Assessment 4 - Initial Ideas - By Beckah Hornsey and Katie Mclaren

Assessment 3 - Genre Research - Inspiration by the whole group

Inspiration from other films J By Beckah Hornsey, Grace Peel, Katie Mclaren and Jasmine Graham.

 

Texas Chain Saw Massacre

 

 

Tormented

 

 

 

Blair Witch Project

 

 

Voodoo Theme

 

 

 

 

 

Puppetry scene – Stardust

 

 

 

 

Skins – TV series

 

Assessment 3 Target Audience by grace peel

Assessment 3 – Target Audience

 

The film must not promote discriminatory behavior or language, and it can show drug taking but not promote it throughout the film. The misuse of aerosols for example is unlikely to get the go ahead in the film. The genre of horror can show strong threats and menacing behavior, although it is not allowed to show sadistic or sexualized menacing behavior. Behaviors such as hanging, suicide and self-harming can be shown, but not throughout the film, as the audience could imitate or copy it. Weapons such as guns, should not be in the audience’s face as a centre point all the time. Strong language such as ‘fuck’ can be used but not repeatedly all the time, but the strongest word ‘cunt’ can be used depending on the context and if it fits in with the scene of the film. The use of nudity is allowed in a sexual content but not with strong detail or references, along with sex can be portrayed without strong activity being shown. There can be strong verbal references to sexual behavior, but strongest references won’t be allowed unless the context is necessary. There is generally no theme around this age category as long as the film is appropriate for 15 year olds. There can be strong violence in 15 films but shouldn’t dwell on the behavior or injuries. Strong ‘gory’ images are unlikely to be seen in 15 films along with sexual violence such as rape. If there was to be sexual violence, it would have to justified strongly, although there can be references to this behavior.

 

 

The 18 certificates say that adults should be able to choose what film they want to see. The 18 certificates have the same qualities of a 15 but pushes the boundaries even more. There can be more violence, sex, weapons and language used in the films but not go beyond the certificate were the ‘R18’ films come into play. In an 18 film, there can be scenes of sex workers but not strongly as these scenes showing epic images of sex and sexual nature are rated an R18.

 

 

 

R18 films can only be shown in selected cinemas and venues, and there is a strict age of no person under 18. The twisting of the law is strictly not allowed in R18 films along with materials such as rape and pedophilia is strictly forbidden also. Any act of physical harm that may last cannot be shown along with strong abuse and humiliatation that is not in context with the film cannot be shown. 

Assessment 2 - title orders

Assessment 2 – titles order

Drag me to hell

 

Allison Lohman

Justin Long

Lorna Raver

Dileep Raq

David Paymer

Adriana barraz

 

Casting by John Papsidera CSA

Special Make up Effects by Gregory Nicotera,

Co Producers Cristen Carr Strube, Ivana Palma

Visual Effects Supervisor Bruce Jones

Costume Designer Isis Mussenden

Film Editor Bob Muraws

Production Designer Steve Saklad

Director of Photography

Executive Producers Joe Drake

Produced by Rob Tapert

Written By Sam Raimi and Ivan Raimi

Directed By Sam Raimi

Drag me to hell review

Task 2 - analysis of an opening sequence to a horror film.

The beginning of Drag Me to Hell, shows many conventions that apply to a horror film. The camera slowly pans down to show an establishing shot of a Spanish mansion with palm trees and green scenery. This gives the impression to the audience that it is a normal house in Spain and maybe rich people live there because of the size of it. This could be sectioned out to be odd to other horror film sequences such as Texas Chain Saw Massacre, as that shows you clues of what is to come in the movie were as a mansion and palm trees only suggests to the audience that it may be set in a different country for example Spain.

  

You then see a tracking shot of a van pulling up to the house. With this shot, it shows the audience more of the scenery and where the film is set. A man dressed almost like a cowboy then jumps out the van to carry on running round the back to help a women jump out the back of it. There is a long shot as the man helps the women off the back of the van, and as she is wearing a dark brown skirt and top suggests that she has been travelling in the van for some time. The sequence can make the audience then think about why they both look to be in a hurry and why the man is dressed like a cowboy, again referring to the country and culture that they live in.

  

As the scene continues the women hurries towards what we can now see due to another long shot is tall green metal gates and starts to bang on them repeatedly, subtitles then come up on the screen which tells the audience that the women is foreign and what she is shouting. As another women looking similar to the first women dressed in the same type of clothing but this time purple, runs out of the building and the three gather round in a circle as the man holds a young boy in his hands. All this is done very fast as you can tell that the people are concerned, an over the shoulder shot shows the three talking and by having this shot shows the facial expressions on each characters face which all appear to be worrying.

 

You then see an ariel extreme close up shot of the boys face, the boy appears to be disturbed and upset. This can un ravel the confusion of what the audience is thinking is going to happen and keeps them hooked to find out why the three adults are centred towards this young boy.

 

Later on in the opening sequence, you see inside of the building and the camera pans round at a high angle to show the stained glass decoration of the roof and window inside. The stain glass windows suggests that the family are in a religious building and as the camera goes to hand held when the women walks in to again show the surroundings of the building inside.

 

There is a cut away from the boy lying on the floor to the women in purple standing up praying, this shows that the atmosphere in the room and between all the people is tense and them and you don’t know what’s going to happen, and the audience still don’t know why exactly they are all there. This is like horror films, as you don’t find out the identity of the murderer or why a murder has happened for example until the end of film. 

 

As the boy tries to escape from the ‘demon’ in the room, there is a match on action as he is ‘blown’ over by the force of the ‘wind’ ending up with him landing on the floor as it starts to crack. The visual effects of the floor cracking and breaking up add to the effect of the fire starting to surround the boy. This now, is beginning to look similar to what the audience will expect from a horror movie with death being the main priority and aimed towards the boy. As the boy falls through the floor, a shadow of a hand pulling him down grows bigger which suggests to the audience there is a lot beneath the story of drag me to hell that the audience doesn’t know about yet.

 

At the beginning of the sequence, the audience can have a guess that the film is set in a foreign country as the mansion doesn’t look like a building you would find in the UK, but can then know that it is set in Spain as the woman starts to speak in Spanish and the subtitles come up on the screen. The panic that you can hear in her voice suggests that she is worried and wanting to know something, as the incidental none diagetic music is playing slowly in the background. This is typical of a horror movie as most have music at the beginning for example you know that something is going to happen in the film ‘Jaws’ when you hear the sounds come on.

 

Throughout the sequence of the ‘wind’ in the room and the boy running out of it there is a ‘roaring’ sound which suggests that something is in the room but no one can see it but know that it is wanting the boy and wanting to hurt him. This creates suspense in the sequence and may shock the audience, as so far the film has just been dialogue and subtitles. The screams and screeches from the women when the boy is falling into floor adds to the mayhem going on around the characters, and the audience can be drawn into the characters and can begin to feel sorry for them and sympathise with them as the characters don’t know what’s going on and neither do the audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Task 2 Review of Drag me to hell