Merry Christmas

We have 2 weeks off for christmas now. We are pretty much up to date project-wise, and editing is going well. We have a finished sequence using old footage with only a few minor touches to be applied. We plan to shoot the first Tuesday back and maybe replace some of the shots with near-perfect ones, but all the editing is in place so this will not take long to fix up.

We look forward to it. Bye bye.

My Editing Schedule

Our group was given an edit suite to share with one other group, consisting of one computer with editing software and one normal computer to blog with. Our teacher devised an editing schedule for each group member for the last 2 weeks before christmas. These individual editing slots were in our free periods at school, as more editing time other than just the lessons.

This is my individual editing schedule for the weeks beginning 8th and 15th December, showing my individual editing time input for my group (Periods are 40 minutes long):

Editing Week 1

Monday - Period 1: present

Wednesday - Period 6-8: unpresent due to illness (caught up by using 3 cancelled lesson periods for editing, see week 2)

Friday - Period 1: present

Editing Week 2

Monday - Period 6: present

Thursday - Period 3 - present (cancelled lesson), Period 7-8: present

Friday - Period 4-5: present (cancelled lesson)

Our third and final editing week begins on Monday 5th January after our christmas holidays. This week will be more intense for editing, with our editing schedules taking up half our free periods, 2 lunchtimes and 2 after school sessions each.

Re-Shoot: Reflections

The re-shoot proved very testing for our group. First of all, we had organised the shoot for Tuesday 9th Decemeber only for one of our actors, Rob, to pull out on Monday due to various commitments. We resolved to shoot the entire thing again with me as the victim instead of Rob. However, the other actor, Matt, was not present at school due to illness from Monday to Wednesday so we had no killer. One option was to recruit Ben Tucker as a new killer but we were so impressed with Matt's acting that this was no option. We managed to resolve a new shote date for Thursday 11th December after some miscommunications with the media department, but this went ahead fine with both actors turning up.

So far, this had raised problems about organisation and communication, with our group learning that we should be able to get hold of actors at all times by a telephone number, that we should leave more time between informing our actors and the date of shoot so it is not such short notice, and that we have to communicate every single problem with our media teacher so she knows what is going on and when people are booked to shoot.

On the actual shoot further problems were evident. A highly inconveniant winter virus commonly known as common flu or a british cold had swept though our school leaving a large chunk of our year group bed-ridden! However Jack, Shaun, Rob, Matt and I had battled our way into school for the shoot, but our illnesses proved quite unproductive. Time was obviously wasted clearing out the space for our shoot quite slowly, and we were overall less motivated to work properly as we just wanted to get it done and go home. Generally, this made us miss some crucial continuity mistakes and filmwork was not as good as in the previous shoot. I was so ill I was barely able to take one shot! After the shoot we took our equipment back to the media department to find it closed, and so we had to leave everything in the school basement until morning. This was because one of our media teachers (who was supposed to be present at school that night), Miss Blackborow, was also incredibly ill and had gone home. This had left us with one more problem on our shoot and that was that our studio lights were without filters.

Looking back at the footage after we realised the lighting was strange, the continuity was terrible, the camera was slightly shaky and the acting was not quite as dramatic due to the actors being ill at the time. We thought one or two of the shots could be inserted into our old footage but none of them really fitted except for one cutaway. Therefore we created a sequence using mostly our old footage and this seemed to work well. However, we had originally re-shot because we did not like the flickering lights on our old footage, and we were told inevitably that we would have to do a second re-shoot to get this perfect.

In our re-re-shoot hopefully we will all be better from our illnesses and able to work more productively by shooting with order and purpose such as in the second shoot, but taking more care in continuity, lighting, acting etc. This should not be a problem, and hopefully this will all come together to gain the perfect set of shots to replace our old footage!

Itty Bitty things (bits & bobs)

Sounds

I managed to find some realistic free soundclips from http://www.soundsnap.com/, this being my job for an editing session.

I got a light buzzing sound for our first clip, a faint dripping water sound that can be turned up on the dripping water clip, a man screaming in pain for when Matt walks past a new victim and a general scary background sound full of bangs and echoes. The light buzzing sound proved unsucessful as it was unrealistic, so we will just use a buzz sound from one of the test shots of the lights. The dripping water sound worked after turning it up to absolute maximum volume. The male scream we tried to use on the slamming of the door but it didn't sound right, almost too comical, whilst the banging sounds sounded like patting water so we decided against using these 2 sounds in our final sequence.

Credits

In an editing session on my own I decided I did not like the content of the credits that appeared and felt these could be made better or more film-like.

Originally it started with 'directed by...' then 'edited by...' then 'produced by', whereas it is more conventional to begin along the lines of 'a film by...' then 'produced by...' then 'directed by...'. 'Edited by...' is not usually used in an opening sequence.

Also, the original credits had our 3 full names but this seemed a bit too straight forward.

I noticed alot of films had a film company and a production company to fill the first 2 credits so I made 2 up. I came up with the film company name 'Live Wire' to match the opening credit shot of the light turning on. "A film by Live Wire" sounded like a decent opening, not taking too much away from the atmosphere but adding to the anchorage.

After this I felt it was important to include all our names in opening credits still, but not in such a straight forward way, so for the production company I created the false partnership of 'Wall & Bayliss' (the second names of me and Shaun respectively), based in a group in-joke with both mine and Shaun's older brothers having worked on the same media project 3 years ago. I decided the phrase, "A Wall & Bayliss Production" worked well following on from the first credit, appearing around some cracks in a wall in a disjointed way.

This left one credit left, and having not included Jack yet and him having probably done most of the actual camerawork on shoots, we went for a simple "directed by Jack Downes" to appear alongside the dripping water on the third credit scene.

After this the film starts with a montage of clips showing the character waking up in the chair, and we felt this a mysterious and suitable time to introduce the 2 actor names in a faded kind of style one after the other in opposite corners of the screen in which the victims head dominates. These actor names were "Robert Demont" and "Matthew Doyle". The unclarity of which of the actors is shown at this point, and the fact there is only one character when 2 actor names are shown add to the mystery and enigma of the scene.

The 2 minute sequence then follows ending on either an image of the door with the hand, or simply fading to black, both of which will reveal the title of the film. We are still yet to decide on this title, which is the final thing I have to do in this blog post.

Title Ideas

- Guest
- The Guests
- The Host
- Host
- Blue Room
- The Chair
- Hot Seat
- Cast Away
- Cast
- Act
- The Act
- The Order
- Order
- The List
- Guest List

Hopefully, Jack & Shaun will have some more ideas because I do not particularly like many of these...

Lighting

Our group discussed the fact that we needed to change the lighting in the re-shoot and we decided this should be our main focus seeing as everything else (acting, location etc) was spot-on. Therefore, I conducted some mini-research and found this image!

I thought our lighting could be similar to in this picture of a basement setting. It is pretty much the same as what we were doing before with all the basement lights off and just the studio lights, but in the shoot we did not use this to best effect. In this picture there is a fairly strong studio light centered an a point of the room, and we could shine a studio light on the actor at a stronger intensity (with blue gel) in order to focus the attention on them and express their features and expressions more as well as sharpening their shadows. This I do not feel we did well enough in the first shoot as we tried to flicker the lights on and off but this only caused a blurred focus on the camera. We should always keep the intensity the same, and making it fairly high will be more effective within the pitch black darkness than the extreme dimness we tried last time. The lighting will still be low key but will simply be clearer and sharper such as in good films such as Saw.

ACTUAL SHOOT: REFLECTIONS

Our shoot went mostly well, with actors and helpers attending, location, props and costumes sorted out, and some decent footage being gained. However, we ecountered several problems along the way, so we discussed these in our groups and came up with this list of problems that can be sorted out or addressed:

- Did not ask for permission to move items around basement in order to prepare the location the day before the shoot, therefore making the caretakers very angry. In apologising and putting everything back to how it was we were told not to move anything until after 3pm on a school evening, and to move everything back to how it was after every shoot.

- The moving around of objects in the basement uses up alot of shooting time.

- Group members have not given long enough notice about them being late for a shoot because of matters such as medical appointments.

- When a group member was not present, action took place without this member knowing leading to confusion the day after (this was the moving of the items on preparing the day before the shoot, with one member not knowing about this until being told off about it).

- Shoots were done without using the shooting script for large parts, so the shot order was random and disorganised leading to missed out shots.

- Actors/helpers were kept a very long time after school without a real break, and sometimes without being needed at certain points during the shoot.

- There was alot of time wasting on shoot because of certain distractions and the novelty of filming in such a scary location in a mildly proffessional way.

- Communication between group members and actors/helpers was often hindered by jokes, unclear messages and short notice (the script being handed to them the day before).

- Using two lights with one on either side of the basement was tricky and one light was often left on for no purpose whilst we filmed using the other light, therefore wasting energy and time (to let the lights cool down before packing them away).

- We were not careful enough with expensive equipment, often acting before thinking, and trying to rush putting away the equipment in order to go home quickly. This resulted in an accident in which a £35 glass light filter was dropped and smashed because it was too hot having only just being turned off.

- Some props were not tested beforehand, such as the mixing of the fake blood going wrong, resulting in pure red food colouring being poured on an actors hand, which proved extremely hard to remove.

- The location proved very cluttered and messy, and all our paperwork, equipment and props were left strewn in random places (out of shot). This increased the possibility of items being lost and time was wasted at the end of the shoot, clearing up.

- There maybe a continuity issue with chains and rope the victim is tied up in and their positions, as well as pieces of black tape at different lengths being used in different takes.

We are going to create a re-shoot list of the shots we need to film (and those we need to film again). We are going to hold another shoot next Tuesday after school with actors, and film all the shots they are in using the shooting script. Any shots we do not need actors for we are going to film in a double media lesson this Friday (jncluding lots of cutaways) also using the shooting script. Here we can also record sounds. With these shots done before Tuesday, that shoot will be quicker and more precise, so actors are not held up so long at school and do not waste their time when they are not needed. Items will not have to be moved for the cutaway shots on Friday as they are all close up cutaways, so this moving job can be done quickly and efficiently at 3pm on Tuesday before the shoot (with some members having a free period then). I have an orthodentist appointment that afternoon at 3.40pm and will not be back for the shoot until 4.15pm. However, I have notified the group and this will cause no problems. We have decided that no helpers are needed for this shoot, and this will help speed things up as too many people present at the last shoot caused many distractions and time was wasted. This time we will be more serious, thorough and organised using the shooting script. All bags, props, equipment and folders will be kept at one part of the room together so that nothing is lost. We will be much more careful with equipment, and lights will not be left on unnecessarily. Furthermore, after the shoot actors will be allowed to go and we will turn the lights off to cool down whilst we pack away the rest of the equipment. This will leave the lights time to cool enough before we pack them away carefully without the possibility of dropping anything. Therefore, we can take this all together back to the media department so the teacher can go home too, leaving us with a clear basement in which we can move back all items to the correct positions before going home.

Overall, we are very happy with the footage and believe there are no problems with the actual project. We are fully prepared for all these problems now after 2 shoots, and everybody know fully what they are doing and what to expect (including actors who know their scripts fully now). We are also aware of the continuity issues and will make sure we know how to keep this the same as the other footage before going on our shoot. We will have better organisation, only bringing the paperwork we really need to follow, therefore allowing us to carry out the final shoot with more purpose and precision, speeding up the process and being far more productive. This will leave us with great footage to finish our projects with no major problems and a very exciting final production.

My Responcibility

Amongst my group we have split up responcibility for various equipment, props and jobs. Our shoot is on Tuesday 2nd Decemeber, so we have this weekend to sort out everything we need and make sure we tie up all loose ends. My job this weekend is to buy two cheap plain white t-shirts and cut them up a little bit. These are props I will bring to shoot and will be worn by the 2 seen victims, with the actors bringing the rest of the clothes they will wear. I will also bring a white flannel which will act as the sleep drug (chloryphene) placed over the victims mouth. Our equipment is at school safely in the media department but on shoot we are each responcible for different items. I am in charge of the group folder, clip board and admin such as all sheets, pens and cloth. I will also be in charge of one out of three studio lights and its designated blue gel. On shoot we have decided to swap around duties so we will all get the chance to be filming, in charge of sound, doing admin and being on lights. However, another victim is needed to be seen for about 2 or 3 seconds. They do not have to act, just moan gagged up and chained. This will probably be me so I will make sure I bring old jeans and trainers to wear with a ripped up white t-shirt. That is the last of my responcibilities for the main shoot on Tuesday, where I will be taking pictures as well as a group photo of the team, soon to be posted here.

Shot List

I wrote out a list of all the possible shots we could try and shoot on shooting day. Most are derived from a draft storyboard produced by Jack, although I added alot of extra shots that we came up with on test shoot day just in case the storyboarded sequence does not work, and so we have a huge range and variation in shots and ideas. This shot list will be present on shoot along with a shooting script, storyboard and shot log produced by Jack and Shaun.

Scene 1 - Victim waking up and struggling (try from different angles)
- ECU victims eyes
- BCU victims eyes and nose
- CU victims face
- MCU victims head and neck
- MCU victims head and neck (from behind)
- MS victim struggling
- MS HA victim struggling (behind over shoulder)
- MS LA victim struggling (behind over shoulder)
- MLS victim struggling
- LS LA 360 arc victim struggling
- LS 360 arc victim struggling
- LS HA 360 arc victim struggling
- LS victim struggling
- LS HA victim struggling
- LS LA victim struggling
- VLS crab victim struggling
- VLS crab victim struggling (from behind)
- CU victims left hand chained
- CU victims right hand chained
- CU victims waist chained (padlock)
- CU victims feet chained (metal tray)
- CU tilt or crane up from feet to shoulders and head
- Steady zoom out from CU face to LS victim struggling (could tilt to one side slowly)
- Crash zoom in from LS victim struggling to CU face

Scene 2 - Killers entrance
- POV handheld track of killer entering basement to victim
- Track following killer entering basement to victim (over shoulder)
- CU of killers feet walking down stairs
- CU of killers last step onto puddle
- CU of killers feet walking on level ground
- POV LS killer spying on victim through gap in shelves (not showing victims face)
- OTS LS killer spying on victim through gap in shelves (not showing victims face)
- LS killers shadow on wall (walks towards then turns right)
- MS killers shadow on wall (walks past)
- LA VLS killer walking past camera, looking around corner to victim (fully blacks out screen for split second)
- VLS killer walking past camera, looking around corner to victim (fully blacks out screen for split second)
- CU killers nose, mouth and neck as he zips up his jacket or zips down his jacket slightly
- CU killers fingers tapping against sides
- CU killer stretching out hand or cracking knuckles

Scene 3 - Killer/Victim conversation
- POV LS light flash with nothing in room ahead (from victims POV)
- POV LS light flash revealing killer (from victims POV)
- POV MLS light flash revealing killer (from victims POV)
- POV MS light flash revealing killer (from victims POV)
- POV MCU light flash revealing killer (from victims POV)
- HA OTS LS killer walking towards victim
- LA LS killer walking towards victim (from bottom left)
- LS mastershot of conversation (side on)
- MS OTS victims whole conversation (over killers left shoulder)
- MS OTS killers whole conversation (over victims right shoulder)
- CU killer chosing weapon and picking it up
- Quick pan down from victims face to weapons
- Handheld shot following killers weapon towards victims gag
- MLS Crab behind victim as killer speaks
- MLS OTS HA killer speaking (so weapons can be seen behind on ground)
- MS killer putting victim to sleep (side on)
- CU victims face falling to sleep
- ECU victism eyes falling to sleep
- POV room going blurry (from victims POV & going out of focus)
- LS of victim asleep and killer walking away

Scene 4 - Killers exit
- POV handheld track of killer exiting basement
- Track following killer exiting basement (over shoulder)
- MLS other victim chained to wall
- MCU other victim moaning
- CU bloody hand on door pane as lights go out

Cutaway Shots
- CU drainpipe dripping water onto puddle
- CU pipes near ceiling
- CU lights flickering
- MS blurry lights shimmering (out of focus)
- CU saw swinging from side to side hung up on peg
- CU sinister object on shelf
- CU scattered paper
- CU weapons lined up on ground

SCRIPT

Here is a copy of a draft scipt I wrote for our group. It was eventually shortened to fit into the maximum 45 seconds conversation time in order for our sequence to work, but there were not many changes to this script in order to create a final script.

Killer to be played by Matt Doyle and victim to be played by Rob Demont...

Killer enters the corner of the room, walks towards the victim in the chair, takes his weapon of choice and uses it to ungag him instead of kill him, to the surprise of the audience. The victim gives a confused moan.

Killer (calmly and reassuringly): Theres no need to be frightened, we're gonna take good care of you.

Victim (bewildered): What? No, please -

Killer: I said theres no need to be frightened... we try to accomodate all our new guests as best we can.

Victim: But -

Killer: Trust me.

The killer begins to feel inside his coat pockets.

Victim (in confusion): Who are you? What am i doing here?

The killer kneels down with a torch, ignoring the question.

Killer: I'm just going to check your eyes, you might be feeling a little dazed.

The killer forces the torch towards the victims eyes and checks his pupils.

Victim (with more anger): Get off me!

Killer: Hmm you look a little dizzy... would you like a drink?

Victim: Who are you?

Pause.

Killer (with more charm): It would be aweful of me not to offer you a drink. I'll bring you down some water on my next visit.

Victim (in desperation): Your NEXT visit? Wha - Whats going on? What am i doing here?!

Killer (with sudden frightening anger, quickly desceninding into calm): PLEASE - be quiet. If you wouldn't mind. We've been recieving alot of complaints recently...

Victim: What? Where am I?! Who the hell are -

Killer (suddenly): I SAID BE QUIET.

The killer grabs the victim by the jaw. The victim moans in pain and desperation. The killer thinks to himself and regathers his calm state of mind.

You seem terribly confused. I recommend you catch some sleep now.

The killer ignores the desperate moans and plees of the victim and forces him to sleep with a drug. The victims eyes roll and eventually he slumps into his chair asleep.

Killer: Better, thanks. Its greatly appreciated.

The killer smiles to himself and begins to walk out the room quietly humming to himself the tune of the lullaby 'go to sleep'. As he walks down an aisle between some shelves the sounds of other men screaming becomes more evident. Another victim chained to a wall starts to moan out to the killer as he walks past.

Killer: Now, now Mike. You take good care now.

The killerwalks towards a door where there is the sound of someone moving. The killer opens the door and walks through it.

Killer: And you Jack. Good night.

The killer shuts the door forcefully. A blood stained hand can be seen making an attempt to grab the handle but simply thumpingon the door palm first before smearing helplessly down the glass. The killer stops in his tracks and faces the door with a look of inconvenience on his face.

Killer: Ah, another job for the cleaner.

The killer laughs subtly in a sinister way before murmering something to himself.

Killer (almost secretively): She'll be dead pleased...

The killer laughs again to himself and leaves the basement to the sound of his footsteps and his "oblivious" humming.

Final Idea

Our final idea will start with a victim waking up. This will be a series of CU's at different angles creating a montage effect. The character will look around and motivated cuts disguised as cutaways establish various parts of the basement room. The victim will look down and more motivated cuts will show flash cutaways of his hands and feet chained up. This will be followed by some establishing shots of the victim in the chair chained up and the camera will arc the chair 360 degrees in fast motion. This will cut to POV shot looking through a gap in some shelves at this victim. Parallel editing between the victims face and the killers feet/shadows etc will build up tension as the killer comes towards the victim, picks up one of the weapons lined up on the floor (ip dip doo...) and raising it. We will not see the killers face yet, just the back of his head, but instead of killing the victim he cuts or rips off his gag and begins to speak normally. He is reasurring and charming in this shot/reverse shot conversational continuity sequence but much of what he says has hidden tones of twisted irony revealing he is treating his victims as "guests" hoping they have a "comfortable stay". Suddenly, he is more forceful showing his strength and power by forcing the victim to sleep using a drug. Then a long POV tracking shot will show the killer leaving the room as he murmers to himself creepily showing he is psychotic. He will pass other victims pleeing for freedom and eventually shots the door on a victim. We end on a shot of the victims blood smeared hand bang on the glass window of the door with a horrible scream. We will focus on this shot as the hand falls steadily down the glass and the killer says something ironic revealing more of the situation before we hear the killer footsteps leave. We will fade to black revealing the film title. Throughout the whole sequence random cutaway shots of basement objects such as a dripping pipe, flickering light, stacks of weapons and shadows will be accompanied by credits (director, producers, cast and company names).

Prop List

Character Props:

Victim 1

Plain white t, jeans, trainers, black eye using make up, messy hair, water on face for tears/sweat

Victim 2

White shirt, jeans, trainers, covered in fake blood

Victim 3

Doesn't matter just dark clothing

Killer

Dark trench coat, black boots, black jeans/trousers, gloves?

Scene Props:

- mallet

- chisel

- saw

- hammer

- nails

- crow bar

- chair

- chains

- rope

- padlock

- metal tray

- fake blood

- black tape

Other Props:

- water source

- cleaning equipment

My account of the test shoot

Here are some photos I took to show what we did on our test shoot.

A window in the basement we could use as a spy hole.

Where the victim will be sitting in the basement (once removing all the clutter).

Close up of the chair.

Testing out lights at low intensity.

At high intensity.

Filming some initial test shots.

Using the blue filter gel on the lights for cold metallic effect.

Using the orange filter gel on the lights to create a dangerous effect, in contrast to the blue.

Filming from the victims point of view.

Using the chain and padlock as props.

Close up of the chain and padlock.

Close up of a hand chained up.

Using the metal tray to chain the victims feet to.

The chair fully set up with chains, rope and metal tray (just missing the victim).

The weapon line up.

Close up of where the victims feet will be.

Low intensity lighting with blue filter gel (our final lighting setup).

Stairway for killers entrance.

A possible close up of the killers feet on stairway.

Point of view shot of killer walking into basement.

Killer looking through door where blue light shines through.

Our favourite shot of a victims hand on the door.

A hole in the door glass which could be exploited for shock.

What the killer sees as he enters.

The killers shadow as he walks.

Pitch black in hallway between the two light setups, disorientating the audience before the killer reaches the victim in the chair.

A gap in the shelves which the killer can look through and spy on the victim.

What the killer will see (with victim sitting in chair).

My Reflections

The test shoot went well, with my group getting a better feel of our location and deciding on where the lights would stand and where the characters will be positioned. We decided on the victim to be chained up in a chair in a corner of the basement furthest away from the door. Here there was not too much clutter compared to the rest of the basement, with the stacks of boxes and mops seeming easiest to move quickly compared to the various other items in other parts of the room. Also, there was a thin window slit here that we thought could be exploited in some way, and lots of useful props such as weapons, chains and rope. We placed a studio light facing on to the scene from the left, so this would be hidden behind a shelf aisle when the killer enters the scene. This was a decision we made after testing out various other positions, and seemed best suited to a particular POV track of the killers entrance/exit that we really liked. Before trying out shots we tested the camera at different intensities and different colours using blue, orange and green filter gel. We eventually decided to shoot with all the room lighting off, with the studio lights at a medium intensity, creating a low key effect casting lots of shadows and making some parts of the room completely dark, focusing the light on the important parts of the room. We went for the blue gel, as it gave off a cold, metallic look often associated with modern horror, connoting isolation and imprisoment whilst creating an eery atmosphere. With this lighting we managed to complete much more effective shots and gained some impressive footage, compared to earlier in the shoot when lighting was not so prominant. It was here we came up with the long POV track following the victim, and particuarly liked a point in the track passing the door, where a hand could appear blood smeared. The combination of dust on the glass door panes and blue lighting from behind the door created a very shocking effect. We thought this could be even scarier by flashing the lights on and off to create a flickering effect, and this led us on to a new idea with the lights flashing on and off whilst the killer progresses closer to the camera. We also got some good close up footage of the victim but decided on watching this, that a better actor was needed than ourselves. We liked the sounds created in the basement and tested out many of these such as banging and scraping a spade against the ground, stepping on glass and turning on the basement lights to create a buzz that we could play over and over again throughout the scene. This would create a long eery buzzing/flickering noise to go with the flashing lights, and we thought we could add the other sounds over the top randomly as well as some distance and some close male screams to create the situation of more than one person in the basement. We had 3 studio lights to light up the path the killer takes in the POV track, as well as the presence of one or two other victims and their sounds. As each light would have to be controlled to flash it, we decided at least one helper would be needed as well as 2 actors to play the part of the killer and victim. This would also help with the issue of space we found, as it took us a long time to clear out sufficient space for the cameras and pathway. With one or two people helping this job would be done quicker. We felt we would probably need a little more space than we cleared out on this test in order to retrieve LS footage of the victim. This is something we decided we may have to check with the caretakers, and ask if this space could be left so we would not have to clear out every time we shot in the basement. Other than this there were no real issues with the shoot, and with more organisation, props and helpers we decided the location could be near perfect for our film. The layout of it inspired our sequence and storyline and now we are content we can produce a really well filmed and lit opening to a modern horror/thriller film.

Influences

Saw 1 - Opening Sequence


Saw 2 - Opening Sequence


We thought our opening sequence could share alot of similar features to the openings of 'Saw 1' and 'Saw 2', obviously taking into account our budget. The aspects of 'Saw 1' we thought we could use were the location type, the sounds/atmosphere and certain shots. The location is in a bathroom rather than a basement, but holds the same kind of disused and dirty feel as our location. We particularly liked the watery effect shown in the bath scene, and the fuzzy electric effect shown by shots of the lights when they flicker on. These are boosted by eery sounds of dripping water and electricity generators, a background fuzz we feel we could emulate fairly easily with fans or the light sounds themselves, and using water from a bucket to drip on the pipes. The overall sound is fairly silent with sudden drum sounds matching random flash shots to scare you. We could record drum sounds and use the same kind of shots to help build tension and keep the audience on guard for action. That leaves the very faint high pitched violin twing that occasionally rises and falls as tension runs its course. I don't know how we could emulate this, possibly making our own violin sound on the computer as a kind of audio track. A shot I really liked from the 'Saw 1' opening was the point of view shot from the character as the lights turn on, as this is blurry as if he is in a dazed and blinded state. We could use this for our character as he wakes up, altering the focus on the camera at this point for blurred effect. Also, I feel we can reverse the effect of darkness to light shown in this scene, by the lights flickering and going out at the end of our sequence. This would be effective in mystery, suspence and the meaning of loss of hope, while leaving a black slide to put the title of the film without having to use a cheesy fade to black effect. We felt the camera movements and lighting in the 'Saw 2' clip were extremely effective, and we could use a similar kind of style. The lighting was fairly bright, with the combination of grey/green slimey walls and yellow/white lights giving the whole clip a neon green/yellow kind of bright tint to contrast the shadows and darkness. The lights in our location are very similar, whilst the walls (mainly concrete and brickwork) are more dusty yellow. The overall effect could be a slight neon yellow tint to create bright contrast to the shadows, especially if we shoot at low key lighting with lights only focused on the character and the rest relying on the room lights as they flicker. The shadows created will give a great opputunity to mask the killer and add mystery to his identity, as well as possibly shocking the audience when he arrives. The camera movements in the 'Saw 2' clip are almost an array of different angles of the victim in the chair pieced together in a lightning quick montage. Here this is so fast as to depict the idea of racing against time, but we could use such quick camera movements as flash cutaways to clues of the victims whereabouts, fast-forwarded pans, arcs and tilts of the victim at different angles, and cuts of his face at different distances quickly pieced together to zoom in on him in a mechanical style. This would create the effect of panic, confusion and disorientation as well as giving the film a modern rejuvinated and alternative effect. The sequence could be fast and pacy at some points, but we will also slow it right down at points to build up tension and introduce the characters, setting and situation, as well as creating space for continuity techniques over montage. The camera movements for 'Saw 2' will only be used at certain points in our sequence and not for the whole duration, as this would not work for our project, and we have to take into account that we are shooting an ameteur film with average equipment. We will try to combine similar aspects, and will go as far as we can to emulate some of the techniques shown in the clips on a low budget. We felt both clips had an interesting style, especially in the titles, with 'Saw 1' showing a slow and gloomy effect with cold, blue and rippling watery titles, and 'Saw 2' showing an inconsistent and unpredictable effect with neon yellow/green flickering electric titles. We could use either of these styles in our titles and credits appearing alongside such features as dripping water and flickering lights, to either create a solumn or threatening atmosphere. Both are rather chilling and signify danger clearly. We hope to amplify both with effective titles between clips that use many of the techniques shown in the early scenes of the 'Saw' movies.

More Influences



This is a scene of Gollum in 'Lord of the Rings 2'. He is having an argument with his other side, Smeagle, because he is a schizophrenic. The scene uses shot/reverse shot on the same character to make it look like two characters talking to each other, when really it is the same character. We hope to achieve the same technique for our character who could be a schizophrenic arguing between his good and bad side.

Character Ideas

Victim 1
Possible Names: Mike, Pete, Jack, Matt, Tim, Tom.
Role: Victim, tied up in chair, struggles, uncertain conclusion.
Appearance: Bruised, battered, fake cuts, black eye, messy hair, sweating, tears?
Clothes: Suit or shirt/tie, ragged trousers or smart trousers, shoes or trainers.
Needed Acting Traits: male, fairly well built, can act really scared/confused/dazed, can produce fake tears.

Victim 2
Possible Names: Mark, Mike, Dan, Pete, Joe, Jack, Nick, Matt, Tim, Tom, Chris.
Role: Friend of victim 1, has been lead to victims location, find location to find noone there, is killed by killer.
Appearance: Bruised and battered, sweating, fake cuts, ripped clothes, out of breath.
Clothes: Plain white t splattered in blood, jeans (ripped), trainers.
Needed Acting Traits: Male, athletic, can act scared/confused/angry.

Killer
Possible Names: Unnamed or has a nickname to do with the title.
Role: Walks about victim 1 possibly assembling torture tools, follows victim 2 into basement, kills victim 2. Very childish, he never grew up. So murder ways are very strange and have child-like signifiers.
Appearance: Ambiguous, tall, in the shadows, masked or face shadowed, threatening/menacing.
Clothes: Black boots, black hoodie/jacket/cloak, black fingerless gloves, mask?
Needed Acting Traits: Can look powerful/menacing, tall, physical, well-built, can speek in deep/threatening voice.

My Idea

The sequence will be set in a basement-like room. It will open with shots of a victim in a suit, beaten up, bruised, gagged and tied up to a chair. He will struggle and look terrified, moaning out of desperation. Shots will be cut up by cutaway shots establishing features of the room such as a puddle with dripping water, a broken pipe, a flickering light and a brick wall with the mans shadow. Credits will appear alongside these objects. The sequence will begin alternating between 2 scenes using parallel editing - one of the victim as a figure appears and begins assembling some torture weapons and one of a mystery person running. We will see features of this person without seeing their face and will see them run down some stairs into a dark cellar (the basement). The audience believe the 2 scenes are happening at the same time, with the person running towards the victim. As the person enters into the cellar, we will cut away to a third scene following slower more sinister footsteps down the stairway. As the person moves around the corner towards where the victim should be, a dark shape moves across the screen quickly. The tension will build up towards this climax as we follow the person around the corner to find an empty chair and words along the lines of 'too late' scrawled across the wall in blood (or red paint). This will confuse the audience who expect to find the victim in the chair. At this point the camera faces the person who we see full on for the first time, as he begins shouting for what appears to be his friend (the audience finds this out now). As he moves towards a dark corner, a figure appears from out the darkness and grabs the persons neck from behind at knife point. There is some kind of brief significant conversation between the 2 before the killer slashes the persons throat. We do not see the point of penetration but just a quick action assuming the murder happens as we cut to a shot of the empty chair with flickering lights. The lights go out and the film title appears. The rest of the film will trace back what happened before the victim was caught, establishing the characters, and will then follow what happened and why. It will contain aspects of murder, suspence and gore, focusing on a modern combination of horror and thriller.

Prop List

Clothes:
Suit/shirt/tie
Plain white t, jeans
Black hoodie or jacket/black boots/fingerless black gloves

Props:
Chair
Rope
Black Tape
Ribena or fake blood
Red paint
Water source (bucket?)
Knife

Initial Title Ideas

The Follower

The Followed

Hunted

Trick of the Mind

The Time Trick

Twisted Irony

The Timekeeper

Too Late

Saving Seconds

Death Count

The Counting Game

Count to 3

Overdue

A Lesson in Punctuality

The Trail

The Race

Traceless

Clueless

Tracing Time

Wasting Time

The Appointment

Follow Me

Title Ideas

- Too Late
- Out of Time
- The Follower
- The Followed
- Hunted
- Murder Trail
- Torture Trail
- Clueless
- Twisted Irony
- The Prankster
- Trick of the Mind
- The Trick
- The Time Trick

Our Shooting/Location Plan

At some point next week (17th-21st November) we plan to ask for school permission to use the school basement for test shooting on Friday 21st November, and real shooting the following two Fridays - 28th November and 5th December. We will ask the school caretakers and if necessary, the school office.

If successful we will use the following dates, using the test shoot as a 'location reccie' (or doing this another week day night that week).

If unsuccessful we will use our inset day (24th November) as a 'location reccie' for our other 2 locations in Chingford near to where we all live, and also as a test shoot. We would have to sort out dates and times to shoot for the following 2 weekends, using the preferred location from the test shoot.

Group Meeting 1 - Notes

Genres

- horror (slasher or supernatural)

- thriller (gangster or crime)

Possible Locations

- school (latymer great hall or basement)

- graveyard (chingford cemetary)

- woods (epping forest, pole hill, high beach or ponds near butlers retreat)

- canal (waterhouse by 'halfords' at outer chingford retail or 'boat club' by chingford resevoirs)

- abandoned house (unused house next door to a friends)

- lonely bar (Jack's dads bar or a bar near to latymer school)

- old fashioned historic buildings (tudor museum, 'the harvester', a pub or 'butlers retreat' - all leading onto chingford plains)

- alleyway covered in forest (organ lane near Kris/Jack's house)

- car park and backstreet alleyways (sainsburys car park at chingford mount)

- abandoned littered streets and warehouses (near lea valley odeon and picketts lock)

- church (st peters and chingford green)

Possible Characters

- a female teenage victim (with loud scream)

- a small friendship group of either girls or mixed gender from a posh public school

- a couple of hard-looking italian or cockney gangsters

- a confident teenage boy who can run fast

- a teenage male or grown up to act as the villain (not necessarily ever seen in shot)

- a group of youngsters our age who can sing!

Available Actors

- ourselves and other media students

- sixth formers who do drama, are past media students or are willing to make themselves available to act

- Jack's cousin and his friends

Ideas

- a murder

- a past event (either a murder or supernatural happening in the 1950's or tudor times)

- a secret gangster meeting or confrontation (leading to a murder, shooting or bust-up)

- a monster/unseen creature attack

- a vampire musical (probably not going to happen!)

Group Meeting 2 - Notes

Idea 1

Location: Latymer School Basement

A victim wakes up tied up in a chair and gagged. With only the sound of dripping water and faint echoes, he begins to hear footsteps. The scene will cross cut between shots of the man in the chair and shots suggesting someone is walking down towards the basement where he is. The sequence will provide some sort of twist, with one idea being that a climax to the scene will quickly switch to a friendlier scene from 24 hours earlier via a graphic match. A link maybe shown between the killer in the present scene and a friend the victim is with in the past (possibly showing the victim who is his friend the same knife used in the present scene, or an item of clothing, tattoo or accessory seen in the same way). This will lead to the audience already suspecting the killer in the opening sequence, but the film will lead on to reveal a different killer in a surprising twist. Another idea is that the two scenes using parallel editing (of the victim and of footsteps etc) are at different points in time, with either the footsteps being a few hours before the victim scene, or a few hours after. The first of these would make the audience think the victim was about to be attacked but would be surprised to see the killer simply setting up his trap (possibly using a knife to cut a rope or something, instead of killing the victim). The second would reveal what you think as a killer to be a friend of the victim who has apparently been lead to believe he will find his friend here (through what he says as he enters and his shocked reaction to find his friend not there). With the audience confused, the friend would face an empty chair and a wall marked with blood saying something along the lines of 'too late'. Then out of the darkness a figure would suddenly appear and grab the friend before presumably killing him. The audience would then want to know what happened to the victim in the chair but will not know until later on in the film. Themes or genres involved in this film would probably include aspects of murder, slasher horror, revenge and suspence thriller.

Idea 2

Location: Path by canal/Bridge

The sequence could be a mysterious continuity-based opening showing a teenage boy walking by a canal. He will look troubled as if in a bad way (messed up life, possibly on drugs). Sinister noises and images disturb his walk in an eery silence. The sequence will either involve someone following the boy and killing him, him witnessing a murder on the other side of the canal only to be murdered in exactly the same way moments later, or his route to be disturbed by the presence of perculiar hooded beings (possibly to look like normal youths, only to be wearing hoodies backwards to mask their faces). Another idea would be to show the boy entering onto a plain bridge to find a dead body lying in the centre. Curious, the boy could move towards the body to find it either dead, a doll or dead but with a sinister and chilling appearance such as a painted face or mask. Then two hooded figures on either side of the bridge he had entered could appear and close in on him, trapping him. They could either kill him or he could jump off the bridge into the canal (which would admittedly be dangerous to film). In each of these ideas it would be hard for the audience to distinguish imagination from reality due to the boys confusion and possibly the sight of him carrying or doing drugs that may make him see halucinations. The end of the opening may show the victim dead with scratch wounds and bruises having supposedly been attacked by the silent hooded figures (zombie-like?) but the last shot could steadily zoom out from the body to show no beings around, suggesting he was seeing things and was attacked by his own mind and ended up killing himself through the horrible images he was seeing (with the bridge scenario ending up in him being drowned in the canal because of images he had seen in his mind). The film could have a moral message against drug use and youth gang crime. I thought the rest of the film could be about a a new drug which is disguised as a standard drug such as LSD, but is actually designed to kill its victims - a possible mass murder or terrorist attack on youths of the western world. Themes or genres involved in this film would probably include aspects of murder, thriller, psycological and creep-out horror.

Idea 3

Location: Abandoned house or 'White House' at Gilwell Park

We do not have a particular idea for these locations but is simply a back up idea in case the other 2 locations are not available. This would probably involve mainly interior filming too, to be safe. One idea we have is a group of teenagers arrive to check out the haunted legends of the abandoned house. One character (a girl) stays outside on look out as she is too scared. Sinister going-ons around her unsettle her and she calls for her friends. The opening sequence could involve her entering the house upon panicing that there is no shout back from inside. She could, to her horror, discover the bodies of her friends inside and either be caught herself, or run away. In running away, the rest of the film could be centered around her trying to escape from the forested area she has entered, entirely from her point of view, or just following her character. The film could be disorientating and end up in her being trapped by her surroundings (unable to leave the park) because of this curse/legend - although this will appear as her lost and apparently going around in circles. She would eventually be killed, possibly in a twist of events. Themes or genres involved in this film would probably include aspects of murder, slasher horror, disorientation and supernatural horror.

My Favourite Horror Movie Clips

These are some of my favourite clips of all time from horror films. These include the first alien sighting in 'Signs', the famous tv seen from 'The Ring', the dramatic ending to 'The Descent' and the unbelievable opening scene to 'Saw II' (don't watch if you don't want to spoil the films for yourselves!).









I have analysed 'The Ring' clip for shot types, the 'Saw II' clip for opening sequnces and mentioned 'The Descent' clip in my influences and character types. The 'Signs' clip is just another clip I find inluential and have mentioned the fact this first sighting comes very late in the film in my influences. Other than that, these are purely for your entertainment and so I can refer back to these at any time for ideas etc.

My Influences (contains spoilers!)


1) Sir Alfred Hitchcock
(August 13, 1899 - April 29, 1980)

The "master of suspence", born in Leytonstone, was one oof the most influential filmmakers, and I regard him as the founder of the horror genre due to his advanced ideas and techniques. He was very much ahead of his time. Hitchcock is most famous for his films, 'Psycho' and 'The Birds'.

Psycho - 1960
Our media class watched 'Psycho' one night after school and I regard it as the basis of all my ideas in the horror genre. The film depicts the encounter between a secretary, Marion Crane and the motel owner, Norman Bates. For most of the film we are kept in suspence about who is doing the killing - the scene where Marion is murdered being an all time classic (my favourite of all horror icons - see my post titled 'my top ten pieces of horror film inconography). The famous shower curtain scene sums up Hitchcock's technical genius in suspence and horror. The plot is amazingly clever and the techniques used to build suspence are superb for its time (6 years before the birth of colour television). The twist at the end take you completely by surprise, with Norman turning out to be a skitzophrenic - his "mum" side being the killer everyone was looking for.

The Birds - 1963
After studying a clip from 'The Birds' in media for continuity, I decided to watch it, and I believe it to be even better than 'Psycho' technically. It is perfect, with stunning scenes of voilence and gore for search an early period film. The films plot does not really make much sense apart from the fact a town is terrorised by groups of bird attacks. I use scenes such as the where the neighbour is found dead in his house with his eyes pecked out, as the default for continuity techniques, simply because Hitchcock masters it. The film does not have a clear ending, with the family driving inot the sunset towards an uncertain future.

Nowadays, there are numerous websites and foundations based on the technical advances Hitchcock brought to film (most notably the "Hitchcock zoom" or better known as the "contra-zoom" - changing the perspective of the background whilst keeping the subject the same size by moving the dolly backwards whilst zooming in on the subject). He was always good at improvisation because his films did not always have large budgets. This skill was shown when filming 'The Ropes' in 1948 - a film appearing to be shot in entirely one take, but actually consisting of about 10 shots pieced together, with changes in shot disguised by an object taking up the entire screen for a second. These types of techniques have influenced low budget film makers worldwide.


2) The 1970's Killers

After the Hitchcock era, a new breed of horror films was born; the teen slasher. There was a trio of serial killers and they were 'Michael Myers', 'Jason' and 'Freddy Kruger' (from 'Halloween', 'Friday the 13th' and 'Nightmare on Elm Street' respectively).

Halloween - 1978 (directed by John Carpenter)
'Halloween' followed an evil character 'Michale Myers', who had a love for killing teenagers after killing his sister when he was 6. It was the first of its kind, giving rise to a seemingly immortal killer, and featuring shocking scenes of slash murders. It was an extremely violent film in its day. The franchise of 'Halloween' still exists today, with 'Michael Myers' one of the most frightening and notorious killers of all time.

Friday the 13th - 1980 (directed by Sean S. Cunningham)
Much like 'Halloween', 'Friday the 13th' followed a serial killer 'Jason', who murdered teens at a holiday camp after being drowned in the lake a few years before. The film was very similar to 'Halloween', with an immortal and almost supernatural villain seeking revenge or pleasure in the mass murder of teens. The films were brutal and ruthless.

Nightmare on Elm Street - 1984 (directed by Wes Craven)
The film featured another serial killer 'Freddy Kruger', who was the "dream killer", killing children in reality but only appearing as part of the dream world. He terrorised the dreams of children living in Elm Street, thus making him the third immortal and "supernatural" killer of the 70s and early 80's.

The predictable plots of all 3 films and how they create absolute terror through an unknown but unstoppable killer have influenced me in the horror genre. The faces of all 3 killers are very iconic (masked or unmasked), 2 of which feature in my top ten pieces of horror iconography. The closeness in narrative of the 3 films inspired a 2003 film by Ronny Yu, 'Freddy vs Jason', featuring 2 of the 3 notorious killers, crossing both plots to create conflict between the 2 killers.


3) Tim Burton
(August 25, 1958 - present)

I regard Tim Burton as the founder of gothic horror, and enjoy his films because of their fun, quirky nature despite the dark and terrifying atmospheres he creates. I admire Tim's wild imagination and clever underlying messages that make his films so special and unique to him. They are their own brand of films - 'Tim Burton' films. It is funny that my childhood nightmares always stemmed from 2 of Tim's films; both of which I fully adore now.

Edward Scissor Hands - 1990
The film revolves around a stereotypical American suburb and follows the fantasy-horror tale of manmade 'Edward' who has adopted scissors for hands, and lives alone in a terrifying looking castle overlooking the suburb. The film is inspired by Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' and the french legend, 'Beauty and the Beast', with a misunderstood character being hunted down. When I was little, the character of 'Edward' used to scare me as he could carelessly murder somebody and I used to find him creepy. Looking back, I have full sympathy for the character now, and the imagination of 'Tim Burton' strikes me as amazing - to be able to think up such a uniquely inspired character who stirs up such deep emotions inside you, yet keep the humour of a man with scissors for hands! It is unreal - and the moral message that comes with it (a common convention in gothic horror) is inspiring to me - not to misjudge on appearance. That is one thing I have learnt from the film as I have grown up, and banished any fears I originally had of 'Edward Scissor Hands'.

The Nightmare Before Christmas - 1993
This is a truly unique film that I used to watch every Halloween and Christmas when I was little - and it used to scare the hell out of me! It follows the goings-ons in a fantasy town called 'Halloween Town', as the residents try to capture christmas with the help of 'Jack', the main character. The film is famous for interwining gothic horror elements with the imagination of fantasy, humour and wit of alternative comedy and true magic of a musical - and all this from a motion stop animated film! It even inspires me now, the ideas that 'Tim Burton' had in his head, with the visions of the 'Gambling Boogeyman', the monster under my bed and the evil pumpkins giving me nightmares when I was little. Yet now, I can see how Tim played on the myths and legends of childrens nightmares and put entirely his own spin on the stories to create a totally different world - the 'Tim Burton' world. I hope to convey some of Tims gothic style in my film as my way of making it totally alternative and unique as my own style of horror film.


4) M. Night Shyamalan
(August 6, 1970 - present)

'Manoj Nelliyattu' Shyamalan is probably the cleverest director I know, with every single one of his films panning out to be something noone has ever thought about before - and while some ideas are whacky, they always seem to make some kind of sense in the end. Every aspect of a 'Shyamalan' film is summed up in the following 4 films.

The Sixth Sense - 1999
A psycological horror film, which follows the life of a boy called 'Cole', who sees dead people. The film plays with your mind throughout and keeps to horror conventions during scenes where 'Cole' is confronted by terrorfying images of the dead. However, it provides my favourite ever twist-end to a film, with Bruce Willis's character (who tries to give 'Cole' psycological help) turning out to be dead too. If you go back and watch the film again, you realise that 'Cole' is the only character who ever has conversation or even eye contact with Willis. The film inspired me to write equally powerful and clever plots - which will be a hard feat to achieve nonetheless!

Signs - 2002
Again, a thriller horror, but inspired by 'Steven Spielberg' style sci-fi, the film follows the story of a family living in a farmhouse and are terrorised by crop circles - only for a worldwide alien enslaught to follow. I find it different to any other alien film, with far more focus on the characters (you do not see an acutal alien until about an hour and fifteen minutes into the film) and I feel it brings out human emotions in an otherwise supernatural event. I find the structure of the film clever, in keeping you tense about what the aliens look like and who they are, by only giving you split second clues and glimpses until the final 15 minutes of the film - a dramatic climax. It is one of them films that you have to pay very close attention to to really understand what the film is all about, and what role the aliens creatures play in the movie.

The Village - 2004

I did not enjoy 'The Village' as much as Shyamalan's earlier films, but I find the plot of this film so clever - following an insular turn-of-the-20th-century village who fear from leaving the village because of monsters that roam the forest that surrounds them. The twist is that the monsters are villagers themselves who have chosen to keep the villagers from entering the outside world (the actual date is 2004, not the earlier stated 1897) and have rolled back the dates to a simpler more peaceful time. The way in which each twist is revealed in stages completely decieves you and your initial thoughts, and plays with your mind.

The Happening - 2008
This film defies all other films as completely odd and ridiculous, yet it still manages to make a strange kind of sense. It is certainly Shyamalan's whackiest attempt at a film, but the apocalyptic film is scientifically plaudible at the least. It shows how people inexplicablly begin committing mass suicide and this is revealed to be because of a substance in plants that they release in order to reverse neurotoxins in the human brain, so humans go against their survival instincts. As ridiculous as it sounds, I love the idea of plants killin humans simply as their way of getting rid of humans in order to preserve earth. The moral messages of global warming are evident, and it reminds us of how powerless we are against nature and how little we really could know about the planet we live on. Another amazing 'Shyamalan' idea that I never would have thought of before.


5) The 1990's Killers

There was a re-birth of the slasher subgenre made infamous in the 70's, in the late 1990's. This sparked a slight rejuvination and a new subgenre in horror. The source of this new birth was the film 'Scream'.

Scream - 1996 (directed by Wes Craven)
This marked a new style in the teen slasher subgenre, as Wes Craven offered a more tongue-in-cheek approach to horror. Much like the killers of the 70's, the film involved a serial killer in a mask killing random teens in an act of revenge - but the difference was that it was modern. the 'Scream' villain terrorises the main character 'Sidney' over phone calls, and the whole killing spree is a ploy between two of her best friends (one is her boyfriend). Murders are almost comic-like, stereotyping American teenagers as stupid - those with a sense of humour appreciate the underlying tones of irony, and the way the villain mocks his victims. 'Scream' has become a franchise deries and created the most highly sold Halloween costumes because of the famous 'Scream' mask.

Scary Movie - 2000 (directed by Ivory Wayans)
'Scary Movie' brought the comedy value of 'Scream' to a whole new level by providing a parody of the horror genre. It is a spoof of 'Scream' and in many ways is similar, but exaggerates the comedy and irony, bringing in a new grotesque and vulgar humour never before seen in horror. I found the series of 'Scary Movie' films highly entertaining and funny, and at the time people could not take the horror genre seriously. In a way it created a horror setback, but I believe 'Scary Movie' provided new life and new ideas - challenging directors to rejuvinate the horror genre by making stories less predictable, and by bringing in their own alternative ideas by mixing subgenres much like 'Scary Movie' itself. Certianly after 2000, the horror genre came to life again, and the 'Scary Movie' films became progressively weaker on its way to number 4 - a sign that horror films were becoming great again.


6) Japanese Remakes

There were a few new types of horror born in the 21st century - the first being the Japanese remakes. Some could call it lazy directing, but some of the stories born from Japanese horror films were simply too hard for horror based directors to resist. American directors felt they could make them better from the raw, dragged out Japanese versions, and whilst technically the Japanese were more successful in scaring the audience, I was more inspired by the remakes.

The Ring - 2002 (directed by Gore Verbinski)
'The Ring' was one of the first pure horror films I watched and it really freaked me out. It should be impossible to make a little girl so stunningly scary, but the way the character Samara moves around with such power whilst creeping stutteringly towards you with the hair dragged across her face, really does creep you out. The story is really original, telling how the girl who fell down a well, cursed a video tape, sending her supernatural form to kill whoever watched it, seven days later. I love the suspense built in this film, how time seems to stop and you just know Samara is there. This is helped by the dripping water and the crackling television screen with its disturbing grainy images of random but significant iconography linked with Samara's location of death. The climax of the film (where Samara walks out of the television) really is one of the scariest you will ever see, as in the running of the film, it just makes your heart stop - it takes you by such surprise. The power of the supernatural and mystery of curses are never better than in the Japanese horror seen in 'The Ring'.

The Grudge - 2004 (directed by Takashi Shimizu)
The same can be said about 'The Grudge' (personally which I feel never quite meets the standard set by 'The Ring'). The film is a remake, and tells of a curse that is born when somebody dies in the grip of powerful rage or extreme sorrow. This again brings out the horror of supernatural forces and curses. The film itself contains many incredibly disturbing and creepy scenes, and contains so many jumpy moments that it is almost hard to watch in complete comfort - the aim of any horror film. I think the building of tension is brought to a new level in which Hitchcock did not have the resources to find; and this is done by confusing camera movements, flash montages and inconsistent but extremely eery music.

These aspects of Japanese horror have inspired me as I believe these to be the films that scared me the most growing up, simply due to their jumpy nature and the presence of cursed children that never seem to leave you after. The techniques of the films prove how powerfully scary you can make a simple horror plot - by really bringing the horror to the audience.


7) The Handheld Style

I have only ever seen 2 films using the handheld effect, but I have fallen in love with it - the 2 films being 2 of my all time favourites.

The Blair Witch Project - 1999 (directed by Daniel Myrick)
The film was amazingly unique as no film had ever been shot fully by a handheld video camera (or in that style). The film is made up of basic footage shot fully by a group investigating the myth of the Blair Witch in North America - all of whom go missing with the footage being retrieved a year later from the forest. This is what we are shown, as evidence of their trip and disappearance. Presented as an amateur documentary, the film is incredibly up close and intense. You really do feel like you are in the film, and are gripped by the horror of what happens to the group you are constantly with. The shaky camera is also incredibly diorientating, but is fascinating at the same time, telling the whole story entirely from one perspective. Further still, the story does not even make much sense and is totally open to the viewers interpretation, with the realism of the situation spot on - that in that situation caught up in a supernatural mystery, you too would not have a clue what was going on! The eventual fate of the filmmakers is unclear, but the amateur side of the sotry would be very easy to shoot on video camera. Therefore, the fact that the film was successful using this method shows that with the right techniques of suspense and not giving much away, we could make an equally effective horror film for our own projects.

Cloverfield - 2008 (directed by Matt Reeves)
Since 'The Blair Witch Project' no director tried to copy the handheld effect so unique to the film - until Matt Reeves. He applied the technique to a far less isolated and lost situation, but to one of pure panic and mass destruction - a disaster. The film was anything other that a disaster, showing the attack of a 'Godzilla-like' creature on New York, with the whole film shot in a video found in the wreckage after the event. You feel so part of the adventure and the pace of the film is incredible - it just never lets go of you. That is the power of the handheld effect, using pauses in the video footage to skip time, but never quite giving you a rest from the tension a real-time situation brings. At points the footage is so chaotic and disorientating it can make you feel quite queezy! The film was my favourite of the year by far.

In both films, the ending comes from the character with the video camera being killed (or thats what we assume) shown by the camera being stopped or breaking. The endings are unclear but the effect brings out realism that no other film could possibly achieve. It is truly inspiring for the amateur project we are about to tackle.


8)The "Splat Pack"

The "Splat Pack" are a group of directors who have been deemed responcible for a new type of rekindled twisted horror. I believe the films cover many subgenres of horror - mainly gore, torture and tongue-in-cheek irony. The directors include the likes of Eli Roth, James Wan, Greg Mclean, Leigh Whannell, Alexandre Arja and Rob Zombie. I will focus on 2 of these, who I believe were the most successful - the first being El Roth.

Cabin Fever - 2003
'Cabin Fever' created a new type of horror, stemming from 'Scary Movie' style comedy, but introducing pure gore. The film follows a group of college graduates who hire a cabin in the woods to celebrate, but fall victim to a flesh eating virus. The film was designed to go against many modern horror films with its comedy value making us laught at the characters in pain and the lack of support they recieve from the authorities (again stereotyping Americans as stupid). We feel uneasy throughout the film as it is all very sinister much like the similar setting shown in 'The Blair Witch Project', but the irony is extremely funny and we feel the characters learn a lesson from their bad characteristics - drinking, smoking and having sex - by enduring the disease and eventually dying. The film bought out an unknown audience characteristic; that we often enjoy watching people in pain and wondering just how far directors could bring pain. 'James Wan' pushed us even further.

Saw - 2004
I recently watched the first 4 'Saw' films and took alot of inspiration from how the films create a situation of pure helplessness and pain - where nothing else matters but rescuing your life from the clutches of death. The film follows 'Jig Saw' - a man diagnosed with cancer who is dying - who punishes people who do not appreciate their life by setting them in horribly disturbing traps. There is always a way out, but the characters have to endure enormous physical or mental torture whilst thinking on the spot in order to prevent an impending gruesome death. The film is incredibly disturbing and brings gore to an extreme level. The traps are very modern and the ideas so advanced and clever, giving us ways of dying that we never would have thought of before. The film almost does make you appreciate your life and you feel very comfortable in the safety of your living room, watching it. The camera techniques are incredible at making your heart race faster, increasing the pace of the film until you cannot bare it anymore. This is done by flash montages and seering techno music that is jumpy but simply will not let go at the vital climaxes of each scene where it really kicks in. All in all, the film, brings out a new level of anxiety, of torture and of pure terror inside you that you never knew a film could bring. 'Saw' pretty much defies the power of modern alternative horror.

After 'Saw' had become an amazingly successful franchise, Eli Roth tried to swing horror another way by creating the film 'Hostel'.

Hostel - 2006
With the help of 'Quentin Tarantino', Eli Roth's mission was to make the most disturbing film possible with 'Hostel' - a film about some American backpackers who get caught up in a hostel organisation who gain sexual pleasure from torturing and eventually killing their customers. The film is extreme in gore and violence and focuses around themes of pain, suffering and unbearable agony. The powerless situation of the characters is brought out in how close you get to them and their situation, making us feel uncomfortable, queezy but somehow excited at how far the torture can go. This links back to Eli Roth's 'Cabin Fever', showing how audiences can thrive on peoples pain and suffering. 'Hostel' gave birth to the new subgenre - "torture porn" - a genre that 'Saw' adapted for its third, fourth and fifth films, making them more focused on the torture aspect than the actual cleverness of the original storyline. To some extent, I believe the films go too far in extreme violence, but I take inspiration from the churning effect they have on their audiences.


9) Neil Marshall
(25 May, 1970 - present)

I regard Neil as the rejuvinator of the horror genre, as I feel he is the only modern day director to stick fully to horror conventions of the past (such as seen in Hitchcock films) and not rely heavily on alternative ideas. Also, his stories are completely original and he has his own indescribable style of which I find fascinating - based on deep relationships between characters being completely shattered and forgotton due to the events that follow (usually ending in humans being hunted down in some way). Neil is my favourite British director.

Dog Soldiers - 2002
His first big horror film was 'Dog Soldiers' set in the Scotland Highlands, following a group of army soldiers who become trapped in a house and hunted down by werewolves. The film was a simple film with simple characters but was almost an experiment by Neil to test out his trick of bringing the audience false hope (the main character escaping, only to be hunted down again). The film ends in an uncertain fashion with most characters dead but leaving the others to inevitable death anyway. I admire the way Neil achieves this effect of impending doom on the characters because of consistent sinister happenings about the characters at all times during the film.

The Descent - 2005
'The Descent' is a deeper more meaningful version of 'Dog Soldiers' but set in America's mountains rather than Scotland. The film follows a group of female adrenalin junkies who become trapped in a cave whilst caving, and hunted down by creatures who have evolved to live in the dark. The plot follows incredibly closely to that of 'Dog Soldiers' but holds more underlying meanings due to the many relationship-based subplots involving the main characters. These plots effect how we view each character and seem to have some sort of bearing on how each is killed - their deaths are more significant. The climax of the film shows the main character escaping, but in a horrible twist we learn this was just a dream, leaving the character trapped underground as the film ends. This finale is both chilling and disturbing and leaves us very emotional as we wanted the character to survive. Neil almost drives a knife into our hearts and twists with such an ending - and I admire this effect. I think he is a very clever filmmaker, and I may base alot of the deeper meanings of my film such as character subplots, on those found in Neil Marshall's 'The Descent'.


10) Modern Niche TV

During half term I became fascinated by the 'Dead Set' series on E4 (which I believed not to be particularly impressive nor successful in what it was trying to convey but simply a good idea and doing the basics of simple zombie flick well). It turned the cult TV show, 'Big Brother', into a living nightmare by applying simple horror conventions and a basic horror plot to reality TV, effectively creating a horror story into something very real and possibly happening to Britain. I believe it produced a similar effect to that of the handheld effect shown in 'The Blair Witch Project', but with more filmic camera movements to steady the film and create clearer character types and a clearer narrative.

Dead Set - [to be released on DVD] 2009 (directed by Yann Demange)
The first thing that was successful to match average E4 viewing figures. The awareness of this horror spin of the situation of being in the 'Big Brother' house spread amazingly fast via the internet and with the help of Channel 4/E4 advertising. The actual show was also very effective, as we find out very little about the housemate characters (they are as shallow as a stereotypical 'Big Brother' housemate would be). However, we get to know members of the crew in more detail, leaving us with more knowledge about how the show is filmed. The horror aspect is very simple but effective, with nearly the entire thing shot in an eery silence that easily depicts an empty, lifeless Britain. At moments we catch characters simply looking into the zombie-filled distance with utter disbelief and scared silence. This makes the show feel empty, taking away the livliness of a normal 'Big Brother' show and taking away the real life still cameras and replacing them with moving cameras using film techniques to portray the shock and fright of the active parts of the show (i.e. the zombie chases). I studied these techniques and they seem so simple but effective, making the show my final influence. I am using it to generate ideas as to how I will film a simple horror sequence.