Filming Evaluation: Day four, 21st January

Day four of filming (re-film):

Due to the bad field conditions the first time that we filmed, we were unable to get a shot of Kelsey falling over for the scene. So, we used this day after school to quickly get back up to the field and re-film.
 

This was risky as we didn't know when it would get dark and we wouldn't know if it matched the colouring and lighting to the previous shots in the field, however it had started to get slightly lighter at night so the shot matched and we were able to get it on time. It only took a few minutes to film because it was just one shot we needed, however we decided to include match-on-action into the fall so it was easier to separate the shots for Kelsey to fall on the muddy ground.

 

To ensure that refilming would not be needed, next time we could go over the precise shots in detail so when filming came around we knew exactly what to do. This would include taking more measures into researching weather if outside, and bringing more equipment that could help (for example, Kelsey falling onto a towel that wouldn't be in the shot so it could have been made easier for her).

Props evaluation

Before we made the opening scene we did many tests for different props that we could use, which ones looked the most effective and would be easiest to make quickly when we started filming.
 

At the killer's 'workbench', we had two or three of the knives that I created in my first prop creation experiments. That was when I tested fake blood on different hammers and knives. All three of them looked effective and could be used for different purposes. For example, the small serrated knife was placed next to Lucy, so that 1. it looked like it was used for the cut on her stomach, and 2. it was the best to cut rope with. The other knives were spattered with fake blood and placed on the bench for more effect.

The main weapon was the hammer. This was the most effective looking weapon for our horror film because its wooden handle and rusting metal end looked like a real weapon, and when blood was put on it, it blended nicely with the rust to look like dried blood (therefore used more).
 

Other props we used included the hanging body bag which was great because not only was it very graphic, but it was very easy to make and to hang. Kelsey walks into it at one point to emphasise that it's there and that it's a killer's lair, and she also hides behind it, so it served well for a few purposes. Another prop was the heart in the jar. Although it isn't seen very much, it's still gory and graphic enough to show the genre of the film.
 

Overall I think that we were successful with the props we used and created as they served many purposes in the scene, and made it look as much like a horror film as possible.

Deconstruction of The Witch (2015)

The Witch Deconstruction

The Witch is a 2015 supernatural horror, written and directed by Robert Eggers for A24 production company and is set in a 1630s England with the idea of witchcraft and curses following a family about.

The scene opens to shrill music, with a fade on to a forest. The non-diegetic string shrill music gives an eerie impression that there is something lurking within the woods and straight away sends the audience into a fearful situation as the music builds tension. 

The location in which we can see from this shot is a dark forest, fitting in with the idea of typical horror films being set in isolated locations. The forest looks dark as we can't see much of it only adding to the suspense and mystery as we are hidden from it. 

An important part of any opening scene is to establish the location, in the witch, within the second shot we are given an insight into what time period and culture the movie is set by using mis-en-scene such as horses and carriage, dirty clothing, and swords. Whilst this is not linked to the genre of the film it is important for any film to show the audience the setting in which they are in. 

The family kneel before the sky praying, diegetically saying 'Kingdom of the god' to the sky. This gives it a religious connotation which is found especially in supernatural films due to spiritual 'antagonists' usually found in them. This is added with the typography of the title, as well as the name 'The witch' which shows what genre it is part of straight away (supernatural horror) but still doesn't reveal to much about the plot. The typography including a serif font which is flickering giving a ghost impression and follows the idea of spiritual antagonists that could be used for possession.

It is often found in supernatural horrors that the victim of the story is the innocent one. In this close up shot we see a baby laughing. The baby symbolizing innocence to life and is unaware of the dangers. In the next shot the baby disappears as if a higher force is causing the baby to disappear. This builds on the mystery but also fits in with the typical conventions of supernatural horrors

I liked the creative use of the production company logo which has been edited to have branches going across it to make it look more darker and creepy to fit in with the plot and genre of the story. In our own opening sequence it would be interesting to explore the idea of using a production company suited to the genre of our film.

Film typography comparison

I decided to compare our opening scene typography to those of many famous horror films. We got inspiration from various films and used fonts that not just conformed to the genre but also suited the situation of our scene.
 

One of the most famous horror films, Saw, used very simple writing in promotional posters however used different writing in the actual opening scene. On posters, it is bold, sans serif red writing which is very simplistic. In the opening scene, it is a thin blue serif font that is wavy to reflect the water in the opening scene. This made it harder for us to choose which ones to use for credits and which ones for the main title. 



 

Another example, Se7en, uses the same font for the credits as it does for the promotional poster. This is effective because it is based around a handwritten, shaky effect and is white. The other text on the screen is serif which is good as it shows the religious theme of the seven deadly sins.

 

In comparison, our typography and titles are loosely based around both of these. For the main title, our font is large, sans serif and the colours are red, black and white. The credits that show throughout are a font with 'spraypaint' in the title. We thought this was perfect because it looked spattered like blood, however we did it white because it suited the colouring more and stood out. It also didn't emphasise blood which suggested the fact that it's a psychological horror as well as slasher.
 

I think we did well with typography and choosing fonts because they seemed to be well suited to the scene and the feedback we received about the typography was all positive as everyone liked the font.

Lighting deconstruction: Scream

Scream was released in 2006 and is a slasher horror directed by Wes Craven.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgKukhIw5eY

 

Lighting is important in making a film more effective and suited to its genre. In the opening scene of Scream, the lighting starts off bright in a large house. This gives the sense of safety and warmth so that the events that are to come are emphasised as more sinister and establish the genre.

 

As the scene continues and the character talks of the phone, we hear the killer say the first thing that is sinister and begins the anticipation for something scary - he asks for her name and when she asks why, he says 'so I know who I'm looking at'. Suddenly she turns the light on outside to see if she can see him, then turns it off and locks the door. While going around the house and locking everything quickly, she turns off lights so that the hue is no longer warm and comforting, but grey and cold. These colours intensify the sudden creepiness of the killer, who we can't see anyway, and take away the safeness to show the vulnerability of the character.

By the end of the scene, more lights are off and it is even darker, turning blue. Again this highlights the vulnerability and creates suspense because darkness is a main convention of the horror genre, building it up for many scares.

This ultimately shows how effective lighting is in making a film suited to its genre, because we are able to pick up the hints towards what might happen to the characters by the atmosphere and mood changing. We can take this into account when editing so darker colouring is used.

Peer feedback improvements

After showing our opening scene to people outside the class, a point that we had to improve upon was the placement of the credits.
 

When editing to start with, we thought it would be creative to fit the names into the shot by placing them on objects and parallel to straight objects you could see in the picture - for example, 'Kelsey Parker' lies parallel to the edge of the crate that Lucy, the dead body, is lying on.
 

Feedback we got for this was that although it was creative and worked well, some of the text was too slanted in order to fit the picture. There is a part of the clip where the name 'Kelly Wilson' comes up as the role of the costume creating, when as the killer I'm chasing Kelsey in the field. It lies in the direction of the path on the screen, and looks too slanted compared to the minor slants that the rest of the credits were at in order to fit in well. Therefore it looks out of place and makes the part messier and less professional.
 

There were a few more credits that were the same which we also changed, but this one was the most tilted. I went back to Final Cut Pro and clicked the text, choosing a more suitable place on the screen for it to go where it could still be tilted to fit in somewhere. I chose the grass next to the path as there was no real parallel line to fit it with so it went anywhere in there. Once moved into the grass, I changed the slant down from 45 degrees with the slider, so it looked a lot better.
 

This was definitely needed feedback as it suited the credits of the opening scene better, making it look more polished and efficient.

Mise-en-Scene of Hannibal (TV Series)

Please note that the following content may disturb or sicken others due to the violence of the scenes:

The TV show Hannibal, based off of the events of Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal is a TV show that ended, but was on Sky Atlantic and stared Mads McKenzie as Hannibal Lecter, and had beautiful visuals, beautiful, yet haunting with how disturbing the scenes were. What can you expect about a show about psychopaths and sociopath killers, and one being a cannibal? The TV show had great mise-en-scene and below I have chosen three of the best ones to choose from. The scenes are both horrific, and horrifically beautiful, and Will Graham is a detective who has to analyse the scene to find out how they died, and who did it, and it is pure genius in how the crew set up the mise-en-scene of the scene so that the characters do not miss anything, which means we do not miss anything too. We deconstruct the scene as the character Will does, and we cannot help but see how gorgeous yet disgusting and unsettling the visuals are with their artistic ways. 

The first scene that I have chosen to deconstruct is the killer who creates "angels" as his victims. Already you can see what I meant by horrifying yet beautiful, how they are posed and how the scenes are done. They are chilling, yet to the killer it is art. In the scene you can see the effort put into it by the team who build the scenes, how the back is opened up and held up like angel wings with the skin and muscle of their back, propped with strings, and their hands tied together to look as if they are praying, and this scene shows the great mise-en-scene that keeps us focused on the scene, and is great for films because it is something that you will not forget for a while.

 The next seen has great mise-en-scene with even more disturbing scenes of the human totem pole, which is made up of many naked and mutilated corpses, held together with string and wire and each body positioned on top of one another to create this totem pole of dead bodies.

This one, probably the most disturbing for the fact that this man had a cello forced down his throat, and a man used his vocal cords to play the cello on a theater stage. You can see his skin, open wind pipe and the muscle under neath the skin, serious detail to the remarkable art which is practical effects.

The detail of the scenes which go into the series of 'Hannibal' is wonderful, and something our group should be inspired to do to make sure there is always something in the frame that the audience can pause and notice and try to think of what it is in the scene, and what importance it does play.