During the filming process, our original costume plan was altered due to issues with filming and availability.
Originally we had planned to include a dark suit for the antagonist of red and black to connote both danger and the spilling of blood but due to filming difficulties we chose to opt for a white and black outfit with red elements. This worked better for us due to it's visibility, enabling the clown to be seen more easily in the dark due to the lack of lighting available on location.
We also planned to spray the clown's hair green but due to the dark lighting of our location and the use of black and white CCTV filter in the tunnel, the colouring would have been barely visible and so therefore we chose not to include this colouring.
The original face paint chosen was also altered for filming purposes, blood was added dripping from the eyes and the black around them was made larger, drawing attention towards the darkness and the unnatural features of the clowns face as to make it appear more sinister.
Also, we originally intended to use red contact lenses to convey supernatural inhuman elements but found again, like the hair colouring, it would have very little impact on overall shots. We also made this decision as the large quantity of red already intended in each of our shots would have caused the majority of the mise en scene to suggest bloodshed, which isn't used within this particular scene. The contrast of the pale blue eyes against the dark black and red features of the face paint also created a more startling affect, as they seem far more prominent and chilling as they stare into the camera in close up shots.
In order to get the sound for the 3 clips I recorded one of my old Globes that play nursery rhymes when wound up and left to play. I recorded it on my phone and the quality came out really well and therefore I didn't need to re-record it again. I found that it was very creepy and also when edited it came out really well. I used the software called Audacity in order to change the effects on the music which is an online free piece of software.
Backwards Melody
For the backwards melody I put the song into Audacity and the highlighted the entire piece of music and then picked a effect from the top tool bar that would put the song into reverse. I found the tool and then selected it before listening back to it. It turned out really well and the sound is really distorted without over editing it too much and losing the sounds quality and scariness. I therefore left it with just the reverse as the edit that I did to it and therefore this meant that the sound was constantly pulling itself backwards and it sounds really awkward to listen to back.
Slow Melody
With the slow melody I chose the effect which changed the speed of the piece of music. I pulled the slider to the left and therefore this made the piece of music go much slower. I did like it however it lost the scariness through removing the fastness and therefore I wasn't so keen on how it sounded after listening to it. I didn't do anything else to it as I didn't want to carry on this piece of music as it is too slow for the opening in which we are doing. It also doesn't sound as menacing as the others and therefore I decided to leave it rather than make it even worse.
Fast Melody
This is my favourite one because I really like how speeding up the clip has made it more mysterious and spooky rather than just a normal nursery rhyme which although is quite scary was fast paced enough for the opening which we are putting together. Therefore I really found that by just changing the speed alone made the music much more suitable for the opening and therefore made no other changes to it overall. I did try adding an echo but that made it too over crowded with noise and therefore abandoned that idea as it didn't work out. I also tried bass but as the pitch is too high this was pretty much useless and therefore left that idea. It is much more effective with the simple adding speed to it rather than over doing it with more effects than it actually needs.
To begin progress within deciding on a name for our film, I began with making a list of the main components of our scene, a technique that would allow names to be thought up due to what is included within our piece. However, it is difficult to decide upon a definitive name due to certain features of our opening (such as location) due to the following plot not to have been decided in depth. For example, as we are only producing the opening scene in which a murder takes part in a tunnel we could in theory title it around this feature but if the film were to continue and be produced following on from this scene, it is not initially intended for the majority of thesetting to be placed in that tunnel.
Whilst brainstorming choices, I included all possible titles I came up with despite a number of them being useless due to sounding terrible and having other issues so that when shown to the rest of the group presenting the ideas, it can allow us to critique different choices and possibly come up with more ideas related to them.
At the current stage of process, the three most effective choice (in my opinion) would be; 'Grin.', 'Whiteface' and 'Smile, Please.' ashaving as few syllables as possible allows the name to be short and memorable .
Grin refers to the clown's face itself and also towards the lipstick mark they leave upon their victim acting as a calling card.
Whiteface is the name of the type of clown we are using within our scene as the antagonist, a comedy grotesque whiteface. (Allows us to enforce to the audience that the clown itself is the focus, not the victim or location.)
'Smile, please' also refers to the calling card mark left upon the victim's body after the murder has taken place. (Conveys a sinister tone, typically a possible title choice for a comedy film.)
During our location selection process as we began to consider the use of a tunnel, we decided for sources of inspiration to look outside of only the horror genre and began looking at projects outside of film.
The concept of a music video introduced the possibility of using sound overlay to mimic diegetic sound whilst removing all other extraneous background sound.
We have chosen to adapt this and use it within our scenes outside of the tunnel, with our victim listening to music, allowing us to dismiss any interrupting background sounds and to place the audience in a empathic position over the victim, understanding how oblivious they are to danger around them.
Another advantage the video made apparent to us was lighting within a tunnel, the prominent circles of light within the tunnel causing different parts of the tunnel to be far more brightly lit than others.
For our scene, the darker sections can be used to show the antagonist as they approach the victim in stop motion, as the victim disappears from light into dark, their lack of hope becoming apparent.
Stereotypically brave and courageous male, often either completely selfish or selfless.
Strong and physically able to protect themselves and others.
Handsome and sexually attractive to both other characters and the audience.
Protective father/son/boyfriend figure in dominance over female vulnerability.
Geek
Socially awkward, few friends/small social group.
Physically incapable of defending themselves or others.
Usually young, teenage and unable to cope with growing up/being in high school.
Easily scared, phobic of violence or any minor harmfulactivity.
Subversion
Masculine male, physically fit and attractive.
Able to defend themselves against other humans and protect others.
Defeated by evil despite their powerful dominance.
Overpowered by a threat originally thought to be far smaller than them.
(This would be most suitable for our chosen theme as we want to introduce an immediate sense of danger to our audience within our opening scene and we feel by choosing a victim to unexpectedly be defeated it can demonstrate how large a threat our killer is, establishing it as the plot would continue for the duration of the film.)
Clothing-wise the killer will wear clothing typical of a clown but with dark colouring. Red and black costumes are our desired choice as we want to easily demonstrate that the clown connotes evil and danger and foreshadows death as soon as it is seen onscreen, creating a sense of fear. It is also important that the costume hides any gender behind the character as we want them to remind anonymous and unrelated to humanity as much as possible, not giving it any human or gender specific qualities to detach it from the victim and the audience.
A pair of large, old, distressed boots would help define the survival of the killer and their ability to still be standing. A pair of red or black boots would be more suitable for this purpose as if using red, a close up shot of the clown's feet could be used to introduce them onscreen for the first time having seen the red balloons and establish a connection between them.
Pairing a creepy clown painted face with a pair of red contact lenses enables us to re-enforce the lack of humanity and innocent within the killer and again, detach them from any possibly empathy or reasoning behind their actions. Also, it suggests the contrast between itself and society's view of what clowns are (humans in comic clothing), establishing that this evil is not related.
For a source of inspiration, I have chosen to look at Narration in films, to see if they are effective, and what type of information is included within the narration. I have chosen to look into narration, as it is not used in this type of genre, so I want to see if we could change the stereotypical introduction to the film, by having someone narrate what is going on, in which will subvert.
Angels Take Manhattan - Doctor Who.
Reading a letter voice over.
Narration is usually used, when actions can not be used to describe what is going on in the character's head, or it is used when someone has been lost, and have left something, such as a letter for another character, the narrative voice over is then used, as one character reads the letter, ( in this example The Doctor) which has been written by the character who is no longer on screen/involved in the ( in this particular example Amelia Pond). I feel that this narration, is incredibly effective, and is popularly used in many different types of TV dramas and films, to strengthen the sympathetic response from the audience. By using the narration in this scene, it provokes more empathy with the character of The Doctor, as we are experiencing exactly what he is, but through his eyes. I feel that by having Amelia Pond read this letter instead of The Doctor reading it directly to the audience, it makes the narration even more upsetting, completely provoking a sympathetic reaction.
I feel that we could use this in our film opening if we wanted to provoke a sympathetic reaction, which could be part of the back story, in which could be a flashback, as someone finds a letter telling them to get out of the room , as there is a dangerous spirit/ghoul/creature lurking near. This could then be used in our film opening, to create tension and anticipation, all of which is a convention of supernatural horror movies.
Inception Trailer
Sub thought voice over
In this trailer, a voice over/narrative by Leonardo DiCaprio, is used to convey to the audience the subplot and the background of the film, it is condensed in such a way, that it is a small monologue, in which has been dragged out for the audience's response to it. By using a rhetorical question at the start, we are directly brought into the film as a audience, as the trailer has engaged us and asked us the question, not the other characters within the film. In this trailer, the voice over is a dramatic internal monologue, of what the character is thinking not saying, in which shows his ulterior motives to us as the audience, but not to those who are within the film and are characters. This gives us as an audience a insight into the character, and shows us the deeper more complex internal thoughts, which are not portrayed on the outside.
I think that this type of voice over/narrative could be used within our film opening, maybe from the paranomal entities point of view, in which people will not be expecting, or it could be from the view of the vicim, this could be one of the ways in which we could portray background information to the audience, through a internal monologue of one of the protagonists.
I Am Number Four
Getting Across background information.
With having a voice over to explain the back story of the plot, it saves time for the directors and producers to add in other scenes involving a lot of dialogue for the audience to establish exactly what is happening, and what is going on. By using a voice over, and using a various amount of sub scenes, it links together the small scenes with the dialogue, so that we as an audience are filled with knowledge about the movie, before it has even begun. It gives us a small chance to process what has gone on before the plot in the film has started. I think that by using this monologue, is shows us clearly what has gone on, and without it, we would take longer to realise what the film is about, and what the numbers are all about. It also as an audience engages us into the film, as we feel as if we are directly being addressed by the protagonist, showing the importance between connection between the audience members and the characters within the film.
I think that we could implement this into our film opening, and it could work incredibly well, as it could be a story going back in time, from the person in the present time, giving us the background information into a scary story, or a horror story in which has happened years ago. This could work very well with the genre, but the person in which we used for the voice over would have to have a strong dramatic voice to fit the theme.
The tunnel was built in 1902 and is 370 metres long and 15 metres deep meaning that there is plenty of space in order to place multiple security cameras and also a lot of space in which to film in which means that the scene can either progress as the protagonist walks down the tunnel or the paranormal actions could get more intense. Due to it being so enclosed it means that echoes can be created and therefore this adds to the scariness of it because if you where alone then sounds from down at the end of the tunnel can be heard at the other end depending on how load the noise is made to be. I think it would be a good filming location because it is quite enclosed and also there is a lot of space in order to film in and help to the opening progress to the final part. The sounds can be carried and therefore this means that you can create ghostly effects by just using what the tunnel is providing. The presentation of the tunnel also conforms to horror with the green algae growing up the wall (connotes consumption) and the overhead lights that are similar to a warehouse which if flickering could make a really nice strobe like effect. However the only problem with this location is that people may be walking down it and therefore finding the right time when it is quiet would be necessary in order to make sure that none of the shots where ruined and that sound travelled without someone shouting in the background and therefore early in the morning or late at night would be the best time before people start to use the tunnel more frequently. Overall I think it would be an amazing place to shoot but the practicality of it may be a problem.
Payne's Wharf, Deptford
Payne's Wharf is a derelict site where the old industry buildings have been left in order to rot over time in derelict workshops and wharves. The left over arches of one of the workshops looks over onto London's skyline which provides a good back drop for our opening and also establishes where it is being filmed for the viewer. At night also the skyline would be line up and therefore along with out own artificial lighting we would also have background lighting provided by the city which would be interesting to work with in the filming of the scene. It is an open area and therefore this means that we could bring props etc and again like the tunnel we would have a lot of space in order to film in. By it being derelict this means that there would be no body there making it easier to film adn with grass and left over buildings it provides the perfect places in order to hide an antagonist or create jump moments for the audience within the scene. However the only problem that can be seen with this location is how it would link into the story of paranormal as because it is quite an open place it would mean that the protagonist could run away rather than being enclosed. Also there is the problem of why are they there? Overall it is a good location in terms of that it has an amazing backdrop for the opening with the skyline of London and with it being derelict this means that filming could take place at any part of the day deepening on when we wanted to film. However it may not be very practical for the plot line of our opening and therefore that is the only downfall in it.
The Schools Studio
The schools basement/studio is the third option we have towards a place in order to film to scene. The positives about using the basement is that it is accessible to us very easily compared to the two other locations with lights, props, stairs and good places for CCTV already available as well which makes it easy to set up and film in because it has a sort of horror effect due to the white washed walls and the various different doors around the room. The lights are photography lights and could be used in order to create strobe lighting effect within the room and the corners of the room could be used for the CCTV cameras to sit and film. By having the cupboards in the centre of the room creating a neat divide this means that something could be happening on one side whilst the protagonist is on the other therefore giving the viewer more information before something happens to the protagonist (setting the scene). However one of the main problems is the accessibility to it in the half term when we need to start filming the scenes as the school will be closed and therefore we wouldn't be able to use it, also another problem is the amount of space we will have to work and the risk that with CCTV that other people could be caught in the shot due to the limited space we would have. Overall it is a practical place in order to film and has a very good horror effect for the type of horror we are going to film (Supernatural) but due to it being the school our filming time would be limited and possibly rushed.
Within possession scenes, often the characters' appearances are altered to represent the evil within them. (This could easily be achieved using colour contact lenses, a small amount of prosthetic make-up and other costume techniques to make them appear less human. This technique would allow our audience to differentiate between the character when themselves and when taken over by the evil within.)
During possession scenes, characters are often thrown about and in various films, levitate above ground during exorcisms. (This technique increases character's inhumanity and creates fear, acting as an unnatural evil that cannot be control using human methods. However, it would be difficult to achieve with little experience and money so therefore could end up looking cheaply made and not achieve the intended effect. Also, a very skilled actor is required to demonstrate the change in character which could be difficult to find.)
Change of voice is also often used within possession as a technique to represent communication with the devil/demons/spirits inside the victims. (Dubbing over an actor's voice, if edited precisely and effectively can easily act as a method to increase fear within our scene. We could use a deeper, more sinister voice to represent the evil speaking also to highlight the contrast between the victim and it's possessor as not to lose empathy for the character themself.)
Advantages and Disadvantages of involving possession in our opening scene:
(Disadvantage) Without highly skilled actors and a well-written script, these scenes can appear very unrealistic which is not what we intend. We want to include supernatural elements with a realistic setting to increase the tension and exorcisms require a high knowledge of religious scripture and ritual elements that could be difficult to immitate effectively.
(Advantage) Within paranormal, this technique would allow us not to create a physical form for our evil and for it to remain as an invisible fear, only visible through a victim's body therefore possibly more scary than using an actor/animation to represent the demonic powers.
Within our film opening we wanted to explore the possibility of making our own diegetic sounds which we could use, so that we could evaluate their success. Below i have included some simple sounds in which are featured in many horror movies, and will be evaluating their success in a film opening.
Creaking Door - Man Made
As I had no creaking doors in my house, this sound was made via my dad, in which sounds completely unlike a creaking door, but i wanted to assess the use of man made sound effects. This could be used, but it would have to be used quietly, and would not fit in completely with the theme of supernatural at all. I think that although this sound has not worked and was completely unsuccessful it has been a learning curve, and i know not to use sound effects made by myself or any other members, as it does not completely fit in with the genre, and sounds completely amateur.
Creaking Door - Door Sound effect
Within my house this is the only door that would create the correct creaking sound of which i was looking for. I really like this creaking sound, as it is one that you expect something to happen at the end of, and also you expect to jump. I think that it has been incredibly successful and could be used many times, as it fits in entirely with the genre and the themes in which we want to include within the film opening. I think that this sound is quite easy to recreate, with doors of which have the same effect, and it could also be edited to be amplified for a more fuller and scarier effect. I think that this sound effect could be used in our film opening, as it is slow, and creates a dramatic pause, in which we expect something to jump out or happen, of which is exactly what we want for our film opening scene.
Floor board Creaking.
This floor creaking was partially successful, but due to it not being loud enough, and the camera picking up background noises, it was not shown to be as loud in the video. This would also be the problem with the sound when recording this for our final film opening, as the sound would be very quiet, we would have to edit the volume and maximise it, to enable the right effect to be created within the film opening. I think that overall this was successful, but due to the noise showing up faint on the camera, it was partially successful, but would not be used again.
Door Slamming.
This was the most successful out of all of my sound effects created myself, as I feel it gave the correct effect which could be used within a horror movie, i think the sound creates a eerie and jumpy effect, in which our genre directly relates to. I think that the sound is just right, as it is loud, but not too loud, and can be used a sound off camera, in which can be as successful as seeing a door slam, and also fits in very well with the supernatural elements such as spirits and possession, in which we can have a door shut off screen, in which can be easily recreated, with this sound effect.
All in all i think that the sound effects that i have created are successful in conveying what they were supposed to, but i feel that some of them came out less effective than what i intended them too. Which is why i think that the noises that we should make within the clip should be digitally enhanced to make them fit in with the genre and themes in which we are sticking too.
Coulrophobia is a very common fear and many film makers play on this film to make the film more scary. I think that using a clown would be very effective because it is a very different idea that moves away from the typical 'man in a mask' situation. Generally the makeup could be quite easy to re-create because it would just be face paint that would be previously practised. One example of a clown used in a horror film is this scene from Zombieland
The clown in this scene is quite scary and I think that this is due to the makeup.
Starting with the hair; the clown's hair is green and this shows corruption. It is easy to see how this clown is corrupted, but by making the hair green it shows how the corruption is in the head.
The way that the stars on the clown's overalls clash with the spots on his, rather large, bow tie show that how much is wrong with this clown. It draws our attention to many different things at once and we do not know what to concentrate on.
Adding to this, the stripes on the braces add another dimension to this shot which makes it seem as is something is seriously wrong.
Focusing on the bow tie, the way that it is wonky also adds to the idea that we are being told that something is off about this clown. That there is something more than just the obvious.
The makeup on this clown is quite basic. There is just a base coat of white all over the face, some dark shadowing around the eyes and then some triangles on the cheek.
I think that this would be a good shot to use as a base makeup idea because it is very simple, yet the clown is still incredibly scary and it has the same effect.
Also, I think that, sometimes, simple is better as it would make it easier for us to recreate the look ourselves.
The next clip that I found was from the film 'It'. I chose this clip because I think that the way the clown is presented is done amazingly well. The clown does not have any particularly scary makeup and is not wearing anything that a normal clown wouldn't. I think that this is what makes it much scarier - that it could be any clown.
I really like this shot because I think that it is really effective. Although the clown is quite small in this shot, it still manages to stand out from the background.
The hand gestures that the clown is doing in this shot make him seem much more intimidating because it looks like he is inviting us in to try and fight.
The way that this character has been given balloons adds, for me, to the scariness of this clown because it makes it much more relatable. We all see people standing selling balloons and clowns are known to shape balloons at the circus. This immediately makes the relationship between us and the clown much more personal.
This shot of the clown is particularly good because it is, quite simply, terrifying.
The close up of the face means that we can see every little detail, even the shape of his teeth.
I think that the two scary things about this clown are the teeth ad the eyes. The teeth are pointy and look quite sharp. This would inflict fear because it makes us wonder if he uses his teeth to kill.
With the eyes of this clown, we can see that they are slightly red - connoting danger. The red also makes the clown seem more of the fantasy type because red eyes are not something that we see on a daily basis.
After looking at these two clips, I thought that it would be a good idea to find some videos on how to do the clown makeup so that we could get some inspiration from them.
The first video that I found was the one above.
I chose this because the makeup is different and looks quite realistic.
Good things about this video;
It uses makeup that we would all have or could get hold of easily
Looks professional
Fairly easy to do with practise
It's very scary when finished
Different kind of clown - not the usual that we would see
This could be done on either a boy or a girl and still look good
Good things about this video;
Incredibly scary makeup
Could be done with things that are easy to get hold of
Professional looking
Although the makeup here looks amazing, I think that it would be quite difficult to do compared to the previous one.
Dubbing an actor's voice with an alternative, often used for characters during possession and usually with a more sinister tone to increase fear.
(This could be beneficial for us to use if we chose possession as a focus to easily create a differentiation between the two speakers inside the body and also to allow the evil itself to address the characters without any confusion of who is speaking. This also acts as a device to increase fear as the voices chosen are usually deep and unsettling, highly in contrast to the previous.)
Often within horror, the evil is able to communicate with the victims through an item or a location and their voice is heard as whispering.
(A whispering voice can connote sinister intentions and by using many different whispering voices at once and overlapping them, it can isolate the victim from everyone else around. This technique can also effectively be used to signify no hope of escaping as once the evil gets to your mind, it can consume you. In terms of production of our own opening scene, this technique would be easily to duplicate as it could be added in as diegetic sound during the editing stage of production.)
Transmitted communications causing speech to cut out and be received in chunks often used to signify severe danger from the other end.
(This technique when used with a long cut out of silence causes the audience to be on-edge anticipating what will happen next, focusing entirely on sound. This would be useful for us as it would allow us to increase the audience's involvement within the scene and acts as a reminder that they are only communicating through technology and now, they cannot be helped.)
If we chose to include an accident involving glass (or it could be adapted to a knife wound and other cuts), a similar effect to the one shown above in Suspiria can easily be achieved through the use of theatrical wax and make-up. Although we have little skill in costume make-up and a low budget, a smaller scale version of the above wound could easily and effectively be made. Also, we can use similar techniques to create burns and other bloody gashes on the body if we chose to include a gory death or chose zombies as our evil. Burns and glass cuts could be very effective if we decide to chose a home location and involve a fire or the victim falling through glass/out of a building. We can use this and cut to a shot of the victim after a fall to avoid having to find an effective actor to participate in a drawn-out death scene and to increase the pace of the scene, increasing fear.
As we are planning to possibly include a flashback within our opening scene, we could possibly show our victim after their attack with them having survived. By using make-up to create the appearance of scars healing over time, we could allow the audience to more easily establish a connection between the victim in the future. It is, again, easily achievable with little experience and can be produced effectively with pharmacy-bought products.
If we include a possesion/zombie/supernatural being within our plot, or even just to represent death, coloured contacts would allow us to easily alter a character's personality. If we want to take away a character's innocent/want the audience to feel no empathy for them, changing the eyes is an effective technique due to being the core feature of the face that conveys emotion. Changing the natural colour of someone's eyes to a demonic small pupil with an unnatural colour like in The Exorcist can allow the character to be consumed by evil and to break any bonds the viewer may have formed with them (it also helps when used for possessio to show the audience when the evil is present if it is not entirely clear within the plot).
