Saturday, 28 June 2008

Small update - 'thought shower' - idea 1

I have been trying to think of ideas for what my project could be about/utilise. I have been thinking about the kinds of films I watch a lot of, and enjoy, as well as certain parts I particularly like.
I have thought of using an atmospheric horror style. Not the explicit gore and screaming, because - as far as I can see from the previous students' films - this has been used a lot.
I want to explore the more subdued kind of horror that uses the viewer's mind.

One scene, which, unfortunately, I haven't been able to get a clip of, is the scene in '28 Days Later', where the main character (Jim) has exited the hospital he was in to find himself in a London that is completely deserted.
For the most part, 28 Days Later is the kind of film I don't want to do, as it has a lot of very physical screaming-monster-and-bloody-violence horror.
However, the scene I mentioned earlier, with a seemingly empty London, is brilliant, and has that kind of chilling atmosphere I am looking for. The sickly, pale yellow colour cast on the light, which is used quite a bit at the beginning of the film, is very effective, and the soundtrack used is spot on. It's a remixed version of 'East Hastings' by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I think the section of 'East Hastings' used is 'The Sad Mafioso'. It really does send shivers down your spine if viewed properly.
I am not planning to do anything as ambitious as block off parts of London during dawn hours, but I am looking for that unsettling kind of film. I think it might have something to do with the collision of the familiar (London) and the unfamiliar (London being completely deserted).
The scene I posted was shot on DV tape, which accounts for the slightly washed-out/bleached look. It works quite well here.

I will investigate into other films/scenes that have the effect of unnerving the viewer as opposed to going full throttle into explicit horror.
One problem I can see with this approach is the question of how I will create such an atmosphere in less than five minutes. I will try to investigate into this.

1 comment:

Ms Flavell said...

I think this is an excellent concept and I agree that it is probably the contrast between the familiar and the unthinkable that creates the powerful image and evokes emotion. Although it is not meant to be so horrifying and is more comic, the zombies in Crouch End in Shaun of the Dead might also be described in this way. Does that put you off the idea or make you think it might be possible to do something on a smaller scale?