Questionnaire analysis

Questionnaire analysis

I handed out my questionnaire to 20 people in order to collect data for analysis. I hope to use this data to create the best footage I can for my horror opening.

How old are you?

By learning the gender of the people doing my questionnaire, I can understand why they have chosen the answers that they have. Generally, males like lots of blood and gore in there horrors, while females like more psychological films which also make the audience think. For example, the gender of the victim was chosen to be female, with 18 people preferring this. This shows that the results being dominated by more males than females, as every one of the males who gave their opinions chose a female victim.
Do you prefer the victim of a horror to be male or female?

Based on the data collected, I have decided it would be best to have a female victim in our horror opening. If many females are killed throughout our film, and we utilize the final girl, it would make her look stronger; as she would be the only female overcome the antagonist and survive. This would allow the final girl to look strong, and make our victim in the opening suited to the audiences taste, as she would be female.

 Are you an internet user?

As our desired audience is between 16 and 18, using the internet to advertise our film would be a very strong idea, and an easy and cheap way to gain publicity. However if no one of that age range uses the internet then the whole idea would be pointless. Thankfully, everyone who took part in my questionnaire was in the age range and all used the internet. This would allow us to advertise and generate buzz for our film a lot more easily.
 What is you favourite horror film, if any?

While almost half of the people asked said that they didn’t have a favourite horror film, those that did provided excellent data for me. 3 people said nightmare on Elm Street and 5 said scream. As both of these are teen horrors, these results have given us 2 films to draw inspiration from. The majority of both of these films also take place in the common home, giving us a great setting to shoot our footage in. 3 people also chose independent hit film paranormal activity. This is useful for us as paranormal activity is also set in a house, and plays on a fear of what isn't seen, a technique our film could use to add to the fear.

Do you visit any of these websites on a daily basis?

Knowing what sites our age range visits most on a regular basis allows us to choose which sites we use our advertising. As the data shows, sites like MySpace and bebo would be pointless, as none of our participants use them. On the other hand, facebook and hotmail wound be excellent, as they are used by all of our participants and are often visited many times a day to check for status updates etc.

Do you own any of the following?

Knowing what items people own that are capable of video playback is very useful. It allows us to make trailers and advertising that the audience is able to watch at any time. This is especially apparent for mobile devices, as people can watch them on the go, as well as share them with their friends.
Which subgenre of horror do you prefer?

By understanding what subgenre our age range prefers, we can create a film which suits their tastes, resulting in a more enjoyable viewing experience. The most preferred subgenre was slasher; this is most likely due to the large amount of males who took part in this questionnaire. Second was psychological, due to its complex and involving narrative. Monster films were least preferred, which is useful, as making a costume for a monster would be difficult and time consuming. Apocalyptic was liked, but not enough for me to choose it as the subgenre for our footage. This is due to needing lots of extras to play zombies, as well as having to prepare all their costumes.
Identify the main conventions of horror films

When the questionnaire asked the participants to write down the conventions of horror, all of them wrote down blood gore, death and false scares. As this is what they perceive to be fundamental conventions of the genre, it would be best to include them in our film. Including a death would be good, as it allows our opening scene to build to the death of a character. Just over half of them said a villain who’s identity was concealed. This is something that we could also incorporate into our film, as it would make our antagonist stand out more, and add a layer of suspense. This could be used to tie into a psychological theme as well.

With the information collected, I have now decided that using a female victim, concealed killer, and elements of the slasher and psychological subgenres. This should help the film appeal to the audience that it is aimed at. Furthermore, the choices made are all easy enough to do, unlike making a monster horror, which involves making the costume and is time consuming and expensive.

Sub genres of horror

Sub genres of horror

Like all genres, horror can be categorized into many different sub genres. Using research and our questionnaire results that I have analysed, I have found the most popular sub genres of horror. Using this data we have also decided on what subgenre our horror film will be.

Subgenres

Slasher

The slasher subgenre of horror is often defined by its killer. Ask a regular film watcher to name characters from a nightmare on Elm Street and chances are the first person they will mention will be Freddy Kruger. The same can be said for Friday the 13^th, Jason is iconically known, whereas his victims are often forgettable characters. They often appear as unstoppable and superior, making them a formidable foe. Their desire to kill what seems to be anything with a pulse is often associated with a childhood trauma or mental disability. The weapon of choice for the killer is often something that allows them to get up close and personal, such as a knife. This adds to the fear factor, as it forces the protagonists into situations where they are confronted and must escape imminent danger. The killer would be far less menacing if he used guns, as it would take away the need to confront his victims.

The killer’s victims are usually those who break the ‘rules’ of the horror convention. Drinking, smoking, doing drugs and having sex almost always results in death. The victims are also often young attractive teenagers, and the slasher subgenre often overlaps with the teen subgenre in this respect. Slasher films often star a heroine who becomes the ‘final girl’ who goes against her drinking smoking friends and doesn’t break the conventions ‘rules’ resulting in her survival. Plot and character development are rendered relatively meaningless, as characters are often killed quickly, sometimes within minutes of appearing. To counter this, deaths almost always contain lots of blood, gore and creativity.
Examples of the slasher genre

A nightmare on Elm Streetthe teenage victims drink and have sex, leading to their deaths. The killer is iconic (Freddy) kills with a glove of knives and is perceived as unstoppable. This is due to the fact that he kills in his victims dreams, effectively making him not real. His killings are to avenge his own death, and are very creative and bloody.


Psychodespite having elements of psychological horror, psycho is definitely a slasher film. Marion has sex at the beginning of the film with her boyfriend, foreshadowing her death. This is because she has broken one of the horror ‘rules’. The killer viciously stabs his victims with a knife. He performs these killings due to trauma when a child, where he flipped and killed his mother and her lover. Like most slashers, the killer gains for fame than the victims, and becomes iconic of that series, his victims are often forgettable.

Apocalyptic

The apocalyptic subgenre is defined by character development and unfavourable odds. Often, the virus comes about, with the protagonists unaware of what it does (eg turns people into zombies) how it does it and what the cure is.  Zombies are often the primary antagonists, and in contrast to slasher films, there are usually hordes of enemies opposing the protagonists. This puts the heroes in situations with unfavourable odds and, while often physically and mentally superior, they are almost always outnumbered by a vast degree. The objective is never to try to eradicate the opposition; it is to survive, often while waiting for a savior to their plight. These unfavourable odds are often coupled with lack of supplies (eg food) poor conditions for survival and a lack of ways to defend themselves. Almost always the protagonists are in a group which dwindles in numbers as the film progresses. The ‘leader’ of the group is often an average person (such as an office worker) who steps up to the challenges and hardships that they’re faced with. They are often more competent than those with actual training, such as police officers and soldiers.

Often in the post apocalyptic sub genre, the zombies aren’t the real antagonist. The real foes are the survivors, betraying each other for personal gain; the zombies are merely an allegory for humanities self conflict, even in times of desperate need.  

Examples of apocalyptic horror
28 days laterthe small group of 4 aim to travel to Manchester (there savior) the protagonist knows very little about the virus as he has awoken from a coma. After meeting the soldiers, they fight against them with the zombies as an allegory for self conflict. This is because the soldiers are the real antagonist.



 I am legenda man believes himself to be the only remaining survivor in the world after a cancer cure gone wrong kills or mutates everyone into creatures called dark seekers. Despite being a scientist, he is well trained and armed, but is focused on survival against unfavourable odds. Despite knowing what caused the virus, he doesn’t initially know that there are other with immunity too. The savior that he is waiting for is using his blood to find a cure to the virus. The mutants represent mans desire for control and try and play god.

Psychological

Psychological horror has a strong focus upon the protagonist’s mental state, with significantly less focus put upon gore or bloody killings. It can relate to the audience, due to the ability to play on common fears and phobias to great effect. Gore and cheap jump scares aren’t used, but genuinely disturbing fear of the unknown or something that the protagonist wishes to repress, such as bad memories and regrets. Supernatural elements can feature, but the majority of psychological horror takes the form of realistic locations, antagonists and scenarios. Realism is strived for, and locations like schools, warehouses, hospitals and the woods are all staples of the genre. This is due to their everyday use in society, they seem ordinary and normal which makes them scarier when negative events occur in them.

Huge emphasis is placed on what isn't seen and what could be lurking in the shadows. Emotionally unstable protagonists build up suspense as their own perceptions and fears overcome them, as well as the audience who can relate in various ways. The killer is more often to be a child than other subgenres, destroying their stereotyped image of cute and harmless.Examples of psychological horror:
the Blair witch projectthe killer (whoever it may be) is never seen, no one gets stabbed, there are no jump scares or cheap tactics, just 3 students lost in the woods. The fear of what is in the dark is heavily played upon.

Paranormal activity

The demon that haunts Katie is invisible, as only torments them during the night, playing on the fear of darkness. The safety of the home and the bedroom is destroyed by the demons attacks.

questionnaire

Are you male or female?

How old are you?

Do you watch horror films regularly?

What is your favourite genre of film for example action, horror etc?

Do you have a favourite horror film (please state below)?

Do you own any of the following items? - (please tick next to the items you own)

Mobile

Laptop

I phone

Blackberry

Please state and list here if you have any other technology which is capable of video playback

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Are you an internet user?

Do you visit any of these websites on a daily basis?

Facebook

Bebo

IMBD

Youtube

MSN hotmail

Myspace

Any other websites please list here: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Where do you consume films? (Please circle below)

Internet

Blockbuster

Cinemas like Odeon

Television

Love film

Illegal download (piracy)

Others Please list ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Do you prefer the victim of a horror to be male or female?

Which of these images suggest the genre of horror the best? (Please circle 1)

Which sub-genre of horror do you prefer? (Please circle)

 Apocalyptic(zombie) , psychological, supernatural, slasher, monster,

Other please specify …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….........

Do you enjoy films to be linear or non linear?

Identify the main conventions of horror films e.g. blood, death etc

what rating our film would get BBFC

Ratings => Factors	U	PG	12/12A	15	18
Discrimination	Discrimination is not allowed at all unless obviously disapproved of.	Unlikely to be approved of unless in historical or educational context, cannot be of the character that the child relates with.	Must not be accepted by all the characters within the film.  Needs to be clearly unacceptable to most characters.	As a whole the film must not endorse discrimination.	All allowed within reason.
Drugs	No references to drugs unless for educational benefits to the child i.e. showing them that it is wrong to do.	References to illegal drugs allowed however must carry a strong message that they are wrong.	Infrequent and should not give detail of use.	Easily available drugs like aerosols are not permitted to be seen however illegal drug references are allowed if the film as a whole disapproves of drugs.	All allowed within reason.
Horror	Mild and infrequent and unlikely to cause a young child stress, the end result also needs to be a ‘happy ending’. To reassure the child.	Horror sequences should be short however fantasy horror can be mild but not to a frightening degree.	Disturbing sequences allowed however these need to be moderate and not for the whole film.	Strong threats allowed as long as there not sexual.	All allowed within reason.
Imitable behaviour	No behaviour that is dangerous can be imitated as children could copy this.	No behaviour that is dangerous can be imitated as children could copy this.	Behaviour such as self harm should not be dwelled on as could be copied and should not be shown as pain free to the viewer.	Behaviour such as self harm should not be dwelled on as could be copied and should not be shown as pain free to the viewer.	All allowed within reason.
Language	Infrequent uses of very mild ‘bad’ words e.g. crap.	Mild occasional only.	Moderate language allowed, strong must be infrequent.	Strong language allowed frequently but strongest terms should be kept to a bare minimum.	All allowed within reason.
Nudity	Rare natural nudity but with no sexual connotation.	Rare natural nudity  but with no sexual connotation.	Allowed but in a sexual context must be discreet.	Allowed in a sexualised way as long as it is not in too much detail.	All allowed within reason
Theme	Appropriate for that of a young child.	Where serious themes are considered there should  be no level of acceptance of the bad behaviour being acceptable.	Harsh theme acceptable bu suitable for young teenagers to understand and not find amusing.	All accepted.	All allowed within reason.
Violence	Mild threat occasionally only.	Moderate violence in context may be accepted e.g. in historical.	Allowed at a moderate level but must not be out of context.	Sadistic or sexualised violence not allowed strong violent images disallowed all others accepted.	All accept that of an  extreme sexual  violence or fetish.
Sex	None	May be implied but discreet and mild innuendos only.	Frequent crudeness not allowed but sexual scene must be brief and discreet.	Strong detailed references disallowed.	All acceptable except  that which encourages  extreme fetishes.

                After finding out the boundaries for film ratings according to the bbfc, I have decided to estimate what our film would be rated at based upon the 2 minute opening. Our footage features no, sex, drugs discrimination nudity or language. Our horror sections would be either a 15, as there is serious threat to the main character. Our violence would be either a 12 or a 15, as our main character gets stabbed 3 times, before being left in a bath filled with water. However, the knife is never seen going into the victim, making the scene milder than originally thought. As the theme of the film is about a serial killer murdering innocent teenage victims, our film would probably get a rating of 15 for this section. Overall I think our film would be rated as a 15 by the bbfc, due to horror and mature themes.

actors used for the filming of 'the deluge'

As our opening 2 minutes of footage has a focus on isolation and a 1 vs 1 between the killer and the victim, only 2 actors have been used. Obviously, one is the victim marie played by Holly Gowler, the other is the killer, played by Elliot Wright.

Paranormal activity, what makes it scary?

Paranormal activity, what makes it scary?

Alongside the Blair witch project, paranormal activity is proof that quality horror films can be made on an incredibly small budget. Both have a small cast, a shaky cam style of filming and are able to genuinely scare audiences by showing very little of the threat that’s pursuing them. But what really makes paranormal activity scary?

I believe that one of the scariest aspects to the film is the location in which the film takes place, a regular home. When people think of places in which they are safest and most comfortable, the place where they live is generally near the top. With the demon that haunts the main character Katie, it always has haunted her in her house. When she is speaking with Dr Friedrichs, (the psychic) she talks about being haunted as young as 8, with her house burning down under mysterious circumstances. It is made clear during this conversation that she has always been haunted while in her bed, at night. This happens to her periodically over the course of her life, and recently has come back. This is the second thing that makes paranormal activity a frightening experience. Katie is haunted, not the houses she resides in. she can’t run or escape from the demon that obsessively haunts her, as it will always follow her. Hiding under her bed covers ultimately becomes fruitless, as the bumps in the night become far more malevolent as events unfold.   The film plays heavily on loud noises in the night as well as a fear of the dark, something that the large majority of the audience can relate to. The fear of not knowing what could be hiding in the shadows is an aspect that both the characters (Katie and Micah) and the audience share. This makes the film a lot more personal to the viewer, making the films events even more terrifying.

Initially, the events which happen during the night are minor. The first occurrence isn't even caught on camera, down in the kitchen Katie’s car keys have been thrown on the floor. A few nights later, Katie's and Micah's bedroom door closes slightly before returning to its original position. Micah doesn’t take the events as seriously as Katie, taunting the demon, making matters worse. Not long after at around 2 am, Katie rises from bed and stands up staring at Micah for several hours before leaving the house and sleeping outside. These events violate the sanctity of their bedroom, an area of the house that they spend most of their time sleeping in. and where they are most vulnerable.

Door opening and closing
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL10HzYG9F0&feature=related

The malevolence of the demons actions become increasingly more serious, gradually building up the tension. The film uses banging doors and crashing noises in the night to great effect. Unlike other modern horrors which resort to false scares and cheap jumps, paranormal activity successfully combines a creepy and foreboding atmosphere, as well as the usual uses banging doors and crashing noises in the night to great effect.

The paranormal events continue to escalate as the film progresses. Gradually it seems like the demon is slowly getting closer to the bedroom. This is made apparent after Micah has put powder on the floor and the demon has left footprints that lead to Katie's side of the bed.

The films events escalate and the demons attacks begin to happen during the day, with Katie claiming she can feel it breathing on her. The most significant action the demons does is smash a photo of Micah and Katie, with the crack in the glass over his face and claw marks down his side of the photo. This acts as foreshadowing, pointing at Micah's demise later on in the film. The viewer knows that he will die, but the way in which he does is made even more horrifying due the audiences’ anticipation of his death, not if he will die or not.

1 night after the demon leaves footprints, the bed sheets are moved while they sleep, showing the audience that the demon can get to Katie physically, and foreshadows that it will. The next night Katie is dragged from her down the stairs. It is now more than apparent that the demon is now capable of interacting with her. The next morning they discover a bite mark on her back. This bite signifies the beginning of being controlled by the demon, as she becomes possessed soon after this. The possession is complete when Micah finds Katie lying on the floor a few days after gripping a crucifix so tightly that her hand is bleeding. This blood due to the gripping of the crucifix represents the death of Katie's soul, and the complete possession of her body by the demon.

Bed sheets are disturbed while Katie sleeps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdv0J0vpSSo&feature=related

Katie is dragged from bed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG8dvfbl0Xk&feature=related

Evidence to back this up is when Micah tells her that he's ready to go to a hotel for a few nights like she wanted, and she replies while in a trance, refusing to leave. Micah storms out, and after he’s gone, Katie speaks to the camera is a strange voice and says “I think we’ll be ok now”. She has given up trying to fight the demon, as the demon has possessed her.

On night 21, Katie once again gets up and stares at Micah sleeping, this time when standing on his side of the bed, foreshadowing his imminent death. She proceeds downstairs before letting out a blood curdling scream, far longer and louder than any other scream in the film. Micah awakens and rushes to help her. Then there is silence, hinting at the demise of one of them. Footsteps are heard on the stairs, followed by more drawn out silence. This adds significant tension to the scene, leaving the viewer in great anticipation. Suddenly Micah's body gets launched at the camera, which until now had remained stationary upon its tripod. Katie walks in, covered in blood. She crawls over Micah's body, allowing the demon possessing her to show its superiority over him, the only one protecting Katie. She stops at the camera that is on the floor, which is in a tilted position, adding to the confusion. She smiles, before lunging at the camera as her face takes on a demonic appearance. By doing this, the fourth wall is broken and the audience, who up until now were spectators, are as much of a part of the films events as the characters.

Ending scenehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdPd4iGzGEs

blair witch project analysis

The Blair witch project analysis

The 1999 horror hit the Blair witch project has a very strong emphasis on foreshadowing throughout the film, right from the beginning. Good foreshadowing would work very well in our horror, as it would let us vaguely show what will happen to our character without being explicit enough to take away from the shock value of later events.

The first piece of foreshadowing occurs when the 3 college students (heather, josh and mike) are interviewing residents of the town of burkittsville about the Blair witch. One man talks of rustin Parr, who claimed the Blair witch forced him to kill 7 young children in 1940’s. He would take them to his house in the woods, take 2 down to the basement and make one of them face the corner of the room while he killed the other. These events foreshadow multiple events later in the film. The largest is the fact that heather and mike end up going to a house in the woods during the films thrilling climax, where heather enters the basement after mike and finds him standing in the corner of the room. She is then presumably killed. The deaths of the 7 children are represented during the students second day in the woods, where they uncover a cemetery with 7 cairns in it. Each cairn represents one of the dead children. One of the cairns is knocked over by josh, which heather rebuilds as a sign of respect. Josh’s reckless actions foreshadow later events, as when the student’s tent is attacked in the night; and on return only josh’s items have been covered in a blue slime. Everybody else’s has strangely been untouched. This has effectively marked him as the first of the three to go missing, and presumably die.

After the students camp for the second night in the woods after failing to locate their car and hear strange cracking noises coming from all around there tent. They wake up the next day to find 3 cairns built around there campsite which weren’t present when the camp was built. There is cairn for each of them, and they represent there impending deaths. Later on, the students discover an area of woods filled with dozens of wooden stick figures hanging from the trees, which scares them considerably. A larger variant of these figures can be seen towards the end of the film, on the outside of the abandoned house. The stick figures in the forest symbolize danger or death, and as they appear between the students and the house near the films climax, they are a warning to not progress any more. The large stick figure on the house near the end of the film foreshadows the death of those who enter it, in this case heather and mike. To add evidence to this theory, as heather enters the house, what appears to be a hangman’s noose can be seen hanging from the wall next to the doorway. This too can be a foreshadow of death. It can also be interpreted as symbolizing that this is the house of Rustin Parr, the child killer who was hanged, and who claimed he was possessed by the witch.

Blair witch ending
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMQQpmm5u3w

(stick figure sign can be seen at 0:14 and 0:40)
(noose on wall can be seen at 1:00 to 1:04)

  One morning heather finds a bundle of sticks outside of her tent. It is wrapped with josh’s bandana and contains lots of blood and what appears to be teeth and a tongue, presumably josh’s. This symbolizes the presence of the witch. I've concluded this due to the information the students gather near the beginning of the film where they’re told “In 1825, eleven eye witnesses claimed a pale woman's hand dragged a little girl into a creek. For thirteen days after the drowning, the creek is clogged with oily bundles of sticks. The bundle heather finds is similar to the ones in the story. The oily substance is the blue slime that was put on josh’s items. These 2 things point to the witches presence, and ultimately to their demise.