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A2 eval q 1

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Stephanie Barker
Stephanie Barker

The document discusses how the filmmaker used conventions of horror films in their student production. They researched techniques used in films like "The Woman in Black" and "Paranormal Activity" to inform camera angles, plot elements, sound design, and setting. Key conventions adapted included wide shots following characters to build tension, using flashbacks to unravel the mystery, incorporating jump scares and ominous sounds, and setting the film in a dark and grim location to maximize fear.

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How did you use conventions of real media texts in your production?
I firstly decided to research into typical conventions of horror films, as that was our chosen genre of the film we were going to produce. I looked at many things to research, such as watching YouTube trailers of horror films such as 'The Women In Black', 'Shutter Island' and 'Paranormal Activity'. I then carried on research looking at film posters and radio trailers, because although we were only starting to look at the horror film genre, concentrating on the actual film a lot of the 'scariness' in films comes from the sound effects-so radio trailers allowed me to really pick up on this as I was still scared only listening and not seeing actual film. When watching the YouTube trailers, I was mainly focusing on looking for things such as camera work, effect, facial expressions but mainly how well the plot was told. With all my research I felt that I coveredthe basis of typical conventions.
CAMERA WORK For camera angles, as we wanted to create a the atmosphere that a ghost was following/watching Kate, I looked at the 2 horror films Woman in Black and Paranormal Activity. The two films gave me different ideas of camera angles I could adapt in my film. The first being Woman in Black- often there are wide shots, following the main character, which gives the perspective of the ghost creepily watching. Furthermore, Paranormal Activity, did the same which added much more to the tension of the film. Again both films also used an over the shoulder shot, which really created the atmosphere of someone/ the ghost watching over the character. I decided to use these types of shots throughout the film as I feel it would defiantly add engima to the horror film which I feel is a typical convention. Wide shot from Woman in Black-as if the ghost is beckoning the children to her
PLOT At first, we started to research a lot of different horror films to widen our knowledge of the typical conventions of a horror plot. The film we focused on the most, was 'The Woman in Black'. A typical convention of this, was how the character returned to an old house-which correlated with our plot of her returning to an abandoned orphanage. Again the same as 'The Woman in Black' the flashbacks create enigma, the plot being told through it, which is another typical horror convention as it unravels the mystery drawing the audience in more, making them more connected but also building tension. Again with pretty much all horrors, or the majority, there's the 'GET OUT' 'RUN' factor, where the tension is build up so far the audience are screaming at the screen to the character. In our film we adapted this from when the girl finds out the truth, drops the book and runs desperately around the house with the ghost chasing her. This convention can be related to many films such as Orphan, Saw, Paranormal Activity etc.
PLOT CONTINUED Again,a crucial part of a film for me is the ending, my favourite type of ending is a cliff hanger-where you know the character is okay, but it leaves you questioning what's actually happened. In our film, we adapted this convention into the plot, where the girl wakes up in a mental hospital, but it's not THAT clear to the audience, so they are still left wondering.
SOUND/EFFECTS As I said above, I feel that a very important aspect of any horror film is the sound in it, as music/sound can really create emotion and build up tensions-without any speaking. For a horror film, a typical convention is the jumpiness/loud bangs and eerire, creepy noises. In our film I we adapted this very well, with the chilling drones-such as at the start when she's walking into the house, and again when she's sat on the desk with a BOOM as she suddenly stares into the camera. By using these sounds we have used some very typical conventions to our film, comparable again to the woman in black, which is very jumpy and hair raising. Again with sound, we were able to create the presences of a ghost being there, with the thuds and loud outbursts, which again is comparable to Woman in Black and Paranormal Activity. By adding this convention, I feel it adds more tension, because you're always on the edge of your seat waiting for something to happen-yet nothing will.
MIS EN SCENE Trying to decide on character clothing was quite a difficult desicion, as the majority of films I researched were set in the present, although in ours-the flashback was set in the past so in order not to make it TOO complicated, we kept the costumes very bland and simple. Furthermore, our film is again very conventional, because although some of it is set in the past, all of the film has a very dark sense to it (editing/lighting) as we wanted it to have a grim/scary feeling to it-much like most horror films-as you don't usually see horror films set in a sunny place-P ATHETIC FALLACY. So again the costumes fitted in with the lighting/scene because they didn't cause contrast/weren't bright taking away scariness. We found a very good setting for our film, which allowed us to create a very tense atmosphere, even we felt when filming- which gave engima, another typical convention-such as the long, abandoned corridors, leading into the shadows-scaring the audience more into what is lurking in shadows.

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A2 eval q 1

  • 1. How did you use conventions of real media texts in your production?
  • 2. I firstly decided to research into typical conventions of horror films, as that was our chosen genre of the film we were going to produce. I looked at many things to research, such as watching YouTube trailers of horror films such as 'The Women In Black', 'Shutter Island' and 'Paranormal Activity'. I then carried on research looking at film posters and radio trailers, because although we were only starting to look at the horror film genre, concentrating on the actual film a lot of the 'scariness' in films comes from the sound effects-so radio trailers allowed me to really pick up on this as I was still scared only listening and not seeing actual film. When watching the YouTube trailers, I was mainly focusing on looking for things such as camera work, effect, facial expressions but mainly how well the plot was told. With all my research I felt that I coveredthe basis of typical conventions.
  • 3. CAMERA WORK For camera angles, as we wanted to create a the atmosphere that a ghost was following/watching Kate, I looked at the 2 horror films Woman in Black and Paranormal Activity. The two films gave me different ideas of camera angles I could adapt in my film. The first being Woman in Black- often there are wide shots, following the main character, which gives the perspective of the ghost creepily watching. Furthermore, Paranormal Activity, did the same which added much more to the tension of the film. Again both films also used an over the shoulder shot, which really created the atmosphere of someone/ the ghost watching over the character. I decided to use these types of shots throughout the film as I feel it would defiantly add engima to the horror film which I feel is a typical convention. Wide shot from Woman in Black-as if the ghost is beckoning the children to her
  • 4. PLOT At first, we started to research a lot of different horror films to widen our knowledge of the typical conventions of a horror plot. The film we focused on the most, was 'The Woman in Black'. A typical convention of this, was how the character returned to an old house-which correlated with our plot of her returning to an abandoned orphanage. Again the same as 'The Woman in Black' the flashbacks create enigma, the plot being told through it, which is another typical horror convention as it unravels the mystery drawing the audience in more, making them more connected but also building tension. Again with pretty much all horrors, or the majority, there's the 'GET OUT' 'RUN' factor, where the tension is build up so far the audience are screaming at the screen to the character. In our film we adapted this from when the girl finds out the truth, drops the book and runs desperately around the house with the ghost chasing her. This convention can be related to many films such as Orphan, Saw, Paranormal Activity etc.
  • 5. PLOT CONTINUED Again,a crucial part of a film for me is the ending, my favourite type of ending is a cliff hanger-where you know the character is okay, but it leaves you questioning what's actually happened. In our film, we adapted this convention into the plot, where the girl wakes up in a mental hospital, but it's not THAT clear to the audience, so they are still left wondering.
  • 6. SOUND/EFFECTS As I said above, I feel that a very important aspect of any horror film is the sound in it, as music/sound can really create emotion and build up tensions-without any speaking. For a horror film, a typical convention is the jumpiness/loud bangs and eerire, creepy noises. In our film I we adapted this very well, with the chilling drones-such as at the start when she's walking into the house, and again when she's sat on the desk with a BOOM as she suddenly stares into the camera. By using these sounds we have used some very typical conventions to our film, comparable again to the woman in black, which is very jumpy and hair raising. Again with sound, we were able to create the presences of a ghost being there, with the thuds and loud outbursts, which again is comparable to Woman in Black and Paranormal Activity. By adding this convention, I feel it adds more tension, because you're always on the edge of your seat waiting for something to happen-yet nothing will.
  • 7. MIS EN SCENE Trying to decide on character clothing was quite a difficult desicion, as the majority of films I researched were set in the present, although in ours-the flashback was set in the past so in order not to make it TOO complicated, we kept the costumes very bland and simple. Furthermore, our film is again very conventional, because although some of it is set in the past, all of the film has a very dark sense to it (editing/lighting) as we wanted it to have a grim/scary feeling to it-much like most horror films-as you don't usually see horror films set in a sunny place-P ATHETIC FALLACY. So again the costumes fitted in with the lighting/scene because they didn't cause contrast/weren't bright taking away scariness. We found a very good setting for our film, which allowed us to create a very tense atmosphere, even we felt when filming- which gave engima, another typical convention-such as the long, abandoned corridors, leading into the shadows-scaring the audience more into what is lurking in shadows.