Different Production Companies

• Universal studios is a production company that has produced many of the top grossing films of all time, such as E.T and Jaws, this means that if it was to be used as our introduction people would notice straight away who we want to stage as the producers of this film as universal studios is a very prestigious company.
• The films that Universal Studios usually produce are more of action/adventure films and they are not known for producing any horror films, therefore it wouldn't be a great production company to use as there are better companies we can use to support our genre.

• Sony pictures animation is an animation company, responsible for the production of films such as 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' , it is the animation section of sony pictures.
• Clearly this wouldn't be acceptable to use as our company as it is an animation company so it wouldn't fit into the horror genre we wish to use.

• Paramount pictures is another prestigious company responsible for the creation of films such as Star Trek and Mission Impossible.
• Due to the bright nature of the intro clip, it wouldn't suit a horror film, therefore making it unusable for a horror film, also due to the type of films Paramount usually makes such as action/adventure films, horror wouldn't fit the usual films that they make so it wouldn't be a wise choice.

• Lionsgate films is yet another prestigious film production company, responsible for films such as Expendables and American Psycho.
•  Due to the red colour scheme of the introduction this could be used as the introduction, as the red can show danger or and connote to aspects in horror films such as blood which is indeed a strong convention in horror films.

• Twisted pictures would be the perfect production company to use for our film opening due to the name and the logo, the word 'twisted' indicates that the film may be twisted or messed up, insisting that it will mess with the views mind
• The barbed wire indicates danger, as barbed wire is dangerous it shows that the nature of the film will also be dangerous by nature, all of these reasons put together indicate what kind of film the viewer will expect.

http://messmediatownley.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/survey-analysis.html

Changing the Brightness/Contrast on iMovie

One of the potential problems faced with our filming was the lighting as we were shooting outdoors at a time of year where daylight was scarce, in order to ensure that we had a way around this I checked how I could change the brightness of a clip on iMovie.

Here is a picture I found on the internet of a dark forest, I played around with the lighting of the clip to see how it would look.

If the light was too bright and we needed to darken it, by changing the brightness and contrast to a darker setting this could have been achieved, heres the result.

As you can see, the shot is now darker, if this was needed I could create a dark scene simply by adjusting a few things, now I am going to make it brighter.

Now it is brightened you can see the forest more clearly and the source of light which is the moon stands out much more, in doing so you can make a dark shot bright which makes it easier to see all the features which are within the picture.

I now know that I can easily alter a video using iMovie if needed.

Ways to die in a psychological horror - Seyi

Different ways to die within a psychological horror

Due to the nature of psychological horrors the ways to die are generally logical, as many psychological horrors confine to real situations.

Games

• Psychological horrors which need to appear messed up to convey the insanity within the persons head so games are a good way of conveying this
• In films such as SAW, they play games toying with the victims mind, making them play games in order to survive, this uses the psychological factor extremely well as not only does the instigator of the violence have to be messed up in order to create such madness but it gets inside the victims head as their natural instinct to survive kicks in making them become extremely desperate individuals, this leads to irrational decisions which are often the ones that kill them.
• The games are generally a game for their life, different types of games, the game gives the villain all power in the situation.

Gore

• Another way of presenting death in a psychological way is gore, psychological horrors involve people that have gone mental and if you want to show an extremity of this you must show true gore
• In films such as human centipede they use extreme gore to show how mad this villain has gone, it unhinges the moral barriers that many films withhold, by doing a gory death you can make it as disgusting as possible to create effect

Teenage Costume Inspiration

I decided to use the films "Blair Witch" and "Blair Witch 2" for my costume inspiration as both films star teenagers located within a forest. 

Within horror films located within a forest, teenagers are put into costumes that show their youth and also fit into the location. The costumes also establish their personality and their role within the film.

Check shirts are very common to use and fit in with the scenes.

They also wear costumes that are suitable for the environment, for example within this shot the character wears a hat and a coat. 

Dark colours are worn throughout.

This character shows her role within the film as she shows a lot of skin, therefore making her character more provacative than the others.

I decided to use these shots in order to inspire my own costume ideas. 

I stuck with the theme of check shirts as my inspiration as I feel that they are the current trend yet still comply with the teenager in a woods situation. They also look made for the outdoors. This outfit has dark blue jeans accompanying it and hat as a woods would tend to be cold and therefore the character must show this. 

The previous outfit could be adapted for a male character by adding thicker shoes and much darker jeans, also possibly a water proof jacket. 

A provocative character can still fit in with the theme but as pictured, more brighter colours are used to promote a feminine side and also the blouse is tied at the waist to show more skin.

A hooded jacket combined with the shirt would be good for a male character to use and the dark colours make this outfit appear much more masculine. 

http://messmediatownley.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/blair-witch-2-deconstruction.html

Wounds continued.

When researching tutorial videos/instruction links on how to create wounds, many of them used theatrical modelling wax so I ordered some and whilst waiting for it to arrive I decided to try and use eye lash glue again to attempt to create a bigger wound to see if it would work. I used 3 different shades of lipsticks as they were all I had at the time but because one was a skin tone just tinted red which made the skin around it look sore, I had a burgundy colour and a red one and tried to use them both together to make the inside of the fake cut look sore/bloody but I feel that if I could've had something a few shades darker, it could've made it look more realistic as the cut would've been made to look as though it was deeper. Up close it doesn't look realistic but I feel that with more makeup it could be made to. From a far I think that it does actually look pretty realistic and I used dark shades of blushed on my arms to make it look as though it'd been bruised/battered. 

When the modelling wax arrived, I'd also gathered together some face paints and foundation. I found the modelling wax really hard to work with as it wasn't really sticking to my skin so I had to use eyelash glue to keep it stuck on, it also kept peeling off at the corners, I used a spoon to smooth down the edges on to my skin to make it look as thought the fake skin was in fact my skin but it didn't smooth very well and kept coming off so I tried gluing it to my skin again using eye lash glue and it worked to keep the wax to my skin but the edges were still rough and were not going smoother, just breaking off. So I left the shape I'd made on my arm with the wax and moved on to using the facepaint to make it look bloody. I used black, green and red, mixing the black and red to make a darker shade of red, more of a bloody shade. I think that the colours look realistic, and from a far it could look believable but I think that the modelling wax was an issue as it wouldn't mold into a shape that was easier to work with without breaking. I feel that in the photo highlighted yellow is where this technique looks most realistic. 

I also tried creating scars with the eyelash glue and also the modelling wax, and I think that the eyelash glue looks more realistic than the modelling wax. I just covered the eyelash glue (right) with foundation when it was dry which made a raised line which could appear as a scar and looks realistic. I feel that the modelling wax (left) does look realistic but the foundation didn't stick to it as well and it still looks a different colour to my skin. 

The use of nursery rhymes to create fear and suspense.

By using nursery rhymes it allows the audience to delve into their past making them scarier. If we use a child protagonist nursery rhymes would fit in really well.

here are some inspiration examples of how i can use nursery rhymes to create fear and suspense.

• this is my favourite one of all the nursery rhymes because it has so many different reasons why it is scary.
•  it uses a violin sound over the top of the nursery rhyme that almost represents a child screaming.
• it then uses thoses violins to shound like wind blowing by using a low tremelo.
• at the end it uses a slight drum beat to sound like a train going over a track
• then it makes the sound of a train whistle and fades to end the song which leaves the audience one the edge of their seat and leaves them wanting to know more.
• one thing i would change on this though is you cant really hear the nursery rhyme as much as i would like and so i would turn the gain up.

• this is scary because the voice is uncomfortably high pitched.
• it also has no backing or sound and so is just purely voice bringing a sort of creepiesness to it.
• i like the childlike giggle at the end of this one because it makes a noise that would usually not be scray but would be cute and turns it to give the audience chills.

• this one is not necessarilly scary it is more creepy.
• the gain on the voice haas been turned up and the EQ has been turned down causing the almost tinny efect on the voice.
• just like the one before there is no backing track to it and so it causes the audience to listen to the voice asnd words making it scarier for them.
• one thing i dont like about this one is at the end when the child says 'we all fall down' she says it going up the major scale. this almost breaks the creepy effect and changes the mood of the song we just heard.

http://messmediatownley.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/costumes.html

http://messmediatownley.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/photos-of-graveyard-location.html

Survey analysis

When we posted the questionnaire online, we managed to get 75 answers to each question, so here the results have been put into tables and the results have been analysed. 

http://messmediatownley.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/editing.html

Abandoned Places

Researching into abandoned places proved difficult as there are very few to look into. 
One place that particularly grabbed my interest was this building: 

Throughout the day I took different shots to compare the use of lighting and it's effect on the building.

Corner of the building at 1pm.

The colours and big nature of the building have a creepy effect.

The back of the building at 1pm.

As you can see, the windows are uneven, the colours show that no care has been undertaken with this property, and there is a wide space outside. 










The building at 4pm from the corner.

Darker colours are seen when the sky gets darker.













The back of the building at 4pm.

The windows act as reflected surfaces from the camera's flash. The ground looks much more scary at this time of day than previously.







The buildings outskirts would be the best place to film most likely as it gets darker due to it's derelict nature however on the inside it is being used for other purposes, so no filming could be taking from the inside. 

Use of Zombies in horror

• Zombies create their own genre within horror films, they are used incredibly well and could be a concept within our own one
• As simple as the concept of zombies are, they have been used incredibly well in films such as resident evil or programs such as walking dead, due to the carnivorous nature of the creature, even though there has never been any true sighting of zombies etc you have the ability to tweak their abilities, if you wanted to you could make them super fast or super strong

• The image of the zombie is incredibly important, the make up must convey a creature that isn't alive yet is still moving and breathing etc, therefore you must convey a dead body moving, by doing so the use of blood is effective, also the use of make up to show decomposition too, as these are dead bodies you must remember that maggots and other insects have had their way with the bodies, so something must be there to show this. 
• Sounds associated with zombies must also be utilised, the type of groan that they make which is the stereotypical noise, or if you want to give the zombie speech and the ability to say words like 'brains' that is also possible, however it must be extremely limited as these creatures are dead.

• FInally, movement of the zombie must be incredibly portrayed, the attacks to get food must be desperate as that is all they do, the way they walk should be slow and unfocused, not sure and certain as if they were human, also in a scenario where they are with other zombies they should rarely interact.

Types of Villains in Horror Films

"Normal" Looking villain

• Normal looking villains are the most mysterious in horror films, they present themselves to the world as ordinary personalities however the nature of the horrors they commit lie deep down in the persons personality. When introduced within films they appear to have very normal or good lives, and are not expected to play a part in criminal activity, this means that you must allocate time for them to be shown in a semi positive light, then the atrocities committed by this normal man are highlighted even more as as time goes on you begin to pick apart the person behind the mask that this character will generally use to conceive his true identity.

Stereotypical Villain

• The stereotypical villain is a villain where they use fear to create a character, ghosts, clowns etc, things that people have a clear phobia of, this is useful as it exploits peoples fears to make the film more effective, not only do they enhance fears but they can also create fears as they can make you see something in a completely new night e.g. a clown usually being seen as a funny thing being seen as a danger in horror films

Aliens/Monsters

• The use of aliens or monsters is very effective in horror films, by creating something from scratch you take away limitations that the creature may have, due to the fact the creature is your own creation you are the person that gives it its attributes, therefore the things you can do within the film to make it scary is unlimited

Real Scenarios

• Using real creatures such as sharks for example, like in jaws, you already have the attributes of the creature, by having this ready you know what you can do and what extent you can go to, it may limit you but it however it will also save time on creating a move set on the creature and allow to make you more creative in the way it claims its victims

A Nightmare on Elm Street Deconstruction

• this is a medium shot of a gaurd walking up to the cell of the boy in prison.
• by having the boy sat up high and crouched it makes him look bigger than the guard.
• although the guard is bigger that the convict, the convict takres up more of the shot making him the dominant.
• this converts the usual convention that the boy has the power because being a convict he obviously doesnt.
• by having the boy cruled up it shows him as quite child like. this shows the audience that although he is in prison he doesnt really belong there.
• also the face he is almosed squeezed in the corner but the shot is loosely framed shows that although he feels he is trapped he still has the possibility to sort out the problem. 

•  this is the first close up shot of the murderer that we see as an audience.
• eventhough this is a close up of the murder he still does not reveal his whole face keeping his full identity still a mystery.
• by having aclose up of the side of their faces means that you can still see the emotions on each of their faces and their reactions too.
• the darkness of thsis shot also adds suspense beacause although you can see the boys face you have to look really closely to see the detail on the murderers face because he is more of an outline at a first look.
• this shot has diagonal composition adding tension and anxiety to the shot.
• This shot is shallow. Only one plane is in focus. this isolates the characters from the background of the shot.
• The characters are centered in the frame meaning they are imbortant objects is the shot.
• this shot has very tight framing showing the audience there is no escape for the boy.

•  as i am the one in our group studying the music i chose this shot because of the way silence makes it effective.
• before tis shot you have a point of view shot of the character looking for the murderer then you see this medium shot of the character being stabbed by him.
• while the point of view shot is happening there is almost complete silence apart rom a couple of quiet digetic sounds.
• this builds up tension as there is nothing (like non digetic music) to seperate you from the scene. the audience feel completely submerged in the story and feel like they are almost inside the film.
• i like the idea of silence used this way because it is very effective when it comes to the fear factor and drwing the audience in.

Blair Witch 2 Deconstruction

This post links to a previous post about using a forest as a location.

Walking Through the Woods

• Tight framing used within the two shot to show the vast nature of the woods, and therefore the possible lack of escape. Captures the background within the shot.
• Hear them both talking to eachother, but you can also hear digetic sound of the animals and the leaves crunching on the ground as they tread on them.
• Continuity from one event (unloading the car) to them walking along in the forest, shows that time has moved forward and they've been walking for a while.
• Carry oversized rucksacks on their back, showing they are not going as a day trip. The forest appears dead and deprived, as not much green is used.

Filming

• Shakey close ups are seen with tight framing, emphasising the fact that the person filming belongs to the group,
• Which also links to the sound that can be heard on filming as it's a voice over.
• Cutaways are used to link the real filming, and the filming that is being percieved in the video, this interupts the storyline and switches back to a reality.
• Markings on the stones link to the story and have a meaning within the story, the clothes that they wear are quite preppy connoting that they are a group of older teenagers.

Tree Appearance

• Low angle shot used as if you as a viewer are also looking up at the tree. Tree is centralised in the shot showing it's importance.
• Creepy music beging to play as non diegetic sound to create tension, links to the tension that is being created by one of the main proganists questioning the trees appearance.
• Jump cut from person to person to view their responses and there is an eyeline match between them looking at the tree before we as a viewer also see the tree.
• Tree in the centre is shown as very big when they all look up. Lighting changes to the viewer can tell that normal filming has resumed.

http://messmediatownley.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/camera-perspective-from-villain.html



Low Budget Horror Films

Aspects to low budget horror films

• Due to the low budget the cameras used wont be of an incredibly high quality therefore the shots wouldn't be of a high quality e.g. 720p

• Also as there is less equipment going into creating camera angles means that the range of camera angles shown for one shot would be extremely limited

• Due to the lack of money going into the editing process the colour schemes of the shots couldn't be as effective as the director had hoped, as they were too strong and were out of sync with the other scenes

• Lighting techniques will also be downgraded due to the low budget used, e.g. less use of broad lights and more use of torch /spot lights which will cover a small space and will not get you the desired effect

Grave Encounters - Seyi

Camera Angles

• In order to set the scene in a way that doesn't take focus on the presenter they used an establishing shot of the house with this man in the way, this way he can set the scene and introduce himself and keep the house relevant

• This use of shot still involves the establishing shot as seen before but also incorporates a two shot to get the advertising aspect out of the shot

• To show the genuine nature of the shot, this extreme close up shot of the bag wiping the lens is incredibly effective as it shows us this is real footage

• This long shot shows the depth of the corridor in the mental asylum, the darkness at the end makes you wonder what is in the distance

Editing

• The editing techniques used in this are basic, mainly continuity editing due the nature of the clips used they need to get a flow of time within it, therefore continuity editing needed to be used so that the viewer could get a view of time going by

Sound
All of the sound has consisted of the noise that has come from the clip itself, mostly diagetic, this is because they needed to maintain a home video type feel from it therefore they couldn't add any non diagetic sound such as soundtracks etc

Mise-en-scene

• Abandoned house
• Team of young adults
• Unprofessionally shot video
• Mental asylum

Shroom Forest and Clip deconstruction

• This is an establishing shot of the woods.
• by using this shot it shows all the trees which create vertical lines. this conforms to the convention of strength because this is the location that the murder is at his strongest.
• the shot has an almost green tinge to it showing the audience the corruption of the murderer.
• the lighting is very low key to show that they are at a 'deep, dark forest'. this makes it more scary for the audience.
• it is an eyelevel shot to show what the people in the film would see if they were stood here.

• this is a close up shot of two characters in the woods.
• again the trees are create vertical lines conforms to the convention of strength because this is the location that the murder is at his strongest especially as there are two people in there now to kill.
• in this shot one of the trees also creates a diagonal adding tension to the scene.
• the blue hat that the character on the left is wearing subverts the characterisitcs of the character. the blue hat should represent masculinilty and calmness but the boy is acting quite child like as he is worrying about the murderer.
• on the other hand the black clothes worn by the character on the right conform to the situation very heavilly. for example both his hair and coat are black showing the mystery of the killer, the sufferignt hey are both going through or about to go through and the threat the killer has on their life.
• the characters are at a personal distance showin the audience they are friends and not alone.
• the framing in this shot is moderately loose showing the audience that it is possible to get away from the killer but it is very unlikely. 

• This shot is a medium shot of one of the characters.
• the lighting in this shot contrasts as there are parts where you can see just the sky then parts that have dark parts showing tradgey.
• the colour blue is used in both his top and hat which again subverts the characterisitcs of the character. you can also see that he subverts the convention of masculinty and calm by the expression on his face.
• the composition in this scene is very vertical. the character subverts the sense of strength by his facial expression.
• the character is show at the edge of the shot showing that there is nothing he can do about his murder and that he is insignificant as he cant do anything about it.
• this is an open shot to show the whole surroundngs of the woods.