FILMS THAT INFLUENCED OUR PITCH FOR THE HORROR OPENING SEQUENCE.

The films that had influenced our pitch, consists of "The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, REC, CREEP and The Devil Inside.
All these films contribute to ideas for our opening sequence. However, the main film that really inspired us, is "The Blair Witch Project". The reason behind this is because the film shows 2 girls vlogging and are seen as being very panicky due to strange noises appearing within their surroundings.
Our initial aim was a to create an opening sequence which is made up of our own ideas. We were successfully able to do this but had used "The Blair Witch Project" as a guideline for our opening sequence. This enabled us to get the most out of ourselves in terms of settings, colour, sounds and overall feeling.
"Paranormal Activity" and "REC" were both along the same lines in regards to the mix of CCTV and camcorder footage which allows 1st person experience, therefore providing easy access to the audience in order for them to feel a part in the film. This builds a heavy interaction between the vloggers on the screen. It almost feels that we (AS THE ACTORS) are taking the audience on a haunted journey with us.
In the film "CREEP", the relationships between the friends are absolutely normal. The day had started off normally but deep into the day, obstructions had begun to block their path. In comparison to our opening sequence, we have Julia and Sandra having a light laugh at the beginning, until one of them disappears. This is deeply disturbing. This is a mystery. In "CREEP", one of the friends was in the process of drowning (being suffocated under water) and we had thought to replicate something disturbing, but in a different form. Another pro for this particular film is that it had some help from the makers of "Paranormal Activity". This was extremely ideal as they both share the process of naturality when filming.

Last but not least, "The Devil Inside" had parts within the film, where a news reporter was setting the scene, talking about how a Christian church had got involved with the exorcism of someone's mother. We thought that this would be a great idea for our opening sequence, ensuring that the dilemma is being broadcasted by the media, allowing everyone to know what the situation stands like.

The sole purpose for us choosing the "FOUND FOOTAGE" genre rather than any other genre is because we find them quite typical. Murder scenes, baby dolls, broken objects, killers, chasing between the villain and the victim had all appeared as the "usual" and "standard" in our minds. Found footage contains of a more natural approach in horror and we wanted to do something that was different from all the other groups. We wanted to be the outcast from everyone else, in terms of showcasing the "HORROR" opening sequence. I believe that our winning mentality of thinking outside the box had enabled us to think of a number of ideas, allowing us to enhance and broaden what we aimed to achieve.

Our "FOUND FOOTAGE" opening scene, at the Espero apartment, was heavily encouraged and mainly influenced by "The Blair Witch Project". As mentioned previously, this film had most of our main ideas and we pushed boundaries by coming up with our own ideas and merging them with what we already have.

  

 

BACKGROUND MUSIC / SOUNDS FOR THE HORROR OPENING SEQUENCE.

The type of sound and background music in a horror film and horror opening sequence need to go exceptionally well with regards to what is happening on the screen.

In horror films, the music provides an insight to the audience about how a particular character or set of characters are feeling. This is heavily seen in horror films based on murder. We hear a long mix of screeching sounds whenever a victim is about to be killed right in front of their loved ones, despite the effort of the other victims trying to help or escape.

For our group (AHA) it is a different case whereby our theme is based on found footage. We had researched that Found Footage is a more natural and informal view of telling the base of a story. 

Paranormal Activity is a prim and classic example of found footage where parts of the film is seen in first person and this enables more interactivity and experience.  

Coming onto the main topic... MUSIC AND SOUND. In Found Footage films, music is NOT an essential part in the film, but can be very USEFUL at times. Sound rather than music has more of a heavy effect on the atmosphere and surrounding. Due to the first person view and the theme, all of the sound is almost natural. These natural sounds consist of banging of doors, intense and prolonged screaming, breaking of objects and loud footsteps. For our opening sequence in the Espero Apartment, we had figured that we need a LOT of different sounds within the opening sequence, but at different parts. Whilst Julia Rose and Sandra Park will be vlogging, there needs to be some sort of eerie sounds in the background, in order to add some verisimilitude in their actions.

I (HASSAN) have found some links to (NCS) Non-Copyright Sounds which will be useful for our horror opening sequence.

http://soundbible.com/tags-horror.html

http://soundbible.com/tags-horror-movie.html

https://www.freesoundeffects.com/free-sounds/scary-and-horror-10085/

https://www.audioblocks.com/royalty-free-audio/horror-sound-effects

http://www.musicnote-world.com/bgm/horror.html

All 5 of these links, consist of different horror movie sounds which range from squelching, oozing bloody noises to floorboards creaking and high pitch screams. Of course, not all of these will be relevant to our opening sequence, but the advantage of having a number of places to choose from, is the variety we have. 

In the famous Espero Apartment, the natural background sounds will be, talking in different tones, closing of doors and also the sound of the camera dropping to the ground. However, these diegetic sounds need to lifted by some non-diegetic sounds. These could be eerie low and high pitch music, different use of instruments and backward supernatural prayers.

For my scene in the horror film, (NEWS REPORTER FOR BBC WORLD) we have come up with an idea to use a visual glitch effect on the tv screen, followed by the sound, which would relate to the distortion and interruption of the news report.

http://www.zapsplat.com/sound-effect-category/glitches/

The link above consists of many glitch sound effects, but our aim is to merge a few sounds, creating our own glitch sound effect. It was my idea to have this sound playing whilst the visual glitch effect is in process, on the screen during my news reporting scene.

I was inspired by the glitch effect from General Zod's message in the film, "Man Of Steel".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6g2ZSuWyM4
  

GENDER REPRESENTATION IN HORROR.

MEN: In horror films, men are usually seen as the heroes of the film as they always carve some sort of plan in order to save their loved ones or any victims. 

They are seen as the key to defeat the villains due to the stigma being attached to them for being brave and in some cases, their well physique. The male heroes are seen as the typical stereotype. This is because they are the main leader which results in them trying to impress, comfort and satisfy the other victim and side characters around them. This can be seen in “The Cabin In The Woods” as “Chris Hemsworth” is seen as the one and only hero, excluding the rest. Despite the typical male hero giving their best shot to offer protection, they end up being severely injured or dead towards the end of the movie. This is done to establish and emphasize their authority, making the audience feel for them and build a special connection with them in regards to how much work the male hero has done.

Overall, the men are seen as the dominant figure, rising above everyone else in almost every aspect of the horror film. The men can be seen as a comfort cushion for the other characters in the horror film as they automatically become inspired, motivated and engaged by the main man. This enable them to have some hope to get through the rough times but doesn’t always go to plan.

 In addition to the men’s role in the horror film, they are also sometimes seen as playing the villain. In the horror film “Scream”, the villain is a male dressed in a black cape and a scary white mask. This gives them an image of being evil, cold hearted and violent. The debate on superiority ends when talking about standard of gender. 

The males are at the very top of the hierarchy when observing who the villain is being played by. In the horror film, “Friday  ^13th, the male villain was wearing a ragged and ripped costume which instantly gave him a animalistic, non-civilized and an outcast look, distinguishing him from the rest of the characters, therefore signifying his importance. The evil male would find pleasure and enjoy the moments of pain being endured by the victims. The evil male is seen as heartless, showing no sympathy towards the ones suffering. This shows a completely different side to how the male can be “good” or “bad. This kick starts the next topic on “contrast” in the men’s two roles. Men are seen as more superior but tend to play more as the villain than the hero due to the support of their physical strength backing up the point of them being ruthless when it comes to killings and outraging behaviour which society does not accept nor agree with. The woman would play the victim more than they would the hero role because they are often undermined by the thought of them playing the strong villain.

WOMEN: The women in horror films are seen as having a weak physique and are more vulnerable to being injured or dying as they find it difficult to protect themselves. 

They tend to panic more and follow some instructions of the villain which evidently lead to death. In the horror film “Scream” a young, beautiful, physically appealing young mid 20’^s blonde had died within the first few minutes of the opening scene. She was portrayed as a rather emotional woman. A good looking woman in a horror film is seen as a sexual object used to create pleasure for the dirty minded / average male. The males in the horror film are attracted to this because this is how they view woman overall as being nothing of use other than sexual objects. The female is likely to over react, cry or get very emotional, disrupting the plan of the male and causing havoc and unnecessary pressure and tension. Women tend to try and help the male in the process of solving the situation and escaping from the villain but instead, end up accidentally foiling the plan and diverting the situation to have a much worse outcome. The men sometimes view the women as a distraction or see them as an obstruction because another stereotypical factor would be that the women hold the men back from concentrating and doing their jobs.

In contrast to the soft side of the women, there are some female characters who tend to break this barrier and get rid of the thought that women are seen as puny. In a horror film called “Shining”, the actress “Shelley Duvall” shows an excellent impression on how she has a rigid and tough personality by surviving alongside a son as well. Despite the fact that she is still terrified, she manages to find strength and maintains a strong “Never Give Up” mentality, therefore defying and putting to bed the light side of women. After she had defeated her abusing and narrow minded husband, she manages to be independent and still able to protect others at the same time. Her leadership qualities shows the audience that being ruthless but with smart and tactical thoughts, will empower the individual enabling total control of the situation no matter how bad it may be. Duvall has showed that woman may sometimes crack under pressure but also have an on going determination and resistance factor which helps them to keep going further, progressing and solving problems. 

Men would be the centre points for battling, winning and taking control, but that is not necessarily always the case in all horror movies. 

Although the male is the main character in most horror movies, the female also has a say by proving to the men that they are actually of some use and not just a so called “sexual object” used for pleasure. Also, in “A Nightmare On Elm Street”, the hero, the protagonist – “Nancy Thompson” is the individual who manages to save and change the day after helping her helpless boyfriend as he was neutered by her after being attacked by the fedora-wearing menace. Nancy had placed booby traps all around her house in order to capture and confront the killer. (villain) Again, this shows how women are capable to take charge, showing determination which not only men possess. Men however are still seen as the dominant and all mighty ones due to their strength, hard work and contribution. Due to these features they possess, the women are paid little attention and not as much as they actually deserve.