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).
The cameras framing is extremely tight as though to imply that whatever touched his hand is trapped within the small compartments behind the wall. Also he is in a tight framing and therefore this restricts his view in order to see what is touching him.
The bottom screen shot is a high angle shot looking down on the book however this angle is subverted as although it is supposed to connote vulnerability it may not be connoting it for the book but perhaps the man who is picking it up.
The other two shots are on the same level as the actions which are going on.
They are close up shots on the mans face adn the hands in order to show the actions which are going on.
Sound
The sound when the hands touch the fathers is non diegetic and it is quite sudden in order to show that something happened and also to build tension within the scene.
There is also the diegetic sound of the man talking to his daughter and the reaction he has when the boy touches his hand.
There is the non diegetic sound of the score playing over the top of the scene.
Editing
There is the eye line match from where the man looks over at the book to the next shot which shows the book and him picking it.
There is the continuity editing of the time moving forward from when the boy touches him to the book being present.
There is a jump cut from the mans face to the boy touching him back to his face which distorts the viewer as they may not have been sure of what happened as it happened so quickly.
Mise En Scene
This is low key lighting as apart from the torch the man is holding there is nothing else lighting the area which he is in.
The dominant colour in this scene is black as again apart from the light illuminating his face the rest of the scene around him is darkness and therefore that makes it the dominant colour. Therefore this connotes the idea that there is a threat behind the wall however this is subverted when the spirit actually leads the father to the book full of punishments.
It is an extremely stark image as apart from the father nothing else is really around him and this has been done in order to not take away any attention from what is going on, as if it was a light and dense scene the hands touching him wouldn't be as effective or prominent.
The dominant switches throughout the scene as there are 3 separate shots; its starts with the father, then the set of hands and then the book. However it is clearly the father as he is present in all of them (signified by hands)
It has a short depth of field which further traps the character within the scene as not only is it a tight frame but also by blurring out the background it connotes the idea of enclosure and capture within the wall. Not of the father but more the spirit.
The main composition is vertical which is shown by the vertical lines created by the other wooden planks either side of the father. This connotes the idea of strength that the father can help by what has been given to him.
The father, hands and the book are all placed in the centre of the screen signifying their importance to the continuation of the story.
We are at a personal distance with the father and therefore are made to have a closer connection with the audience however we are not meant to act as though we can relate to him by him never looking in the camera.
It is full front staging as he is completely turned towards the camera facing the audience creating that slight connection even more.
The father is wearing BROWN and this connotes the idea of safety and that he will protect his daughter from whatever there is. Shown through him looking inside the wall.
The Nightmare
Camera Angles
In the top and bottom screen shots there is the camera angle of a wide shot in order to show the bed and a majority of the room in order to establish this as a bedroom and that someone is sleeping. This lets the audience know that this is a nightmare/dream not a flashback.
The two middle shots are close ups on the door and the child. The camera is placed at a high angle with the child and this connotes that whoever is standing in front of her is of higher authority and by her crying this shows that she is in pain.
The second screen shot is on the door and as it pans closer it becomes a tighter frame and this gives across the idea that it is trapping the person inside the door so that they cannot escape. The girl is also in an extremely tight frame connoting that she cannot escape. She is trapped/enclosed.
Sound
The sound with the cupboard is diegetic sound of someone banging on the door as if to get out.
There is further diegetic sound when the girl is screaming and this could connote either pain or that she is afraid of whoever is higher than her.
The last piece of diegetic sound is when the woman wakes up.
There is again the non diegetic sound of the score playing over the top.
Editing
There is continuity editing of the dream cutting faster and faster in order to create tension before she wakes up.
Jump cuts in order to fit in many different areas of the nightmare and therefore shows that again the tension is building and brings in other characters that have been present before in the TV show and links them together.
Cross cutting between the woman lying in her bed asleep and the dream that is taking place giving the viewer an insight into her mind.
Mise En Scene
The woman is the main dominant character as she is the one who is creating the dream and therefore without her in the scene it wouldn't be taking place.
The dream shots are in very short depths of field showing that the characters in those scenes are trapped by something and that they maybe need releasing, considering that the door scene is first and doors conceal things/trap. However in contrast to this short depth of field there is the deep depth of field shown with the woman in her bed as she has a choice in order to wake up or stay asleep; she can escape from this nightmare whereas the people in it are trapped in her head.
The woman is dressed in white and therefore this connotes the idea that she is quite innocent and pure but by having her sleeping on her own she is also lonely.
The dream scenes have a blue tint to them giving them a dream like effect. However the connotations of blue are subverted as what is happening within the scene is not calm however there is the strong sense of looming/overpowering masculinity.
Low key lighting for the entire scene in order to show that it is night time in the sleeping scenes and in the dream scenes to show threats and make it more sinister for the public.
By having a girl screaming it makes the scream much more piercing and scary because it shows distress and also that someone is in great pain. A girls scream would probably be more effective as well.
The woman dreaming is at a personal distance from us and this therefore shows that we shouldn't have as close of a connection that what we had with the father in the first screenshots.
The girl in the third screen shot is at a intimate distance with us and also looking into the camera and therefore we are supposed to have a connection with her and also feel her pain. It makes the audience feel helpless as there is this girl who is clearly in distress and asking for help through her eyes however we cannot help her. Makes the audience feel helpless and perhaps guilty.
Quite a dense scene as there is a lot going on in it in order to take in and therefore it does provide a lot of information for the viewer.
The blue on the sleeping womans walls could connote the idea that a man lived there previously but something tore them apart.
Talking to Spirits
Camera Angle
All three shots are tight angles and therefore this shows that once she has contacted the spirit there was no way she would have been able to escape until she was released from whatever was holding her.
In the first two screen shots the camera is on eye level with Eve showing us what she can see happening. The therefore makes us connect and even understand more of what is going on.
However in the last show there is again the high angle near enough the same as the one of the girl in the dream (screen shots before) and therefore backs up the idea that this angle connotes pain, authority and makes the characters afraid.
Sound
There is the diegetic sound of the two women talking to each other though Stephens spirit.
There is the diegetic sound of the footsteps coming into the room signifying that someone else was present which is followed by the woman screaming.
Also non diegetic sound of a score and also the sound of the cane being whipped through the air making a swooshing sound identifying the weapon and that whoever it was, was hitting the woman with it.
Editing
Eye line match from Eves eyes to the woman in front of her in order to show a connection between them.
Jump cuts between the woman and Eve when she is being hit in order to show Eves reaction towards what is going on.
Continuity Editing is also present within the scene.
Mise En Scene
In the top two screenshots the light changes from High Key lighting to low Key lighting in order to reflect the mood of the spirit and how it changes from being happy to sad and starts crying. The lighting reflects the mood.
Also the facial expressions back up the idea that the mood has changed as in the top on she seems calm and content and in the second you can see that the emotion is falling apart.
The lady talking to Stephen is the dominant in the scene as she is the main focus not only for the viewer but also for Eve.
In the bottom screen shot the edges of the scene are blurred which traps the woman within the scene and that she will only be released once whatever it is, is finished. She is trapped.
The bottom screenshot also has the same blue tint to it as if to indicate that this is a spirit which is hurting her and not a person otherwise the vision would be clear and the room wouldn't be as dark as it is.
The woman is wearing a mixture of colours and this could indicate that she doesn't have a set identity and this is shown through her changing from herself into the little boy Stephen. There are pinks, green, blues etc and it shows that she is not organised or completely ok with her self. She is a mixture of everything.
In the bottom screen shot she is holding her head indicating that it is affecting her mind and that she is perhaps trying to escape from whatever is in there. She is literally holding her mind together in order to fight it off.
Miss Lovett
Camera Angles
In the top screen shot it is a wide angled establishing shot which shows the door in the corner of the room as it is opening. It is very slight and is on the eye level of the man who is looking at it which makes the audience him.
The second screen shot is a perspective shot which is at a low angle looking up the well as the throw the body over the side. This creates the perspective as it makes the well look much larger and the hole smaller as Nancy doesn't have a choice in whether or not she is put down there and also that she has no escape as the hole in smaller than the well as though she cannot get out or escape if she survives.
The third screen shot is a high angle into the puddle on the floor reflecting the old man who is looking into it which is carefully done in order to make sure that the camera does not reflect into it.
Sound
The sound in the second screenshot is diegetic of them picking her up and throwing her into the well. The sound of her hitting the water makes the sort of sound as though something shattering and signally her life falling apart.
The rest is silent apart from the non diegetic sound of the score playing in the background which is similar to all the other scenes.
Editing
There is the eye line match of the man looking over at the door and then the shot going across to the door so the viewer could see what he was seeing.
There is also a graphic match which is shown when there is a short of Maurice crying and then the scene changes to the puddle which the man is looking in showing that the two scenes have a strong connection.
Continuity Editing
Flashbacks from the mans past in order to fill in parts of the story which the audience had not seen yet and therefore provides answers to the question people may have had.
Mise En Scene
The well and the puddle have an immediate connection and also with the door opening showing that this man has a connection with what is happening as although it had happened before it seemed to be immediately triggered by his presence.
By having the top of the well smaller it also limits the amount of light and therefore indicates that Nancy's light is going out and that she is plunging into darkness leaving the light behind.
Apart from the middle screen shot it is High Contrasting lighting which is normal within the house and creates shadows in order to conceal and highlight the mystery within. In the middle screenshot there is very low key lighting which makes the darkness the dominant colour and that there is a threat present.
The old man in wearing red and this connotes danger within the house and that perhaps he shouldn't be there and that the family have been put into danger by letting him in.
The door is lighter than the rest of the wood around it making it stand out more from the darker surroundings and therefore draws the eye towards it.
In the middle screen shot there is a circular composition and this connotes enclosure as Nancy is being enclosed within the well and she is not expected to ever get out as though it is her prison.
This is an a-level coursework trailer. I chose this trailer because I thought that the sound was really good and that the typography was interesting. Sound
The trailer starts with a narrative. It is a boy's voice over the top of what we are seeing. I think that this is effective because it is something different that we do not see very often. Also, I think it helps to give a mystery factor as we wonder who is talking.
As this voice is over the video footage, we can not hear much diegetic sound.
Behind the voice over is a quiet, non-diegetic tune. It consists of single notes, all of which are quite high. The fact that it is quite quiet and hidden behind the voice is a good effect as it adds to the mystery factor.
The tune changes when the voice finishes speaking. The tune changes completely to a stringed instrument that begins slow. It then continues into an electric guitar that plays chords together, making a fast-paced tune that we would expect to hear in an action movie.
This tune definitely has a good effect as it shows that the story-line of this film will be faced paced and action packed.
Mise en scene
The blinds over the window in this shot are slightly diagonal, showing anxiety and that something is wrong.
The blinds also help to make a barrier between us and the character we can see. This helps to show that the character is trapped.
There are also two or three strings hanging behind the blinds, these help to show some tension because they contrast with the horizontal lines made by the blinds.
Clearly, the dominant in this shot is the computer, the person that we can see is hardly visible. I think that this helps to show how unimportant the character in the shot may be because, if we cannot see them straight away and have to look, it shows that there are other things in this shot that are a lot more important.
We can see that the person sitting on the computer is typing, but we cannot see exactly what they are typing. This helps to add a lot of mystery to the shot as we begin to question why we are not seeing what is written on the screen.
Lighting
The lighting in this shot is very basic. It is mainly coming from artificial lights inside the room.
However, the computer is also creating some light.
Though neither of these light sources highlight the character we can see and I think that this is quite interesting because it, again, degrades the person's importance.
Editing
From this shot to the next, there is a jump cut. Just the same as from the previous shot to this shot.
I think that this, though simple, works here because it helps to show that many different people are about to be affected by what's going to happen.
It also helps to link the characters in one way or another, showing that even if they do not know each other now, the will do soon.
Mise en scene
This is a really good shot because, although the boy on the right hand side of the screen is very close to the camera, he is not the dominant. The dominant is clearly the person in the mask behind him.
I think that this makes the shot more interesting because it scares us a little, makes us jump. It is unexpected and random.
The boy's t-shirt is stripy, but the stripes are crumpled slightly. This shows that the peacefulness (created by the horizontal lines) is being disrupted, or will be soon.
The white mask that we can see shows that someone is, clearly, trying to protect their identity. But it could also stand for the fact that someone is hiding what they really feel. A if they cannot show it on the outside as it may be wrong.
Lighting
I really like the lighting in this shot, I think that it is really effective and well thought out.
The lighting is mainly coming from the left hand side of the camera. This helps to create a shadow on the right side of the boy's face. The shadows also cover his eyes, cutting off any emotional connection between us and the character.
Apart from the mask, the rest of the shot is incredibly dark. This helps to illuminate the mask, bringing it even more into our focus.
The mask is very bright. This is achieved by contrasting the colour with the pitch black background of the shot. By doing this, it is easy to see that the mask is supposed to be the dominant.
Editing
It looks like the part where the mask pops up has been made to play much faster than it originally should. This helps to add to the surprise element and makes us jump as it is not gradual.
This helps to make the scene a lot more fast-paced too. It puts us on the edge of our seat.
Typography
I really like the typography at the end of this trailer because I think that it matches really well to the whole idea of the film. The first shot, shows that the typography was uneven and odd. This adds an anxious element because the way the letters move makes us uneasy as our eyes are moving all over the place. This is a really good editing effect. The angled letters are repeated in the second shot, again just carrying on with the uneasy feel of the whole trailer. Also, this one helps us to understand the name of the trailer. By simply using '5' instead of 'five', we are immediately shown that there will be no personal connection between the audience and the characters. Finally, I really like the use of the character pictures under the names because it helps to clarify things. However, I think that this is an area to be cautioned because it can be quite difficult to make it look good.
Gore is used in many different horror films and many different sub-genres in horror too. However, gore can be very hard to perfect but incredibly effective Pros
Can be very effective if done right
Surprise element is better with gore
Gore can be created with low budget items - for example; jam and water, wax etc
If done correctly, it can make the film opening look much more professional
Could make the film look as if it had a much higher production value
Cons
Gore can be very hard to perfect and, if done badly, can look terrible
Can take up a lot of effort and time, of which we may not necessarily have
As my source of inspiration I have chosen to look at Typography within the credits of the opening scene, as I would like to see what we would be able to achieve within our own credits, and also the type of text that works with the genre that the movie is.
Panic Room (2002)
This is the opening scene of Panic Room, and I really like the typography. It establishes the scene, but also simply blends in with the background, and does not draw a lot of attention to it as it is within the same colour scheme as the surroundings. I think that this could be quite simple to implement into our own credits and I think that it could look professional. I like the way that the text is shown to stay in the same position and the camera pans across the text. I think that this could be simply executed into our credits, and it could look exactly how we want it to. We could use the text like this to establish the scenes and create emphasis on the type of genre. The text is all the same font, which makes it consistent, and I think this should be used within our opening scene. I also really like the font, as it stands out to the audience even though it blends in with the background.
James Bond - Quantum Of Solace (2008)
The credits are at the end of this opening scene and I think that it fits in at exactly the right place, which we could use in our film opening, to emphasise the end of our film clip, but to also shock the audience as they will not be expecting this. I am seeing a pattern of bold capital letters being used within the credits, so we could either stick to this, or subvert this, which could be a good idea, and have the whole text in lowercase letters to make it look less in your face and less important. The text colour here really stands out to the audience, as it is a contrast to the dark colours that are shown, which could be a good idea for our own opening sequence. The transition that the text takes as it appears is, and changes into shape is a really good technique that I think we could implement into the film opening as it would fit in with the genre of our film as things are changing into things that they shouldn't be able to, alike our supernatural genre.
The Matrix (1999)
The typography of the title in this opening scene fits in with the genre, and also fits in with the theme of the film, which is hacking. The colour fits in with the corruption of the computer, and it also looks like typed text which you would see on a computer, which responds very well to the film. Also the numerous characters and numbers that appear on the screen are all within the same font and size, linking them all. I really like this typography, and i feel that it gives a really alienated feel to the credits and sets the mood for the film very well. I feel that as it is so simple we could be able to use this type of text within our own scene credits successfully and we could make it look as professional as it has been done on here.
The Devils Advocate
This was not featured within the film, as it is the typography of a speech within the film, but I think that it is incredibly effective in getting the speech across. I like the transition in which the text changes around a lot, and i feel that we could use this at the start of our film, to give a intro into the background of the scene, or just as a title at the bottom. I think the font is effective, as it is bold, and some of the charcters are lowercase and some are uppercase showing their importance within the scene. The way in which the text is laid out could not be implemented into our film opening because it would not fit with the genre that we want to create, but i believe that for this speech, it is incredibly successful in it's self.
In this piece of music a child's voice is used in order to evoke fear within the listener as it makes the listener feel very uncomfortable as children are supposed to be seen as innocent whereas this piece of music makes them feel like a threat. The use of making the voice sound like a whisper is also extremely effective and is seen in many horror movies as it sounds like it may be coming from behind you or whispering in your ear. Also playing in the background is the sound of a music box playing which is also linked to children and again another element that is strongly used in order to evoke fear. It is repeated twice as if to imply that there is no escape from it and also gets it stuck in the viewers head and emphasises on the idea of the echo by replaying the entire lyrical part of the song again when the director could've played it once. I feel this is very effective as the lyrics to it are quite simple and although they sound nice by ending on 'and then we all die' it gives it a completely different meaning to what we may have thought was being conveyed.
One Missed Call (Japanese Version)
This is the other version to the one I used before which is much less complex and more straight to the point that it actually sounds like a ring tone for a phone (a cheap one). It again goes on the childlike melody that would play from a music box as it extremely effective by linking it to the idea of being a phones alert tone. Therefore this shows that before making a piece of music there needs to be a link between it and the actions which are going to happen on the screen. This shows that childlike music is really effective and quietly broadly used within the horror genre as the audience find it uncomfortable as it sounds quite haunting and like a charm. It isn't as manufactured as the American version and therefore is more useful as elements can be taken and modelled into something that we could use as a group. This definitely shows that music boxes is a worthwhile idea.
Nightmare on Elmstreet
This song although quite similar to The Ring song plays on a nursery rhyme and makes it something extremely sinister towards the audience, again playing on the idea of children being a threat. By replacing lyrics into something that is supposed to be seen as fun and innocent can be more effective that creating original lyrics. '9 10 NEVER SLEEP AGAIN' is the one I find personally quite effective as it plays on something that everybody needs and therefore again changing something which is supposed to be quite calm and comforting into something that is going to evoke nightmares. Again the song would play on peoples minds and therefore if your heard the nursery rhyme anywhere it may trigger remembering the song from the film; which is quite a clever tactic as that sense of horror will be conveyed whenever the nursery rhyme is played.
Ring around the Rosie
This again like Nightmare on Elmstreet plays with changing the style of a nursery but this time it is made more sinister by the effects which they have used on the voice in order to make it scary. The have slowed down how the words are said and therefore elongates them and makes the song last for longer in order to prolong how long the audience have to listen to it for. Another tactic is that is doesn't sound necessarily like a child's voice as a use of echo and a slight change in pitch make it sound more around teens but this still has a prominent effect of the viewer. By having the slight echo on the voice it makes the notes continue through the viewers head and therefore there is no pause in the music as it is ever echoing also this is an example of a child's voice without the music box playing in the background and it seems to have a quite nice effect as there is nothing else taking away the attention from hearing that voice. Like the Ring it may make you think that there is someone behind you and also that it changes in volume so it gradually gets louder and then quieter therefore distorting the way the viewer hears it.
Pans Labyrinth
The music box in this piece of music is paired with a Xylophone which plays at intervals in the background adding to the childlike effect which the lullaby is trying to convey. The fact that it is called a lullaby subverts the idea that it is supposed to be scary and that lullabies are put across to be comforting when you go to sleep. However with this piece of music I feel that there is still something sinister about it underneath the idea that it is trying to convey sleep. I think that without the Xylophone it would've been more childlike but with adding in that instrument it immediately becomes something so much more than without. A Xylophone is something which mainly children play and therefore there are two elements of childhood within one score and that is what makes it scarier. Also they have the turning sound of the handle which winds up the box which makes a grating sound when generally they are quite quiet. This therefore suggests that something isn't right and also there is the slight sound of a ticking noise as though it is being conveyed that some sort of time is running out.
Pirates of the Caribbean
This is a locket melody when opened and I feel that out of all of the music boxes this is the most comforting however it has a sense of loss and need for connection as it plays repeatedly on the same tune as if to convey the idea that the rest of the melody has either been lost or forgotten. Again there is the childlike element as it is of a more high pitch which compares more with a music box as though something is spinning whilst it is playing. There is the change in pitch as if to imply that there is hope but then the pitch sinks as though it is lost and there is a difficult chance of getting it back. I really like this melody as there is a lot which you can do with it in a sense of adding lyrics or changing the structure in order to make it into something quite scary and sinister when its main use is show a loss of a love. It can repeat over and over and still be as effective as it was before which is extremely positive if you needed it to be used in order to adds emphasis onto a scene or create a build in tension. It is also quite trance like as if to hypnotise somebody.
