Analysing Films Within The Horror Genre

Let Me In

 

 

 

Devil's Due

 

 

 

I have chosen to study these films as they both have an association with the female gender and blood, like our own film opening. In Let Me In, the protagonist is a vampire who kills people for their blood, and in Devil's Due, the protagonist becomes possessed by the devil and attacks random people. These films also have similar settings- they are both set in suburban environments, which makes them relevant films to study as our film opening will be set in a similar type of place. Both Let Me In and Devil's Due have a supernatural element (a vampire and the idea of possession), which makes the audience more afraid as they fear the unknown. In our film opening, we are also using a supernatural element- the girl in our story sees a bloody, dead version of herself, with no apparent reason behind it.

In these two films, a lot of (fake) blood is used to create graphic imagery in order to try and  have an affect the people watching them. We will be using this element in our film opening. As is common within the horror genre, both Let Me In and Devil's Due use diegetic sounds, meaning that we (the audience) can hear them, and the characters in the film cannot. This helps to instil fear into the film, and makes the atmosphere of a scene much more tense. The murder victims in these films are random, innocent people, which adds even more fear to the film as it gives the impression that nobody is safe.  

Omniscient narration is a key part of both Let Me In and Devil's Due. In Let Me In, the audience is aware that the main character, Abby, is a vampire throughout the film, but the other characters are not. Similarly, in Devil's Due, the audience knows that Samantha (the protagonist) has been possessed and is attacking people, however, her husband is not aware of this until the end of the film. Close up shots are another key element of horror films. They are used to show how characters are feeling, which is essential for any film within the horror genre.

Follow shots have been used in these films (and are popular  in horror films in general), as they allow the audience to feel more engaged with the film. It also allows the spectator to witness a character in action, making them feel more close to the character. The 'Rule of Thirds' is also noticeably used in the films I have been researching.

By analysing these films, I have learned more about what kind of filming and editing techniques are commonly incorporated into horror films that are similar to the type of film opening we intend to create. After doing this research, I think that me and my group are going to pay attention to the types of camera shots, etc. that we use when making our film opening in order to ensure that it reflects the genre well.

Audience Research

Survey Maker

I created a survey to carry out audience research. The questions I included in my survey were used to find out which genres of film appeal to particular age groups and genders, and to find out what people think makes a good opening to a film. 

Outcomes of Research

The majority of the people who took my survey were females aged 16-20. The most popular genres of film were Horror and Thriller- tied at 36.36% of the vote each. A popular response to the question 'Why do you like this film opening/what makes it so good?' was 'It's exciting. It draws you into the rest of the film and builds tension, making it gripping for the audience'. The most popular response to the question 'If the opening of a film was _____, I would not want to keep watching the film (fill in the blank)' was 'boring'.

I learned from my research that the target audience of our film opening should be females aged 16-20, and that it should contain elements of both Horror and Thriller genres. To create a successful film opening, we need to make sure that it draws the audience in and makes them want to keep watching. It should also be exciting and gripping. Our film opening must not be boring, or people would not want to watch the rest of the film.

Some popular Horror film openings that have the qualities our film opening should have are:

Scream (1996) - Directed by Wes Craven



Halloween (1978) - Directed by John Carpenter



The Stepfather (1987) - Directed by Nelson McCormick

Categorising Audiences

Pearl and Dean categorise their audiences into four categories based on modern cinema and what types of people go to watch each type of film. 

Horror Film Mood Board

For my mood board, I used Polyvore to put together a collage of images relating to films within the horror genre. There are several examples of common settings used in horror films, such as dark woods and abandoned gothic manors. I have also included examples of typical horror film characters- the terrified victim (I used an example from the film 'Psycho') and the evil antagonist, who usually has a significant quality in their appearance that makes them especially terrifying or memorable. Blood and violence are also key elements of many horror films, which is why I included images of a blood splatter and a bloody cleaver.

The Jelly Baby Challenge- Independent Film Opening

As a group, we decided to choose the Independent Film for our second jelly baby film opening storyboard. We chose this because we thought it allowed a wide variety of plot ideas for us to consider. If we were to actually make our plot into a video, the camera shots we would use are Long Shot, Tracking Shot, and Medium Close Up Shot.

Plot

The protagonist of our film is a regular at a café- all of the locals know her and visa versa. One afternoon, however, a complete stranger enters the café and catches the eye of the protagonist. She catches his eye, also. This is the opening of the film, and would lead to a more developed version of the plot- following the story of the protagonist and this mysterious boy.

I think that we planned our task well and put a lot of effort into our independent film opening, focusing on the props and set in particular. Our group worked well together and we didn't argue about any aspects of the project. We worked more quickly to create this storyboard as we knew exactly what we wanted to do for both the set and the individual shots, so we managed to finish it in one lesson (it took more than one lesson to create our ghost film storyboard). Our shots were all consistent this time as we took them all in the same place, as opposed to having to change locations as we did when we made our other jelly baby project. We all contributed to the planning and production of our film opening storyboard, and I think that having a functioning set (the jelly babies were able to 'sit' at the counter in the café) made our film opening storyboard stand out.

I think that our film would have been better if we had tried to find a way to make the jelly babies stand on their own without using pencils, as they obstructed and ruined some of the shots. I think that we could have tried to show the contrast between the protagonist and the stranger more, perhaps by using more props. I also think that we took too long to decide upon a plot to use for our storyboard, which was one of the down sides to choosing a title with such a wide range of possible plots.

 

The end of our opening scene for an independent film allows for the storyline to continue, as the audience are left wondering what will happen between the protagonist and the mysterious stranger.

The Jelly Baby Challenge- Ghost Film Opening Storyboard

As a group, we decided to choose the Ghost Story for our jelly baby film opening storyboard. We chose this because after researching horror films, we believed that we all had sufficient knowledge of this genre that would allow us to make a successful storyboard. We used 5 shots to get our idea across. If we were to actually make our plot into a video, we would use camera shots such as close ups, whip pan and handheld shots within our scenes.

Plot

4 friends (the jelly babies) go camping in a field by some woods. In the night, one of the characters hears a noise and goes to investigate, only to be murdered by an evil ghost spirit. This is the opening of the film, and would later lead into a more developed plot where similar events happen to other people.

I think that we planned our task well and put a lot of effort into props and scenery of our jelly baby film opening. Our group worked well together and there were no disagreements. We all contributed to the planning and production of our film opening storyboard, and I think that making backgrounds for our film really made it stand out.

I think that our film would have been better if we kept more within the guidelines of a PG film, as we were supposed to. I also think that we took too long to create our shots, and that they were inconsistent (the surface is different in the last photo).

The end of our opening scene allows room for the story to continue and develop as the evil ghost is still on the loose, and nobody knows that it exists

Typical Actors, Directors and Music of Horror Films

I have researched some of the typical actors, directors and music used in Horror Films to give me a better idea of how they are made and what is involved.