coursework evaluation: (nearly finished)

The aim for this creative project was to create a short movie clip of a 'stalker scene' with the intention to create an atmosphere of mystery and makes the audience feel tense and suspense. I worked on this film with Marnie Whatmough, we split the responsibility of the production between us equally.

The psychographic target audience of our film is people interested in horror/thriller films. The demographic audience would be teenage boys and girls.

Sound was a significant micro element in our film sequence, with the purpose to add to the dramatic atmosphere.  Throughout the sequence of scenes water is a reoccurring sound, for example; Faye makes a cup of tea - the water pouring into the kettle is heightened, as well as the sound of water pouring out of the kettle into her drink. This exaggerated diegetic sound is used to draw the audiences attention to the theme of water that continues throughout the clip, creating an eerie atmosphere and forces the audience to question its significance. Faye runs a bath, this is focused upon as its the only sound that can be heard furthermore we enhanced the volume so that it was louder than the other sounds in the clip. The repetitions of water sounds throughout the film is important as at the end of the film it is suggestive that that is the way she dies, as she is in the bath when the stalker attacks, therefore different sounds of water being played throughout the film is a build up and subconsciously pre warns the audience as subliminally messages. The final diegetic sound is of dripping water from the bath tap. We purposefully put in slow dripping water  because the pauses in between created tension, as the audience didn't quite know what to expect, it allowed them to reflect on the high pace events which had just took place which were a direct contrast as the drips are a very slow and soothing sound and helps bring the film to a mysterious end, leaving the audience clueless as to what happens next and lets them conclude their own ending as to what will happen next, this is good because it means they will be thinking about the film after it has ended and will have impacted upon them greatly which was the purpose of our film - to provoke audience response.

Another sound often heard is notifications from phones; such as texts, typing sounds, ringtones and also phone calls being ended. This is also an important sound as it shows a connection between Faye and her stalker, although he is never actually seen in the scene it infers he is still present. This creates tension for the audience as whenever a sound from the phone is heard they automatically presume that it is the stalker, therefore making them feel tense and on edge to see what the next text says or what will happen to Faye.

Cinematography was another significant aspect. At the start of the film sequence Faye is walking home on a bright sunny day this goes against the conventions of a horror film- as it is a light, pleasant environment. However when she enters the house the lighting becomes significantly darker, this represents Faye entering a mysterious /dangerous environment, this is typical of a thriller film. The lighting throughout the film gets darker and darker, as towards the end when Faye is in the bath the lights are switched off so that she is in pitch black. The clips getting darker and darker gradually represents the escalating danger throughout the film clip. The pitch black scene at the end represents the end for faye, as darkness has negative connotations such as death and isolation which is exactly what happens to Faye as she is trapped alone at risk, furthermore also represents the end of the film clip. This scares the audience which is what they expect and demand from a horror/thriller film.
(Pictures show this below)

      

Camerawork is also an important feature of our film as we show a lot of close up shots to focus upon emotion or certain objects etc, and as it is a tense film the audience can then audience see the emotion and fear that faye feels. These techniques are frequent in horror films therefore we have adhered to the generic codes and conventions of a horror/thriller film. A particular shot I specifically like is when the stalker is watching from outside, the camera zooms through the window to show the audience what he's looking at, almost like his eyes focusing, also it builds tension as it looks as though he's getting closer to her slowly. (Pictures shows this zoom below)

The house we used was a plain simple family home, this was because a house is seen as somewhere you feel secure and comfortable and surrounded by family and safety. Meaning that this could happen to anyone, therefore the audience would feel slightly on edge about the film and could relate as the film is taking place in an ordinary building, perhaps one similar to what they live in themselves. The family home is seen as a place to relax etc however the end scene is dramatic and shows the house as an area of sin where an awful murder has happened.

Overall, the film we created shows the generic conventions of a horror/mystery film. I believe it was successful as it was genuinely tense and created suspense when I watched it. Our main aim when producing this film was to create and atmosphere of expense over a long drawn out period of time, which we did successfully through sound and camerawork (our key micro elements when making the film.) Audiences expect horror, and suspense furthermore to be emotionally involved with the characters and feel genuinely scared for them when watching horrors, we addressed the needs of the audience as we provided them with comfortable reassurance through generic signifiers of a horror and an engaging narrative.