R15 - Controversial Films - The Exorcist and Childsplay

R14 - Short Film Reviews

R13 - Research into technical practice - Camera Usage

R12 - Analysis Of Film Posters - Orphan & Sinister

Poster Analysis Of Sinister

R11 - Analysis of film trailers - Annabelle & The Purge Anarchy

Summary of the film:
Annabelle is the doll featured in the opening scene of The Conjuring who makes her way into the hands of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. In the movie, a couple begin to experience terrifying supernatural occurrences involving the vintage doll shortly after their home is invaded by satanic cultists. 

Trailer analysis:
The trailer starts with a number of different shots of the location, as if they are snapshots of the event in the film, which are all shown in different angles to show the main focus of where the activity is taking place. This is a good tension building technique as it builds tension fairly quickly. In the beginning, you see a lady running up to her husband in the night showing that her sleep was disturbed by an unusual event. Shen then says “John wake up, I heard her scream" and "she's covered in blood" in a panicky and agitated voice. This builds up the atmosphere as more intense. Therefore, this will build up the curiosity to the audience as to what is happening. 

As soon as the man runs out the door of the house, intense and vigorous music starts playing in synch giving the movement an affect indicating that something is wrong judging by his facial expression as he looks worried and out of breath. He then urges his wife to go back inside the house repeatedly. This states that an unusual even has occurred and that something must be done in order to protect themselves, raising the tension and suspense.

In the middle of the trailer, you start seeing various quick camera shots of Annabelle the doll every now and then. This suggests that this specific object may have a responsibility in the unusual occurrences taking place. You then hear a child like voice whispering "I like your dolls" in the background and straight after there is a sudden scream which gets the viewer on the edge of their seat. This scream is used to build tension in this situation related to the doll. There are a number of flashes that are like strobe lighting, this shown over a man struggling to fight off the woman, the scream continues and then stops when just the dolls face is shown. After that, there is sudden attacking going on and this gives the trailer a fearsome effect. There are a number of flashes that are like strobe lighting. Flashing light is a good technique because it gets the viewer on edge and the bright lights almost get them excited to see what is going to happen next. This is shown over the man struggling to fight off the woman and the scream continues and then stops when just the dolls face is shown.

You then see a close up camera shot of Annabelle where a tear sheds blood out of her eye. The fact that red connotates evilness and death gives the impression that the doll is not so innocent after all and that the doll is full of secrets and is capable of unrealistic occurrences performed by an object as it doesn't happen in real life. This may be disturbing to the audience as dolls are usually seen as happiness, joy and innocence.

Also, the part where you can see the doll placed on the shelve in a kid's room is shown as a middle camera shot to establish the setting. As you can see, the curtains are blue and pink and the furniture is white. These colours symbolise innocence and purity which contrasts the image of the vintage doll even though she is wearing a pure white gown. This makes the doll stand out and it shows that this doll may be the cause of the problems taking place in the movie.

The screen changes again and this time the screen is dark and the tone of music drops and once again, there is a sudden crash as the screen changes to represent something has gone wrong again. Some strange things begin to happen around the house but in the back ground of the shot, for example the camera is on a close up of the doll ' Annabelle' but you can see the door slam shut in the background although no one is in the room. This is also a good tension building technique because it is almost done slyly. Then, a record player is shown starting to play music by itself. The music is a very relaxed kind of jazz music, a shot is then shown of the woman asleep on a low angle shot but also quite a long shot too, you can see the woman asleep towards one side of the shot and the music begins to play but the spirit or woman is shown walking around the house around her without her knowing. This music is used to lighten the mood, before quickly switching to something bad happening for a better effect on the viewer. 

The trailer quickly picks up the pace, the shots change from the woman sewing, to the cooker in the room, this gradually gets faster and faster, then a close up shot of the doll  Annabelle is shown for a brief second in between the other shots. You can hear a clock ticking faster and faster and lullaby music playing in the background which contrasts what is going on. The kitchen sets on fire and the woman is dragged into it by what appears to be a spirit. There are then a number of different shots that flash up very quickly and with very little time between them (enough for the viewer to establish what is going on). This is used to create a sense of panic. The door suddenly locks and the woman crouches down to look underneath, there is a POV shot of the baby in another room, this is interrupted by the doll falling to the floor in front of the shot. The screen quickly changes to the blank themed screen which reads 'discover the secret'.

Overall, I really liked this trailer, particularly because of the variety of techniques that were used to build tension and panic for the viewer. It gives you a good insight into the film but still leaves the viewer wanting more with the 'discover the secret', 'and of what she wants'.

The purge Anarchy Trailer Analysis from ABoksh

R10 - Independant Research (BBFC and Regulations)

R9 - Conversations with your sample audience (film or podcast or written evidence)

Audience Research about Horror movies

Target Audience Research

R8 - Meetings with Groups

Group meeting by naieemakmiah

DATE	Completed
13/10/14- Film ideas	/
20/10/14- Discussing the camera shots/angles	/
22/10/14- Discussing film locations and briefly about costumes	/
31/10/14- Film props/makeup/costume	/

Infinity productions

R7 - Audience Survey and Analysis/Focus groups/Interviews

GROUP RESPONSE by naieemakmiah

R6 - What Makes A Good Horror Movie & How To Make Horror Movie Props

Guillermo del Toro is a writer, producer and director for various successful movies such as Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, Hellboy, The Hobbit, The Devil's Backbone and many more. He developed an interest in film making in his early teens and learnt about make up and effects by working with the legendary Dick Smith who was the make up artist for The Exorcist and then worked on making his own short films. In this video, he gives out a few tips on what makes a good horror movie and which certain props and characters makes a good or bad story plot:

During my research, I also came across this Youtube video on how to make props for horror movies and I found it very interesting as it is an intelligent way of making weapons real life like!

R5 - Case Study of a Film Company that produces film in chosen Genre

R4 - Codes and Conventions of Chosen Horror Genre (Supernatural)

Characters 

Main characters in supernatural horror movies tend to appear as 'normal' people. For example their appearance. Characters are also likely to be troubled by something that has happened in the past which leads other characters to view them as 'mentally unstable' once supernatural interaction occurs. An example of this is 'Insidious' and 'Insidious 2'. 


Male characters are usually seen as the dominant, seeking help to save his family from paranormal spirits. However, they can be also be used as a villain to unveil an unexpected plot twist which attracts the audiences attention as it causes suspense. 

Female characters are usually seen as harmless and natural, wearing simple clothing with neutral/pastel colours such as white, beige, cream pale pink and blue which doesn't project them as sexualised.

A typical ending of supernatural films is the characters resulting death as it is what the audience expects. This is often because the spirit has possessed the family's house or the characters itself prevented them for being able to escape. An example of this is 'Paranormal activity' as it uses the reoccurring expectation where the main characters end up being killed or possessed.  

Location 

It is conventional for supernatural horror movies to be set at homes which can be also known as a 'haunted house'. Other common locations are the main characters workplace, car, school etc. One of the reasons why supernatural movies usually take place at a characters house is because it makes the genre more exciting and it promotes the fear of something that is unfriendly and unwanted, entering their personal space. This as a huge effect on the audience as they may feel frightened in a similar setting, for example an empty house or a forest. 

Events

Curtain blowing in the wind and creaking of a door - Tend to take places at the beginning of the film and so on. This symbolises the entry of the unknown as it indicates the presence of a spirit or ghosts. 

Main character looking at their reflection in a mirror, sleeping or in the bath - This is where ghosts or spirits reveal their presence as the character may experience an unusual vision or nightmare at unexpected times. 


Researching about the spirit/ghost - This often happens after the characters suspects a spirit/ghosts to further investigate and how to solve the problems. For example, in 'The Conjuring' the father finds numerous video tapes and discovers the serial killing that takes place around the house.   

Sounds

It is common for orchestral music to be used as background music because it reflects the mood of the characters (fear, anxiety, suspense) and it also creates an atmosphere in which the audience feels feared and expecting something to suddenly happen. This is also called 'Contrapuntal music' as orchestral music does not match with the scene. Also, a child's laughter or a girls laugh, nursery rhymes are used because it makes the atmosphere sinister as they are meant to be innocent sounds. 


Lightening

It is conventional for lightening in supernatural horror movies to be dark. This is because it hugely contributes to the scare factor towards the audience. Also, the weather is mostly gloomy, rainy and cold. This makes the character appear as vulnerable.

     

*R4 - Typical Horror Conventions

*R3 - Media Theorists

Laura Mulvey - Male Gaze Theory

Laura Mulvey is a British Feminist that argued that films are used to sexualise women. The women's body is positioned for the mans viewing pleasure (to look and enjoy). Therefore, Laura Mulvey argued that women are objectified as they no longer view them as an actual person but an object. This can be done through camera shots; for example, the camera focuses on specific body parts. Often, their bodies are exposed and this is used to objectify women.

Hypodermic Needle Theory 

This theory suggests that the media has a direct effect on the way people behave. This is because the media injects ideas directly into the minds of the audience and this shows that messages have subtle influences. For instance, children playing video games or watching a film have become more violent. This is because over the years, new technology has been producing products that involve violence. 

Uses and Gratification Theory

This theory suggests that there is a highly active audience making use of the media purposes as opposed to the Hypodermic Needle Theory such as:

• Entertainment
• Information
• Education
• Escapism
• Identification
• Social Interaction