Horrors Not Dead

Friday, 22 January 2016

Evidence of controlled use of camera

In order to create the right ambiance for this shot, we decided to use light from a phone. This was to include a white light which appears to create themes of exposure and panic as the normal yellow toned light conveys a feeling of calmness and normality, The camera in this shot was positioned at the top of the stairs whereas the actors where at the bottom running towards the camera and in this case safety. As they both frantically run to safety, one actor is pulled down the stairs and away from the camera by the supernatural force which illustrates the idea of further transgression from the equilibrium,

Here we have a camera placed on one of my team members. It is placed in such as way to effectively create panning shots smoothly ans steadily as we did not have access to a track to create a dolly shot. Moreover, the dolly was placed at a lower angle than eye-height to convey the idea that it was through the eyes of the villain who would be lurking around the house. This is similar to the shot taken below.

In order to create a similar idea of dominance with the villain, the majority of the shots after the distribution of equilibrium were at a lower angle as the villain now has full power over the protagonists.

These shots above were shot by hand without the use of any equipment to create the effect of intimate scenes were the audience may feel closely attached and included with the goings on in the situation. The natural jolts and movements created by the hand of the camera places emphasis of the feelings and general build up of tension and suspense.

Exploring Shot types and Sizes

In terms of shot types and sizes we used both the steady-cam and tripod as resources to film our shots. We also took the camera off of these pieces of equipment to create a handheld effect for shots which elevated elements of horror and suspense as we as the viewer were put in the position of the victim.

When presenting our villain character we used both high and low shots to allow the viewer to take in the entirety of the visual effects that we had presented. The higher shots mimicked what the villain would look like through the fish eye lens or "peep hole". The "peep hole" feature plays an integral part in all aspects of our media texts as it conveys the feature of voyeurism and intrusion. Moreover, the lower angled shots highlight the superiority present in the villain character in comparison to the protagonists and final girl.

This is an example of a close up used for our trailer; in the rest of the trailer we used over the shoulder shots to enhance the feelings of intrusion and demonic possession through the use of a repeated circular panning movement. This was accompanied with repetitive chanting from the Bible.

Another example of an intrusive close up shot.

Low and wide angle shot to highlight a protagonist entering the home from the outside which is dark and seemingly unsafe into the supposed safety of a home which is brightly lit as a contrast.

Mid-shot with mise-en-scene in the background to convey the themes of Christmas which is a time of festivities and happiness which will be subverted with themes of panic and the supernatural.

This is an extreme close-up with a darkly lit background which put focus onto the distressed and badly injured protagonist. She is holding a lighter which is the only source of light in the scene which is quickly removed when she is dragged across and away from the floor.

We used a slow pan to the right in this shot to emphasise themes of joy within the house and all the the characters.

Thursday, 14 January 2016

Careful Use of Mise-en-Scene

In order to carry out the element of continuity with our filming, we ensured that the scenes in which we filmed remained the same throughout the entirety of the filming process. As we filmed through the course of approximately four weeks through the Christmas period, we made sure of keeping decorations up as it would otherwise interfere with visual and on screen results.

The images below highlight use of props and makeup used through our filming process.

Below is a video illustrating the process of creating our villain character with the use of makeup.

Monday, 4 January 2016

Evidence of Filming

Throughout the course of our filming process we took some pictures outlining what we did and certain shots we were trying out. I have also taken a photo of all the props we used for the filming process.