Horror Soundtrack Research

As we are planning on filming a horror movie, the soundtrack and sound effects will be extremely important. These two components are often considered to be the most vital in a horror film. For example, film makers use sound effects like heartbeats and heavy breathing to build tension. The use of silence can also be effective to build tension, suspense and anxiety.

Viktim Script Idea

We would like our script to be a psycological horror which not only surprises the audience, but also has an atmosphere of building suspense. We want our audience to feel scared and tense throughout, but to also enjoy the film. We want them to think about the film characters and care about what might happen to them.

Viktim Script

Opening.
Jasmine grabs Amelia's hand and they slowly make their way out the door. Down the road the conversation is dry and Jasmine tries to make conversation.

Jasmine - So how’s your family?
(No response.)
- I'd hate to think what you’re going through; I mean you were so close to your brother and for him to just...

(A tear falls from girl’s eye. Her friend notices and stops, grabs her and holds her tight.)

Jasmine - I'm so sorry, I really am but if you talk about it, it will help... I think (notices her friend shaking)
Babe what’s up??
She turns around to see girl looking up the road. Amelia sees a figure standing there watching them, scared she says "I think we should go this way" and decide to take a short cut. As they do they hear sounds of fast footsteps behind them which are getting quicker and quicker. They both run as the man speeds up and begin to run.
Amelia- Oh my god he's following us!
Jasmine- Who... (She looks behind her to see the masked man) oh my god....

FADE TO BLACK - "VIKTIM" TITLE SCENE.
Scene 2.
The scene fades in and Amelia is sleeping. What happened before had been a reoccurring dream. She wakes up and picks up her phone. She sends a message to jasmine saying "I had the same dream again and somehow I think it’s related to my brother’s accident. Want to meet up later?"

With that she changes her clothes and leaves and as she does a figures is seen watching her.
Heartbeat should be played as soon as the figure is noticeable to the audience to raise questions and to change the atmosphere.

Viktim Storyboard

These pictures below (drawn by Josh Hitch) depict my groups storyboard for our film 'Viktim'. The film we are making ends with a chase scene where a couple of girls disappear.

Group Film Project - Viktim: Initial Idea

I am currently working on a horror film called 'Viktim'. I'm partnered with Josh Hitch and Jaymie Ebrada to make the film. We aim for the film to be classified with a 15 certificate, so the film will be targeted at a teenage audience.

Plot:
It's been a month since the death of a girl's brother. We see the girl and a couple of her friends at the graveside mourning her loss. However, the girl's are not alone, there is someone watching them. We later see the same girls' attending a party at a friend's house. The change of scene is created by the camera zooming in on the girls eye, this movement is then reversed and the scene has changed. The girls' leave the party, they become aware that a mysterious figure is following them. This figure slowly catches up with them and they disappear.

Who is this mysterious figure??

Will the girls' survive?... watch the film to find out!!

Horror Movie Questionnaire & Results

We devised the questionnaire below to help us determine what type of horror film we should run with. It also helped us to decide what age group and gender our film should be aimed at.



Film Production: Target Audience

Please take your time to answer our questionnaire on film genres. Circle the answers below or write a small description where necessary. Thank you.

1) Are you: Male….. Female…..

2) How old are you?

12-14

15-17

18+

3)      What type of horror film are you most likely to watch?

Slasher horror…..

Thriller/Action-Adventure horror …..

Psychological horror/Suspense…..

Paranormal horror…..

Torture horror…..

Science Fiction …..

4) Would you watch your chosen movie type in the cinema?

Yes…..

No.....

If yes,
why?.....................................................................

If no,
why?.....................................................................

5) Does the movie trailer influence you to watch a film in the cinema/theatre/

Yes….. No…..

6) What is your favourite aspect of a horror film?

.......................................................................................

Questionnaire Results

The results of our questionnaire show that our target audience:

• is 15+ and our film should appeal to both a male and female audience
• prefer to watch psychological horror/suspense films
• prefer to watch movies in the cinema
• say the movie trailer does influence them to go see a film
• favourite aspect is lots of suspense and a good ending

The Dark Knight Rises: Viral Marketing Campaign

The viral marketing campaign for the film ‘Batman: The Dark Knight’ was very successful. It generated interest and expectation for the film through an online game which had clues hidden within it. Players were able to view the first ever released trailer for the film and became involved with the experience and interested in seeing the film. Through ‘word-of-mouth’, fans from around the world were attracted to the campaign as it included exclusive pictures and trailers. The new Batman film ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is due for release on 20 July 2012 and a viral marketing campaign has already been launched which is hoped to be even more successful than the last.

The first step of the campaign was to set up a website by the name of ‘thefirerises’ -  the word means nothing yet, but is probably a reference to something within the film. The website which was created had a black background accompanied with chanting. The team behind the website had thought that it would have taken the Batman fans ages to work out the riddle but in fact it only took a matter of minutes - someone had worked out that you need to run the chanting through a visualizer which then reveals the hash tag #thefirerises. This hash tag then leads to the Twitter account @thefirerises featuring the first image from the film. The image is of the villainous character Bane, played by the actor Tom Hardy. He is pictured against a black background, with his back to the camera, whilst looking straight at the lens. He appears to be naked from the waist up and is wearing some kind of mask (see below).

As the campaign continued more footage from the film was released in the form of teaser trailers, as were images of the official teaser poster and an image of Catwoman (played by Anne Hathaway) riding the Batbike (see above).

The links below show some video footage which I class as a must see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AP4Z6QB8Yc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Sktgm0aD8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0lBjVUKoSg

The director also quite likes leaked videos of the film, as it helps build up hype among the fans of Batman. For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKhB2ooH7nA

The Wave

Director: Dennis Gansel

Year: 2008

Starring: Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau and Max Riemelt

Synopsis: The film is about an unusual experiment a high school teacher conducts, to demonstrate to his students what it feels like to be under a dictatorship. However, throughout the film we become aware of how the experiment is spinning out of control, as the students form a social unit which has a life of its own.

Review:

I like The Wave, as it is different to most mainstream films shown at multiplexes. The storyline is also clever, with an underlining message - how easily dictatorships can form, without people really understanding that they are being manipulated.

The acting in the film is good, and the characters are plausible as real people. The fact that there is a member of the group who is easily pressured into stupid activities, adds depth to the storyline. The way that there is a conflict in views about the experiment generates a sense that not everyone can be easily swayed into believing in what the teacher is trying to get across.

Verdict:

I think this film is thought provoking. It is also features good camerawork and superb acting, and for these reasons I would recommend this movie to anyone. I have one criticism about it though, and that is, that the subtitles could remain on the screen a little longer, as I feel the time for each translation to pass could be lengthened so people who are slow readers could manage.

****

An Example of Movie Promotion - The Dark Knight (2008)

The promotion of the film ‘The Dark Knight’ was quite ingenious. The marketing campaign for the film was very different to other films and as a result helped it to become one of the most successful films ever made.

Posters…..

were cleverly designed to create suspense about the film, each one giving slightly more information on the film as the launch date approached. The initial posters were known as ‘teasers’ and contained very little information - the title, the Batman logo and a strapline. The strapline that was used a lot in the first couple of teasers came from The Joker, “Why So Serious?” The Joker appeared to be a serious threat to Batman.

The final poster contained all the essential film information - its title, the strapline, members of the cast, Batman logo, release date, website, director and producers.  Famous actors in the cast draw the audience in to see the film. The strapline is never bigger than the title, however the size of the text is quite large and the words “Welcome to a World without Rules” imply it will be an exciting film. The sponsors and websites are shown to gain publicity and for those interested to find further information about the film. The Warner Bros. name also appears, this will help to boost interest as it is one of the most well known Hollywood production companies.

The image on the final poster is extremely memorable because it resembles the scenes from 9/11. The image is a tall building where Batman has crashed into the side, leaving an inferno in the bat outline – a very powerful image. The fireball in the outline draws the eyes of the audience to the poster. Batman is clearly seen in the foreground of the poster, he’s looking out, he’s got clenched fists, this is a strong image showing how powerful Batman is. The poster is dark and menacing tells that the film is serious or something bad is going to happen. The title of the film is large and clear, and directly behind it is the Batman logo.

The teasers and posters were displayed on the side of buses, at bus stops, underground stations, billboards, cinemas, shopping malls – anywhere where lots of people would see them. They would also be advertised in magazines and newspapers. Later, when the film had received reviews, good review extracts would be included on the posters, for example; Empire says – “guaranteed Oscar winner”.  

Over twenty teasers and posters were designed for the film, here are four of the best:

 

 

The BBFC rating is very important to the success of the film. Initially the BBFC couldn’t decide what certificate to give The Dark Knight, either a 12A or 15; and despite some violent scenes it was finally given a 12A which allowed anyone to see it, even young children.  A lot of people disagreed with this rating. Had it been given a 15, it would really restrict the films audience. In my opinion the film should have been given a 15 because of the violence, particularly one scene where The Joker impales a Bodyguard’s head onto a pencil.

Controversy also surrounded the death of Heath Ledger (The Joker) shortly after the film was made. He died accidently from a drugs overdose in January 2008. Sadly, The Dark Knight was to be his last complete film. In January 2009 Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

Trailers…..

are a very important way of publicising a film. A series of trailer’s were made for The Dark Knight. At first they created a ‘teaser trailer’ giving very little information away, so the audience would have an initial interest in the film. When it got closer to the release date, the ‘full information’ trailer was used.

The trailer tells the audience what type of film it will be. In the case of The Dark Knight, a very suspenseful, action/adventure movie. Some of the best stunts and special effects were included in the trailer. The trailer introduces the audience to all the main characters in the film. It shows off Batman’s vehicles and the Batman suit. It shows that The Joker is a serious threat to Batman.  It makes you want to see the film, to find out if Batman will beat The Joker and survive.

Finally, at the end of the trailer, the audience sees the release date.  The web address is also given, here you can find further information about the film. You see the name of the production companies behind the film, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Legendary Pictures are behind a number of successful superhero films.

All tie-ins and publicity help to promote a film. Kids like to play the games that come out before a film is released. The actors involved with the film have to promote it by giving interviews on radio and television programmes around the world; this is probably written into their contracts.  A range of merchandising products, toys, mugs, T-shirts, posters, playing cards, board games and video games, was also made for the film.

The impact of the promotional material on the target audience was huge. Both the poster and trailer campaign really made 13-25 yr olds want to go and see the film – and they did! The promotional campaign for The Dark Knight was thought to be extremely successful.

The Dark Knight also used ‘viral’ marketing. This generated interest and expectation about the film through an online game which had clues tied into it. Fans that played the game were able to view the first ever released trailer for the film. Therefore, those that played the game became involved with the experience and interested in seeing the film.

When the film was finally released a massive amount of people went to see it. The Dark Knight is the fifth highest grossing film of all time.  To date, it’s made around $1 billion.

The Untouchables

Director: Brian De Palma

Year: 1987

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Robert De Niro and Andy Garcia.

Synopsis
This film is set in Chicago during the Prohibition era, when gangwars were becoming particularly violent. The film is based on the stuggle between the cops of Chicago and criminal gangs involved in the bootlegging and racketeering of illegal alcohol. There are five main characters in the film; Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner), Jim Malone (Sean Connery), Agent Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith), Agent George Stone (Andy Garcia), and Al Capone (Robert De Niro). The film is directed by Brian De Palma.

Review

I really enjoyed this film as it features extremely exciting scenes and fight sequences. It feaures a great score by the famous conductor, Ennio Morricone. There is one particularly good action scene where Ness has to look out for Capone's bookkeeper, and capture him alive so he can give evidence that will convict Capone of his criminal offences. Ness succeeds, whilst taking part in a gun battle and saving a baby who's pram is falling down a flight of stairs. This is Brian De Palma's homage to director Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potempkin (1925) in which a similar scene occurs.

Capone is depicted as a brutal man with a very short fuse. We learn this when one of his alcohol storage facilities is raided by the police, and Capone murders one of his criminal partners in a rage.

Vertict

I think this a superb film, it's brilliantly acted and edited with a excellent film score. The acting from all the characters in the film is believable. Robert De Niro's Al Capone is terrific, and makes the film very convincing. I like it so much, that I would recommend this movie to anyone interested in action/crime films.

****