Influences on Production

Influences on Production

Character Influences - We gained the idea for our characters from the typical teenage friendship groups that you would see in a school environment. These characters can also be seen in films such as ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ and ‘Not Just Another Teenage Movie’ which had an influence on us to gage our characters. However, we are not going to overdo the stereotypes that are seen in these films, just maintain them at a relatable level. The benefit of this is that our characters are relatable, so our target market of 15+ teenagers would be more interested in seeing our film. It also meant that casting our actors would be easier as we were less concerned about their acting skills but more their personality traits.

Storyline Influences – We developed our storyline from a ghost story that a member of our group was once told by their scout leader. It involved an underground train being crushed by the ground above it. As soon as we had this idea of a train station we began researching into horror films with similar settings. For example, ‘Creep’ was set in a London Underground, like we wished for ours to be, and they had a horror, gory storyline to co-corporate with their setting. This made us aware that this sort of idea was possible so we all brought together our own individual ideas and wrote out a rough plan together of what we could do and it appeared to work.

Sound Influences – Our main sound, which will be heard throughout our opening to our horror film, will be non-diegetic music with violins and other creepy instruments. We were influenced by the majority of the horror market to incorporate this style of music as it created an eerie atmosphere. One particular film that uses this music is ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’. The lack of diegetic on screen sound to be heard will confuse the audience, especially if they can see the origin of a silent sound.

Camera shots – We have been inspired by many horror films to use abstract camera shots that include the actors holding the camera themselves, slanted camera angles, unsteady camera shots and more. One of our main inspirations was Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Hitchcock Zoom’ (or ‘The Vertigo Effect’ as it is otherwise known). This shot involves the camera zooming into a subject while simultaneously dollying (tracking) backwards (i.e. in the exact opposite direction). We love the confused psychpological effect that we have seen it take in films such as Jaws and have aspired to use shots alike in our own creation.

Editing Techniques – We have been inspired by multiple horror films to edit our film in a way in which it scares the audience and compliments our style of footage. For example, we are going to use slow motion editing effects on our footage so that the audience know that something dramatic is going to happen. We are also going to use splicing (a series of fast shots together) so that it builds tension and shocks the audience due to the sudden change of style of editing. Films that have inspired us to do this as they use a similar technique are 'Paranormal Activity' during some parts.

Mise-en-scene – We have been inspired by films like 'Dawn of the Dead' to use high levels of gore to frighten our audience and make them feel like they cant watch. Although you won't see the cause of the injury during the opening scene, there will be a high level of focus on the blood and gore itself after the event. Furthermore, the setting of a train platform may make people think about death due to stories heard in the media about suicide etc, the connotations of this setting will help to build our atmosphere. Films that have inspired this setting are ones i have mentioned previously in this post, such as 'creep'. 

Enigma Codes – We create enigma codes in our opening by beginning with the result of the action and leaving it unknown what the cause is. This creates an enigma code as the audience want to know what has caused the injuries. Films that do this include 'Final Destination'.

Own Film Idea Brainstorm

***Our brief storyline can be read inside the large blue box of this image***

Mood Board

In our film we used a lot of these ideas, we used ideas such as; train station, sound effects, low key lighting and bruises and cuts. We used the mood board for our inspiration, adding in these features increased the final quality of the film, as it created mystery and enigma codes. We featured the train station as our setting for the whole opening, we then used dark lighting so we filmed at night and had low key lighting from the train station.Cuts and bruises are a main convention of the horror genre, therefore we designed our makeup to look realistic and we used close up shots to show this.

Actor Description & Interview

Actor Description

Teenage Girl 1:

We have selected our main female character to be Grace Sullivan. She studied drama at GCSE and achieved a grade A, which proves that she is more than capable for the role. Her look, as well as being attractive to male viewers, is unique and portrays a vulnerable feeling. She has an ability to appear to be emotionally connected with a character and therefore we believe that she will depict our teenage victim role very well.

Interview - 

Why would you be good for the role of main female teenage victim?

I would be good for the role of main female teenage victim because I have had experience playing roles similar to this before. I also do contemporary dance which main theme is feeling vulnerable so I am used to being in this role.

Have you considered how you could show the character successfully through your body language and voice?

I feel as though the character needs to be relatable for a wide teenage market, so in terms of my voice I would roughen it down as my well-spoken voice does not tend to fit this role. In terms of body language, when feeling vulnerable it is all about reducing your surface area. This could be by crossing your arms and legs or partly having your hair over your face to show insecurity as opposed to confidence.

How does you character relate to the usual characters commonly featured in this genre?

The fact that a vulnerable female character is commonly used in the horror genre means that I can relate to the character and gain inspiration for it through watching horror films. 

Teenage Girl 2:

Another member of our group of teenagers is Gemma Flower. She also studied drama at GCSE and achieved a grade C. This demonstrates that she has some key skills needed to play the role. Her character, although more in the background, is still important for our opening scene as our female teenage audience may relate to her personality. Her role is important in demonstrating the contradiction between the safety that you feel when you’re with your friends, vs when you are on your own. 

Interview -

Why would you be good for the role of a teenage girl amongst a group of friends?

I would be good for this role as I have had acting experience as a member of the chorus in school productions. I am very good at acting physically so this suits my role of not necessarily saying as much as other characters but still being able to portray the role.

Have you considered how you could show the character successfully through your body language and voice?

I would involve myself in conversation but not necessarily be the one in charge of it. For example, I would laugh along with jokes but not essentially be the one to say them. This means that my role would be important in showing a group of friends but not required for the main story line. I would be relatable for some members of our audience.

How does you character relate to the usual characters commonly featured in this genre?

My character doesn’t necessarily relate to this genre, but it relates to the group of friends we are trying to portray to our audience. The character is essential in creating a realistic story.

Teenage Boy 1:


One of the members of our cast is Connor Bassett. He has not had any major experience in acting. However, his confident personality demonstrates that he could adapt to a role very easily. His character is important as every friendship group has a couple of main characters. We would like his character to be comedic and a leader figure. This means that he may influence other characters and their decisions.

Interview -

Why would you be good for the role of a confident teenage male?

I would be good for this role as I am able to adapt my personality to suit this character. I am naturally quite funny so would be able to use this to build a persona around my character. Although I am not a natural leader, my year 6 production acting skills may shine through into this role.

Have you considered how you could show the character successfully through your body language and voice?

I think that the most confident and leader characteristics are not being afraid to say anything and not being afraid to be seen. Therefore I will talk with a loud and manly voice, which isn’t natural for me. I will also not cross my arms but stand certainly, looking open for a conversation.

How does you character relate to the usual characters commonly featured in this genre?

My character is normally seen at the beginning of a horror genre to help contradict the resultant at the end of the film where the characters cocky personality is now shy and intimidated. It is important to show the psychological effects of horrifying experiences such as these.

Teenage Boy 2:

Prasanna is another member of our horror film. His role is to contradict the comfort felt in a large group of people versus when you are isolated. He should add a comedic factor to the first events in our timeline of our horror film when everyone is relaxed. He tends to follow the group and does what others do to fit in.

Interview -

Why would you be good for the role of a background teenage male?

Although this is different to my normal personality traits, that is what acting is all about. I haven't had much more experience in acting than a toothbrush but i think my confident personality will help me to take on a new role well.

Have you considered how you could show the character successfully through your body language and voice?

My body language will be comfortable and not overly open or hidden. My voice will be slightly quieter than normal to adapt to this role. However, i will laugh along to jokes made by other characters.

How does you character relate to the usual characters commonly featured in this genre?

My character relates to a normal member in amongst a teenage group who has a friendly personality is happy to talk to most people. I believe there is someone like this in every group so i am a relatable character.

Location Research

Location Research:

Our clear winner when we analysed the results of our questionnaire proved that an underground train station would be the ideal place (according our questionnaire takers) to base our opening scene. I have a particular like to this idea due to the fact that it is a relatable location and would therefore allow the audience to put themselves into the shoes of our characters. I believe that this relationship between a character and its audience is what makes a film successful. This is why I also believe that maybe including some iconic locations in London, or simply a park setting would be of benefit to our film. This does not only allow the story to be identifiable for the audience, but it also adds interest for the basis of our story to build upon.

Underground train station:

Aldwych: This train station was closed in September 1994 but the buildings and platforms remain. They are often used for cinematic purposes so our group has decided to contact transport for London and see if we have any luck when it comes to using their underground station. The reason that this station would be of preference to us, and not another station which is open, is the control that we would have over lighting, the unlimited amount of shots we could take and also the endless amount of ideas we could use without effecting train customers.
The aesthetic of the outside of the station has an old fashion look to it and this would, I believe, be a positive contradiction to the modern teenage group of friends that may end up visiting it.

This screenshot of the location on the map and a picture from google maps shows what our potential setting looks like. It is positioned on the Strand in London and therefore has very good, iconic surroundings.

Obviously, there is a slim chance that a group of A Level students will be given the privilege of the use of this station so I am going to research other train stations in the London area that we could use.



Stoneleigh: This train station is very near to our houses and has recently been done up, demonstrating a relatable and modern horror setting which is not normally seen. It also has low lighting in the evening and only lights up when their is movement underneath the lights. This could create a really cool scene for us and the shadows it would create would be a typical convention of horror. The benefits of this station are that it is not normally busy and the trains do not run at night so we would be able to film our footage without being disturbed, or disturbing other people on their commute.

The aesthetic of the inside of the waiting room is slightly more run down so could create a feeling of horror and uncertainty. Furthermore, it is dirty so creates a negative feeling and aesthetic. The location of it means it will be very easy for us to film in.

The only negatives of this station is the fact that parts of it have been done up, and also the fact it is a public place restricts our ideas.

(Our photographs after a visit to the station)

Parks:

Parks was one of the suggested places as to where we should locate the opening 2 minutes of our horror film. Parks would be a good place to use because there easily accessible and are often large places with a mix of facilities within. As we choose to use a group of teenagers as our main characters, a park would be a suited environment as you would typically see teenagers hanging around in parks, this would link nicely with our idea of involving underage drinking because it is a hidden environment where often things like this go on in other films. Below will be some research into possible parks we could use. 

Auriol park: Auriol park is situated off Salisbury Road in Worcester Park and closes half an hour before sunset and re opens at 8 am Monday to Friday. The facilities within the park include two tennis courts, 5 football pitches in various size, children's playground, bowling green and a multi-use games area. This would be an ideal location for our film because it is a large space and is very close to where the people in our group live, so if the weather would affect filming we could leave and come back with no hassle. Some disadvantages of this location is it is quite open and there could be some interferences from the public, also it doesn't stay open to late so would be hard to make it look dramatic and scary.

Settings within London:

Southbank:

	Advantages:	Limitations:
Southbank Skating	o   The graffiti makes the area look ‘dodgy’ o   The dark corners would create good shadows o   The shadows created would mean we can use torch lighting	o   Other people would be in the area o   We would have to go up to the location and it would be dark so not everything would be seen o   The lighting may not always be correct, as it get dark quickly

From researching Southbank and its skating area, it is clear to see that this would work for our setting as there are many dark places for people to hide, these dark places are conventions of horror films. The graffiti on the walls make it look a ‘dodgy’ place as it looks like its abandoned and old. In the dark, if torches are used, a shadowed figure could be seen with the graffiti in the background creating a mysterious and tense effect.

St Pauls Cathedral:

	Advantages:	Limitations:
St Pauls Cathedral	o   As it’s very open around, the audience wouldn’t believe anything bad could happen. o   The audience would recognise the area	o   Very busy, so other people would be in our shot (Could be an advantage) o   Wouldn’t be allowed to film inside o

St Paul cathedral could be potential setting due to the old building of St Pauls and as it can be busy, you wouldn’t expect many horrible things to occur. Obviously we wouldn’t be able to film inside however the surrounding areas could be potential. The dome from the cathedral could be the iconic spot which the audience could relate to. The historic cathedral would have many stories that we could also research into which we could use as part of our story line. It is said that the iconic cathedral is haunted by ghosts, this could be our horror part of this setting.

Museum of London:

The museum of London could be an interesting setting, as from pictures and from experiencing it myself, the area surrounding it is slightly run down and quite grey and brown in colour. It’s not too far from St Pauls therefore, if we decide to film in both of these places and use these as our settings then it will be easy access. Obviously, we would have to only film in the surrounding areas we wouldn’t be able to get consent from the museum to film inside, but also, the inside wouldn’t complement our film genre.

	Advantages:	Limitations:
Museum of London	o   Has dark corners o   The lighting could be good with little beams o   Easy to get to	o   People may be around and we need an isolated area o   Far away

Questionnaire and Results

We created a questionnaire online asking some multiple choice questions and have shared a link to it publically enabling friends and family to help us out by filling it in if they wish. When results begin coming in, the data will automatically be analysed and we can view which of our options were most popular, and therefore what we should include in our opening sequence. - 8th November 2016

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/K3DQCKY

Question 1:

Our top results for question one, as you can see, shows that psychological horror and paranormal horror would be the best approach to take with our opening scene. This therefore means that we will be having the presence of ghosts, confusing camera angles to make the audience feel psychologically uneasy and lastly we feel that some use of gore would be a benefit to our film.

Question 2:

Our results show that an underground train station would be the best & most popular place to host our film. Having spoken to people, they said it was because it was relatable, unpredictable and unique.

Question 3:

The survey takers said that a use of drugs would be the best. I like this idea due to the psychological effects drugs have on their user and also the different emotions that it makes the user feel compared to normal.

Question 4:

I like the idea of our characters being dressed up for a night out as it shows that they have plans for a good evening, and the events of our film will probably end up contradicting this. The outfits with a mixture of drinking creates a relatable situation for the audience and may therefore scare them more.

Question 5:

A group of teenagers won when it came to judging which characters would be best to star in our opening scene. I believe this is because they are relatable characters for the audience we are targeting, and an older audience can relate to them from their past experiences.

Question 6:

It is a typical convention of the horror genre to use low-key lighting, so i am not surprised this is the result. I also think it is good because darkness does create a fear of the unknown. Furthermore, this with a mixture of the use of darkness and torches would create a dramatic, yet interesting effect.

Question 7:

The takers of our questionnaire appeared to be slightly indecisive about whether they would prefer a normal camera angle or a shakey camera to demonstrate uneasiness. Due to the results being so close, we will probably use a mixture of the both.

Question 8:

We are going to use normal editing techniques. I feel this was the result because the best horror films are those that are relatable and natural. It would obviously be unnatural if a group of teenagers started walking in slow-motion.

Question 9:

Due to the audience wanting no music, we will probably aim to do this throughout, again because it makes it most relatable for the audience. The use of slow classical music may also benefit our production.

Question 10:

It is clear that a younger audience is who our work will be aimed at.

We are going to use the results we have received and aim to research around these areas of success in our questionnaire and find the best setting, actors and props according to this research. For example, the audience decided that they would like to see an underground station being used so we will research various underground stations, visit them and take photographs of them and analyse the benefits and difficulties of that filming location. 

Target Audience Research and Profiling

Target Audience Research and Profiling & My Film Rating

Having watched multiple horror films in the hope of understanding the genre and their appropriate content, I understand that they are most commonly rated either 12A, 15 or 18. These are certificate ratings which I have researched but not specifically for the genre of film which I would like to make.

Below, I have researched some horror films of these certificate ratings and am looking at what type of audiences attended and using this information to help find our ideal target audience. Once we have this, we will be able to adjust our films content so that it appeals to the attendees of horror film showings.

'Jaws' is a film that was originally released in 1975 and then experienced a re-release in 3D in 2012. The audience was very mixed on this release, maybe because it has been classified as a 'classic' of horror films and people of all ages wanted to go and see it. During this re-release, the audience was fairly evenly spread across all age groups and gender, but the 15-24 age group did have a significantly larger percentage. The male percentage was also slightly larger than the female percentage, but enough to make a difference. 

‘The Purge: Election Year’ is the 3^rd film of the franchise and was released in August 2016. It has a certificate rating of 15. The main audience attracted was 15-24 year olds who took up 66% and 55% male and 45% female audience. I suspect that the female audience is attracted by the hero role of Frank Grillo. The male audience is not deterred by the disturbing bloody violence and strong language, whereas the potential female audience may be.

‘The Woman in Black: Angel of Death’ is rated a 15 and was released in January 2015. The audience was mainly 15-24 year olds (59%) with a male to female ratio of 44:56 (simplified to 11:14.) I am surprised that the female audience is greater than the male audience. Having researched the cast members in the hope to find out why, I understand that Jeremy Irvine is an attractive male, therefore attracting a female audience. I also believe that the male audience decreased from the first movie to this sequel because the elder attractive female who attracted 27% of the 45+ audience was no longer a member of the cast. The film is rated a 15 due to its reference to suicide, visuals of a drowned body in barbed wire, ghoulish ‘jump scenes’ that are intended to frighten the audience.

Saw VI has a certificate rated 18 and was released in October 2009. This would be a good time to release a horror film as it is near Halloween. The main audience that attended were aged between 15 and 24. The percentage of male audience members was 54% and female was 46%. This is a greater female audience than I predicted so I am shocked. This means that if we make our certificate rating an 18 then we should ensure that it appeals to the young male and female adults.  To do this, we should include attractive male and female characters that the audience become attracted to. The violent content is what gives the film an 18 rating as there are frequent scenes of corpses, stabbing, shooting, emotional and physical suffering and other gore shown in great detail. There is also a use of scatological language and sexual curses (which aren’t used in a sexual way.)

I think that we will make our film rated a 15 as it will allow us to include an appropriate and effective amount of gore to go with our genre of horror. We can also reference alcohol and drugs and be able to make people appear more vulnerable by removing clothing which is accepted. Although it means younger ages won't be able to come and see it, they aren't our target audience anyway. We are still attracting the elder teenage market and young adults which is okay because they are the ones who can earn money and afford to attend.

From my research I can see that an attractive female character and the use of blood and gore would attract a younger male audience. Opposing this, an attractive male character and a lack of violence would attract a younger female audience.

Certificate Ratings

Certificate Ratings

U - Unrestricted Public Exhibition
A film rated 'U' is family friendly and normally contains themes of education, family, drama and romance. The certificate attracts people with normal family member ages and commonly groups of people (families). This, therefore, encourages a wider audience of people to view the film as there are no restrictions on age. Due to a wider potential audience, the success of the film is greater as there is a larger income. Furthermore, family friendly films commonly have merchandise to go with them and therefore achieve more economic gain from the sales of these products.

-Bee Movie: The bee movie is an animated cartoon comedy film about the life of bees. As you may have already realised, there is likely to be a limit on the amount of bad language or sexual content, in fact, there is none. There is merely some suggestive humour and an image which may suggest smoking. Other than this, there is only a comedic reference to violence.

-Aladdin: The story of aladdin is based around a homeless boy who falls in love with a princess. This sounds like a very harmless story, which it is, but there are some references to violence and also mild sexual content. Again, it is a cartoon which means that the lack of realism makes it more acceptable to view.

-Toy Story 3: The film follows a group of toys from a home to a day care centre, as Andy (the owner of the toys) grows too old for them. They become battered and bruised, which therefore means that there are some references to violence, all of which are accompanied by humor from the cartoon characters to lighten the mood. There are some very mild sexual references and no noted links to drugs and alcohol. 

PG - Parental Guidance

A film rated 'PG' is available for general viewing, however some scenes may be unsuitable for young viewing. They are normally okay for children aged 8 or over. The final decision of whether a child can watch a film without their parents present is entirely up to the parent. This is because parents may know that there child is particularly sensitive to certain things. The film is unlikely to contain bad language or scenes of violence to avoid children copying this behaviour. This certificate of film may unfortunately loose some of the audience of families as parents may decide that a scene is not appropriate for their child. This may therefore effect the overall success of the film as if a child in a family can't go, then it is doubtful that a child will go without them, making the box office revenue shrink.

-Superman The Movie: The movie itself is based around a superhero character who is seen from his childhood, growing up to save the world. There is some use of violence throughout, but it all used in unrealistic situations. There is a very mild use of language and no sexual references. Alcohol is also drunk, but there is no drug use and only a small, realistic, depiction of smoking.

-Ratatouille: The film is based around a rat who wants to achieve his dream of becoming a chef. As with all films, there has to be something that gets in the way of this. Unfortunately, it means that there is some use of violence and knives (kitchen) and also some drinking of wine, which appears naturally as it occurs at a meal in a restaurant.

-The Parent Trap: The movie is about two twins who are separated at birth by their parents divorce, and bump into each other and trap their parents into getting back together. There is a lack of violence, mild language and weak sexual hints. There is no reference to drugs at all.

12A

A film rated '12' or '12A' is generally not acceptable for children under the age of 12. A 12A is acceptable for viewing by a 12 year old if they are accompanied by an adult. The use of bad language and violence is likely to be used more commonly than PG, but not to excessive amounts. Frequent sexual references are to be briefly and discreetly portrayed. This certificate may now begin to attract audiences of groups of teenagers as they are able to go without their parents. This may increase the success of the film due to new groups being targeted. It is also a more particular audience which may benefit the film as people with common interests recommend it to one another, ensuring their attendance at the viewings.

-Mean Girls: The film is based around a girl who goes to high school and ends up in a friendship group with the mean girls and gains some of their personality traits. There is multiple sexual references and a mild sexual scene. There is some mild/bad language used throughout and multiple uses of alcohol and drugs are spoken about repeatedly.

-Twilight: Overall, the twilight series follows the lives of vampires and their enemies, as well as their romances and other events. There is use of violence and some mild sexual scenes, with weak drug references and some use of bad language.

-Crazy, Stupid, Love: The film is a comedy romance which follows the life of a divorced dad using his younger male friend to get back onto the market by learning his antics. There is one scene containing humorous violence, multiple sexual scenes with references, a large amount of bag language and some drug references. Alcohol is also used regularly and may appear to the audience to make you appear more confident and escape depression.

15

A film rated '15' is not allowed to be viewed, brought or rented by anyone younger than 15. Films with this rating are the closest to real life that you can get as they contain an acceptable amount of strong language, nudity, sexual references and violence. They do not contain excessive amounts as it is likely to be unnecessary and take away from its realism. The audience is now targeted at teenagers upwards, meaning that, although the audience is limited by age, the amount that the film is spoken about may increase in conversation and the appreciation for films may now be at a deeper level that, when recommended to friends, they actually go to view it. The success of the film may be increased due to the age now being from 'working age' upwards so people can afford to attend the cinema of buy a film. It is also an appropriate outing for a group of friends or partner.

-Saving Private Ryan: The film is based around a member of the army and is constantly in a war setting. The film is rated '15'  "for intense prolonged realistically graphic sequences of war violence, and for language. This movie contains many violent and brutal depictions of war violence, with blood, gore, graphic injuries and explicit detail." (http://parentpreviews.com/movie-reviews/film-info/saving-private-ryan)

-American Pie: The film is about a group of high school teens who aim to lose their virginity before prom night. The movie is rated '15' due to "strong sexuality, crude sexual dialogue, language and drinking, all involving teens. Portrayals of teens engaging in sexual activities (masturbation, oral sex, and the use of other objects to create sexual pleasure), using sex as a recreational diversion, and drinking alcohol. Some nudity shown in a sexual situation." (http://parentpreviews.com/movie-reviews/film-info/american-pie)

18

A film rated '18' is only available for adult viewing. This is because adults should be free to choose their entertainment. There are no limitations when it comes to language or sexual activity. Although, films who's main aim is to sexually stimulate should be rated R18. Furthermore, any content that appears to be impacting viewers behaviour to themselves or society is not permitted. For example, things promoting violence and exploitation to a point where it seems appealing. The volume of audience is now smaller, but this may not necessarily have to effect the success of the film. This audience is likely to be earning a steady wage so can afford to go to the cinema and purchase films. They are also more probable to know their likes and dislikes and therefore enjoy the film which they are viewing.