Lighting Experiments

This is using just the key light which creates dark shadows and looks quite evil which is good to create the mood for a horror film. It would be a good type of lighting to use in the house for our horror film as it creates quite a dark mood and puts the audience in the right mood for a horror film.

This is using the key light and the fill light which makes the lighting very even with hardly any shadows but makes it also very dull and boring. It makes the character blend into the background too much.

 Here is all 3 lights used (Key light, Fill light and back light) which creates makes the character stand out a lot and makes the character feel very important in the scene. It also has minimum shadows and is very evenly lit, this type of lighting is good to show happiness which is not so good for a horror film.

 This picture is using the back light only, this creates a lot of shadows on the face and makes the character look very important. This type of lighting isn't that good for our horror film as it wouldn't look right in a house.

 This type of lighting is using the key light and the back light and it creates some good shadows and defines the face more. It gives a sign of importance which is good for a horror film because it makes the scene look a bit gritty and dark.

 This scene is lit by the fill light on the left and a back light, it makes the character almost look like he has two sides because half of his face is dark while the other is lit well. This is good for showing emotions as the shadows are very sharp and express facial emotions a lot more.

Three Point Lighting

Key Light: The key light is the main source of illumination on the character, it's placed traditionally at a 45 degree angle from where the camera is facing. It's set at this angle to add definition to the side of the face and shoulders. It can make the a lot of dark shadows on the face and make the scene look very 'gritty'. Which could be very good for an evil character in a horror film.

Fill Light:
This light fills in the shadows on the character that has been created by a key light. This is placed traditionally 45 degrees from the camera again, but on the opposite side. The fill light also has to be less intense than the key light so it doesn't compete with it, this can be done by moving the light further away or using a bulb with less voltage.  The fill light gives the character a much more even look, it softens the shadows not completely gets rid of them. This leaves a very natural even appearance.

Back Light:
This light is placed behind the character to make them stand out from the background and only spills onto the character. The light is placed above and out of the frame so it is not visible by the camera. The back light makes the audience focus their attention on the subject, which is good when the character is doing something important that the audience needs to see.  It causes the subject to have a slight glow and importance to the rest of the scene.

How to Apply Old Age Makeup to the Forehead

This video demonstrates how to apply make up to your forehead to make the character seem worried and tired. Which is how a character from a psychological horror is likely to looks after been haunted. The make-up is quite subtle, but thats really all thats needed.

Makeup & Costume for our characters!

When dressing the female in our film, we will put her in white in the same way this victim has, to represent purity of the character. This way the audience will feel sympathy when she starts to get haunted. Also, to make her look frightened during the film, we will add some pale powder to her face. This will show that she has lost all the life and colour from her face that she had in the beginning. 

The actress will be blonde and young, showing that perhaps she isn't psychically strong, and wouldn't be able to fend for herself. This is appropriate for this type of horror film, as it follows the conventions as one in the media today.

The male character will be dressed plainly too, to show that he's a nice guy. Not as much camera time will be spent on him, so there wont be much make-up use on him.

Make up analysis

Make-up in psychological horror films isn't as dramatic as it would be in a zombie or vampire film, but it cans still have connotations of what the character is like, or why they're in this situation. The woman in this picture is wearing a white top to symbolize purity and innocence, this could make the audience feel empathy for her because she hasn't done anything wrong. The male on the other hand is wearing dark, scruffy clothes, which could imply that perhaps he deserves what's going to happen to him.
Also the surrounding is important to the film, because of the minimal make-up. It might represent what's happening on the inside of the characters minds, that they're mentally cracking and breaking like the theme of these pictures.

Storyboarding

This os the first side of the storyboard, its shows the couple parked up in their car, just about to take boxes into their new house, they're happy and excited about moving in, they make jokes whilst carrying the fragile boxes into the house. 

                                 The main character in the second side of the storyboard notices something strange happening in the church; she's a bit worried. Her partner shouts her to come up the stairs to look at something weird he's found.

When they open the remains of an old burnt book, loud bangs start to come from the cupboard under the stairs, so they run to investigate. The scene cuts when they reach for the door to see what's behind.

Script

This is the script that we have written for the opening few minutes of our horror film, it contains dialogue and stage directions so that the actors know how to behave and what to say when recording.

MOVING PICTURES (STORYBOARDING) THE SIXTH SENSE

What is the purpose of storyboarding?

The purpose is so that the director and actors know how the scene will progress and how the shots will flow into the next one. When everything is on paper its easier to see all of the ideas and alter anything that doesnt seem to fit.

How can you show lighting?
You can show lighting by using different sources of light with different shot types to see which lighting goes with the shot.

Camera movement?
They use camera movement to make sure the audience doesn't lose interest in the film. They use different takes to make sure they get the right shot. They plan it all out on paper before they take the shot and they will use which flows best with the film.

Angles?
The angles of a shot can show the audience the state of mind that the character. For example a high angle shot can symbolize vulnerability and give a sense of loneliness.

Script Examples

Content

The description in this script is very in-depth, it uses a variety of string adjectives to communicate exact details. 'There blades are thin, curved, gleaming sharp.' This gives the director the right idea of exactly how the writers want the film to look, it also gives the actors the right idea of how to act in the situation.

In this script there is no dialogue as its simply describing the setting and the actors movements.

Layout

The script is laid out in a way that clear and easy to read, the font and size is consistent throughout. Its centered in the middle of the page, but has editing decisions in the left like 'FADE TO BLACK.' The script has initials placed next to the subtitles like '(V.O)' for a voice over.

Recee Shots

These shots are of inside the house that we are filming, eveything has been emptied and sheets have been put over the things that cant be moved as if its an empty house.
The inside of the house will also be filled with cardboard boxes as props to imply they have just moved in recently.

Test Shots For Characters

LEAH

 This is the main female character (Leah) for the horror film, she's twenty years old so she is suitable for the representations of a young adult in a relationship. She is in a relationship with the character below and is the main victim in the haunting.

STUART

This character (Stuart) is the boyfriend of Leah, who are moving into a house together, he isn't featured as frequently in the film as leah, but it follows the conventions of modern day horror films