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.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Friday, 23 January 2009
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
Thursday, 22 January 2009
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.
Monday, 12 January 2009
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.
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.
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.
Friday, 9 January 2009
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.
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