What is a horror/thriller

A horror film consists of different codes fitting with each film; religious, phychological, a true story, or gore. Horror films are produced to put the viewer in an overwhelming cathartic experience and creates entertainment because of the panic and fear. Everyone has a fear in life, by putting a person in the situation of danger but not actually inducing it gives a rush of energy. There are different types of audiences that get effected from different types of fears. Ultimatly the phychological dependencies of being vunerable, alienated, unknowing, distrust, or dying will create a feeling over whichever viewer. There is almost always a main hero survivor at the end of every thriller which is was the viewer needs in order to feel safe and out of the movie experience. Horror films reminds me very much of the legend of Pandoras Box, after all of the disaster was unleached there was hope at the bottom of the box. The 'killer' character will usually have a specific killing weapon, for instance, Freddy Kruger in Knightmare on Elm Street had knives for fingers.


If every killer used a casual knife there would be no element of change and so the viewer would get bored after seeing a number of horror films. The hero either needs to survive, kill the killer or there is a sequal.
The music will enphasis as the director wants you to feel suspence and continue if there is an attack.

Analysis of Opening Sequence - The Shining

Opening into a wide angle shot showing the scape of a calm and still lake which represents the nature of the character Jack at the start of the film before he descends into madness towards the end.

The bending roads seem to foreshadow the same twists and turns of the maze that is shot towards the end of the film as Jack chases his wife and son around it. As the road comes out of the forest and away from the open space it leads onto a hillside path which is more winding than the previous roads and is surrounded by trees and shadows. This is significant to the approach of Jack's peak of insanity later in the film. There is a juxtaposition between the winding of the road and the orderly title sequence that follows.
The echoing rhythm that follows the car through out the title sequence gradually gets louder and a drum beat comes in as the sequence continues. The echoed noise gets darker as the car leads into a tunnel. From that point on the rhythm stays at a constant tone leading up to the hotel where the family stay.  The tracking shot overlooking the hotel has a bewildering effect on me at the start.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDR4OJUPG6A

Account of Shoot Day

Edward and I created a storyboard of which the day was planned according to. Because we knew exactly which shots to follow and how many angles to shoot from, it was made very easy since it was well organized.  The opening shot into the detective’s room was not initially meant to be taken as a crane shot, however our group saw the genie lift and was eager to use it. It made the shot far more defining, as though we were moving deeper into the story as the camera went in. we experimented with reverse shots on the genie lift because it seemed to be more conventional to start off with an establishing shot, but we ultimately decided that leading into the shot worked better.

The majority of our thriller clip was shot in the studio, except for when Seb is talking at the beginning that was shot in the main house. There were huge benefits in shooting in studio; it meant we were able to control our lighting and elements of the shoot. Even though our set seems to be quite dimly lit, we actually shot it very brightly but used a light filter to achieve the dim lighting.

Pre-Production Planning- Storyboard and Script

Script- Dialogue

INT: On Camera (youtube) Confession greenlit / computer screen /webcam look. Actor looks into camera and talks to his ‘audience’:

ALEX:

I don’t expect you to understand now, you’ll see though. I can’t show you until it’s done. Every single day, I watch humanity go about their business, so pointless, so apathetic, shit. That’s what we are. And now it’s time to show every single one of you what you could never see, you’re not so indestructible, you won’t feel so hard tomorrow when your teachers and friends are lain out, lifeless, in front of you, if you’re lucky.

By the time you see this, I’ll be gone and it’ll be done. And you’ll wonder, how could anyone do this, why, what was going through the head of that fucking psycho?!

My answer to you, there is no kindness in mankind, we’re selfish, every single one of us, I’m gonna show you how one insignificant psycho can change everything, not so fucking useless now am I?! By now, I’m dead, literally got away with murder.

Kate, you know you are my world, any time I’ve ever been happy’s been with you. I’m so sorry, but you need to understand that I had to do this. I love you, forever. I love you now, and I’ll love you still when you see this and I’m gone. Don’t go in to school, you don’t need to see this, you’re the only person in this entire fucking world I’m willing to spare.

In years to come, you’ll all be forgotten. Just another kid, tragically killed in that school. But everyone remembers the killer, the psycho that flipped out, killed himself afterwards and claimed it was all justified and in the name of something meaningful. Well let me tell you right now that this is all for the sake of beauty, Kate. The only understanding of real beauty that I ever had. Babe, I won’t let you grow up in a world that doesn’t understand the individual, just like me and you. I won’t let you live in that kind of place, nobody else is gonna change it for you, and you can’t change yourself for the world, so I’ll change the world for you.

INT: CUT TO Interview Room

INTERVIEWER initial insensitive approach, perhaps an element of personal anger over what has happened- shot focused on hand/evidence pictures, Kate out of focus:

 So another senior school boy shoots up his school, posting a confession video beforehand, pretty much claiming it’s all for you and you’re trying to tell me that you had no idea about this? Come on, don’t mess me around here. You know it’s all gonna come out regardless of weather you try and lie to me or not.

KATE focus pulls back to Kate as she replies. She is quiet and emotional, signs of grief and shame strongly apparent:

 (silent tears) are you fucking kidding me? He killed my friends….

Interviewer Same shot pulls back to OTS of interviewer, left shoulder and head in view, focus on Kate:

Just take your time, tell me everything that you know.

Kate Focus changes to Kate’s image in the evidence camera, she is blurred in the background.- Non- diegetic voice over of youtube confession plays over her tears

 (Bursts into uncontrollable tears)

Interviewer Shot cuts to through one way glass, medium wide of the entire interview room, and focus on interviewer here:

 (sighs)

Kate ‘I remember’ said in previous through glass shot, cut to close evidence camera picture.

I remember…. He said don’t go into school (dubbed with au voiceover from video- non- diegetic) – but I didn’t see the video in time, I went to school…..

Interviewer :

What did you see at school?

Girl:

I was in maths, at the very end of the main building……… I heard shots… and screaming…. The shots stopped, I went out…………. (crying)

Interviewer:

 Go on….

Girl:

My best friend…. Was on the floor, I didn’t believe it, I tried to help…….. she was so pale (uncontrollable crying)

Interviewer:

I know it’s hard, is there anything else?

Girl:

There were so many more….. blood everywhere (crying) ………….then I saw him lying there, he was covered in blood….. (breaks down properly) with a gun in his hand (uncontrollable tears)

Interviewer:

Okay, I think we need to take a break. 

Final Idea Pitch

We developed our ideas and came down to a completely different idea, to which we presented to our teachers for approval.

The idea was about a schoolboy posting his confession online about his reasons for killing the population of his school. The blog would be posted after the said event had taken place, so that nobody would know he was going to do it.

We would only include two scenes into our opening sequence; the blog confession on a computer screen and the investigation room with a detective and the killers girlfriend Kate. Kate would be claiming she had no idea about this, but the detective pursues his questioning, unable to believe that she was the only one left unharmed and yet she claims to be non-involved.

This leaves a reason for the audience to be interested, because of the suspicion that there is something more to the story than meets the eye.

This idea was approved by our teachers and so became our thriller sequence to be developed.