premiere night for the first draft (review)

On the 17^th January 2017 the first draft of my horror film named ‘The innocent curse’ was showcased to my other class mates and to the whole English-media department. As we played the movie for the department we received many positive and negative responses. These were all seen as constructive criticism as there was many room for improvement.

Positive feedback-what went well?

·         The camera work

The camera work especially the scene where the possessed character was making her way down the stairs was praised heavily. The department enjoyed the use of all the different camera shots including the two pan shots that followed the legs of the character and the one that shows the gripping of the fist by the character. These were seen as amazing camera shots that introduced the character well and never gave away too much of the possessed girl instantly. Another camera shot that was praised was the shot that looked up that shows the girl stepping over the character, this was praised as it was shown as a great camera shot that showed the dominance of the character and the control and power she has over the audience now that she is possessed.

Constructive criticism – even better if…  

·         The doll

The doll was seen as too cute as it was too plush. The department suggested that I consider replacing the doll for the second draft with one that may be considered as fearing.

How I shall improve...

Considering the feedback I received based on the use of a fearful doll I shall improve this section of the movie by first watching doll based movies such as the conjuring and make notes taking note of what features and connotations follow the dolls ascetic. I shall then use the internet to find dolls that are considered scary and read many reviews on them.   

·         The clips

The advice given was that many of the movie does not interlink as the story is not told clearly and scenes that tell a quick background story may be missing.

How I shall improve...

Io shall go back and assess each scene that we have filmed and individually deconstruct them to see if any information or lines could be added to the existing scenes to improve the story that is being told to keep the audience engaged. Secondly once that is done I will watch the movie again many times and see what information and scenes needed to be added additionally to the existing movie to make it more effective, therefore linking the scenes and telling a non-confusing story throughout.

·         The sound

Many of the sound clips used were described as unfit for a horror genre. The sound clips used were not of a horror background and needed improvement.

How I shall improve...

Once I have reassessed the sound clips throughout the film I shall see which ones are effective and the ones that can be changed or improved. I shall watch more horror movies that are of this sub-genre and improve the sound clips to make them more effective 

Horror film (first draft0

Evaluation questions

1)      What have you learnt?

Since the beginning and throughout the planning and research of my short horror film I have learnt many essential things. I have learnt the key concepts and conventions of a truly scary horror film. When creating a horror film camera angles, shots and movement all play a huge role. Close ups focus on certain features and an object of significance that plays a huge role in the movie and may also foreshadow future occurrences in the movie. I have also learnt that point of view shots play a huge role in making the horror of the movie feel personal to the audience as it puts the viewer in the mind and essentially see out of the eyes of the character and what the character is experiencing, therefore putting the viewer in a frightening and uncomfortable position which is what the aim of a horror film is. I have again learnt that all horror films follow many similar conventions, the narrative structure. The narrative structure is essentially the steps a movie takes and this is done throughout every movie. The movie begins and the situation is normal. This is called the exposition, where the characters are introduced and the normal undisturbed life of the characters is shown. Secondly, the rising of the action occurs, this is when something disturbs the normality of the movie and effects the characters. Then the climax introduces itself, this is when the turning point happens and either the side that the audience is on (the protagonist) prevails or the other unwanted side wins. Lastly the resolution happens as the characters try to get back to normal. However the latter many times doesn’t occur as the story may end on a cliff hanger. 

2)      How you have learnt it?

I have learnt this through many research and planning methods. Research and an analysis of many existing short and normal horror films have helped as it has shown the camera work, mise en scene, sound and editing needed to make an effective horror film. The research of these horror films have shown the thought process as needed for a horror film as they all have proven that they follow a certain narrative structure as a foundation of their movie. This therefore proves that the narrative structure used is effective, essential and should be considered by all when creating a personal horror film. Lastly the research and analysis of these movies has shown the effective camera shots such as close ups and point of view shots in action and has also proven how effective they are in frightening the audience and furthering the effect and story told within the movie. Another method I used was researching film theorist such as Todorov and Levi Strauss who have proven the narrative theory and have their own opinion on the situation.

3)      How it will help you?

The things I have learnt will help me in many different ways. Firstly, when creating my own short horror film I shall use all these factors into consideration. This will help as it will make my film follow the normal conventions of a horror film therefore making it professional and effective towards the audience. When making my horror film I will consider the effective camera shots that I have seen in short horror film that I have researched such as: “night night, Nancy” and “smile” and huge international horror films such as “the conjuring” and  “the woman in black”. All the research I have done will also help as the theorists I analysed are trusted and huge historical figures and have been used by huge movie directors to hep conform to the structure of a natural horror movie that will ensure the movie achieves its main goal, which is scaring the audience.

camera work

Scene 1
Long shot of house.
Medium shot of father. Long shot as they enter the house.
Camera pan (right to left) (on pics).
Close up (of last pic).
Close up of door handle.
Over shoulder shot.
Medium shot of mother asking for help.
Close up of dads legs as he gets up.
Medium shot of his back as he walks.
Close up of the door handle.
Medium/long shot of father pushing door open.
Long shot of parents from inside the room.
Point of view shot as they see the doll switching to over the shoulder shot.
Camera following mother as she goes to pick up the doll.
Close up of daughters hands as she picks the doll instead.
Medium shot of daughter hugging the doll.
Close up /medium shot of parents face.
(Could also be shown in a medium close up).
Close up of dolls face.

Scene 2
Close up of moon.
Camera pans back from bedroom window.
Long shot of the bedroom.
Over the shoulder shot of mother tucking in child.
Close up of mothers face (weird look).
Medium shot of daughter as mother gets up from the bed.
Medium shot of father sitting down mother joins him.
Medium shot of both.
Medium shot of daughter getting tugged off the bed.
Close up of other daughter playing on her phone.
Camera cuts back and forth of daughter and father/mother.
Shot reverse shot of mother/father conversation.
Close up of mother (final line).
Medium shot of wardrobe and daughter hitting it.
Close up of daughter as she screams.
Medium shot of the mother/father running.
Close up of daughters possessed face.
Close up of mothers face as she calls the priest.
Camera shaking/tracking as they run.
Close up of the priest as he shouts biblical verses.
Close up of daughters possessed face.
(Jump scare)
Close up of the door handle.
Medium shot of fathers arm.
Close up of the daughter/mother crying.
Long shot of family running into a room.
Close up of dad shutting and locking the door.
Medium shot of family turning around.
Medium close up of daughter and doll.
Close up of daughters face (she smiles) (creepy).
Screen blacks out.
Camera pans from right to left showing bodies in the floor.
Camera follows blowing leaves.
Medium shot of doll.
(Jump scare - daughter screams in camera)-extreme close up.

script

Scene1: (outside the house) 

Dad: we can make this work 

Priest:(waving) Hello neighbors!!

(Walking into the house)

Scene2:(inside the house) 

Mom: (sighs)finally done, just this one     room left

Dad: do you need any help?

Mom: No, it's fine 

(Dad leaves)

Mom: (grunts) why..... is this door soooo....

Mom: (shouts) Aaron I need help!!

(Dad re enters)

Dad: get out the way 

(Dad struggles however opens the door)

(Coughing) 

Dad: whats that?

(Points at doll)

Mom: awhh that's cute 

(daughter1/jess runs in and picks up the 

doll)

Jess/ daughter1: (shouts) can I have it ? Can I have it? PLEASEEEEE!! YAY 

Scene 3 : (bedroom) 

(Mother tucking in jess / daughter1)

Mom: are you sure you want to.... erm sleep with that doll?

Jess/ daughter1: yes mom she's my new best friend!!!

Mom: (sighs) alright then

daughter2: (shouts) mom....can u shut the light now!!

Mom: of course Hun.. but can u get off ur phone now please?

daughter2: ( kisses teeth and roles eyes)

(Camera cuts downstairs- living room)

(Mom comes and sits next to dad)

Dad: are they all settled in upstairs?

Mom: yes... but I don't think I am 

Dad : it's ok...honestly we'll all settle down sooner or later. you just have to give it time ..... I'll make sure of it.                      Mom: I mean.. I guess the girls are happy and with you everything is perfect. 

Dad : exactly 

Mom ( smiles) you know what Aaron I think ... I can see us living here.... forever. 

(Camera cuts to upstairs)

(Jess/ daughter1flies into the wardrobe)

daughter2: ( screams) MOM.... DAD

(parents burst into the room)

(Close up of Jess/ daughter1)

(Family scream)

Dad : call the priest..... hurry!!

(priest enters)

(The family begin to run away)

Priest: (shouting biblical verses) James 4:7, 1 petter5:8 

(Screaming)

Daughter2: where are we going? Where are we going?

Mom: (crying) that's our daughter she won't hurt us!

Dad: (shouts)everyone stop running!

(The daughter pops out and scares them almost catching them)

Dad: get in here!

Daughter2: dad, I don't know about this

Dad: JUST GET IN 

Mom: what's that 

(Close up of Jess/ daughter1)

Jess/ daughter1: (smiles)

Scene 4 : (grave yard)

Jess/ daughter1: screams 

(Credits role)

film layout

Scene 1

The movie begins with the family consisting of:

·         Mother – Annika

·         Father – Hamza

·         Daughter (1) – Shweta

·         Daughter (2) – Nafeesah (Hamza’s sister)

Outside their new huge house that they are about to move into. As they stare at it, their neighbor:

·         The priest- (Vishal)

Waves at them. After this is done the camera pans out into a long shot as they walk in.

Scene 2

·         The camera pans from right to left and pauses as the mother puts the last picture of the daughter (Nafeesah) 

·         The mother tries to enter the last room of the house that she needs to prepare

·         As the mother struggles she calls on the father who opens it instead (struggles)

·         As the father opens the door dust falls from the top of the door frame

·         Both the father and mother start to cough

·         They see the doll in the corner of the room

·         The room has one light ( low-key lighting )

·         As the mother reaches for the doll the daughter (Nafeesah)  grabs it instead

·         As she does the light flickers

·         The daughter hugs the doll

·         Mother and father look at each other

Scene 3 

The scene begins in the bedroom of the two daughters

·         The mother is tucking in the daughter (Nafeesah) into bed

·                   The mother asks if she should take the doll

·         The daughter (Nafeesah) says no and hugs the doll again

·         As this is all happening the other daughter (Shweta) is playing on her phone

(This supports the claim that all British youth stare at their phone and are anti-social)

·         The camera cuts to the father downstairs as the mother comes and sits next to him

·         As the mother and father have a conversation the camera cuts from the bedroom where the two daughters are and the living room were the mother and father are

·         As this is happening the daughter is slowly getting dragged off the bed

·         When the mother says her last line (eg: “ we’re going to live here forever”)

·         The daughter (Nafeesah) is thrown into the wardrobe

·         The other daughter (Shweta) screams

·         The father and mother burst into the room

·         The daughter (Nafeesah)  looks up and she is clearly possessed

·         The mother calls for the priest

(The priest enters)

·         The lights turn off in the house

·         The daughter (Shweta) uses her phone light as her,  the mother, father and priest run from the possessed daughter

·         As they are running the priest is shouting biblical verses

(A lot of jump scares)

·         They enter the room where they found the doll in the first place

·         As they do this the daughter is standing there with the doll in her hand

·         Close up of the face of the daughter (Nafeesah)

·         She smiles

·         The camera cuts out

Scene 4

(Graveyard)

·         The camera pans from right to left

·         The camera follows the blowing leaves

·         All the bodies of the family are laying in front of a grave stone

·         The camera stops and we see the doll leaning on the side of the grave stone

·         The daughter (Nafeesah) screams in the camera

·         This will scare the audience

·         The camera cuts out

(The credits role) 

Ideas for the movie

The use of a true story within a horror movie allows the movie to reach that next level of a frightening factor. I used the movie ‘the conjuring’ as an inspiration as they used a true story and used it to frighten the audience as the audience always were aware that the story being told within the movie was reality and has happened in the real world.

I decided that I would manipulate this element within a horror movie also as It will allow my horror movie to stand out and hit the audience stronger.

Research:

As I researched I came across the story of Patty Reeds Doll.

Patty reeds Doll is a doll that has been reported haunted as she took over the soul of a girl within the family that owned her. The doll has also been through many things at it witnessed its family stuck behind a snow storm as they had to do anything survive. The family resorted to eating things such as mice and eventually each other. It has been said that the soul and spirits of this family are within the doll and the doll will take over any girl next to it.

I shall manipulate this story and use it as a part of my movie as I have researched and analysed the story of Patty Reed.

Storyboard

props and location

film roles

Group members

Hamza
Anika
Vishal
Shweta

Hamza

Hamza is in charge of the camera work including the camera shots, angles and movement throughout the movie and is also playing the role of the father in the film.

Anika

Playing the mother in the movie, Anika is also running the editing of the movie and ensuring the end product is professional

Vishal

Vishal is running the sound in the movie from diegetic to non diegetic and ensuring that the movie has the best possible sounds to scare the audience. He will also play the priest in the movie.

Shweta

Shweta will ensure everything is in perfect place as she is running the miss en scene of the movie and will also play the teenage daughter in the film. Shweta will also use her personal skills to apply make up on the characters to show horror.

Tally chart for possible movie ideas

audience research and results

x

The process of audience research

Due to the world we live in and the advancement of technology and social media I decide to use one of the biggest social media platforms in twitter to convey my questionnaire. This allowed people from al over the world to complete my questionnaire. The use of twitter also allowed me to get a different perspective personally and professionally on how horror movies are treated and what truly makes a great horror film. The use of twitter also allowed me to encounter horror movie fanatics and people who hardly watch horror film, boys and girls and people of all cultural backgrounds. Lastly twitter allowed me to understand how people’s personal experiences in life shaped their views on horror films in general.

 The process of how I asked and completed the audience research is also shown as I asked politely and gained some really good responses from people all over the world.  

Horror film questions

I have decided to use these questions as a basis and a template for what my horror film will be about. I have also decided to use these questions and take them to the world of social media, things such as twitter will help me get a broad analysis of many differences in horror preference, but allow me to see the main similarities between all people when watching a horror film. The use of twitter will help me get opinions from everywhere and calculate to see what people all over the world feel makes a truly great horror film. 

Who is the target audience and how do each of the short horror films appeal to them? 

I have hand drawn a diagram of four short horror films and evaluated how they are suited for their each target market/audience . I uploaded the photo of my IPhone via my Blogger app.

Who do these short horror films represent?

Who do these short horror films represent? Social groups, age, gender, ethnicity etc. Who will I represent in mine? (Consider stereotypes)

for this question I decided to consider all the elements of the sub genre. I uploaded this using my IPhone, by taking a picture and transferring it onto my laptop.

horror movies compared to short horror movies.

Difference between a horror movie and a short horror movie

The purpose of a horror movie is to scare the consumer. Even though both horror movies and short horror movies have the same purpose and use within the movie industry, the way it is done by each is through different methods. Too look and identify this I decided to make a table to show the comparison between the two.

Horror movie

Short horror movie

·         Has longer time to create a longer and deeper storyline ·         Can introduce many characters as it has time to introduce all and give them a huge role ·         A more in-depth storyline ·         Has much more marketing to promote the movie and things related ·         Has a much deeper meaning such as – being based on a true story ·         A higher budget therefore can do many more things.

·         Much shorter time ·         The storyline must be basic as there isn’t enough time for a complex story to be told ·         Only a small amount of characters ·         Opinion – about a maximum of three main characters – there can be many more characters however they cannot be introduced as main characters ·         Normally follows one parallel scene and does not cu from one mini storyline to another ·         Character roles have to be instantly recognised.

what is a movie? what is the purpose

what is a movie? what is the purpose of a horror movie and what sort of things should it inspire for the audience to feel.

Smile (short horror movie) analysis

Plot- the movie begins as the woman who is narrating her feelings towards the audience begins by telling the audience about her roommate and the fact that she likes to go on nightly walks alone through the town. A town she describes as so friendly that even the drug dealers are nice. However this time when she embarks on a nightly walk she sees something very weird and peculiar, a man dancing with himself. This man starts chasing the woman and as she tries to get away she drops her phone allowing him, to follow her to her house where the movie ends.

Camera shots- the initial long shot of the quite town shows how everything is calm and exactly how the woman narrating is describing it. The close ups of things such as the lights and the American flag show how sensible and peaceful the area is. However we have a long shot tracking towards the woman showing her going into an area that is slightly away from the town, this shows that dark and evil things are ahead. The close-up of the man in the woman’s face shows the facial expression on the woman’s face and the fear that is running through her as he is so close. The close up of the phone shows that it is an object of significance and that later in the film it will play a huge role, which it did, as that is the way the  man found her as she ran into her house.

Mise en scene- the lighting used throughout the film is played to perfection as the bright light of the city shoe that it is a very peaceful and safe place which also contrasts with what the woman was narrating at the beginning. However when the woman starts walking the lighting used gives the feeling that something bad is going into happen as she is walking away from the centre of the high key lighted town to the low-key side roads. The woman is wearing white which is linked with purity and innocent, which she is as she is only going for a walk. The man is dressed in all black which is linked with darkness and evil, which he is.

Editing- the editing used is very important in the making of this movie as the cuts from one scene to another play a huge role

Sound - the sound used is very parallel  with the movie as when the creepy man starts to dance, dancing music begins to play and gives the audience a sense of uncomfortable as dance music and dancing is supposed to be linked with innocence 

'Night,night Nancy' (short horror film review)

Plot- The scene begins with the innocent woman lying in bed as she has just awoken from a nap. As this happens she receives a message from her boyfriend (Josh). They have a casual conversation until Josh asks her for pictures of a road trip that the two embarked on. The woman looks through her phone looking for Pictures from the road trip until she comes across something quite peculiar and weird. The woman sees pictures on her phone taken by someone else of her sleeping in the nap she just had woken up from. From this she realises and believes that's someone is in her house. The woman informs her boyfriend about what she believes is happening but as she is texting this a mysterious figure walks up the stairs wielding a machete. She runs and hides in the wardrobe also attempting to call the police, as she does this she receives a text forcing her phone to make a noise which attracts the psycho to her location within the wardrobe. However the psycho gets distracted, and we think she is safe. The woman then checks the text she just received on her phone and it is revealed to be a picture of Josh (her boyfriend) in a bloody mess with he's face and neck cut open. As the woman is suffering from the shock of seeing this, the light comes on and a hideous man with bandages and blood splattered everywhere utters to the woman "night, night Nancy"

Camera work -  as the movie begins the audience receives a medium shot of the women asleep in her also allowing the phone to be in the shot, as the phone goes off we see the reaction of the woman as she sits up and the camera cuts to the left snoring her from a front view. This is done to show the innocence of the women as all she is doing is checking her messages and hasn't harmed anyone or anything. We see a medium close up of the woman face, this allows the audience to grow fonder of her as she is young, pretty and very innocent. The close up of the phone shows that throughout this movie it will play a big and significant part, the close up also reveals many things that would not be seen if a medium or long shot would've been used such as the background picture on her phone of a male (a boy who we find out is her boyfriend Josh). The medium shot when the woman realised that someone is in her house shows her facial expression but also shows her body which makes the audience feel sympathetic towards her as she is quite petite. The low camera shots following her as she explores the house are also used throughout the film to build suspense and tension, as it allows the audience to have the point of view of the woman and experience the level of fear that she is going through Finally the key whole shot was used very effectively as it allowed the audience to be in the point of view of the woman being attacked, this also creates fear and builds tension. 

Mise en scene- throughout the entire movie the scenes have always used low-key lighting. The low-key lighting is always used as the short horror film introduces the machete wielding psycho quite early on therefore the low-key lighting instantly tells the audience that darkness is here and evil is on its way. The woman wearing grey symbolises many things as grey is described as colour associated with someone or something that is cool and balanced. Grey is also associated with dullness, this relates to the woman as the director wants to tell us that she lives a normal, quite 'dull' life without many things or huge events to change it however what is going to happen to her will. With many things being white in the woman's house it shows that she is quite innocent and shows the purity within her however that purity will be gone and taken very by darkness. The costumes and the props such as the mask, the phone, the machete and the man at the end are all used to good effect. The most effectively used prop and most effected prop used is the phone, the phone is used to tell the story set out the scene and engage the audience. The phone is also powerful enough to introduce us to another character.

Editing - the editing within and throughout the movie is done with great accuracy. The texts appearing on the screen allow the audience to feel closer to the characters and find it easier to read therefore find it easier to engage and understand the story line.  The cuts from the woman to the phone show that the phone will eventually cause her to save herself or put herself into forget danger. The shot reverse shot between the woman and the psycho showed the tension building as we saw the potential horror of the psycho getting her in the closet.

Sound- the non-diegetic sound used throughout the movie was perfect. The music played and edited in was at a high level causing the audience to feel uncomfortable and intensified. The music was also parallel to what was happening in the movie as when the woman was running the pace of the music started to quicken and when she was standing breathing quite heavily the pace of the music did slow down but the volume increased just to show that even though the woman is hiding she is not safe.

Diegetic- the diegetic sound used is also very good as the use of the phone is a great price of creativity by the director and the sound crew. The use of diegetic sound used within the story line shows the importance of sound not just within a horror movie but in everything in general. Little things such as the knocking on the door with the machete by the psycho intensifies the scene as it makes the audience fear as the psycho is getting closer and closer.

Doll face analysis

Plot- the movie begins with an innocent couple plying a game of chess in there house hold. As they play chess there is a knock on the door as the male gets up to open the door he picks up a bow which indicates that it's Halloween. When the man opens the door there is a creepy woman standing in front of the doorway. When the male closes the door the wife/ girlfriend asks if she is still outside the door but as the male goes to open the door the woman is gone and her bag was left behind. The man checks and sees ID which shows the woman to live just around the corner which makes the wife of the man suggest that he returns the bag back to her. It has been a long time and the husband still isn't returned therefore the woman goes to look for him. As she goes to the place where she believes her husband is a women tells her to not move and sit in one place. As she is sitting she sees a chess piece that the husband accidentally took with him as they were playing chess this made the woman get up and look for the man. As she does this she hears screaming that sound like her husband . When she goes to investigate she realised that it's just a tape recording and now the "doll face"is following her. She gets to the cage and sees her husband dead and also sees a woman locked in a cage begging to be released. She releases the Ella and they both try to get away and we realise that the woman she has just released from the cage is the dangerous one and is then killed by the "doll face".

Camera work- the movie begins with a under shot close up of the chess board showing the significance and the innocence of the chess game itself and the couple who because they are playing chess don't really have  much fun or peculiar behaviour in their life. The long shot shows the woman walking into a shop late at night in the dark which creates fear. The close up of the chess piece gives view of the object of significance and that is the chess piece that her husband had. The close up of the legs of doll face showed that she was just behind the lady and was getting closer and closer, this caused fear in the audience as we didn't want the creepy doll face  to get closer. Lastly the close up of the face of doll face as she smiled left the viewers with fear in their hearts.
Mise en scene- the mise en scene used throughout the movie is very accurate. The woman and man are both dressed in casual clothing that indicate there life is very mediocre and isn't full of scary and dangerous surprises. The use of the chess piece was also very effective as it was used in the start of the movie and it is again used to force the woman to be aware that her husband was in fact inside the shop and was in danger. The make up of doll face was also very detailed and scared most people. The lighting used was very effective as the only time we saw close to high key lighting was in. The opening scene of the movie. However throughout the rest of the film low-key lighting was used to create tension and fear.
Sound- the non diegetic sound used was very important throughout the movie. Such as when the man opened the door the music suddenly dropped causing the audience to jump. Sound was also very parallel throughout the movie. Sound was also used very effectively when it was converted from diegetic to non diegetic sound as the woman looked for her husband

woman in black reviews

Woman in black (positive review)

From the starring role played by the always relevant Daniel Radcliffe to the behind the scenes work done, the woman in black is a true masterclass. Taken from the 1983 book written by Susan Hill. The women in black embodies the foundation needed for a truly frightening horror movie as it entices the appetite of the viewers by introducing them to the world of supernatural beings and ghostly figures. The plot of the film is a rather classic horror story: Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer and widowed father from London (Daniel Radcliffe), is sent to a little town where nobody, apart from one family, will accept him. On the contrary, the villagers try hard to get rid of him. Arthur Kipps has to sort out the documents of Mrs. Drablow who has just passed away. She lived in a house that is cut off from the mainland when there is high tide. On this little island nothing seems to be normal: Arthur soon discovers what happened to the family a long time ago. At first, the protagonist does not want to believe in what is happening to him. In the meantime, children of the village die in a cruel way and everybody blames the arrival of Arthur for it. Eventually, the hero sees what the audience has been suspecting for long time: a pale woman in a black dress is the reason for the death of an uncountable amount of children. This is where the fight against unnatural powers starts. Daniel Radcliffe plays a truly remarkable role allowing himself to show another side to him that no one has seen. Even though it is a stereotypical horror movie plot the woman in black will leave you shaking in your boots.

Woman in black (negative review)

The women in black is truly a huge waste of time, another stereotypical horror movie to add onto the pile of all the other failures. Even though the book that this film is initially based on is one of class and true horror, the motion picture is a shambles compared to it and will leave passionate horror fanatics embarrassed to call this a blockbuster horror movie. James Watkins’ Woman In Black is not a particularly faithful interpretation of the book, at least not in terms of the order of events. It has rearranged and omitted all over the place, though the major elements remain. Consequently I believe that if you would enjoy wasting money, time and a willingness to live then watch the women black.

Concepts within horror movies

Children

The victimisation of children within horror movies is one of the most popular methods used by the creators of the most successful horror movies of all time in order to gain real success and attract real emotion from their audiences. I found a very informative video based on the child within the horror movie 'Hide and seek'

Children are seen as innocent therefore when they are used within horror films it creates a feeling of uncertainty and an uncomfortable atmosphere for the watchers as they are not familiar with seeing children within this light

I have decided to include a Full synopsis and reasons why this particular idea stands out to me

Hide and seek the movie is based on a child and father relationship which instantly has to work due to the mothers unforeseen alleged suicide. The father and daughter move to the countryside in order to deal with the heartbreak of the mother’s death. During this time, the daughter shows weird signs and begins to act in an evil manner.

I like the way this movie is shot and I am a huge fan of the story based around the exploitation of an innocent child as this is what will scare the audience due to the twisted and sadistic story telling that has to be shown in order to make the positive connotations of a child turn into something bad therefore scary and ultimately a huge success.

The Women in Black poster analysis

plot: what will I include in my 5 minute (minimum) short horror film.

·         A short number of characters

·         Jump scares

·         A lot of emphasis on soundtracks

·         Credits

Shot list:

·         Close ups of significant objects

·         Establishing shots of locations

·         Tracking shots of feet

·         Pan shots

Editing

·         Sound effects

·         Jump scare sound effects

·         Blurs and fades

·         Cut away shots inserted

·         Flashing lights

Movie title ideas

·         The curse

·         Danger

·         The new home

·         Welcome

All these titles are just potential personal ideas and have not yet been surveyed to get a public opinion

Research - what is horror?

Introduction

My name is Hamza Khan and I have decided to continue with Media Studies into A2. During this time I will be exploring the conventions of a horror film, Analysing many and going into depth to determine the attributes a horror movie needs to truly be great. This will all lead me to create my own horror movie, a poster for that horror movie and an unbiased review of my movie.