Our opening titles, even though they don't link to our film, are typical for a horror production company. This is because we used a moon logo, horror sound effects and used minimal colour for the background and font. The moon we used for our logo connotes night which is the time of day that many horror films are set. The sound effects that we added to the logo link to the moon and also connote the night time. The wolf sound is also often in horror films to scare the characters as it is often used to foreshadow danger. For the font and background, we used black and white as this is often used for horror film titles. We decided not to use red like the 'Insidious' titles as there isn't much, if any violence in our film.
Keeping with traditional horror films, our film is set in one location. As well as this being used to keep a continuous storyline, many horror films are kept in the same location as they are normally based on the character or characters trying to escape the location.
The camera angles we used link to many film genres such as the first establishing shot to set the scene, but the range of close ups and first person shots create tension. The close up shots draw attention to objects that aren't normally seen as being of any importance. By doing this, the characters behaviour is developed as the close ups show the characters interactions with the objects. The first person shots are used to make the audience see what the antagonist is seeing. This creates tension as the audience can then realise that the antagonist is watching the antagonist but they do not yet know their motive.
When the protagonist enters the house, the light from the outside is closed out and the hall is darkened. This connotes that, even inside his own house, the protagonist is safer outside than inside. Foreshadowing triggers like this are used in many horror films. This specific trigger may not be widely used but similar shots are used to discreetly inform the audience that there is something different or dangerous within the setting.
At the end of the scene, the antagonist is shown to be in the house, but their identity is still concealed. This technique is also used in the opening scene of 'The Woman in Black'. We did this to create tension and make the audience want know the identity even more than when they didn't see the character.
Developing and Challenging the Conventions of Horror:
We challenged the conventions because most horror films, such as 'Insidious', are filmed or set in the night. This convention is often used because we feel most vulnerable at night. It could also reflect our worst nightmares which happen when we sleep at night. We challenged this convention by setting our film in the day time. We did this because people don't expect anything majorly bad to happen to the during the day as they feel more venerable at night. The character then lets his guard down when he is in his house in the day as he believes nothing can harm him.
There is also no violence in our horror film, unlike the majority of horror films that already exist. This is because the horror element in our film is more psychological than physical as the antagonist follows the protagonist around his own home without the protagonist knowing. By using the dramatic irony of the audience knowing the doppelganger is in the house, more tension is created and the audience are desperate for the antagonist to escape, even though the character doesn't feel the need to.
No comments:
Post a Comment