Reflective Analysis

I have produced a short film sequence from an imagined feature called ‘Trespass’ which is of the horror genre. I took the role of director, writer, editor and cinematographer. I aimed to achieve my goals of producing a horror based film using the codes and conventions of this genre and frightening the audience through my knowledge from FM1 of mis-en-scene, editing and cinematography. I aimed to appeal to a target audience which is mainstream aiming more towards those who have a particular interest in horror films who are aged between 15 and 25 and it is aimed at both men and women.

My main influence for my film sequence comes from the editing and cinematography as a part of a particular scene within 'The Ring', this scene is the 'killer video tape'. The use of black and white editing within this scene influenced the use of black and white editing for my film sequence as I intended for my film sequence to give a similar effect to the audience as the 'killer video tape' does.  Also, the use of black and white gives the impression to the audience that what they are watching is not reality.
The use of quick jump cuts in between shots within the ‘killer video tape’ scene within ‘The Ring’ are used to heighten the audience’s emotions in terms of being scared. This use of editing influenced the type of editing I used within my film sequence. For example, within my film sequence there are multiple shots of a young girl in the form of a ghost and the transitions between these shots are very quick, therefore the audience are unaware of what the next shot will show, because it happens so quickly that they are unable to look away, therefore leaving the audience tense throughout, which is conventional of the horror genre. The lack of continuity throughout the sequence of the ‘killer video tape’ is something I wanted to re-create as scenes seem more frightening by audiences when
formatted in this way, therefore my film sequence is limited in continuity right up until the end. This is used to represent a lack of realism. What the audience are viewing is a nightmare and therefore fictitious, the use of editing, cinematography and lack of continuity represents my film sequences context.

 

The aim of my film sequence is to shock and frighten the target audience as well as to use horror film codes and conventions. For example the setting of my sequence is isolated as it is mostly located in a house and the majority of my film sequence is filmed in two rooms, the living room and the hallway leading to the stairs. The use of an isolated setting makes the audience feel claustrophobic therefore making them feel frightened which was one of my aims. The performance of a young girl portraying a ghost is another conventional horror code that I used within my film sequence. Ghosts are usually depicted in horror films as scary. Therefore, by using this conventional code of the horror genre I believe the aim of frightening the target audience is more likely to be fulfilled.

With regards to mis-en-scene and fulfilling my aims I used conventionally ‘scary’ props such as dolls and other children’s toys.

In terms of themes for my film sequence, I went for the idea of ‘good versus evil’ as well as the theme of ‘revenge’. I got the idea for the theme of ‘revenge’ from the film ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (Wes Craven, 1984). The reason behind the revenge in both ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ and my film sequence ‘Trespass’ is very similar as both the antagonists want to seek revenge because of the way they died. Both of the themes ‘revenge’ and ‘good versus evil’ are conventionally used within the horror genre, therefore I decided to use them within my film sequence to enhance the chance of fulfilling my aims.

The sound I used throughout my film sequence differs to that used in the ‘killer video tape’ in ‘The Ring’. I originally intended to use high-stringed music as this is conventional within the horror genre but throughout the planning process I found other music sources which I thought would be good to use in terms of fulfilling my aim of frightening the audience. The music I chose for my final edit includes a scary version of a children’s lullaby which I thought would be good to use as the focus of my film sequence is a young girl. Also because the song is scary it instantly frightens the audience as it is at the very beginning of the film sequence. Other sounds that I used throughout my film sequence in order to help fulfil my aims of shocking and frightening the audience where sounds such as, a heartbeat, child laughter and an evil laughter. I decided to use child laughter throughout some of my sequence to frighten the audience because the use of this sound within a horror film is conventionally seen as frightening. The ambient sound of a heartbeat is a often related to the horror genre as it usually makes the audiences heart beats quicker because they automatically believe something scary is about to happen. Therefore, I decided to use this sound to attempt to fulfil my aim of frightening the audience. All of the stylistics I used where to help fulfil my aim of making a horror based production based upon the codes and conventions of the horror genre.

To further understand whether or not I had achieved my goals I gathered audience feedback in the form of questionnaires. Most of the feedback I received showed that I had achieved my aim of frightening the audience as well as using stylistics that instantly identified my film as part of the horror genre. Negative feedback that I received was that the majority of the audience that viewed my film sequence felt confused throughout. Therefore, if I were to go back and re-film some of my film sequence I would add some more footage to the beginning of the sequence to make the sequence easier to understand for the audience. But, if the film sequence was part of a longer feature it would be more understandable.

Audience Feedback

To get a better understanding of how much my film sequence is how I intended for it to be, I asked four people to view my film and fill in a questionnaire about my film sequence. The four people I asked were all aged between 15 and 25, therefore they are part of the mainstream audience which is the target audience for my film sequence. Also, I asked three people who enjoy horror films usually and one person who is not a fan of horror films to get a different perspective on my film sequence.



Paige Daragon - AGE 20: Paige isn't a fan of horror films
therefore by getting her to view my film sequence and
comment on it I got a more wider understanding of
people's views on horror films from a
different perspective. In her questionnaire Paige stated that
she usually ends up crying when viewing a horror film as she
is usually really scared. She then goes on to say how she was
quite scared when viewing mine, which was one of my aims to
frighten the audience. The main reason she said she was scared
is because she did not know what was going to 'pop up' which
was a popular response I recieved when showing people
my film. Paige said she could instantly tell that the genre of
my film was horror because of the character within it and her
performance. Also, she said the mis-en-scene helped her
distinguish the genre as well as the music used.



Sammie Cavanagh - AGE 21: Sammie enjoys watching horror
films but does not watch them very often, therefore she does
not have a complete idea of what conventional stylistics
horror films use. I thought it would be good to get her
opinion on my film sequence because of this, as she isn't a
horror film fanatic. Sammie states that she usually becomes
frightened when viewing horror films, which is one of my aims.
She states that she felt confused when watching my film
sequence which is a common repsonse I recieved from those
who did view my film sequence. She also mentioned that she
felt uneasy as she was unsure as to what was going to appear,
which again is a common response from those who viewed my
horror film sequence. After watching my film sequence Sammie
said that she felt freaked out, which is simialr to frightenend therefore
fufilling one of my aims. Finally, Sammie said that my film sequence's
genre is easily reconisable because of the young girl portraying a
ghost as well as some of the props used.



Luke Walker - AGE 19: Luke is a massive horror film fan
and therefore should be able to notice horror film conventions
instantly, that is why I asked for his opinion on my film sequence.
Luke stated in the questionnaire that he usually feels anxious
when viewing horror films as well as excited and sometimes
frightened. Therefore, if these emotions were to be felt when viewing
my film sequence then I will have fulfilled my aims. Luke said that
during viewing my horror film he felt confused, which is a common
response. He also said he felt the music was creepy and so
were the effects, therefore these attributes of my film were what made it
identifiable as a horror film.



Sophie Jessop - AGE 20: Sophie reallly enjoys watching horror
films frequently with her mother, therefore I thought asking her
to view and comment on my film would be a good idea. Sophie
states that she usually feels frightenend when viewing horror films.
She also states that she finds them funny sometimes, therefore if she
finds my film sequence funny then I have not fulfilled my aims.
Sophie said that she felt tense and confused throughout viewing
my film sequence, which was commonly said from those who
viewed my film sequence. Sophie said she didn't really understand
what was happening. She also said that the music and dolls
creeped her out, therefore I fulfilled my aim of frightening the audience.
Finally, Sophie said the characteristics of my film such as the creepy music
and the use of dolls as well as the performace of the young girl
allowed her to understand that what she was viewing was a horror film.



After reviewing the audience feedback I believe I have fulfilled my aim of frightenening the target audience but not shocking the target audience as not one person that has viewed my film has mentioned the word 'shock' at all when discussing my film sequence. The audience feedback I recieved also made me realise that my film sequence is confusing to those who have no idea what it is about or what the concept of the film sequence is but once I explained it to them they could see what I was aiming to achieve.

Overall, I do not believe I have fully achieved my aims but I believe through the use of most of the stylistics I have frightened my target audience.

Advertising

Poster: I created a poster which will be used in order to
advertise my film. It is very similar to my DVD cover but includes
slightly more information to draw the audience in more.
To help design my advertising poster I looked at posters which
advertise other horror films to get inspiration from them. This then
gave me ideas on how I should go about designing my poster.

 

DVD Cover: I decided to create a DVD cover for my film.
To help me do this I looked at other Horror film DVD covers
to understand how they are usually layed out. I found that they
are usually very simple with little detail, therefore that is the idea
I used when designing my own DVD cover.


 

 

'Trespass' - Final Edit

 

 

Here is the final edit of my film sequence from my imagined feature 'Trespass'. The sequence features a nightmare which the protagonist, 'Bethani', is having which features a young ghost like girl named 'Sophia' haunting 'Bethani' and her new husbands home. The sequence ends with the protagonist waking up to witness the young girl from her nightmare sat next to her on her bed.

 

Due to problems with YouTube, my sequence looks 'squashed' which takes away the affect I intended for it to give. Hopefully this problem will be sorted shortly and therefore my film sequence will be portrayed how I wish for it to be.

Production Update

• 27/01/13 - Before I began editing I hadn't downloaded the specific music I wanted to use over my footage. This has created problems now that I have nearly finished editing as the music I have chosen does not completely fit with the editing I have already done and therefore I will have to re-edit the majority of my footage. To overcome this problem I plan to spend extra hours editing my footage to ensure my short film sequence is edited with the music correctly and exactly how I want it.

Production Update

• 26/01/13 - I have finished filming all of my required footage. I now plan to upload all of the remaining footage onto the edit suite in order for me to edit the final version of my film sequence together.

'Trespass' Raw Footage 

Here is the footage edited so far for my short film sequence. The sound on this edit is going to be edited out and music will be played over the footage, therefore the sound heard needs to be ignored. Also, the transition edits are not complete as yet and some footage needs re-filming therefore this is not my final edit but is what I have completed so far.

Production Update

• 14/01/13 - All the footage which I have filmed so far is currently on the edit suite and edited with regards to video transitions and video effects. I still need to re-shoot a couple of shots and add the music to the edited footage which I am planning on completing by the end of February.

Psychology Behind Horror Films

 

It is commonly known that some audiences love viewing horror films where as others hate them and try and avoid watching them at all costs. I have investigated into the psychology behind why this occurs.
 

The Excitation Transfer Process

According to Glenn Sparks, Ph.D, a professor and associate head of the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University, one reason for the appeal is how you feel after the movie. This is called the excitation transfer process. Sparks’s research found that when people watch frightening films, their heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increases.
After the film is over, this physiological arousal lingers, Sparks said.That means that any positive emotions you experience – like having fun with friends – are intensified. Instead of focusing on the fright you felt during the film, you recall having a great time. And you’ll want to come back for more.
However, if your experience was negative, you might not.

Different Wiring

Some people are simply wired to enjoy high levels of physiological arousal, Sparks said. According to the literature, he said, about 10 percent of the population enjoys the adrenaline rush. Similarly, wiring may explain why others hate scary movies. Specifically, some individuals have a harder time screening out unwanted stimuli in their environment, Sparks said. For instance, they might be hypersensitive to the temperature in a room or the tag on their shirt. These same individuals are more likely to have intense physiological reactions to horror films.

Novelty

Some people turn to scary movies because they’re novel. All of us are wired to pay attention to anomalies in our environment, Sparks said. Since danger disrupts routine, curiosity about change is important for survival. Sparks equated the pull of frightening films to stopping at the scene of a gory accident: “You don’t see that every day,” he said.
Something else you don’t see are the visual effects, which tend to be fantastic. Some people get enamored with effects and like to figure them out, said Joanne Canter, Ph.D, Professor Emerita and Outreach Director at the Center for Communication Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Still, negative emotions can trump novelty, Sparks said. If we experience high levels of fright, seeing a scary movie just isn’t worth it. “Negative emotions are stored in the amygdala [which] in contrast to positive emotions are particularly resistant to being extinguished,” Sparks said.
Individuals might “suffer lingering emotional fallout if something in the environment reminds them of a scene,” he said. After seeing “Jaws,” some people stopped swimming in the ocean and felt eerie about lakes and pools, Cantor said.
Others might avoid films that come too close to home. Students have told Sparks they avoid films featuring a terrorised babysitter because they babysit.

Gender Socialisation

Research suggests that more men enjoy scary movies. This might be because men are socialised to be brave and enjoy threatening things, Sparks said. Men may derive social gratification from not letting a scary film bother them, Sparks said. It’s the idea of mastering something threatening, he said.
“Men often like [scary films] as date movies because women are more likely to seek physical closeness when they’re scared, and men can show off their strength and bravery,” Cantor said. (This is aptly called “the cuddle effect.”)
In one study males liked a horror movie more when they saw it with a female who was scared, and females liked the movie more when they saw it with a male who wasn’t scared.


Children and Horror Films


Parents need to be especially careful about what their kids watch, according to both experts. Cantor’s research found that college students who watched scary movies or television programmes before 14 years old had trouble sleeping and felt anxious about typically safe activities or stopped engaging in them altogether.
“Until the age of 5 to 7, seeing is believing,” said Cantor. Even if it’s make-believe, she said, it’s still scary for young kids. For older kids, realistic threats, such as kidnappings and child molestation, are scary, she said. Teens, like adults, are more scared over abstract threats, such as disease and the supernatural, she said.
“Parents need to pay attention to how their children react to movies before deciding if a particular show is right for them. Intense fright reactions are much easier to prevent than to undo,” Cantor said.