Audience (Woman In Black)

This is the work we conducted after attending a screening of The Woman In Black. It is about audience expectation and how they react to the film.

Role of a Distributer

This is work we conducted in are theory lesson about the role of the distributor.

Location Scouting

Location Scouting, a set on Flickr.

Teaser trailer

Check this out on Chirbit

Location Shot Analysis

This is a video that walks through each of our photos and show why each of them are useful to us For this we were struggling to get the video to play by itself. we managed t get this sorted by un-clicking a box on Youtube

Woman In Black Review's

1. What were your expectations of the film?

Harry: I expected that it would be jumpy. there had been a lot of hype about the film which enhanced my expectations of what would happen in terms of horror.

Kieran: As a film just from looking at the posters it was easy to tell that the film would be a little scary. on the hole I feel that it was a lot more jumpy than it was scary.

George: As I had seen the film before today so i already knew that it was going to be a dark scary film.

Mo: I thought that it may be something a little like Harry Potter as it had the same actor in.  

2. Do you think a collective viewing of the text lessened or enhanced your pleasure and why?

Harry: I think that it enhanced the viewing pleasure as you could laugh off the scary scenes, whereas if I was on my own I would of found it a lot less enjoyable as I would have been very scared.

Kieran: I really think that it enhanced the viewing as it meant that you didn't look stupid when you jumped as there was a lot of people doing it as well.

George: I think that viewing it this way gives it a different atmosphere to that of when you watch it by yourself.

Mo: I believe that viewing it collectively gives a more scarier feel to the film as when one person gets shocked it passes onto others and an atmosphere is created and keeps through till the end.

3&4. Which part of the film are still in your memory and why? Which bits made you jump?

Harry: The hand print with the woman in the window because I wasn't expecting it and and the final scene where the train hits the main character, as I felt it was predictable that the child was going to die.

Kieran: The part where the eyes were scratched out of the photo as it was creepy because this is quite a realistic part of the film. As well as this the part with all the children's toys because her scream was chilling.

George: The bit that has stuck in my head is the part with the rocking chair and the hanging, because it really built up suspense and made the whole cinema feel really tense.

Mo: The part that stuck in my head was when the little boy starts coming out the mud because it was very random but also very scary, it also left us in suspense because we saw him coming towards the house but when Daniel Radcliffe opened the door no one was their so it left in suspense about where the boy disappeared too.

5.The film is enhanced by excellent use of the micro-elements (lighting, sound, editing, mise en scene and cinematography) list your thoughts on each of these and describe your reaction to them.

The lighting used carried a very consistent theme throughout, as it was dark and gloomy from start to finish. This darkness made the film very spooky, and gave the impression to the audience that there was something wrong in that area and that it was possibly haunted. It also made it feel that the area was hostile to Arthur. In terms of sound, it was very effective as it picked up immediately when the audience was supposed to jump, for example, when the mud came out the tap, without sound that wouldn't be very scary at all. The toys songs were very creepy and made the house seem as though there were still children playing in the house, which is what the Woman in Black wanted. The strange noises also made the house seem haunted and that something was going to jump out at the audience. In terms of editing, the most memorable part was when the woman is seen in all the death scenes, that is powerful as it explains the story of the deaths. There are many elements of mis en scene, especially within the house. The china dolls make the house look derelict, but as though there was once life there. It also makes the house seem really creepy. The candle lit rooms made the house seem unattached from
the rest of the world, and it was clear the house had been uninhabited for a long time. This was also emphasized by the cinematography, as the panning shot of the marshes also showed how isolated the house was, as well as dangerous as it is surrounded by marshland. Additionally, the appearances of the woman were effective as they were usually during  a panning shot.

6. Consider your own film and think about locations/ideas/music/techniques that are used in this film that you could use in your own trailer.

In the Woman in Black the producers/directors relied a lot on the sound and music. This created a massive atmosphere, so I think we should consider using this approach as we are doing a phycological thriller. A lot of the scariest moments were in the dark as there is more unknown when you can't see what is there. So I think we should film our climax scene in the dark.

7. What is  general opinion of the film?

The woman in black is generally regarded as a natural progression from screen play to film. as well as this it is seen as a "capable" version of the original story. The only problem with this film is the fact that it doesn't bring anything new to the horror genre. this is shown by the fact that there is nothing new or controversial about the film. this could make it seem like a "safe" bet. This is probably a good idea for this film though as it is made by an independent film company. another opinion was that Radcliffe was also a very good fit for the main role, not only because he bought a large fan base to the film, but he also played the character well. The film also showed that he would be able to break away from his type cast.

Women in black is also seen as a less is more kind of film as not a lot particularly happens although the story is very strong. With this the 12A age certificate is seen as to low by many. overall most of the ratings give it a 4/5 star rating.        

http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/blu-ray/the-woman-in-black-1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/feb/12/woman-in-black-review-philip-french
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/feb/09/the-woman-in-black-film-reviewhttp://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=137028

Paranormal Activity Magazine Front Cover

What are genre conventions; focusing on horror, especially phycologial- Genre conventions are the stereotypical features associated with a particular genre. For example, an action/ adventure would most likely have an explosion or a gunshot, a rom com would have a date, or a horror would have some sort of death depending on the sub genre. 

Poster deconstruction

"Paranormal Activity" - Official Trailer [HQ HD]- Analysis

Style: The style for this one is unique as it also includes clips of an audience watching this film. This seems to be very effective as it would increase the hype around the film, leading the audience to think this film will be very scary. We aren't looking to replicate the footage of the audience, however, we are looking to replicate the style of the trailer; all on a handheld camera. As Paranormal Activity is based around unusual occurences, it would be ideal for us to use some of their idea's as our film will have a lot of mystery in it.

Music: There is no music in this trailer, as it aims to depict the sheer horror amongst the crowd. However, it does have loud thudding noises every now and then, which occur more regularly as the trailer goes on. These build suspense and the audience of the trailer suspect that the film could be extremely scary. We are looking to emulate the lack of music, as it makes the trailer seem more eerie and more realistic which is what we are looking to achieve.

Stars: Part of Paranormal activity's success is that people believed it was real. Some of this success is down to the fact there were no main stars and it was done on a small budget. Our film is going to be marketed as though we have no big name stars to add to the realism.

Plot: The plot for Paranormal activity is a couple move into a new house, the girl believes the house is haunted, and as the film progresses, it turns out the house is haunted and under attack from a mysterious being. This is similar to ours in the fact that the protagonists are under attack and can't find an obvious resolution.

Editing: The editing of Paranormal Activity is very effective. It begins with real footage of spectators going into the cinema for an advanced screening. The audience are then on screen for the whole trailer along with the real footage. The external audience can then witness the audiences reaction and therefore develop it's word of mouth. We won'y have the footage of the audience in our trailer, as we are looking to emulate the style of the actual trailer (handheld camera footage), but this is very effective.

Graphics: There are some effective graphics in Paranormal activity, with the way the paranormal being is caught on the camera. We would wish to replicate the way objects move without prompting as it could prove to be useful in our trailer as we would want some bits that make the audience jump.

"The Strangers" Trailer analysis

Style: The Strangers is very mysterious, and we like the impact of the masked figures. They gradually appear throughout the trailer and are extremely mysterious. What makes the trailer seem creepier is the music played over it. What we wanted to adopt from this trailer is the appearance and disappearance of the masked figures as we are looking to do something similar with ours.

 

Music: There is a lot of music used in the trailer. It is cleverly used to conceal the sound of screaming. Also, it uses a drumming sound whenever there is a scene intended to scare the audience. We aren’t likely to use music playing throughout the trailer as we want it to seem as realistic as possible, thus reducing the music. However, the drumming sound we may use whenever there is a sighting of The Slender Man in our trailer.

 

Stars: The Strangers does have a big name star in Liv Tyler, which will draw in a larger audience which may consist of fans from her previous work. However we don’t intend to market our actors as big name actors as it will reduce the realism of the production.

 

Plot: The plot of The strangers is a couple staying in the woods and their house is sieged by mysterious occurrences and eventually attacks from some masked strangers. Ours differs as the characters are exploring the woods then attacked. However, the characteristics of the masked characters could be very useful for The Sighting.

 

Editing: There is a lot of editing in The Strangers. A lot of the scenes jump like a television that isn’t working. This gives the impression that they are completely isolated and out of contact, so can’t call for help. Also, there are words imposed onto the screen offering messages to the audience, warning them. This is similar to us as it leads the audience to believe it is real. The second half of the trailer is lots of cuts of clips of the pursuing masked figures to ultimately build suspense. We might also adopt this, the trailer gradually getting quicker with scenes of different attacks from The Slender Man.

 

Graphics: The graphics of the masked figures in The Strangers is very effective as they look almost human and the outfit is very simple, thus making them more scary. They are scary because people could easily look like this in the real world. As I mentioned earlier, the mask is very similar to what we want to replicate in order to give a creepy aroma about the character.

Blair Witch Project Trailer analysis

Style: The Blair Witch Project has a unique style, which was very effective. It was all recorded on a hand held camera, which creates a feeling of realism amongst the audience. This is a camera technique we may adopt. By doing so, it will make our production easier, yet more effective. Having it on a hand held camera makes it more restricted so you can only see what the characters can, therefore allowing the audience to question what may be there and making it scarier. Additionally, both films are based on pursuing a myth. This will remove the audience’s sense of security, as they are not sure whether or not the mysterious villain in the films is real or not.

Music: There is no music in the trailer for The Blair Witch Project. Instead there is a beating drum used as a sound bridge when there is a cut in the trailer. No music makes the trailer seem more eerie as there is no music playing over real life, so the film seems more real. Additionally, you can hear how silent it is around the characters, which depicts how silent and isolated the forest is. We can adapt this as we are also filming in a forest, and can use the silence to our advantage. There could also be a drum beat or something similar every time we see The Slender Man.

Stars: The Blair Witch Project has no stars. By using actors who haven’t appeared in any other films, it makes it easier for the audience to imagine them as real people in genuine danger, as the film then immediately seems more realistic. The Blair Witch Project also used posters of missing people, containing the cast members as a part of their marketing campaign. We are likely to market our film as one without any big name stars, as The Slender Man is a genuine myth, it will unsettle the audience if they see what appears to be real people being hunted by him.

Plot: The plot in The Blair Witch Project is a group of students go travelling in search of the Blair Witch. They are then hunted down by a mysterious being. Our plot is similar as we have a group of travellers searching for the Slender Man, who then hunts them down.

Editing: The editing in The Blair Witch Project trailer is very simple, made up of different clips cut together, this does make the trailer seem more realistic. There is an effective notice at the start, which sets the tone for the rest of the trailer. This is effective editing as it sets the tone for the rest of the trailer. Also, there are other bits of text that appear that are comments made about the film, used to promote it to potential viewers. The beginning of the trailer consists of clips of interviews with people about The Blair Witch. There are some very effective aspects used in this trailer we could also use. For example, asking people about the Slender Man will explain to any viewers who aren’t aware of the myth, who he is and what he does. As ours is also a handheld production, the text at the start to explain the characters have gone missing could be very effective to unsettling the audience from the start.

Graphics: There aren’t many complicated graphics used in the trailer for The Blair Witch Project as it is more effective to make it seem more realistic. There is an effective clip where the character is filming her face and some snot runs from her nose. This depicts just how cold, scared and isolated the character is. We are looking into ways to conceal The Slender Man’s face in order to make him seem more creepy to the audience. 

Prezzi Trailer Questions

Production trailer questions on Prezi

Location Shots

These are our location shots. We did this so we could clearly map out the exact locations that we could and most probably will use in our final product. As well as looking for locations, all four of us were also looking for objects that can be in the backgrounds of our shots such as the abandoned machinery, graffiti and household items that is shown in some of our shots. After doing this we can now understand locations that will only work in certain lights like the pictures of the quarry which wont show its vast landscape if we were to shot from their during the night.    

Genre Conventions; especially the horror genre and phycological

What are genre conventions; focusing on horror, especially physiological

-Genre conventions are the stereotypical features associated with a particular genre. For example, an action/ adventure would most likely have an explosion or a gunshot, a rom com would have a date, or a horror would have some sort of death depending on the sub genre. A psychological horror doesn’t tend to have stereotypical conventions, as it depends on what the movie is going for, and they tend to differ dramatically when the films are produced. Generally, in a psychological horror, the worst yet to come, thus making the suspense the primary fear generator. This is exemplified in films such as The Shining, Blair Witch Project, or Insidious. All films leave the viewer in suspense and they don’t know what will happen. Moreover, the films also leave a lot of doors open and it could end in a variety of ways. This is what scares the audience, as they don’t know what is going to happen, or what will happen in future. Additionally, another regular convention of psychological horrors is the twist at the end. This leads the viewer into a false sense of security, which will make the ending all the scarier for the viewer. By doing so, this differs from films that focus on gore or just general fear such as Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw or Hostel.  These films just focus on aspects that will shock and scare the audience there and then, and have a predictable ending. Whereas a psychological horror leaves the fear ongoing and the audience scared after the film. This is what makes them so effective.

Horror films in general would have a villain, who are normally murders; a protagonist, who is often on the run from the villain; sometimes children are included in these films, they are seen as extremely innocent to the unsuspecting eye, that when they become dangerous, it really scares the audience, also they can be the protagonist; and then the other conventions will depend on the subgenre.

Here is a list of stereotypical horror types and conventions:

-       Zombie

-       Possessed

-       Murder

-       Psychological

-       Ghost

-       Mystic beast (vampire, werewolf etc.)

-       Sci fi horror

-       Cannibal

All of these different genres, and the other sub genres, have their own conventions. 

Restricted and omniscient narration

This is an overview of omniscient and restricted narration. This will help us as it will give us an insight into how we should film our trailer, from one perspective or many.