Film Poster (Draft)

Film Poster (Draft)

POSTER DRAFT

Editing Techniques

180 Degree Rule

It establishes placement of characters.
Breaking the rule causes the character to be placed differently.

Match on Action

This is when multiple shots are put together in order to make it look like a single continuous action.
Each cut matches together to let the audience know it is one action.

 

Shot Reverse Shot

This is when we continuously flipping back between two shots.
Shows there is a connection between the two.
This edit is mostly then when a conversation is happening.
Eye-line must match in order to show what they are looking at.

 

Eye-Line Match

This is to show what the character is looking at.
It is a smooth transition that will make the audience want to know what they are looking at.
The character looks off screen and we cut to the view of where the direction his eyes are.

 

Cross Cutting

This alternatively cuts between two 2 that appear to be different locations.
Pace gradually gets faster in order to increase tension.
The scenes will then collide with one another to create the climax.

Horror Genre Reasearch - Iconography

Horror Genre - Iconography

 

Iconography is the association of a genre or film with a picture or theme. An example of this would be blood and gore being linked to horror or thriller films, as well as dark forests and abandoned buildings. Film makers often use these types of imagery in trailers and posters to entice the viewer to see their film, as their audience will be interested in this form of iconography, as they associate it to the horror genre.    


As said before, a key example of iconography for the horror genre is blood and gore, as it links to many of the gruesome deaths seen within this genre of film. As time has gone on, the horror genre has seen more and more bloody and shocking scenes being used within it, with more detail being shown as well. This is to match the audiences desensitization of gore over time, meaning the severity of the horror has to become worse to match it. A example of this imagery being used can be seen in The Shining (1980), as the flood of blood coming from the elevator gives a strong menacing tone to the film, as well as being shocking and gruesome to the audience.



Another piece of iconography used for the horror genre is sharp knives and weapons, as they are often used by the villains to attack the characters in creative ways. This form of iconography is similar to the one seen before, as it has the same effect of shocking the audience with violent and gruesome imagery. The villains in the films are often seen wielding these aggressive weapons, such as Friday the 13th (1980) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), with both of these lead antagonists using sharp weapons to strike fear in to the characters and audience.

Horror Genre Reasearch - Titles

 

Horror Genre - Titles

 

 

The purpose of a title sequence is to credit all of the cast and crew from the film in a short sequence at the beginning of the film. These often work by playing a short sequence of the film, introducing the key themes and characters, while text plays across the screen, with all those involved in the film being shown by name and their job. Horror films use these in the same way as other genres of film, but they also use this sequence to introduce some of the key themes and characters of the film, as well as the over all tone.

A key example of this type of title sequence is seen in The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980), which reveals very little about the plot and characters of the film itself, but helps to establish the dark and sinister tone of the film, as well as the themes of isolation and seclusion seen throughout it. This is done with the wide angle tracking shot following a car driving through the mountains, with deep ominous music playing in the background, setting the tone to the audience from the opening scene. While this continues, the names of the cast and crew appears on screen, as well as the company's involved in it.
      

Another example of a horror title sequence is The Cabin In The Woods (Drew Goddard, 2011), which uses a different approach, introducing all the key characters in this time, with the text coming across the screen also. It begins with animations of demonic rituals, which are being covered in blood, while menacing music plays in the background. This is then abruptly cut to a sequence with all the main characters being introduced, helping to give context to the audience, while also setting the tone from the menacing sequence at the beginning.  

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-cabin-in-the-woods/

Horror Genre Reasearch - Editing

 

Horror Genre -Editing

 

 

One of the main ways that film makers create a feeling of fear and suspense in their projects is by the use of specific editing techniques that cause the audience to feel a certain way. Most of these edits help to disorient a viewer, making the villain more fearful to them, or by making them look at a certain part of the screen.

 

The most common technique used is the jump cut or jump scare, which has the camera cut quickly to a scary or disturbing image, shocking the audience. This is normally preluded by a long and tense scene that puts the audience on edge on the run up to this scene, making the effect of the sharp jump even more effective. These have become more and more popular in later films, with many people going to see films just for this editing technique alone. In 1976, Carrie became one of the first mainstream modern jump scare which then caused many others to use the trend, such as 1980's Friday the 13th and 1990's The Exorcist 3.

 

Another commonly seen editing technique is splicing, a method of editing that has face paced cuts between scenes to evoke a feeling of panic and fear. These rapid cuts are often used as part of the villains final attack on the victims, having rapid shots between their fearful faces to the villains, disorienting the audience again, taking control away from them. An example of this is seen in the ending for Poltergeist in 1982, which has the villains attack spliced together with the victims attempt to stop him.  

 





Horror Genre - Cinematography

Horror Genre - Cinematography

 

Extreme Close-Ups

An Extreme Close-Up (ECU) is helped to show extreme detail on either a person's face or on an object if the audience missed something. In a horror movie, the ECU is mainly used to on a character's face to show how they are feeling in this moment of the movie. It is mostly used on the victims to show how they are dealing with the situation or to each other. It makes the audience relate to the characters and want to sympathise with them.

High Angle

This type of angle is when the camera is high-up and is looking down on a person or object. In horror films, it represents a figure who has power looking down on a more vulnerable an weaker victim.

Low Angle

The opposite of a high angle as the camera is low-down facing up to a person or object. The effect this causes towards the audience is that it makes them feel weak and insignificant, due to the antagonist, who will likely be the person they are looking up at, emphasising how scary and intimidating he is, as he has the power between the two.

Long Shot

This shot is when they want to focus on an object or a person from the head to tow so the audience can see the entire thing in full. It is best known when a film wants to establish a scene, or put into perspective how deserted and abandoned the place is.

Hand-Held Camera

Some horror films like to use "Found Footage" trope by having one of their character's hold a camera throughout the entre film and record thee events that will unfold. The reason this style is used so often is that it helps to give the audience a sense of reality. It makes them feel involved with what is happening, making them feel like as if they are actually there.

Over-the-Shoulder
 

This has been listed as one of the best shots to use in a horror film. It helps to create a suspenseful atmosphere and allows the audience to see what is happening as soon as the character does. This technique is used to show that there is something following the character unaware.