Film: schedule

Film: Location ideas and Final location

This is location one, it is known for one of the most haunted houses within Birmingham. The house fits the part and would be suitable for our movie however it was difficult to get into contact with any owners to get permission.

This was the second potential location, Forge Lane. Forge Lane is known for all the accidents that occur on its path. This would be a good location as it is known for its haunted value. However the location doesn't fit the plot of the movie.

This is location 3. This is a empty house with loads of space. It is currently being sold by an estate agents who by we contacted the owner from which we were given permission to use the house for the duration of filming.

This is the second part of the final location, right next to the house is a park. The park could be utilised for a few of the opening scenes within the movie.

Film: Planning- script

Scene 1-

This is the introduction scene in which it is Halloween night, around 8pm and it is dark. The street lights are the only element of light present, the three boys are initially together; Sam, Aaron and Jayden and are awaiting the fourth character Josh. While waiting for josh the three boys have a discussion on Sam’s locket.

Opening scene- Helicopter drone tracks the road bringing attention towards the house to set the scene of the location. Alongside the tracking will be a parallel sound of a horror soundtrack to add fear to the scene.

The scene then cuts into 3 of the boys Sam, Aaron and Jayden.

Aaron- Wonder why Josh is being so long?

Sam- Well I rang him but…

Jayden-(interrupts the others) Oh well, He knows we are meeting up.

Josh appears shortly after out of nowhere and jump scares the boys

Editing and sound will be used here to put the audience at edge

Scene2-

At this point the four boys are together, they are traveling down the road in which they others out trickle treating and they laugh and make jokes about them. As they approach the bottom of the road they identify a house that has been edged off by police tape in which previous murders have occurred although the boys don’t know this. Before entering the boys make a video of the house in which picks up a shot of the boy in the window although at the time the boys are unable to see this.

Jayden- Sam I dare you to go into the house?

Sam-(nervously looks at Josh)

Josh- There is tape for a reason, I say we don’t go in

Jayden- Shut up Josh, come on Sam, your always telling me you are not scared

Sam- I’m not scared, I’ll go in (says confidently)

Scene 3-

At this point the boys have ripped apart the tape, they open the door as it is not locked.

Sam opens the door

As the door opens a diegetic bang comes from within the house

Sam- What was that!

Josh- Told you we shouldn’t be here

Jayden- Nothing, its Halloween, we aren’t the only ones messing around, let’s just carry on

 Scene 4-

At this point the four boys have entered the house, the boys initially explore downstairs, they find everything weird as the house has an unusual feel about it causes the boys to be on edge until only Sam hears a noise upstairs, and the noise causes him to go up the stairs. The boys follow as they are intrigued with what may lay upstairs and scared to be left alone. The boys then travel up the stairs.

Aaron- is it me or does this house give you a weird feeling?

Sam- Something isn’t right is it?

Jayden spots something in the garden which looks like a kid although he believes it is his imagination

Jayden- Did you see that! Right there in the garden

Sam- No? Let’s go upstairs

The boys follow Sam upstairs

Scene 5-

The four boys travel upstairs, Sam enters room alone in which the others look around and find some weird items unusual to the 21^st century. Then Sam shouts the other boys and finds Sam looking into the corner of the room although the others are unable to see what Sam sees. Sam’s locket is then pulled by an invisible entity in which Sam struggles to regain control of and of which his locket is ripped of his neck and dropped to the floor. At this point the room begins to shake leading to the others running, followed by the slamming of the doors, the boys leave and leave the locket.

Jayden- lets go in this room, some weird stuff yeah?

Sam continues on himself weirdly to the other room

The other boys see this and follow

Aaron- What you staring at Sam?

Sam- nervously points, don’t you see that?

Jayden- What the hell you on about now you wimp!

Sam’s locket is dragged off his neck in which he tries to grab however at this point, the room gives the impression that the boys should leave and they don’t return.

Scene 6-

The boys go outside and realise that they have to go back into the house to get Sam’s locket, the others believe this is a joke and Sam didn’t see anything, Sam pulls out the video they took before they enter the house and see it, the child stood in the window.

Jayden – Allow it lads let’s not go in lets go home. (says nervously)

(Other three boys are shocked as Jayden is supposed to be the leader of the group)

Josh – Sam, don’t worry we’ll go in and get it and get back out straight away.

(Parallel sound will be used to build up tension)

Aaron – That boy must be playing about, look its Halloween, he’s probably just messing us around! Jayden stop being so scared!

Sam – Aarons got a point, let’s go I need that locket it’s been passed on to me, I can’t lose it!

Boys start to enter the house. The camera zooms out and digetic sound (wind) will be introduced here to show a start of something   creepy.

 Scene 7 –

Sam will lead the group (first time we see this in the film). He will be the only person who goes into the room at first. Sam returns to the room in which he finds his locket open and the possessed kid is holding it. (Door shuts by itself). Sam tries to escape however, at this point the entity enters Sam’s body.

Camera will be zoomed into the kids hand where he is messing with the lock. Camera is zoomed out to scare the audience.

Sam enters the room

Sam – (Screams) who are you?!

The kid faces the locket towards Sam

Sam will kneel on the ground as he becomes possessed. The locket will be closed by the boy. (Exaggerated sound will be used to scare the audience; Light bulbs will be dropped, swinging doors.)

Jayden, Aaron, Josh – (All scream as they realise his friend is possessed and not who he is) LOOK RUN!! – Shot reverse shot will be used to show the facial expressions on the characters.

Scene 8 –

The three boys try to escape however, each doors slam by itself, light bulbs fuse, only one door appears open. Sam who is now possessed appears in the open room waiting to for the boys, the camera cuts at Sam edging towards the boys.

All three boys run – They escape into the back room

Josh - Think it’s ok here

Jayden – Let me kick down the door. Help Aaron?

Pont of view shot used here to make the audience feel relieved. 

Aaron – Drops to the floor as he possessed by Sam.

Jayden and Josh – (Takes a gasp) NO!

The two boys are also murdered by Sam.

A long shot is used to show the portrayal of Sam.

The film cuts out as Sam laughs.

Scene 9 –

Fade is used – A black screen appears where a brief summary will show what has happened to the boys. “To this day the four boys were never found and the locket remains lost”.

Film: planning- storyboard

Made with Storyboard That
Made with Storyboard That

Film: Planning- prop ideas

Film: planning-Character profiles

Film: Updated final idea

Out of the three initial ideas this is the idea that will be used after considering data gathered from the surveys and the research of previous horror films-

In modern horror movies, we tend to see children used to create fear and tension in the audience, this is because we create the assumption that they are innocent. This horror movie begins with four British youths who display arrogance, boisterous and disregard for the law which will be reinforced in the area of the film, clothing and behavior. The four boys who go by the name of Jayden, Craig, Aaron and Sam were out on Halloween looking for trouble however stumble across a house which had been locked off with police lining due to the horrific murders that have occurred there. One of the boys Jay will dare the other boy, Sam to enter the house however as he does the other boys make a Video recording in which they will upload to social media. As doing so the boy enters the house, unaware of the history of the house, the boys unknowingly follow. Prior to entering the house, the dared boy is wearing a locket, which was passed down by his grandparents who received it from their grandparents; held significant sentimental value, the locket had never been opened and never could be opened. As they enter the house they explore although as they get upstairs the boys enter a room in which they see the a little boy in the corner of the room dressed very old fashionably, at this point the boys try escape however the locket is pulled towards this corner in which he snaps and leaves on the floor. The boy who took the video identified that they could see the little boy stood on the balcony however this was only visible through the camera, at this point the boys decide to return the next day however their behavior changes, less boisterous and more on edge, they slowly enter the house to retrieve the locket, Sam enters the same room however he freezes at the sight his locket has been opened(first time seeing the contents of the locket). The three other boys try turn Sam although he turns around eyes rolled back and screams at the vlog camera as if he has been possessed, the boys try to escape although each potential exit slams shut, light bulbs blow and eventually theirs only one door left and a flashing dim light at the end of this room. The boys edge for the exit however interrupted by Sam who is no longer Sam, at this point he has been possessed and the little boy is stood behind him, the scene ends here on a cliff hanger, however the last seen states that these four boys were never found by the locket remained their, closed.

Research evaluation

What have you learned?

In my research I looked at four short horror movies that all have elements that I want incorporate within my own movie, this is called post-modernization in which I want to achieve in order to make my horror movie successful. An important element that I learned is key within my process is sound, this is because when a movie is played without sound it doesn’t have the same effect. For Diegetic sounds such as footsteps build up tension within the movie before something big occurs, however for non-diegetic I have noticed music plays significance in what happens within the movie; when something mysterious occurs slow paced music is being played whereas fast paced music is used during a chase scene. Regarding to camera work, establishing shots are key as they give the audience a sight of what the setting is like and the associations that they create with these settings, an example of camera movement could be the use of tracking, tracking is most effective when a character is edging towards a dangerous area. These features have allowed me to understand key camera work that will need to be incorporated within my movie. Mise en scene is one of the most important factors that I identified from the four movies I analysed, this is because the costumes of the characters suggest a lot about who they are and what part they play within the film. The setting is also key as in horror movies the location plays a significant role in understanding why bad things happen there. Lighting is probably the most important in my opinion, this is because in all the horror movies the bad things occur during low key lighting which I will ensure I incorporate within my film.

How will this help you?

Having an in-depth understanding of the four key elements of production of the movie has made it easier in deciding what kind of location is required and importance of little key factors such as the costumes, lighting and the type of sound used within each scene.

How have you learned this?

This was all gathered through my initial horror project which was a preliminary task although this created the foundation for my understanding, this was further developed through my research analysis four short horror movies.

Target audience research

general audience research

Film: initial plan (film ideas)

Film idea 1 

In modern horror movies, we tend to see children used to create fear and tension in the audience, this is because we create the assumption that they are innocent. This horror movie begins with four British youths who display arrogance, boisterous and disregard for the law which will be reinforced in the area of the film, clothing and behavior. The four boys who go by the name of Jayden, Craig, Aaron and Sam were out on Halloween looking for trouble however stumble across a house which had been locked off with police lining due to the horrific murders that have occurred there. One of the boys Jay will dare the other boy, Sam to enter the house however as he does the other boys make a Video recording in which they will upload to social media. As doing so the boy enters the house, unaware of the history of the house, the boys unknowingly follow. Prior to entering the house, the dared boy is wearing a locket, which was passed down by his grandparents who received it from their grandparents; held significant sentimental value, the locket had never been opened and never could be opened. As they enter the house they explore although as they get upstairs the boys enter a room in which they see the a little boy in the corner of the room dressed very old fashionably, at this point the boys try escape however the locket is pulled towards this corner in which he snaps and leaves on the floor. The boy who took the video identified that they could see the little boy stood on the balcony however this was only visible through the camera, at this point the boys decide to return the next day however their behavior changes, less boisterous and more on edge, they slowly enter the house to retrieve the locket, Sam enters the same room however he freezes at the sight his locket has been opened(first time seeing the contents of the locket). The three other boys try turn Sam although he turns around eyes rolled back and screams at the vlog camera as if he has been possessed, the boys try to escape although each potential exit slams shut, light bulbs blow and eventually theirs only one door left and a flashing dim light at the end of this room. The boys edge for the exit however interrupted by Sam who is no longer Sam, at this point he has been possessed and the little boy is stood behind him, the scene ends here on a cliff hanger, however the last seen states that these four boys were never found by the locket remained their, closed.

Film Idea 2

The second idea created by the group was a Thriller/ chase type horror movie, this similar to idea one involved four boys which were represented as British youth however this story involved a expedition called Duke of Edinburgh which is shortly summarized as a camping trip, the four boys shared a tent and while the others had fell asleep, the boys decided to play a friendly game of truth or dare. However this friendly game leads to one boy being dared to go into the dark restricted area of the woods on himself, while the others watched and laughed from the tent, the nervous boy begins to travel. As time went on, the boy hadn't returned, the other boys begin to panic and decide if they should call anybody however they decide to go on and find Sam on themselves however little do they know what they are entering. They call out Sam's name constantly however no reply until suddenly one of the boys screams, they edge together and identify a body hung of a tree, at this point the boys are scared, they are unsure where they are and they have no reception on their phones. In the distance they see a tall, wide and masked guy stood staring at the group of boys, the boys all run out of fear without any sense of direction, they end up running deeper into the woods, slowly splitting apart. One by one the boys are chased and caught, two of the boys are caught and are also horrifically murdered however the one boy who initially dared the boy to leave makes it back to the camp in which he believes to be well and secure within his tent. As the fourth and final boy lies down, a shadow appears outside the tent and the boys is brutally murdered within his tent. The murderer was never found.

Film ideas 3

The third and final idea is located in graveyard

Film: Group roles

For the production of this horror movie, i am in a group of four in which we all have our own specific roles:
Mise en scene- Rajveer
Editing-
Camera work- Amandeep
Sound-
This is just a brief overview of what we alocated eachother however some of us might support other areas of work which will all be stated in depth as we start to produce our products such as the film.

Film: Short horror film analysis- Doll face

  

Summary

This short horror film was developed by red deer productions with a box office budget of $5000, which was made within an impressive 51 hours for ‘Producers’ Guilds Debra Hill Short Film Contest’.
Now the plot, the story opens with a couple playing chess then a knock of the door comes by the presence of a fully aged creepy trickle treater. After giving sweets to the trickle treater, they open the door to check if she’s left and identify a bag being left. At this point the male goes to return the bag as an ID card with an address was left. The women also goes to the address as the male doesn’t return, this leads to a thrilling chase between ‘Doll face’ and the women as she realizes her husband has been murdered, in which she releases another murderer. The plot contains aspects of thrill, fear and confusion which make it more successful.

Film: Short horror film analysis- Attic Panic

Film: short film analysis 'a. Friend"

(Preliminary task) review (horror project)

Review of sinister 
 Positive 
 Heart stopping experience watching sinister, the build up from normality to a disturbing fear filled atmosphere
Expectations were high for the latest blockbuster horror 'sinister' as it was produced by the same directors of award winning paranormal activity which is renowned for its spine chilling, jaw clenching moments. To begin with, the trailer gave a clear cut outline which created a disturbed and fearful atmosphere which is a fantastic way to draw people in to watching the film.
The films itself, i loved the typical storyline of an American family moving house however what my wow factor was the use of a symbol to create fear, the predominant symbol had historical value which meant factual value which went it was real. This crested the feel this entity was real which a lot of films fail to capture. From the second the family entered the new house I was in fearful watch although I could not miss a second of the film as I wanted to see 'what's next'. Overall I was excited from the trailer up until now even after watching the film, hoping to see a number 2! 
Movie of the year, a must see 5*. 

Negative 
Worst movie of 2015! Expectations fell down the drain by the lack of the fear factor throughout the whole film, wouldn’t suggest it at all!
The buildup for this movie was huge considering it was made by the same blockbusters paranormal activity which gave me the impression that it would be another spine chiller. Although I was surprised to say it wasn’t as good as it was made out to be, the story was predictable from the outset, the jump scares were poorly timed. This was a film which lacked the fear factor although hopefully it is corrected by the next movie.

(Preliminary task) film analysis (horror project)

 

(Preliminary task) alternative poster (Horror Project)

(Preliminary task) Trailer analysis (Horror Project)

                                                   Sinister trailer analysis

(Preliminary task) Analysis of horror poster (Horror Project)

(Preliminary task) conventions of horror

Evaluation

introduction

My name is Rajveer Sanghara, I am currently beginning my second year of a-levels in which I study psychology, business studies and media studies. In my first year of media I created a hip hop magazine, this year our target is to create a horror movie with a poster and a double page spread. The advanced portfolio G322 marks for each area are:

Research and planning 20 marks

Main product 40 marks

Ancillary task 1 and 2 20 marks

Evaluation 20 marks

The grading system for this year is for a grade C 62, grade B 72 and a grade A 82.