Shooting schedule

Symbiotic link

I intend to create a link between my three text by the use of colour. The antagonist's red lips will be an iconic image for the movie. It will symbolize her new found confidence and the way in which she expresses it. Usually within horrors containing supernatural forces, such as the 'Devil', the possessed person begins to use sexuality in an inappropriate and derogatory manner which audiences will be able to recognize. Red lips symbolism everything sexy and will therefore promote the genre of my film effectively.

The colour red itself symbolizes danger and blood which will make the symbiotic link of the red lips eve more effective as it applies t the genre of the film.

Front cover

Poster

 

 

 

 

 

Practice shots

Story Board

Script

Scene one

Miss: Okay guys, so get back to me tomorrow with your horror film ideas …and I’ll see you tomorrow.

Scene two

[Walk out the door chatting away]

Tasha: I’m starving! Thank God it’s lunch

Mya: I’ll catch up with you guys later

Chris: Where you going?

Mya: Just library, courseworks not ganna do itself

Chris :oh okk ..catch up with me later

 [Mya laughs nervously ---everyone walks off in their directions]

 

Scene three

[Mya is coming out the door]

Chris : hey

[Mya jumps and drops books]

Chris[laughing] : …..I….I wanted to ask you something

[Tasha enters] :  Hey [to Chris] I need to talk to you]

Chris[awkwardly]: er…yeah of course [glances at Mya] err…I’ll catch up with you later

[Chris and Tasha walk out]

Scene four

[Tasha and Mya are walking home]

Tasha: I know you like him but he hasn’t made a move yet so I just kind of assumed, besides you’re not his type anyway, but yeah, come by mine tomorrow to help me do my hair? Yeah? Thanks …anyways see you tomorrow.

[Mya smiles]

 

Scene seven

Mya: Bet you notice me now

 

Final Narrative

Scene one

Mya, Chris and Hannah all walk out the classroom. Chris and Hannah are laughing and talking while Mya slowly separates from the group. She tells the others she’s going to the library to study the project they have just been set. Chris looks disappointed but reluctantly agrees while Hannah mocks Mya and drags Chris away. Mya walks timidly down the corridor keeping her head down as she walks past every one.

 

Scene two

Chris is waiting for Mya outside the library. She doesn't notice him so taps her shoulder. Mya drops all her books out of shock and Chris helps her pick them up but when he grabs the book about demonic possesion she grabs it out his hand. Chris is a bit confused but goes on to try ask her out. However Hannah comes in and drags Chris.

 

Scene three

The girls are walking home arm in arm. Hannah is explaining to Mya why she asked Chris out knowing that Mya liked him. They part ways and Mya puts in her headphones

 

Scene four

Mya begins researching again in bed . She begins reading some of the things she’s found aloud. She slowly falls asleep until she wakes up in a frantic panic. She goes back to sleep and her candle blows out putting the room in darkness. She wakes up in the morning and checks her reflection in the mirror. She feels different to the day before. She feels confident and sexy. She gets dressed in an unusually flamboyant outfit for her original character and heads to school.

Scene five

Mya has Chris locked and tied up in her bedroom.

Scene six

Fast Montage

 

Development of narrative

Instead of my main character becoming cannibalistic I have decided to make all the inccidents she makes occur look like an accident.

 

The narrative will be more like this:

The main character studies into a santanic symbol for her media project but gets possesed by it. She becomes more and more agitated and angry with every one around her and also her appearnce and confidence levels change. Before she was a shy, timid girl but after she become possed she is confident and starts wearing bright bold colours and outfits. She has become more sexually confidant as well and because of her new appearance gains more admirers who later become her victims.

Initial Ideas: Film Poster, Film Trailer, Film magazine

For the film poster I will definitely be using a lot of black to show that the main character is being consumed by darkness. I will have the title in a contrasting colour to make it stand out, possibly in red to comply with horror film conventions.

My trailer will not have a lot of action or any scenes of gore and blood, instead I will only hint at it by the main character dropping a lighter and it causing a fire. Also all the inccidents in which someone is killed it will look like an accident in order to make the hope of her getting caught very slim making it seem like there is no chance she will be brought to justice.

Ideas for FIlm Poster

 

Ideas for Film Magazine

Ideas for Film Trailer

The idea of seeing the transformation of the main character will be what I mainly take from this trailer. Seeing the turmoil in her life before hand and then seeing her confidence grow. Unlike Cat woman he change will not be mainly positive so my target audience will condemn the change in the main character.  

Ideas: Names

Film Title

As the narrative is influenced by sixth form life I will also create a title that relates to this. As she has come to be possessed through her inquisitive nature and her want to do well I could call it A*  as this is what she is aspiring to get so it will link directly to the narrative making it more memorable. However this doesn't sound very horrifying and might be seen as kind of annoying by students who are stressing themselves to get A*'s themselves.

Another name I thought of was Knowledge as it implies that as humans we do not have the knowledge to overcome this satanic force which is a very big fear. It is the fear of the unknown so by insinuating this film will provide them with the knowledge the audience may feel more encourage to see it.

Dedication is another possibility as it poses the threat that even if you work hard and are a good person you can still be corrupted eradicating the idea that good conquers over evil. It also applies to the narrative as the reason the main character was possessed was because she was so dedicated to her work this will make the title more memorable causing more to go and see it. Dedicated could also be used as it is past tense suggesting that the main character's personality no longer exists

Tag line

She's above average - This relates to school life as this is seen on school reports, ectera, emphasising the narrative being related to school life and that something is wrong with the girl.

What would you give up to achieve success? - Using a rhetorical question directly involves the audience so it will make them feel personally threatened and think about the narrative to a more personal level as they would have to give up something in order to achieve success such as time or social events meaning they are already evaluating how far they would go.

She knows too much - This tag line will provoke the audience as they will want to know what it is that she knows that they don't. It also makes the knowledge seem forbidden which automatically makes the audience want to find out even more as it becomes more interesting.

Film magazine name

Updated - This implies that the magazine is up to date with what is relevant meaning the audience will be more attracted to it because they will want to know about current popular films. However this name would have to be for a generalised genre of film magazine because it doesn't have any relation to horror films. Also as we are in the digital era it will appeal to the target audience in the sense that they want to have all their technology, fashion and life up to date. They will see this magazine as a computer sees an update that needs to be performed every once in a while.

Riot - This connotes feelings of excitement and chaos. It suggests that the things featured in the magazine are a big deal and may even cause riots if they are stopped or unavailable attracting the audience as they think they are guaranteed something that will satisfy their needs if they read it. This will appeal to a male audience however while my target audience is female. It is short and snappy so will be easy to remember . It will as lo be able to create a font that relates to the meaning of the word.

Feared - This suggests that the magazine will contain material that will scare the audience. This will appeal to my target audience as they enjoy watching horror films. So by the title insinuating this from the get go the audience will be attracted to the feeling that they have found something to satisfy their needs with such ease.

Director Case Study :John Moore

About John Moore

 

John Moore was born in Dundalk, Ireland in 1970. He attended Dublin Institute of Technology, where he attained a degree in Media Arts and didn't think he would go into the film area of work. This soon changed with the creation of  a series of short films.

 

He is married to his wife Fiona Connon, a makeup artist whom he met through an industry friend early in his career in Ireland.

 

He had a very close encounter with a tank that was blasting through a wall on one of his sets. A stuntman managed to push him safely out of the way showing his very explosive style.

 

 

 

His career

After graduating he wrote a series of short films that were published in Ireland. He was then able to found  an Irish-based production company called Clingfilms throughtout the next few years.

 

He then started directing commercials, including the launch advertisement for Dreamcast, which 20th Century Fox found so impressive they gave him a $17 million (BTL) budget for Behind Enemy Lines in 2001.

He has gone on to make four films for 20th Century fox such as  Flight of the Phoenix (2004), The Omen (2006), and Max Payne (2008) as well as Behind Enemy Lines.

 

Each film reached quite high up in the box office but recieved very negative reviews from crictics proving he is more popular with his audience then he is with crictics. One claiming that "a Peckinpahesque, neo-Eisenstein stylist whose grade-B material has kept him from receiving the acclaim he deserves"

His film Max Payne was in fact influenced by a video game so is action packed. Although I do not intend to use a lot of action within my project I may use the idea of having different levels just like a video game.

Camera, Lighting & Sound

Camera

Throughout the beginning of the trailer I will be using a lot of medium close-up shots in order to emphasise the change in personality in the girl as I will be using medium close-up shots again after her transformation. The audience will be able to see and compare. For example during the conversion between the main character and the boy in order to show her shy nature while she is speaking to him and afterwards I will use a similar shot to show the change in her confidence in talking to him. Just like in Jennifer's Body.

I will use extreme close-up shots to show expressions of fear on the victims face and after the antagonist has just caused something bad to happen and to show her smug expression and emphasise her evil intentions. This will be used greatly in a scene filmed in a woods when she traps the boy and sets the wood on fire. A close up of the boys terrified expression will be used and a close up of the main character's evil smile to show this was her intention, to make the boy scared or even to kill him.

I will use establishing shots for the arches that the girl has to walk through so they audience can see the spooky environment . Each 'crime scence' will be introduced to the audience using an establishing shot.

I will use a lot of low angled shots in order to show the antagonist as being domineering and make the audience feel venerable especially during conversations with the other girl actress to show that she is now more confident then her.

I will use a point-of view shot in the beginning and near the end but with different lighting to make the audience feel like they are inside the antagonists head and they will be able to see the transformation. One will be used while she is walking through the tunnel.

Lighting

Profile lighting will appear frequently throughout my trailer as this implies that the character has something to hide as you cannot see their whole face. This will make the transformation of the main character easier because this type of lighting will be used more as she begins to change.

In order for the audience to experience the fear on the victims face properly I will use low angle lighting as it will illuminate their face leaving every thing else in darkness meaning this is all the audience has to concentrate on. It also implies that the character has been submerged in the world of the antagonist and hope is slowly dwindling. I will also use this in the beginning when the girl is walking home and when she's researching the satanic symbol to show her as venerable.

In the equilibrium I will only use ambient lighting in order to create a sense that everything is normal as it only uses light that is natural for example this shot from The Uninvited.

 I will also use this lighting after she has transformed in order to make the audience uncertain of what is happening. Her transformation will be hinted but not completely revealed so keeping natural lighting will make everything seem as if it is still normal.

Also the scene where my main character is falling asleep while researching on her laptop the room will be lit by a candle. This will create the effect that there are shadows flickering on the walls, it seems spooky.

 

Sound

I will use a stab of sound when the boy comes to scare the main character while she is studying in the library in order to create a false shock and then lull the audience back into a sense of security. I will also use this when she wakes up in the middle of the night to emphasise the panic in the main character. Again in a scene where she shouts at the rest of her class in order to make her shout seem more unnatural and scarier.

I aim to use a muffled kind of music in the background while the main character is walking through the tunnel in order to make it sound like the audience is listening to her head phones. This will make it seem like they are very close to her or inside her head.

I will use the same background music throughout the whole trailer however in the beginning it will be light and cheerful while during the end it will start becoming erratic and dark.

Props

A laptop will be an important feature in showing the girl's obssesion with the satanic symbol. As she will go home and explore it further well into the early hours of the night until she eventually falls asleep. I will then take a close up shot of the laptop after she has fallen asleep to show what she has been researching confirming to the audience that she is obbessed by the symbol.

I will need something heavy enough to throw in a river that will create a big enough splash so it sounds like someone has been pushed in. Like a fallen branch for example.

A mirror will be used to show the girl admiring her 'new' found self. It will emphasise her transformation. The shot of her admiring herself will emphasise her new sexual confidence which will be an important feature in the narrative as she suduces most of her victims so this draws attention to her change in confidence.

In order to create a fire or imply that a fire has been started I will need a lighter or box of matches for the girl to drop while her friend is stuck in the woods. Fire signals danger and death especially because of the situation it is being used in the audience will immediately consider it a threat.

I will use a candle to signify the loss of her original personality as I plan to show it being blown out as the 'demon' enters the room. Blowing out a candle represents loss of life it could also signfy God or anything good being eradicated as in church there is a candle that constantly burns to represnts God's presence in the church. It is a red candle and I also hope to use a red candle to make the link to the candle in the church. Red also is a very conventional colout to use in horror films as they represent blood, death and danger.

Background & History of Horror

Horror films have changed over time in order to appeal to the audience's preferences as they changed along with happenings in their everyday world. By understanding this I will be able to see what my audience expects from a horror film presently. From research it is clear to see that today's audience is most scared of supernatuirual horros as this is the main thing our advanced world doesn't understand.

 

1920-30

In the 1920's horror films were mainly of the gothic genre involving vampires, werewolves and dark eerie shadows. The most noted and well known movie of this time was Nosferatu by F.W Murnau. The way in which Murnau percieved vampires later formed Count Orlock created by  Max Schreck. Usually tha ntagonist is male leaving the a female as the damsal in distress

In the 1930's Dracula was released with the audience experiencing sound along with a film at the same time. Films around this time were influenced by the 1920's seen in the Gothic appearnce of many.

1940

During the 1940's Britain was involved in war which meant horror films were banned. This allowed America to take over. This is when the monster was introduced, with one of the most noted films of the time being Cat Woman with a female as the antagonist.

The war influenced societies fear of nuclear war in the 1950's creating films like The Blob which played on the idea of mutations.

1950

1960

Societies view of sex, drugs and freedom change within the the 1960's leaving room for the potential of man to influence the next phase of horror with most using male human antagonists for the first time. For example Psycho.

1970

Defects in children and pregnacies became extremly feared by women with the introduction of contraceptive pills in the 1970's. This created films such as The Exorcist with a child being the antagonist.

As technology began to become more advanced the horror films of the 1980's began to use more gore and brightly lit sets to emphasise the effects used. Like Nightmare on Elm Street.

1980



1990

During the 1990's audience's began to become bored with gore and bloody scences and wanted something that played with the mind a bit more as they felt that horror had become to predictable. Scream played on this by creating horror conventions to become highly ironic throughout the film.

2000

The 2000's brought the era of found footage with filoms like Paranormal Activity. All types of were being enjoyed with remakes and spoofs becoming increasingly popular. The use of a game such as in Saw and defeating a demonic force become heavily involved in 2000's horror films.

 

Costume Ideas

As the students will be in sixth form they will be in their own clothing. However they will be dress smart-casual. They attire will not be to eye-catching or interesting but a little bit plain and ordinary as not to draw attention away from the narrative.

School Attire

The image I want to create is similar to the protagonist in The Roomate as she is just wearing average attire as she studies at university. It creates a sense of normality because the audience would probably own something similar, it also makes her more relatable and therefore easier for the audience to place themselves in her position.

Home Attire

However after the antagonists transformation she will begin to start wearing clothing that is more revealing and provocative but will be all black to connote evil.

 

 

Even though Catwoman (2004) is not a horror film I would like to incooperate the way Halle Berry transforms from a timid girl who only wears frumpy clothes to a confident person who can rock a leather jumpsuit.

Trailer Analysis 3

Child's Play

The music played at the beginning of the trailer sounds like it is coming from a child's music box. This automatically gives the audience the impression that it is about a child. However the music sounds very eerie leaving a sinister twist on something that should be innocent. This creates the sense that something is already wrong. This trailer also have an overhead narrative which is quite uncommon in trailers currently, as this trailer is a few years old this may be a played out convention. However it is used to hint at the narrative and leaves specific expressions like 'everyone has a birthday they always remember'. The birds eye view shot of the building shows where the narrative will take place. The fast zoom in on the building isolates the specific flat emphasising the chaos that will happen there. The fact that it zooms in quite fast also implies that there is a sense of panic. There is then a shot of a Happy Birthday banner emphasising the narrators words and reinforcing that this is where things will start going wrong.

 

A panning shot is used to reveal the 'good guy' this is to show every angle of the doll and cause the audience to become suspicious of it as the audience feels as if they are circling the doll like a cautious dog circles something it is investigating. The red in the doll's and the little boys clothing foreshadows the death that will occur later on in the narrative. The ambient lighting however leaves a happy and 'normal' image along with the little boy's excited reaction to his birthday present. As this was his birthday presents the hint dropped by the narrator makes the audience immediately suspicious.

 

A medium close up shot of the doll and the little boy shows the creepy expression on the dolls face as it greets the little boy. This shot is also a slightly over the shoulder shot again concentrating on the doll's face. The narrator then says 'this is Andy's' emphasising that the doll will be involved. This being said over the shot of the mother and child embracing gives a sense of dramatic irony as the audience already know there will be something wrong with the doll while the mother and child are happy about its arrival. There is then a fade to black that lingers for a while until a shot of the little boy and the doll are in bed sharply appears on screen. In the shot the dolls eyes are extremely, unnaturally blue and its expression is very exaggerated implying that the doll is not normal.The zoom in of the dolls face only emphasises this coupled with the sinister music and the profile lighting that hides half of Chucky's face the audience is now certain that there is something wrong with this doll. It also creates a sense of unease as it is in bed with the little boy making the audience feel protective over the child as he is completely innocent to the fact that something is wrong as he sweetly says 'goodnight Chucky'.

 

The music then stops as it fades to black only leaving a howling wind sort of noise creating the feeling of the calm before the storm. The shot of the doorknob slowly turning is a strong convention of horror films along with the squeaking of the door meaning the audience will understand what is about to happen, it is foreboding something tragic. Also the audience does not know whether it is the doll or the little boy opening the door leaving them in suspense while they wait to find out if the doll has come alive. The point of view shot continues to leave the audience in suspense as the person who has come out of the room is still not shown. The fast movement of the character however implies that whatever is roaming through the house is unnaturally fast and therefore not human. The scary music in the background emphasises the fast movement being unnatural. At the sighting of the woman there is a loud stab of sound hinting that something is about to happen to her. We then have a medium close up shot of the woman reading a magazine unaware of Chucky running past her in the background. This is not unlike the way a shark hunts down its prey, circling it the way the camera did in the beginning of the trailer, b now we see this to Chucky's advantage leaving he audience feeling vulnerable as the position of power has been switched. The woman turns around as she hears a noise to find nothing there, a convention of supernatural horror films as characters within these films tend to doubt themselves meaning the antagonist has an opening to create terror. This shows the audience what sub-genre this film resides in attracting the right target audience to see the film.

The close up shot of the woman's face along with profile lighting shows her expression of suspicion and also shows that Chucky has a lot of places to hide making the audience feel like he could jumped out at anytime. The narrator then says 'most accidents happen at home' while the camera zooms in to a spilt container of flour with not reasonable explanation for why it has fallen over. This emphasises that something is going to 'accidently' cause the woman harm or in fact her death. The strangeness of the spilt flour is mirrored in the woman's confused expression and reaction saying 'how did that happen?'. A shot of a hammer being picked up without the any implication of who is piking it up implies that no one will know who the killer is or believe that it is Chucky. The panning shot leave the audience bewildered as they cannot focus on one point the woman is then thrown out the window confirming that there is something wrong with Chucky but also leaving the audience wondering how Chucky was able to kill her and how he is going to be found out. The narrator also says 'This was no accident' reinforcing that Chucky was the one who killed the woman. The mother then runs towards the commotion of ambulances and police cars screaming her son's name the same eerie noise that was heard before the woman turned around to investigate the noise is played in the background making the audience relate the noise to Chucky and trouble. The camera starts moving faster and faster into each scene and as it follows each person showing that there is a heightened sense of panic and also making sure the audience cannot focus on one point also making them feel panicked as they don't know what is going on.

A point of view shot from underneath the sofa looking at the concerned expression on the mother's face implies that Chucky is hiding there and also makes the audience feel like he will spring out and attack her in the way he attacked the woman. The narrator says during this shot 'Someone has moved in with the Barkley family' emphasising that Chucky in now a tormenting the household. The next shot is of the woman running away from whatever she has seen under the sofa however the audience has not seen it again leaving the audience in suspense as to what is going on. However the next shot is of Chucky's lower half and his shadow. His walk is unnatural and very sinister while in his shadow he appears to be holding a knife. This cements the fact that Chucky is a murderer. The little boy then pleads with his mother saying 'I know who did it' it then cuts to a shot of the little boy and Chucky. The little boy looks at Chucky with suspicion and says his name answering the question posed when he said he knew who killed his aunt. This is the first verbal confirmation that Chucky is the killer but as it is coming from a very young child it become unbelievable again playing on the convention that characters doubt the likelihood of these supernatural events to occur. Fast paced but sinister music is played as there is a close up shot of the mother's panicked expression as she says 'Nobody believes you about Chucky' this implies to the audience that the mother denying Chucky as the killer will come back to haunt her as if it didn't mean anything she would look calm and the music would be less provoking.

A close up shot of the dolls battery pack on its back makes the audience wonder if it is being powered by something else. The woman opens it but the audience is never shown what is inside but can guess by the reaction of the mother. This confirms that Chucky is powered by supernatural forces. An over the shoulder shot reveals the detective's reaction to the mother explaining what Chucky is. It is just like the scene when her son tried warning her again foreshadowing that nobody will suspect Chucky and everyone that doesn't believe it is him will be vulnerable to him. As this scene is happening the audience is shown a shot of Chucky holding a knife creating dramatic irony leaving the audience pleading with the characters to believe that Chucky is the killer making them feel more involved. This is emphasised by the narrator saying 'no one believes the truth'. There is then a montage of Chucky terrorising serveral people while the narrator say 'or lives to tell it' implying that even if you do believe the killer is Chucky he will kill you anyway meaning no one is safe.

The line 'theres nothing innocent about child's play' while the title shows on screen in big bold red letters implies that something the audience thought as innocent and sweet is being challenged and changed to something very sinister.

Pitch

I pitched my idea for a narrative to my classmates in order to recieve feedback on it in regards to what worked well or what could be improved. I recieved a lot of useful comments that will influence my planning process.

 

Set in a school the trailer will start in a classroom setting. A group of media students have just been set homework by their media teacher. They have to research ideas for their horror film trailers. One of the group goes to a library to research it during lunch and stumbles across a satanic symbol with a group of disturbing stories attached to it. She eventually becomes obsessed with this symbol and her personality changes dramatically. One of her friends can see this and asks what's wrong and is led to her death by her now possessed ‘friend’. The other friends try to figure out what is going on effectively bringing trouble to their own doorstep. The possessed member tries to kill off all her friends.

 

                                                           ------------------------------------

I have changed the narrative since the pitch and will no longer have the main character performing cannibalistic activities as this will make it seem to much like a vampire film. I will instead only imply that she is murdering her friends in different sorts of tragedies that will look as if they're an accident.

Trailer Analysis 2

 The Omen

The beginning of this trailer starts off with the equilibrium which is conventional for horror film trailers as it allows the audience to be lulled into as sense of security. It also allows them to see the contrast between the normality and the distress. However even though this trailer starts off with an equilibrium it is quickly shaken by events almost dropping the audience into the plot straight away giving them no time to relax. Along with the creepy twist on a children’s nursery rhyme the audience has almost an instant feeling of being uncomfortable and the fast paced editing leaving the audience feeling like they need to catch up adding to the overall stress involved in that scene. Something considered innocent has been tainted giving the audience the impression that something is wrong and that something is about to happen leaving them in suspense. Also during the beginning there are a lot of close ups on the face of the child and the woman who hangs herself as they both have serious stone-faced expression juxtaposing the environment of a children’s birthday party that appears to be very sweet and full of fun. The woman’s costume is drab and grey which also contrasts to the bright colours of the surroundings contributing to her standing out as something not to be trusted. The eerie music along with her being so out of place gives hints to the audience that she is going to be the cause for the disruption of the peace. The child is dressed in red which connotes danger and his expression throughout gives the impression that he knows something the audience and other characters don’t. This creates him to be the protagonist from very early in the trailer even thought the audience are not sure until the priest later confirms it. While the mother is dressed in a pale pink top signifying her innocence in the story and her feminine nature in regards to her being a caring mother.

The shot of the rope after the woman has hung herself uses a sort of spotlight shot using a ray of sunshine. This gives it a sick kind of irony to it as sun rays give connotations of heaven or being called up to heaven and general feelings of happiness while the rope is being used as a tool to take life away. It is almost mocking the thought of heaven. Also as the rope tightens as the woman’s weight pulls on it the non- diegetic sound that booms at the same time makes the audience picture the woman receiving the injury caused by the rope making it seem even more sinister. There is also a loud whistling of wind sort of sound which is always considered unwelcoming as it means something cold and forceful. Both these sounds add to the negativity of the event. The shot of the punch bowl crashing is almost foreshadowing what is to come as the liquid inside looks like blood and it has been spilled while glass and destruction is falling right behind it. It then cuts straight into the ‘20^th century fox’ logo and instead of its usual trademark music the same whistling wind sound is in the background. It has also been washed in red these things both show how what the audience is used to have or will be changed within the film, for the worse as red has strong connotations of evil and is obviously the same colour as blood so signifies blood as well.

The mother exclaiming ‘what’s wrong sweetie’, as he is very cold again, shows her innocence as a loving caring mother. Also the fact that she is concerned about this child who has already been marked as the protagonist gives the audience something to be concerned about too. She also goes on to say ‘It’s just a church’ showing that her innocence does not make her afraid of the church. The lighting throughout the church scene is very dim and everything seems to be washed in grey contrasting to the bright sunny day of the little boy’s birthday. This is because the hint that something is wrong is a lot more prominent then before and the world around the characters already seems to be changing. The religious references throughout signal that the film is of the super natural genre as demonic possessions are usually tackled with the aid of the church, a priest or religious rituals who are all featured in the trailer. As the priest explains how the child is ‘the son of Satan’ and recites passages from the bible. There are then shots of someone holding a rosary showing that religious forces are fighting against the threat of this super natural force. As the little boy is scared of the church the audience can see that he is possessed by something or someone that sees the church as a threat because the church has the power to exorcise it/him. Having the cross presented as an object of violence along with the sound of a sword being unsheathed presents it as a weapon and a threat only emphasising the super natural genre as religion plays a big part in resolving the problem.

The establishing shot in the scene at the zoo shows the child to be isolated from everyone, even the animals emphasising that there is something unsettling about him. This is only emphasised when he himself whispers in a very sinister manner ’they’re afraid’. The close up shot emphasises the mothers concern for her child as she asks ‘what’s the matter, didn’t the other kids want to play with you’ and the little boys serious and cold expression, contrasting to the mothers, showing a clear divide in their roles in the film. The first sting is then achieved when a gorilla roars loudly straight towards the camera as if he is roaring at the audience. It also shows that the animal felt threatened by this small child which on its own is highly unusual so adding to the other events that have happened so far the audience are beginning to build a view that the child is demonic. It then cuts to black while the next shot of the nanny who has come to look after Damien fades in. The red wall behind her suggests that she is also evil along with the expression of awe of the child. It is like she worships him and she then says ‘ Hello Damien, I’m here to protect you’ rather than look after you suggesting that she is implying she is going to protect him for the threats of the church or whoever is going to stop him doing what he wants. Although most of the scenes use ambient lighting they remain very dim and shady showing that the boy has something to hide or that he repels anything good, including sunlight. The colour red appears several times throughout the trailer in random objects such as the red balloon, a red apple and a red crib cover. This reminds the audience of the blood that is going to be shed due to the little boy. It leaves big hints that there is trouble to come.

During shots of religious imagery like a statue of the Virgin Mary the shot is edited with a green-ish hue. This contrasts directly to the red visuals that surround the little boy only emphasising the opposition between good and evil. The shot of the crucifix also shows this as it is brightly illuminated with a warm golden glow. However it is slightly tainted as it looks like lighting has flashed past along with the sound of lighting cracking and when it ends it cuts to a demon in a red cloak almost signifying that the lighting was caused by this demon therefore affecting the image of Jesus on the cross. The demon itself is the first solid sign the audience has to show them that something supernatural is involved. The editing starts getting faster at this point showing that the evil has taken a stable place and is now causing panic, heard in the priests voice as he explains about the son and the birthmark of ‘666’ which is well known as the ‘mark of the beast’. 666 is also the release date given at the end making the story seem more realistic as this is when the child was born and the mark of the beast. It makes it seem too much of a coincidence and makes the audience feel like this could actually happen. This could make them want to see the film even more as they will want to see how it ends to see whether they will be able to overcome this evil.

The bird’s eye view of the church at night is already very spooky but the fact that it is filled with mist that looks like smoke makes it even more sinister. As it looks like it is either burning as it is billowing smoke or that it being consumed by mist and hidden away. Meaning that any form of help or saviour is being taken away. As the trailer goes on a lot of shots are taken at night. The audience will see that the lighting gradually gets darker as the demonic threat becomes stronger.

There is then a shot of the mother holding her child close as if she is around. The camera is revolving around them emphasizing the panic as it isn't stable and they are a lot of people running around so it is hard to focus on them. The priest is then explaining what is going to happen and as he says ‘creating armies on either shore’ it cuts away from the over-the-shoulder shot of the Priest’s face, emphasising his concern and sincerity, to a shot of soldiers running up the church stairs. This shows that what he is saying will come true. The worm-eyes view from the grave makes the audience feel as they are in the grave them self emphasising that the child has come to cause the death of every one. It then fades leaving the light from the torch lingering as if it is the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ maybe to signify hope of beating this evil force.

There is then a revolving shot of the mother standing alone whispering ‘no’ with such desperation almost in denial as it is said after the trailer cuts from the priest saying ‘your son, the son of the devil’. Denial is common in  super natural films as the character doesn't want to believe this could be real as it seems so far fetched so they start doubting themselves or they just don’t want it to be true as, in this case, it is their son so have a strong bond with them and refuse to believe they are evil. There is then a fats montage of all the negative events that happen which all include glass, fire and overall destruction. The montage ends with the mother falling to the ground with rose petals scattered around her, foreshadowing the spilling of her blood.

The woman then ends up in a hospital bed, using an over-the-shoulder shot, the woman is made to look venerable and broken. She says to her husband ‘don’t let him kill me’ signifying her acceptance that her son is the son of the devil. It then cuts to a red background with a burning red cross along with the sound of screaming wind in the background, emphasising the demonic connotations throughout the trailer and in the plot. The cross then fades into the ‘T’ of the title suggesting that evil overcomes good as it has become part of the title and therefore the Omen itself. While the title of the website ‘heed the omen’ warns the audience that they are not safe from it.

Film Magazine Front Cover Analysis 3

Film Magazine Front Cover Analysis 2

Film Magazine Front Cover Analysis 1

Trailer Analysis 1

House At the End of the Street

Personally I like this trailer because unlike many others this trailer does not follow the conventions of a horror film trailer making it stand out and therefore more interesting and appealing. Whereas most trailers start with an equilibrium that is then disrupted this trailer begins with a shot of a girl who is obviously distressed due to the expression of fear on her face and her sweaty, worn out, dirty attire. The use of profile lighting also shows that she is trying to hide away immediately showing that there is something to fear and run from. The trailer starts right in the middle of action and a fast montage. It also has a very green-ish grey-ish hue at the beginning indicating that normality has been tainted but gradually gets lighter and returns to a normal hue as the narrative rewinds to the beginning. This is a very good technique which I could use in my own trailer as it grips the audience as they are dropped straight into the middle of the narrative without knowing the background information; they will want to stay to find out how the final girl has reached this position. Using a final girl however does use horror film conventions and I hope to in cooperate this into my own narrative and trailer. This trailer also has footage that is being re-winded as the order of the narrative is the complete opposite of other trailers, beginning with the problem rather than the equilibrium, so it is rewinding to the beginning of the narrative giving the audience a sense of dramatic irony which many enjoy while watching horror films as they have a clue as to what is to come and like so many that watch horror films will shout advie at the character, like ‘Don’t go in there’, as they know that is she does she will probably meet the protagonist and ultimately her death. They are anxious for something to happen increasing their fear and therefore satisfying their needs as an audience that enjoys horror.

There is then a fast montage with different shots of her trying to escape. In the background there is a loud beat with the rhythm of a heart beating. This emphasises the fear felt by the girl as the audience will imagine that this is her own heart beating. The loud beating of a heart will leave the audience on the edge of their seat as a heart beat only increases when you are psychically strained or extremely anxious. As she is probably experiencing both the audience wait anxiously to find out why she feels this way and make them feel sympathetic towards her. This creates sympathy towards her and the audience wait in anticipation to see what is making her so nervous and compel her to overcome it, making the whole experience a little more personal and therefore more thrilling.

As the antagonist is approaching to stop the final girl’s escape a noise that sounds similar to radio noise is heard before everything cuts of and foes deadly silent. Silence is the most sinister type of sound an audience could hear because they start listening more intently to hear anything unusual as if somewhere is too quiet it gives a sense that something is wrong. A silence like this is usually followed by a stab of sound that will make the audience jump. In this trailer they do not stray from using this technique because as the antagonist appears on screen there is a loud stab of sound. It then cuts to black very sharply so the audience do not see the outcome of the antagonist and final girl meeting leaving them in suspense.

The production logos are then shown after another cut to black. They are both shown very quickly with sharp, rigid camera movements leaving the audience feeling uneasy as this is something they are not used to. These logos are usually not shown in this way showing that normality has been tainted. Along with this there is a sound of tape being rewound. The audience then sees the fast montage they have just witnessed being rewound which is not unlike watching a security tape making the audience feel like this has already happened and they are only watching evidence of it. It also means they feel sorry for the girl because once again they see her panicking and trying to escape. There is then a shot of the strap line which says ‘ before you experience the fear’ explaining the use of the footage being rewound as the trailer implies that the audience are not allowed to see what happens next until the trailer explains something else. The font of the text looks very distorted and almost hard to read as some of the letters are not even illegible while others are covered by dark shadows. This gives connotations of something not being right. Maybe implying that whatever has written this is not strictly sane or human leaving the audience in even more suspense as to what or who the antagonist is. The background of the tagline also shows a normal wall-papered wall. However the wall-paper is peeling away and it looks very aged and dirty. This gives the impression that no one has set foot in the house or has been maintaining implying that there is a reason not to enter this house. There is also a hand print in what appears to be blood obviously hinting at the suffering of the final girl as she tries to escape. This shows signs of desperation and fear and also that she has been injured in some way.

The shot of the ticking clock is very effective as it implies that the girl’s time is coming to an end and that if she doesn’t escape soon something bad will happen to her. The ticking also relates to the beating of her heart reinforcing her feelings of fear to the audience. The audience is then brought back to the shot at the beginning to show what the girl was afraid of. This means the audience are slowly piecing together the narrative like a puzzle in their head making them feel more engage with the narrative. However the lighting is soon dark and the protagonists hair is covering her face so she is not clearly shown to the audience. However it is clear to see that she is a young girl. Using a little girl as the antagonist makes the audience feel uneasy as children, especially little girls, are seen to be innocent meaning the audience's idea of what is acceptable is being challenged. Also the fact that the boy in the trailer says 'Promise me you won't tell anyone about Carrie-Anne' shows that whatever she has done is definitely not acceptable as he doesn’t want anyone to know she is there due to the terror, shock or disgust the people around him might feel towards her as I assume she is his sister and he is trying to protect her, leaving a sense of mystery and fear of the unknown. On the other hand he could also be protecting other people from her as the audience already knows she has killed her parents leaving the audience curious as to what else she is capable of. The narrative itself is easy enough to understand meaning the audience has enough information to be interested but still not enough so that they will need to see the movie to receive answers.

Throughout weapons such as knives, hammers and chloroform are seen. This indicates the sub-genre of the movie as in slashers the weapons that are used are everyday objects that can be used to create damage. The fact that they are everyday objects only makes it more realistic for the audience as can now picture this happening to them. This feeling is only emphasised by the fact that it is happening to a normal girl who moves in to what seems like a normal house.  

After the antagonist is shown there is then a fast montage showing the girl suffering and being held captive. She is either tied up in a chair or being dragged down a dusty hall way showing how forceful this antagonist is. It also makes the audience feel like every attempt the girl makes to escape will not be good enough to overcome the antagonist leaving them fearful for her life. Also her frightened question at the beginning of the montage ‘What are you doing?’ shows that she is innocent to such evil and may not have the knowledge or power to overcome it. Again another strap line is shown on the same background showing that she is still trapped in this house. This time it says ‘Before you know the pain’ emphasising that there is something to found out in the use of repetition. Also the strap lines relate to the montages as the montage shown before this strap line was showing the girls pain where as the montage before that was showing the girls fear and the audience was then hit with ‘before you know the fear’. Also by putting ‘the’ in front of pain and fear it makes it seem as this is the greatest source of pain and fear because it not just before you feel pain which is a more generalised term. It implies that these two feelings were invented by the ordeals in this trailer.

The constant screaming in the background leaves the audience scared as screaming is the a well known expression of fear. So they know that terrible things are happening within the narrative. The mother then bangs on the door and it swings open sharply. Using a slight over-the-shoulder shot to concentrate on the boys guilty expression as he denies knowing where the mother’s daughter is only heightens the sense that he and the narrative is hiding something. The close-up of his face while he asks the final girl to keep his sister a secret also shows how badly he wants this to be hidden away.

As the trailer reaches the end we begin to see the equilibrium. However it is tainted by the fact that it keeps cutting away to shots of the past where Carrie-Anne kills her parents. The boy is then heard say ‘I want you to leave them alone’ implying that she terrorises anyone that comes close to the boy or that she has killed more people than her parents and he knows this so pleads his sister to leave the girl he likes alone and safe from her harm. There is then a medium close up shot of the little girl. The lighting in this shot is very dark and almost looks like the darkness is emanating from her giving the impression that she is evil. Her hair also covers her face again in this shot emphasising that she has something to hide. There is also a bolt of lightning heard in the background and a bright light is flashed across the shot making it look like the lights are flickering on and off implying something is not right. Lighting is also a conventionally used within horrors keeping the genre of the film strong in the audiences mind. This is also emphasised in the shot of a dripping tap as this is shown in many horror films to show that something is wrong in the house as taps should not be leaking.

There is a strange distortion to the editing to show the parts that are in the past. The editing being so distorted shows that the girl has had something terrible happen in the past which has possibly made her become a murderer. The lighting is also a lot brighter signifying times of happiness and normality, before it was all tainted. The little girl’s laugh also seems distorted, like it is coming from a ghost possibly implying that this happy little girl doesn’t exist anymore giving the audience a clue as to why she is creating such terror.

There is then the first shot of the house. The camera is slightly tilted upwards so that the audience are looking up at it giving it a sense of dominance and therefore making the audience fear it. There is then a montage of normal objects such as a snow globe. But they all look tainted with the red and blue hue washed over them, along with the light from lighting flash over them. They are also not very clear leaving the audience struggling to see them and also hinting again that they need to be hidden away.

The sting at the end shows the little girls expression of anger and hatred as she charges towards her parents who the audience previously saw in close-up shots to show their fear of the daughter. The door is flung wide open with such force that it will scare the audience and then to see the little girl running towards her parents and knowing that they will be killed leaves the audience feeling helpless, not unlike the final girl creating a sense of empathy.

The strap lines, editing and speech all clearly imply that the little girl has something to hide and that everyone should fear her, including the audience as they are invited to feel ‘the fear’ and ‘the pain’.