that will enable us to keep on track with what we are supposed to be doing so that we will get everything done in time. Me, Jade and Callum were doing this because Joe was busy doing the storyboard. 

List of characters and character analysis-

 I was assigned this job. In this task i have to write down all of the characters that are in the film as well as their back ground. 

List of props and costumes and Location Recce-

Jade was assigned this job as well as the location recce. We thought jades house would be the best option for our filming as it is right in the middle of all of our houses therefore everyone is able t get to it easily, it is also very near the school therefore if we have any problems with our camera we will be able to go back to school and ask.

Screenplay and Script- 

This is when Joe and Callum decide what types of editing, throughout the film, will be taking place. This is important because us as a group need to know when we are going to include things like blank screens, how long the shots ar actually going to be as well as the amount of time, for example, a character may walk from one end of the room to the other, which will need to be cut to a certain time period. 

Outtakes-

Callum is assigned to this task and this is because of how experienced he is with editing and how he has the knowledge with outtakes. Choosing what will be used and what will not is very important therefor we believe Callum is the best for this job. Outtakes means what is not going to be used in our opening horror film. 

Account of any Re-filming- 

This is going to be assigned to the whole group because we will need to decide if we need to re film as well as when everyone can re-film. 

Sound-

For this task we will look up different types of sound that suit the horror theme. We will use Youtube to carry out this task and will gather different sources for our sound research. The whole group will carry out this task as everyone's ideas are very important. 

List of characters and character analysis- And Update-

 

There are going to be chnages in the people thatare going to be the dead bodies due to one person who is unable to attend the film session therefor we are changing Aaron Zurita to Thomas Larke.


UPDATE


Due to the changes being made in our film idea, after we filmed this version of our film we decided to come up with a different plot which involved different characters. The characters that will be involved in our film will be a voice over for a new reporter, which will be played by Joe Deighton. And there will be a male character that is played by Joe Deighton and a female character which will be played by Ruby Tyler. The antagonist in the film is played by a male named Luke Scrivener, who also auditioned to be the news reporter, but sadly didn't get the part, therefore we gave him the antagonist. The interviews that took place for the new reporter part will be embedded below.

Plan- Recce pictures

For our location we decided to use jade's house. This is because we feel as if jades house is the most convenient due to where it is. Her house is somewhere where everyone can get to easily as well as close to the school. Jade has taken some Recce pictures to give us an idea of what the film will look like as well as its surroundings. This is also key for the risk assessment that is carried out for the filming sessions. Here are the recce pictures- 

This is the living room that we will be using to create our film. As you are able to see, it is a normal looking living room with good spacing. We will work around the table in the middle of the room to give it a realistic feeling. 

This is a picture of the door way that will be seen in our opening sequence. It is big and spacious therefore filming will not have any issues throughout.

This is another door way that will be used in the film and this is going to be done to show a wider picture of the location. 

This is a picture of the front door that will be used in our opening. This is a key feature in the opening film.

Storyboard

A storyboard is very important as not only does it show the story line and whats going to happen, it also reveals the shots that are going to be used. 

Presentation of Smile-

overall narrative structure and planning

This picture shows our group gathering together everyone's ideas to create a spider diagram. Everyone within the group contributed their ideas to the come up with our main idea.











With the planning of the overall narrative structure we came up with a list of costumes and props. 









This is weapon that the clown in our story will be using. We chose a bat because we wanted to portray a violent character.

Focus groups-

As a class we split off into two groups boy and girls to focus on the target audiences of horror films, and to find out specific sub-genres that are popular within the audiences that watch horror films. As well as this it will help us find out what people detest in the horror film world and will let us know what to include and what not to include in our own film in order to make them as successful as they can possibly be. Here are both groups feedback videos;

Textual Analysis- Hush

Sound-

Birds chirping- This is to connote peacefulness and tranquility, which can be the a juxtaposition of what is really going to happen.
Rustling of the bushes and trees- Connotes also peacefulness which shows that the person that is living in the house is at peace and has no problems with where they live.
Ticking of the stove- Causes tension and puts the audience feeling scared and in danger when really its only the stove.
Pouring of the wine- shows that the character is relaxed in where they live and know what they are doing.
Chopping of the food- This important because it is a connotations of violence as the character chops with a knife, which is a weapon. This type of sound can cause the audience to feel tension and scared.
Whisking of the eggs.
Crushing of the garlic- This can be connoted as a form of violence and danger.
Shaking of the cat food- This is important because this is the only way of her communicating with her cat due to the fact that she is deaf.
Silence- The use of silence is important because it gives the audience an insight to what it is like to be deaf, as well as adding to the tension of the film.



Mise en Scene-

Trees and woods- It is set in the wood which can be seen as quite secluded and alone.This can be annotated as dangerous due to the fact that the character is deaf and is not able to hear whether anything is outside of her house or not.
Car- If there was to be danger could she use her car to get away with.
Stove- A stove creates fire which is a symbol of danger and death.
Cork- The cork pops which could make the audience jump which adds to the scare of the film.
KNIFE- The knife is a very popular type of prop that is used in the horror genre and this is because they symbolise death and danger, as well as blood.
Glass windows- There are glass doors and windows in the background of some of the shots and this is to show the audience that the deaf lady is not that safe in a situation where she may be in danger. If someone wanted to get in, they could easily be able to smash the windows. The glass doors aslo are there to show the audience what is outside of the house at all times which adds to the fact that the woman is vulnerable.
The picture of both her and another female- This is included to make the film more personal to the main character by showing the audience the maybe family members of the deaf woman.

Camera Angles-

Close up of wine and fire from the stove- This is done to create a sense of disorientation because the audience do not know where the character is in the house and all they are able to see is a extreme close up of an object. This can make the audience confused and wanting to see more of the shot.
Extreme long shot- This is right at the very beginning of the scene and this is done to establish what and where the film is set in and its surroundings.
Close up of all the food- This is done to maybe show an interest of the character and show the audience what is going on at this time in the film, dinner.
Close up of the female character- This is done to show the audience what the female, main character looks like and her features. It will help the audience get to know the character and understand what she looks like.
Extreme close up of ear- This is to emphasise the fact that the main character is deaf and may cause the audience to build their own opinions on her, whether that is feeling sorry or feeling as if that the fact that she is deaf empowers her in other senses.
Over the shoulder shot- There is an over the shoulder shot of the female character texting on her phone and this is done to make the audience feel more involved with the happenings in the scene as well as making it more personal to them.

Editing-

Opening titles- The institution that produces this horror film is Blume house Productions and this is because they are successful in the horror genre and make very good and popular horror films.
Titles- The titles of the film HUSH are black and bold, in capital letters. The background of the titles is white and this make the black writing stand out against it.
Establishing shot- This is of the house at the beginng of the film and this is to show the audience what the setting is
Fast-paced editing- This occurs during the start of the opening scene where the camera cuts to shots of different foods. This infers that the film is fast paced and everything is going to be happening quickly, which will make the audience gain adrenaline and want to watch more.
Blur- There is a blur from the writing on the laptop to the female character's face. This is to reveal the very first sighting of the main character as well as to disorientate the audience because a blur into focus shot is hard to understand.
Dead space- The dead space reveals a lot of the house and whats around it. As well as this, it shows the audience the female character is a good person due to the fact that the antagonist of a horror film is usually off centred in a shot but the female character is mainly in the middle of the shot.
Panning shot- A panning shot is used to follow the female character around the house to where she needs to go, as well as showing the audience what is happening around her with the mise en scene.
The camera is always moving- With the camera always moving it gives the sense that someone is watching the female character whilst she gets on with what she is doing which adds to the tension and suspense.

Textual Analysis- Purge

Textual Analysis - Scream

Audience Pleasures of watching Horror films-

There are many different pleasures that are created when watching a horror film and examples of this include the audience theories. Audience theories put the public into different groups or sections that identify how a horror film effects them. One example of a audience theory would be the uses and gratifications theory. This theory is the idea that the audience actively watch certain films and seek specific gratifications from them. The audience that is usually associated with this theory are known as the active audience. For example, audience watch slasher horror films at home or at the cinema for their own enjoyment as it is their choice, because they are the active audience. This audience choses to watch a slasher film for their own enjoyment as well as for the adrenaline rush that is included whilst watch a horror film. There is a sense of escapism whist watching a horror film because the events that usually happen during a horror film are not relatable to the majority of the audience watching, therefore the audience that watches it are trying to escape to another world, and want to experience something they may never happen in their normal lives as much as possible, therefore they watch a film. An audience member that comes under the active audience have the chance to reject, use or play with what they are watching due to the fact they challenge what they are watching. An active audience form opinions on what they are watching as well as chose what they want to watch.

Another type audience theory is the two step-flow theory. This theory is the idea that the audience of the film forms their opinions revolving around the opinion of an opinion leader which are influenced by the mass media. Audience go to watch films that have been given a review by influential people explaining the pleasures that the film gives. This audience is seen as very passive therefore if they were to read a bad review on a horror film, or a review that was written by a person that does not like horror films then the reader will not watch that certain film. This type audience doesn't really experience  pleasures from watching the film due to the fact that they are passive therefore they can make their own decisions on whether to watch the film or not. Also they wouldn't watch a film for a reason such as escapism because they would inly be watching the film because of other's opinions.

Institution Logos

Dark Castle Entertainment

Blumhouse










Hammer Films

Miramax

Paramount




Warner Brothers















Me and my group chose the institution Miramax, and this is because Miramax is a very popularly used institution for horror films. For example the films that Miramax has produced Scary Movie 1,2 and 3, as well as Amityville Horror and Dracula.

Target audience for horror films.

Age -

The usual age for the audience of  horror film is etween 15-25. The certificate for most films are 15 and some are 18. Most yound adults in this age range ae wanting to explore life and wanting to learn new things therefor, in their developing age, horror films are good for helping them explore the world and what happens in it. This is because they want to experiment different emotions and feelings that they havn't had before and they want to seek all the thrill they can get. Therefore a horror film can help with gaining a thrill as well as triggering excitment that they  may of never had before, as well as affecting them  in a different way to what adults could be affected. A young audience is much likely to be put off by things like violnce and gore than adults and adults are known to have a negative opinion towards horror films.

Gender-

Males are the more-likely gender to watch horror films due to the stereotypical thrill seeker which is portrayed by men in the public. The male thrill seekers like to test their adult hormones by watching scary films that will stimulate them. Violence is also very popular in horror films and is one of the main features and conventions in a horror film, men also have a slight desire and long to be involved in a violent act therefore the scenes in horror films are more likely to entertain men. Male also like the thrill of violence, blood and gore due to there boisturous nature.

Class-

The class of the audience that mainly watch horror films are usually the working class of society. This is because of the level of thrill and excitment that you get from a horror film that will be able to be seen at a reasonabley cheap price. A higher class within society would usually go to watch a subgenre of a film such as an action or romance and this is because they have a higher level of expectation from a film therefore they expect a lot more satisfaction from the film that they are watching.

Certain groups of audiences-

There are many different types of family types that are more likely or unlikely to go to watch a horror film. A new, young couple would be more likely to go to watch a horror film, firstly because they are young therefore they seek thrill and excitment that a horror films helps to create. Secondly the comfort that is needed after the film is a good way in which the couple can connect with eachother as well as the conversation can be started by the horror film as it is a popular topic to talk about with someone of a young age. So horror films are popular within the young couple range. An unpopular type of family would be a family of four with young children, this would be inapropriate therefor a family with young children will go to see another genre of film like an actions or a kids film.

The Cabin in the woods- young couples

Strangers- young males

A nightmare on elm street- couples

Texas chainsaw-  males

Textual Analysis- Paranormal Activity

How institutions work in synergy for production and distribution and Institutions that mainly produce horror

Opening credits in own piece

Opening credits within a horror film are very significant. This is because they list the most important people who are in the film as well as who was involved in the making of the film. This includes the directers, writers and cameramen as well as the key main actors within the film. The title of the film is shown at the start of the film usually after the titles have been shown and this is to tell the audience what the film is actually going to be about as well as the genre, due to the font of the title. After the audience seeing the title, it will give connotations to them on what they will think the plot will include and will be like. Some examples of horror films that have significant credits and titles are;

Annabelle 2014-

The titles within this film are bright red and bold. The colour red is a connotations of danger as well as blood. This colour is used to let the audience know the danger that will happen in the film. The background of the title is black and this is done to connote the darkness of the film as well as to emphasise the importance of the title. It helps to make the title stand out.





Opening credits of our own piece- 

sound in horror

Music-

Music in horror films is very important. This is because it is very good at creating the mood of the scene. It is also Very good at contributing to the atmosphere in the film and adding to the emotion of the audience whilst watching it. There are commonly different instruments used to connote different feelings. For example- Isolated instruments are used right before a key moment in a horror film because this is to create Build in emotion for the audience and connote vulnerability of the characters.  Long prolonged notes can help with the contrast of the short sharp notes. This is used when a jump scare is about to happen. Also the contrast between the two notes are used help with tension or the action that will be happening in the scene.  

Voices-

There are many different types of voices that  are used in a horror film. Voices are used to connote the feelings of the actor within the film. For example in the Saw films jigsaw  has a very distinctive voice that is well known to many people. This can automatically cause fear because of the low tone that he speaks in. His voice is very unique therefore the audience will know who is speaking immediately. The voice is very husky, strong tone therefor this would cause a sense of intimidation.  Here is a video that shows many different types of voices that are used in the horror genre;

Sound Effects-

There are many well known used sound effect that are popular in horror films. examples of these could be-

-crows

-bats

-owls

-church bells

-witches laughing

-doors slamming

-footsteps

-bangs

Ghostly and echoed voices can become a well used sound effect in a horror film.This is because it will add to the eary atmosphere of the film as well as reinfoce the tension building within the film.

Here is an example of a door opening and foot steps, which is a very well known used sound effect in the horror genre-



Mise en scene in Horror films

Setting-

In the mise en scene of a horror film there are many different factors that contribute to reinforce the genre and its purposes. One example of a contribution to the mise en scene could be setting. Locations like a wood or forest and a cabin  could be a good contribution to a horror film. This would be because of how it can emphasise the tension that is being built throughout the film and cause a frightening atmosphere. The locations that are used are stereo-typically cut off from society with no contact and in the middle of no where. As there is no help that can be found in a fast period of time, this then adds to the alarming atmosphere of the film. If there was help available the film would be a lot less scary. An example of a film that's location is important for the story line and also the following films that were made after it would be 'Friday the 13th'. In this film the setting is a forest. By using the forest it creates a stranded atmosphere, and makes the characters feel as if they are lost and cannot escape. This particular location is mostly used at night. Due to the limited lighting it reinforces the atmosphere as terrifying and creates a more easy way of using the technique of jump-scares as there are a lot of trees that are in the forest that can be used to hide behind.  Some horror films can be set in haunted houses of the characters therefore this would be seen as a little more personal to the audience because they would be able to relate to the characters. 

Props- 

Props are used throughout the horror films and they are really important for emphasising the genre and atmosphere of the film. Different props are used for different sub-genre horror films because what props are used depends on the story line and the plot. Props can range from a weapon like a gun to a spiritual artefact like a cross or bible. In a possession film the props that are most likely to be used would be things like a cross or a bible. This is because  these props can contribute in the religion side of things throughout the film as well as the faith. An example of a possession type film that uses these kind of props would be 'The Exorcist'. This film is jam-packed with props to reinforce the loss of faith within the character. Another popular prop that is used in many different horror films could be weapons. Different types of weapons would be used in different sub-genres of a horror film. A weapon that would be used in an action horror would mostly be a gun. Guns would connote the violence that is taking place in the film and would add to the tense atmosphere. An example of a action horror that uses many guns to create a violent atmosphere would be 'The Purge.' Another type of weapon that is frequently used throughout other violent horror films would be a knife, a machete or a chainsaw. These weapons would usually be seen used in a slasher film to add to the gore affect. This type of weapon will associate with the antagonist in the film and would connect the weapon automatically to the villain. Weapons like this would not stereo-typically be used by the victim as it makes the antagonist look more crazy.  A prop like a gun could be used by the victim in a horror film and this would only be for self defence which would make the audience feel sorry for the victim as they are only defending their life.  An few examples of films that reinforce the weapon of a knife, saw of a machete could be 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre', 'Friday the 13th' and 'Halloween.'

Lighting and Colours- 

The lighting in horror films play a huge role into adding to the mysterious atmosphere of the genre. The most popular used lighting would be dark, dimmed or mysterious. This is used to create a sense of surrounding for the character and helps to emphasise and enlarge jump-scares that will occur in the film or scene. Darkness has a huge impact on the characters in the film as they are unable to identify what is lurking within darkness, which would then furthermore add to the unknown atmosphere. The dark is also a very common fear for many different people therefore the usage of it is a play off of the common and generalised fears of the public. Without the dark affect in lighting, it would not be as near scary as when it would be dark. A bright lighting would not contribute to the atmosphere that is created. 

For colours there are three main generalised colours that are used in different sub genre horror film. In a slasher horror film, the colour red will be used frequently. This is because the colour red connotes the amount of blood that appears in the film. It also portrays the danger in the film and foreshadows the death that is going to occur. In a stereo-typical horror film, the colours that are used most frequently are black and white. These colours are used to contrast the context of the horror film as good vs evil, pure and lost and hero and villain. The colour white on its own represents purity so when used in a horror film would portray a virgin character that is innocent and pure. Or it could represent the heroic character of the film. Lastly the use of black in a horror film clearly represents the the darkness side of the film which portrays the loss of soul. 

Hair, make up and costume- 




These three features all contribute into helping shape the character's personality and it will give an automatic representation whether they are good or bad in the plot. It will also determine the style of the character straight away for the audience. There is generalised costumes to suit frequently used characters in different horror films. For example a white dress will be worn on a little girl in a horror film. The girl will usually have black, tattered and messy hair that does not look washed or done. The make up in horror films also help tp identify the antagonist within the film. Certain features of the character can automatically identify the antagonist and proagonist. There is a lot of blood  used in make up in horror fims because this is a connotation of danger an death. Disfigured faces are used frequently within horror films to scare the audience and signify how the story is going to be layed out. Sweat, scars and cuts on a protgonists face can tell the audience that the character has gone througha journey and they will knw the struggles of the charater.

Here is an embedded video that has mise en scene that sets the scene of the film and shows the audience what the film is going to be based around- The Woman in Black;