Shot-list

Prop-list

Health and Safety report.

Final Image analysis. The Cabin in the Woods

This scene from The Cabin on the Woods shows how genre conventions still exists and are used in modern horror movies.  In the centre of the shot we have the stereotypical male hero, the one who is going to save the day for everybody in the horror movie. We can see his strength though the iconography of the sports jacket. This tells us the audience that Curt is a ‘jock’.

Curt is also the leader as we can see him centre shot and the two character hiding behind him waiting for him to lead the way forward. To the left of him is the female victim, Jules. We can see this through her code of dress, the very short and reviling clothing suggest she likes to show of her body. Also the colour of her hair is blonde which has always been the stereotypical hair of the victim. To prove this point, Jules is the first character to be killed.  

I also like the mise-en-scene, with the dark cellar hidden underneath the cabin. This adds to the film’s already creepy atmosphere with the use of stereotypical, enclosed setting. This scene also uses great collision from slow->fast to build suspense and then deliveries a big pay off, as after this slow sequence we have a quick montage if the zombie family rising from their graves.

They keep these stereotypes because they work so well. There is nothing wrong in making something new but keeping some of the conventions. The genre of horror is a perfect example of if “it isn’t broke don’t fix it.” Although The Cabin in the Woods is a modern action horror, it still uses classic stereotypes in the film to let the audience know it still part of the genre.  This is a perfect example of Schatz’s Genre Theory. The director Drew Goddard uses the stereotypical conventions to make sure they pull the genre fans along to the film. Although the film is a battle against convention, it still needs to appear to be a horror to get the horror films to come along.

The Cabin in the Woods is an action horror movie that battles the genre as a whole. It looks at why all the stereotypes exist and if there is something behind it all. It’s really interesting to see the conventions being planned by an organization, a twist never done before in the genre. The Cabin in the Woods steps back and takes a look at why these stereotypes happen, and the reason why they keep turning up all over the genre.    

Mood Board. Why we chose them

 

The image with Freddy standing in the hallway was chosen because the way the lighting is makes him appear as a silhouette. This consequently makes him seem creepy, because we fear the unknown, which in this case is the figure at the end of the hallway. The lighting also creates a tense atmosphere due to the mist, making us feel empathetic towards the final girl. In the other NOES pictures they both carry on with the silhouette theme, and also have Freddy wearing the hat, which relates to our scarecrow, who also wears a hat.

Scarecrow’s face from Batman Begins was chosen because it is a very simple mask, but very effective because you can still see the person’s eyes, which is quite disturbing. It was also chosen because the idea of The Scarecrow from Batman spreading fear was one we wanted to somehow use in our trailer.

The barn in the mood board is very similar to that of the one from Ed Gein, in which he hangs up a woman and cuts her open. We hope to have a decent level of gore in our trailer. This follows on to the crow image which we chose because we would like a crow to be with the scarecrow, and for it to eat people. The crow can connote evil, but it will be twisted around in our trailer because the crow is actually a friend to the scarecrow.

The scene from Cabin in the Woods was chosen for the level of gore it involves. The film is practically gore-less until that scene, which makes it even more unsettling and shocking. The image of the dead woman was also chosen due to its realistic nature, which makes it seem more disturbing because it is a real life death.

Chad from Tucker and Dale vs Evil is on the mood board because we believe him to be a typical male character that is generally not a very nice person, and also ends up dying in an incredibly brutal way.

The Birds on the climbing frame was chosen mainly due to the scene from The Birds in general when they are all squawking and flying around then go completely silent. This is collision cutting, but it is done in such a way that it just isn’t expected because crows aren’t thought to be violent animals.

Choice Of Trailer

We will be making a highlight trailer. Because we are producing an action horror trailer we need to show off the factors from the movie. The best way to do this would be taking the biggest and best moments from the films action sequences and showing small pieces from them, to generate excitement.


 We will be doing a red-band trailer as this allows us to show the gore elements of our film. Also with a red-band it means we have no restrictions when making the film. Then we can explore body horror with freedom in the trailer. This would allow us to land a “sucker punch” on the audience which George A. Romero spoke about in the Documentary The dead will walk in which he speaks about landing a big moment of gore earlier on to really shock the audience and catch them off guard. In Dawn of the Dead his sucker punch is the head explosion earlier on in the film which shows the audience what type of film it going to be, a 18 certificate
gory horror.

A Stereotypical Action Horror Fan and Class Poll

Our stereotypical horror fan, mainly like action horror, but doesn’t mind elements of gore and psychological horror in the films that he watches. Wears casual clothing like jeans and a t-shirt. Generally goes to the cinema with a few friends. His appearance doesn’t bring across that he is a huge horror fan. Probably plays video games in his free time

Generally fits into the C2 and D1 demographics, but can also be above or below that. Mainly mainstream, doesn’t have all the characteristics of a mainstream psychographic, because he also adapts to what society is like at the moment (clothing etc.). Usually around 18-35 years old. They see themselves as a mainstreamer. They like whatever is popular at the time, however also show signs of reformer. They see things in the world aren’t perfect and they want to change it.  They enjoy horror movies as they twist stereotypes and like the forward thinking. They like the fact there are black and women hero, it shows how the world is changing and that just because you are a certain sex or race doesn’t mean you can’t do things.  

Their favourite horror movies would be:

·         The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

·         Dawn of the Dead (2004)

·         The Crazies (2010)

·         The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Below is the class horror poll that we conducted in October, 2012. It was carried out with 8 males and 9 females, and confirmed that females generally prefer psychological and action horrors, while males prefer gory horrors. The results were close, however, which suggests horror can appeal to both genders.

Audience Research: Initial Class Poster.

 

 

Plot details of your idea:  Lenny grew up on a farm with his mum and dad. His parents died when he was seven and he took it upon himself to look after the farm. A pack of crows ravaged him one day, disfiguring Lenny. He vowed to protect the farm so any trespassers he sees he kills, dressed as a scarecrow. A group of drunken teens wander onto the farm for a party, and this doesn’t bode well for their survival.   

Positive responses from class members:

Class members said that we had a good narrative and history for Lenny. The bad guy is iconic and memorable. And also there is an element of realism to the villain, making it that bit scarier, the suggestion of child abuse linking to a horrible real life event.  

Negative responses from class members:

However some people said that some features where a bit too crazy, especially the ending where we wanted Lenny to be eaten by crows. However after looking back on this idea it would be very hard to film. So we change the ending to having the scarecrow alone in the field and then a crow lands of his shoulder, and then he starts to move. We felt this change was needed so the realism was maintained.

How many voted to say that they watched the film, where did it come out of all the groups:

We got 19/19 in votes from the class, meaning we finished as the top idea for the whole group. This shows why we decided to take it on for our trailer. The idea was clearly very popular with the class and they are our target audience, so picking the film was the right choice.

Are you happy with the score? Do you think the idea is worth making?

We are extremely happy with the score as it is top marks. It shows that this idea is exactly what the audience are drawn to. We feel that this is worth making as we could do it. We feel we could make a really good trailer from this idea which we get us a high grade.

Evil Dead (2013) Trailer Review

 

Body horror. (red band trailer)

What happens in the trailer?

A group of teenagers go away for the weekend in their cabin, isolated from anybody else. Upon arriving they discover the cellar holds my mystery items, especially one book. Upon reading a passage from the book they realise a horrible force. The dead are rising and they are coming for them. A weekend away just turned into survival.  

What was good about the trailer?

Because it is a red band trailer it deliveries the body horror. You get a really sense of the genre of the movie and what it is going for. It’s a trailer that wouldn’t trick you in to seeing it. It knows what genre it is and shows it off. The narrative is clearly shown, while still not giving too much away to the viewer. They get a teaser rather than all the best bits. Because it is a re-make of an older film which had a lot of fans, we can see that they still have some of the classic scenes. For example the removal of the possessed hand (1:05), showing these scenes tell the audience you are going to stick close to the past and will deliver a film that pays homage to the original. The collision cutting during the trailer is brilliant. The slow montage of establishment for the character, to the fats montage of action really excites the viewer. Add that with an exciting soundtrack that matches the action. You have yourself a trailer which really works and excites horror fans.   

What didn’t work?

The trailer was so good that the only thing I could think of it how it wouldn’t work as a green band trailer. It wouldn’t be able to put that trailer attached to a 15 on a Saturday afternoon to generate more buzz, because the trailer wouldn’t work. It would kill off all the best bit and people wouldn’t want to see it. Apart from that I though the trailer was fanastic.

Trailer average and why did it get it?

The average in class was 9.7. Which for a horror trailer is brilliant. Everybody in the class was excited by the pacing and action on scene. I also think it work so well because it didn’t shy away. It was in our faces with everything, didn’t hide or shy away. That is really what makes the trailer. 9/10 

 

Pusher trilogy (2005) Trailer Review

Crime/thriller.

What happens in the trailer?

Although there is not much story to we can see that the characters are deep in the drug world.

What was good about the trailer?

The use of quick montage worked really well in the trailer. The quick cut teased scene from all three films, without giving too much away. The quick montage works well because of the slow montage at the start of the trailer. The slow montage allows there to be text on screen from critics to tell the audience how good the movie is. Like most trailers it is one big collision cut. Starting slow with quite music and longer shot length. To fast paced music and quick edits to generate excitement. The trailer being a bit cramped generates a sense of unease about the film. It’s not a comfortable trailer to watch because of the subject, with some very strange shots. I feel this is done to really get the mood of the film across. Plus with the great soundtrack that is one the film it really helps to generate the feel of the movie.

What didn’t work?

The problems I have with it is the lack of narrative. You have no idea what story lies within the three films, just an idea of some of the themes. And without a known narrative people will not know what to think of the trailer. Also it is a bit crammed. Three films advertise in under a minute and a half just doesn’t work. They should of made the trailer longer and flesh out each film a tad more, rather than fit it all in.

Trailer average and why did it get it?

The average fir the trailer was a 7. This is a good score for any trailer, and only was beaten by 2 other trailers. I feel it got this mark because of the lack of narrative. They tried to make a short trailer for three films, which is very difficult to do. It still works but if the invested another minute into it, I feel the result would have been better. 7/10

Day of the Dead (1985) Trailer Review

What happens in the trailer?

A band of survivors have taken refuge in an underground army bunker. We see that a scientist is trying to find a gore to fix and teach the zombies. However under the dictatorship of the army, life is going to be as hard as it is up on the surface.   

What was good about the trailer?

This trailer does a good job in setting up the narrative and some character development. We know exactly what is going to happen without seeing all the best bits. Romero name is also mentioned in the trailer, which is good that they are attaching on to his name. We all know the success that Night of the Living dead and Dawn of the Dead had in the box office.

What didn’t work?

However the trailer doesn’t work for a horror movie. It gives it too much of a false idea. We see a zombie seating in a cinema watching the film trailer. This gives the whole vibe of comedy and silliness. For anybody that has seen the film it is a juxtaposed as it possible could be. It’s one of the goriest horror movies to ever be realised. It has a person getting ripped apart and some other memorable scene. However we see nothing that would suggest that in the trailer. Where Evil Dead delivers the gore, Day of the Dead doesn’t. It’s just shows really dull scenes of people talking. We know it is a green band but there no even a look at the zombies, I think we see one in the whole trailer, which for a horror is poor.   

Trailer average and why did it get it?

It scored an average of 2.5. This is clearly because the trailer doesn’t work as a horror. It hints at a comedy film with zombies themes. It just complete sells the film in the wrong way, something we need to avoid when making our trailers. 2/10

Land of the Dead (2005) Trailer Review

What happens in the trailer?

The world is in ruin, Crippled by the zombie apocalypse mankind must rebuild. However the zombies are coming back to this town. Can they humans fight off the horde? Or will they become a flesh hunting monster   

What was good about the trailer?

The trailers uses the conventions of a horror trailer to make it work. The slow montage builds up the tension and gives the trailer an edge. Also during the build-up it mentations the previous work of Romero, which adds a nice touch to fans of his work. Also it is done to generate hype around the film. Then the collision cut kick in with a jump to scare the audience. From then on the fast montage starts and we see some highlight of the film. Unlike Day of the Dead trailer were we didn’t see a zombie, we see many zombies and also a lot of action. The trailer really delivers. Again a big part of this is the strong soundtrack used by the trailer to get an emotional response. This is the first trailer I have reviewed that ends with a smaller collision cut. This helps the trailer become memorable and stick in your head.  

What didn’t work?

For all the positives of the trailer, there is a really lack of narrative. We don’t understand why the zombies are coming for. And it leaves you wondering. However I know you don’t want to tell the audience to much but you want to show that there is a story here. Also there is no introduction to character. We have no idea who the film is based around, and it would have been better to see some characters.

Overall, what did you think?

The trailer was really good. It used collision cutting well and really generated excitement. I now am in a position where I want to see the movie. However I feel that they could of fleshed the character out more and shown more of the story. Overall I give the trailer 9/10.

House of Wax (2005) Trailer Review

 

 

What happens in the trailer?

A group of friends are stranded in what appears to be a ghost-town. When investigation the time they stumble upon a wax museum. Looking in, they find the most realistic wax works they have ever seen. They don’t want to find out how they do it, or they might become the next exhibit.  

What was good about the trailer?

The trailer had really good collision cutting. The blend of a slow establishing montage to the fast paced montage really shows how the good things of the movie. They also do this to set up the story really well, without giving too much away. We know that the teens become stranded, but never see how; this makes us want to see it to fill in the blanks. The jumps work really well as transitions, the first jump is used to kick off the fast montage and it works well with this sudden burst. Also the final moment jumps keeps us on the end of our seats and leaves us with an emotional response after the trailer is finished, leaving an impression on the viewer.  

What didn’t work?

One of the big things lacking from the trailer was an iconic shot or sequence. Something that sticks in the head after the trailer is finished. I feel a trailer needs one of these shots to make it the best trailer it can be. This trailer had its moments, but never this big shot that really sells the movie. Also in the movie, we never get to see the bad guy. In most horror trailers we get to see the person behind the evil taking place, as this is normally the coolest character. However we don’t ever get to see them, just a glimpse. And this cost the trailer in having something really stand out and makes the viewer remember the trailer.

Overall, what did you think?

The trailer works well, but I think it could have been better. It lacks something outstanding though, a memorable shot or sequence to stick with the viewer. The use of montage and collision cutting is one of the best of seen, with really good pacing throughout the trailer. Narrative is also explained well, without telling us the whole story, which again is a huge plus. However it lacks that big shot that will stick with the viewer after watching the trailer. 7/10   

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2013) Trailer Review

What happens in the trailer?

A man hunt is on as a town chase down and kill  man who seems innocent. After this death Elm-street is plague with death of teenagers who seem to share a common feature of a burnt man who stalks their dream. The race is on the find out who he is and how to stop. But can they stay awake.

What was good about the trailer?

The narrative is really clear. We get a good idea of character and the events that both cause the event and what happens during. The story looks engaging and a bit of a mystery with the man being hunted pleading his innocent to the town people. Also the references to the original are there. The classic red and black striped jumper makes an appearance, and well as the classic song. Telling fans of the franchise they will keep it close to the original. Also the collision works. It isn’t the best but it still gives you an idea of the action   

What didn’t work?

The trailer lack in places, it didn’t make me want to go out of my way to see the film. The collision cutting isn’t quick enough. It doesn’t deliver jumps or any memorable moments. It never got going. Also it lacks a good soundtrack that generates emotion. It is too bland and doesn’t make you feel the pace of the movie

Overall, what did you think?

The trailer doesn’t work for me. The narrative is engaging. But the action never gets going. It lacks an edge that other trailers have and doesn’t draw you in. And it fails in good collision cutting. And without an edge to your collision cutting, nobody is going to be excited and want to see the film. 4/10 

Scream Review

Film review

Scream (1996)

Director: Wes Craven.

Genre: Action horror

Plot:

When a girl is killed, a small town is sent into fear. A killer known as ‘Ghost face’ beings to reign terror on teenagers. The group of teenagers contemplate the "Rules" and “conventions’ of horror films as they find themselves living one.

Two scenes that impressed me were:

The opening scene really impressed me, with it's use of slow to fast montage. This keeps you on the edge if your seat. For example the slow montage of the girl on the phone, pacing with long takes and setting the scene. To the fast paced action of quicker takes and music when the killer says that they are in the house.

The ending is also a very strong scene. It fits the horror convention of having a stereotypical final girl in Sidney, who stops the killer and gets out alive. But also it has an open ending, as it cuts to a news reporter outside the house. This doesn't give us closure on events in the film, a classic convention of the horror genre. However, I feel they did this because they wanted to leave the franchise open to allow sequels. Something that is very common in the genre.

Gere checklist:

The film use conventions of the genre really well, because it main focus is the horror genre.

Mise-en-scene; the film hits the entire checklist because again it is a film that focus on the rules of horror. However it does serve twists. For example the final girl preforms one of the sin of the horror movies (relations) but still survives, which is against the stereotype. Both body horror (Camera-man getting his neck slit open) and restricted narration (Tatum getting crushed by garage) is used. Its interesting to see a blend in the death scenes during the films. But, this movie deliveries it scares more through montage rather than body horror. The creepy location only makes an appearance in the last 40 minutes of the film with the farm house finale, but it sense of isolation delivers to a stunning finale for the film. Also low key lighting is used a lot on Billy who is the killer. Just this little touch of lighting keeps the audiences guessing about the true nature of him through the whole film, giving it another layer of enjoyment. They use parallel music during the movie, the best example would be the music used when the killer is chasing Sidney through her house. With fast paced music reflects the action on screen.

Editing; Collision cutting is used really well in places too deliver jumps. The best example would be the moment in the first scene where we see the girl frozen by fear sitting in the corner. It is silence, but then a chair coming smashing through the window. This moment of slow to fast montage sets a un-ease feel for the quiet moments in the rest of the film. Close up are used really well especially to show emotion. When Sidney is on the phone the close up really shows her shock and horror when she finds out who is really on the other end of the phone. P.O.V shots work well in the action scene. In the car crash scene we get to see the car hit the tree through the eyes of the driver. This scares the audience as they can’t look away and do anything about this incident that will likely cause violent death. Also handheld camera is used well in action with chase scenes that put us into the eyes of the victim. This helps us feel emotional attached to the character, and see the struggle that they are going through.

Themes; Sex and taboo both feature in the film, especially through the relationship of Sidney and Billy. Billy is trying to push Sidney into having sex with him. Sidney is a virgin and is nervous of the idea of it. They talk about this is her bedroom when Billy says their relationship is "dull". Violence is other theme that features a lot. The killer kills and tortures these innocence people like they are in a film, why also taking a sadistic pleasure from it. The cameraman gets killed by ‘ghost face’ and he isn’t even a target, he just gets caught up in the crossfire. His death really shows the sadistic pleasure that the killer gets from taking a life. Loneliness is also a key theme. The killer Billy tells us in his final monologue, that his mother left home because she discovered about an affair on going between Sidney’s mum and Billy’s dad. He feels alone because his mother left him and blames Sidney and her father for the fact he has been left by her and no longer has her around.

Narrative; Like most horror the ending was open. We see the killer get shot so he is clearly dead. But after that we never discover what happens to Sidney. Is she in trouble with the law?  We never find out. I feel this was done so if the film was successful, there was the option for sequels. This eventually did happen.

Ideologies; The main ideology from the film was feeling outside the CDI. The killers talk about how they planned all the killing from watching horror movies, people don’t watch horror for tips, they watch it for enjoyment. Stuart: “watch a few movies, take a few notes. It was fun!”         

Aspects I would include in my own trailer:

I really enjoyed the stereotypical characters. Because they knew their stereotypes, and didn’t try to be different. However they all had their own twist. The final girl had sex-(Sidney). The stoner was behind it (Stu). The female victim never show any flesh (Tatum). The cop is dim, but has his moments of brilliance and bravery (Dewy).

Also the use of montage and collision cutting was superb. It had me on the edge of my seat and build suspence well when it all went quite.

Aspects I would avoid in my own trailer:

However I feel they never delivered any big jump. So they didn't use collision cutting to its best ability. The moments from slow to fast montage were not sudden enough. And I only jumped a few times, because of the brief pause between that change happening. The best example of this was the first time Sidney ran into ‘Ghost face’. They had all the build-up, slowed it right down. But then cut to a short over Sidney shoulder which allowed us to see were the killer was coming from. I feel it would of worked better if he jumped out more sudden and closer to her. Rather than letting us see where the killer was coming from.

My favourite aspects of the film:

I really enjoyed the playing/questioning of the genre convention as a whole. It’s cool to hear character talking about ‘rules’ and mentioning different horror movies, it makes the movie different. The stereotypes are trying to avoid the stereotypical. However I don’t want to recreate this in my horror. Scream worked well because it was a one off, can’t remake/re-do it. It a really cool idea, but I cannot put it in my trailer as people will just say I'm ripping off Scream. I need to focus on scaring my audience without being ironic.   

Historical context; The historical context of the film reflects the killing of the ‘The Gainesville Ripper’ who preyed on students during the 90’s. Using this real life event by the film creator was very smart. It was a good idea to use a real killer who targeted the target audience as a villain. This is a perfect example of Janet Staiger ‘audience studies’. The audience of the time would react to ‘Ghost face’ more because the Gainesville Ripper was in the news around the date of the film release. It the same effect that Ed Gein has on Psycho audience when it was first released

Institutional context; the horror genre was dying. The genre has been filled with direct to video films that weren’t very good. But, then in 1996 Scream was released. It was a slasher movie that knew the rules. But wasn’t affair to change them. They twisted characters and locations, but kept the killing and terror very conventional. A great example of the twist of conventions is again found in the opening scene. You have all the classic stereotypes. Low key lighting of the house shows how it is isolated from the rest of town. The male gaze (Laura mulvey) of Casey is introduced- played by Drew Barrymore. Which was very strange, because she was killed off within the first  minutes of the film. It was like Psycho with the death of the blonde haired victim Marion played by Janet Leigh. This death showed the audience that this horror movie was going to be differnet to the others. It pays great respect to the classics like; Friday the 13^th and Nightmare on Elm Street. While still standing on its own. Screamed caused the resurrection of the genre, while also redefining it. It was exactly what the genre needed at the time of its released. Without Scream the genre could of died out, at least with the bigger, more mainstream audiences.   

Final Destination 5 Review

Film review

Final Destination 5 (2011)

Director: Steve Quale.

Genre: Body horror

Plot:

Sam is on his way to a company retreat with. While crossing a Bridge under construction work, Sam has a vision that the bridge will collapse, killing everyone including himself. Worried by his vision, he urges his girlfriend Molly and his friends to leave the bridge before it collapses. FBI agent Jim Block doesn't believe that Sam was responsible for the bridge collapse, but promises to keep his eye on him. Following the memorial service, local coroner William Bludworth mysteriously warns the survivors that they cheated Death. Believing this to be just some nonsense, they ignore his warnings and move on. But as each survivor is killed off, the other feel death is coming back around.

 

Two scenes that impressed me were:

The bridge scene really impressed me because it was one big collision cut. It starts with long drawn out shots of the bridge, the workers and the character. But as the scene moves on, we are shown quick shots of how unsafe the bridge is. Then we are lead into 5 minutes of quick cuts, fast paced music and body horror. These editing techniques work really well in making the two juxtapositions states look even more extreme then they actual are.

The ending of the film uses montage very well to deliver the conventional un-happy ending. It turns out that the film is set before the events of Final Destination (2000). So in the finale on the plane, it uses collision cutting from Sam and Molly relaxing on the plane, to the moments when the plane beginnings to crash.  This is also a nice touch for fans of the franchise, with films overlapping and characters meeting. Also it is an example of Schatz’s genre theory, with it carefully following the generic convention of a horrific ending, even though everything looked to have been resolved.

 

Throughout the film I can see a number of features that appear on the genre checklist:

Mise-en-scene; the film used more body horror than restricted narration. We can see all the violent deaths because it is the highlight of the film. Also, because there isn’t a physical villain chasing the down the character, the audience needs to see the deaths. The long, drawn montage before each death makes the payoff that much better for the audience. Creepy, enclosed locations are made out of seemingly everyday situations. The best example would be the doctor surgery. The silence and lack of colour, with the low key lighting gives a sense of entrapment within the office. You feel uneasy in a place where you should feel safe. The film uses parallel music well to match the action on screen. I feel without the use of parallel music, the first scene wouldn’t have the same emotional impact on the audience.

 

Editing; the film use of fast to slow montage creates successful collision cutting. All of the death scenes are collision cuts, without this editing the film would suffer. An example of this would be the first death of the gymnastics. The scene first uses slow montage, with long takes of her using the equipment at the gym. However we get quick cuts to items of danger, like the nail on the bar. Then towards the end of scene when the tension has reached the high point, the quick montage happens and we see her death unfold in front of us. The use of collision cutting is what make these scenes so tense for the audience, and cause the jump scare for the audience.

Character & Representation; the film has a clear male hero through Sam. We see this through his actions on scene. For example he saves the group in the first place by convincing them to get off the bus. Also he is more relatable through his job. We see how his boss doesn’t take a shine to him, even though he tries his hardest. This would relate to the target audience of teenagers who don’t feel they get enough credit for their work, making Sam a much more realistic character. Also he survives right until the end; the only thing that stops him is bad luck, rather than the killer. He is a stereotypical good looking man who gets the girl, all the conventions of the male hero.    

Theme; the theme of violence is constantly running through Final Destination 5. The really gorey, violent death suffered by the character shows how they fear death. The whole reason these events begins, is because Sam has a fear of dying in his vision. The violence connotes death saying, “you can’t escape me, if you miss me the first time, I will come back stronger and more deadly”. This would scare a wide audience because a common fear  that all people share, is the fear of death. So to show these violent deaths on screen would create reliability between the characters and the audience.       

 

    

Historical context; The set up for Final Destination 5 is by using a fear that has become much larger in the last 10 years with the rise of disasters, especially with the uproar natural disasters related to global warming. People already feel uneasy about events like this, so what better way than to tap into that fear by showing a natural disaster which horrific results.  

Aspects I would include in my own trailer:

I feel a good aspect of the film was the characters. They were very strong, the audience grow an emotional connection to all of them in some way. For example Peter loses his girlfriend near the start of the film. He spends the rest of the film affected by this incident, and it pushes him over the edge at the end of the film. The gore in the film is one of the best I have seen in a horror movie. It really shows off how the genre has developed with the use of CGI and the easing of censorship. The best effect without doubt is the gym accident, in which a girl is basically snapped in half. All the bones come out and it just looks exactly how you would expect. The body horror is often what makes the horrors memorable, and this movie certainly deliveries.

Aspects I would avoid in my own trailer:

However, towards the end of the film it got rather predictable, this is something I want to avoid when making my trailer.  This is highlighted at the end of the film where you see the only other survivor sitting in a bar. You know that any moment the piece of the plane will crush him. And before you know it, the debris comes straight through the roof of the bar. The idea of this shock is good, but the audience could all see it coming.  

My favourite aspects of the film:

The best aspects of the film are the cast of unknown actors. They played their parts really well and were really likable, and easy to associate with. It achieves the all-important emotional connection between audience and character. If you can make the audience feel pain and sorrow for the characters then the horror movie will be much more successful.

 

 

Also, the gore was simply incredible. It’s without doubt the best I have seen in a horror lately and really deliveries the scares in the movie. I can’t recreate anything like this because of the budget that they have. However I do want to have gore within my horror trailer. So I will have a more simplified gore in my trailer, but will go all out on one big moment in the trailer to shock the audience.  

Dawn of the Dead (2004): Image analysis 3

This scene from DOTD shows how there are still changes in the horror genre to keep it fresh, but how there will always be some generic convention included in the films. This is the final shot of the movie and we can see that some of the group have escaped. This includes Ana, who is the archetypal final girl of the movie. What is different about her is that she has blonde hair which is normally stereotypical of the female victim. However her hair is up in a ponytail. This connotes an almost ‘tomboy’ feel to the character. And apart from the hair she has all the characteristics of a final girl. The best example of how she isn’t a victim is when she is the one that discovers that it is the bites that cause the zombie infection, even before the two male heroes. Also she is a nurse, which is a very stereotypical female job. However this makes her quite powerful yet caring character. This allows her to saves people life while also keeping their hopes you and not letting them panic and losing their heads.

 Modern horror movies recently seem to be very pro America since the 9/11 attacks. Characters seem to be strong American characters that defeat evil/deformed characters. Also the flag is appearing in many horror movies and connotes America. We can see it on the left of Ana flapping in the wind, showing an American victory. Also this is in a scene from The Hills Have Eyes in which the character kills a giant infected man with an American flag. This has been done a lot more to show that America isn’t weak since the recent crisis both at home at in the Middle East.

Ending of horror movies are very stereotypical, and it is the same in DOTD. This final shot shows the character getting away and thinking it is a happy ending, However in a post credit scene we see the boats reaching an island only to have zombies on it. We never fully know what happens. This is a perfect example of Schatz’s genre theory. The director Zack Snyder is keeping the genre conventions but is keeping enough variety to maintain interest. Without twists in the genre then the audiences would lose interest in the genre and wouldn’t come and see films, as they would know everything that is going to happen.           

Dawn of the Dead (2004): Image analysis 2

This scene from DOTD uses collision cutting well to make sounds and setting feel more extreme. Before this moment in the elevator we see the group running from zombies. There is loud shouting and groans from the zombies as they run through the mall. Then when the group get to the safety of the elevator, the door closes and real mellow music is being played. This is an example of contrapuntal music where the music doesn’t fit the actions on screen. Another example of contrapuntal music would be the ear cutting scene from Reservoir Dogs. Where Mr.Blonde is torturing a police officer, but as he is doing it he is listening to K-Billy's Super Sounds of the 70's. This makes the audiences feel awkward and uncomfortable. As we are given this catchy song that makes you want to dance playing over a poor man having his ear cut off, it makes the scene so much more uncomfortable for the audiences. 

After this scene it cuts back to the group running from the zombies. This effects makes the juxtaposition between quite->loud seem far more extreme than they are, an effect used in basically every horror movie.  This is like Hitchcock use of collision cutting in Psycho. But with Hitchcock he uses longer drawn out takes to make the switch seem extreme, DOTD is more sudden change between the two juxtaposition elements.

The arrangement of the characters in the mise-en-scene also shows who is strong within the group. Ana is centre frame and showed to be the focal point of the group, the one who is holding it all together. It is interesting the comparison between Monica and Ana. Monica has her blonde hair down. Also she has had sex with Steve earlier on in the film. This makes her the stereotypical female victim. This is a complete juxtaposition to Ana who is more of a ‘tom boy’, who is very strong and doesn’t need saving. Also the characters clothes are very different. Ana has this tank top and looks like she is ready to get hands on with the action. However Monica is wearing a cardigan which connotes a more fashionable approach of her image. Also the cardigan seems to tell you that she will be taking more of a back seat in the escape where with Ana she will be the one leading the team forward.          

Dawn of the Dead (2004): Image analysis 1

This title screen from Dawn of the Dead (2004) shows perfectly how Zack Snyder is using the historical context and zeitgeist to scare the modern day horror fan. With the film being realised in 2004 it shows how Snyder is using the tension in the Middle East to show the world crumbling. The film is set just 3 years after 9/11, where the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York shocked the whole world. So the audience’s greatest fear at the time would be threat of an attack from an Islamic terrorist group. So they use the iconography of the Muslim religion showed the audiences that these are where the threat is coming from. Using the historical context worked very well for Snyder has this is what now scares people the most. Also blending that with a ‘virus’, which has become a fear since the rise of swine flu, bird flu etc. Also the biblical fear of ‘Armageddon’ generates the scares for the modern audiences. This is a perfect example of Janet staiger theory of Audience Studies (from her book Interpreting Films). This is when the movie uses the context to shock the audiences. Another example of this is Hitchcock uses of Ed Gein’s characteristics in his character Norman Bates in Psycho. Ed Gein was the first really serial killer case to be shown on tv. America was all in shocked over the same event at one single time. Everybody knew about it, everybody talked about it. Ed Gein was arrested in 1957, 3 years before Psycho. So when Bates had all the characteristics of Gein audiences were much more scared of him. They whole of America had one shared fear, Hitchcock brought that alive on screen. Just like Snyder did the more it relates to real issues of the time, the more of a scare it will deliver.   

Dawn of the Dead (1978): Image analysis 3

This is the character Francine in DOTD. She is an example of how Romero uses his auteur status to this classical character stereotype. As we can see she is blonde, and in the horror genre is stereotypical of the female victim. She starts off as a character that doesn’t do a great deal.  Standing by as Flyboy fights for his life at the hangar, and can’t deal with one zombie in the mall. You assume that she is going die. However she doesn’t and becomes a very strong character. She learns to fly the helicopter and becomes a good shot as we can see in the car park scene with her cover fire for Roger. Also he does this twist on the male hero. With Stephen the character who is fighting the zombie. He should be this incredible guy who saves the day for everybody. However he is a really bad fighter and is nearly beaten by the zombies. Also his position in the mise-en-scene and expression angles he is shown to be very small, this connotes his weakness.

Romero never has Francine scream, and- not once does she enter a sheer state of panic towards her situation. She also she survives to the end of the film. The blonde surviving a horror was, - something rarely done before.  Romero loves to battle the Genre Theory (Thomas Schatz concept from the Hollywood Genres). Schatz writes about how audiences expect certain things when going to see a genre and while Romero keeps many things from the genre, his Auteur (Sarris) side twists things. For example he hates sexism. So he creates these strong final girls. This can be seen through Francine (DOTD 1979). Also with Sarah Bowman, who survives Day of the Dead (1985).  This shows how Romero would use his own ideologies and soul and out them into his films. If he had an opinion on it he would talk about it through his characters and events on screen.