http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-mqA7s19zM

Freddy vs Jason is a horror film from 2003. we choose this film to research as our opening sequence because it is different to most stereotypical horror films as there are two villains. at the beginning it tells you the story of Freddy Kruger, who is one of the villains in the film. this is interesting because not many films do this and this particular one was a big hit. this is a stereotypical American horror with special effects, this is different to another film which we have researched for example severance, severance is a British horror with a low budget whereas Freddy vs Jason is a big budget.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-mqA7s19zM

Lewis Crichton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrgPecKnBlA

This video is of the film severance, which is a horror film. We particularly liked this clip because it starts right in the middle of some action. The people are running away from something, they keep falling into traps, you do not know what they are running away from, this builds up tension, you see a charcater with a knife in is hand, you do not see the face of the character. The character kills somebody and there is alot of blood running down the persons face. Some happy music starts, this is a contrast because somebody has just been murdered and it is not to the norm of what type of music is normally on when somebody has died.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrgPecKnBlA

Brodie Hope

Opening sequences

In an openening sequence you need to:
Introduce and establish the characters, usually the main character/protagonist.
You also have to set up the initial equilibrium that will be disrupted later.
It also usually sets up many enigmas too keep the audience hooked.
Introduce any themes and motifs linked to the ideologies in the film.
You have to establish the place and time.
To reasure the audience by demonstrating the conventions of the chosen genre.
Sets up the audiences expectations, e.g in plot, style/media language.

In an opening sequence to a horror film you are likely to find:
Low key lighting.

Build up in music, this creates tension.

Sharp Camera movements.

Hand held tracking shots.

Dark colour pallet.

Setting- Varoius places: Woods, Abandoned house, Deserted Village, etc.

Props: Varous weapons, Fake blood, costume e.g masks, hoods.

Stereotypical Characters, people that you can relate to, because you are used to them e.g. Blonde damsal in distress.



Brodie Hope, Lily Conchie, Lewis Crichton

Prelim evaluation

For our prelim we were asked to do a short clip using shot reverse shot, match on action, 180 degree rule and also to add some small amouts of diaolog in there to enable the viewer to realise what was going on.

We re-did our prelim task due to the fact the first one was not right and didnt work well. This was because our first one was quite rushed we didnt take enough care in doing it, so for our own benifits we decided to re-do it. For our second one we decided to make it more planned and we put alot more concentration into it, we made ourself a story board before we went to film it. Our second prelim task went quite well although there were some faults, only slight ones though.

We managed to incorporate most of the main features and did them quite well although the lighting was not very good, this was due to the fact that the setting we chose did not have very good lighting and we did not take enough care in where we angled the shots. Also there is a slight jump in the middle where the door is being re-opened, this is something we will learn from this for future reference. We also learnt that alot of time and care was needed to be taken whilst doing it as the first time it was alot more rushed than the second one, this was why it went alot better. We also added some music to our pre-lim, i piece that we found worked well, this had a good effect on it as it made it more funny and enjoyable to watch.

By doing this we also learnt how to use iMovie. We used this to edit and work on bits in our prelim task. We learnt how to add effects such as music, this helped to set the mood of it. Aswell as this we learnt how to cut and crop clips too. iMovie gave a better look to the pre lim in general and it will also ensure our that our opening sequence to our movie is alot better quality.

by Brodie Hope, Lily Conchie, Lewis Crichton

Feedback 24.11.09

Please complete the reflection of your prelim - should have been done by now. Also, you should be working on research from home. Please share ut the tasks so that everyone contributes. You need to outline the conventions of opening sequences and research the conventions of the horror genre and then analyse a clip each from opening to horror films. You also need to conduct some primary research - audience questionnaires and quantify and summarise your findings and comment on how yu will use this information to inform your product. See checklist in pack for further guidance.

Mrs A

Prelim task

Lily Conchie. Lewis crichton. Brodie hope

Initial Ideas

We have decided to create the opening to a horror film. We think that a horror film will give a big impact in a short period of time, wanting the viewer to watch more. The target audience we are aiming it towards is both men and woman in the age range of 15+. We believe that it will be succesfull because it is quite common for people to like horror films, and we think that we will do it quite well. We are thinking to do more of a slasher stalker horror, with some gore, we think it will be effective because it is a type that is used quite often. People will relate to this kind of style, because it is used in alot of films. We think that we are going to do the opening in a flashback style, so it puts you directly into the film. We are hoping that this will make the viewer want to watch more of the film, and build up suspense, make them ask the questions what will happen next?

Lewis Crichton, Brodie Hope and Lily Conchie