Shooting Schedule

Here is our shooting schedule, to help organise ourselves and keep track of time so we know how much time we have to shoot.



As you can see, the shots will not be filmed in numerical order. This is due to our actors not being free at the same time as each other.

Storyboard - Final

This is our storyboard with images to explain each shot.

Storyboard

Storyboard - Draft

My group and I created this storyboard together. Before drawing images for each scene, we decided to write out what happens in each shot.

Storyboard:

Shot 1: Pan of dark room (scene with shadow and photos)

A CHANCE MEETING

Shot 2: Mid-shot of both bumping into each other
Shot 3: Mid-shot of both lean to pick up books as they smile at each other

SOMEONE YOU THINK IS TRYING TO HELP YOU

Shot 4: Close-up zooming into locket as it slowly falls
Shot 5: Front view of her shoulder as camera stares behind it when he stares at her as she leaves

BUT ARE THEY ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM?

Shot 6: Over-the-Shoulder shot zooming in towards her in the locker room
Shot 7: Close up of her swiftly turning and gasping
Shot 8: Quick cut to her house as she sees a dark figure running past window
Shot 9: Cuts to her opening her email as it read “I’m watching you.”
Shot 10: Cuts to her picking up the phone as it rings, scaring her (connection cuts -withheld number)
Shot 11: Doorbell rings, she abruptly turns her head
Shot 12: Seeing her stalker run past/outside her window as he says “Remember me?”

BUT NEVER INVITE A STRANGER INTO YOUR HOME

Shot 13: Close-up of Carnell looks at photo of her and her friends
Shot 14: She says “I think someone’s watching me.
Shot 15: He digs into her pocket to reveal the locket
Shot 16: Close-up of her shocked face as she says "It was you"

BECAUSE THEN YOU’LL HAVE TO ESCAPE

Shot 17: Tracking shot of her running around her house

Inspired by a true story

Shot 18: Carnell holding a knife

From the director of…and…

Shot 19: Both running in isolated building

Comes a horrific tale

Shot 20: She looks at the window as he appears (ECU)

“Psychologically terrifying – The Sun”

Shot 21: Both attacking each other

“4 stars – Metro”

Shot 22: Slashing

Story Title

Shot 23: ECU of Carnell’s eyes opening

COMING THIS HALLOWEEN

Research For New Narrative

Our new narrative seemed to be a good idea however we realised in order to make our trailer realistic and believable, we decided to research by looking at real life stalker stories.

Narrative - Final

This is the final narrative for our horror film. Changed have been made including the plot/storyling and character names.

Narrative - Draft

My group and I came up with this detailed narrative. However, we changed the plot due to difficulties in filming scenes for our trailer and our new narrative seemed to fit the conventions of horror better.

This is the draft narrative including an idea for a tagline:

Horror Parody/Homage

In order to familiarise with filming and to see which skills need to develop, we created a parody/homage of horror films including Halloween, Scream, Nosferatu and Daracula.
This helped to understand the vitalness of having a planned schedule and storyboard.

Trailer Conventions

- The highlight of the 'best bits' of the film; the very funny, the very sad, the action-packed, the bizarre
- We are not shown the story in narrative order
- They showcase the stars of the film
- Some visual images stay on screen for only just enough time for our mind to realise what we are seeing
- Conversations between characters usually consist of one line each
- Unusual angles are often used to show events or characters
- Action is intersprersed with credits on screen
- Voice-overs are used to tell the story and give credit information
- Music plays an important role in creating atmosphere
- The title does not appear until the end
- The trailer builds to a climax, when it ends
- Quick cuts
- Release date
- Not too much is given away
- Text - captions, reveals aspects of narratives
- Short in length (1-3 minutes)
- Reviews from newspapers/magazines and ratings
- Promotes directos
- Not always in narrative order
- Name and logo of production company in the opening of the trailer

Horror Questionnaire

After studying Paul Wells research, I decided to do some of my own by conducting my own horror questionnaire.

These are my findings:



I asked the same amount of people for each group to prevent gender bias. My sample is quite small so may not be an accurate representation.





The majority of people are aged 17-18.





75% people of my questionnaire enjoy watching horrow movies. This could be because my age range is quite low (15-22) and according to Paul Wells research, young people are difficult to scare and they enjoy the feeling of being frightened.





The majority prefer to watch horror movies with the friends or their partner, and only one person likes to watch it with their parents. This could be because friends and partners can offer support when scared and they may perceive the film in a comical way. Parents may be frightened themselves which will prevent them from offering any support.




The majority feel giggly and the minority feel happy. This could depend on who they are watching the film with. 10 people said they felt scared, and 9 said they felt nervous, anxious and disgusted.



My results show me that young people enjoy watching horror with people of a similar age to them and they feel giggly or scared. Possible reasons for enjoying horror could the rush of adrenaline their bodies receive when they feel frightened. I could improve my survey by asking a larger sample and having a wider age range.

Paul Wells Research Into Horror

Paul Wells (2000) did research into horror. He conducted a small focus group study with 12 members from 4 different age groups.

These include:
- 16-25 years old (films between 1975-1984)
- 26-40 years old (films between 1960-1974)
- 41-55 years old (films between 1945-1959)
- 56-80 years old (films between 1920-1944)

The types of he questions he asked them included which was their earliest horror film and the most recent that they had seen.

From his findings, he discovered that being frightened changes with age and relates to broader factors which affects emotional responses. Those who have seen horror films between 1970-1990 were more anaesthetised to explicit special effects, but 'monster' films from the 1920s/1930s reported a very strong response to images and iconography of horror, amongst the participants. This shows that young audiences are aware of artificiality and are harder to shock.

Limitations of the study include the number of participants as it is a very small sample so it is difficult to draw conclusions from it.

In order to see which age group enjoys horror the most and which is easily frightened, I decided to conduct my own horror questionnaire.

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Todorov's theory suggests that every film has a beginning, middle and end. He had a Basic Narrative Theory, and an Extended Narrative Theory.

Todorov's Basic Narrative Theory:
1. A state of equilibrium - stability, a situation which is balanced because there is nothing to make it unequal
2. Disrupted by an agent of change - something which enters the plot to create a state of discomposition.
3. Final resolution
4. Return to a new equilibrium

Todorov's Extended Narrative Theory
1. Exposition (introduction to narrative and characters)
2. Development (growth of an arised situation)
3. Complication (problems within that situation)
4. Climax (usually a confrontation or twist in the narrative)
5. Resolution (return to a new equilibrium)

Todorov's Extended Narrative Theory can be applied to 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'

Propp's Theory

Propp was a formalist who was trying to uncover the building blocks of folk tales and stories. He analysed fairtytales to see how characters are used to move the narrative forward. The emphasis was on looking at characters not as representing real people but as functions whose role was to move the narrative forward.

The roles include:
1. The hero
2. The Villain
3. The donor who provides the hero with a magic gift
4. The helper
5. The princess
6. The princess' father
7. The dispatcher, who sends the hero on his way
8. The false hero

I applied Propp's theory to Toy Story 3:

1. The hero - Woody and Buzz
2. The villain - Lotso
3. The donor - Woody
4. The helper - Mr and Mrs Potatohead
5. The princess - Barbie
6. The princess' father - N/A
7. The dispatcher - Telephone toy
8. The false hero - Lotso

This shows that each role isn't always applicable for characters in films. However, it does show how these roles/characters move the narrative forward and why they are crucial for doing so.

Criticisms include:
- Propp ignores the characters, tone and mood in his analysis.
- Lévi-Strauss was a main critic and he came from the Structuralist approach of seeking emaning in the film 'The Faculty' which Propp does not do.

Theories

Audience theories:

Hypodermic model - this theory states that the media want to have power and control over everything, and they 'inject' their 'messages' to target audiences. The theory is associated with needles/drugs which is an implication of media being an addiction to audiences, similar to drugs being addictive. It also suggests that what audiences see in the media directly goes into the mind of viewers.

The hypodermic model seems to explain the strong impact of media very well however it was only applied to women and children, so it may not be completely true as nothing has been said about the impact of media of men. Also, the theory was developed when mass media was relatively new, so not much evidence was used to create this theory.

Cultivation theory - this theory bases opinions and experiences on real life, and says that people who watch media perceive the real world in ways to reflect on current messages.

The theory was created by surveying members of the public. The advantages of this are that it can be applied to a wide range of people because it does not have any specifications about who this relates to and it refers to all types of media, however a disadvantage of this is that it doesn't focus on the backround of audiences. For example, some members of media audiences may have been brought up with a strict upbringing which restricts them from analysing types of media and applying it to their knowledge and real life experiences.

Desensitisation - this theory suggests that to decrease an abnormal fear of a situation or object, an individual must be exposed to it in reality or as a mental image. It states that action on-screen can influence the behaviour of a viewer, for example they may replicate violent acts that they see in the media. In a way, it implicates that being exposed to something which seems harmful due to a phobia of it, is a way of curing it or becoming immune to its effects.

The desensitisation theory is quite strong because it pays attention to how much violence is shown in the media. It raises the question as to how much exposure of violence and aggressive scenes should be shown, as nowadays it seems quite common, even amongst young people who perhaps shouldn't be exposed to such acts. A disadvantage to this theory is that everybody is effected by different factors, so this theory cannot be applied to everyone.

Modelling or copycat theory - this theory says that if a viewer sees a suicide or a violent murder in a film, they are likely to imitate it. A significant example of this is the murder of Jamie Bulger. Two 10 year old boys murdered 2 year old Jamie Bulger. The murder was so horrific; they beated and tortured him. It has been said that the boys convicted of Jamie Bulger's murder was influenced by scenes from horror movie Child's Play 3.

The modelling or copycat theory doesn't take into account that other factors can be the reason of aggressive behaviour, as not everybody copies what they see. Not everybody is effected by media so much to imitate what they see.

Uses and gratifications theory - this theory challenges the assumptions underlying the different theories of the effects tradition. Ultimately, the theory informs us that media competes with other forms of media to give the audience the most interesting perception. It also argues that media will not change beliefs that have been accumulated by life experiences.

Advantages to this theory are that the audience is perceived as intelligent and capable of separating fiction from fact, it clearly states that life experience is stronger than media experience and it explains that the media gives the consumer more choice and ways to explore it. Disadvantages to this theory are that some theorists in this tradition have claimed that the media has no influence or effects at all.

Final girl theory - this theory says that the last surviving character in a horror film is a female. The female has traits such as brown hair, intelligence, purity and the drive to investigate anything mysterious - this moves the plot of the film forward. The final girl isn't the most feminine individual, for example her clothes, and she usually has a masculine name (such as Laurie in Hallowen and Sidney in Scream) and uses a phallic symbol to try to attack the killer as self defence, such a knife. She usually seems sexually available and extremely vulnerable, however proves viewers wrong by defeating the villain. There is sometimes a link between the killer and the final girl.

This theory is represented in some films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Scream and Friday The 13th which shows that it isn't complete false however it doesn't apply to all films.

Influences/Ideas

I have learnt that coming up with a horror storyline is quite complicated because a horror audience always wants to see something different, and they also have high expecations of quality of production, such as special effects. If these needs are not met, the film is likely to become highly unsuccessful.

I would like my trailer to be rated a 15, maybe even an 18. These are some of the highest ratings, so there aren't too many restrictions.
- Nudity is allowed
- Sex scenes are allowed however they musn't be too graphic i.e. pornography
- Violence is allowed
- Crude language is permitted
There aren't many restrictions such as in PG movies where it is quite strict. References to illegal substances, sex or anything related to horror is not allowed, and it must have an educational purpose or moral at the end.

Research Into Real Media Texts

In order to understand the genre of horror and how it evolved over time, research had to be carried out. Firstly, in class I watched various horror movies/extracts including:

- Nosferatu (1922)
- The Faculty (1998)
- Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
- Bramstoker's Dracula (1992)
- Psycho (1960)
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
- Halloween (1978)
- Carrie (1976)
- Scream (1996)

By observing, I could see how horror has changed over the years and that there are many horror sub-genres. Horror movies of today are heavily influenced by previous classis horror movies.

Before studying A2 Media I was not too keen on horror films, however after a great amount of research and studying I have started to appreciate the genre more. Watching Psycho has given me a lot of inspiration and plenty of ideas for my horror teaser trailer. Here is the famous shower scene (also one of my favourite horror scenes):



The scene has 77 different shots despite being so short. My favourite type of edit in this scene is the cross-fading on Marion's eye - which has been used in horror moveis of today such as Scream. The sound effects such as the slashing noises when Norman Bates kills Marion, has influenced me to create my own sound effects however I won't imitate Alfred Hitchcock.

The Definition And Conventions Of Horror

Horror is a genre aimed to frighten an audience. Horror audiences enjoy this feeling and the rush of adrenaline they get; which thrills them. This makes them want to watch more, and they expect each film to be better/scarier. A lot of them involve: presenting people's hidden fears and nightmares (i.e. being buried alive), the 'unknown', a killer disease or virus, serial killers, evil spirits/satanism, ghosts, creatures (i.e. werewolves), vampires, cannibals, zombies, psycholligically demented individuals and much more. Most commonly - plenty of torture and gore!

Conventions include:

Mise-en-scene
- Isolated/domestic settings which are often at night time
- Dark atmosphere, which is created by expressionistic and shadowy lighting

Camerawork and editing
- Crosscutting for suspense sequences
- Faster cutting for violent action
- Point of view shots for those being watched
- Hand-held shots for chase scenes

Characters
- Hedonistic teenagers
- Innocent girls
- Victims become heroes
- Monsters
- Final girl
- Psychologically damaged adults

Narratives based on specific issues/themes emerging
- Good triumphing over evil
- Conflict played out as a battle between good and evil
- The supernatural haunting an individual
- Unfinished business with a villain coming back for revenge
- Confusion with identity
- Unsolved murders
- Unexplained events

Narrative structure
- Conforms to Todorov's equilibrium, disruption, restoration of equilibrium
- Propp's character theory
- Binary oppositions between good and evil, life and death, supernatural and natural - leading to resolution of those conflicts but often with a twist at the end suggesting all is not well
- Victims using their skills to solve the crime and reveal/overthrow the murderer

Icons
- Blood
- Gore
- Knives
- Shadows
- Darkness
- Masks
- Ghosts
- Deformities

Music and sound
- Heartbeats
- Atmospheric suspense music
- Psycho strings
- Loud bangs and crashes
- Screams

Brief

A promotional package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, with two of the following out of these three options:
- a website
- a magazine front cover
- a poster for the film

I will be designing a magazine front cover and poster for my film, with my allocated group of 4 members.