Planning for Production

Planning for Produciton on Prezi

Planning for Production-Icons

Icons used include:

A mask in order to deface the villain and generate greater fear of the unkown. The mask also acts as a second personality to the previous, slightly more sane persona and highlights the murderous cognitive thoughts. 

We're planning on stitching masks. We got inspiration from a film called 'strangers' and a band called 'slipknot'.

Spooky surroundings have been used when filming scenes in the void, graveyard and Angelia's house. Mysterous and un recognisable territoy creates a sence of alarm and the connotation of negative outcomes.

Furthermore we have attempted in generating our own icons by using the form of musical instuments which cycle the reason for revenge as well as becoming a new icon of horror. An example includes, prior to the existance of Jason hockey masks were not associated with horror and after the success of the film hockey maskes have been associated with Jason and therefore murder. 

Here are a few of our icons:

Our killer's murder weapons are adapted musical instruments. For example, a pair of drum sticks broken in half to be used as a stabbing tool and a symbol broken and tossed like a frisbee in order to behead an individual. Finally, the cables will be used to tie up his victims and strangled them to death.

Typography

The typography of these titles are the common fonts used in horror film posters, and show how the fonts vary according to sub-genres, for example the font used in a 'western horror' genre film would be very different from a font used in a 'slasher horror' type film. These fonts will be considered when creating our film poster to advertise our horror trailer.

Analysis of Psycho: The Parlor Scene

The scene begins with what appears to be an innocent invitation from Norman to Marion Crane, the unsuspecting guest at the Bates Motel, to come into "the parlor." The use of the word parlor establishes the tenor of the scene. The image shows Norman directly outside the parlor. There is a reflection on the glass that somewhat appears Norman is inside the parlor and foreshadows the future events.


The Parlor is extremely small and hardly fits the existing furniture. The use of minimal furniture consists of two chairs, the lamp table, coffee table, and chest. . On the lamp table is a Tiffany lamp which is the only source of light in the room and thus the key light within the scene. The characters are specifically positioned according to the light source in order to emphasise their aims and intensions within the scene as well as their characterisation.
  
Marion, is located close yet slightly behind the lamp. Her face is well lit, and similar to the lamp, appears to radiate a glowing warmth. Despite the fact that she has embezzled forty thousand dollars from her employer, she is not hidden in shadows of evil or consumed by the darker side of her nature. Leaving Marion in light indicates that redemption and atonement is possible. High key lighting is also used on Marion which further creates a softness around her and suggests she is redeemable.
Dramatic irony is shown when Norman does not know the reasons for her travel however the audience knows that she intends to return the stolen money.
Additionally Marion is located in front of a round picture fame while Norman is harshly lit in a corner of the room with angular picture fames behind him.








On the other hand, Hitchcock positions Norman far from the light source and in a cluttered corner. This has the effect of harsh divide between light and shadow across Norman's face, which re emphasises the the clash of his dual personality. Norman is also immersed in low key lighting which indicates something is hidden and further results in sharp, angular shadows cast ominously on the wall and ceiling above Norman.

Hitchcock uses camera angles to reveal the troubled mind of Norman Bates to the audience. He begins by starting with a state of equilibrium when Marion sitting comfortably in her chair, leaning slightly forward, enjoying a sandwich Norman has made for her. Hitchcock places the camera near eye level so the audience sees Marion from Norman's perspective as they are  sitting and talking. This particular angle provides the audience with a sense of normalcy and comfort.

However Hitchcock moves out of the comfort zone and shows Norman from a low perspective. These two camera angles are juxtaposed suggesting that Norman's world is skewed and unbalanced. The audience then feel uncomfortable and find difficulty extracting any sense of meaning or potential motive because the tone of the dialogue is conversational, thus builds up tension and foreshadows horror. Additionally, the audience are continually shown Marion from the font view however, the camera frequently moves to the left of Norman and includes a frightful back drop. This use of camera movement obscures Norman's other side, or other personality.  




Hitchcock's mise-en-scene shows Marion  surrounded by details that make her a sympathetic character. In front of her is a tray with a small meal prepared by Norman with a jug of milk rather than a small glass. While Marion consumes none of the milk it is the shape of the jug that is used as a visual image. This jug is white and has soft, graceful lines that suggest Marion's essential goodness. In Addition, the curved and rounded lines are repeated in the picture frame,  the Tiffany lamp, with its rounded shade and bright glow, finally, the walls are  soft and brightly lit. Marion, also wears a light coloured dress, has curled her hairstyle and her posture, which further adds to the sense that she is, or eventually will be, the victim.

Norman is immersed in straight lines, many of which are set at angles that create a sense of conflict rather than harmony. To screen left and behind Norman's right shoulder stands a dark chest with straight heavy lines, a contrast to the curved shade of the lamp. Norman also wears dark clothing and,  casts long shadows that strike the walls and ceiling sharply.

Overall, the most graphic feature and clue to the twisted mind of Norman Bates, is the stuffed birds mounted on the walls and on the table and chest, "I like to stuff things,". Moreover, the birds present a rather frightening image in the parlor, as they hover around Norman. 

Adorno Culture Industry Theory

Adorno (1903-69)argued that capitalism fed people with the products of a 'culture industry' -the opposite of 'true' art - to keep them passively satisfied and politicallyapathetic.Adorno saw thatcapitalism had not become more precarious or close to collapse, as Marx hadpredicted. Instead, it had seemingly become more entrenched. Where Marx hadfocussed on economics, Adorno placed emphasis on the role of culture insecuring the status quo.Popular culture was identified as the reason for people's passive satisfactionand lack of interest in overthrowing the capitalist system.Adorno suggestedthat culture industries churn out a debased mass ofunsophisticated, sentimental products which have replaced the more 'difficult'and critical art forms which might lead people to actuallyquestion sociallife.Falseneeds arecultivated in people by the culture industries. These are needs which can beboth created and satisfied by the capitalist system, and which replace people's'true' needs - freedom, full expression of human potential and creativity,genuine creative happiness.Commodityfetishism (promoted bythe marketing, advertising and media industries) means that social relationsand cultural experiences are objectified in terms of money. We are delighted bysomething because of how much it cost.Popular media andmusic products are characterised by standardisation (they arebasically formulaic and similar) and pseudo-individualisation (incidentaldifferences make them seem distinctive, but they're not).Products of the culture industry may be emotional or apparently moving,but Adorno sees this as cathartic - we might seek some comfort in a sad film orsong, have a bit of a cry, and then feel restored again.Boiled down to itsmost obvious modern-day application, the argument would be that televisionleads people away from talking to each other or questioning the oppression intheir lives. Instead they get up and go to work (if they are employed), comehome and switch on TV, absorb TV's nonsense until bedtime, and then the dailycycle starts again.



I agree with Adorno's theory to some level yet one of the main issues i have with this theory is that it is a Zeitgeist , a theory of its time. When this theory was constructed society was going though a major social change and the influence of the media started to occur and during this period it would have been frowned upon when typical forms of entertainment involved classical music, art, and reading novels or play wrights. However, within today's society people rarely experience similar forms of entertainment and extreme materialism is considered high culture because it reflects a sense of wealth. In addition TV and Film has a vast number of categories and genres. In some cases typical soap operas such as "Eastenders" would be considered low class whereas,intellectual documentaries including "Frozen Planet" or artistic motion pictures such as "Titanic" which has won a number of awards can be considered high class according to the media. Overall, the view on what is deemed high or low class changes over time with society. 


Adorno would argue that the horror trailer that i have created is Low Art as it is distracting from reality and is a product that advertises mass consumption and the purchase of merchandise and tickets. Adorno would also state that "Death Jam" provides no intellectual benefit, to which i would further agree and state that it is a form of diversion and to a younger audience. Fiction is commonly used as a form of story telling to many audiences father than Non Fiction. Non Fiction is portrayed in the forms of documentaries and educational novels. 

Below is a power point unveiling the typical codes an conventions that are common amongst famous Horror films, including saw, scream and misery. Conventions of Horror

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Tucker & Dale Vs Evil

The initial line of "Did you see the way those guys looked at us" is used in an ironic way my commenting on the way men view women and at the same time comment on how women choose to represent themselves. The female in this film is a typical blonde stereotype and a barbie portrayal. Additionally she is wearing revealing clothing and is a female that is seen to take care of her external image.

 The women are seen to fit into a male dominated society. It is also a female that is kidnapped which in it self undermines women and their capabilities to defend themselves. 

Throughout the film the women maintain a pristine external image even though realistically this would be strategically impossible. The men are seen get muddy while the women are clean. Which therefore supports the fact that the women are merely serve a duty of being sexual objects and a viewing pleasure.

Another example is the above image showing a female undressing. It supports the male viewing eye because it focusing on an attractive female undressing and not the males underessing. As well as the camera lingering on the curves and body of the female highlighting the typical hips to waist ratio which are key features that men consider when finding a woman attractive and there have also been correlations hinting that perfect hourglass shapes can be linked to fertility. Therefore judging this image from a males perspective it is as though they are fantasying about spreading their genetic information far and wide.

This image is also showing another example of the camera and costume highlighting the typical mid riff which applies to the hips to waist ratio and what men find attractive. Clear skin, plentiful hair, and youthfulness in evolutionary terms are all signs of fertility. This may be a reason for the male gaze and why these are the common feature that are advertised.

The females are also portrayed as rather stupid. The following image here shows the typical barbie like character throwing a flammable liquid into a burning fire, thus creating an explosion. This undermines a woman's intelligence and puts them at a lower status to the males, it also hints that in order to survive they need to be looked after and in the care of an intelligent male so they are prevented from doing stupid things such as these. 

The Male Gaze

Below is a presentation showing a brief description of what the key components of the male gaze are and how they are used in trailers/films.

Mulvey's Male Gaze

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Todorov's Theory

Equilibrium: This is the part of the film where everything is normal and nothing suspicious is apparent. Nothing goes wrong at this stage and the scene is just being set. Everything is balanced. 
Disruption: This is the part of the film where the equilibrium is disturbed. The normality of the scene begins to become distorted. Things start to take a turn for the worse. 
Recognition: This is the part where we realise that there has been a disruption. 
Repair: This is the part where there is an attempt to to repair the disruption, specific events occur in order to try and tackle the problem. 

Resolution: This is the part where the disruption has come to an end and the problem has be solved. 


 Todorov has produced a theory that involves 5 stages which many films adhere to however this does not apply to many conventions of trailers. This includes the trailer to Victor Salva's Jeepers Creepers. The trailer begins with a settling car journey which enforces a state of equilibrium.

Secondly, there is a disruption of the equilibrium in which the unknown figure is mysteriously throwing dead bodies down a hole which is also complimented by the slowly traveling text on screen and thus building up a state of tension and panic.

The disruption above is later recognised and there is an attempt to resolve the situation. This is shown when the two individuals look out of their car and see the protagonist dumping the dead bodies down a tube.

In an attempt to repair the situation the antagonists rather un cleverly go to see what the protagonist threw down the pipe and to see wether or not they may still be alive or flee from the area once they recognise its not safe.

However, the theory only applies to films die to the fact that trailers do not show the ending of the film, or in other words the resolution to what has previously happened. If trailers were to show the resolution there would be no point in watching the film and therefore the trailer would not be a good advertising tool to get paying customers to watch the film. 

Stock Characters

Stock characters are characters you expect to see within a specific genre category. Looking into horror movies, there are several recurring archetypal stock characters with definitive characteristics that make up the cast. To help with creating characters that will compliment  our film trailer I have conducted research reggarding these common characters and their characteristics.


The Wanderer: A character who often strays away from the group to investigate something, and at an odd time. On his or hers journey they are often murdered by the antagonist or kidnapped. The term/phrase "Ill be right back" on many occasions results into them never returning. A good example of this is Andy  in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003. He searches for his friend and is eventually kidnapped by Leatherface, as well as, the death of Kia in Freddy vs Jason. 

 


The Popular Girl: Tends to withhold negative characteristics such as arrogance, rudeness, generally an attractive female, predominately hated. She often commits selfish doings, resulting in negative consequences. Additionally she tends to be romantically linked with one of the jocks and often acts promiscuous. An example of this character is Jennifer a new cheerleader turns into a killer who specializes in seductively murdering her male classmates in the film Jennifer's body.


The Jock: A masculine sporty male, who is stereotypically portrayed as unintelligent however, still has a high status within the group. Due to his social status he is respected and listened to, others weaker individuals tend to fear his phasic. He is known to strive in a heroic nature yet occasionally fails by the near defeat of murder. An example includes Nick Jones from the House of Wax. 

 
A male who breaks the archetypal Jock stereotype is Tom from My bloody valentine. Aside from just being the cliche good looking jock he is used as the killer which is an interesting benefit due to him being close to the victims. This technique is an interesting alternative to common conventions. Below, I have added the scene from the film which reveals the killer.

The Final Girl: A traditional horror film convention that specifically reefers to the last female to confront the killer and in many films  survives to tell the story, yet many films are known to have no survivors such as the decent. There are endless examples of a final girl. A minor number of these are Julie James in I know what you did last summer, Nancy Thomson in A Nightmare on elm street, and one of the most known survivors is Sidney Prescott in Scream who has survived the entire quadrilogy of the series. 

 

Pandora: The pandora is a fraction of the movie were something  that is important gets discovered/ revealed. An example of this is who the killer is or the reason why certain things are occurring. This includes a sequence within 'The Tortured' where the prisoner John Kozlowski, who is known to have murdered the couples' son was not the victim being tortured however, was in fact another former prisoner that was in the same van as the real criminal. There is a reveal towards the end stating that the couple had mistaken both criminals and actually tortured the wrong man, yet it all works out in the end when the real murder commits suicide in front of the couple. 

The Pervert: A character known for their mischievous and odd behaviour of watching an individual or group of character without their recognition and as a result eventually is murdered in slasher horror for these doings.  

Top 10 Films- IMDB

Below is a Prezi showing the top 10 films of all time using the IMDB film list. 

Top 10 Horror Films Of All Time on Prezi

Ratings and Classifications

Below is a presentation showing the various ratings films are classified by, as well as the rules and regulations needed to fit into certain catergories. I decided to study the rating system in order to understand the banning of "A Serbian Film" and after the research I understand that it fitted into the extreamilty of R18+ which many of these films are kept under strict control and are not massively publicly shown. 


The guidelines will affect our trailer as the horror shown in it will be age appropriate for the target audience. Drug use and sex will be minority hinted but not greatly advertised. In the killer's characterisation we have to emphasise a lack of humanity so the audience are not made to feel very sympathetic towards this character. Discriminatory language will not be featured in the trailer. The action shown in movie trailers is depicted as more out of context than in the film as a whole, therefore the rules are stricter on what is allowed in the trailer because in a film you could show a violent act and the subsequent consequences the character faces later on but harder to portray this in a trailer without giving too much away.

Ratings and Classifications

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Fictional Snuff Effects

A snuff film are an urban legend where by motion picture genre depicts the actual death or murder of an individual or group of people, without the use of special effects and fiction.
One of the most famous cases of a film being mistaken for snuff films are the Guinea pig films. The makers tried to make the staged murders and torture look as realistic as possible, with the use of shaky camera work. This authenticity fooled Charlie Sheen who brought up the thought that these films might actually be snuff. 


The reason why I have decided to look into"A Serbian Film" is because i enjoy the style of  a fictional snuff film within the Movie and this is a horror convention that i want to look deeper into in order to gain greater understanding and the possibility incorporating this form of telling a story may possibly be used when producing my trailer. in addition i would like to use conventions such as a shaky camera when filming the deaths in order to make them appear as authentic as possible and create the illusion of snuff footage. 

A Serbian Film- Banned In Countries for being too Vile

A Serbian Film is brief,  consists of an ageing retired porn star, Milos is offered the lead role in an experimental new adult film, otherwise refereed to as an "art film". He is convinced though the large sum of money offered that he so desperately needs to fend for his family and make a clean break from the business. However, it is too late when Milos soon realised the tragic "art film" actually involves his family being prisoners in the entire snuff manifesto. Additionally, discovering that he has been drafted into making a film involving the rape and butchery of men, women and children, expressing themes pedophilia and necrophilia. 



Due to the large amount of controversy this film has generated it has been taken to the degree of being banned in serval countries in the belief that "A Serbian Film could not be accommodated within the R18+ classification as the level of depictions of sexual violence, themes of incest and depictions of child sexual abuse in the film has an impact which is very high and not justified by context, and indeed should in fact portray a much higher rating. However, this of course doesn't exist and as a result, the film has been banned in the following countries:

• Spain 
• Norway: Banned for distribution
• Brazil: Temporary Ban
• South Australia: An Australian DVD retailer JB Hifi have announced that they will not be distributing the film, either online or in physical stores due to the major disagreement with the current R-rating. 

The reason why I have decided to look into"A Serbian Film" is because i enjoy the style of  a fictional snuff film within the Movie and this is a horror convention that i want to look deeper into in order to gain greater understanding and the possibility incorporating this form of telling a story in the process producing my trailer. 

Production Companies

Universal is a well established and recognised production company. The language 'Universal' immediately suggests the broad audience it aims to target and this is supported by many films it has previously been apart of. These include horror films such as 'Drag me to hell" and the unborn to family suitable films such as Paul, and Nanny McPhee Returns. The variety of genres boils down to the idea that they cater for all and do not want to limit themselves to one specific category, hence the title "Universal" The background image of the company surrounding the world and universe supports the global phenomenon the company has become and creates audience expectations of high concept, expensive films that consist of quality a-list actors, locations, CGI and overall appearances.    

Twisted Pictures is a more recent production company that has only been founded in the year 2004, yet despite this it has still been able to be apart of some extremely successful horror films. These include Saw 2-7, Chain Letter, and The Tortured. By establishing the previous films Twisted Pictures has created it is undoubtedly specialised in the horror genre and the visual logo complements this. The term "Twisted" springs into mind a form of controversy, strangeness, perhaps hinting a murderer's mental state. The barbed wire and sharp object is representing torture, violence and murder. Which are many themes brought up in the films they have previously produced and will produce in the future.  When presented with this image an audience are likely to expect a gruesome horror that is of high production values. 

Audiences will view the logo and immediately think of the franchise  of films previously produced such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, all classic early 20th century films which are all family friendly, slightly aims at young girls but nevertheless caters for males by producing films such as Cars, Toy Story, and the recent Tron Legacy. Moreover all the films produced are consist of high budget and production values therefore audiences expect this when viewing a Walt Disney film. 

Walt Disney is a globally recognised production company that is family orientated. The image of a castle suggests fantasy, diversion from reality and  fairytale traditions, it is the typical princess story for a young girl. As well as the mystical era of the night sky personally has a cinderella theme of going to a ball party in the evening. Additionally, the font appears to be handwritten which continues the theme of fantasy by appearing as a signature, allowing children to aspire high by adding a personal atmosphere.

Scream- Conventions Turned

The Scream films have gained popularity over the years because they have told a horror story in an interesting form. They reveal the codes and conventions of horror yet are still able to shock the audience whilst they are on the tangent on believing they know how the film will end. This process of revealing the rules have been consistent throughout all of the 4 films. Examples of the rules being revealed are shown below: 
  


Scream: 

Scream 2: (1) the killer has got be super human - stabbing or shooting won't be enough to finish him off (2) anyone, including the main character, can die (3) the past will come back to haunt you. Detective Mark Kincaid, "All I know about movie trilogies is in the 
third one, all bets are off". That's why it says the rules will be broken.
This franchise of  Scream has been well recognised for many years and one of the reasons is simply due to it being unlike typical horror films, it has been able to provide an original telling of a story that is gripping for an audience member whilst still remaining in the category of slasher horror. By revealing the rules it creates the audience expectation that they will witness the acts being committed and thus drawing in a crowd that adores horror.   

Director Analysis- Wes Craven

Wes Craven (Born August 2, 1939) Is a very successful actor, writer, producer, director and have been given the status of being an overall film creator. He has created many phenomenal films that have been recognisable, and still known over several generations and decades. He has been in the film business form 1971 and during his time is best known for his work in horror films. In my very biased opinion is undoubtedly the greatest influence horror has ever experienced. 


Much of his work includes the famous Nightmare on elm street, People under the stairs, The last house on the left, Hills have eyes and the Scream collection, and one of my most recent favourites My soul to take.  

                        

There are many reasons why I admire Wes Craven greatly, and one main reason is that his work has been a great influence in my desire to become a film maker and follow in his footsteps despite how hard it may be. I have grown up with watching many of his films during a young age and distinctively remember the fearful effect it had on me. Looking back and remembering how films such as "A nightmare on elm street" and " Scream" influenced me I truly want to create a film that has the same impact on another individual. Even though I was unfortunately unable to be alive during his early creations in the 70's I have looked back and watch several of his old films where ever possible and plan to continue to watch any new practices he creates during his working years and learn from his work.

In Media Studies during the process of creating a trailer and synopsis for a film I plan to study Wes Craven's work and incorporate similar techniques that will hopefully have equally fearful effects.