Production Schedule: Altered

We decided to add an additional day to the filming of our horror opening as we realised we hadn't allocated enough time to film each shot, and it also got darker quicker than we had anticipated.


14th December 2010- 3.30pm-5pm

Film Name Research and Examples

Most popular horror film titles according to a survey on http://www.imdb.com/chart/horror :

Rank	Rating	Title	Votes
1.	8.7	Psycho (1960)	152,901
2.	8.5	Alien (1979)	191,131
3.	8.5	The Shining (1980)	189,905
4.	8.3	Les Diaboliques (1955)	15,747
5.	8.1	The Thing (1982)	84,344
6.	8.1	Nosferatu (1922)	30,272
7.	8.1	The Exorcist (1973)	111,247
8.	8.0	Rosemary's Baby (1968)	54,640
9.	8.0	Tucker & Dale vs Evil (2010)	1,338
10.	8.0	King Kong (1933)	41,320

 

The most popular horror titles seem to be memorable names or names that are quite simple. The only downside of using a simple name is that they are quite predicatble and are most likely to have been used before.

My favourite horror film title is 'Nightmare on Elm Street'

As my horror film opening consists of flashbacks/flashforwards maybe relating to a nightmare i decided i wanted to use the word 'nightmare' in my film title.

I thought that as my setting is going to be in the woods then maybe i could use 'Nightmare in the Woods'

But i then decided that the word 'woods' is too common, i then searched for alternatives.

·         Woodland?

·         Backwoods?

·         Woodland?

·         Brush?

·         Wild?

·         Wilderness?

I chose 'Nightmare in the Wilderness' as it was less common, i also thought it had a slightly horror feel to it and i can't wait to put it in my title sequence.

My Horror Film Characters

These were the two characters which are in my horror film. We chose to do two female victims as they can be represented as more vulnerable and 'prey' like. We smeared the two in ketchup and BBQ sauce to create the blood/dried blood look. We also made their clothes look messy by putting mud all over them and tangling them up as if they have been running through bushes or woods. We also backcombed their hair adding in broken twigs and leaves as well as smudging their mascara to make it look as though they had been crying. This creates a very authentic victim look as they appear to have been through an ordeal and have been terrorised. They follow the traditional victim appearance as they are covered in blood and a muddy.

Production Schedule

Where are you filming?
In the woods at pocket park, where we have access to water, bridges as well as trees.

What days/dates/times?
9th December 2010 (3.30pm-5pm) -Film the forest scene.
15th December 2010 (3.30pm-5pm) -Film the party scene.

What props will you need?
-Party props
-Tomato ketchup
-Simple clothes

What equipment do you need?
-Camera
-Video Camera
-Tripod
-Boom Mic.

Lighting Research Continued: Filters

For creating our horror film i thought that we could use filters over the video camera as it would create a stronger sense of atmosphere and mood. I experimented with a red filter and found that it drastically changed the tone of the shot.

The lighting can completely change the composition of a scene as it makes it appear more dangerous. The red of the shot connotes danger or blood and automatically is connected to the horror genre.

I also thought that maybe we could use a red spotlight. This would enable the view to see that a specific part pf the shot/film is a representation of danger. I could also make a person seem vulnerable especially if it was to be a high angle shot. However, I realise that filming outside with a spotlight would be unrealistic as the audience would be able to tell that the light is artificial and it would detract from the mood of the horror genre.

Lighting Research

"Lighting is one of the most important aspects of motion pictures. It sets the tone of a film while giving two dimensional images the feeling of three dimensional life."

We decided that we needed to research lighting for our horror film as we felt that it was a very important aspect in terms of a visual portrayal to the audience. Certain types of lighting can set the tone for a film and create a mood or specific atmosphere. As we are creating a horror film we needed to create shadows and dark patches of light, even darkness would be an acceptable lighting for our genre of film. However, we have to be careful that it's not so dark that the audience can see what's going on or grasp the concept of our film.

Still from 'Friday the 13th'

Normally horror films don't tend to use artificial lighting in their filming. The only light within these types of films are often natural such as the moonlight. This creates a spooky and eerie atmosphere. Darkness is such an iconic element of the horror genre as a lot of people are scared of the dark, not necessarily of darkness itself but whatever may be lurking in its shadows.

Mood Board for the Opening of my Horror Film

This is a mood board for the opening of my horror film. I put all my initial ideas together to create this montage of pictures, writing and materials:

On my mood board i included location images for where i wanted my horror film to be set. After doing research i like the idea of a forest or similar surroundings as this creates a sense of isolation and would build up tension and fear alot quicker in the audience. I then collected some images of forests in different effects such as black and white, and a red filter. I really liked the idea of a red filter as this would make some of the footage or shots completely red creating an almost bloodlust, as if the audience are watching through the eyes of the 'predator'. I collected some red plastic that could be used as the filter. I added a list of shots that i had jotted down earlier which i wanted in my opening. I then added examples of victims from horror films that could help me create my own characters, typically the victims are women as it adds to the helplessness of the character in distress. There is also a sachet of ketchup on my mood board as i thought this could be used to create blood. Also on my mood board is some examples of horror film covers, i added these to help me chose a font style for my opening credits as well as give me ideas for my horror film name.