Deconstruction of mise-en-scene in horror movies in general - Natasha McGill

Deconstruction of mise-en-scene in horror movies in general

In Paranormal Activity, there are different mies-en-scene props. The main source of prop is the baby's toys. They move automatically when a supernatural presence is near and this makes it play a typical child's toy box music theme tune, this will spin slowly as the music plays slow as well building up tension. The dog and the baby themselves have a major role because they can both detect the spirit so therefore are more intrigued in whats going but the dog is more alert that there is danger. They have a usual normal house that is on the street surrounded by others so it makes it look normal but this house does have a basement which is where the spirit hides. The photo with the baby in it, the way the camera is showing the room is a high angle wide shot allowing the viewer to see the whole surrounding.

In the film, Emaze, there are many different spooky props as we can see in the image below that there are creepy pictures that are twisted and hanging of the wall to show little care looked after the house and the stairs have no carpet or proper flooring to suggest lack of maintenance and respect. All of these things build up and make the house creepier. Especially the effect of the photos shows little attention and caution and awareness off what is going on. Also the photo looks messed up and out of place just like what could happen in the film.

 

 

 

As in the Woman in Black, the mise-en-scene is very creepy. These are just two of the dolls/toys that are used along with many more old fashioned toys. These aren't the typical toys to give to children they are the old china toys that are easily breakable and can be seen as very creepy looking. The fact the doll has no expression with its backcombed hair and faced all scratched makes it looks freakier and if itself has been possessed. The fact that these sorts of props are used in horror films show that children are usually seen with them and makes them be seen as the victim. Also the clown is a prop that is shown a lot along with many toys similar for example an old monkey. We see these toys in a shot of a child's bedroom in the haunted house in the film, clowns are portrayed as being daunting and frightening and the make up on the clown portrays a more thrilling and creepy object. 

Audience feedback and improvements - Natasha McGill

Audience feedback and improvements

After we had finished our film opening we had an audience feedback lesson where we watched our class mates film openings and we evaluated them saying what we thought was effective and good and what could be improved on. When we got our feedback back there was three major improvements that came up quite frequently and these were:

• change the orientation of our home-made production company 
• the lighting of some shots could be darker as they thought it was too bright
• changing the title at the end because it didn't fit well into our genre so didn't conform to conventions of usually titles for supernatural horror and the way it zoomed in and out before didn't fit well with our genre

Here below was a screenshot of what I done to make these changes which was to make the shots darker, the shots that was already dark didn't need altering and some angles made the shots darker already so I only changed all the shots that was necessary. Although on some shots making them darker meant the image wasn't very clear so I only altered the shots that still looked at a good quality still being darker.

 

 

Now that the shots are darker, this does add to the effect of it looking creepier because with the dark misty linger in the air, this does look more professional than previously it looked like pure bright daylight. When we first edited our film opening the shots were made darker because they were originally very bright but having watched it a few more times and with our audience feedback we realised that the shots can still go a bit darker.

Evidence of filming - Natasha McGill

Evidence of filming

Throughout filming our horror film opening scene we had to take photos as we went alone to prove that we actually filmed instead of taking or copying the footage from elsewhere. The way we decided to show this was through photographs of our actor acting and the different locations we was at and also different photos of different people in our group filming.

This was a photo that I took when we just arrived into the woods at our location and was about to start filming, this was the wooded path before entering into the army bunker and this is where our actor will walk at the start of our film opening so therefore following our storyboard we started filming here first. The photo with the camera and we see Zoe climbing through the fence was a shot that Mehrabi filmed. We was making progress on our film opening.

This next photo shows that I am filming as I had to climb up onto the bunker and stand on top of it to get the right angle of the black figure standing in the woods. This was when our actor (Zoe) was about to play around the trees all innocently before she actually realises that there was a supernatural being possessing her. A number of shots was filmed up here some one which included zooming in and out focusing on the black figure and extreme long shots showing Zoe playing and our black figure standing in the distance to show her appearance. Also a shot like this allows the location to be shown like filming in the woods as it has a creepier effect to it.



The shot below shows that I also filmed inside the army bunker but before I started filming I took a photo of the camera and Georgia inside the bunker. The image below shows Georgia who was the black figure in the background and this shot was taken when we was inside the army bunker. There was a lot of different shots that was taken down in the bunker and this was one of them that I filmed. In the bunker the lighting was produced by natural daylight but in some aspects when we was filming right inside we all had to have our phone torches out to shine next to the camera and on what we was actually filming. This shot of Georgia we had to shine just one torch on Georgia herself otherwise it would have been to dark.

Deconstruction of locations in horror movies - Natasha McGill

Deconstruction of locations in horror movies

Supernatural horror movies:

Usually in supernatural horror the main location is a house. A typical detached house which is either completely abandoned or on a street with other houses surrounding it so it looks normal. A house is the typical location with the house having various of rooms, it will usually include an attic or a basement at which the supernatural figure or the ghost or spirit would usually emerge form and use as a hide out. Also another common location is deep in the woods, where there maybe an abandoned building which is usually haunted as woods are usually seen as creepy and in the woods there are trees which could easily hide anything lurking. Also with the woods being a large area this could mean they could be followed, watched and possessed. The images below shows some typical houses that are used in supernatural horror films and the images below shows that they are either a normal house but with the lighting making it look eerie or abandoned buildings found in the woods.

  

Slasher horror movies:

The common location in slasher films is in a suburban area, mainly focusing on a house. Usually it is a large detached house, rather large which looks normal. Some other locations is in abandoned farms or buildings, small towns or in the forests. Forests being a big setting for slasher as there is a wide area at which someone could be attacked which is typically what happens in slasher films. There are quite a lot of dark streets and alleyways and is usually in a run down area. Haunted houses and graveyards are also a typical location. The location maybe in an area which is lonely and away from any help, this sets the scene at the start and makes it more eerie. This would also suggest like a forest that there is no where to run so its endless.

Our location:

As a group we are going to use the location of the woods. As this conforms to both genres of horror so it doesn't matter which one we chose in the end. However inside the woods there is going to be an abandoned army bunker, this is different from the usual house setting but it still conforms. The army bunker will be part of our location and within the whole film opening as a group we was thinking of having different locations.

Proof of Editing - Natasha McGill

Proof of Editing

Once we had filmed all our footage we imported the footage onto the computer where it was then saved into our area. All the footage was then imported from the computer and into Final Cut Pro which is what we are going to use to edit our film opening. Then the footage was dragged into the timeline which was then put in order following our storyboard as much as possible as changes and alterations were made and shots were added in which we added in when putting the footage in order.


After all the footage was in place the main thing was to cut our film opening down as it started off over seven minutes long and this was too long so going through our footage we cut the clips down, took out some shots completely that didn't look professional and some footage that wasn't very necessary or didn't really need to be there. This made sure that our film opening was concise and looked professional without cutting into different shots which would make it look messy. Everyone in my group took part in this process as it took a long time so we all took it in turns to all cut the clips down and trim it so it was at a more suitable time length. For this, this screenshot shows I used a cutting tool to trim the clips down or just highlighted the whole clip then deleted.

Then after making sure our time was an appropriate time, as we filmed our film opening in the morning of what turned out to be a sunny day the brightness of our shots was quite light which was good as we can clearly see the image but after that every shot apart from the ones in the army bunker which was already very dark was made slightly darker. It was still clear that it was during the day but the effect of the slightly darker brightness has more effect and looks creepier as it has an eerie tone.

Another thing I done was match on action, we used match on action at the start of our film opening when the girl was walking in the woods and into the area where the army bunker was. We used different shots for this some of which include shots from her walking forwards, shots from behind and shots near the army bunker. Also a close up of the doll was used when she was walking as the shot was used to focus on the doll to hinder that the girl is being possessed which started off with her doll. Match before action is important to ensure it is correct and the shots flow and don't jump and look professional. This is also important as it lets the viewer get to grips with what is happening which is the girl walking to the army bunker.

A fast jump cut was used when the girl is walking through the woods at the start and she is holding her doll and this is the first time we see the doll close up so we are able to see the messed up face and brunt body but a jump cut was used for a split second to the black figure which glitches and then carried on with her walking. For this to ensure the timing for the split second of the doll disappearing and it showing the black figure, I used the blade tool to cut the clip in the place which I wanted to cut and that clip cut in two. From this I was then able to drag the clip of the black figure and used the cut tool to cut it down completely until once played near the start the black figure was only shown for a split second. At a later stage an effect was added onto the clip which makes it glitch.

I also added the professional production company into our film opening which will be at the very start. To do this as a group we decided on the professional company we wanted and then I went onto YouTube and found the video which then I had to download the file on a website called clip converter. This way I was able to download the clip and save it into my area. Then from here once I saved it into my area I clicked the import button in Final Cut Pro and imported the clip.

The clip was then with the videos in the corner and I selected the whole clip and dragged it down into my timeline.

So having learnt some more skills using Final Cut Pro and with the editing I done to contribute towards our group our overall film opening looks very professional. I learnt these skills by typing into YouTube how to import a video which was our professional company.

Deconstruction of Genre - Natasha McGill

Deconstruction of Genre

Genre was a key area for us a group to all agree on what genre would be appropriate and what we wanted to do. As a group we all decided we wanted to do horror but it was just a case of narrowing it down to what subgenre of horror at which we came to a conclusion of supernatural horror.
I also found that in these films below the use of dark and red colours are used to show the use of the horror film as they all tend to be associated with black spirits and something bad always goes wrong. It is effective to have this on the title because it can indicate what the film is going to be like.
I then researched different types of films that were supernatural and some of the most recent ones are shown below.

When researching I found that the conventions of a supernatural horror includes:

• a demon or spirit
• children that are the victims
• a religious symbol is usually used
• the location of supernatural horrors tend to be in houses however for example the Women in Black has the setting of a house and the woods and a small town/village
• an object at which the demon or spirit uses to connect to and then draws the vulnerable child in
• also the use of sound is usually child rhymes or creepy music boxes with other effects of a slow eerier soundtrack

Inspiration for our supernatural figure - Natasha McGill

Inspiration for our supernatural figure 

There are a few films that I used for inspiration.  Most of which involve a supernatural presence or being which we then followed through and used a supernatural being in our horror film opening. This way it conforms to the conventions of a supernatural horror movie and it looks effective due to the location also being in the forest. Here the image below is what our cape will look like, it will be plain black which will go all the way down to the ankles so a full body with a hood. It will be sort of plastic material with a little tie up round the front to keep the cape on.

The main film at which we got our inspiration from is the Women in Black and this is because a black figure is used and the location for that film as well is the woods and it makes it more effective was it comes across as creepier when she lurks in the forests. The angle of the images shows her standing facing the camera and a shot from behind both of these are effective and helps us to imagine what our black figure is going to look like however our figure is going to have a cape that isn't tight fitting so therefore it will hang loosely. Also as shown in the images she is wearing a veil which adds to the effect of being creepy and makes her look as if she was dead.

 

 

 

So by finding this and gaining inspiration allowed me to find an appropriate outfit for our actor which conforms to supernatural horror movies.

Filming Evaluation - Army Bunker - Natasha McGill

Filming Evaluation 

We originally planned to film our opening on the 20th of December at 9.00am. Although due to having to change the date because we didn't have a tripod and the costume for the black supernatural figure hadn't arrive so we rescheduled it for the 10th of January. So on the 10th of January now having the black cloak and the tripod, my group and our actor arrived at mine at 10.00am and we set straight off ready to film our whole horror film opening in one day.  

What went well:
A number of things went well on the day. Having debating whether we was defiantly going to go ahead and film on this way was our big issue as it was meant to be pouring down with rain, but due to us being unable to film the first time round we went ahead and the weather was dry and didn't rain which was a major benefit. Also the location we was using was abandoned and conformed to a location of a supernatural horror movie which created a bigger effect when putting it all together as the location was a major part of the film opening. Due to our actor not exactly knowing our group before we met on the day, Zoe was able to act the part very well and felt at ease being with us a group which made it easier to feel comfortable to tell her what we wanted done and she was able to feel comfortable acting for us. Also due to us filming in the morning we ensured there was enough light so when filming in the woods it wouldn't look darker and by filming earlier it also ensured the natural light was bright enough so the tress didn't block much sunlight. This also meant that when we transferred our footage onto the computer the shots taken were light enough that we could dim them ourselves but still have good quality footage. I felt that we worked well as a team, Charlie, Mehrabi and I all taking it in turns to film different parts of the film opening and by Georgia and Zoe acting we felt it ran smoothly because we worked well together. Also the shots in the bunker turned out well. Due to the bunker being underground and in complete pitch black we had to use touches mainly from our phones to put next to the camera or shine the light on the object or setting we was filming, as seen in the photo below but we managed to make good lighting that was still able to see.

Problems encountered:
Our filming day went rather well, there wasn't many problems that we uncounted. However the main problem would be the mud. Throughout the woods and down in the bunker it was rather muddy and even though it wasn't a major issue as it didn't stop us from filming this was just a minor issue. However it meant our actor couldn't walk bare feet so she had to wear appropriate suitable shoes. Also as we only had two main locations which was the woods and bunker we had to use a variety of different shots and other parts of the woods to make it look more adventurous. Also before our filming day we did have the worry of the weather being bad but it wasn't so that wasn't an issue. However, even though the bunker was isolated in the woods it still was slightly visible from a path that runs through the whole woods so when there was people either jogging, walking or waking their dogs, sometimes they got in the shots so we had to wait for them to pass which didn't delay us that much but it still added extra time on. Finally another draw back was we was unable to find a suitable veil for our black supernatural figure so we couldn't for example do the shot at the end of our original story board because we couldn't use the close up of the face so we had to adapt to what we already had. Also having filmed in January the temperature was very cold and our actor only had short sleeve pyjamas on so we had to stop and let her warm up for a bit before continuing.


Even better if:
The main problem was the fact that we couldn't exactly follow our story board as we didn't have the veil so if we was to do it again we could try find a suitable veil for our figure, if we did find one this would have enabled us to stick to our original idea. Also due to filming in January the weather was cold so next time we will be more prepared and maybe use long sleeved instead of short sleeved but overall I was happy how well the filming day went and how progressive we was.


Some of the images below shows for example the top one shows me standing on top of the bunker looking into the distance of the black figure in the woods. There are some shots of us inside the bunker and some photos of us filming in the woods.

Shooting script - Natasha McGill

Shooting Script

This is the shooting script for when we film on Sunday 20th of December 2015 for our supernatural film opening.

On the day
As a whole group we are meeting at 9.00am at my house in Kings Hill but as well as our group we are going to need our actor. Georgia's cousin will already be staying over at Georgia's the previous night so they can both head to mine early in the morning. Charlie and Mehrabi are both going to Georgia's to get a lift over to mine. We are going to meet at 9.00am and then head into the forests where we are going to film the opening. We are hoping to get all the filming done in one day as this would prevent having to re-film and there could be problems like the weather change or Georgia's cousin not being able to come. So we are going to spend most of the day in the forests and at the bunker, shooting and re-shooting the same shots to ensure we have good quality footage in case the first attempt wasn't focused or in case the shot was shaking.

As a group we are all contributing to the filming day starting with Mehrabi. Mehrabi is bringing the camera to film on and the child's pyjamas costume which she had prepared at home to make it look creepier. Charlie is bringing the supernatural black costume and the creepy possessed doll which she also prepared at home. This doll is going to be held by Zoe when filming. I am brining the tripod at which we can ensure we get steady and professional shots. Mehrabi, Charlie and I are going to take it in turns to film different parts of the film opening in the different locations we have chosen to use. Georgia is going to be the supernatural figure and so therefore will be needed to be in quite a lot of the shots.

We are going to use our storyboard to help us film and to know what is going to happen next. We will follow our story board as much as possible but we have thought in advance that there maybe alterations and we are going to add some more adventurous shots to make our film opening look more effective with a range of high and low shots.

 As shown on the storyboard there isn't very many shots so we will add some extra shots when we film and we will probably add other shots that we think will look good at the time. As shown on the story board we are going to start with a pan off the trees to start the film showing the setting is in the woods. We will then show Zoe holding the doll walking through the woods and will follow our original idea. Finishing it with a close up of the demons face which would be fast and jumpy.  

Deconstruction of the film opening in Sinister - Natasha McGill

Deconstruction of the film opening in Sinister

In the opening scene of Sinister, it starts off with 4 young children shown being hung. By showing this at the start of the movie it could foreshadow what is going to happen in the rest of the movie. It is important when showing the opening scene is to make sure that not to much has been given away, this way it wouldn't ruin the film but by showing a main part or key part of the film can put the viewers on edge and build up more suspense and tension throughout the film. The start of the film could be the ending scene. This is where the end of the film starts at the beginning and as the film progresses it starts and builds up till that moment happens again.

This is also the start of the opening scene, as seen from the image above they are on the ground and we can see they are children which conforms to conventions of a horror movie. They are clearly being lifted up which is shown by the tree and the fact they are struggling with bags over their head to cover their identity makes it seem suspicious and could get the viewer thinking who done this. This would then lead to the movie where the supernatural being possesses them till they reach the end. In this movie the opening scene doesn't show much or give to much away and is rather short which is good for a film opening because then it puts you on edge for the rest of the film but hasn't given away to much.

Actors - Practical Task - Natasha McGill

Actors - Practical Task

As a group we discussed if anyone has a younger sister, cousins, family friends or younger friends in general at which we could use for our actor. Charlie did have a cousin who was 7 but because we are going to be filming in the woods near and in a army bunker we didn't think this would be practical for a number of reasons. Some of which include the fact she maybe scared, she might not be able to do the days we want or attend the whole filming session. Georgia said she had a cousin who was 13 and even though this is a little older she has a rather young looking face.

So for our film opening scene, we are going to use Georgia's cousin. This is because in most supernatural horror movies they have a young child as being the victim of the possession or the one experiencing the supernatural being. We decided to use a girl as our victim because from previous research into horror movies, the child who was being possessed always tend to be a girl, so her cousin would fit into this category.  The image below shows a photo of her cousin Zoe and on the day she will be wearing different clothes, clothes that are suitable and would make it creepier, and she wouldn't be wearing any makeup to make her look even younger.

Zoe is 13 and even though she is older than most girls that would be an actor, this photo shows that she is rather young looking so it conforms and it will be suitable to use her. In most supernatural horror films the girls usually have brown hair and with Zoe having brown hair this would conforms to usual conventions. She has a small face but he features like her eyes stand out making it easier when she is our actor to make her look possessed. Also with wearing no make up we can make her look slightly possessed by using either a bit of black powder under her eyes and her face will look rather pale. She will have her hair either down or in two low pony tails as either way will make her look young and vulnerable. Her hair will be slightly messy so it looks more like she has been possessed rather than up nice and fresh.

Deconstruction of camera angles in Asylum - Natasha McGill

Deconstruction of camera angles in Asylum

Camera angles in Asylum are always so clear and they tend to be medium or long shot as it shows the mise-en-scene around the image, as shown in the image above its a long shot of the corridor as we can see the whole of it including the floor and ceiling but also within the image there are doors and rooms with a number of different arms reaching out into the open space, this could suggest a number of things some of which including they are trying to gain access to freedom or the fact that there are so many hands, it could suggest that there are loads of people cramped together in the rooms so they need space as it maybe very tight. This camera angle very effective because the fact that the image is also in black and white makes it looks old and unfortunate. Even though there are massive windows letting in light, it still doesn't bring brightness to the area.

 

This camera angle makes the girl look alone, isolated and lost. This is because of the way the camera looks at her, because she is the main focus in the image due to the fact she is the only one and she is standing in the middle of the shot. There is light at the end of the tunnel which could suggest hope and freedom but this camera angle is effective because it can hinder so many things and can make the viewer think different things about her.

 

This shot is very effective, with the use of black and white and the fact that the walls are all scratched, chipped and ruined suggests that the room is possessed and doesn't look like a nice play to stay. It has a murky atmosphere and the way the camera shot was taken as its looking from a side, due to the bed not being square the black writing on the wall adds to the eerie effect.

This camera angle is very effective, this is because the way the girl is tired up on the two posts that can clearly be shown through the long shot makes her look in distress as we can see she is chained up. Her facial expression makes her look possessed and vicious which could maybe be why she is in the state she is. The angle the camera was taken at allows the viewer to also see the mise-en-scene of the wrecked room where the ceiling is collapsing and the floor is scattered with rubbish and the broken furniture in the back ground makes it rather disturbing.