We wanted to use a normal, unsuspecting location for our film. We chose to film it in school for this reason. This helps make it more relatable to the target audience by showcasing a well-known and relatively normal location as well as creating a simple backdrop to not take away from our horror film. It shows the regular things that the characters and the audience would do on an everyday basis, further making easier to relate to.
We started the film with a scene in a computer room to show the setting of the school but also to show the hardworking nature of the character early on in the film. The tennis courts in the background of the outside scenes also help to show the school location without having a specific establishing shot. The unusual emptiness of the scenes with Harriet contrasts what it is normally like at a school and contrasts the scenes with Alex and the big group of friends in. This makes the audience suspicious and wonder why it is so empty, why Harriet is on her own and who the other people are to her. The toilet scene is much like the others as we wanted to create an eerie vibe by making it completely desolate. The toilets are where the audience watching are able to relate as it is common to go and check outfits, hair and makeup etc. during the day. The fact that it is empty further highlights the mysteriousness of the school and makes the murder even more dramatic and tense as no one (including any cameras) would have witnessed the murder.
This mysteriousness conforms to conventions of horror films as murders don't usually happen in built up, busy areas. The regular setting is also a convention of horror films as many filmmakers want to make their films relatable to the audience, but still have a slight horror aspect to them. We did this through ensuring the scenes with Harriet in were empty. A lack of establishing shot is also common as it creates a mysterious edge as the audience don't know exactly where the film is taking place and can only infer where it is.
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