Horror Clichés

Clichés are in most films no matter how unique they are. Props and gender stereotypes involve the most clichés especially  in a horror genre:

 

An opening sequence that I think shows these clichés in an effective way rather than making them predictable and boring is Saw:

  

 

This opening sequence introduces the horror genre through many clichés such as: darkness, chains, blood, dirt and a dead body. It perfectly lets the audience know what to expect throughout the film by presenting these commonly used themes in a new and refreshing way.

Who Would Distribute Our Film?

Distribution is the main part of a film and every film needs one if they are going to make their film available to the public. The larger and more well-known distribution company that I think should distribute our film is the company Paramount Pictures or Lionsgate. Paramount Pictures distributed Paranormal Activity which was a hugely successful indie horror film. Paranormal Activity was on a small budget and I think that our film would also be a low-budget indie horror film. As Paramount Pictures managed to make a film that not many people had faith in a huge hit which went on to have several sequels I think that it can do the same for our film as it has a lot in common with Paranormal Activity.

Lionsgate has distributed many famous films such as the Hunger Games series but also produced the horror film Saw. Although Saw is a more brutal than our film I still think it resembles some similarities and, like Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate managed to make Saw a success with several sequel being made after. They distributed the film to be a success and that is what I would want for our film.

Although these companies are large and would probably be hard to get to distribute the film but I think that if they decided to do it they could make our film have a fan base like they did with their own horror films.

An indie distribution company that I think would suit our film is Artisan Entertainment. They distributed 'The Blair Witch Project' and is a lesser-known company compared to Paramount and Lionsgate. The Blair Witch Project was a popular indie film that managed to create a buzz before it had even been distributed. Artisan Entertainment distributed the film after the film had been marketed in such a successful way that the audience thought the film was a true story, Artisan Entertainment could then distribute the film in various ways and the target audience would watch it. I think that as our film is a psychological horror, just like The Blair Witch Project, Artisan Entertainment could distribute our film in the exact same way as the other films they have distributed as they are all small budgeted indie films similar to ours.

The Ring Opening Sequence

The Ring is a psychological horror film that focuses more on atmosphere and building up suspense rather than contently scaring the audience. It perfectly makes the audience become extremely tense until the climax which is quick and ends within a few seconds.

 

 

 

The sequence starts with a shot of a teenage girl about to walk out of her kitchen when she hears a static sound. The screen then goes into a close-up shot of the girl to show her shock and confused expression. This lets the audience know that something is obviously wrong. The TV is then shown to be the source of the sound and has been turned on however the room is empty and the remote lays on the sofa untouched. This creates a sense of enigma, the audience know that something is happening but nobody, neither the audience or character, know what is causing the problem but the audience wants to find out more. The girl turns off the TV and places the remote down however the TV turns back on causing the girl to stop in her tracks. The character blames another person in the house however the audience will know that something else is causing these problems. There is then a noise causing the girl to turn to face where it came from, only to see nothing suspicious. The fridge then flies open and after closing it the girl travels upstairs to find the only other person in the house. However the is a liquid all over the floor by the door and dripping of the door handle. There is a shot of her hand slowly opening the door before a flash of events. She bursts open the door, sees the TV on the death tape, the camera zooms into on her face, it is difficult to see what happens but it looks like her face melts or (as it is psychological) has been possessed. There is then several image flashed onto the screen followed by the TV static.

The audience is left to only guessed what the images are as they flash up for less than a second and what happened to the girl. A large sense of enigma is left behind as there are many unanswered questions that the audience will want answers to.

Using sounds to create a sense of atmosphere is key for a psychological horror and this opening used it perfectly. There is music on very quietly in the background and makes the scene even more sinister. Static is also a key sound and is heard 3 times during the sequence and hints that it will be a important feature that the audience will have to look out for later on in the film.

The camera shots are also different instead of all being medium shots such as high angle from the top of the stairs to make the character seem smaller and a close up of her hand on the door handle. This makes the sequence more interesting to watch as although the continuity edits are very smooth it is still a creative way to show the basic activities that the girl is doing.

Distribution

Distribution

After the production stages the film goes through the final stages, distribution. Films are sent out to the cinema's for first viewing. The films advertising becomes larger with posters and official trailers rather than teasers. Interviews from the production team or actors are sometimes used to comment on the film. After the film has been in the cinema's for a while the distributer will turn the film into DVD's, Blue-Rays and downloads so the audience can watch the film from home.

 

Some famous distribution companies are:

 

• Warner Bros
• Sony Film
• 20th Century Fox
• Entertainment Film Distributors
• Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Disney Pixar

 

 

All of these companies will send out a film made by a production company to cinemas and prepare for it to be released on other platforms such as DVD's and Blu Rays, downloads, accessible on programs such as NetFlix and Lovefilm and can be brought on a gaming console to watch. They will control most of the advertising and as distribution companies are usually well-known respected companies films will usually get more attention if being distributed by a famous distribution company.

Opening Credits - Zombieland

Opening credits show who had a main part in making the film such as the producer, actors and designers, some are words over a background and others are included in the films footage. One of the most interesting opening credits belongs to the film Zombieland.

Zombieland Official Poster

Before the credits begin the film gives a bit of background to the film as a narrator sets some rules to follow during the film. It is also to set the tone of a horror survival situation but the narration gives it an element of humour. The credits start at 2:40 in the video and are cleverly placed into the scenes. The scenes that are playing are all in slow motion so that they are barely moving, this lets the audience look at the scene and the credits. Each scene shows a different horror that the characters will be facing through the film, the main threat being the zombies.

The credits themselves are placed into the scenes in a bold red text so that they are noticeable  and stand out in each scene however the most interesting point about the credits is that if a character crosses the text instead of going through it the text gets knocked out of the way. This represents the tone of the film as the world is falling apart and fading away much like the text.

Max Payne Opening Sequence - Enigma

The opening sequence for Max Payne is a good example of enigma and sound in the first few minutes of the opening. Straight away the audience is dropped into the centre of the action making them wonder brought the main character to this situation. The colours used are very bleak showing that these are bad times and this matches the situation that the character is in.

 

I have taken some screenshots of the opening to show the colour and questions raised when watching for the first time:

 

 

All of these questions leave the audience guessing for the rest of the film creating a sense of enigma. The audience will want answers to the questions so they will continue to watch to the film to get all the answers possible. It will leave them looking for clues while they watch to try and solve the questions themselves before the answer is revealed. As the sequence is in the future the audience will know that everything that is happening is leading up to the drowning scene, therefore the character can not die before then and what ever happens he will end up in the sea drowning.

Target Audience

A target audience are the people that the creators of a film had in mind when making the film. The film is aimed at a certain group of people that are most likely to enjoy it, they then add specific things to the film to attract this audience. Target audiences are usually hinted at in the age rating on posters, on the box cover of a DVD and if the age rating is a 18 some people will have to prove their age. Films that are a PG are usually guessed to be aimed a young audience of 8 - 14 if parents permission is needed to see the film, this means that there may be mild violence or swearing but nothing to extreme that would be unsuitable for young people. If the age rating is a 18 it is likely to include blood and gore, sex, violence and swearing and is only suitable for people that are 18 and over, making the target audience an older age range.

Having the right target audience is something that all film creators need to do. If a producer made a gory horror film full of explicit language with a target audience of 8 - 14 year olds it would be likely that most viewers would not enjoy the experience.

Having the right target audience will make the film makers think about what is suitable for them to watch and what isn't. For example most Disney and Pixar films are rated as a PG and the posters are full of colour to attract a younger audience, the films themselves have friendly characters that the audience like to watch and make them laugh but also a antagonist that will not scare the audience like in a horror film but will be the character will be hated by the audience.

Some examples are:

All of them have a character that the audience can make their favourite but also one that they have a strong dislike for. The colours in the posters will attract a younger audience and make them excited to watch the film in the cinemas.

Most 18 films are horror films or serious thriller and are very different from Disney films posters, to attract an older audience they make it simple and sometimes darker to show that the film is not children. This shows the target audience of 18 and above that this film has been made for their age range and is a lot darker than film targeted at children and teenagers.

Some examples are:

Compared to the Disney and Pixar posters these are a lot more adult looking and younger children would be less attracted to these posters as a whole whereas older teens and adults will be intrested to find out more, making them want to watch the film.

The psychological horror film opening that my media group is making has a target audience of 15 to 23 year olds. Although 15 is still quite young for a horror film there is not a lot of violence and blood just scares and a lot of 15 year olds enjoy horror films. We also thought to advertise it to people that enjoy a tense atmosphere and storylines rather than people that enjoy constant jump scares. 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone Opening Sequence Anaylsis

Opening sequences are the first part of the film that the audience will see making it the most important and crucial moment in the film. It has to capture the audiences attention and make them stay to watch and enjoy the rest of the film.

A good opening sequences need to successfully set the tone and genre of the film, introduce characters and settings and some even let the audience know some backstory or information that will be important later on in the film.

A film that has all of these in the opening sequence is Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone, it contains all of the points above within 4 minutes and leaves the audience wanting to see what happens next and how the story will play out after the events that occurred in those few minutes.

To show all of the points I screenshot all of the shots that contained everything a opening sequence should have and wrote a brief speech bubble on what they all were:

All of these pictures set the theme, introduce characters and leave enigma after it's finished.

After the final shot of a baby Harry's face the camera zooms towards the scar in the shape of a lightning bolt and flashes into the title screen:

 

This is covered in lightning and the 'P' is pointed showing that the tone of the film is also quite dark and not all about magic and wizards. I think that all of the small details such as the lightning, the magical lighter and the shadow show that the film is all about magic but also has dark moments and a intriguing and mysterious backstory that is not all colourful and lively.

Camera Movement Videos

Camera movement is used in every film and TV programme ever made even if it is fairly basic. These videos show camera movement in action:

Tracking:

This shot is from the movie 'Pulp Fiction'. It follows the actor John Travolta (as the character Vincent Vega) around a diner, this shot shows the audience the setting more clearly and sees what the characters sees, this usually sets the scene and the audience will have a clear idea of where they are.

Crane/Aerial:

This shot starts off as a medium long shot then a long shot is shown to the audience. The reason an aerial shot is used in this scene is to reveal some important information to the audience which the character cannot see. This gives the audience an extra piece of knowledge that the characters are not aware of as shown in the clip from Bedlam, the audience can see the giant black X under the car but the character cannot. These shots can give the audience more knowledge or a view of the setting from a higher point of view.

Tilt/Roll:

Although tilt and roll shots are not the same, the camera does move to one side with both shots. A tilt shot can be used to show shock or realisation whereas a roll shot can be used to show disorientation or dizziness. This clip from the program switch shows the roll/tilt shot in action, this shows the surprise in the woman's face as she receives the text. The camera tilts to really show how she feels.

Point-of-View:

Point of view shots are to put the audience into the characters shoes and make them sees what the character sees. The clip from horror movie Halloween put the audience into a young boy's shoes although when watching the audience is fooled into thinking its an older person and as the murder is seen first hand through their eyes we know that this boy is guilty. When the young boy takes of his mask and the camera is no longer a point of view shot the audience is shocked and surprised about who the character really is and what they have just done.