Sound Research

Having watched many horror films myself, I am aware that in the opening they tend to use foley sounds that match the on screen action. This creates a sense of realism which the audience can refer back to as the plot gets creepier.

Horror films also often use an atmospheric soundtrack in order to create tension. We found a piece of music, called 'Don't Walk Into The Woods', that would fit particularly well when our main character is walking down the isolated lane (see here). However, there were some parts of the music that were not really appropriate to our scene, so Ellie edited these out using the software Garageband. While on Garageband, we also found a piece of music called 'Woods 2' that would work quite well in our opening. It is played on classic electric piano, creating an eerie atmosphere. Ambient sounds would also work well, and I believe this one would be very appropriate for the overall mood of our opening.

For when the character turns around, we want to build suspense and subliminally let our audience know that something bad is about to happen. We will use a soundtrack that intensifies when the events begin to unravel.

Film Opening Storyboard

This is the storyboard for my group's horror film opening. I have included a range of filming and editing techniques that we would like to use.

Film Opening: Plans and Thoughts

Mind Map created by Bailey Welch with ExamTime

Narrative Theories

After researching these 4 narrative theories, I believe our film conforms best to Kubrick's theory. Propp's theory is not applicable to our film as we will not be including the characters he listed, and our plot doesn't include any clear puzzles as in Barthes' theory. While our film does include elements of Levi-Strauss' theory with the juxtaposition of our two main characters, the plot does not focus around this. Kubrick's theory fits our opening best as we will be using various sounds, camera shots, costumes and settings in order to make our film memorable for our anticipated audience.

Story Arc

While researching story arcs, I found this. This story arc is very similar to the narrative of our film if it was to be produced as a full length movie.

Our Film Synopsis

By definition, the synopsis is the outline of  a play, film or book. Because of this, I made sure my synopsis was not too long to ensure it still entices the audience into watching. Here is the synopsis of our film if it was to be made in full. I think it is successful because the ending is very ominous, which makes the audience want to find out more.


Lili seeks revenge after enduring weeks of torment from her peers. Blinded by jealousy, she wrongly attacks Imogen and prevents anybody from finding out - no matter what the cost. 

Key Elements of Film Opening

There is a list of things I must include in my film opening to ensure it conforms to the expectations of the horror genre and our chosen audience.

Expectations of the Horror Genre 

• A good, complex plot
• Dark lighting to create atmosphere
• A villain
• Supernatural powers/entities
• Special effects make-up
• Secluded location
• High angle shots of villain, suggesting dominance

With this in mind, I will aim to use as many of these as possible in my own film opening so that I meet my audience's expectations.

Expectations of Films for My Target Audience (16-20)

• Focus on topics such as: coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst, etc.
• Focus on issues such as: alcohol, drugs, parties, social groups and cliques.
• Characters are of similar age to that of the audience.

Characters commonly found in teen movies:

• The Jock/Cheerleader
• The Nerd
• The Rebel
• The Misfit/Outcast
• The New Boy/Girl
• Class Clown

Archetypes are typical of teen films as characters such as the jock, the cheerleader and the social outcast have become a familiar and pleasurable feature for the audience.

My film opening only has two characters, but I will still try and cast them in a way that reflect the audience's expectations. The issues and topics that are prominent of this genre may not be evident straight away in  my opening as the film usually builds up to these.

Film Institutions

I have researched 5 main film companies in order to realise which is most likely to produce, distribute and exhibit my film.

Warner Bros

Warner Bros is one of the most famous film studios, based in California and New York. They are responsible for creating, producing, distributing, licensing and marketing their creative content. Warner Bros produce and distribute films from a variety of different genres as they are dedicated to ensuring there is a film that appeals to everybody.

 To help me decide if Warner Bros would be a good institution to create my film, I researched their horror films and noted whether they were successful or not. These films include Orphan (2009), Sweeney Todd (2007), One Missed Call (2008) and The Wicker Man (2006). Having watched Orphan myself, I know that this is a good film with a very interesting and unusual plot.

20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox are a very reputable film corporation. Having been in business for 80 years, they have developed a very loyal audience. Their most successful films include Avatar (2009), The Chronicles of Narnia (2005) and Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007).

While 20th Century Fox prefer to create films in their most profitable genres (comedy, fantasy and family), they have also created some horror films. These include Jennifer's Body (2009), The Omen (2006) and Shutter (2008). 

Universal Studios

Similarly to 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios tend to focus on other genres rather than horror. This is because their films of the adventure and romance genres tend to be more successful so they stick to what they are experienced in. Many of their films have won awards, including King Kong for the visual effects award at the 2006 Oscars.

Their horror films include Drag Me to Hell (2009), The Strangers (2008) and Dead Silence (2007). It is evident that they do not have the same level of experience or passion for horror films as Warner Bros. Because the genre of my film is one that Universal Studios aren't as confident with, I do not think I would choose them to produce and distribute my film. 

Lionsgate

The majority of Lionsgate's films belong to the drama, action or thriller genres, which are much closer to the genre of my film opening than the films typical of 20th Century Fox or Universal Studios. Their most successful films (according to Box Office results) are The Hunger Games franchise (2012 - 2015), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012) and Divergent (2014).

Some of Lionsgate's most successful horror films include the Saw franchise (2004 - 2010), The Last Exorcism (2010), My Bloody Valentine (2009) and The Eye (2008). They have not created very many horror films and those that they have are all pretty recent. This could mean they do not have the  experience that is necessary to make a success of my film. However, from looking at their most successful films, Lionsgate would be a good choice if my film was to be part of a sequel.

Hammer Films

The British company is best known for a series of Gothic Horror films that were produced between the mid 1950s until the 1970s. Due to the over-saturation of the horror film market during the late 1960s, Hammer lost their American funding, resulting in the closing down of the institution. However, in 2000, they announced plans to recommence film making.

Their most well known horror films are The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dracula (1958), The Mummy (1959) and The Phantom of the Opera (1962). While this institution is good in the way that they focus exclusively on horror films, their most successful productions are also outdated and unlikely to appeal to a modern audience. 

Since their revival, they have continued to produce more horror films. One notable movie they released is Let Me In (2010), a film I studied in a blog post (see here) when researching and analysing films of my genre. They also released The Woman In Black (2012)- a film I have also studied (see here and here). This demonstrates how experienced this company is when creating films of this genre, as both films have been incredibly successful. 

Conclusion

Out of the five companies I have researched, I believe the best to represent my film is Hammer Films. They have the most experience in this field of film making and are successful in doing so. Hammer is a smaller company and so usually collaborate with other companies to share ideas, meaning my film would turn out even better. Hammer are more skilled in producing Independent movies, while the other companies tend to only opt for mainstream films. Because of this, it will also be cheaper to produce. Hammer specialise in horror movies, meaning they will use the right settings, lighting, costumes, props which all ensure it follows the conventions and expectations of a horror film.