Credits Research

Here are some of the Horror Film opening credits I have looked at:

 

 

Final Destination Five

 

when the sequence begins with the production company logos we are instantly drawn into the world of horror. The Non-diegetic windy music is steady and low key, preparing the audience for the intense sounds and images. This music creates a haunting feeling for the audience. once the opening credits begin, the music changes suddenly into high key sounds of drums and guitars, show a comparison to before . The smashing of glass, and the use of fire, having skulls flying towards the screen show connotations of a horror genre; instantly preparing the audience.

 

 

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Cabin In The Woods

 

The non-diegetic music firstly introduced to the sequences are high key and low key together, using both the piano and the violin to create an eerie suspense. when we are introduced to the title the colour filter tends to be black and creamy brown which together create a gloomy dark atmosphere. with the colour theme staying consistent throughout along with the cartoon style of imagery shows that the genre is horror.

 

 

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Narratives

Auidence theories

The Hypodermic Needle Theory suggest that the mass media could influence a  very large group of people directly or uniformly by 'shooting' or 'injecting' messages which are designed to receive a desired response. It suggests that we're all the same and we all respond in the same way.

Here is more about The Hypodermic Needle theory:

 

The Effects Model on the other hand is a theory which explores how media can affect society and how society can affect the media. The consumption of certain media texts show that they can have certain negative/ implications on audiences. The effects model is known to be on often visited as evidence of the dangers of violence in TV media.

 
Here is more about The Effects Model:

 

This Two Step-Flow Model suggests that information from the media moves in two distinctive stages. It assumes that information does not flow directly from the media texts straight into our mind sets of our audiences not processed. But, however it is filtered through 'opinion leaders' who then communicate it to their less active associates in which they have influence over.


Here is more about The Two-Step Flow Model:

 The Uses and Gratifications Model shows an approach and understanding of why audiences specifically seek out specific media texts to specifically satisfy them. UTG is an audiences approach to understanding mass communication. In 1984 Laswell suggests that media texts had the following needs to satisfy audiences.

-Surveillance.

- Correlation

-Entertainment

- Cultural Transmission.

However, in 1974, Blumer and Katz decided to expand this theory, assuming that audiences might choose a text for a following purpose.

-Surveillance- using the media to find out information that is happening around us.

-Personal Relationships- using the media to fulfil their need of companionship and to form relationships with others.

-Personal Identity- using the media to find out about ourselves, some people within the media may reflect on ourselves.

-Diversion- using the media to escape from everyday life and to relax.

Target Auidence

Target audience for our film will be:

- 18-25 year olds

-students

-couples or groups of friends

Synopsis

 

About our film

Mother of two children marries a new man and he moves in to their family home. Her two children protest against it and say they don’t like him but the mother wonders why as he is nice to them (in front of her).The children find an object in the step-dads room which they shouldn’t have found and it could destroy him if their mother finds it. He then kills the children because of this. The mother then awakens leaving us to wonder whether it was a dream or reality.The dream then comes a reality and the mother was distraught and blamed herself for not believing them or taking notice of her dream. She has nightmares about what happened and she slowly starts to go insane and sees her children everywhere, and not just in her nightmares. Finally it becomes too much for her and she kills herself as she believes she will be with her children.

 

 

 

Codes and Conventions

Production Company

 

 

 

For our production company we have chosen the name "sparks productions" purely because it is distinctive and easy to remember.

 

The font we overall picked for our production logo we chose:

 

Preliminary task

 

Our preliminary task was an exercise in continuity which involved us to film followed by editing a character opening a door, sitting down in a chair opposite another character whilst exchanging a couple lines of dialogue.

filming techniques included:

match on action~ Shot reverse shot~ 180 degree rule.

 

 

Filming Techniques

For our preliminary task we had to show the 180 degree rule along with match on action. 180 degree rule means that two characters or element should have the same left/right relationship to each other. This rule states that the camera should remain the same side of an imaginary line, which adds continuity to the film. 

 

 

 

 

Horror Questionnaire results

Analysis of SAW opening sequence

Opening title sequence

 

 

 



As we can see from this beginning of this sequence, the audience are firstly introduced to the production companies involved in creating the film where the pace is fast- logos and iconography to help identify the production companies. Followed shortly after, we are introduced to a blue font which is consistent through to the title of the film being shown- represents them film. At this stage the titles/names are faded within four seconds.

 

Opening sequences allow the audiences to make connections with characters, introducing them to the audience and making them identifiable. At the start of this opening sequence of SAW, we are notified of the creatures of the film and the production company involved in creating it. As we can see the shot of the title show the audience the iconography of the film, reflecting the same cold blue tones which are shown on the characters at the beginning. This overall leaves the audience on the edge of their seat, wondering the importance of this colour blue. Why the colour blue? What is it's significance to the film? To instantly draw the audience in the film, the eerie non-diegetic sound effects and low key music keeps up the suspense. 

 

Case Study of SAW

 

This is the first film of the trilogy SAW- estimated budget-$1,200,000

 

Saw is an independent American horror movie created by JAMES WAN.

 

The film is focused around a serial killer nicknamed JIGSAW who gives his victims various tasks in order to give them a chance to survive his awful traps.

 

The sense of claustrophobia is explored throughout the film, firstly introduced at the beginning of the film when they wake up in a tiny cell industrial bathroom where there is no windows or natural lighting. As we can see from the poster and the film itself, the subgenre is clearly stated as GORE. Because of the culture and storyline of the film the popular audience would be males due to the fact it involves violence which males are usually stereotypically associated with rather than females.

 



Opening Sequences

Opening sequences to horror films are important as they introduce the characters to the audiences, allowing them to build a relationship with them. However, the key importance to horror opening sequences are the representations of age and gender within the characters following the genre of the film. I have selected a range of horror opening sequences which will benefit my research for my own film.

 

The Woman In Black

 

 

Insidious

 

 

The Final Destination (2009)

 

 

Drag Me To Hell

 

 

Sub-Genres of Horror

PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR



This is a movie that relies on a characters fears, guilt, belief and emotional instability. The film is focused around a young journalist(Rachel) whom is out to investigate a mysterious videotape which appears to cause death upon people within a week of them viewing it. If the legend of the tape is correct, Rachel will have to compete against time to save her own and her sons life.

HAUNTED HOUSE/HAUNTING/GHOSTS/SUPERNATURAL
 
Codes and conventions within this film all relate to the human ingrained fear of the dark. The film is based around a young lawyer who travels to a remote village in which he discovers the ghost of a scorned woman who is terrorizing the locals in which people fear the house she once lived in. Whilst his investigation took place he found out that the woman lost her son who was drowned in the marsh, which she now seeks revenge by taking the souls of innocent children around the village. 

TEEN HORROR/SLASHER

Like in the majority of Teen Horror movies, the characters represented within the films such as SCREAM tend to be teenagers themselves hence the genre itself. This makes it more adaptable for the audience to empathize with the characters therefore they become more scared and involved. 

Introduction to horror

Horror is an intense, painful feeling of repugnance and fear. 

 

 Millions of years of evolutionary psychology has been ingrained in our minds to have fears of the dark- in which Horror movies requires us to face the unknown through the use of images which creep into our subconscious.