About the Genre

History of Horror

Horror films started as a focus from english literature, as a separate genre, in the late 1700's. This was called Gothic Horror. Developed by writers in both Britain and the United States, the gothic part of the name refers to the pseudo medieval buildings that took place. For example, gloomy dungeons, forests and dark alleyways. 

Famous gothic writers include Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe.

Horror in silent films

The inspiration for horror silent films came from the booming public interest of horror from the genre of literature. At the time, the genre was popular in books and theatre, and the term 'Horror' was never actually used until the 1930's. Instead 'Gothic' was used. 

A popular 1930's silent horror film

Early horror films

In the late 1920's, directors starting to use sound effects transformed cinema. It was big jump, especially for the horror genre as it enhanced the scenes and spooky effects even more. This jump in technology, using sound effects, had more of an impact on the horror genre than probably any other.

Roger Corman

Horror films in this century 

Monster films turned increasingly to CGI effects for scares such as Species, and Anaconda. Psychological Horror and Thriller have remained popular throughout the 90s and 2000s including films like Silence of the Lambs, The Sixth Sense, Se7en, The Others and The Ring.

Silence of the Lambs

Lighting

How big is the light?

Small lights:

Small lights, like bare bulbs and sunlight, cast strong, hard shadows. They can be softened with a diffuser, or you can fill them to reduce the shadows - with another light or reflector.

Medium lights:

• Medium lights, like light from a window or Chinese paper lantern 
• Great balance - big enough to be soft but small enough to be atmospheric 

Big lights:

Such as a cloudy sky or reflected off of a white wall. They give off very even lighting and soft shadows, with little atmosphere. Easiest type to use and also good for detailed photos and group shots.

Direction of light

Light from directly in front is flat and characterless. Three quarter light, from a 45 degree angle is an average/normal place to start in traditional light setups. Light from directly above tends to make people's eyes disappear into shadow, unlike light from the side is very atmospheric though very hard to work with. Light from below gives people a scary look, similar to rim light, from light behind the subject is very atmospheric.

Light from the front.

45 degree angle.

Light from below.

Light from the side.

Rim lighting.

Light from above.

Outdoors

• Using daylight is easiest on days where there is little cloud cover and therefore you can shoot in any direction and get good shots.
• Sunlight is trickier as it can cast harsh shadows and dazzle your subject. For a subtler effect, use it as rim light (behind the subject, out of shot) as in the shot above.

• Low sunlight is tricky to work with but it can be very atmospheric: many films are shot in the rich ‘golden hour’ light just after dawn or before dusk.

Indoors

• You could bounce a powerful light, like a builders’ work lamp, off a reflector, a white wall or the ceiling. You can also use work lamps to shoot low-key (sidelit) closeups. Or you could buy a set of film lights. Halogen film lights get very hot; LED arrays use less energy and run cooler.

Conclusion;

In our film opening, we are going to try and use big lights, to keep a simple and effective atmosphere. We will also try to use outdoor lighting. We will experiment with more atmospheric and detailed shots like rim shots and lighting from below to try and follow the theme  of horror genre. 45 degree angle is going to be the easiest to use and therefore we will possibly include that too. 

Horror Genre

Horror Demographic and Common Certificates

The typical demographic for the Horror genre is likely to be 15-25 year old as they are more likely to watch the film for a thrill or with friends. This is because a large majority of horror films at this present day have a certificate rating of PG12 or 12A and above. Anyone under the age is very unlikely to watch this genre as it is actually a law that anyone below the age limit cannot view. This immediately means we are looking to make a film opening for a [probable] late teenage years range and above.

Below; several common certificate ratings for horror films.

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/  14/10/15

Genre conventions

Setting:

• Small communities or isolated places. Urban environments - dark streets and/or narrow alleyways. Large cities or run down ghost towns. Loose frame forest or open wooded area. Anything that connotes isolation or being alone.
• Often places with a 'dark' or 'twisted' history, like a hospital, graveyard, abandoned houses/hotels or mental asylum. 
• Good locations could be: Open wooed area, forest, country lanes, barns, dark roads with coverage, deep water, abandoned cars or carparks, run down bus or school, factories, attics basements, garages, machinery rooms, cabins, woodlands, open fields, underground railways etc...

Desolate town

Abandoned warehouse/asylum/hospital

Run down theme park

Wooded area

Camera shots:

• High and low angles shots can connote fear and hierarchy/ power over another.
• POV shots can be very effective and important in portraying the fear from the on screen characters mindset, giving the audience the same feelings.
• Hand held shots make it difficult sometimes for the audience to see clearly what is going on.A good example of this shot type would be in the film 'Cloverfield' - since the entire film is shot by a hand held camera, to promote the feeling or terror and the unknown.

Lighting:

• Visually, often dark colours (Red, Black etc..) to link to blood, darkness, fear, loneliness.
• Low key lighting can help create shadows and other non-naturalistic lighting effects.
• Specific lighting techniques can also be used specifically in the genre of the film, for example a lit torch, bonfire or fireplace etc...

Costume and Makeup:

• The horror genre can be more exaggerated than most other genres of film. For example villains or predators may have ripped clothes/ blood smeared or makeup effects like scars, gashes or cuts and bruises.
• Villains and predators may also be a specific theme, such as wearing the mask of a pig or having a specific face paint design. A key example of this would be Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th, whereby the serial killer wears an infamous hockey mask.

Below; examples of costume and special effects makeup  that could possibly be use/is commonly used in horror movies.

Conclusions Drawn from Survey

To gain audience information I designed a film openings survey to be prepared for when making a film opening myself. The findings from that survey are below.

Survey Findings:

When the participants were asked their age, the options for answering were in very varied groups. Some very young, all the way to 60 years and above. As you can see from the chart shown, 45.45% of participants (the largest group) were aged between 16-25 years. Possibly because, similar to my age, it is the most common age group to watch films in their free time in comparison to other ages.

Later on in the survey, the participants were asked about favourite genre of film. This results was by far Comedy at 36.34% choosing that option. This is probably due to the youth of the age that answered. Although barley a difference, there were also more females who answered the survey than males. This could possible transfer to the comedy genre in that males (stereotypically) may prefer a more serious or scarier genre, for example horror or action. From the results so far, we can see that young teenagers to mid 20 year olds, probably most prefer comedy movies and therefore in making a horror film opening, we may be looking at an older demographic.

When asked which part of the film (Trailer, Opening, Mid-way or Ending) the participants watched in order to become interested in the film, the most popular answer was trailer at 72.73%. Therefore the film opening we produce should be so eye catching and current that people remember it and make them want to watch the rest of the film. Because of the age group we will also need to make it current and appeal to that specific age group.

Question 5, where participants were asked "Do you pay attention to credits/titles", came back with a very mixed result. The highest result was an answer of 'never', at 36.36%, closely followed by 'rarely' at 27.27%. This means that in order for the demographic of the film to notice and pick up on the titles and credits, we will have to make the text appear in a creative way or format that gets them interested.

In the final question, I found out that the most common reason for watching the opening scenes of the film was to be able to become interested in watching the rest of the film. This means it is crucial for those first shots and scenes to be interesting and appeal to the age group and gender.

Audience Survey - Film Openings

To do some research and find some information on the type of audiences who are watching each genre of film, I created a survey and asked a range of various people, from different age groups, to answer it. Here are the results from the survey.

This first question is getting basic information from the participants in order to compare and relate to findings in later questions.

Again, thiss question is getting basic information off of the participants in order for me to compare and contrast when looking at answer in later questions. Doing this lets you know which age group you are predominantly working with and gives you a relatively clear answer of what kind of specific age or gender enjoys which kind of film the most.

Finding out the most enjoyed or most commonly watched genre of film shows which age group this is most likely from and also gives us as students, an idea of what type of film opening to produce so that it will be liked.

By finding out which part of the film they are drawn to in order to want to watch it, gives a starting idea of how interested they will or will not be in watching a film opening.

By asking this question about how much attention people usually pay attention to credits and titles at the start of a film, can generate the process of maybe they titles either need to be shortened, enlarged, increased for information, cut out completely or something more suiting. 

Finally, asking the participants what they most expect from a film opening, really gives a clear idea of what to include or what not to include, however this can vary between ages of genders.

Film Genres Mind Map

Above: A brief mind map exploring various genres to films.

Note; Our final piece includes elements from all genres of film. We have mixed few ideas together but decided to focus on mainly a horror theme with elements of an action film.

'The Woman in Black' Horror Film Opening Analysis

Shot one:

• The opening scene begins with a close up of the girls' toys, a china cup, saucer and teapot. The small toys take up the entire frame (tight frame).
• Emphasis on the small toys that suddenly have taken up the entire frame, representing the youth that is about to be withdrawn.

 Shot two:

• The next shot shows a medium shot of all three children on the floor playing.
• This shot is to remind people viewing of the innocence and youth of the films victims.

 Shot three:

• This shot is a BCU (Big Close Up) of two of the three children, showing shoulders upwards so the viewers can focus on the facial expressions.
• The shot show the girls' pinafores to give viewers an idea of the time period in which the film is set.

 Shot four:

• This shot is a loose frame of the young children playing with their china dolls.
• The act of looking after their dolls juxtaposes the care (or lack thereof) they should be receiving as children.  

 Shot five:

• This shot is a loose framed, high angle shot of all three girls sat playing on the floor.
• As it is a loose frame you can see the entirety of the room and all the old fashioned set and props that are being used.
• It is high angled to show the girls looking straight up and directly at the camera, as if they are looking at the woman in black.

 Shot six:

• After turning their heads to what the woman in black is directing them at, the next shot is a loose frame with three large windows centred. (Hinting at the scene about to unfold).

 Shot seven:

• This shot shows a close up of one of the children's feet, about to stand on and break a china doll.
• Again, hinting at the girls' fates and showing the audience what is about to happen. 

 Shot eight:

• This is a medium shot of the girls' upper torsos and faces. You can clearly see their blank facial expressions as they walk towards the windows they have been directed to go to.
• Still in their simple items of clothing and hair tied neatly in ribbons to represent innocence.

 Shot nine:

• This is the final shot at the end of the opening where you can see a long shot of all three girls jumping from the window ledge.
• You can no longer see their faces and so is depersonalising the situation so emotion is detached. A representation of how many children have already met this fate in the town.

Conclusion:
These shots make it clear that this opening scene is going to lead to a harrowing film that is set to play with emotions of the viewers. The costumes and set have already played a huge part, clearly showing people the time period this film is set in.

'Hanna' Film Opening Analysis

Shot One:

• The film opens with a wide set angle camera shot showing an icy river, somewhere in the arctic. The editors have started with a basic landscape with little to no variation of colour so that the audience can focus on the text.
• The opening credits start showing and the first to come up is the producers name. Notice only the name is in larger lettering so that fans of this man can immediately become interested in the film. 

Shot Two:

• This shot reveals Hanna yet still hides her facial features. Hanna's face, and any part of skin really, is hidden until the very end of the opening to keep her identity a secret - a connotation of her hiding in the woods from society. 
• Medium long shot is used here whilst she is crouched down, making her hunting skills seem less intimidating.

Shot Three:

• In this screen grab, you can see the lead character, Hanna, is only partially seen again through the surrounding trees; another hint at protection of identity. 
• A medium shot is used here, to just about show the bow and arrow she is about to use to hunt. At this moment, the audience is only focused on the anticipation of what she is about to do.

Shot Four:

• An extreme close up is sued here to focus on Hanna's eye, emphasising on the aim she is focused on in order to 'shoot for the heart.'
• The bright blue eye that is really the only thing visible in this shot is a complimentary colour for the surrounding landscape, almost camouflaging her.

Shot Five:

• As she is running through the forest, chasing the deer, the camera cuts to the POV shot from the deers perspective.
• The camera uses high angle shots for this while the edges of the frame are burred to imitate the dying animal's sight. The camera also moves at a very quick pace to emphasise on this. 

Shot Six:

•  Medium close ups have been used here to follow Hanna running after the deer she has just shot.
• The simple background of the arctic sky draws attention away from the beautiful landscape and instead on the 'not-so-beautiful' event that is happening in this scene.

Shot Seven:

•  In this shot, the camera has used low angle shots to exaggerate on the fallen deer and the huge mass of it.
• Looking up on the animal in this way really makes it look lifeless and for a second, makes Hanna look like thee one in the wrong. This death is a crucial ending to the opening scene of the whole film. 

Shot Eight:

• This is a low angle shot and an extreme close up of the deer's eyes after the have rolled back, once it has been killed.
• It is not shown clearly in the shot but Hanna is [at this point] standing over the animal. Her reflection is being shown in the light reflected from the deer's eye. This really puts the event into perspective and the power humans have over other living things is present. 

Shot Nine:

• In this final close up before the opening scene ends, Hanna has removed the scarf from her face and her facial features are now visible. Perhaps a hint at the fact she is now willing to reveal her identity now that the hunting has been done. 
• Moments into this shot, the first line of dialogue in the film is spoken "I just missed your heart." -She is talking to the animal as if it were a living, talking human, clearly the very opposite of the truth.

Conclusion:

These opening shots are already making it apparent that this is an action packed film, perhaps with mystery and murder involved. The film has also already hinted at the topic of 'taboo', as even the opening scene of this film has shown a young girl, who lives in the arctic, out to be capable of killing a large wild animal, which clearly is far from societal norms.