Research on Horror Film Openings

Film Openings

In order to start planning for my project I started researching film openings from horror and thriller films so that I could get an idea of what goes into the production process. I looked at how elements of mise-en-scene, lighting, sound, and movement all played a role in the interpretation of the film and the mood it created.

The Conjuring (2013)

The beginning of the film starts with non- diegetic sound of a narrator explaining the dolls origin. Then the shift turns to a two shot of the two nurses on the couch showing that these characters have a bond. Later I found out that this video was also a video in the movie as it cleverly zooms out to expose an exposition filled with students and the researchers from the "investigation". The Conjuring makes it very known how important and relevant these two characters are going to be throughout the film by, after they answers the student's questions and getting applauded, cutting to a black screen with their job description as well as an emphasis on how rare their positions are. My favorite aspect was the mention of the fact it is based on real events because I feel like that makes the audience feel much more wary of the topics discussed. The use of colors is all very strategic because whenever the haunted spirit is in the scene there are very dull dark colors and the use of shadows is amplified, but when, for example, it changed to the presentation everything is well lit and light colors signifying a safe space.

Bird Box (2018)

This film starts with an empty black screen, with a score playing which was written by Trent Reznor. This score has a very gloomy mood and that is further supported when the first image is shown. A crane shot reveals a foggy and dark scene of a lake and the forest that stretches as far as the eye can see, seemingly untouched by man. The fact that this area remains uncivilized is a foreshadowing of the fact that the people living in this society are limited by a risk factor that comes with the outside and opening of your eyes. Towards the end of the shot I was able to hear a woman's voice through the use of non- diegetic sound and then the film quickly shifted to a tight close up of the woman emphasizing her role of importance and that what she is telling her children is of extreme urgency. This film also uses the element of lighting to signify safety and danger, as clearly shown whenever they are outside everything becomes dark and foggy but indoors, they have everything brightly lit. Interestingly enough, I noted that the colors which appear very bright indoors are heavily muted when in a "danger" zone.

It (2017)

This film begins by showing a little boy dressed in a neon yellow raincoat. The yellow in this instance represents his innocence and naive-ity. This horror film also uses shadows to convey what they are trying to get across to the audience. In this instance the character "Pennywise" in almost fully engulfed in the shadows with the exception of the majority of his face and his one visible hand. The use of the bright red for the clown's lipstick serves as a warning sign much like how animals in the wild have vibrant colors to warn other animals of their danger. In the first two minutes the movie is superficially wholesome but when you take into account the fog, rain, and the use of the long shot to emphasize Georgie's solidarity all come together to hint that some evil force is upcoming. 

Overall, what I found most interesting is how lighting plays such a big role in the interpretation of a scene and how a mood can be transmitted through just the use of shadows. For my project I will definitely be experimenting with these different ways to make a scene feel gloomy and will attempt to incorporate contrasting elements like the cuts away from all the bad into normal human societies. The film I will mainly be referencing for these characteristics will likely be The Conjuring because in my opinion the way this film incorporates them is the best.

Research Credit Sequences Within Horror

Credit Sequences Research

Whilst researching films for my project I took notice of the copious components that go into making a good credit sequence and how to determine which components should be used. I saw how different fonts helped emphasize aspects of the film, like more comical fonts would signify its going to be a non- serious production and should be taken lightly. Moreover, the use of movement for each sequence drastically differs in accordance to what producers are trying to accomplish.

The Haunting (1963)

This particular film has a credit sequence on top of a series of images instead of a preview of the film. I noted that all the credits were centered on the screen but that before the title appeared the names were higher on the screen and afterwards, they become lower. The title appearing in the middle of the sequence is more remarkable than, for example, at the end or beginning. My favorite aspect of this sequence was the font, I thought it did a good job at portraying how rigid the film itself is and serves almost as a warning. Truthfully after watching this sequence I didn't feel enticed to keep watching because in my opinion the font and editing seemed a little childish to me though I know its due to how old the film is.

The Conjuring (2013)

This credit sequence is much more interactive than The Haunting in the sense that there's much more movement throughout and it has a more organic feel. By organic I'm referring to the fact the credits looks like they are being projected onto a screen and every so often you can see the shadow of a hand. Not to mention that the credits are incorporated very strategically by making them seem like parts of articles, newspapers, and posters, but emphasizing them by making them bold. This clever placement of the credits makes the audience feel like we are watching an undergoing investigation. The actual title of the film appears in the end of the sequence to allow the audience to know it will begin shortly after.

Midsommar (2019)

This film shows nothing but the credits and flowers. I thought is was very clever how Midsommer's editors used the actual names to create movement within the scene. Another aspect that was remarkable for me was the use of flowers to foreshadow some themes that can be seen through the movie. The titles appear centered on the screen when they are singular or duos, at a certain point the producers simply added full run downs of both cast and crew and these images stay on the screen for long periods of time. Everything to this point is in black and white with the exception of the flowers further highlighting that they will be important further on. Like The Haunting, the actual title of the movie appears in the middle and flows very well with all the other text.

    Based on all that I've learned I realized I want my credit sequence to incorporate movement because it is more visually interactive and can be a good tool to keep audiences engaged. Additionally, I loved how both Midsommer and The Conjuring both included elements that serve as hints to what the film is about. Regarding the fonts and placement of the text, I want to use a more professional font because my film will be centered around a serious topic and should not be taken lightly. 

Genre Research

Genres: Drama and Horror

    As soon as the Film Opening Portfolio project was introduced these genres came into mind. I've always loved the way films have the ability to create emotions in their audiences. Whether its fear, love, sadness, or joy I want to be able to transmit feelings through what I create.

Drama

    Drama films, in the simplest of terms, are serious stories that center themselves around completely plausible events. These TV shows and movies demonstrate one of these 3 conflicts: character vs. character, character vs. self, and character vs. external conflict. Ultimately the resolution of drama productions usually resolves in character development and growth. Some more specific characteristics of the genre include copious cathartic moments in the narrative, and the objective of classifying complex human emotions.

    The emotion I personally would want to convey through this genre would be unease or empathy. I want for the audience to feel uncomfortable when they see the film opening but feel as though they need to keep watching simply because they can't leave in a cliffhanger. It would include elements of isolation in people's everyday lives and how it can become overwhelming, since it is a very real emotion most people face often.

(2000 Pay It Foward directed by Mimi Leder)

In the case of Pay It Foward this is a romantic drama about a boy who wants to help his teacher make the world a better place. This film causes a rollercoaster of emotions, especially for me. After watching it the first time I cried for hours distraught at how Leder could possibly think is was okay to end such a wholesome film so tragically, I felt truly robbed of the happy ending. Then, I realized the reason the movie was so good is because of its authenticity and that's why it has remained so relevant in my mind to this day. 
    For the majority of the film the audience is captivated by this unlikely love story and how sensible everything comes to be all thanks to Trevor McKinney. Throughout the production I got to see why he is the way he is, and it caused me to have a strong sense of empathy for him and I felt pride when I saw how motivated he finally was. Ultimately, he is murdered after everything comes together and everyone is happy in a highly probable scenario, at which point the film ends.

Horror

    Horror films, have the singular objective of... You guessed it! Scaring people. These stories aim to get adrenaline coursing through audiences' bodies keeping them on edge and can be interpreted in different ways.  For example, a common audience is sensation-seekers that turn to horror films to help them induce fear. "Horror" is a part of every culture because they each have their stories and fear which help to rationalize why it is such a universal genre. Every horror film deals with at least one of these elements, the supernatural, death, witchcraft, after life, evil, powers, and other unexplainable occurrences.

    I'm mainly interested in the thrill aspect of horror and definitely aim to keep my audience on edge. I would like to incorporate unexplainable elements, death, as well as hints of supernatural activity. I don't love the gore aspect of the genre so my film would not be gruesome or display particularly off-putting scenes. I do however want to make this film opening very unique, which might be a challenge since so many horror films have already been made, since my goal is to lure the audience in and encourage them to search for similar content afterwards.

(1963 The Haunting directed by Robert Wise)

    In the case of The Haunting this horror movie is centered around the thrill characteristic of the genre and therefore can serve as a good reference for what I would want to accomplish. In the film the audience can see there are clear hints to paranormal activity as well as lots of death. In the film Dr. John Markway assembles a team of experts to try and decipher is the Hill House is in fact haunted.

    This production keeps people on edge by not clarifying if the house truly is haunted but instead listing events that could have merely been coincidental. Like for example, the strange and tragic deaths all the past owners of the Hill House have met. 

Transitioning into Cambridge Portfolio Project

    Hi Cambridge! Starting today my posts will be focused strictly on the development of my Final Cambridge Project. My pasts posts have helped me ease into learning all these media components and applying them to my tasks. In all honesty this transition is a little nerve wrecking because that means the final is fast approaching, regardless, I don't doubt I have been given the necessary tools to succeed. My past research and notes will certainly assist me on this path. With that being said, in order to transition into this project my class was given an introduction to film openings as well as a breakdown of their key characteristics, like identifying your approach and developing a clear purpose.

    My approach will consist of consulting my partner about which genre we want to do whilst keeping it a fiction film and clearly illustrating the genre's key conventions. Once that has been decided we will discuss which mis-en-scene elements we are going to use to ensure engagement with the audiences as well as cementing a tone. We are firstly going to focus on developing our characters and the effect of their actions, design, and dialogue.

     Otherwise, we will focus on developing the background to create the correct context ensuring that we will not have to rely on dialogue. We will have to decide which elements we will carry out through the opening and which of those are going to require emphasis as key elements.

Music project behind the scenes blog

 

Music Marketing Project Process

    On this day, December 9th, my group and I have finished all but the music video. We began by discussing what our artist's brand would be about and what they aim to achieve with their position in the industry. That same day I begun working on the story board as the rest of my group got to together to break down the marketing plan and how we would introduce Dallas into the music industry. This class we finished everything we had left of the presentation, aside from the video, and begun taking pictures and thinking more in depth of exactly what we want to achieve with this music video. On Wednesday of this week we will be filming and then from Thursday to Friday editing until we will finally submit the final presentation.

soundscape project

 During this lesson I learned about foley and the use of sound to create depth in films. For example, how emphasizing the sound of fabric friction might be an indicator to a stressful situation. What we were asked to create was a 2-minute scenario, in chronological order with no cuts, of something happening. We had to convey the scene using only sound and a black screen the entire time. We were given a maximum of seven words we could you to add context about what was happening. The instructions also dictated that we needed to include at least four foley made sounds and submit proof of them separately. Another direction given was that we could not use any sound that were already layered since it was expected of us. When it came down to the brainstorming me and my partner discussed how we didn't want to create something boring or basic and therefore landed on "haunted house". We then created an outline in which every scene was broken down into chronological order and what sounds would be used. The outline was a huge asset because we searched for the sounds verbatim to the outline and it helped us visualize in what moments every noise had to occur. While editing this project, we utilized adobe premiere because I am more familiar with this platform. I think the organization of sounds was pretty good and I'm very proud of that, but I wish I would have figured out the volume settings better because I realized later when I play it certain aspects that play a key role aren't as audible as I would have preferred. ValdesNewman_soundscape_per8.mp4