Opening scene inspiration

This is a good example of an effective horror movie opening:







The main inspiration from this clip is the use of low key lighting and minimal yet disturbing imagery. Also, the way the titles appear on the black half of the screen while the action occurs on the left.
The sound at first used is very natural All that can be seen are titles this makes the viewer feel unsettled which results in them wanting to know more. The music then gradually fades in but the natural sounds of birds are still heard, the audience then hear a woman softly weeping this immediatly creates supsense.
A pair of hand appear in the shot, and we can see that they are in the prayer position this leaves a question - why is she praying? supsense carries on building.
The music carries on and gradually begins to build to a climax.

This title sequence is very simple but very effective it draws the audience in and makes them feel unsure.


Note: We are only examining the title sequence of this film.

The Main Task

Main task:

The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

The group has now decided on producing a horror film opening sequence for our main project.

Our inital idea was absed around a stalker-horror in which a man is stalking a woman around a bush.

We changed our idea due to lack of originality, and have decided to produce a retrospective stylistic film in which a demon posses a specific chil'd carer so they commit suicide.

Our idea for the main task is: A woman is looking in the mirror and putting on make up. She is in half light so only half of her face is visible. She will be framed to the left so the credits can be shown on the right side of the screen in the dark area.
During this sequence graphic and disturbing images like dead flowers and creepy dark places will flash up subliminally which should create an uncomfortable feeling in the viewer. When all the credits have been shown the camera will move to the right side of the mirror, which was previously in darkness, to show a noose hanging from the ceiling. The camera will linger here for a few seconds before a quick cut to a chair falling over. Thrn there will be a sound of a baby crying.
Throughout the clip there will be incessant menacing tones which will rise and fall in volume, which should create a feeling of suspense in the viewer. When the camera lingers on the noose the volume should fade to silence. This will be followed by the loud bang of the chair falling over which should shock the viewer and make them jump.

Filming and Editing

Here is a link to our preliminary task storyboards:


http://johnvallis.blogspot.com/2009/12/storyboard-last-shot.html
http://johnvallis.blogspot.com/2009/12/storyboard-pt-4.html#comments
http://johnvallis.blogspot.com/2009/12/storyboard-pt-3.html#comments
http://johnvallis.blogspot.com/2009/12/storyboard-pt-2.html#comments
http://johnvallis.blogspot.com/2009/12/storyboard-pt-1.html#comments

Our Ideas

After Researching we know started to pitch our own ideas to eachother, here are each of my groups ideas.


John- A man is sat at a table in a seedy pub, low key lighting, chiascuro, smokefrom cigarettes.The door opens and another beardy man enters and sits opposite the first man.He hands him a package.The first asks : 'Is this the stuff'?'The second says : 'Yeah, handsome'The first says: 'I'll take your package anyday!'

Match on action-Passing the drugs package

Stacy- Romantic restaurant, A man proposes but the woman declines because she was on her way to tell him she is marrying his bestfriend instead. The man then drops to the floor suffering a heart attack.

Johnny- A man is sat in a bar struggling to open a bag of crisps.A woman walks in and sits opposite him. She says "would you like a hand with that".He replies "No im ok" at which the point woman snatches the crisps from him and opens them with ease. Handing them back he looks deep into her eyes and says "I think I love you".

Sophie (Me)- A woman is sat on a table by herself; waiting for someone she seems agitated and nervous. A man enters sits infront of her, he never looks directly at her. She says; " I want it done.... as soon as possible" he replies " No more time will be wasted... the deed will be done." The woman is organising for her Husband's lover to be killed.

Match on Action- The woman places a wad of money on the table and quickly leaves.

180 Degree Rule

Once researching in our group we found this very useful video showing the explicit use and breakdown of the 180 degree rule:

Researching In Our Groups

Today we decided on our groups in which we will carry out the preliminary and main task. My group is:

Sophie Thomas (Me)- I am a confident worker, always striving to do my best in a positive manner. But sometimes

John Vallis- He is a very able bodied individual who always share ideas and feelings with the group, he previously studied Media Studies at GCSE so has a brief knowlege of the subject which will be vital when we go into filming. But he is easily angered by technology, and sometimes loses his temper.

Johnny Prince - He is a very hard working member of the group, he is good at organising people and his knowlege of music will help us when deciding the soundtrack to our preliminary and main task. But Johnny limits skills with filming equipment and software.

Stacy Williams- Is a very outspoken person and is happy to asist anyone, she also has a good knowlege of the film industry as she is currently studying A2 Film Studies. But Stacy can sometimes be easily distracted and can lack motivation.

We will now work together to research,plan and create a final media project.

Introduction to Preliminary Task

Today we started the Coursework. We found out about the preliminary task which is as follows:

Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

Here is a good example of a shot reverse shot:

This is a good example of shot reverse shot because the performance from both Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster are very strong. Dr Lecter’s (Hopkins) frame has much less space than Clarice’s frame to emphasise his character’s imprisonment. The use of close ups in the scene especially on Dr Lecter this makes the viewer feel very uneasy and creates tension in the scene, keeping the audience watching. This also helps with the verisimilitude of the scene as it makes the audience feel involved in the events which are unfolding.

Another key feature of the scene shown, is the use of continuity editing. For example, the extract stays within the confines of the 180 degree rule. This means the camera never crosses an imaginary line (axis of action) between the two characters meaning that the characters always appear on the same side of the screen. For example, in this clip the camera is always over Lecters right shoulder, and Starlings left. This makes sure that audience know that the 2 are talking to eachother without them both being in the same shot.

The clip also uses a POV and tracking shot when Clarice is walking towards Lecter’s Cell this really involves the audience and helps establish the setting of the scene creating an eerie atmosphere. Reaction shots are also used to show the reactions of the prisoners as Foster’s character walks past this creates a tense, unknowing atmosphere, All these shots used help enhance the tone of the scene even before the dialogue has started.