Synopsis

The film shows the perspective of 2 survivors of a virus outbreak that alters the physical and mental capabilities of its host into that of a savage zombie. A female scientist and male criminal, they are brother and sister and alone. Throughout the film, they will be separate and trying to fend for themselves, communicating with each other over short wave radio.

The criminal, who is in prison for killing an infected person (prior to the knowledge of the virus). However, it was actually his sister who killed the person, and she feels guilty for him taking the fall for her. So when she hears that after 2 days of zombie infection spreading her brother is still alive, she rushes to save him.

Her brother, who had been in prison for a week, managed to escape his cell during a prison riot. During this time, he finds the dead body of a security guard, and takes a pistol from him, and a short wave radio. The influx of prisoners who had started the riot were infected, and now he was stuck in the building with a load of zombies. To save himself, he locks himself in a cell with enough provisions for 3 days of survival. While locked in there however, a zombie gets itself stuck in there with him, and bites his arm before he shoots it in the head. 

Institutional Research

Institutions

What production company?

For our production company, we have chosen Universal studios. It is one of the 6 main film production companies, and is also a very high grossing company.

Why are they suitable?

The reason that they are suitable is because they have a history of funding and producing films of all genres’, of which the horror genre is a large part. Because of this, they will provide essential financial backing and also experience.

What other films have they successfully produced?

Other horror films that they have produced successfully include Van Helsing, which grossed 300 million. Alongside this, there was the well know Psycho saga, with the first film being a huge success, grossing 32 million, which compared to its budget of £800000 was a lot.

Why is that significant for your film?

The reason that this is significant for our film is because they would be able to give us the experience they have gained from releasing high grossing horror films. Because of this, there is a better chance of our film being a bigger success.

What distribution company?

For our distribution company, we stayed with Universal studios. This is because Universal studios is a vertically integrated company, which means that it contains all of the different companies required for producing and distributing a film in its own company.

Why is this significant?

This is significant because it means that our film will be made quicker, as there is less time with having to negotiate deals with other companies. As well as this, they receive all of the money from the film, which means that they can afford to put more finances into it.

What other films have they distributed?

Other films distributed by Universal Studios include The Strangers, a recent film which grossed 82 million. As well as this, there is Drag me to Hell, which again, grossed 90 million, three times as much as it’s budget.

How does that tie in well with your film?

This ties in well with the film as there have been many horror films which have been both produced and distributed by Universal Studios, so they have experience in this area. As well as this they will be able to distribute it effectively to the target audience, and will be able to get the most amounts of people in to watch the film as possible.

Questionnaire

Circle appropriate answer

1)      What gender are you?

Male                                        Female

2)      How old are you?

12-15                 16-18               18-21              22-30              30-40                40+

3)      What is your favourite genre of film?

Rom-com              Sci-fi                Horror                   Thriller                  Comedy                Romance              Period Drama

4)      Do you like horror films?

Yes                                 No

5)      Which of these horror films have you seen?

Sleepy Hollow                 The Others                      28 Days Later                        The Shining                    Final Destination                 None

6)      Which of these horror films is your favourite?

Sleepy Hollow                 The Others                      28 Days Later                        The Shining                    Final Destination           None

7)      How important are each of these elements for making a film scary?

Rate each on a scale of 1-5, 1 being not important, 5 being very important

Circle one number per element

Music                1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------ 4 ------ 5

Lighting             1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------ 4 ------ 5

Suspense           1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------ 4 ------ 5

Characters         1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------ 4 ------ 5

Plot                      1 ------ 2 ------ 3 ------ 4 ------ 5

8)      How often do you watch horror films?

More than once a week                         Once a month                            Rarely

9)      Have you seen a silent horror film?

Yes                          No

10)  Why do you watch horror films?

To be scared                        For entertainment                    Find them funny

11)  What do you do in your spare time?

Watch films                         Listen to music                      Sports                        Arts

13) Do you read horror stories?

Yes                            No

14) If yes, do you enjoy them?

Yes                            No

15) Which do you find more effective?

Black and white horror films                              Colour horror films

16) Which ‘monster’ do you most like to see in a horror film?

Werewolf                        Zombie                  Vampire                        Ghost                    Psychopath

17) Which of these do you enjoy most?

Horror films set in the past                               Horror films set in the present                       Horror films set in the future

18) What do you expect to see in the opening of a horror film?

A death                   Introduction of characters                   Introduce a story

19) What catches your attention when watching the opening of a horror film?

Music                     Titles                    Voice over                  Characters

20) What sort colours would you expect to see on a horror film opening?

Black/grey/red/white                                Pink/purple/yellow/green

Final Destination

Final Destination

- Characters

Devon Sawa as Alex Browning

Ali Larter as Clear Rivers

Kerr Smith as Carter Horton

Kristen Cloke as Ms. Valerie Lewton

- Setting

The film is set in their home town, and as such the setting varies considerably from place to place. However, setting is only important in terms of the way they die. For instance, the first person to die dies in a shower, and as such the shower is only really important because it adds verisimilitude to the death. However, what the setting does do is let the audience feel closer to the characters, as the feel of a large town helps to create realism and this, in turn, helps to instil fear in the viewer.

- Sound

Through the film, both non-diegetic and diegetic sound are used to quite good effect. In death scenes, diegetic sound is of upmost importance, as it helps to create verisimilitude with the audience. As well as this, non-diegetic sound is kept to a low when someone is dying, or there is something important happening, because the lack of anything but the diegetic sound helps to create an even greater sense of verisimilitude, which helps the audience member become more scared at the thought that this could actually happen.

- Camera shots/movement

Many different camera shots where used. One of the more often used one is a mid/close shot, used more when the person is dying/dead. This is because it allows the person watching to feel closer to the death, and as such they feel more strongly about what is happening, and it installs more fear in them. In terms of movement, there is a lot of handheld camera usage, so that we feel closer to the characters, and as well we see tracking shots for when things are moving quickly, like in cars.

-Edits

Throughout the film, the most common edit I found, like in many other forms of horror film, was the straight cut. It creates pace, and it also helps to add realism too it, which is key for this film, as it plays of the minds of the audience, making them believe that these things could actually happen, and that death is only inches at any point.

Saw

Saw

- Setting

In the opening of Saw, we only see one place. This setting is a bathroom, which it is revealed that the two main characters are trapped in. The room is dark, and it seems to be old, and rusted, which could connote that they are trapped here, that the place they are in has been abandoned, and so have they. However, for the first 1:30 of the film, they are in absolute darkness, and we don’t see a lot of the setting. Because of this, the bathroom comes as a shock, and the audience are just as disorientated and confused as the characters.

- Sound

The sound in this clip is mainly diegetic, with the ambient noises of the bathroom echoing in the background, and the two men are talking, which are all fairly normal sounds. This creates verisimilitude, but the fact that there is a slight echo to their voices creates tension, and goes towards the feeling of claustrophobia. As well as this, there is slow non-diegetic music playing in the background of the scene, which creates pace and helps the audience to feel just how scary this place is.

-Camera movement/shots

Throughout the clip, close shots are the predominant shot used. This is because we know they are in a small room, as the audience can hear the echo from their voice, and as such viewers need to feel like they are in the room with them, which can only be achieved by close shots in such close quarters. As well as this, close shots help to create the feeling of claustrophobia, a device used to create fear predominantly in this film. As well as this, we get a shot of the room, which shows the setting, and is important to show the audience just how trapped the characters (and them) are.

-Edits

Edits are used for good effect in this opening, linking the close shots perfectly to create a scary environment. The edits are mainly straight cuts, linking one shot into the other, creating a flow. The rhythm made by the edits is quite a fast one, which not only builds tension, but also helps the audience to see just how disoriented they are, and also how confused they are. 

Resident Evil

Resident Evil

-Characters

Colin Salmon as James Shade

Milla Jovovich as Alice

Michelle Rodriguez as Rain Ocampo

Eric Mabius as Matt Addison

-Setting

The setting is in an underground lab beneath infected city, known as “Raccoon City”. The underground labyrinth is mainly filled with laboratories, man of which are white and grey, showing how sterile it is, and inspiring fear in the audience by contrasting the light colours with the dark idea’s. Many parts of it are poorly lit, and as such this helps to give us an idea of the unknown.

-Mise en Scene

Throughout the film Alice is wearing a long flowing red dress, and at different parts this apparent clothing reveals parts of her past. Because she is wearing such unusual clothing in this kind of situation, it connotes that she is an unusual person, and that although she may look normal, she most certainly isn’t. As well as this, the use of mixed lighting, from harsh lights that glare the scene, or very low key lighting, the contrast between the two shows that she has uncertainty within herself, helping the audience relate more to her, and helping her to become more of a main character.

-Sound

Throughout the film, non-diegetic sound is present, at many points adding a rhythm to the film, causing the audience to respond in kind when something is happening. The film’s non-diegetic backing speeds up and becomes more intense when something is about to happen, to “prepare” the audience for it, and to build tension to that moment. As well as this, diegetic sounds like gunshots and talking help to anchor the film, providing verisimilitude and helping to make the action scenes more thrilling.

-Camera shot/movement

The film builds suspense by trying to show what could be there. So many of the shots are aimed at either showing empty areas and letting you think something could be there, or showing characters reactions to these ideas. To create a sense of closeness, and claustrophobia, they also use a lot of mid-to-close range shots. In terms of movement, they use many handheld shots, to help the audience members feel like they are there with them, and thus make them relate.

-Edits

The main edit used, as is very common, is the straight cut. This edit is used to provide anchorage for the film, and make it scarier by adding verisimilitude. As well as this, the speed of the edits used helps to add to the sounds tempo, which helps to show the audience when something is about to happen and thus makes them feel more scared at the event. Also, when Alice remembers something, a fade through white is used, and the scene is all blurry and distorted. The use of these effects shows just how foggy her mind is, and helps the audience to see that she is remembering something, as it is sudden.

Dracula

- Characters

Gary Oldman as Dracula

Winona Ryder as Mina Murray/Elisabeta

Anthony Hopkins as Professor Abraham Van Helsing

Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker

- Sound

Voice over – telling history of a battle

Creepy eerie music

Music becomes dramatic and dark

- Mise en scene

The opening uses a lot of shots of religious artefacts, e.g. the cross.

There is a lot of darkness in it, which connotes horror and helps to set a tone for the film. They are wearing clothes which are quite old, which helps the audience to see the difference in times. This gives us an idea that he is old, while at the same time the clothes he is wearing helps us get the idea that he is also to be feared, wearing battle armour. During the fight, we can’t see anyone as they are darkened. This helps to create mystery, and allows the viewers to make their decision the person.

- Camera movements/shots

The shots are mainly handheld, and they are all fairly close to the two characters obvious in the shots. This is most certainly because they want the audience to really feel close to the scene, so that the nature of “Dracula” is seen. As well as this, the camera follows them, keeping it simple so that we can see exactly what is happening, and get a feel for the characters. During the fight, it is a simple tracking shot, showing the battle, and it is used to simple effect, again meaning that we can see what is happening and glean what information we need too. Couple this with the lighting, and we are allowing the audience to make their decisions on just what to think of Dracula.

-Edits

There are normal edits used, with straight cuts for verisimilitude, and to help us get the rhythm, which is slow to create tension up until later in the film. As well as this however, a few fade through black cuts are used at the beginning through the opening titles, and then it fades through black to the first scene, which helps us to get the idea that it is almost like a memory, with parts of it blacked out because they can’t be remembered.

Silent Hill

Silent Hill

-Characters

Radha Mitchell as Rose da Silva

Sean Bean as Christopher da Silva

Laurie Holden as Cybil Bennett

Deborah Kara Unger as Dahlia Gillespie

-Setting

-Forest, night

-House

-Near a freeway

-On top of a cliff overhanging the water

-Mise en scene

-Characters are wearing pyjama’s/night clothing,

-Woman is framed centre for most shots, showing her importance

-The shot is dark, with low key lighting used to create suspense

-The woman seems to be distraught, which adds to the suspense, as we relate to her.

-Sound

-The use of non diegetic sound, such as the sound of the music, works to create suspense, as the beat is fast, but also very erratic, unpredictable.

-The diegetic sound used for when she sees the trucks interrupts all other noises, getting rid of any sense of rhythm, creating a shocking feeling.

-The noise of her shouting is also one of the few sounds heard throughout the clip, it acts as a constant and means that we know we are supposed to be relating to her.

-Camera shot/movement

-A lot of the shots are from below looking up at her, which could connote her power, or that she is the main character.

-Many shots are handheld, and the movement is like if someone was looking, meaning we get the sense of being there and relating too it is easier.

-Tracking shots of her are used to show her feverent longing to find her daughter, and it also helps to give us a sense of place, showing clearly the setting.

28 Weeks Later

28 Weeks Later

-Characters

·        Robert Carlyle as Don

·        Rose Byrne as Scarlet

·        Jeremy Renner as Doyle

·        Harold Perrineau as Flynn

-Setting

The setting is a boarded up house, which is totally isolated from the outside world. Not only this, but the scene is in the main room, and doesn’t change from that room. These two things; small space and isolation, both go to reinforce the idea of claustrophobia. The idea of being trapped invokes a primal fear in all of us, which means that when the audience see’s it they can relate to that feeling of terror. The house is in quite a bit of disarray, which could be a reflection of the disarray and chaos that is going on outside of the house, showing just how much this chaos is a part of their lives.

-Mise en Scene

Throughout the opening, the most prevalent thing is the contrast of natural and unnatural light. Throughout the scene, the windows are boarded up, so they have to rely on the dim dining room light. This causes the scene to be low key in its lighting, which connotes the darkness of the film. Contrast this with the natural light we see when the latch is opened, and a sense of danger is cast over the outside world, with the bright light almost blinding. The significance of this is that we get a greater feeling of claustrophobia and isolation, as the outside where the sunlight is, is a threat. As well as this, they are wearing normal clothes, which appear to be quite shabby. This helps the audience to get a feeling of sympathy for the characters, but it also means that they can relate to it, which is key to the horror genre. The framing of the shot is fairly normal, with all of the characters centre of the shot for at least a part of the film. The significance of this is that it shows that in this, they are all equally in danger, and as such are all equal in the group.

-Edits

The shot uses a lot of straight cuts. Not only is this for convention Verisimilitude, used to help the audience feel closer to the characters and help them to relate to it, as it is almost normal, and it is almost realistic in the way they are edited together. However, as well as this, the different camera shots are edited together slow to start with, and then increasingly quickly, which builds tension slowly and subconsciously makes the audience feel more tense and nervous, knowing something will happen without even realising it.

-Camera shots and Movement

A lot of the shots in the opening are both mid/close shots, and a lot of them are also hand held shots. The significance of the mid and close shots is that they are all in close proximity, and it emphasises the claustrophobic atmosphere. However, as well as this it shows just how close knit this group is, as they are never far away from each other. The hand held shot is used to bring the audience members into the film, because the juddering camera helps to show that it is from your perspective, almost as if you were there to watch it firsthand. As well as this, there is a high angle tracking shot used from the top of the stairs. The dark shadows around the image of the people at the table help to connote a dark future, but it also helps to shed light on the paranoia that they are not safe anywhere, and even somewhere that they feel safe could be compromised.

-Sound

Throughout the clip, there is very little non-diegetic sound. This is most likely because the audience are trying to feel like they are in the movie, and using something which isn’t in the world that the characters are in would distract the audience from immersing themselves. Despite this, a lot of normal diegetic sound is used, mainly talking. The noise of scraping plates can be heard, which connotes verisimilitude. However, when the sound of the knocking on the door happens it is a very key point, as the noise is intrusive on their safe atmosphere.

The Crazies

The crazies

-Characters

·      Timothy Olyphant as David Dutten

·      Radha Mitchell as Judy Dutten

·      Joe Andersen as Russel Clank

·      Danielle Panabaker

-Setting

The setting is a small town called Ogden Marsh, which is fairly isolated, and the town is a fairly close knit but it is not very heavily populated. The town is a typical small town, which means that the audience can relate to the characters more, as it is chaos amongst an everyday situation.

-Mise en Scene

The characters in the opening are wearing normal clothes, as the event hasn’t happened yet. Because of this, we get the feeling of normality. Couple this with the people walking about the streets and the use of daylight as a source of light, the audience feel quite safe in their ideals of normality, and routine. Also, the titles are slow to start, and black/dark colours are used with them, which sets the film up to be dark and grim.

-Edits

Throughout the opening, the most predominant edit used is a straight cut. Because of this, the audience helps to get a feel of rhythm, with straight cuts being used quite quickly, moving camera shot at quite a fast pace. The use of the Straight cuts also helps to create verisimilitude, helping to increase the fear of the situation; creating realism helps reinforce the safety the audience feels about the situation, and thus helps add to the fear that will be prevalent later on in the film.

-Camera shot/movement

Through the clip, a variety of different shots are used. At the beginning, when we see the wreckage of the town, a number of shots are used which are low down to the ground. These shots are used to show just how bad the carnage is, as we are almost looking out at the scene from the position of where a body would be, and the lack of camera movement from these shots goes to suggest this. In the scene after, there is very little camera movement, but plenty of different camera shots. While we see the man in the car, we get a close up of his badge, helping reinforce his identity, and we see a close up view of his hand, showing a ring; him being married obviously an important point. Numerous long shots and mid shots follow of the city and it’s residents, all amalgamating to create a sense of place.

-Sound

The opening uses a strong non-diegetic sounds, playing a song by Johnny Cash. The song is quite upbeat, but at the same time the song is quite dark, which helps to fit both tones of the film, the more normal, cheery tone at the beginning, and the darker foreshadowed plotline. As well as this, there are the normal diegetic sounds of the city, which create verisimilitude and help to reinforce the safe feeling of the city.

Dawn of the Dead remake

Dawn of the dead remake review

- Characters

Sarah Polley as Ana

Ving Rhames as Kenneth

Jake Weber as Michael

Mekhi Phifer as Andre

Ty Burrell as Steve

Michael Kelly as C.J.

Kevin Zegers as Terry

Michael Barry as Bart

Lindy Booth as Nicole

Jayne Eastwood as Norma

Boyd Banks as Tucker

Inna Korobkina as Luda

R. D. Reid as Glen

Kim Poirier as Monica

Matt Frewer as Frank

Bruce Bohne as Andy

- Settings

Bedroom- shows the vast enormity of the attack

Suburban area-shows the enormity of the infection area

Hospital-shows career introduces main character

Shopping mall-  This connotes the fall of civilisation

Lighting

Lots of key lighting is used to express the time of day

Low key lighting is used indoors to show the inevitability of a downfall

- Sound

Tense and gripping music used to show the horror aspect

Although the genre is a horror, music that could resemble thriller like qualities are used for effect

The Non Diegetic sound is the music playing in the background is Johnny cash, the soundtrack is not fitting and does not reflect the scene itself, the song was chosen for dramatic irony.

The screams show the chaos and inhumanity that the movie is based around

- Mise en scene

Shots of the zombies are altered and fit in-between the broadcasts to show the chaos as its happening

The titles are written in red to symbolise blood shed

Some of the titles get splattered on screen to show the brutality of the film

There are shots of people trying to sedate the zombies earlier in the scene to show that civilization was crumbled over time

There are shots of heart rate monitors, which are iconography for death and injury caused by the outbreak

Blood and flesh is used in an abundance because it is playing on the natural instinct to be scared of blood

- Edits

Straight cuts are used between shots of broadcasters and zombie attacks because they wanted there to be a sense of realism

The shots get edited through fuzziness and TV channels

Fade to black cuts are used after a scene of a zombie attacking to show the perspective that it’s too late for action

- Camera movement

Tracking is used because a handheld camera is used to follow a zombie  during a riot

The shakiness of the handheld camera connotes the tension in the scene