We created this questionnaire to decide on some of the features of our film. This is to ensure the film fits the target audience. We asked teenagers what they thought about some of the ideas and the results we got back are below. This will help us decide how to make the film and what will specifically draw in the target audience.
As you can see from the image, we got people to vote on their favourite features of a horror film, such as the feeling of being followed, which got 90% of the vote on that question. Another answer that got 90% of the vote was on the use of a female protagonist. We believe that this will subvert stereotypes of the genre; it will make our film unique yet still full of horror cliches to draw the audience in.
Our initial idea is to use conventions of the horror genre to create a tense buildup for our opening two minutes. We will use the setting, of perhaps a wood or secluded house, and sounds, such as twigs snapping and bass drums, to create an on edge feeling for the audience. We will use a range of shot types to enhance the pace and detailing of the opening. However, we also want to subvert some classic gender stereotypes of the genre by including one of our male characters as a stereotypical gay friend, with the female as the more dominant and fearless character.
The scene begins with a single medium shot on the chair. This is continuous as he sits down and the camera doesn't move. This is effective as it makes the audience feel that they are actually there in the scene. The ambient sounds also enhance this feeling. In this scene, his clothing at the beginning show us a lot about the story as we know he is in prison for something. He reveals things about himself to set the story for the audience. The camera then cuts to a close-up of him as the happier music begins to play. The close-up shows his face to be emotionless whereas the music connotes the feeling of joy after getting out of prison. The darkness inside the prison is contrasted by the bright sunshine and colour we see when he leaves. The music sound bridges over the cut to the over-shoulder shot as he is leaving in his suit with his ring. The suit and ring heavily contrast the bland jumpsuit he was wearing in the beginning. The suit and ring also make the audience question many things about the character such as "why was he wearing that when he got arrested?" and "what did he get arrested for?".
In the opening of the film, we can hear music motifs of classic horror films, such as a high pitched note and drums or crashes. This is effective as it sets the mood for the film and shows the audience what genre it will be.
We see an establishing shot of the boat coming through the clouds, which cuts to a panning up shot towards the character. This makes him seem like the main character as it is heavily focused on him, making the audience focus on him throughout the opening. The outfits and accents the two men use show the decade in which it is set, and helps the audience to relate to them.
This cuts to point-of-view shots of the ocean and of himself in the mirror. This creates a sense of atmosphere for the audience as it helps them to step into his shoes. The close-up as he is talking about his past life, cuts to a view of his past life, helping the audience to imagine what he has gone through. This shot in his past-life is a lot brighter in colour than the real-time shot. This shows the contrast in emotion that has been caused by the loss of his love. This makes the audience feel sympathy towards the man.
In the trailer for the film, the music of horror motifs creates tension and entices the audience to see what will happen. There is an establishing shot of the island, helping to set the scene for the audience. It looks quite peaceful, which contrasts the horror sound motifs. The trailer primarily focuses on DiCaprio's character, particularly with close-ups to show his emotion change throughout, making the audience feel as if he is the person they are supposed to trust and warm to. Their costumes change halfway through into the white outfits that the patients wear to the island. This confuses the audience and makes them want to find out why they have changed and what happened for them to get into that position. This encourages them to watch the whole film. It cuts to and from lots of different parts of the film, making the trailer fast paced, adding to the tension that the music is creating. The screaming in it also adds to this tension. There are fast-paced horror-style cuts also creating the illusion of fear and tension throughout.
During the beginning written sequence, there is a suspended background note creating a gentle atmosphere and making the audience feel empathetic towards the society. This sequence tells the audience about the history of the society and helps to set the scene. It helps to solidify the fact that it is in the future, which makes people enjoy it more, as it is fiction to them. This then cuts to a talk-show in which they are wearing fancy clothing and it all looks very expensive and well put together. This cuts to District 12, which is a heavy contrast to the show. The screaming makes the audience feel fear and intrigue as to why these two places are so different. There is an establishing shot of District 12 to show the audience how they live. The camera pans from Katniss to Prim, with close ups to show the fear that they feel about the specific day. We can see how calm Katniss is compared to Prim, showing us that she has done this before. This makes the audience feel sorry for the two that they live in such an awful society. The clothing the two girls are wearing, very plain and rag-like, heavily contrast to smart and fancy clothing they wear on the show. As Katniss leaves, there is a sound bridge of her talking over the cut between the close-up of Prim and the medium shot of her walking down the stairs. This emphasises the feelings and the connection between the two shots.
In the beginning of the opening scene, you see the space ship go over as the camera stays where it is. This is effective as it shows the size of the ship and puts it into perspective for the audience. It acts as a long establishing shot to show us when and where the film is likely to have taken place (in space, and in the future). As the ship goes past, you can see the Death Star in the background. This is the start to all of the other films, with the Death Star slowly progressing in the background - helping to show that it is a part of a series and helping to show where they are in defeating the villain. The gentle, 'twinkly' string music at the beginning reflects the space setting and the feeling of the unknown. This makes the audience start to question what might happen and entices them to keep watching.
It then cuts to over-shoulder shots of the soldiers as they are communicating to the Death Star. As they are doing this, it match cuts to different details and different actions throughout the conversation. This is smooth and is effective in showing the futuristic details of the ships. It isn't a noticeable cut either, making it more effective in keeping the audience enticed. The costumes, though looking like classic soldiers, and the technology at the time of the making of the film - especially as Vader walks in, help to secure the idea that it is in the future. This makes it more interesting to the audience as they can use their imaginations whilst watching it rather than living in it. It is fiction for them, making it more enjoyable.
As Vader walks in, the gentle music changes to a loud, domineering track associated with Vader himself. It is a villains march, showing us who we shouldn't warm to as a character. This music is also reflective of the atmosphere as they are all lined up like an army, and Vader is the leader. The camera follows him as he walks and then cuts to a shot reverse shot between him and the head soldier. It shows the monotony of Darth Vader in emotion and expression, but also the fear he reveals in others. This also makes us feel that e is a character, the audience is supposed to dislike.
