Camera angles in horror films

High angle

High angle makes the figure that is being looked down on seem powerless and vulnerable as the audience see them from the point of view of the figure in power.

Close up

Close ups enable the audience to see reactions and emotions shown by the actors. It also focuses mainly on one character to show their importance and detail in scenes.

Panning

Panning shot shows the movement of the characters and can also establish a scene if the image is stopped for a certain amount of time. It can also give the sense that someone is being followed or watched and this makes the audience wonder what is going to happen next because of the typical length used in panning shots.

Long shot

Long shots establish the scene by the audience being able to see the whole setting. This often highlights how isolated a place is or brings mystery as the audience do not know if there is a specific place where they have to watch.

Low angle

Low angle shots can show the perspective of the person who is not in power and can emphasize the intimidation caused by the antagonist. This gets passed on to the audience making them feel weak.

Hand held camera

This is commonly used in films such as paranormal activity and skew. It gives the film a sense of reality and makes the audience feel involved with the action as they feel like they are there as they have the movement of a person.

Point of view

Point of view is used so that the audience can see the film through the eyes of a character. It makes the audience feel more attached to the character and possibly more scared for certain types of characters depending on the situation.

Over the shoulder

This is used so that the audience can see what the character is seeing, usually through mirrors or reflections where a figure is shown behind them. It builds tension and suspense as we can see what happens before and when the character does.

Completed mini-brief

Evaluation of Mini Brief

In comparison to the story board, our mini brief turned out relatively similar. This is a strength as is shows that very few things went wrong. However due to the circumstances we was unable to include parts of our mise-en-scene, for example the fire and the tent. This was due to us using a public park where we did not have permission. To overcome this we could have used private property such as a garden or field with the owners permission. Despite these step backs we were still able to stick closely to the script with a minor change to

[Morgan: Brilliant.. the fire is going out.

Sam: You better go and get some more firewood then.]
into a discussion where they have get firewood for the first time.

For our main brief we should try to previously plan when we will film according to weather, land permission etc. so that we do not have this same problem.

Another weakness of our mini brief is that our original 180 degree camera angle did not go right. We went over the line so that we filmed behind the characters. This would have disorientated the audience so we removed it and only used one angle as we did not film more angles. In the main brief we now know that we should film more than one angle in case something goes wrong again. It is important that we use relevant camera angles that fit the horror genre and the 180 degree rule is important for horror as we can see both parts of a conversation/encounter with two characters. If we do not learn how to film the 180 degree rule properly then we will be unable to use it in our mini brief which could be a threat to our overall mark.

In our mini brief, where we had filmed only with a camera and no microphone, the background noises change between each shot which removes the realism and fluidity from the piece. The differences of pitch could have been removed/ improved by adding sound effects of forest/ insect noises over the top however this could have obscured the sound of dialogue. However, the sound effects that we have used work well as they have been put in places that does not have dialogue, and when the character Morgan walks up to the tree the music builds tension and mystery as there is a long wait to see what he is looking at. The non-diegetic sound works well as it includes the noise of a dog. This is horror iconography as this usually symbolises that there is disruption in the setting i.e the murderer (hooded figure). We could replicate this idea in the main brief to create more suspense and make sure that it fits in perfectly to the horror genre.

Furthermore, we could have improved the camera angles whilst filming. The close ups (head shots), in my opinion, are too close to the face. This can make the audience feel to close or have an invasion of privacy. We was unable to fix this during the editing process, therefore when filming the main brief we need to make sure that the camera angles are all correct and will fit in to a fluid scene. We can do this by filming at different distances from the face. Similarly to the camera angles, in the future we need to improve the placement of the characters. In our mini brief the characters are not always centred in the frame. This means that it looks like the characters are not always sitting in the same place and could possibly confuse the audience. In order to improve this we could use a grid on the camera screen when we film, if we are unable to do this then we would have to make sure that it is as centred as possible or purposely have asymmetric frames.


The location that we used, I thought, was quite effective as it looked isolated and empty which you would typically find in horror films. However, the time at which we filmed it was very dark so we could not see any of the background when the characters are talking. In the future we need to make sure that we film at a suitable time where we can see all of the mise-en-scene. When filming we had to use out phone cameras so that we was able to see the characters and trees. On the other hand, this could be seen as a positive as the black background could give the audience a sense of abandonment or danger as we are unaware of what is behind. As props we used fake blood to put on the tree. This was a strength as it is key iconography in the horror genre and was very realistic. This hopefully would make the audience feel on edge and worried about what has happened.

Todorov's equilibrium theory

Tzvetan Todorov is a French-Bulgarian philosopher, literary critic, sociologist and essayist. His greatest contribution to literary theory was his defining of the Fantastic, the fantastic uncanny, and the fantastic marvellous. He defined it to be anything that happens which seems to be supernatural.
Todorov's equilibrium theory gives a simplified narrative theory.
It starts off with the equilibrium then getting disturbed where it will then get recognised. From here the plot will attempt to fix the disruption and once that is done a new one will arise.

We have used Todorov's equilibrium theory in our own piece by starting off with the equilibrium at the start where the friends are sitting together. The disruption will be seeing the post on Facebook which leads to everyone recognising that something has happened. The two girls will attempt to repair the damage by going to Clockhouse Gardens where we are left at the end.

Blade

Today we was shown a 5 minute clip of the opening to the film Blade.

We were told, in the 4 micro element topics, to analyse it.

• Mise-en-scene
• Camera angles/movement
• Editing
• Sound

Analysis

Blade begins with the two characters in a car. It is clear that the woman character has the power. This is shown by way that she squeezes the leg of the man character. By doing this we can see that the man is the submissive character and the woman has all of the control. Furthermore, the idea of control is shown by the way that the woman is driving and only she is able to control where the characters go. This makes the audience feel uneasy as there is a small space between the two characters and we feel intimidated by the woman.

The camera shots that are used are very shaky. This could have been used in order to make the audience feel uneasy and panicked as we could guess that something bad is going to happen. We could feel this because the camera movement could symbolise the shakiness of our bodies when we are scared. Furthermore, at the beginning of this scene there is no establishing shot as it starts in media res. This could imply that something is going to happen as on Todorov's equilibrium there is a build up (disruption) before it is recognised.

Whilst this initial scene is taking place there are titles that have been edited on. The writing used is bold, bright red font which stands out to the audience. This fits with the horror genre as the colour red connotes danger or death which could foreshadow the later events of the bloodbath or symbolise the vampire characters. However the colour red could also connote passion which is shown between both of the characters before they go into the night club when they kiss.

We first get the idea of vampires when the two characters enter the chophouse. Surrounded by dead animals, human bodies wrapped in bags also were shown. The camera angles used here show the bodies taking up the majority of the screen and then switching to the boys face to see his reaction. It then changes to a front on view of the woman to show that she is again in power whilst the boy is distracted behind, at this point we can clearly see that there are human bodies in the body bags. After this when the body guard opens the door to the club we can only see black. This suggests mystery however connotes the idea of danger or death.

In the nightclub the shots have been edited when the girl is dancing by speeding up the shots and cutting each shot quickly. This gives us the idea of vampires being quicker than light. Again as part of the editing technique non diegetic sound has been used when the vampires were preying on the boy. Roars were added over the top to make the vampires animalistic and perhaps to make them sound more scary and more of a threat. Another way that the vampires are related to animals in this extract is the way that the camera pans to show a meat hook hanging up in the club. This suggests to the audience that perhaps the vampires hang up their prey how we hang up animals or could foreshadow events to come. This is supported by the way the the boy is targeted as someone that the vampires want to eat.

Filming

We had a few problems..
In typical British style, the weather was painfully cold which stopped us from doing things that were in our script. Instead of gaining firewood to place on the already existing fire, we needed to change the script so that we get fire wood to create a fire. This was because the wood was frozen and wet (not just health and safety reasons!).

However we carried on through the mud to get our shots. As the ground was wet and almost frozen we was unable to put up a tent and because we had minimal set our bottoms had to be sacrificed and we went home covered in  mud. It took us roughly 20 minutes to film each clip/ section.

We also had some camera angle problems. Our clips for the 180 degree rule do not work. As we filmed it we managed to go over the line which disorientates the audience.

Filming outside was a fun experience, however standing on frozen grass for more than 2 hours was not. For our final piece it is possible that we will use a location inside or hope that it is warmer! Furthermore, as it is during winter it gets dark very easily. By 5 o'clock it was nearly pitch black even though we turned up at 4:30 and the sky looked like this...

This meant that we had to find a light source as the camera could not pick up the characters. We resulted in using our mobile phones and hoped that it looked good.



Examples of Hybrid Genres in Horror

Hybrid genres refers to a combination of two or more genres in one production. This enables the film producers to possibly get a wider range of viewers whereas the viewers would possibly be more interested in watching the film if it has aspects of a genre which appeals to them.

Seven: Crime, horror, drama, thriller

"A film about two homicide detectives' desperate hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. The movie takes us from the tortured remains of one victim to the next as the sociopathic "John Doe" sermonizes to Detectives Sommerset and Mills -- one sin at a time. The sin of Gluttony comes first and the murderer's terrible capacity is graphically demonstrated in the dark and subdued tones characteristic of film noir. The seasoned and cultured but jaded Sommerset researches the Seven Deadly Sins in an effort to understand the killer's modus operandi while the bright but green and impulsive Detective Mills scoffs at his efforts to get inside the mind of a killer..." -IMDb

Jaws: action/adventure, horror, thriller

"When new Sheriff Martin Brody discovers the remains of a shark attack victim, his first inclination is to close the beaches to swimmers. This doesn't sit well with Mayor Larry Vaughn and several of the local businessmen. Brody backs down to his regret as that weekend a young boy is killed by the predator. The dead boy's mother puts out a bounty on the shark and Amity is soon swamped with amateur hunters and fisherman hoping to cash in on the reward. A local fisherman with much experience hunting sharks, Quint, offers to hunt down the creature for a hefty fee. Soon Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute are at sea hunting the Great White shark. As Brody succinctly surmises after their first encounter with the creature, they're going to need a bigger boat." - IMDb


Godzilla: Sci-fi, horror, thriller

"Following the French atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific, an unknown creature is spotted passing eastward through the Panama Canal. Scientist Niko Tatopolous is called in to investigate the matter, and he quickly arrives at the conclusion that a giant, irradiated lizard has been created by the explosions. Godzilla then makes its way north, landing at Manhattan to begin wreaking havoc in the big city. Even with the combined forces of the U.S. military to fight the monster, will it be enough to save the people of New York" -IMDb










Alien: Sci-fi, horror


"A commercial crew aboard the deep space towing vessel, Nostromo is on its way home when they pick up an SOS warning from a distant planet. What they don't know is that the SOS warning is not like any other ordinary warning call. Picking up the signal, the crew realize that they are not alone on the spaceship when an alien stowaway is on the cargo ship." -IMDb











The silence of the lambs: Crime, drama, Horror



"Young FBI agent Clarice Starling is assigned to help find a missing woman to save her from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight into the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lecter, who used to be a respected psychiatrist. FBI agent Jack Crawford believes that Lecter, who is also a very powerful and clever mind manipulator, has the answers to their questions and can help locate the killer. However, Clarice must first gain Lecter's confidence before the inmate will give away any information"- IMDb









Horns: Drama, Horror, fantasy


"After Iggy's long-time girlfriend is murdered and the whole town agrees he is the killer, he awakens one morning with horns and the townspeople soon confess their sins. Once knowing the sins of the people, he is facing the true killer of his beloved girlfriend" - IMDb









In our main brief we are having a genre hybrid. We liked the idea of a murder so we are incorporating the genre of crime into it. Some examples of horror/crime are:

Characters and props

Characters
Morgan Black
Sam Wood
Hooded Figure

Props
Fake blood- typical iconography of horror genre. Audience can clearly see tat there will be murder/ death- foreshadowing.
Marshmallows- connotes sweetness etc. Takes mind away from the feeling of danger.
Twigs
Tent- minimal set, gives the feeling of isolation, typical in horror films.
Fire (twigs, rocks, paper etc)- connotes danger, hell etc. Foreshadows the evil that is going to happen

Costume
Hooded cape/ Black Jumper- the idea of mystery, unable to see face.
Casual clothes/coats-Sam:White tshirt (covered partly by coat for weather reasons) connotes purity.
Blonde hair- typical in horror films as stupid, gullable, usually first to die.
                                             

Story Board

Shot 1: A long shot is used so we are introduced to both characters clearly and the audience can see the setting.

Shot 2: A close up (o 180 degree line) is used so that we can see one side of the conversation and the audience feels closer to the character.

Shot 3: A long shot is used again so that we can see the movement of the characters when the marshmallow is thrown.

Shot 4: Another close up is used so that we see the other half of the conversation.

Shot 5: A long shot it used so we can see the full length of the characters and we can clearly see their body language

 

Shot 6: Close up is used to see the reaction from the character and we can see the way the character turns around with the match on action shot.

Shot 7: Match on action to a long shot makes it able to see the character walk away.

Shot 8: Long shot makes it able for the audience to see the setting and gives them a sense of space.

Shot 9: The camera will rotate from the face to behind the shoulder, allows audience to see what the character is looking at.

Shots 10,11,12: Shot/reverse shot gives the audience the opportunity to see from the characters point of view  and then see their reaction

Shot 13: Allows audience to see the empty campfire to give them a sense of fear

Shot 14: The close up allows audience to see the reaction from the character from being alone

Shot 15: The tracking shot will allow the audience to feel like they are the character so that they share the experience

Shot 16: Match on action when the character turns around allows us to see the fear of the character.

Character Analysis

Character 1
Name:Morgan Black
Gender: Male
Eye colour: blue/hazel
Hair colour: strawberry blonde
Personality traits: Lazy, independant, caring

He sees himself and Sam as very close friends like they have been for many years howver, he is oblivious to Sams feelings towards him.




Character 2
Name: Sam Wood
Gender: Female
Eye colour: green
Hair colour: Blonde
Personality traits: Sassy, bossy, caring

After growing up with Morgan, Sam has got strong feelings towards Morgan which can be seen through the way that she looks at him.






Character 3 (hooded Character)
Name: Unknown
Gender: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Eye colour: Unknown
Hair colour: Unknown
Personality traits: Unkown

Recce

Today me and my group went to our local park area to find a suitable location to set our short film in. We found a perfect area that includes a creepy tree and wooded area. For our recce we took pictures and experimented with fake blood on trees.

This is where we would set the main camping scene and have the fire on the path.

We dripped some fake blood onto the floor to see how realistic it looked, we believe this could be very effective in our piece

Fake blood on the tree which the character of Morgan will come across

Me and Olivia putting the fake blood on the tree

The path which Morgan will walk across when we see the hooded figure

This is an alternative location

Editing Horror Films

Below is a link to Oren Peli talking about editing Paranormal activity.

paranormal_activity_oren_peli_interview.html

Script

Script

The two characters SAM and MORGAN are sat in a dark forest around a small fire in front of them. They are both toasting marshmallows whilst listening to music.

SAM: Do you want another marshmallow?

MORGAN: Yeah, get me one please.

SAM stands up and gets the marshmallow bag which is by the tent. He then throws one over to MORGAN.

MORGAN: Cheers.

[Sigh] Brilliant… The fire is going out.

SAM: You better go and get some more firewood then.

MORGAN stands up.

MORGAN: Why me? I got the last batch!

SAM: Well you’re the one who wants the marshmallows.

MORGAN: Fine… I’ll be right back

MORGAN turns around and walks down the path into the darkness.

As MORGAN is walking he hears wood snapping, he gasps.

He carries on walking until he sees a tree with blood dripping from it.

MORGAN: What is that…?

Crap…

In the distance SAM: Hurry up!

MORGAN: I’m coming!

MORGAN walks back into the camping area to see SAM is not there.

MORGAN: Sam? Where are you?

Hello?

MORGAN hears a mystery rustling in the trees and goes along the path to investigate.

MORGAN: Sam, what are you doing?

As MORGAN is walking a hooded figure appears from the trees, MORGAN does not see him. Camera films MORGAN’s face which is struck with fear.

Getting ready to recce!

Now that we have completed our script and story board we need to find a location that our short film will take place in.
Locally, we have some enclosed forest/park areas that we believe would be great to take pictures of and experiment with the cameras to show the lighting and space that is available.
Tomorrow after school Me, Olivia and Tommy are going to explore potential filming areas.

Preparation

Today my group and I planned our ideas for our short film.

Mind map of our ideas. We decided to go with the camping idea.

This is Tommy writing our script.

This is me drawing our story board.

Tommy and I planning the story. (Olivia was the photographer)

History of horror films

Gothic horror was the first type of horror genre to be recognised during the 1700's. Many writers such as Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe explored this genre by using stories which use a setting of old castles, forests and dungeons.

Silent Era
In 1895 Auguste and Louis Lumière produced a silent film 'Spook Tale' which shows a puppet skeleton in a dark room dancing in an inhumanly manner.This was then later followed by the first horror film in 1896 called 'The Haunted castle'

Germany

During World War 1 the Germans started a style of cinema called German Expressionism. As Germany was a very internal country they did not have the influence of Hollywood which meant that this cinema style was hugely popular. Film was also seen as a highly important thing during this time so the Military introduced a film unit called the Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft (UFA) and this later began to produce film in order to make a profit.

F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu 1922

World War II

In the 1940's there was a steep decline in horror movies and the industry, mainly down to the fact that World War II was in action. However, films such as Wolf Man, Cat People, House of Dracula and House of Frankenstein were released.

 

Thriller

In the 1960's a new sub-genre of horror was introduced by the word 'thriller'. This was mainly introduced by Alfred Hitchccock's Psycho that shocked and scared many. Below is the iconic shower scene

The word 'Thriller' originated by the way that the films give the audience feelings of suspense and excitement along with anxiety.

 "In an Anglo-Saxon thriller, the villain is generally punished, and the strong silent man generally wins the weak babbling girl, but there is no governmental law in Western countries to ban a story that does not comply with a fond tradition, so that we always hope that the wicked but romantic fellow will escape scot-free and the good but dull chap will be finally snubbed by the moody heroine." -Vladimir Nabokov (lecturer)

There are many recurring themes in Thrillers which includes serial killers, stalking, death-traps etc.

Filming preparation

Before we start filming we need to find a suitable location where we can hold our scene and take pictures as samples, this is called recce. We will also need a script and a complete story board which shows the angles that we wish to film from.

As soon as we have finished this we can start filming!

Camera angles

In order to film we are required to demonstrate three camera angles:
Shot/reverse/shot

A shot/reverse/shot is very self explanatory. It is usually between two characters and the camera will film from one angle, then change. The purpose of this technique is to usually show both sides of a conversation and see the reactions from both actors. Below is an example.

The 180 degree rule

This rule states that between two characters' conversations a line would be drawn in a position between them. The camera then chooses one side of the line to film on an cannot go over. The purpose of this is so that the audience stays orientated as the eye lines will stay in the right positions.

Match on action

A match on action shot is when the camera transitions whilst the actors are moving. This shows a different angle whilst having fluidity in the movements. This could be used when, for example, someone closes a door and turns around or an example is below. 

Mini Brief

Today we have started our mini brief therefore we are in the pre-production stage. this includes planning and research. We have been introduced to the micro and macro elements that make up a film.
Micro elements

• Camera angles/ movement
• Editing
• Sound (diegetic/non-diegetic)
• Mise-en-scene

Macro elements

• Genre
• Audience
• Narrative
• Representation

Doing this will make sure that our film matches with the genre as each of the micro elements can change what category the film would be put in.
For horror: Camera angles- close ups, long shots, tracking shot (eg. following the actor when running)
Editing- dark colours (filters etc), quick transitions
Sound- screams, footsteps, heavy breathing, eery music, fast pace sountrack
Mise-en-scene- dark backdrops, empty houses, abandoned houses, knives, candles, blood, crucifix

Welcome!

My name is Lily King and I have chosen to take Media Studies for AS. As part of our coursework I will be regularly updating this blog showing my progress of research and planning. During the year we will be filming an opening sequence to a horror film. This will require me to research the history of horror films and the genre. Doing this will enable me to understand camera and editing styles associated with horror films and how to recreate this myself. Later, in groups, we will film our own shots from our storyboard and create a successful film opening/trailer.