HM: Target Audience Questionnaire Purpose and Methodology

Purpose and methodology 

• Our questionnaire contained eight questions, 3 of which were scaled questions, two open questions, one ranked and another semantic differential.we also used a yes or no question.These mainly leading questions will help us test our theory to our core audience and analyse what we need to change to suit our audience to appeal to them. The leading quantative questions are good for this as it gives us one of two answers and something we can work with to adapt our opening.

• The purpose of the questionnaire was to refine our characters and plot to appeal to our target audience more. For this we used specialised questions such as scaled quantative questions, ranked and semantic differential questions.

• For example we needed a better idea on the audiences view on murder in an opening sequence. This we therefore asked in a scaled question, to see whether we would have a murder scene in the opening sequence.

• Semantic differential questions were aimed to define the aspects of a horror antagonist. We then used characteristics such as sharp to scruffy and clever to simple. This will help to define the costume and persona of the antagonist.

• In our questionnaire we used a ranked to find out which location would be best for a psychopathic slasher film? We gave four options of woods, abandoned building, church, normal house. This will give us a clear understanding of what the audience will want to see and which location is the most favourable for this genre.

• A couple of open questions were also included to give participant an opportunity to express any individual traits he/she would like to see in a horror film. The purpose of this was to have a look at maybe some new and interesting ideas to use in our opening sequence.  

Group: Pitch Presentation

Group Feedback

• One major piece of feedback we received around our pitch was on lighting and colour and has made our group consider the use of colour grading to differentiate between dreams/ visions and reality.
• It has also made us realise that when filming we need to be particularly careful about what is in shot as we will be filming in Hamish's house and as a result there will be a need to move things around in the rooms used throughout filming.
• Sound design has also received some important feedback with the suggestion of quieting sound for dream sequences in the scene to help build tension.
• The major problem we encountered was the perception of the plot and as a result we may need to rethink how the scene is carried out to simplify it and make it more accessible.
• As we have pitched the character as a magician it was suggested that he could use a magician's "box of tricks" with various ways for killing his victim.
•  

HM: Technical Analysis of Shining

 The first 3:00 minutes of the shining the opening scene

 

Duration of shot	Camera Distance Angle and Movement	Mise-en-scene	sound
18 seconds ,13-31 seconds	Low angle tracking shot from helicopter, extreme long shot ,(ELS)	Lake with island in middle surrounded by mountains (rockies)	Non diagetic deep low organ music with deep prolonged beats.
20 seconds, 31-51 seconds	ELS,  birds eye view shot and tracking shot.	Mountains and road surrounded by a forest.	Same as above
17 seconds 51- 1:08	Side angle, ELS of tracking a car. Birds eye view.	Mountain and lakeside tracking a car.	Same as above
1:08-1:38,            30 seconds	Camera comes in behind the car tracking it. The shot is still an ELS	Opening credits come in in electric blue and clear font.	Same as above
1:38 to 2:10, 32 seconds	Birds eye view ELS shot. Tracking car from side.	Tracking the road through mountains by the lake gaining altitude	Strings come in aswell as organ music. Non diagetic only.
2:10 to 2:35, 25 seconds	same as above	same as above	Organ in music only.
2:35 to 2:44, 9 seconds	same as above	same as above	Same as above
2:44 to 3:00, 16 seconds	Els panning shot of Hotel high in mountains from high angle, helicopter.	Big isolated hotel high up in mountains with snow on.	Same as above

•  I have learnt that large establishing shots with the right music can have a major sinister feel on the audience. The Protagonist is featured in none of the shots. Yet a particular car is featured in all apart from 2 shots. Later we know this to be his car that he was in driving. Stanley Kubrick's shots in this scene feature hardly any of the classic horror conventional shots. Such as close ups of a weapon or shots that only capture glimpses of the action. Stanley's set includes beautiful scenery and a large hotel. Not typical locations of a horror film. They only convention of horror is the ominous organ music. 
•  The shots range from 9 seconds to 32 seconds and don't show any pattern as to when the cutting rate is increasing. For example the longest shot is 32 seconds in the middle of the sequence.
• All shots are moving shots either tracking or panning and filmed from a helicopter, so many birds eye view. This then generates pace of the opening sequence like a drive. Moving fast but feeling as if it is taking a long time. These shots really allow the audience to envelope a lot of detail making up for the slow cutting rate.
• The shots are all ELS shots therefore making it hard to put a particular subject in a third. The road is occasionally placed in a third. Since the shots are continually moving placing them in a third becomes ineffective in some instances.
• Shots are faded into each other to create a sense of continuity throughout the opening sequence. The birds eye view and many tracking shots of the car give the audience a style of how the director is emphasising the car in the sequence and if the audience is watching it.

HM: Recce



 

Upstairs hallway/landing

Living Room

• My house could be a suitable location for an average man living a solitary life alone in the countryside.
• I think this image to the left shows how we could effectively produce high angle shots.
•  A fairly large space in a house could also be used to put more detail into a scene as there is more in a shot. 

• The living room could be a place for the victim to be assesssed by a shrink and a place of reflection and healing.
• The sofas and chairs could make an informal place for a doctor to practice on this patient and help him face his fear.

Hall downstairs

• This would be an excellent place for the magician to appear and disappear, as it has lots of nooks and places where the magician can remain unseen from many angles.
•  The downstairs closet behind the christmas tree could also play a role in causing jump scares.

 

 

 

 

 

JD. Costume, Casting and Prop Research.

In preparation for the filming of the opening I have decided to look into two areas; props, and costume, these will play a vital role in our production, as a costume can show which character the audience is positioned with, and which character has the power in any situation etc.

Costume

There will be two very different characters featured in our production, and both will require very different costumes, special detail will have to be paid to the antagonist, as we plan on using his appearance as an indicator of the deterioration in his mental welfare.

Allen Daniels (the protagonist) prior to break-down

• At the beginning of the clip, we plan on having Allen Daniels (portrayed by Dan Allen) dressed in ordinary, plain clothing, cloths which you would expect a teen to wear.
• we can see in the image below, thought has been put in when the character got dressed, as he has time to worry about what he looks like. His clothes are clean, his top ironed etc.

Allen Daniels (the protagonist) Post break-down

• at this point we wanted the character to look like he has more things to worry about than getting dressed in the morning, we want his to look like he has thrown on the first thing he saw, clean or not, because he is in such a rush because of the fear of what may happen.
• As can be seen the clothes are dirty, and the items don't match showing a disregard for his appearance.

 


TopHat (the antagonist)

• Throughout the clip we want the villain to remain 'clean cut' and well dressed, like a 'Sherlock' villain or 'The Joker' so we decided a suit and top hat (hence the name) were the best things to get him to wear. the suit should be dark in colour, so that when out of focus on the camera, he almost looks like a shadow.
• as we can see the suit is very smart, it is also like a uniform, so it shows that he should be nothing 'out of the ordinary' thus making him seemingly blend in with his surroundings.
• we could use a red shirt, or red tie to represent blood, a subtle hint of things to come in the full story.

Props

We have decided that props should be kept to a minimum to prevent the story becoming cluttered, therefore we are only having the knife (murder weapon) and TopHat's top hat (which will be featured heavily throughout the clip as it is TopHat's 'calling card')

Knife
The knife could also be left somewhere as a  note of TopHat's positioning throughout the house, for example, when Allen leaves out some food, when he comes back to it we thought a bloody knife could be left on the plate, where the food had once been.

• The knife should be old, to show lots of prior use, this could be used as a subtle hint that TopHat is a serial killer.
• The knife should also look dirty, to make it look unhygienic, adding a sense or 'purpose before pretty' to TopHat's way of thinking.

Top Hat
TopHat's signature is his top hat this makes this prop critical to the story, as it will be featured at the start, all the way through to the end.

• The top hat should be aged like the knife to make it look like it has been around for a long time, adding to the feeling that TopHat has been doing what he is doing for a long time.
• The hat could be bloody, once again in reference to the character being more about the job, than his appearance, adding to the character's scare factor as he would seem like a ruthless, but calculating killer. 

Casting

Casting for the production is fairly simple as only 2 characters will be shown on screen, Allen Daniels, and TopHat.

• Allen Daniels has to look like a weak figure, possibly quiet small and innocent looking, someone who looks like they could be easily overpowered. we can achieve this through casting, but also through costume (a 'My Little Pony' T-shirt wouldn't go amiss)
• TopHat needs to be the opposite of Allen, he needs to be a Tall, Gaunt figure, who is taller than Allen, so that he looks like he could over power him. he could also be slim, to show how he has been living house to house, without much food etc.

JD. Technical Analysis Poltergeist (1982, Hooper)

I have chosen this clip to analyse because it can be seen in the clip how a change in the cutting speed can be used to create tension, it also shows how to create more tension in a clip by making movements within the frames more erratic as the cutting speed increases, this clip start with a slow cutting rate, and a peaceful scene, but gradually the cutting rate picks up speed, character movement becomes more erratic, and as a result. tension builds.

Shot duration	Camera	Mise-en-scene	Sound
0:00-0:36	long-shot of the family together in bed and a pan to show the whole room, in an Extreme long shot. This is all done using a high angle.	Character blocking puts the whole family tightly together in one bed, it shows how close the family are. The bedroom is a stock location and looks lived-in because it is messy, and household items are strewn around.	The national anthem plays which is a relates to an earlier scene when the tune features on the TV, before it cuts to static.
0:37-1:19	There is a pan from the extreme long shot of the room, to a close up of the TV. The TV is shown at a higher angle to the camera than the family were. perhaps to suggest that the TV is more important than the family.	A group of American soldiers banding together to carry a flag is shown on the TV. which seems to show how the family are banded together. A clock on the TV says 2:37, showing how late it is.	The change from the national anthem, to the sound of the crackling is sudden giving the scene an ominous tone
1:20-1:28	The shot focuses on the mum, before moving over to the young girl. The close up shows that the mother is still asleep while her daughter has noticed the changing on the TV.	Strobe lighting coming from the TV creates an ominous atmosphere.	Silence. besides the white noise produced by the TV
1:29-1:32	Mid-close up of the TV from the young girl's perspective. POV shot is used to show her interest in the TV	The colour of the TV static, with the strobe lighting in the room make it the screen seem almost entrancing.	a sudden change in music can be said to show the TV is a danger.
1:33-1:46	Eye height shot of the young girl moving from the family bed towards the TV.	Strobe lighting.	High pitched notes create an uneasy feeling
1:47-1:49	Close up of the TV in the same framing to the shot at 1:29-1:32. the young girl's movement towards the TV is extenuated.	NO CHANGE	Soundtrack maintained.
1:50-2:00	Extreme long shot of the room which shows the girl going to sit in front of the TV. she is far from the bed. far from the comfort of her family.	NO CHANGE	Music plays over the high pitched sound. this is to build tension.
2:01-2:04	Two shot of the girl seated in front of the TV. this two shot treats the  TV as if it is its own character. this shot shows its connection with the young girl.	The TV stands slightly higher than the girl to assert its importance in comparison to the girl.	quiet whispers can be heard coming from the TV over the music. however these are inaudible.
2:05-2:08	Eye level shot shows the connection between the girl and the TV.	Continuation of the strobe effect.	The whisper continue.
2:09-2:11	Mid-shot of the family in the bed shows they have not been woken up.	the character blocking shows the young girl has been separated from the rest of the family. as to say she has left the safety of the group.	The whisper continues
2:12-2:15	Close up of the TV. the TV can be seen to be getting closer and closer to the camera. showing that it is to be focused on.	SFX are used to create a movement effect on the screen of the TV to show that the TV is possessed	NO CHANGE
2:16-2:19	Close up of the young girl.	the girl looks curious. and seems to be fascinated, besides the clear and present danger.	NO CHANGE
2:20-2:25	The same shot as used at 2:05 to 2:08.	After effects are used to produce a hand, which reaches out of the TV to the young girls outstretched hand, she pulls back her hand in fear.	Audio sting at the appearance of the TV's hand. to produce a jump-scare.
2:26-2:28	The same shot as was used at 2:16-2:19.	The young girl looks at the hand in awe showing she is not scared by the danger.	volume increases with the arrival hand from the TV. extenuating the danger it presents.
2:29-2:41	extreme long show of the young girl staggering to the bed surrounded by the hand.	The hand slowly comes out from the TV and travels around the family	The sharper sounds 'stings' in the sound continue now that the danger is obvious.
2:42-2:43	close up of the TV.	Increase in speed of the hand exiting the TV screen.
2:44-2:48	The same shot was used in 2:29-2:41	The hand moves faster over the  top of the bed, it hits the wall and light spills from the entry point, a rippling effect is used with the vanishing of the hand.
2:49	The TV can be seen behind he young girl, to show where the danger came from.
2:50-2:51	The family are woken up, and are shown to begin to sit up in a mid-shot	Items in the bedroom fall, this creates a more intense feeling of tension.	High pitched notes are introduced.
2:52-2:53	Close up of the items falling around the room, however the TV is not disrupted.
2:54-2:55	An extreme long shot is used to show the whole room in turmoil, with items crashing down everywhere.
2:56-2:59	Same framing as 2:50-2:51.	The father figure in the bed reaches over his family in an act to protect them, thus reinforcing how the family is one unit, however the young girl is out of reach, showing how she left the comfort of her family's protection.	silence. apart from a few items falling over and coming to rest after the room has stopped shaking.
3:00-3:04	Close up of the young girl stood in front of the TV.		The young girl says "they're here" this is dramatic because of how short and 'punchy' the line is.

JD. Treatment

The camera follows the antagonist as he unlocks his door, and enters his home, on the wall, amongst the coasts is hung a top hat, the camera stops moving at the door. The antagonist does not notice the hat, as the antagonist is at least halfway down the hall we see a gloved hand reach across the frame, pick up the hat, and slowly move the hat until it covers the lens. This causes the frame to be completely blacked out meaning the title “TopHat” is displayed.

A montage of shots follows which show ‘Allen Daniels’ noticing things happening such as food which has been left out being eaten, and replaced with bloody knives, or messages, however when Allen goes to collect the ‘evidence’ they have disappeared, Allen can see TopHat out of the corner of his eye, but can never look at him directly. Over the course of a month, Allen’s mental state becomes reduced, as his friends and family attempt to tell him that there is no one in his house, Allen becomes stressed, isolated and frightened. This is seen as his look deteriorates (clothes getting ‘greyer’ and hair messier. Black bags under his eyes etc.

Finally Allen notices TopHat out of the corner of his eye, however this time when he turns to look TopHat does not disappear. (The camera focuses on TopHat) he is standing at the end of the hall, arm out stretched, and hand open with a knife floating off the palm of his hand.

Allen: “What the HELL are you?!?”

TopHat: “People call me many things, (pause) but right about now (pause) I can only be described as your worst nightmare” (nice and corny)

TopHat stretches his hand out farther, and Allen blacks out, as does the camera. The camera switches back on, and focuses slowly on Allen’s face, his nose is bleeding, and his eyes are shut, it becomes apparent he is tied to a chair in a dark room. Once again TopHat is stood, arm out-stretched with a knife hovering over his hand, slowly he distorts his hand, which moves the knife, stretching his fingers he fires the knife at Allen’s chest, waking him up abruptly, Allen screams, as the knife is slowly moved into his chest, TopHat talks slowly, calculating, and explains why a knife is more personal than a gun or any other device. When his speech is over, Allen is shown to try and talk; before he can do so Allen jerks his hand left, snapping the knife left in Allen’s chest. He dies instantly. The camera follows TopHat as he saunters town the drive, away from the house, and on to his next victim, (fade to black)

JD. Institutional Context - The Evil Dead (1981, Raimi)

Production

• Sam Raimi directed the short film in the woods, with a budget of only $1600
• The crew was made up almost completely of Raimi and Campbell's friends and family
• Fake blood was produced using karo syrup
• Filming took 12 weeks. The remoteness of the cabin led to many issues, such as arguments between crew members, cold which forced the crew to burn the smalls cabin's furniture late into filming to keep warm.
• Raimi and Bruce Campbell (who starred as Ash Williams, the protagonist, and a childhood friend of Raimi) managed to scrape together funding themselves, the actual amount being unclear, although it is thought to have been between $90,000–400,000
• The film's first cut ran at around 117 minutes, but was shortened because it was believed 85 minutes was more marketable.

Distribution

• Raimi first screened the film at Detroit's Redford Theatre, and ordered ambulances outside to build atmosphere and tension.
• Irvin Shapiro suggested Raimi change the name Book of the Dead because it wasn't marketable and advised him to sell the film internationally
• Shapiro, the founder of the Cannes Film Festival, allowed Raimi to screen it in 1982 where it was seen by Stephen King who listed it as one of his favourite films and reviewed it positively, gaining the interest of distributors, making the film much more popular
• Stephen Woolley decided took the risk of marketing the film in the UK, with an emphasis on print campaigns
• New Line Cinema also helped distribute the film and made the unique decision to release the film in cinemas and via VHS at the same time, making it one of the first simultaneous releases a risk, which paid off.
• In it's first week of sale in the UK, the film made $100, 000 and became that week's best selling video release, much bigger than was imagined from the low budget film.
• The film made $600, 000 domestically.