Pre-production Paperwork

Here is a list of the kind of props and costume we will be using in our horror film trailer.

• Costume - Regular clothing
• Fountain pen
• Teddy bear
• Cigarette
• Hammer
• Folders
• Paper
• Bat
• Car
• Books
• Torches
• Toys

Final Product: Trailer

Final Product: Poster

Final Product: Magazine Cover

How Research Impacted My Ideas

Reseach has not majorly impacted our idea. Our original idea had already met the criteria for a standard horror movie. It is in a dark, abandoned setting to create a scary atmosphere. The protagonists are all teenagers to attract the largest audience of horror fans as most are in their early stages of life.

Research and Planning: Initial Group Meeting

Audiences and Institutions: The Woman in Black (Watkins, 2012)

Who do you think the primary and secondary target audience is for The Woman in Black? Why?

 

The primary target audience for The Woman in Black tends to be more widespread than other movies. The horror side appeals to a younger audience, particularly males however Daniel Radcliffe's feature in the film attracted a large part of the Potter fan base, a huge proportion of which are female. The film is based on a novel written by Susan Hill in 1983. This made sure that a number of older people were also attracted to the movie as they had read the book when they were younger. These are the secondary target audiences as they were not directly targeted by the company upon release of the film but were swept up by the movie instead.

How was The Woman in Black marketed? Think about genres, subgenres, media platforms, target audience, promotions, size of campaign etc.

Do you think that the maketing materials for the film were appropriate? Why?

What kind of releae did the film have? Big/small? How many inemas showed the film on its release?

How much did The Woman in Black cost to make? Production budget and what was the industry impact of The Woman in Black? Think box office trends.

Why do you think the film was so successful? You must come up with at least two reasons.

The Representation of Women in Relation to "Cabin in the Woods"

Narrative Theories in Relation to Halloween and The Crazies

What did Todorov write about in relation to narrative?

Tzvetan Todorov suggested that stories start with an equilibrium or a norm where any opposing forces are balanced. This is disrupted by an event which sets of a chain reaction of events. This disequilibrium is then solved so a new equilibrium can be restored.
How does this relate to Halloween?
Disruption occurs right at the beginning of the movie, as Mike kills his sister. This is not normality and so the film does not related to Todorov's theory.

What did Propp write about in relation to characters and narrative

Propp looked at hundreds of folk tales to see if they shared any structures. He wrote a book about it called "Morphology of the Folk Tale" which was first published in 1928.

 

These character roles are as follows:

The Villain

The Hero

The Donor

The Helper

The Princess

Her Father

The Dispatcher

The False Hero

How does this relate to Halloween?
put names next to the character types

 

What did Levi-Strauss write about in relation to narrative?

Binary opposition

 

How does this relate to Halloween?

lst 3 examples

 

What did Bordwell and Thompson write about in relation to narrative?

1. cause and effect relationships
2. space and time locations

 

How does this relate to Halloween?

1. list an event that causes other events eg Mike killing his sister...
2. Where are the parents?
3. talk about Loomis and Michael's sessions

 

History of Horror

Roots of Horror in Classic Literature

Frankenstein

Frankenstein was originally written by Mary Shelley and was published anonymously in London, 1818. A second edition was published in France in 1823 but this time had Shelley's name featured. A film was adapted in 1910 by Edison Studios.

The story caused quite a lot of controversey after its release, focused on the fact that a man had created a living being. Religious arguments were very strong the time with the Science vs Nature/religion debate at the top of the list and many Christians disagreed with the novel as they saw Dr. Frankenstein 'playing god' which is seen as blasphomous and therefore sinful.

One scene in the film imparticular was frowned upon; the monster throws a girl in a lake which causes her to drown. This caused many parents and families to be upset as people were not warned about the comprimising content of the movie. This scene was later dropped from the production.

Dracula

Dracula was originally written by Bram Stoker but the story has had many different adaptations and sequels across the years.

The novel is told in the form of diary entries and letters that are written by the novel's main protragonist. It takes place mainly in England and Transylvania in 1893, in which a man travels from England to Transylvania and stays in the Count's house. He unfortunatley cuts himself whilst shaving and the Count lunges at the man's throat and starts to drink the blood. The man then finds himself imprisoned in the castle due to the discovery of Dracula's secret. He is then targeted by three seductive female vampires as a ploy for Dracula to try and kill him.

Although vampires were known to be mythical, Count Dracula could shape shift into a bat; which is a real creature that people know about. This caused a sense of fear amongst the audience as all of  a sudden they could related to the film. Next time they see a bat they may wonder about it's true identity in their head.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was originally titled Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and was written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, then subsequently pubished in 1886.

The novel follows the story of a London lawyer called Gabriel John Utterson who investigates occurances between his old friend Dr Jekyll and the evil Mr Hyde. The story is based on 'dissociative identity disorder" which means that there are more than one distinct personality in one body. This is the case with Dr Jekyll; whos other part is Mr Hyde.

Jekyll and Hyde is now part of the English language, another term for the disorder. "Someone who is vastly different in character from one situation to the next."

Horror of the Silent Era

Le Manoir du Diables (The Devil's Manor)

The first horror film on record is from 1896 and is entitled "Le Manoir du Diables". It was created by one of film's earliest visionaires, Georges Melies. Although it has a running time of little over three minutes, it still manages to pack in all the horror stereotypes: bats, couldrons, ghosts, and things disappearing in a puff of smoke.

German Expressionism

German Expressionism refers to many related creative movements beginning in Germany before WWII that was most popular in Berlin in the 1920s. These developments in Germany were part of a larger expressionist in European culture in ways such as architecture, painting and cinema.

Monsters and Mad Scientists

The Primal Animal Within; Werewolves and Cat People

Mutant Creatures and Alien Invaders

The Blob

The Blob was originally relased in 1958, however there have been two remakes since then. The film is about an unidentifiable creature which feeds and expands on individual fears and feelings. As the Blob expands, it terrorises more and more communities. It is said to represent the potential dangers of Space Travel but the most common thought is that it was a piece of propogander showing people how Communism can sneak up on you and engulf you at any time without you knowing it. Its warning people to vigilant and to always have their eyes and ears open to avoid it.

Ghosts, Zombies, Satanism and Your Family

Hammer Horror

Slasher Movies

Video Nasties

Gorenography

Genre Conventions of Horror

Setting:

- Small Communities

- Isolated Villages

- Historic Places

- Religious Buildings

- Night Time

Techincal Code

- Expressive Camera Work
- Extreme Close Ups
- Point of View Shots
- Depth of Frame
- Jumpy Editing
- Ambient Sound

Iconography

- Black, Red Colours
- Expressive Lighting
- Weapons
- Innoncence/Childhood

Narrative Structure

- Classic Realist
- Formulaic
- Propp's Theory
- Levi Strauss' Theory

Character Types

- Monsters
- Immoral Teenagers
- Children
- Ineffectual Police
- Scientists
- People who don't believe

Themes

- Binary Opposition
- Hidden Evil
- Science out of Control