my assigned roles

the two roles which i was assigned with during the production process is, researcher and director. for my role as a researcher, i was able to research a number of different films based on our concept for our own movie opening, which is a favourite of mine, point if view films, i have always enjoyed POV films, after having watched a Blair witch project many years ago, i became fascinated with the idea of having a horror movie made from my point of view on a apparently hand held camera to give it a more real and authentic feel, i found it was an extremely effective technique to fulfill the conventions and brief of a horror movie. i researched 4 of my favourite POV films, the Blair witch project, Cloverfeild, rec and the American remake quarantine, and paranormal activity and looked over all of the different aspects that were used in these films to assist me and our group with the planning of our own film. then by using the information i gathered from my research i will go on to using specific camera angles, techniques and devices to create an effective opening for our own film.

narrative structure of a horror movie - 5 narrative stages

stage 1:

a situation of equilibrium is clear

within our film there is only a short period of equilibrium and this is before the film begins, there is a shot from behind some bushes of the characters in the film walking together and unharmed, although the shot choice being from behind a bush may give a sinister feeling to the film we still feel as though all is well.

stage 2:

disruption to the equilibrium by something negative

there is a disequilibrium within our film, where there is a zoom shot first of all focusing on one body then opening up to see a large number of bodies laying dead in a Field, this is where the equilibrium begins to become disjointed.

stage 3:

an anagnorisis of sorts, trying to resolve the problem

a realisation of the disequilibrium comes when we see the remaining two characters seemingly running away from something, screaming, they seem to be every disturbed.

stage 4:

attempt to fix the disruption, overcoming hurdles in order to do so

an attempt to repair the damage caused by the disequilibrium is during the dream sequence, where the audience is not entirely sure what is going on. the disturbed and frantic screaming crossed with the happy, peaceful dream sequence attempts to repair the damage.

stage 5:

reaching a conclusion, fixing the issue and returning to a new equilibrium.

the damage is not repaired as such, however we reach some sort of a conclusion in the fact that the two remaining characters escape from the maze they were running through, it is a metaphorical device for them escaping and a sense of equilibrium is restored.

conventions of a horror movie

Films within a genre such as horror, action adventure or romance usually apply and share similar codes and conventions. For example, the horror genre will generally make references to death, pain, fear and the dark side that exists within most people’s sub-conscience. Other criteria will include a villain or supernatural force, blood, a chase and a helpless victim. John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’, Wes Craven’s ‘Scream’ and ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, all stick to these traditional conventions of horror films. All three male antagonists are evil personified, wear masks, chase helpless female protagonists, and kill people with carving knives or other similar weapons.

Horror films often involve a complex set of codes and conventions that will give the audience the idea that they are watching a horror film. In most media texts, particularly advertisement posters concerned with films of the genre, many of the codes and conventions displayed within the narrative of the film are portrayed to an effect that will suggest important aspects of the film i.e. lead characters and their alignment (good/evil). This is important in informing the audience of what to expect of the film and give them an idea of the narrative structure or plot, which in itself is very inviting as we want to see why these particular elements and themestool of representation for characters, the monster is often enshrouded in darkness and we rarely see its face in most posters.

A monster or representation of distorted humanity and evil:The monster is mostly a singular entity and is often pictured in the background if at all as if to linger over their victim. The monster often has a trademark tool for killing e.g. a claw, hook or knives that is emphasised in the pictography.

The victims:The victims are often displayed in different colours than the text and monster to show innocence or neutrality. The lead character that is often the sole survivor (another regularly used convention of the horror genre)


Freytag`s dramtic pyramid




Todorov`s theory of narrative

Scream title sequence analysis

the opening to this movie is infamous, the title sequence and the immediate effect it has upon the audience has alot to do with this. the non diegetic sound is heightened very much so at the start of the title sequence, with the first sound we hear being the distant yet deep and gloomy sound of a church bell clanging, then we hear a piercing and horrifying scream of a young girl, a phone ringing and an erratic heart beat and the heightened sound of violently slicing knives. the white scream writing springing down onto the black background, flashing quickly of off the screen and then returning in a red stained colour, creates a very sinister within the titles creating a correct atmosphere for the rest of the film, and displaying the definite possibility of impending doom. the opening sequence is very effective in building up tension and fear within the audience, an affect i would like to convey in my own title sequence.

The Blair witch project title sequence analysis

The title sequence of the Blair witch project is one of great interest to me, it is not conventional of a horror movie, or any movie title sequence, it does not have flashy glamorous writing, big bold pictures or loud attention grabbing music, it is a sort of documentary style, setting the scene for the rest of the film, which is also filmed as thought it were a documentary. it opens with no non-diegetic or digetic sound whatsoever, just a black screen with white writing over the top that reads "the blair witch project", followed by another black screen with white writing, which says, "in October 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville Maryland while shooting a documentary...a year later their footage was found." then the film begins with a blurry POV camera shot, and the filmmakers talking about how tot work it. the bareness of this title sequence, in my opinion is simplicity at its best, an uncomplicated but highly effective title sequence, a concept i would like to attempt to mimic in my own film.

The Blair witch project title sequence

Saw title sequence analysis

the opening to the horror film "saw" in my opinion is an extremely effective one. the titles themselves not being of great length, however there is a very prominent and powerful use of non diegetic sound, with the "liongate film" promo at the start having thunder clashing creates an angry mood and sets the correct atmospheric tone for the film. the next promo company is "twisted pictures" the name alone gives the feeling that the film is to be rather sinister, and "twisted", the diegetic sound accompanying said promo, is the sounds of knives slicing, this gives enhances the fear within the viewer even before the film has begun. the titles themselves are very simple, with just blue writing on a black background, the writing is shaking slightly, gives the feeling, that the pace and action of the film will oscillate vastly throughout, creating an uneasiness. the non diegetic sound is heightened within the titles, there is a rippling, bubbling kind of water sound, with the audience not being able to recognise immediately where the noises are coming from, a sense of mystery is created, setting the scene for the remainder of the film. it then becomes apparent where the noises were coming from with a close up and point of veiw shot on a mans face under water, being slightly illuminated by a small light. and then the film begins.