Audience profile: Males aged 16-24

The target audience for our horror clip is males in the 16-24 age bracket. Here I will post a few mood boards illustrating certain elements of this audience group.

What they watch: males aged 16-24 are likely to watch programmes such as The Big Bang Theory, The Inbetweeners, The Cleveland Show, Scrubs, Family Guy and The Simpsons, but most especially, football.

What they read: they are likely to read FHM, Q magazine, Play magazine and Nintendo magazine.

What they play: they are likely to play video games such as Assasin's Creed, Call of Duty, Bioshock, Grand Theft Auto and Super Mario Galaxy.

What they wear: males of this age are likely to wear Converse trainers, t-shirts, hoodies, jeans, hair gel, perfume/aftershave and earings, from brands such as Jack Wills and Lacoste.

What they eat: finally, this audience is likely to consume drinks such as WKD and Pepsi, and food such as pizza, chicken nuggets, crisps and chocolate.

Here is another mood board for males aged 16-24. It contains clippings and images from magazines and newspapers which represent the main aspects of this audience group's lifestyle.

Font ideas

Here are a few ideas concerning the fonts we want to use for our opening titles.

"You Murderer", "My Scars" and "Chiller" are good fonts for our opening titles as they contain dripping or smudged liquid which can be assumed as blood, a good feature as blood is heavily related to the horror genre. As our clip is called Slaughter School, these bloody fonts also compliment the murderous and overly bloody nature of this title.
 

"Letter Gothic" and "X Files" are other good fonts, as despite their lack of horror convention, the typewriter style they have creates a school-like feel, complimenting the location of our clip and also hinting that there is going to be a darker side to education in this film. 

 

The font “Jellyka - le Grand Saut” also portrays a school-like but at the same time creepy feel, as its handwritten qualities relate it to work and lessons, but at the same time create a personal feel that is a little unnerving (as it could be the murderer's handwriting).

Props and costumes

Here are the props and costumes we are going to use in our horror clip, Slaughter School.

Props:
Watch - for when the main character checks the time and realises how late it is.
Fake blood - we plan to write a bloody message on the whiteboard in the media classroom.
Hammer - the killer will be carrying a weapon, in order to kill the victim.
School bag - our victim will not carry this bag, but it will be on the floor next to her as she sleeps (at the very beginning), to reinforce that she is in an educational location.

Costumes:
Killer – our killer will wear dark clothing, consisting of trousers, a hooded jacket (in which the hood will be up) and most importantly, a scary mask that conceals their identity. We have not yet decided on the nature of this mask, as it depends what is available to purchase, but we have come up with a few ideas of what it should look like.

Victim – our victim will wear leggings and a dress, as she has just spent the day at college, a place where most people are able to wear their own clothes, which are usually of a casual and everyday style.

Script

Our horror clip will not contain a great deal of dialogue, as our main character is alone with no one to converse with, and the killer will not speak in order to raise tension and create a sense of mystery. We also feel as if sounds and actions are far more important when conveying tension and fear in our clip. So, with regards to this, our script is very short and goes something like this:

As the main character hears a mysterious noise: "Hello? . . . Hello?!"


We may alter this in the future, but as our clip revolves around the strange feeling of being alone, we felt that having a restricted script would compliment this and add to the isolated feeling the main character is experiencing.

Weapon

We have decided to use a hammer as the weapon in our horror movie. We cannot bring a knife into school as it is too dangerous, but at the same time we don't want to use something like a rope as we feel it doesn't look threatening enough. So, we've decided on a hammer as it does have scary qualities (such as the spikes on the end) but it is safe to bring to school as it predominantly blunt.

Results of Questionnaire

Here are the results of my questionnaire:        

1. Out of fifteen people, nine were males and six were females
2. Two people were in the Under 16 category, there were ten people in the 16-24 category, none in 25-34, two in 35-60, and one in 60 Plus.

So, from now on, I will talk in terms of gender and age . . .

3. Out of fifteen participants, no one visits the cinema once a week, eleven people visit the cinema once a month (six males and five females/two under 16, eight 16-24 and one 35-60), three people visit the cinema once a year (two males and one female/two 16-24 and one 35-60) and one person does not visit the cinema at all (one male/60 plus).
4. Out of fifteen people, eight enjoy horror films (six males and two females/one under 16, seven 16-24 and one 35-60) and seven do not (three males and four females/one under 16, three 16-24, one 35-60 and one 60 plus). 
5. Here are the reasons why these people enjoy horror films: "I enjoy being scared", "They are unexpected", "They are very exciting", "You get to experience a variety of emotions when you watch a horror film", "Horror films create an atmosphere quite unlike anything any other genre creates", "I think horror movies are far more interesting compared to other films" and "I like the blood and gore". 
6. Here are the genres preferred by those who do not enjoy horror films: four people prefer comedy, two people prefer action and one person prefers romance.
7. Here are the favourite horror films of those who enjoy this genre: one person likes The Silence of the Lambs, one person enjoys the Exorcist, one person likes 28 Days Later, two participants think The Ring is the best horror film out there and three people say The Grudge is their favourite horror movie.
8. Out of fifteen participants, six enjoy going out with friends (two males and four females/one under 16 and five 16-24), one person likes going to parties (one male/16-24), three people enjoy watching films (two males and one female/one under 16, one 35-60 and one 60 plus), three people like playing video games (three males/16-24), no one likes listening to music, one person enjoys sport (one male/16-24) and one person likes doing hobbies (one female/35-60).
9. Five people like Pop (five females/four 16-24 and one 35-60), one person likes Hip-Hop (one male/under 16), no one likes R&B, seven people enjoy Rock music (six males and one female/one under 16, five 16-24 and one 35-60), one person likes the genre of Metal (one male/16-24), no one enjoys Country music, one person likes Classical music (one male/60 plus) and no one had any other preference.
10. Two people thought an isolated house would be the best location for a horror movie (two females/one 16-24 and one 35-60), six people thought that a school would be best (four males and two females/two under 16 and four 16-24), three people thought the woods (two males and one female/two 16-24 and one 60 plus), nobody thought a suburban area would be a good idea, nobody liked the beach/ocean either, two people thought a castle (one male and one female/all 16-24), one person voted for the cemetery (one male/16-24) and one person liked the idea of a hotel (one male/35-60). 

So, judging from the results of this questionnaire, my group and I can now see that males aged 16-24 are our target audience.

Questionnaire

Today I created a questionnaire based around horror films in order to get an idea of our target audience and to also conjure up possible extra ideas for our horror clip. When I receive all of the results from this questionnaire, I will post them on my blog. The questionnaire is as followed (I asked participants to circle their answer and to write on the line when required):

Are you a male or a female?  Male   Female
How old are you?  Under 16   16-24    25-34    35-60   60 plus
How often do you go to the cinema (roughly)?  Once a week   Once a month   Once a year    I don’t go to the cinema
Do you enjoy horror films?   Yes    No
If yes, why?
If no, what genre do you prefer?
Again, if yes, what is your favourite horror film?
What do you most enjoy doing in your spare time?  Going out with friends    Going to parties   Watching films    Playing video games   Listening to music    Sports   Hobbies
What is your favourite genre of music?  Pop   Hip Hop   R&B   Rock   Metal   Country   Classical   Other
What would you say is the best location for a horror film?  Isolated house  School   Woods   Suburban area   Beach/Ocean   Castle  Cemetery   Hotel

Finished Preliminary task

Here is our finished Preliminary task. We wanted a concept that would be easy to film in school (as this is the location it had to be filmed in), so we chose to write some dialogue based around a book a couple of us are studying at the moment, as this could be shot easily in the college library. We managed to include match on action, the 180 degree rule, and shot-reverse-shot in this clip.


Match on action can be seen at 00:12, when Georgina sits down on the chair. The 180 degree rule is used throughout the clip, as when Georgina and Courtney are sitting at the table, the camera never crosses the imaginary axis. Finally, shot-reverse-shot can be seen at 00:17, when the lines of dialogue are exchanged.

Paranormal Activity Analysis

This film is called Paranormal Activity. It was directed by Oren Peli, who has also directed the sequel to this film, Paranormal activity 2 and plans to direct the upcoming third Paranormal Activity film. It was released on the 25^th September 2009 and stars Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat. These are not particularly well-known actors, but this adds to the feeling of realism that the film strives to achieve, as we do not relate them to the celebrity lifestyle (seeing as we are not used to seeing them) and therefore are able to imagine them in a situation that we ourselves could encounter. There are many horror genre conventions in the film, such as darkness, ghostly happenings, innocent victims and an isolated location. The main elements of the film that create fear and suspense are the ghostly happenings, which occur repeatedly throughout the film, but there are also elements such as Katie’s strange behaviour in the bedroom and the instance when Katie and Micah are dragged/thrown about by the demon that create tension and fright. There were no strikingly bad moments in the film, but one element that quickly became repetitive and boring was the ghostly happenings, which occur so many times that it is easy to get used to them. Overall, I feel this is a decent attempt at a horror movie, as the realistic elements in the film create an atmosphere in which you believe the events shown in this film could actually happen to you. However, the repetitive scares and cliqued ghostly happenings drag this film down and stop it from being different or unique.

Additional idea for Horror clip

Our media teacher suggested that in order to make our horror clip new and inventive, we should attempt to add in a twist or subvert the genre in some way. Initially (see Initial idea for Horror clip), the student trapped in the college would have no way to escape due to every door being locked, but now we have come up with the idea that one door should be open. The frantic student thinks he/she has found a sure escape route, but this is actually a careful trap that has been set up by the killer as he/she is aware that the pupil will make a run for it, and they will then have the means the catch them. It's a simple idea, but adds something new to the idea of a student simply being chased around one place and will also confuse the viewer.

Example of a Horror movie opening

Here is a key example of a horror movie opening. It comes from the iconic if slightly tongue-in-cheek classic, Scream, and contains some of the most important conventions of a horror film, such as darkness, an innocent victim, a killer, and murder. I find the hide-and-seek chase scene in this clip particularly inspiring, as it is incredibly simple but brilliant at building tension for the final scare, which is why my group and I discussed the idea of having a chase scene in our own horror clip (see Initial idea for Horror clip). 

Uses and Gratifications theory

The Uses and Gratifications theory: a theory explaining the many reasons why an audience will consume a media product and how they will use it.

Surveillance

• finding out about relevant events
• seeking advice
• satisfying curiosity and general interest
• learning and education

Social Interaction

• gaining insight into the circumstances of others
• identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging
• finding a basis for conversation and social interaction
• having a substitute for real-life companionship
• enabling one to connect with friends and family

Diversion

• escapism
• relaxation
• cultural or aesthetic enjoyment
• filling time
• emotional release

Personal Identity

• finding reinforcement for personal values
• identifying with valued other (in the media)
• gaining insight into one’s self

Preliminary task

We have also been asked to do a preliminary task in order to test our knowledge of camera movement and angles. We have been asked to film a person walking across a room who then sits down at a table with another person and exchanges a few lines of dialogue. In this short sequence, we must remember to contain the 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot and match on action.


180 Degree Rule: a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it causes disorientation for the audience. If the camera man wishes to cross the axis, this movement must be clearly shown instead of simply cutting to the other side. 

Shot reverse shot: a technique where one character is shown looking at another character and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.

Match on action: a cut between two shots of the same action from different positions, giving the impression of seamless continuity.

Codes and conventions of Horror

Here are some various codes and conventions of the horror genre. We need to include a good amount of these in our practical work!

• Blood/guts
• Paranoia
• Ghosts
• Weapons
• Death
• Murderers
• Scary, isolated locations (old house, wood)
• Innocent main characters
• Evil
• Monsters
• Darkness
• Storms
• Chase sequences
• Violence
• Screams
• Gore

Initial idea for Horror clip

Today we formed our groups for this media project and began to discuss ideas for the horror clip. This is our initial idea:

Slaughter School

Plot: A student is locked in school/college after they fall asleep in the common room and miss their home time. However, the pupil is quick to realise that he/she is not alone. A killer is in fact loose in the college and the isolated student must desperately fight to stay alive as there is no way out (every door has been locked). As the student attempts to stay breathing, a chase scene with the killer ensues around the college and the student uses various places in the college to hide. The next morning, fellow pupils find the unfortunate victim dead in a store closet via a trail of blood/clothes/etc.

Characters: a mysterious killer with a mask (it is unclear how he/she came to be in the college), an isolated student (around the age of 16-18) who must escape the killer but unfortunately fails and the fellow students who arrive the next morning to find a messy college and the dead body.

Location: our college. This will be a cheap and easily accessible location for us to film in, and also ties in well with the plotline of the film. The many bookshelves and different areas will make for good hiding places.

Possible sounds: a school bell during the opening titles (a horrible, sharp sounding bell to disorientate the audience), creaking doors, a clock and heartbeats. 

Why has the representation of vampires changed?

Once upon a time, the stereotypical vampire consisted of a dark and mysterious figure with fangs, evidently different from normal humans (due to the way they would dress, the way they would act) and intent on sucking the blood of mortals (Dracula and Nosferatu). Nowadays, this idea has changed drastically and when we think of vampires, we expect to see an attractive, sophisticated and seductive character, who, despite having the traits of fangs and blood sucking, appears to be exactly the same as an everyday person (Edward Cullen and Stephan Salvatore).

I feel that vampires have changed in such a big way due to the idea of sucking blood. A while ago, this would have been seen as highly threatening and scary, but in today’s society, with its heavily sexualised ways, this act is seen as sexual and appealing. So, due to this change, it is no longer possible to have a deformed and ugly character sucking blood from necks, as instead a far more attractive character is required to satisfy the audience. Audiences also get bored incredibly quickly, so therefore I feel the idea of a scary and hideous vampire rapidly became old, and a more exciting, interesting and different formula was needed in order to draw audiences in. Another possible theory is due to society’s increasing fear of normal people (it is now possible for your average, next door type character to be a murderer), vampire films/programmes feel the need to incorporate the theory that nobody is truly who you think they are.

AS Media project: Horror film opening

For my AS Media project I have been asked to produce the opening sequence of a film in the horror genre. On this blog I will be posting videos, photos and other various things to show the steps I have taken in making this clip.