Storyboards

The shot of the main character knocking on the door became a static shot with no zoom, as I felt it added to the tension if it seemed that the audience was watching the scene through the eyes of someone watching from afar as if too afraid to approach. The shot with the dead person showed her face in the final edit as it made it a much more striking image.

The indoor scene became the scene where the main character comes into the house because I felt that it was more dramatic is events seemed to suddenly escalate.

The high angle shot proved impossible to film and was instead a straight angle.

The close ups here were instead medium long shots as they were easier to film and helped show that the characters were not in the same place.

The shot without the ghost was scrapped and replaced with the close up of bloody wrists.

The long shot of the ghost was replaced by the mirror shot.

Additional angles were added in the conversation scene.

Once again, the montage was changed in the final edit.Here, the montage was changed and extra parts were added, as detailed in the evaluation.

These are the storyboards I drew early on in the project. They give nothing more than the most basic outline of what happens in each shot, and a few shots have changed since I first drew them, but the general idea remains the same. The running order is from bottom to top. Notes are put underneath some sheets to explain changes made in the filming process.

Evaluation (edited draft)

For my project, I decided to create a film strongly influenced by horror in both cinema and videogames, with emphasis on lighting and sound to create atmosphere. To achieve this, I experimented with different colours and levels of lighting in my production exercise, and during this, I found that the professional lights were good for controlling the general direction and level of the light, and the torch was good for creating isolated areas of light. I decided that I was going to try to stay away from the cliché of obvious red tints in horror, and opted instead for green and blue tints, as it gave a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere which I felt went with the theme of nightmares in my film.
When I wrote the script, I was still unsure as to who would be available for shooting, so I deliberately left the characters as ambiguously as possible. At first, I was going to modify the script when I had confirmed actors, but I decided to leave it ambiguous, as I felt that it didn't affect the overall flow of the story and, if anything, it made the audience feel slightly alienated - much like the main character, who is going through something they don't fully understand.

The shooting of the film went quite smoothly. Over three consecutive weekends, my friends and I met up and shot as much as we could over Saturday night and Sunday morning. The majority of indoor scenes (with the exception of two scenes) were shot at night due to the actors being occupied during the daytime, which meant that the lighting came primarily from the lights I set up, which means that a lot of these scenes are quite shadowy. This, I feel, creates tension and an unsettling atmosphere in these scenes. The other scenes were shot early in the morning or late in the afternoon depending on when the actors involved were available.
One shot in particular that turned out to be very effective was the shot of the 'ghost' in the mirror. Originally it was going to be a long shot of her standing in the doorway, but then someone suggested using the mirror instead. I agreed as it would give a bit of variation to the shots. I set up the camera and then noticed that the way the light was angled gave an odd reflection. I adjusted it and eventually achieved an effect where the reflection in the mirror was lit brightly whilst the surrounding area remained dim. This drew attention to the mirror as opposed to what was around it, and made the shot seem like a still image from a nightmare.
One problem that proved to be difficult to solve was the issue with the 'spotlight', which was the torch used in the production exercise. During the exercise, I had someone to help me with the lights, but during shooting, I had to operate both camera and lighting. At first I was unsure of how to move the camera and hold the torch at the same time, but eventually I used the camera strap to fasten the torch to the camera. Although this was not ideal and would occasionally come undone, it meant that the light was pointing in the same direction as the camera at all times, and that it moved at the same pace.

The sounds were recorded after shooting. They were made out of a few recordings: one of a conversation in the classroom played in reverse with echoes and distortion; one of me playing my violin behind the bridge; one of me scraping my nails along a radiator and one of me speaking which was heavily edited with echoes, delayed loops and pitch modulation.
The main problem encountered in editing was that some of the footage had a lag between audio and visual. At first I thought I would have to reshoot it, but then I found out how to isolate the audio tracks and move them until the audio and visual tracks were in sync with each other.
During editing, I remembered that in some outdoor scenes there was supposed to be tints to the lighting. Although this was impossible during shooting, I was able to add this in by using a 3-way colour corrector on Final Cut Pro. Whilst doing this, I also experimented with using this on other scenes, and created a set look for the scenes involving the 'ghost'. The mid colours would be tinted blue-green, and the dark colours would be tinted red. The blue-green tints were in accordance to the original idea, and the red was added because it was subtle yet added a dark, nightmarish look similar to the one found in the 'Silent Hill' games - which were one of my primary inspirations - as the dark red gave the impression of blood. It also made the shadows more noticeable, and gave a strong contrast between the tinted mid and dark colours and the lighter ones, which were left white. This was especially effective in one of the ending scenes, where the main character opens a door, and the light coming from within is bright white in contrast to the unnaturally tinted colours of the surroundings.
I re-shot the conversation scene at the beginning because originally it was one continuous two-shot, which became a bit monotonous. I re-shot the scene to include point-of-view shots from the characters so that the one speaking would be facing the camera. This also made some facial expressions clearer to the audience.
The final editing process presented one last problem. The voiceover at the start was longer than the montage that accompanied it. At first, I spread out the events in the montage with blank slugs, but this made the sequence a little dull as there would be gaps of fifteen seconds with nothing happening visually. I solved this during the final editing session by layering scenes from later on (mostly involving the 'ghost') over the slugs, some with increased transparency, and others in very blurred, high-contrast black-and-white. Another was made by layering a monochrome version of a scene on top of itself, then over the following slug, creating a 'ghost' of the scene itself that was only completely evident once it was layered over the slug. This new sequence gave the overall effect of seeing the main character's nightmare due to the inclusion of surreal, out of context shots that were only explained later on, but had a lot to do with the main character's mindset and feelings of guilt which might have caused him to go mad and imagine the haunting.

I feel that overall my film was a success as it achieved the surreal, nightmarish atmosphere I had been aiming for since the beginning of the project. The lighting and colour tints were not entirely as I had envisaged due to the inclusion of red tints in the final edit, but it did create the mood and look I was originally intending to achieve. The sound effects were almost exactly as I had intended them to be - sounds that instantly created unease made primarily of whispering and speaking, with some other sounds such as rattling and screeching that gave the impression of something being there but too far away to be understood. One in particular was the delay-looped speech. This was originaly a recording of me speaking, and to an extent this is still just about audible, but quickly becomes an indecipherable noise due to the loop.

When the final edit was shown to the class, the horror aspect was immediately evident, and a lot of them commented on it, saying it made them feel scared, anxious and tense. They also kept trying to guess what would happen next.
Overall, they said that they understood the basic idea behind the film: that someone was being haunted. However, they said that at times it was a little confusing and it seemed that certain lines and scenes had aspects that were not entirely clear, such as the fact that the main character already had a slightly unstable mental state and suffered from chronic nightmares before the events leading up to what happened in the film.
When it came to the characters, there were two distinct groups amongst the viewers. One group sympathised with the main character, saying that they felt sorry for him due to the suicide of someone close to him and the apparent coldness of his friend. The other audience group sympathised with the friend, saying that she wasn't being cold, but instead was justifiably angry because she was close to the dead person too, and the main character saying he was being haunted by her was obviously upsetting to her.

This shows that I managed to successfully create a spooky, gloomy atmosphere, which was my original intention, but in places my script was a bit confusing. The divided sympathies was not something I had intended to create, but it proves that I was able to create a script with characters that were complex and believable enough to make the audience sympathise strongly with either one or the other and give justification as to why they sympathised with their chosen character.

Editing and re-shooting

I now have a complete rough cut of my film, with everything in the right order and the correct takes used.
I am now working on creating the sound effects for my film, and so far have created one clip-specific soundtrack through a combination of reversed speech and a modified recording of me playing my violin behind the bridge.
This week I will be consulting my friends about the possibility of re-shooting and improving some scenes next weekend. I also have to arrange a time to record the monologue at the beginning of the film.

Production overview

So far, I have managed to complete most of my filming and sort it into a rough cut. However, there are two or three short scenes that may need to be re-filmed, one due to the audio being out of sync with the visual, and a few others due to the camerawork being not as good as it could be.
Despite this, my project is going quite well. I am only a little bit behind the original production schedule, and my intention has remained consistent and focused throughout. I will be discussing re-shooting plans with my actors once we get back to school, and I will also begin to record sound effects to add to my film.

Filming complete

I have finished filming my footage.

Over the past three weekends, I have been filming, and I feel that although at times we were disorganised, overall we did a good job. I have learned how to use a camera much more efficiently, and also how to use lighting and other equipment.

It turned out that it was too difficult to fit all of the mise-en-scene into the scenes without making the frame appear cluttered, so I decided to keep the flowers but not use the rest as the flowers were the most noticeable without being too obvious. 

The lighting was, at times, difficult to do. The spotlight effect proved especially difficult to create when there was no one in charge of lighting (both available actors being on-camera and myself being behind the camera) but I managed to overcome this by attaching the torch to the top of the camera using the camera strap by wrapping the strap around the torch and the top of the camera. Although this was a little unwieldy and not ideal, it worked well enough and gave the effect I was looking for for the short scene I needed to use it.

Sound was also a bit of a problem. It was difficult to pick up sound on the camera, and I was unable to borrow a boom mic, so some scenes are very quiet.

The only other minor problem I encountered was that on occasion when I had to adjust the tripod height I would have to stand on tiptoes because I would otherwise be unable to see what was in shot.

Despite these difficulties, filming went quite smoothly.

A few shots were changed from the storyboard intention. For example, the shot where the dead person is seen indoors was originally going to be a shot of her standing in the door. However, we thought about using the mirror that was in the room to show her reflection instead. When I set up the camera and lights to test this shot, the way the light was angled made the mirror seem illuminated while the surrounding area was in shadow, which made a very striking image.

Also, the shot of the dead person outside was originally intended to be a clear long shot. However, at the time of filming, we tried a different approach by making the shot out of focus in order to make it less clear, adding to the dreamlike/nightmarish feel of the film as a whole. The cemetery scenes are also slightly changed due to us having to use paths with less people on them, which were a bit more difficult to film on. This meant that some scenes were shorter than originally intended.

The other changes are slight changes in the location of the scene that don't really affect the film.

Now I am going to focus on recording sound effects and editing the film together.

Filming part 1

I planned to do some filming over the weekend. Due to homework and upcoming exams, we could not film for long, however we did manage to get one of the longer more dialogue-driven scenes completed, as well as two shorter parts.
Over the next two weekends, I am planning to get the rest of the scenes shot.
I will edit the previous post with the script and indicate completed scenes with a different colour.

Preproduction materials

Here is a mood board, indicating the type of lighting techniques and colours I was inspired by. I hope that the emphasis on shadows, restricted light and blue light is clear.

The pictures are from:

• Silent Hill 2
• The Ghost
• Ringu 0
• Nosferatu
• 28 Days Later
• Pan's Labyrinth
• Album artwork for a band called The 69 Eyes

Production exercise and other developments

I have finished my production exercise. I decided to experiment with lighting in my one, and so I used two professional lights and a large torch in order to try to create isolated areas of light. I also used coloured gels to create different colours of light in order to see how it affected the shadows and overall look of the piece. The subject that I shone the lights on was my bag on a chair, as it is motionless and opaque and therefore would cast a shadow and it would be easier to see how shadows can be manipulated if the subject remains motionless.

I found that the lights were good for creating dim light that had strange shadows, and the torch was good for creating small spots of light and strangely-shaped shadows. I also discovered that I could use gels on the torch, and that I could combine two gels to create a darker colour.

I have created a rough storyboard. The text is a bit more detailed than the images, as I cannot do detailed drawings. However, the descriptions of the shots and locations on the storyboards and scripts along with the rough sketches give a decent image of what is happening.

For my actual project, I have confirmed actors and locations. I have three actors, and seeing as all three will never be on screen at the same time, this means that if I need anyone to help operate equipment, there will be someone there. 

The locations are: my friend's house (she also plays the dead person), the street outside the house, and Abney Park Cemetery. It might be difficult to make one house double as two, but only one room of one of the two houses in the film is shown as opposed to more of the main character's house, so if one room was designated as the Friend's house and the rest was the house of the main character, this might be possible.

I have nearly all the props. I have also discussed costume with the actors. There is no designated 'look', but I told the person playing the dead character that she might want to select a single outfit to wear that she would not be too upset about getting fake blood on. I have managed to obtain some fake blood, but I still need a photograph and some flowers. I will be obtaining these within the next two days. I have discussed filming with the actors, and we have decided to film over the next two weekends on Saturday evening and Sunday during the day.

I have also begun to investigate how to create the strange noises mentioned in the script. I know that I will include whispers and I will be working on short recordings of myself talking to try and see how I can distort these to create the desired effect. I have also been investigating other ways of creating strange noises, and I have found one by feeding my electric violin through a phaser and echo effect and adding distortion, then playing a harmonic in the wrong position of the string. This creates a strange, uneven squeaking noise.

I will upload my storyboards as soon as possible.

Script

I have managed to type a script for my film, and given it to the actors involved. It is in a format similar to a script I created for my Drama class, as the two main actors in this also participated in the Drama project, so I felt that if I gave the script to them in the same format, it would be easier for everyone to understand.
The plot itself follows the basic structure of the synopsis I wrote earlier, with some modified parts.
In the script, there are some parts that are almost entirely action-based, and some parts that are almost entirely dialogue. This creates a feeling of almost two separate films in one, which links to the main character's sense of detachment.
Also, although it was initially a mistake, I decided to keep the idea of none of the characters having names, as this also creates a sense of mystery and strangeness. This has been used in quite a few things I have encountered, such as a book called 'The Moth Diaries', which features a similar plot involving a narrator slowly losing grip of their sanity and believing supernatural events are taking place. The book is in the form of the narrator's diary, and although the reader is told some of the narrator's deepest thoughts and feelings, they are never told the narrator's name. I felt that this is an effective way of creating a sense of mystery and unease, as it makes things less certain.
Another minor inspiration is behind the voiceover at the start of the film. Originally, it was going to be a sequence of events rather like a montage, with no dialogue. However I felt that this was a bit lacking as an opening, as there was no dialogue or real way of drawing the audience into the film. I also felt that the script was not able to show a lot of what I was originally trying to convey, such as the idea of nightmares blending into reality. However, an inspiration came to me while I was thinking about this. I was listening to a CD called 'Nightmare Anatomy' by the band Aiden. On the last song, there is a hidden track that is the singer talking about nightmares. This gave me an idea of making the main character have a monologue at the start talking about nightmares. This has significance in my film because it creates an atmosphere from the beginning, and also hints at the main character already having mental 'demons' to deal with before they start to believe that they are being haunted by the ghost of their friend, if they are already preoccupied with nightmares. It also gives the audience something to listen to at the start and take interest in before the proper dialogue starts. This will help draw the audience's attention to the film.
In order to create the monologue, I did some research on both the beliefs and facts behind nightmares, which I hope will make the voiceover seem more authentic, as if the main character has actually experienced nightmares and also done some research on them as well.

Script

Start in the main character's living room. Slow pan across the darkened room, to the main character lying on the floor, looking scared and upset. Voices can be heard whispering unintelligibly, as well as other strange noises. Main character closes their eyes tight in fear. Cut to black.
The light is tinted blue. The main character is walking in a cemetery. They seem to be a little nervous. As they walk, noises begin to become audible. They are like whispering voices, but they cannot be understood. The main character seems to hear these and, becomes more uneasy. Sudden cut to black, but the voices continue.
Cut to the main character’s room as they wake up. The voices disappear after a couple of seconds.

Main character (voiceover): (Semi-monotone.) What do you dream of? What do you see when you close your eyes? (Pause) Nightmares. A morbid oppression during sleep. Terrifying dreams. They can occur at any time, but they are more common just before waking, and after traumatic events. The subconscious mind creates a world full of fear and the dreamer is helpless. This carries on into waking hours. Often the dreamer is at first disorientated and can suffer from momentary amnesia. People used to believe nightmares were the work of demons that fed on the energy of humans, eventually killing them. (Pause) They can be linked to a variety of other mental problems. In some cases, nightmares require treatment. Reluctance and refusal to sleep can be a side effect of repeated nightmares. (Pause. The next few sentences are said with growing emotion, almost anger.) Buried emotions. Anxiety. Stress. Bereavement. Guilt. Hatred. The desire to hurt others. (Pause. When the main character speaks again, they are back to a semi-monotone.) Depending on the trigger, anything can happen in a nightmare. Inability to breathe is common, as is getting lost. Or maybe death, pain, or simply the knowledge that something is in the shadows, waiting for you. (Pause) Like that dream where you fall. Once you're over the edge, there's no way back.

These events happen during the voiceover: The main character is walking along a street. They start to hear faint whispering and other strange noises. They begin to look uneasy, but carry on walking.
The cemetery again, the light once again tinted blue. This time, the whispers and other noises can be heard straight away. The main character starts to walk faster through the cemetery, as if trying to escape something. They turn a corner, and suddenly stop. Cut to a point of view shot of someone walking towards the main character. Then back to a shot of the main character standing still. A hand reaches out towards the main character, stained with blood from the wrist trickling downwards. The whispering voices and noises grow louder, and the hand grabs onto the main character's wrist. Blood runs down where the hand is holding the main character's wrist.
Cut to the main character waking up on a chair in their house. A nearby clock shows the time as early in the morning. The DVD menu of a horror film is playing on the television. The noises can still be heard as the main character looks at their wrist as if checking for blood. There is none. The noises and whispers stop.

***

The main character's house. The main character picks up the phone and dials a number.
Main character: Hi. It's me. Uh… yeah. Are you busy today? (Pause) No, not really. I just really need someone to talk to. It's kind of important.

The main character's living room. The main character is with their friend.

Main Character: I don't know how to say this. But it's going to drive me mad if I don't tell someone.

Friend: What is it?

Main Character: I keep on hearing… something. I think it's her.

Friend: That's not funny.

Main Character: You think I'd joke about something like that? I'm serious! Every time I wake up I can hear these voices and I know it's her. And I've been having dreams where - (Pause) You don't believe me. I'm not lying!

Friend: I'm not saying you're lying… but I don't think she's trying to speak to you either. She's gone. Look, maybe you should have a break. This was her house as well. Maybe you just need some time away.

Main Character: You think I'm crazy. Or lying. But I'm not. I can hear her voice but I can't tell what she's saying! Please believe me.
(Pause)
Friend: Have you visited her recently? Maybe if you just went to see her, it'd make you feel better.

Main Character: Yeah. I'll do that.

Friend: It'll be alright. Really. It looks bad now, but things will get better. And it wasn't your fault.

***

The cemetery. The main character is holding some flowers, and they are walking along the path looking uneasy. As they walk, they start to look around as if they can hear things. The shot changes to what seems like a point of view shot of someone a little way off, hiding. A hand can be seen, seeming to belong to the person the point of view shot is from. It is unnaturally pale and something resembling blood can be seen on it. The main character doesn't seem to be aware of this, but they stop and turn back anyway, looking scared.

***

The main character's house. The flowers from the cemetery scene can be seen. The main character is playing music, and gradually, strange noises start to become audible over the music. The main character seems not to notice at first, but starts to act as if there is someone else in the room.

Main character: (In a friendly way) Don't you have something better to do? (Pause) No, I'm fine. Really. I promise I'm not going crazy or anything. I've been to the doctor's. They said that it's just stress. If it happens again, they'll run tests, but it's probably just too much work and horror films and not enough sleep. But- (Stops talking.)
(Across the room there is a person. They are in shadow, but they are clearly there. They start to walk towards the main character. The main character seems frozen with fear for a moment. Then the camera shot goes back to the place where the other person was standing. There is no one there.)

The friend is at home and the phone rings. They pick it up.
Friend: Hello? (Pause) Hey, slow down! What's happening?

Main character: I saw her! I saw her, I'm not lying.

Friend: Saw who?

Main character: Her. I saw her. In this house. I know she was here! It's getting worse. I keep on hearing her, and it's getting louder and louder but it's never clearer. It's like she's too far away to hear. You have to believe me.

Friend: (Angrily) So what happens if I do believe you? Do we have some happy little reunion séance? A Ouija board party? It's just not going to happen! She's gone, and that's final. It doesn't matter how or where it happened, but it has. (Pause, as if something really bad has been said.) I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like that. But I miss her too, and I feel bad about what happened just as much as you. But you've got to move on. Promise you'll do that.

Main character: But she won't let it happen… I keep hearing things, and I know it's her. And now I'm seeing her too. I don't know what's happening. She won't let me move on.
(Pause)
Friend: Look, I don't think there's a way I can ask this that won't make me sound horrible. But have you… have you been remembering to take your medication? Maybe you should tell your doctor.
(The main character puts down the phone angrily.)
Main character: I'm not crazy. Something's happening. (Looks around as if the shadowy person will return.) What do you want?

***

The main character is walking along the same street as the beginning monologue. The noises and whispering are clearly audible from the start. The main character is obviously able to hear them and is uncomfortable. Suddenly, they stop walking. The camera pans to a person standing further down the street. The noises and whispering become louder. Then the other person walks away. The main character runs after them, but when they turn the corner, the other person is gone.

***

The main character is in their house watching television, and they seem unnerved. The light is dim and tinged a green/blue. The whispers start up again, growing in volume and a tapping can be heard as well. The main character looks up as if someone is upstairs, and then shake their head. The noises continue, and eventually they go upstairs to where there is a closed door.

Main Character: Is that you?

They stand and look at the door in front of them as if it is something horrific. They half reach out to open it, then they stop.

Main Character: Why won't you leave me alone? (The whispering grows louder, and is joined by several other noises. The main character grows increasingly scared and starts to knock on the door more and more urgently.) What do you want with me? Why won't you just leave me alone? (Starts to hit the door.) What do you want? (Pause. The main character suddenly seems confused and worried as opposed to angry.) Are-are you alright? Open the door. I'm sorry. I just want to talk to you. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. (The main character waits, then tries to open the door. They push it open. A person is in the other room, facing away from the main character. They are slumped awkwardly. Cut to a close up of the other person's bloodied wrist with more blood nearby. The main character backs away, horrified.) No… no… no! This isn't real! Stop it! Why can't you just leave me alone?!
The main character runs away, and they start to throw things around in anger (the photograph frame, the flowers, and few other things). Eventually, they sit on the floor fearful and upset, muttering to themselves. The whispering sounds continue, but quieter and more menacing, the tapping and scraping sounds still audible. Cut to the person in the other room. The bloodied hand and wrist is paler and more dead-looking. It twitches and moves as if the owner has just woken up.

Cut to the friend. They are in their own house. They seem to be uneasy. After a while, they pick up the phone and dial.

Cut to main character's house. The lights are still dark. The telephone is ringing. The furniture it is placed on is almost spotlighted in the gloom. There is a medicine bottle next to the telephone. The camera pans away. The photograph of the main character and the other person is visible. The glass on the frame is broken. The flowers the main character had at the cemetery are on the floor. These items also seem spotlighted. The camera reaches the main character, who is lying on the floor, seemingly in a pool of dim light. The whispering voices can still be heard. The main character seems to almost be falling asleep. Then they seem to notice something. A person is seen walking across the room. They go to the main character, and the whispers and noises fade as they do so. They reach out to the main character. Their skin is pale and dead-looking, and there is a cut on the wrist.

Dead person: It wasn't your fault. I'm sorry. (Pause) I missed you.

Statement of intent - final draft (1200 words inc. titles)

Statement Of Intent

My intent for this project is to create a live action, horror-influenced film. However, I am going to try and create more of a gloomy drama with horror features as opposed to a 'true' horror film. In order to do this, I am going to have a plot that relies more on the characters and their actions, and instead use horror inspirations in the style of film making. In particular, I am hoping to experiment with the use of light and sound to create unease. For my film, there are two main influences that I will work from. One is a film, and one is a videogame series. They all share similar styles and themes, which is why I have chosen to use them as influences in my work.

Influence 1:

The first influence is a film called 'The Ghost'. It is a Korean horror film by Tae-Kyung Kim. From this, I have decided to draw upon the technique, where dreams and flashbacks give information and create atmosphere. The main reason for this in 'The Ghost' is because the main character suffers from amnesia, and gradually recalls things. In my film, I am planing for the character to be thinking back over the series of events that lead to what is happening at the present moment and so things will be gradually revealed. Also, I am intrigued by the use of lighting in 'The Ghost'. Instead of using the red lighting typical in horror films, it uses dark, shadowed lighting with green and blue tints, an example being the scenes with the main character's mother. During these scenes, the lighting is very dark, with lots of shadows in the room, and a green tint to the light, which helps with the horror aspect of the film, which involves drowning, as it gives the feel of being underwater. This holds significance in that film due to the storyline, but I am still interested in the use of different colours and levels of lighting to create atmosphere. I hope to use this in my own film.

Influence 2:

The second, and possibly stronger inspiration I have chosen is the 'Silent Hill' Playstation game series, specifically the first and second games. I plan to study their style in mise-en-scene, sound, and camerawork in the cutscenes. The mise-en-scene often contains a lot of symbolism in it, with small details such as pictures on walls and items on desks often holding significance to the plot or characters. There is particular emphasis placed on symbolism in nightmares and the fears and subconscious feelings of the characters. One example is the iconic monster 'Pyramid Head', which is a monster that features a lot in the second game. It is found out towards the end of the game that it is in fact a nightmare version of a painting of a traditional town executioner found in town. This has symbolism because the main character has a desire to be punished that is manifested as Pyramid Head - a monstrous version of an executioner. Mise-en-scene is used very effectively in the first game, with lots of things such as pictures of monsters/origins of monsters scattered around, and many items used in solving puzzles being related to children's books. These all reference the mind of the child from which the nightmare came from. The soundtrack, particularly in the first game, is unique. Instead of using recognisable music, the soundtrack is mostly made up of scraping, squeaking and tapping noises that get louder and more chaotic when tension is meant to build. A good example of this is near the end of the game, where several items are needed to unlock a door. As they are put in one by one, the soundtrack starts out as silence, then an ominous hum, then a slight tapping is added. A high-pitched whistle starts soon afterwards, and the tapping grows louder and more echoing. Then the hum grows louder and the tapping turns into clattering, as if someone is hitting a metal sheet. By the time that all the items are in place, the noise has become metallic crashing, a screeching noise like a whistling kettle, all underlaid by a low, monotonous hum. This build of tension is created using entirely sound. The videogames also use restricted vision extremely well. The horror aspect is almost entirely based on your character's vision being incredibly restricted, with predominantly dark locations illuminated by torchlight. For the most part, you are aware of a monster being nearby without knowing where or what it is. This helps give a feeling of powerlessness as well as fear and tension, which I am hoping to include in my film.  

Finally, the 'camerawork' in the cutscenes, especially the second game, is very good. There is a particularly effective close-up of one character where it shows her face and a knife that she was going to use to kill herself, making both her expression and her intent clear in one shot. Another good piece of 'camerawork' is in a confrontation between two characters where the angle changes rapidly, making the whole thing feel disjointed, unnerving and surreal.

My Film

In my film, I am planning to make a psychological horror-drama. I am going to utilise the theme that runs through both my inspirational materials, which is the idea of the past and buried horrors in the mind of an individual surfacing to haunt them. My intention is not so much to shock the audience with these things, but to create a feeling of unease and mystery. As mentioned earlier, to portray the main character's feelings of fear and isolation, I am going to look into the use of restricted lighting, such as torchlight or single areas of light in darkened places to show how the character feels as if they are lost in shadows and all alone. Another lighting device I will use is the colour of the light. I am especially interested in blue-tinted light, as it can either make a scene seem dark and shadowy or bleached out depending on the shade of blue, and also lends a dreamlike feel to the scene, which furthers the idea I am planning to use, where the whole story could be either a real haunting or a delusion. For camerawork, the two predominant shots will be close-ups to show emotion, and long shots to make the characters seem small and alone. The strong and complex symbolism used in 'Silent Hill' will be difficult to reproduce in a short film, so I will instead use mise-en-scene to signify whether or not something is a dream, and also refer to important plot devices, such as a photograph of the main character and their dead friend appearing a lot. With sound, I am going to experiment with strange noises, particularly scraping, tapping and whispering as well as other quiet noises to create an atmosphere of tension, as if there is something else there that cannot be seen. This will be used instead of real music. Overall, through these features, I hope to create tension, mystery and unease, as well as portray the fragile mindset of the main character, and their growing distress as events continue.

Update on cast and crew

I have now found all three actors that I need, and because there will never be all three actors in one scene, they can double up so one of them manages the sound.

Now I only need one person to help with the lighting, and I will direct and operate the camera.

Planning for pre-production exercise

One of the things I am focusing on in my project is lighting. Therefore, I have decided to experiment with lighting in my pre-production exercise. I am going to try and find a way of creating restricted areas of light, as well as experimenting with various colours of light.

For this, I will use colour filters over the lights as we did in our class project: The Moving Man. As well as this, I will try to use restricted light, which will mean using both conventional lighting (supplied by the school) and torches, which I will bring from home.

The pre-production exercise will most likely be a subject in a dark room under varying levels and colours of light. 

Synopsis

Initial ideas:

Characters (cast list):

Main character - A mentally unstable person whose friend committed suicide a while back. They feel responsible for the incident, and have never really recovered. They start to hear voices that get progressively louder and louder as time goes on.

They become convinced that their dead friend is haunting them. At the end of the film, they are driven mad and kill themselves.

Main character's friend - The main character's (living) friend who talks to talks to the main character. They are slightly unsympathetic at first, but they get more and more worried as time goes on. By the end of the film, they realise that the main character is suffering from more than just a mild delusion.

Dead friend - The main character's friend who killed themselves. They do not fully appear in the film, but the main character becomes convinced that they are haunting them. They are heard, and in some cases partially seen, but the only time they are fully seen is when the main character is remembering them when they were alive.

Synopsis

The film begins with the main character lying on the floor. The setting is dark, with a single light source. Whispering can be heard, but there aren't any recognisable words. As it grows louder, the camera approaches the main character's face and there is a fade to black.

The whispering grows quieter, but is still there.

The rest of the narrative is told as a sort of flashback. It follows the main character as they start to have nightmares (possibly taking place in a cemetery) about being watched by someone (the person is not seen apart from one hand), and hearing whispering voices. After a while, they begin to think that they are being haunted by 'her'. They try to talk to a friend, who seems unsympathetic at first (and asks the main character if they have been taking their medication), but as time goes on and the main character becomes more and more distressed and paranoid, their friend starts to be more concerned and tells them that 'it' wasn't their fault.

The main character then visits the cemetery, and starts to hear the whispering voices. At first, they think they are dreaming, but then they realise that they are awake and run away.

They keep hearing the voices even when they take their medication, and they become more and more upset.

There is then a sequence (in a different house) where the main character goes upstairs and the voices grow louder and are joined by other strange noises (similar to the part in the first Silent Hill game that I described) as the main character keeps going upstairs. They then see a door and knock on it, seeming a bit scared. They start to become more urgent, and eventually open the door. There they see someone who has killed herself. The voices grow very loud, and suddenly stop and the dead person disappears.

The main character seems to snap at this point. They go around the house throwing things and shouting. They then sit down and cry, muttering things like 'shut up' and 'leave me alone'.

The next scene is of the main character's friend. They seem to be uneasy. They pick up the phone and call the main character. The scene cuts to a phone ringing with an empty medicine bottle next to it. Then the film goes back to the start, with the main character lying on the floor in a dark room. The voices are becoming clearer.

The scene grows dimmer and the main character appears to be going to sleep. The voices become one voice and it is saying things like 'I'm sorry', 'it wasn't your fault'. Someone is in the room, but cannot be seen. They say 'I missed you'.

The film ends.

Extra ideas:

Props:

A photograph of the main character and the dead person (when dead person was alive) - this is on the desk of the main character at the beginning of the film, and as the main character hears the voices more and more, it seems to follow them around the house, being in every room. When the main character snaps and breaks things, they throw this picture at the wall.

A bunch of flowers - these are used in the nightmare sequence in the cemetery, as well as when the main character actually visits the cemetery. The main character is carrying them, but never puts them on a grave. At the end, the flowers are on the floor near the main character.

A medicine bottle/box - the main character takes medicine due to their mental problems (never fully explained). At the end there is an empty medicine container. This could mean that the main character has run out of it and so their illness isn't being kept under control, or that they have overdosed on something else.

Sound:

Whispers:

For the most part, the voices are distorted to the point where you cannot understand them. I was thinking of experimenting with sound editing programs. Primarily, I was thinking of reversing the voice, but I am also planning on finding other ways of distorting the voices and doubling them.

Other:

For the sound, I was planning on drawing inspiration from the Silent Hill games and using strange noises to unnerve the audience. However, unlike the Silent Hill games, I will use less obtrusive sounds to try and create an almost dreamlike atmosphere.

Pre-production plan

I am currently doing a number of tasks:

1) Finalising the synopsis of my film

2) Finding actors, locations and props

3) Planning my production exercise

My production exercise will focus on lighting, in particular restricted lighting with small areas of light in lots of shadow. In order to do this, I will use the TV studio and some lights, as done in the class exercise: The Moving Man, where I was in the lighting group. The lighting used in that was quite similar to the lighting I am planning to use, with a lot of shadows in them.

I have found two people to act in my final production, and I am thinking of locations I can use. Over the weekend, I will ask people if they can help by either acting, managing sound, or lighting. Possibly some people can double up, particularly the actors who don't play the main character.

As well as locations, I will also be thinking of props to use in my film, particularly ones that have relevance to the plot.

Over the weekend, I will be writing my synopsis of the film and posting it on this blog.

As soon as I have finished my synopsis, I will begin work on a script/screenplay and storyboards.

Production schedule

As part of my pre-production work, I have to create a production schedule detailing when I am 
going to start and complete various tasks. I have colour-coded the schedule depending on the category of task. Written material is in pink, Statement of Intention is in blue, production exercise is in dark green and filming/editing is in bright green. Red is important stuff like the mock exam and final deadline for everything.

As you can see, my first draft of the Statement of Intent is complete, and I have shown that I have already found a few volunteers to act ad help with my project.

I am hoping to start writing my synopsis and script/screenplay soon.

Statement of Intentions - initial draft

Statement Of Intent

My intent for this project is to create a live action, horror-influenced film. However, I am going to try and create more of a gloomy drama with horror features as opposed to a 'true' horror film. In order to do this, I am going to have a plot that relies more on the characters and their actions, and instead use horror inspirations in the style of film making. In particular, I am hoping to experiment with the use of light and sound to create unease.
For my film, there are two main influences that I will work from. One is a film, and one is a videogame series. They all share similar styles and themes in them, which is why I have chosen to use them as influences in my work.

Influence 1:

The first influence is a film called 'The Ghost'. It is a Korean horror film by Tae-Kyung Kim. From this, I have decided to draw upon the technique used in the film, where dreams and flashbacks give information and create atmosphere. The main reason for this in 'The Ghost' is because the main character suffers from amnesia, and gradually recalls things. In my film, I am planing for the character to be thinking back over the series of events that lead to what is happening at the present moment.
Also, I am intrigued by the use of lighting in the film. Instead of using the typical red lighting in horror film, it instead uses dark, shadowed lighting with green and blue tints, an example being the scenes with the main character's mother. During these scenes, the lighting is very dark, with lots of shadows in the room, and a green tint to the light, which helps with the horror aspect of the film, which is drowning, as it gives the feel of being underwater. This holds significance in the film due to the storyline, but I am still interested in the use of different colours in lighting to create atmosphere. In my own film, I am going to look at how to create atmosphere using different colours and levels of light.

Influence 2:

The second, and possibly stronger inspiration I have chosen is the 'Silent Hill' Playstation game series, in particular, the first and second games. I plan to study their style in mise-en-scene, sound, and camerawork in the cutscenes.
The mise-en-scene often contains a lot of symbolism in it, with small details such as pictures on walls and items on desks often holding significance to the plot or characters. There is particular emphasis placed on symbolism in nightmares and the fears and subconscious feelings of the characters. One example is the iconic monster 'Pyramid Head' or 'Red Pyramid', which is a monster that features a lot in the second game. It is found out towards the end of the game that it is in fact a nightmare version of a painting of the traditional town executioner costume found in town. This has symbolism because the main character has a desire to be punished that is manifested as Pyramid Head - a monstrous version of an executioner.
Mise-en-scene is used very effectively in the first game, with lots of things such as pictures of monsters/origins of monsters scattered around, and many items used in solving puzzles being related to children's books. These all reference the mind of the child from which the nightmare came from.
The soundtrack, particularly in the first game, is quite unique. Instead of using recognisable music, the soundtrack is mostly made up of scraping, squeaking and tapping noises that get louder and more chaotic when tension is meant to build. A good example of this is near the end of the game, where several items are needed to unlock a door. As they are put in one by one, the soundtracks starts out as silence, then an ominous hum, then a slight tapping starts. A high-pitched whistle starts soon afterwards, and the tapping grows louder and more echoing. Then the hum grows louder and the tapping turns into clattering, as if someone is hitting a metal sheet. By the time that all the items are in place, the noise has become metallic crashing, a screeching noise like a whistling kettle, all underlaid by a low, monotonous hum. This build of tension is created using entirely sound.
The videogames also use restricted vision extremely well. The horror aspect is almost entirely based on your character's vision being incredibly restricted, with predominantly dark locations illuminated by torchlight. For the most part, you are aware of a monster being nearby without knowing where or what it is. This helps give a feeling of powerlessness as well as fear and tension, which I am hoping to include in my film.






Finally, the 'camerawork' in the cutscenes, particularly the second game, is very well-done. There is a particularly effective close-up of one character where it shows her face and a knife that she was going to kill herself with, making both her expression (and emotion) and her intent clear in one shot. Another good piece of 'camerawork' is in a confrontation between two characters, where the angle changes rapidly, making the whole thing feel disjointed, unnerving and quite surreal.

My Film

In my film, I am planning to make a psychological horror-drama. I am going to use the theme that runs through both my inspirational materials, which is the idea of the past and the buried horrors in the mind of an individual surfacing to haunt them. My intention is not so much to shock the audience with these things, but to create a feeling of unease and mystery.
As mentioned earlier, to portray the main character's feelings of fear and isolation, I am going to look into restricted lighting, such as torchlight or single areas of light in darkened places to show how the character feels as if they are lost in shadows and darkness all alone. Another lighting device I will use is the colour of the light. I am especially interested in blue-tinted light, as it can either make something seem dark and shadowy or bleached out depending on the shade of blue, and also lends a dreamlike feel to the scene, which furthers the idea I am planning to use, where the whole story could be either a real haunting, or a delusion.
For camerawork, the two predominant shots will be close-ups to show emotion, and long shots to make the characters seem small and alone.
The strong symbolism used in 'Silent Hill' will be difficult to reproduce in a short film, so I will instead use mise-en-scene to signify whether or not something is a dream, and also refer to important plot devices, such as a photograph of the main character and their dead friend appearing a lot.
With sound, I am going to experiment with strange noises, particularly scraping and tapping, and other quiet noises to create an atmosphere of tension, as if there is something else there that cannot be seen. This will be used predominantly instead of real music.
Overall, through these features, I hope to create tension, mystery and unease, as well as portray the fragile mindset of the main character, and their growing distress as events continue.

Casablanca - A critical analysis

We have watched Casablanca as an example of Classical Hollywood Cinema.

The lighting is formalist in the sense that it is Chiaroscuro lighting, with emphasis on the contrast between light and shadow. There is an emphasis on shadows in that film, possibly due to the fact that a lot of the film is set at night, and so they had to create shadow to give that feel. However, Ingmar Bergman (Ilsa)'s face is nearly always evenly lit, putting emphasis on her looks, due to the fact that she is meant to be very beautiful. To a lesser extent, this is also done to the other people, however her face is always the most brightly lit.
The recurring motif of stripes also appears in lighting, with a lot of things like blinds creating stripes of light and shadow.

The sound is inherently formalist due to the fact that the film has a musical soundtrack playing in the background. The music is mostly modeled around two songs: 'La Marseille' and 'As Time Goes By', both of which are played in Rick's Café at some point. The music does suit the mood of the events in the film.
Dialogue is very straightforward, with little or no editing done to it.

The mise-en-scene is pretty realist, with items that are generally what would be at the location. The only really formalist aspect is the inclusion of the recurring motif of stripes, in costumes, chairs, and other things. Other props and costumes are typical of films at the time, and seem to be particularly inspired by film noir detective films.

The camerawork isn't very obviously formalist, but there are hints of formalism in there. One example is that Ingmar Bergman is usually only filmed from a certain angle, particularly with close ups of her face, which are nearly always shot in a 3/4-view from her left side.
Other than that, the camerawork is usually quite still, tending to cut to another camera instead of zooming or panning.
The two main kinds of shots used are long shots for scenes with multiple characters, and close ups of characters' faces if they are saying something important. The latter is used extensively throughout the film.

The editing is continuity editing, typical of Classical Hollywood Cinema, and many other films even today. The main features are:
1) Eyeline match, where a character is looking at something (usually off-screen) and then the camera cuts to a point-of-view style shot of whatever the character is looking at. An example of this is the aeroplane in the beginning of the film, where a crowd looks up at something out of shot, then there is a cut to what they were looking at.
2) Cross-cutting, where two simultaneous chains of events/scenes are intercut, switching from one to the other to build tension. An example of this is the ending, where the events at the airport are mixed with the major in his car.
3) Match-on-action, where if the camera angle changes, the new angle starts from exactly the same point that the previous one left off. This happens a lot in dialogue scenes, where the shot changes from a wider shot to a close up.
4) Directional continuity, where the angle changes, but the new angle is within 180 degrees, so it looks as though the subject is still moving in the same direction. This can be seen near the beginning where the man who gives the letters to Rick is arrested, and the angle changes as he is being taken outside.
All of these devices are used to create a sense of the editing being 'invisible', and it makes the audience focus more on the events as there is nothing to really distract them.

Casablanca

One of the most famous films of the Classic Hollywood Film era is Casablanca. It was made in 1942 by Warner Brothers studio, and starred Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid.
At the time, Warner Brothers were doing a lot of war films, deciding to focus on war films after the bombing of Pearl Harbour.

It was originally a play called 'Everybody Comes To Rick's'. The play was unproduced at the time, and had been inspired by a trip to Europe by one of the two writers of the play, Murray Burnett. There, he had visited a club very similar to the one at the start of the film.
The film itself was made during World War II, and is set in the war, as many films at the time were. It follows people in resistance against the Nazis. One part of the film that reflects that in particular is the scene known as the 'duel of the songs', where a group of German soldiers start singing 'Die Wacht Am Rhein', but are drowned out by the band, and then everyone else as well, singing 'La Marseillaise', the French national anthem. This is an iconic scene of resistance against the Nazis.

Classical Hollywood Cinema

Classic Hollywood Cinema is a style of film that was used during Hollywood's 'golden age' and started in the American film industry in the 1910s and 1920s, and lasted until the late 1950s. It may seem fairly realist at first glance, however it is actually considered a form of formalism.

Three films classified as Classic Hollywood Cinema are: The Wizard Of Oz, King Kong (1930s version), and Citizen Kane.

Features of Classic Hollywood Cinema include the narrative flow being made of small narrative fragments pieced together so the joining up goes unnoticed, sequences that happen at the same time but at different places intercut to raise tension, dialogue scenes being a series of over-the-shoulder shots from the participants, and point of view shots after showing a character's reaction to something.
The intercut narrative used to create tension is a formalist device, as it involves seeming two simultaeneous series of events, which would not be possible in reality. Also, the switching between third-person and point-of-view shots is also quite formalist.
The narrative itself nearly always ends with a solid resolution of the events that happened within the film. This can be considered a minor form of formalism, as this may sometimes involve improbable events.

German Expressionism

German Expressionism is a film style that was common in Germany in the 1920s, shown in films like 'Nosferatu' and 'The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari'. It has influenced film making hugely, and even modern films use features from the films.

The key features of German Expressionism include distorted sets and props, like the strangely-shaped rooftops in 'The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari', and dramatic lighting with emphasis on shadows, like the scene in 'Nosferatu' where Count Olaf's shadow is seen going up the stairs. In some scenes in German Expressionist films, the shadows were painted on the sets to make them more distinctive. In many films of that genre, the characters and their actions are symbolic, and the acting is very exaggerated and over the top, partially due to the need to show what is happening, despite the restrictions of lack of sound and very basic film equipment. The actors usually have a very distinctive appearance, with very dark makeup around their eyes.
Due to the technological restrictions of the time, the editing is very straightforward, with fairly long cuts, and the sound is restricted to the music used throughout.

The influences of German Expressionism are seen in many film styles over time. Film Noir used the same dramatic, shadowy lighting techniques, as do a lot of modern horror films, particularly those after a gothic/gloomy feel. The distorted sets and props are used in many films when a surreal feel is needed in many genres. The acting style has since mostly disappeared when dialogue was added to films, and cameras became better, allowing for actors to show emotions in more subtle ways.
There are also a lot of direct references to specific films, or scenes in those films, especially the two films mentioned above, such as the video for Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie, which is extremely similar to 'The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari'.
The appearance of characters from German Expressionist films has also influenced modern films like 'Edward Scissorhands' and 'The Crow', both of which use the shadowed eyes and dark clothing on their main characters. These films also use shadowed lighting and strange sets.

Run Lola Run - A formalist film

This afternoon, we watched the film 'Run Lola Run', which is a modern example of a form of formalist film making.
The film uses a formalist narrative, where the same twenty minutes are repeated three times, and in each one, subtle differences end up affecting the plot in big ways. In each scenario, minor characters also are affected by the events, with the narrative briefly showing what happens to the character through a series of snapshots.
Other formalist devices are used, one of which is the use of animation in the credits, and in the sequence where she runs down the stairs, which is the only part of the main narrative portrayed in animated form.
Another major formalist feature is the camerawork. A lot of extreme close ups are used, as well as bird's eye views and worm's eye views, the latter of which is also a point-of-view shot. One example of formalistic camerawork is the sequence where Lola throws the telephone receiver in the air, and the camera follows it, with multiple angles on it, looking up, down and on a level.
Closely related to the camerawork is the editing. Most of the transitions are jump cuts, and in one sequence, where Lola is running across the bridge, and the angle keeps changing from a side view to a front view. The film also uses split-screen at points to show what two characters are doing at the same time.
The lighting is mostly realistic, except in the scenes between each series of events, where the lighting is red. The mise-en-scene is also mostly realistic, but there is an emphasis on red objects, possibly to link to Lola's red hair, some objects being the telephone receiver, the man's bicycle, and the ambulance.

Lighting - experimental film

In the last lesson, the class started to make a short experimental film.
I was on the lighting team. Over the weekend, I had compiled a lighting script of ideas as to how we could light the scene, with different lists of suggestions for extreme close ups, close ups, medium shots, long shots and extreme long shots.
In the lesson, my group set up the lights and arranged them so they would light well without being in shot or casting any unwanted shadows. There were three lights, so we had one each. I attached a dark purple filter onto my light. After some experimentation, we found out that my light was good for bleaching out shadows and muting colours, so my light was used to balance the other, brighter coloured lights and to create a kind of surreal half-light.
In addition to operating my light and helping set up/put away the equipment, I also helped the other people who were in my group by suggesting which colour combinations would go well at different points.

Formalism and Realism - The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari

'The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari' is a German film from 1920. It follows a young man, Francis, as he tries to find the murderer of his friend. His friend was killed soon after a travelling circus act, Doctor Caligari and the somnambulistic fortune teller Cesare, told him he was going to die.

The film uses many things to suggest the delusions of a madman.
The film uses tinted film to create atmosphere, but this was a very common technique at the time. However, there are other things that suggest unreality. First of all, the plot device of a fortune teller who sleeps all the time, but tells predictions while he dreams. The props are often skewed or at an angle, giving a dreamlike atmosphere, and the camera is usually far away, suggesting a kind of detachment. This creates a surreal, formalist air.

The ending is also rather formalist, as it turns out that the events were all the imaginings of a madman.