Lighting in Horror films

Low key Lighting

A form of lighting that is most commonly used in horror films for the effects it creates. The shadows created by the lighting follow the conventions of a horror film by distorting the subject on camera making them unfamiliar to the human eye, working with people’s fear of the unknown. It can also be used to create suspense if the audience sees the shadow before they see the physical body of the antagonist. It is possible to make the antagonist seem larger or smaller depending on the distance of the subject from the light and the intensity of the light. Lighting has the ability to control the atmosphere and how much the surroundings and subjects are revealed.

•  Light is used to create shadows and an eerie tone.

•              The use of three point lighting is present (key light, fill light, back light) 

•             Since the shadows are more noticeable when using low key lighting, the light will need to be  accurately placed every time the subject moves in order to be continuous if the type of shot is  changed. When using low key lighting on a shoot it can be a lot more time consuming. 

•            Most commonly used in the horror genre.

•             Lights are either set at eye level with the subject or low to the ground.
• 
  
•      Shadows are created by the use of reflectors 

The use of reflectors with lighting

Different reflectors

Gold: Produces a warm, yellowy glow. It is best avoided with studio lights since they are commonly balanced natural daylight and this creates a mixture of lighting.

Silver: Reflects a large amount of light. They are beneficial to use at a good distance if working on a set in doors or a studio or else the effect of the light is too harsh. You can use silver foil if on a low budget.

White: helps to balance the light and raise shadows. It creates a neutral, softer light if used in a studio. You can use a large piece of white card or a large white foam board if you have the money.

How backgrounds absorb light

A black background absorbs a great deal of light, since the light aimed at it doesn’t bounce back but depending on the intensity of the light it is still possible for a shadow to be cast.

A white background casts a clear shadow of the subject in front of the camera and sometimes the person in charge of the lighting. 

   Reflectors:

Audience Profile

Demographics

Gender: Male

Age: 19

ABC: E

Religious: Atheist

Education: university

Occupation: part-time job at Sainsbury’s

Marital status: not married 

Income: £5.13

Nationality: British

Psycho graphics

He is an explorer. He is pessimistic but hard working, sometimes sociable but doesn't depend on others to make him happy and can go for long periods of time without seeing his friends. He also enjoys playing video games which require a lot of time and dedication. It is a rare occurrence for him to go to the cinema with friend and is usually only when it is one of their birthdays. He only spends the amount he sets aside for himself for leisure purposes and if he can’t afford a product he really wants he will save his money up until he can purchase, as he does not want to be in debt.  He accepts everyone of all race and religion and listen s to music from a range of genres, from the 1940’s to now. He is passionate about fitness and exercise although sometimes eats fast food when he is too lazy to cook. He usually only watches football and formula 1 racing with his family on special occasions but is not particularly interested in sport, although he did play for a team when he was younger. 

Likes: Going to the gym, watching old films and TV shows, eating unconventional foods, fast cars and playing the video games.

Dislikes: Bad drivers, narcissistic people, taking drugs, chocolate éclairs, and politicians.    

Preliminary Task

We were set the preliminary task to see if we understood the different shot types and editing techniques and if we could implement three of them into a short impromptu film. One of these techniques was the 180 degree rule, which means the camera must not go past the 180 degree area in front of the camera, containing the two subjects causing a focused attention on them and avoiding confusion within the audience. It also leaves it up to the audiences imagination to decide what is behind the camera. For instance, it could be another wall or window. Another shot we had to apply was the shot/reverse shot, which we used during the conversation between the two subjects have from 24 seconds to 46 seconds.Lastly, we needed to prove that we could use a match on action shot and we did this through editing by taking multiple shots of the same scene and using them to show different views of the scene. The editing makes the short film appear more fluid and intriguing for the audience. The match on action shot was applied throughout the sequence and can be clearly seen from 54 to 59 seconds, when we see the subject walk out of the door, then continue this action from the outside of the room. All the members of my group took part in the editing process, and the making of the film, with me and Sam Warren filming and James Lawley and James Scott staring in it. A major problem we faced when filming was that the tripod we were using was broken, causing the camera to be unstable, shaking making it hard for it to focus on the subjects, and so we countered this by holing it as steady as we could with the help of chairs to get the heightened shots. Another problem related to the broken tripod was the lighting. In a few of the over the shoulder shots the lighting changes in the background behind the subjects and we thinks this was caused by the angle the camera was at when facing the subject, which could have been remedied if we had good quality equipment. Finally, we had a problem with video data of one of the scene being lost and so the film appears to be a lot shorter than it should be. Also, we lost the good shot of the handshake and so we cut two different failed attempts together, but the cut is still visible in the final product and the shot could not be taken again as we were filming under timed conditions. After filming this task ,we as a group feel confident that we know how to film a range of important shots and know now to check the equipment thoroughly before it is used to film. We are also now able to film freely in a longer time frame and so we can go back and film shots if they are not up to a good enough standard.      

Title Sequence Focus Group Questionnaire

The reason we distributed surveys was to gather feedback on our title sequence idea, with members of our target audience to see if it fit into the conventions of horror and if it was too boring or unoriginal. If any of the participants of the survey we distributed had constructive criticism to give we would respond accordingly by making any changes we felt necessary to benefit the making of the title sequence and how well the message was conveyed to the audience. 

The general consensus from the feedback we received was that the idea was good and somewhat original, however the antagonist is similar to that of the villain in the Scream movie franchise, and so we will go to great lengths to make sure our audience can differentiate our antagonist to that of one in another horror film. We will do this by creating our own customized costume and props.  

Types of characters portrayed in Horror films 

·         The protagonist, usually playing the hero or victim in the film. The role is often played by a female and is the most morally standing and intuitive individual in the group. They are almost always the survivor, leaving the film open for a sequel.

·         Weird/odd children. They are commonly from a wealthy, upper middle class background

·         The good or bad cop commonly played by a male who acts strangely.

·         The arrogant teenager who doesn’t believe in the supernatural antagonist or that the antagonist is still trying to kill them.

·         The villain. A monster, alien, serial killer, zombies, werewolf and psychopathic individual. It is not always clear why they are doing what they are, and it is never clear whether or not they are dead at the end of the film.

·         The sex appeal. The role is often played by a promiscuous, uninhibited woman. Usually the first to die in a shameful way, without dignity.

·         The token minority in the group who is often portrayed as the bravest and most concerned about the other peoples well-being. He/she is usually the muscle of the group and ends up dying first trying to protect other victims. This role is played by an African American, Hispanic or Asian actor.

·         The unlikely hero. This is most commonly the person who is suspected to be the antagonist due to their mysterious behaviour or the way they dress. They often save the main protagonist. Played by a Caucasian male or female.  

·         The infuriating character. The role can be partnered with the sex appeal and is usually with the other person when they die. Due to this characters behaviour it is often a relief for the audience when they die.  Commonly played be a Lower middle class male, who has a criminal history.    

The final Girl Theory

This is a concept present in horror films that specifically refers to the female or last woman alive to confront the killer or face her fears head on and then live to tell her story. The final girl in many typical horror film plots share similar characteristics in that, she is typically sexually unavailable or a virgin, given a unisex name like Sydney, Billie or Georgie. Sometimes the final girl has a history with the killer, like an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend or a family relative e.g. half or step brother/sister trying to seek revenge for how they have been wronged.

Vladimir Propp’s character theory

•          The villain – fights the protagonist in some way.
•          The hero or victim/seeker hero – reacts to the donor and weds the princess or goes after the prize.
•          The dispatcher – the character who makes the antagonists evil plans/motives known and send the hero off on a quest.
•          The helper – helps the hero on their quest for the princess or prize.
•          The False hero – the character who takes credit for the hero’s feats or actions and tries to steal the prize.
•          The Donor – gives the hero something to help him on his journey. It doesn't have to be physical like a weapon it can be a piece of advice.
•          The heroine – commonly a passive, helpless, vulnerable character threatened by the antagonist and in need of help from the hero.  

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My Title Sequence Idea

Ø  Protagonist – male adolescent

Ø  Antagonist – mysterious hooded man

Ø  It’s a dark & gloomy afternoon in winter, around 5:00-6:00pm

Ø  The teenage boy has a long walk home from somewhere, when he notices an elusive, hooded, mysterious character.

Ø  He notices the shadowy figure infrequently in random places on his journey, like the man is following him. He notices him 4 times once walking past him, getting off the bus, buying something in a shop and finally blocking is path at the end of a narrow passage.

Ø  The dark figure charges towards the protagonist and when the boy turns around he sees another hooded man.

Ø  He climbs over a wall to escape the strangers, peculiar behavior and keeps running when he realizes another man following him, jogging with great strides and pace, when he turns a corner running, panting and sweating profusely, when he turns his head a realizes it isn't 2 men chasing him but 4.

Ø  They run at him, he trips and as he hits the ground it fades to black. 

After each member of our group presented their own horror film idea, we discussed aspects that we liked from each one and then formed a new plot narrative containing these aspects. Quite a lot of my idea is present in the plot we came up with. For example, the cloaked antagonist, the teenage boy and the urban setting were my idea, as well as, Sam Warren's. 

However, we came to the conclusion that we needed a third character to play the part of the main characters friend and the number of antagonists has been reduced to one, due to lack of human resources available.  

Introduction

There are four members in my group: Sam, James, James and me, Christian. No one in my group has studied Media before and so we are all new to the process of film making.

In a group we discussed the many different film genres and each of our own, individual preferences. I favour the horror genre as there are very few restraints as to what you can include in a horror film, which means our ideas are not as limited as say another genre like action. However, there are certain conventions you have to follow such as: the setting; the technical codes; the iconography; the narrative structure and character types.

Conveniently, the other members of my group were not completely against the horror genre, even though it would not have been their first choice, we all have an interest in the history of the horror genre and so compromising wasn’t a problem.

We decided upon the horror genre and so I began my individual research into significant areas of the genre, in order to help me and my group prepare for when it comes time to film our title sequence. I produced a power point presentation including all the relevant information. Here it is: From the research I have done on the horror genre I have determined that there are many different sub – genres of horror such as: action – horror; comedy – horror; science fiction – horror and psychological – horror to name a few. This gives us a variety of options when we come up with our ideas for an entire film and opening sequence. Another realisation I had whilst doing the research was that we are going to have to follow the majority of the conventions like the final girl theory and Vladimir Propp’s character theory as well as trying to prevent our opening sequence from becoming to generic and unoriginal.

The next step for my group is for each of us to come up with our individual ideas for the films narrative. In order to help me come up with an idea for a good, distinctive narrative I watched these films:

• Sinister
• The conjuring
• Annabelle
• Scream 1,2 and 3
• Paranormal activity 1
• Shaun of the dead
• Childs play
• SAW 1
• Alien
• The Blair Witch Project
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Halloween
• Friday the 13th

 I made a mind map of all the different types of characters and here is an image of it:

Horror Genre PowerPoint presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/chrisgeorge1998/horror-chris-george-media-powerpoint-41146908