Research and Planning: Animatic Storyboard

Research and Planning: Plan for the week

This week I plan to:
- Do my second film poster analysis and maybe a third
- 2x film magazine analysis's
- Extra research posts
- Animatic storyboard

Research and Planning: The Stalker

A stalker is someone who watches and gives unwanted attention to another on a regular basis. They are control freaks and easily obsessed by the person they are pursuing, they will play mind games with there victims and even if they are interested in them in a sexual or loving way they will scare their obsession into wanting them back.

In our film we are going to have three potential stalkers:

1

2

3

1. A friend of the victim who begins to act strange around her. She could just be suffering from personal issues which may be why she acting in this way but the audience are lead to assume that she could be stalking her friend due to clips in the montage of our trailer.
2. The ex-boyfriend of the victim is the second potential stalker who after their break up becomes strange. While he was with her he's say things like 'i'll never leave you' which will be shown in the trailer, this could lead the audience to believe that he has stood by his word and is stalking her.
3. The final potential stalker is the main characters teacher who took a liking to the victim which could be perceived as inappropriate which is why the audience may think he is the one that is stalking her.


We have decided that we do not want to show who the villain is so we will not be showing the stalker's face when they are in scenes with the character during the climax.

Research and Planning: Film Poster Analysis 2

The main photo which is central in the frame clearly shows that this is a horror a film as the picture is scary, it seems to be made up of black ink or paint which makes it seem dark and horrific. The long shot of the young girl shows that she may be possessed due to her posture and body language, we cannot see her face so we can't see any expressions so we assume she is possessed due to the shot type. Also, because we cannot see her face we become detached from the character, she is mysterious because we don't know anything about her. The main target audience of this film will be people who have seen and enjoyed 'Paranormal Activity' and 'Insidious' as they have the same producer, the main age range of these films are ages 15 to 20. The quotes from critics attract viewers because they show how scary the film is. The cracked and scratched wall, the black paint and the mysterious girl represent fear and it is all very sinister which is why the film is named this.

Research and Planning: The Victim

The way a victim is presented in a film, especially a horror, is very important. Women are usually the victims in these types of films suggesting that they are week and can easily fall into fatal situations. However you could argue that they are also very strong as on some occasions they defeat the villain. They also seem to be inquisitive which usually results in them becoming in danger, they become independent and attempt to tackle the villain alone.

Research and Planning: Editing a Horror Film

http://pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/uk/PinnacleLife/Content/Tutorials/Editing+Horror+Movies

Think in scenes Try to break your story down into scenes. Imagine each scene as a story in itself with a beginning a middle and an end. A scene can be of any length, but for a Hollywood style film, one to three minutes is about average. Each scene needs to open by telling the viewer where they are, and what's happening, and end with something having changed. That way each scene will progress your overall story. Cut to music In a scene where dialogue isn't central, add the background music to the timeline first and then cut the shots to it. Try to cut on a beat. That way, as the tension in the music builds, the pace of your editing will have a structure too. Keep the hero out of the picture Let the audience know something your main character doesn't, and then everything they carelessly do will raise the tension of the scene. A labourer working in a farmyard isn't a tense scene, but if the viewer knows there's something watching from the barn, every movement he makes towards the barn will increase the drama. Pace Yourself Use the length of cuts and the nature of the action to create changes of pace and rhythm within your scene. As action increases, use shorter cuts - even down to a second or less - to pick up the pace. For tenser, more pensive scenes, slow things down and use longer shots. It's all in the acting Fear in film is not about seeing frightening things. It's about people's reaction to them, and the viewer's knowledge of what's about to happen. A velociraptor isn't scary in and of itself. People didn't hide behind the sofa watching Walking With Dinosaurs. So to make your work scarier, show the victim more than the monster. Do the Blair Witch The Blair Witch Project showed virtually no actual violence. The villain was kept off screen throughout and there was no real direction of the actors or camera - the whole strength of the film was in its editing. It may look amateurish, but it's an extremely well edited piece of cinema. Use sound Don't forget the audio track. Give the viewer a few choice sound effects and let them imagine the rest. Showing a murder on screen could end up looking naff - especially if your werewolf costume isn't up to much. Showing shadows on a blank wall, and having the sound effects of the murder can be much more effective (and cheaper). Stay close Close ups not only allow your actors to portray their fear and anxiety, they also stop the viewer seeing what's around the corner. A shot of the actor's fingertips as they open a door, or their face as they creep around the corner keeps the viewer wondering what's going on off screen. Make them think it's all over We've all seen it - a long build up of tension while our heroes search a dark empty room for the source of strange noises ends in relief as they discover a cat meowing in the corner. It breaks the tension and everyone thinks it's all Ok. Deliver the payoff ...And that's when the monster leaps in. Just when everyone thinks it's all over, the expert director delivers the coup-de-gras. Just the briefest shot - a fraction of a second combined with a loud sound effect or musical crash - is all that's needed and the viewer will hopefully leap out of their skin.

Research and Planning: 'Them'

On Halloween I watched a film called 'Them' which is the film that 'The Strangers' was based on. It is a Romanian film so it was interesting to see how Eastern European cinema approach horror films. The film showed youths scaring and killing a young couple living in a secluded area. It was interesting how the villains wanted to scare the victims as well as kill them- it made the film a lot scarier and it was full of suspense.