Questionnaire Resources- Film Posters and Questionnaire Results

Horror questionnaire results

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Question 15. Which of the following horror film posters scares you the most?

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 Analysis of results;
From our questionnaire results we have realised our trailer needs to target the avid horror genre fans, which are mostly between sixteen and seventeen years old, both male and females appear to enjoy the genre therefore our trailer must appeal to both genders. The majority of people who took part in the questionnaire are students, who watch a lot of TV. This would account for why our results show, that most of the candidates heard about the latest horror films through the film trailers, and that a good film trailer would be the thing that makes them want to go to the cinema. This means making a quality trailer, that appeals to our target audience will be key to its success. From the questionnaire, we found that the audience's favourite thing about horror films is 'the suspense' and 'being made to jump', these answers mean we can ensure our trailer is constantly engaging the audience, along with the result showing their favourite component of a horror film was 'fear of the unknown' these are all factors we can now incorporate into our horror trailer.

As the majority of people who took part in the questionnaire answered that they were most likely to watch the film at home, we need to ensure our trailer makes the audience want to pay money to visit the cinema. When asked what the audience like within a story line they replied something realistic that they can relate to, this is a component we can very easily incorporate into our plot making the story more engaging and interesting for the audience. As a plus point from our point of view, they would prefer to see a quality 2D horror film, rather than a horror film with little plot and substance but has 3D effects. Lastly when asked out of five posters which scared them the most, the highest amount went to those that featured close up shot of what they assumed was the villain/killer. Both 'One Missed Call' and 'Nightmare On Elm Street', the top scoring horror film posters, displayed dark images which didn't reveal the identity of the killer, but showed enough to entice the audience into going to the cinema. From this we know that when making our poster we need to ensure we are showing the killer, in an up close and eerie photo but be careful not to reveal too much of their identity as to keep the mystery, which is one of the audience's favourite components of a horror film.

Questionnaire

Bussing scene analysis

During the filming of our bussing scene we only had a small amount of time, to shoot enough sufficient footage to create the chase scene. We learnt the importance of planning in order to remain focused. Creating a detailed storyboard proved very beneficial as we could refer back to our plot and had all our shots pre-planned. Traditionally horror films are set during the night or in a dark place to connote the coming events, but one problem we faced was we were shooting during the day which made creating the horror atmosphere difficult. This issue put more emphasis on our shot types; they had to create the scary atmosphere need to make a successful horror scene. We depicted the killer as a silhouette, a mystery character dressed in black. This is following props theory of the eight characters and structuralist theory as the audience is attracted and entertained by their fear of the unknown. Feminist theory was conveyed through the powerful female protagonist, by fighting the killer she is portrayed as breaking the stereotypical female victim. We wanted to subvert the typical blonde promiscuous female victim viewed in numerous horror films.

We used Todorov’s theory to compose our scene. Starting with the period of equilibrium, which is accentuated by the diegetic sound of the birds, and carrying over into the period of disequilibrium conveyed through the discontinuous, fast paced editing. When in post production we realised that the light actually added to the atmosphere in the scene. The light becomes brighter as she is running away, which connotes a hope that she will escape and portrays a sense of freedom.

Analysis of 2 horror trailers

  

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Trailer Timeline- Todorov (Prom Night)

Chase Scene Storyboard

I knew that when creating a structuralist theory chase sequence, it would have to include the expected paradigms to convey the horror genre. The establishing shot the scene starts with follows the convention of a horror setting. The white picket fence and pastel coloured house depicts a serene environment, however the isolated house and woodland surroundings make the audience subconsciously aware that a murder or killing is probably going to happen there. The 'killer' in the next medium shot is dressed in all black and is seen turning a door handle, at this moment the pitch of the music rises. This is a common technique used as it creates tension which emphasises the terrifying atmosphere the image and sound collectively make. In addition the audience are aware he is a threat as his face is not shown, implying a mystery and the connotations of the colour black mean the audience should feel intimidated by him. The two female 'victims' in the scene are the stereotypical characters in a horror. One of the girls (Janey) is the blonde, promiscuous friend and in a structuralsit horror would be likely to be killed in comparison to the virginal, reserved girl (Rachel) who survives as she's the 'better' person. I chose to use a high angle shot when Janey is killed as it makes her seem more vulnerable. Janey's vulnerability is further enhanced by the fast paced music which builds to the crescendo at this point. Using iconography also makes the chase scene a structuralist horror; I wanted to have some shinning cutlery to be on the side as Rachel is killed. This effect was used in Scream, and it made the audience more aware of the killing about to commence therefore build the suspense. As Rachel is now being chased out of the house there is an extreme close up of the knife, which has Janey's blood on it. The audience should fear the knife as it has already been used to kill, as well as this a knife is a object which the audience will have at home making the scene more realistic and therefore scarier. I chose to use a knife as a weapon over anything else because it needs close proximity between the killer and the victim in order to inflict injury, also being stabbed in comparison to being shit is a more painful death. All this accumulates into the audience becoming more frightened of the unknown killer.

The final over the shoulder shot creates a visual of the murderer stalking after Rachel, whilst the audience can see her scrambling away into the woodlands. The music at this point calms, reflecting the characters escape from the killer. However the audience knows, as a common convention of structuralist horror, a young girl running into a isolated woods with a unknown killer behind her may not end happily.

How does the opening of Scream follow the structuralist theory of the horror genre?

Scream is an iconic horror film and the opening scene is one that is remembered time and time again as a horror classic, producing the line ‘don’t answer the phone…’ The film is often perceived as structuralist because it includes all the iconography needed to make a conventional horror film.

Scream follows the codes and conventions of a horror films firstly through setting. An establishing shot portraying the isolated house is a shot often used to create a realistic setting for a horror to occur. The sound used in the opening scene is heard in many slasher films to create tension and drama. The heartbeats, screaming, knives clinking and high-pitched screeching is part of the sound formula which together with the image creates fear within the audience. The first character introduced Casey (Drew Barrymore) is conveyed as the stereotypical first victim; blonde, flirtatious and a boyfriend ‘who’s big and plays football’. Similarly conventional, the later introduced killer is wearing all black and a Halloween mask, a prop often used in horror films to conceal the identity of the killer to create a mystery in the plot. In addition, Wes Craven has used props such as knives placed on the table, to foreshadow the events about to occur. Structuralist horror films are often made to be relatable to the audience. Scream achieves this by setting the plot in a house, as well the killer contacting his victims over the phone, an object that the audience would use on a daily basis.

Almost every horror, whether structuralist or post-modern, uses discontinuous editing to create tension and a frantic atmosphere. Scream is similar in their editing, the beginning of the scene uses less noticeable editing but as the pace of the plot builds the editing becomes more discontinuous. Jump shots are used to create a pouncing motion which connotes the feeling of being attacked, emphasising the movement of the killer and creating fear and often shock in the audience.

Although the film is mostly seen as structuralist horror, there are aspects which are post-modernist. In the opening scene Casey is seen referencing other iconic horror films and the more humorous tone that brings to the scene is what makes Scream more post-modernist. Also Drew Barrymore is an A list actress and to have her killed off in the first scene was a decision most directors would have been reluctant to take.

Scream encompasses all that is seen to be a ‘horror film’. Wes Craven uses every iconography to ensure that Scream is successful in both being entertaining and scary, despite there being elements of post-modernist horror it is the structured way which he arranged these paradigms that makes Scream a structuralist horror film.