After finishing our film opening, we wanted to see the reactions from our audience so we asked them to watch the opening and give us their opinions on it. We posted the video onto various social media platforms and received the following feedback:
Our conclusion
The fact that many people said it was tense and scary at some points reinforces the age certificate that we awarded the video. We rated the video a 15 due to the use of weapons and implied violence. In addition, one person had said that it would have been better if there were scenes of the girl dying, however we managed to explain that the video is merely an opening and therefore the idea is that it is 'to be continued'.
After receiving some feedback on our film opening, we realised that we had to re film some parts in order to create a professional look. The focus group (further information on that post can be found here) said:
that we had to re shoot the 'stairs' clip as it was blurry and out of focus
in order to create more suspense and tension, we had to create a new plot towards the end
shoot a scene where the killer turns off the power
re record the killer's voice
Day 1
We decided to film the garage scene during a free period, this helped us to go back to school and import the footage onto final cut ready to edit. We agreed that the main protagonist would not speak as much as we learnt from our mistake that there was too much waffling in some areas.
We created low key lighting by using torches to create an eerie atmosphere but also ensured that the killer was seen in the background
At this stage, the main protagonist is seen filming straight after the power goes off. She is found in a dark & dirty garage where she is forced to 'vlog' her upcoming death
Day 2
After filming the crucial garage scene, we just had to film the stairs sequence and the match on action again. This was quite a simple task to do as it meant that not all of our team needed to be present. We had to film the killer cutting off the power, and this was relatively easy to do and a glove was worn to imply that it was the killer.
We were then able to shoot the stairs scene again this included the match on action scene of the main protagonist walking outside the bedroom door.
Evaluation..
From this process, we learnt that we should get on with the filming and not continuously discuss ideas. By constantly discussing, it meant that we wasted quite a lot of time trying to perfect shots when we could have filmed a series of clips and eliminate the unwanted ones.
In order to make our film opening look as realistic as possible, we used the idea of a 'vlog' throughout the film. This was achieved through both the use of a Final Cut Pro filter and also Photoshop. This was one of many programs that we used for our film opening, these posts can be found here
Firstly, we used a template of a youtube screen, which we then edited in order to make it look realistic. Below is an image of the original screenshot:
The eraser tool helped us to eliminate any unnecessary text and make it our own
We added a new title, changed the account name to suit our character and also added a new profile picture
After editing a series of youtube templates, we then inserted the image onto final cut
We placed the image below our footage, this allowed us to resize the footage and place it into the empty 'youtube' screen.
This worked well as it creates the image of our character actually being a youtube star.
This process was also repeated for the fast cut boyfriend scenes which illustrates that the killer is filming the Bf's death
We decided to use a series of clips which included the youtube overlay because it shows her youtube journey up until the day of her 'death'
Below is a clip on how we edited our film opening, we used the program Final Cut Pro which was relatively easy to use and we got used to using all the tools that were avaliable.
Our film opening is about a young blogger experiencing the problems of technology going wrong. As a very successful youtuber she has gained the attention of many admirers. A supposed visit from her boyfriend turns out to be one of the last times she could blog happily. As she goes to open the door the power in her house is turned off by an Unknown character. What happens next
The plot for our story is as follows:
A young teen is 'blogging' her day and it is implied that the girl is a successful youtuber
since she is an internet sensation - it is clear that she relies heavily on technology
she talks about her boyfriend coming over and the planned day
door bell rings, she makes it to the middle of the stairs
power cuts off
audience see blackness & hear panting
young teen is forced to 'blog' her own death
scenes of struggling by the young teen
killer is seen, and has also killed her boyfriend
montage of bf death and fast cuts of killer with glitches will be shown
killer walks out of killing location (garage)
turns head and you can see the killer
(film title inserted after this)
What's the craziest video you would upload to youtube? What if others don't enjoy what you do? How do you think they should tell you they dont like what they do? There are probably so many answers the proper response will remain... UNKNOWN
Majority of our sounds that were diegetic did not need to be recorded post production as we wanted to keep the sounds a realistic as possible, this was all of Rachels blogging amongst other things.
However sounds like the doorbell, the house power switch and the killers voice were all recorded or downloaded to add post production.
The voice of the killer had to be synchronous with the movement as it was not clear in the first recordings, but the accent and tone was not recorded to fully fit into the conventions of a slasher killer as we believed it would be nice to see how unconventional we could make the voice of the killer.
Although we didn't copy it we asked the voice actor to see if they could put a spin on the sarcastic tone of the killer from Scream 1996.
We started off planning for our project to be a technological horror, using Ratter and Unfriended as our inspiration we decided to learn different ways to try the glitches in our project. As modern technological horror is a new sub genre of horror we have used the freedom we have to suggest its importance but not base the whole story line on it.
To recreate the glitches and effects used we would have to use a lot of post production techniques as the instances are not based on reality.
This video tutorial is what inspired the montage of the boyfriend after he was murdered.
Although our plot had to be altered slightly to increase clarity of it, as the Rachael Bridgit remained a blogger we decided the glitches could be reduced but not removed completely as technology (camera and youtube) were core parts of the plot and the glitches suggest how technology can go wrong. This was inspired by the plot of Ratter.
As evident in the trailer there are various styles of effects we had inspiration to apply to our film opening. However if we used all that we planned too the focus of the genre would shift from a slasher with technological influences to a technological horror. Unfriended is similar in the sense that the cameras they use in skyping themselves have a lot of technological issues which connote the danger of technology.
This video demonstrates the process we used to create some of our special effects for our media project. It takes one of the shots of the dead boyfriend and uses quick cuts to cause a glitch effect.
Inspiration part 2: Ratter, Friend Request and Mr Robot
Throughout the whole process we have kept in mind a few movies and shows which we gained inspiration from. Both of these movies, "Ratter" and "Friend Request" are due to be released this year (2016) which reinforces that technological horror is an extremely contemporary genre. "Mr Robot" however, is an American TV series broadcasted on the USA network. The show looks into the world of hacking and how technology has become a threat to society.
Friend request Synopsis:
"Life as a popular student, Laura shares everything with her more than 800 friends on Facebook. But one day, after accepting a friend request from a social outcast named Marina, Laura’s life is cursed, and her closest friends begin dying cruel deaths. Before her time is up, Laura must solve the mystery behind Marina and her Facebook profile, in order to break the deadly spell"
Produced by Warner Bros studios which is a major conglomerate and directed by Simon Verhoeven
The movie explores the dangers of the internet, particularly social media websites such as Facebook
Emma, a graduate student living alone in NYC, is being watched by a stalker who hacks into the technology that surrounds her - laptop, cell phone, and other web connected devices.We're constantly connected through our phones, laptops and the Web every moment of every day. But while we look at our screens, who's looking at us? - Written by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Ratter is a similar movie which explores the vulnerability of young teenagers who are constantly surrounded by technological devices
The movie uses a variety of gliches and technical post production effects which compliments the movie extremely well.
Produced by Star Motion Pictures and directed by Branden Kramer
The TV series follows young computer programmer who suffers from social anxiety disorder and forms connections through hacking. He's recruited by a mysterious anarchist, who calls himself Mr. Robot.
Produced by Univeral Cable Productions and created by Sam Esmail
Distributed by NBC Universal Television
Again, this inspired us to create a technological horror film opening as it has elements of hacking and how large corporations have affected society with their technology and ideas.
The show set a 'Rotten Tomatoes' (a rating system for movies and tv shows) record of 100% in every episode
Each episode is titled uniquely in a way which represents the technological theme
For example, the pilot episode was titled "eps1.0_hellofriend.mov" and the season finale "S1.E10 eps1.9_zer0-day.avi"
Here is a link to an article regarding the shows high ratings:
After changing our plot slightly we began looking for the music that would suit the start of film opening, we decided that a more relaxing soundtrack at the start would be an excellent choice because the film begins with a series of vlogs and therefore the soft and calming music would accompany the sequence well.
The relaxing electronic music was composed by 15 year old producer 'Oscar Lang' a This particular song offers huge contrast to the upcoming scenes but when we came across it, we found it was perfect for the first few seconds. The calming beats compliment the soothing atmosphere and help with the smooth transitions from calm - suspense in a matter of seconds.
We decided to fade out the soft and relaxing music with something that offers a 'chilling' atmosphere but not too rough.
We found a song titled 'Bent and Broken' which was copyright free and so we added chopped up the song and created something would compliment the film opening
Bent and Broken was our first choice compared to the others (shown below) because it fitted in well with the scenes and was well synchronized
The soundtrack is composed by Kevin MacLeod who is an American producer. MacLeod is best known for his distribution of royalty-free library music through his website, Incompetech.com.
MacLeod has made over 2,000 self-composed pieces of music available for download
His music has been used in Hugo, several commercial video games, and videos by online content creators such as CollegeHumor, Good Mythical Morning, and many other popular YouTube channels.
As the original soundtrack was did not build up enough suspense we laid the hip hop beat underneath it but we slowed it down to 10% to give a creepy sound due to the processes done on the track itself.
The series of glitch effects have been accompanied with sound effects from http://99sounds.org/the-weird-side-samples/
The Weird Side Samples is a free collection of glitch samples, weird sound effects and abstract sonic textures produced by Johan Ekelove
Another sound effect added to our film opening was a simple 'switch' effect when the power cuts off. This is significant as it creates suspense, making the audience wonder what has happened to the main protagonist
Lost - Oscar Lang
Switch sound effect
Bent and Broken - Kevin Macleod
Below, are a few of the glitch sound effects that we used:
The genre of technological horror is fairly new in the film industry and this is primarily the main reason as to why we chose it. Due to the genre being quite new, this would appeal much more to the audience as it is contemporary and modern.
Many people, especially teenagers are always using at least one form of technology in a day so it is hugely relevant in their lives
There are many codes and conventions of horror, these can easily be manipulated to fit into a technological horror or be copied exactly and used as they are typically used.
Power cut - adds elements of technology/ electricity - no power helps the killer murder their victim easily as they cannot run away. It also adds tension to the sequence
Main protagonist is using a device ie camera, phone, laptop etc
Main protagonist is usually a girl (final girl / promiscuous)
Involves a boy who is either in a relationship with the other character, or it is 'complicated'
the character is always home alone / with one other person
Filmed at night
gloomy night / stormy
low key lighting
weapons - knife etc
Often dark colours like red and black - links to evil, blood
glitches throughout - emphasises the technological aspect
In order to create a series of glitches, effects and our title sequence, we decided to use both Adobe After Effects and Premier pro. These two programs were vital, (along with Final Cut Pro) in our process of creating a film opening.
The inspiration and help
If you refer back to our editing programs post, we decided to revert to Youtube tutorials and professional websites which guided us to create our own effects.
This particular tutorial was vital in helping us to produce our killer glitches:
One reason why we used this particular video was because it had thousands of views with positive comments - this encouraged us to use this video as help and inspiration as it was simple to follow
Timing is a big factor and many videos and tutorials that we found lasted around 45 mins or more. This is why we chose this video as it only lasted 17 mins which meant that it was simplified for the audience.
In addition, the use of visual aids such as Youtube videos were extremely useful as you are able to pause and complete the step. You can also actually see what you need to press etc - this is better than step by step written instructions because they can be misinterpreted.
The killer's montage/glitches
The killer's glitches were edited and created on After Effects and took around 1 hour to perfect and complete.
Firstly, we cut the clips that needed glitches and imported them onto the program, where we started off adding a range of default After effects filters. These defaults included both 'distort' 'smear' and 'griddler'.
These default effects had to be adapted to the actual video and had to be synchronous too
The horizontal lines effect was the effect 'griddler' and in order to make them extremely small, we had to change the width and height of the lines. This can be found in the left hand bottom corner, where there are a variety of tools
Under this, we were also able to change the colour of the video and create a Red, Blue & Green colour effect
Along with this, you are able to see a moving glitch that runs up and down the killer's face
To do this, we had to create a new composition and add the 'smear' effect' In order for the effect to move up and down, we had to drag the small transform dots.
After dragging these dots to the top of the page ( outside of video) we had to create a keyframe for the 'smear' effect. These key frames set the precise times in which the effect moves up and down.
The black & white typing screen
For the glitch that pops up from time to time on our film opening, we also used After effects, but this time we imported a picture from google.
This picture was found under the 'Verbose mode' title and after watching a series of movies for inspiration, the 'verbose' effect created an idea that the person was 'hacking' into the device of the character.
In order to create a typing effect, we watched this particular video to get some help:
For the green glitch, we used the default 'griddler' effect once again, but adjusted the width of each line that appeared and also managed to change the colour of the glitch.
Green was the colour we decided on because we knew that it would be eye catching and allows the audience to ask questions on what just 'popped' up.
After doing intense research on what our film opening title would be, we conducted another quick survey on the website "Survey Monkey".
This was a great source as it helped us create a quick, easy and simple survey in which many people could answer. We chose this particular website as it allowed us to distribute the question extremely fast and the analytical feature allowed us to track the results when ever we received a new response.
Here are is the result:
From this, it is evident that the most popular title that fitted best with our film opening was "The Unknown". This piece of research helped us to then create a film title opening on Adobe After Effects. The result turned out like this:
During the editing process of our film, we held a focus group to get some constructive criticism about our work and how we could improve.
We were told we had some strong footage but a major downfall for our group was the narrative of the film. Throughout the playing of the focus group we were frequently asked what was happening and why.
To ensure we didn't loose marks on our final piece, my group and I chose to meet up and film a few more scenes for the film, just clearing up the narrative, trying to make it obvious about what was going on as possible.
To conform to the blogger style in our movie opening, and to further make clear of the plot, we added a Youtube style framing to add to the mise - en - scene
We also decided to re-draw our story board to fit the changed storyline of the horror film. If you look further down the blog, you can see the changes we made from our original story board.
We had to re-film some aspects of the opening due to the camera being out of focus in some places and also extremely shaky
We added in a computer generated voice - however this was another downfall to our strong ending of the opening. So we decided to get a character to record the voice which was much better.
The BBFC examines and age rates films and videos before they are released.
They watch films and videos all the way through and award an age rating and BBFCinsight to each one. They then reach an age rating by applying the standards and criteria contained in the Classification Guidelines.
Typically, two examiners view a film for theatrical release. In most cases a Senior Examiner will confirm the examiners’ recommendation.
With our film opening being in the technological horror genre, it is clear that we have to distinguish the rating in which our movie should be. This will allow younger and more sensitive viewers to avoid watching the film opening. There are a range of ratings for horror movies, these include:
Suitable for all - A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range.
Parental guidance - his means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children. Cinema release suitable for 12 years and over - video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child Video release suitable for 12 years and over DIFFERENCE between the two- The 12A requires an adult to accompany any child under 12 seeing a 12A film at the cinema. The 12 is also a simpler system for retailers. It means they cannot sell or rent the item unless the customer is over the age of 12. Suitable only for 15 years and over - 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age. - movies rated this may include:
strong violence
frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
portrayals of sexual activity
strong verbal references to sex
Suitable only for adult - not suitable for those under 18 and may include:
very strong violence
frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***') and / or very strong language (e.g. ‘c***’)
strong portrayals of sexual activity
scenes of sexual violence
strong horror
strong blood and gore
After reviewing the types of ratings that we could give our film opening, it was decided that we should place a 15 age restriction on our film opening. This is primarily due to the blood and use of weapons within film. These items could cause upset to younger views and therefore it is a good decision not to risk harm to young people.
This is a screen shot from ''Unfriended' showing specific lighting. The lighting is mostly artificial coming from on screen objects like lamps and light bulbs. Since is a house, this sort of lighting is common in a technological horror. We tried to include lighting variations in each of our shots to ensure more marks.
This is a few shots from of our horror film that use artificial lighting. We tried to mirror the same sort of lighting from 'Unfriended' to capture the same conventions of lighting
This shows lowkey lighting from the technological horror 'Stay Alive'. Lowkey lighting is the most common in the horror genre so we had to make sure we incorporated it into out horror film
This is a shot from our film that shows lowkey lighting to create an eerie atmosphere.
This is another shot from our horror film where we have used back lighting to illuminate our antagonist from the back.
Research on production companies When researching production companies, we looked for the ones that specifically did horror movies and chose between the ones most suited to our film opening. We wanted to choose a production company that also was a smooth fit for our opening and didn't look out of place. These are the companies we found ...
Blumhouse productions
Founded by Jason Blum
Specialise in low budget films
Since it's launch in 2000, the company have been involved in over 30 films
The most popular movies include Paranormal Activity, Insidious and The Purge
Blumhouse productions is a multi media production company that has developed a new model of studio film making, producing high quality but low budget movies.
Ghost House Pictures
Robert Gerard is the founder of Ghost House Pictures.
Launched in 2002 and has produced 19 horror films
It's most popular movies include The Possession, Drag Me To Hell, Boogeyman and The Grudge 2
When first formed, the goal was to remake Castle's horror films but starting with RocknRolla, the company began producing films in genres other than horror. Initially, most of the company's films were mostly critically panned
Most popular horror films include: The Orphan, The Reaping, House On a Haunted Hill
Platinum Dunes
Created in November 2001 by filmmakers Michael Bay, Brad Fuller,and Andrew Form.
The company specialises in horror films, particularly remakes.
Platinum Dunes plan to branch out of the horror genre into action and thrillers with a new deal with Paramount Pictures.
Most popular horror movies include: The Purge, Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Friday, The 13th
Our Final Decision
After researching different horror film production companies, we decided to choose Blumhouse Productions as my group and I decided it was the best fit for our horror film as ...
Our film was low budget
The type of films they have already produced have elements of our horror film in it e.g Paranormal Activity using a cam recorder screen.
The other production companies I researched seem to be branching out to do other deals with other genres of films but as we have done a horror film, we wanted a company who's main focus is still horror films.
In this shot we were experimenting with the camera and how effective a fast pan would be to add tension whilst someone runs down the stairs as opposed to a low angle of the whole body. However we decided the mid shot from the side of the stairs allows a juxtaposition between the imminent danger and a seemingly neutral angle as opposed to an oblique angle which will instantly impose fear on the audience.
An initial idea for the plot was to have a stalker in her house so we decided to see what it looks like to record her bed from the mirror. Not exactly sure how well it would work due to the small size of the room and no way of seeing the mirror through the door we scrapped the idea as it would be obvious they were in the same room and she should be able to see the killer.
Fun flickering light...was supposed to add suspense for the final scenes but it did not come out as planned. Could be edited post production though.
After reviewing our first storyboard we decided to change parts of our film opening. One of the major changes to our story line was the addition of a 'Youtube'-like beginning, where the main protagonist is filming herself (using a handheld shot). This is accompanied with a screen overlay of the 'REC' sign, we decided to include this because it is extremely common and modern to be 'vlogging' on youtube and other social media websites.
We added several glitches and CGI effects from start to finish
We cut out some of the 'boring' and tedious scenes where it could make the film opening quite slow.
More tension and suspense was added by a scene of the killer preparing to 'kill' the character
Tracking shots, extreme close ups, high angle shots and neutral shots are still included in the film opening
We also included the title at the end of the opening 'The Unknown'
Originally, we were going to name the film 'Ignotis' which is Latin for 'The Unknown', however we decided to scrap the idea because it would be difficult to explain the origins of the name.
As mentioned in our focus group post, it was highlighted that our narrative was unclear therefore we redesigned the story board to make it more clear to the audience
we decided that the main protagonist (Rachel) should also die and therefore is 'forced' to vlog her own death.
Our final plotline:
The plot for our story is as follows:
A young teen is 'blogging' her day and it is implied that the girl is a successful youtuber
since she is an internet sensation - it is clear that she relies heavily on technology
she talks about her boyfriend coming over and the planned day
door bell rings, she makes it to the middle of the stairs
power cuts off
audience see blackness & hear panting
young teen is forced to 'blog' her own death
scenes of struggling by the young teen
killer is seen, and has also killed her boyfriend
montage of bf death and fast cuts of killer with glitches will be shown
killer walks out of killing location (garage)
turns head and you can see the killer
(film title inserted after this)
This is a short, rough digital version of our storyboard:
The editing used when the girl walks into the room is really effective in building a sense of horror. It was used in conjunction with high frequency music and an animal scream whilst the screen became white for a short amount of time. By cutting between frames of the girl and glitches at high speed the importance of technology in the plot is suggested. The extreme close up of her face when saying "oh my God" reveals the black marks around her eyes running, which suggests she has been crying, it then cuts to the typography after a very high pitch scream is heard. by doing so a sense of fear is created in the audience as the reason for her tears and the scream are not clear.
Maddy has a very plain face, which is typical for a final girl, though she may not be, her very loose fitted clothing does not give one the suggestion of promiscuity.
Her white T-shirt has red writing on it, this may connote that even the purist people will see blood shed, or have to shed blood.
Although her hair is not tied back it is a very simple hair style, nothing to fancy, this again fits in with the final girl theory.
This sequence is not an opening but a trailer, the use of glitch editing is something we would like to use in our opening as it conveys the idea of horror through technology.
The high angle used at the opening of the sequence may connote how regardless of their effort the imminent horror cannot be beaten. The colours employed at this scene are not very bright which is emphasised by the lighting which is low key denoting the lack of light in the situation, in the sense that nobody is aware of what is happening.
Occupation: College Student. Part time work in her free time for River Island
Hobbies/Interests: Fashion and Beauty. Enjoys 'vlogging' about her lifestyle
Part in film: main
protagonist
Name: Daniel Tyler
Age: 18 Occupation: Full time work at his dads plumbing business Hobbies/Interests: Enjoys football and hanging out with his friends. Takes an interest in fixing things. One day hopes to run his fathers plumbing business. Part in film: Protagonists boyfriend.
Name: The killer Age: 20 Occupation: N/A Hobbies/Interests: Computer Hacker, stalks girls and their lives Part in Film: Main antagonist.
