Horror History

The purpose of horror films is to gain a negative emotional reaction from the audience by playing on their fears. They often include scenes where the viewer is startled through the means of macabre or supernatural, meaning that the horror genre often overlaps with the fantasy and science fiction genre. Horrors also frequently overlap with the thriller genre.
The term “horror movie” first appeared when critics and film industry commentators were writing about Universal's Dracula and Frankenstein (1931) but has since been applied in retrospect to similar films from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

Prelim filming

On the 28th of October myself, Hannah and Megan went to Megan's to film the prelim task and the opening cradle shot of our movie. However it didn't work out too well.
Whilst we were filming we encountered a few problems. These included; our friends who we had asked to act in the film being disruptive and we also found Megan's brother was too. In the background of a lot of the shots you can either hear or see them. Therefore when we next film we have decided to act in it ourselves to eliminate any distractions.
We managed to film these two shots quicker than anticipated so we then decided to move on to the next shot, however it was raining outside and this is where we needed to shoot so we decided against it.
When we got back to school and watched the footage through, we realised that the fact we had not used a tripod was obvious. The filming was shaky and did not look professional. We have taken this on board and next time we will use a tripod.

Shooting Schedule

Props/settings/costumes for preliminary task and final task

Preliminary task
- Two chairs (from Megan's house)
- Front door (from Megan's house)
- House (Megan's house)

Final task
- Cradle (from Mrs Scales)
- Mobile (from Hannah)
- Baby (from Hannah)
- House phone (from Megan's house)
- White dress (from Sophie)
- Black top, trousers and cloak (from Lucy and Mrs Scales)
- Clown mask (from Lucy)
- Garden (Megan's house)
- House (Megan's house)

Preliminary Task

We have chosen to link our preliminary task to our final film opening as we think this is the best idea to enable our final opening to be the best possible it can be.

The short film will be of the babysitter first entering the house and speaking to the mother of the baby.

The script:
(Knocking sound on door. Door opened from the inside and the baby sitter walks though.)
Tracy: Come in, take a seat. The baby's upstairs asleep.
Dacry: Ah alright.
Tracy: All you need to do is check on her every hour. She should be fine otherwise. If she starts to cry then pick her up and give her the bottle that I've left in the fridge.
Darcy: Alright okay, sounds good to me.
(House phone rings)
Tracy: Excuse me, that's the phone, I'll be back in a minute.

The shots that we need to incorporate into our film are match on action shot, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.
How will we include match on action in our film?
The match on action shot will take place when the mum opens the door and the babysitter walks through into the house. The action from the previous frame will match the action in the following frame but from a different angle.
How will we include shot/reverse shot in our film?
The shot/reverse shot will take place when the mother and babysitter are exchanging the few lines of dialouge. The shot will cut from one character to the other to indicate that a conversation is occuring between the two of them.
How will we include the 180 degree rule in our film?
The 180 degree rule will be used in our film again whilst the mother and babysitter are having the conversation. The camera will be on the left behind both of the characters so that the person facing the camera will be on the left side of the screen.

Editing: A Worksheet

1. What does editing do?
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications in various media, performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete output.


2. How does it work?
The final cut and what the audience sees is dependent on the editing (which is usually done by the editor, however the editor will take into account what the director and writer's think). The editor will choose the shots that they feel will work the best. For example if they wanted to portray a scary, intimidating character then the editor will select the shots which best reflect this. 


3. Describe each of the following editing terms: 

• Cut - The most common transition from one shot to the next is the simple cut, where one shot is suddenly replaced by another. Within a continuous scene or sequence, shots are usually strung together using cuts.
• Dissolve - A dissolve or mix sees one shot fade out while another fades in. During the dissolve, both shots are on screen at the same time, visible through each other.
• Fade - Another important shot transition is fade to black or fade out, followed by black screen, then fade up or fade in. This provides a definite ‘closure’ to a section of the narrative, a transition even more emphatic than the dissolve, which tends to provide a link.
• Jump cut - A jump cut is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to "jump" position in a discontinuous way.

4. How does the shot reverse shot help the narrative or generate meaning?

Usually, a shot reverse shot is used to show the view point of a certain character. It will can also be use to show reactions of another character after an something has taken place. This helps the narrative and generates meaning as the audience will know and understand how that character is feeling. 


5. Why is the 180 degree rule important?
The 180-degree rule states that two characters (or other objects) in the same scene, must have the same left/right relationship to each other. For example, if one character is on the left side of the shot they should always face the right and vica versa. It's important so that the audience doesn't get confused or disorientated and understands fully the positions of the characters. 


6. How and why is the point of view shot used?
A point of view shot (POV shot) is used to make the audience feel connected to the character as what they can see is what the audience are being shown. A POV shot is often used in horror movies to increase tension. We usually know that it's a POV shot when the camera is shaky as this gives off the impression of unsteadiness. 


7. What is parallel or cross cut editing?
Parallel editing (cross cutting) is the technique of alternating two or more scenes that often happen simultaneously but in different locations. If the scenes are simultaneous, they occasionally culminate in a single place, where the relevant parties confront each other. 


8. What editing techniques are used to generate suspense?
The length of scenes and shots are key generating suspense. Usually if the editor wants to create suspense then they will use long shots to drag it out and keep the audience on the edge of their seat. 


9. Why is timing important in editing?
Timing is important in editing so that there is a sense of pace for the audience, however the pace should change from scene to scene to keep the attention of the audience. The timing should be dependent on the editing, for example if there is a lot of action then there should be lots of quick, short shots used whereas if the editor wants to create suspense then they should  use longer shots to build the tension. 


10. What is the continuity system?
The continuity system aims to present a scene where the editing is "invisible". So things like props, positions of characters, lighting etc are the same throughout. This is done to achieve a "smooth" and "seamless" style of narrative. 


11. Why does editing strive to be invisible?
It is important that the audience does not consciously acknowledge the editing so that they do not get confused and concentrate on the main item in the frame whether it be a character or an object. If editing is noticeable then this takes away the idea that it's real as the audience will be able to tell that things have been moved around and changed. 

The Dark Knight Opening

The first thing that the audience sees in the opening of The Dark Knight is the institution logo. The main institution associated with this film is Warner Bros. Their name and logo is extremely recognisable. The screen is very dark which suggests to the audience that the film is going to be dark as well. There are some rolls of thunder in the background which again add the element of darkness and fear.

The audience then sees the next institution associated with the film - Legendary Pictures. This institution isn't as well known as Warner Bros is however it is still a reasonably recognisable institution. There is a very low, barely audible sound which creates discomfort and unease for the audience.

As the third institution logo appears a drum beat starts in the background. The drum beat resembles a heart beat and could be used to again create unease and discomfort for the audience, slowly starting to build the tension.

There are then what look like explosions which separate to show the batman logo. The explosions tell the audience immediately that this film is going to be full of action. The batman logo is very easily recognisable by most people. The drum beat stops as this shot starts and a sustained string starts. A sustained string sounds eerie and sets a tone for the opening shot which is going to follow.

The very first shot of the movie is an establishing shot of a city, this immediately sets the scene for the audience. The sustained string is still playing. The drum beat starts again.

The camera slowly then zooms in to one of the buildings. Then suddenly one of the windows smashes. Already this is telling the audience that the movie is going to be quite fast pace as we're only just over a minute in and the action has already started. The sustained string is still playing until the window smashes. The sound of the window smashing is louder and makes the audience jump, putting them on the edge of their seat.

There is then a close up of somebody wearing a clown's mask holding a gun. The gun adds fear and is a stereotypical prop in action films. The clown mask keeps us detached from character as we don't know who they are. However it immediately engages the audience as they will want to know who he is and why is he wearing a mask.

The camera then pans round to a high angle shot. This creates an element of mystery. In the corner there is another person with a clown mask on, raising more questions with the audience. Who are they? Why are they both wearing masks? What are they doing? There are some fast pizzicato strings playing in the background. The music hear reflects the pace of the film.

There is then a long shot of a man at a crossing. The camera zooms in to a close up of the mask he is holding. The mask is similar to those of the ones being worn by the people in the building therefore the audience will link these three people together. The music then starts to crescendo to help create suspense. At the end of this shot a car pulls up and the man climbs in, putting the mask on his face.

We're then back to a mid-shot of the men in the building, however the camera is from behind and the lighting has been done in a way so that their figures are black. These helps to keep the element of mystery previously created by the high angle shot. The music is gradually getting louder and faster to add to the tension and suspense.


The two people from the building them jump out the window and slide across the wire to another building. There is a crane shot that follows them across showing the danger, suggesting that this film is going to include people doing risky things that create adrenaline. Drums are also used hear to create a gun shot sound, foreshadowing later events.

The camera then jumps back to the car where there are three men with the clown masks on. We then get the first piece of dialogue, one of them says "three of a kind. Lets do this." It then becomes apparent to the audience that all these men are working together and are on some kind of mission. The guy in the backseat then loads a gun suggesting that the action is going to happen fairly soon.

The men then start to discuss their 'shares' they they are going to gain from what they are about to do. This allows the audience to presume that they are going to rob something. There is then the first mention of 'The Joker' who is going to be a key character in this film.

The camera then jumps back to the two men on the roof. They too are talking about The Joker, suggesting to the audience that he is going to be an important character to the storyline. However they have a joke at his expense over the fact he wears make-up showing that there's going to be a comedy element to the film. All of the men are dressed in black to suggest evil and mystery.

There is then a low angle shot of the men climbing out the van. The low angle shot is used to make the audience feel dominated by the characters. In this instance they are dominated by them as the audience are still not fully aware of what they are doing. They then look around the street before running up some steps in a building.

Once they have entered the building, one of the men fires off a gun. This indicates to the audience that the action is about to start. Screaming starts which will help to reinforce the element of fear for the audience.

This is followed by a long shot of the men running through the building and it becomes apparent to the audience that they are in a bank which means that we can assume they stealing money. The men start shouting at the workers telling them to put their "hands up and heads down".

One of the men then pulls a worker over the desk and onto the floor. This shows that there is going to be frequent violence throughout the film. There comedy element also returns when he refers to the worker as 'pal'.

Next is a close up of some kind of gadget that the men are using the help break into the bank. The close up shot tells us that it's going something important.

We are then taken back to inside the bank where there is chaos and panic. Having the shots quickly jump between the two scenes helps the pace of the film.

On the roof the men appear to be having a problem with the gadget, however it becomes clear to the audience that this is all part of the plan when one of the men kills the other. This makes the audience wonder why all of a sudden they're turning on each other.