Target Audience

For my thriller film, of the sub genre horror i must ensure that i have a specific target auidence in which i aim to entertain throughout the opening of my film.
I have chosen to research my audience by using the site
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/


This site allows me to research each film certificates criteria and establish if the opening to my film is likely to conform to a cerificate of 12 or 15.

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/recent/films
This part of the website allowed me to determine common trends for each cerificate. For example, 'strong' is the common word used associated with language, violence and sexual themes for a 15, whereas, the words associated with a 12 are mostly 'moderate' and 'infrequent' regarding language, violence and sexual themes.
In studying this page further i looked at films of the horror genre such as 'the forth kind' and 'paranormal activity' which are both 15's and found that the labels attached to these films were 'contains strong psychological horror' and 'contains strong language and threat'

In the production of the opening to my horror film, i must consider the common trends i have established and work out what certificate my production would most likely come under. I must also ensure that the technical codes conform to my target audience.

Research into famous Thriller/Horror directors

ALFRED HITCHCOCK 'the master of suspense' - He is a notorious film maker most famously associated with Film Noir, 'vertigo' and 'Psycho.' He inspired a new generation of filmmakers and revolutionized the thriller genre, making him a legend around the world. I am interested in Hitchcock because of his imaginitive skils and his ability to provide the viewer with a plot full of suspense, mystery and horror. I hope to be able to mirror particular film language techniques (camera, sound, editing and mise en scene) he uses in order to produce and edit a successful horror opening sequence.

JOHN CARPENTER - Who is mostly known for his direction of the 1970's horror 'halloween' and other horrors such as 'the fog' and 'the thing'
I am intruiged by Carpenter because he focuses on the sheer fear and the unknown of human kind and its impact on society. This interests me because within his films, the technical codes he perpetuates allow the viewer to appriciate the plot and its meaning, which is what i aim to try and achieve in the production of my opening sequence.

'The Innocents' opening sequence analysis

In analysing the film the innocents i am able to establish how the technical codes evident contribute to the creation of meaning. To begin with the titles overlap eachother, which could imply that particular characters' lives are overlapping and in the case of the film, the lives of the living and the dead (children being possesed.)

The sound of the non diegetic eerie music is quite ethereal, indicating the child like aspect to this film, the innocent aspect of it, and the fact that the music is being sung by a child indicates that children are the main feature within this film.
There is a non diegetic sound effect of a bird whistling, this also accentuates the innocence and child like quality the film may possess.

We hear an initial crying, this allows the viewer to establish a character is in distress and the fact that we eventually see a female character emerge from the left hand side, in our westernised society, we can maybe associate this with her being the 'good' character throughout the narrative.
There is a close up of a pair of hands, the use of the close up creates a sense of this character reveal or concealing something with her hands, maybe a part of the narrative enigma and the lack of light around her hands also sustains this idea of reveal/conceal.
This persons' hands are shaking and opening up, showing discomfort and as if they are turning to God, maybe they are possessed themselves? The way the frame is positioned with the hands constantly in focus and apart indicates that this is a supernatural film, involving God or some form of 'being' from above maybe.
Hands are clenched together accompanied with intensified non diegetic music suggests that this character is desperate and something horrific has happened involving her, this body language aspect to mise en scene creates a desperate and slightly uncomfortable atmousphere which suggests that discomfort is evident throughout the film.
The camera pans to the left to reveal a woman looking up, with a desperate facial expression, looking up with her eyes closed, this indicates furthur desperation and discomfort and suggests that maybe this film is highly religious?
As the camera begins to slightly tilt so she is in view, zoomed in on her face her non diegetic narration reveals ‘all I want to do is save the children not destroy them’ It is narration to heighten the seriousness of the situation, we can see her thoughts, indicating that she is a very specific and important character throughout the film.
This short and simple phrase allows the viewer to establish this film involves children and the discomfort they experience from another 'being'. The fact that she is whispering creates a sinister atmousphere, and reveals that she is a slight, scared character in which plays a key role.
Within the shot of a close up of her face, she is on the left, again implying an innocent role, and also there is a constant black emptiness beside her on the right, this could mean that there is a constant invisable force taunting her, that she is scared of, present but we cannot see it. This again indicates that this film is about a ghostly world.
There is an effective editing technique used, a fade, to have a smooth transition from one scene to the next. The fact that the fade remains blurry and her face has to come into focus suggests that this scene is maybe in her mind, in the past? This creates meaning by implying that something bad happened before the state that she is in now, and we as a viewer are about to experience this, creating a frightened and intruigued atmousphere.
There is a contrast in the mise en scene from the present scene to the past. She is in discomfort, her hair is quite ruffled, she is sweating and frowning but then it fades to her being pristine. Her hair is neat, she is slightly smiling. This creates a sense of panic for the viewer, what must have happened to her. The viewer can establish that this film is of the horror genre and can successfully determine part of the narrative in which is to come.
In the production and editing of my opening sequence, i must ensure that the technical codes combine successfully to create meaning and a significant narrative, aswell as being able to be established as being of the horror genre.

Understanding horror films

I have researched horror films throughout the planning of my production and have concluded that the purpose and significance of horror films can be defined as:

Distressing texts which are designed to frighten and panic the viewer as well as causing dread and alarm whilst calling upon our hidden worst fears.
They often include a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a emotionally provoking manner.

'Horror films effectively and conventionally center on the darker side of life and human nature, the forbidden, and strange and alarming events (supernatural).
They usually concentrate on exploiting and provoking our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsion's, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment and loss of identity'

This definition consisting of quotes and my own ideas allows me to understand what frame of mind i must ensure i acquire whilst filming my text. I must ensure that i try and include most of these ideas in my production and editing in order for the viewer to be satisfied that they are viewing the opening to a potentially disturbing/scary film of the horror genre.

Codes & conventions of Horror/Thriller films

Horror/Thriller films often involve a complex set of codes and conventions that will allow the audience to establish that they are watching a Horror/Thriller film.
Some of these include:

- A crime or representation of distorted humanity and evil at the core of the narrative
- Complex narrative structure (false paths, clues, resolutions)
- Narrative pattern of establishing enigmas (Mysteries) which the viewer expects to be resolved
- A victim(s) of the plot, being antagonised by the representation of distorted humanity
- A protagonist (hero/victim in the case of horror) who is systematically dis empowered and drawn into a web of intrigue by the antagonist (villain or 'monster')
- Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations to sustain interest
- Themes of identity
- Protagonist with a 'flaw' which is exploited by the antagonist
- Titles often reflect an aspect of the protagonists psychological state
- There is often a scene in which the protagonist/victim is in peril
- Mise en scene evident echoes the protagonists'/victims' plight

Less complex codes and conventions or Horror texts in particular are
- Darkness
- Screams
- Victims
- Villains
- Isolated settings
- Killing/death
- Evil/violence
- Weapons
- Blood

I must ensure that in the opening to my film I include not all, but most of the conventions listed above which are relevant.

Overview

Through my research on two films of the horror/thriller genre (the others and the messengers) and my brief interpretation of a variety of posters i am now able to begin to understand the conventions i must conform to, in order to make a successful film of my own.
I must effectively include aspects such as mise en scene, camera, editing and lighting in order to perperuate the genre throughout my film and achieve a relevant emotional response from the viewer.
I must ensure that all of these conventions combine together to allow me to produce and edit a successful film of the horror/thriller genre.

'The Messengers' Analysis

This is an example of a film that is also of the horror/thriller genre.
This movie poster conforms to all of the conventions of a typical film of this genre.
The old abandonded house allows the viewer to establish a haunted/mysterious atmousphere and tells the viewer that the narrative will take place based around this house and its significance. They have made the actual house monochrome to connote to the viewer that this house is a bad place, a place full of mystery and potential danger. This is typical of a poster of this genre to do this because it has all the conventions needed in order to communicate to the viewer its particular genre and plot. The camera angle is at a low angle allowing the viewer to be intimidated by this house.




This still has effective body language and facial expressions that allow the viewer to see that this character has something to fear and the fact that she is holding a child in such a protective manner, this brings innocence to the scene allowing the viewer to experience a slight heightening of frightened emotions.
This still is clever in how it denotes fragmentation. This creates meaning by suggesting that particular aspects of this film are not all as they seem, again, connoting mystery. The female character is wearing white, which suggests that she is the victim throughout the plot, oblivious of things to come.