Similar Films

Scream 

Scream (1996) is based on the storyline of:

A killer known as Ghostface begins killing off teenagers, and as the body count begins rising, one girl and her friends find themselves contemplating the "Rules" of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one.

In Homage, This is similar to our storyline as it has the same concept of a stalker phoning a character with intention.

There are many other similar films but all horror films create the ideal storyline. All horror films make the mind think and jump to conclusions this is why they are so effective. An example of this is Paranormal Activity as it is based on a true story so therefore this adds to the scary feel to the film.


Another similar film is:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 

This extract came from 

http://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-100-best-horror-films-the-list?pageNumber=17

The film is about:

En route to visit their grandfather's grave (which has apparently been ritualistically desecrated), five teenagers drive past a slaughterhouse, pick up (and quickly drop) a sinister hitch-hiker, eat some delicious home-cured meat at a roadside gas station, before ending up at the old family home... where they're plunged into a never-ending nightmare as they meet a family of cannibals who more than make up in power tools what they lack in social skills...

This is not specifically similar for the storyline but the thrill is similar. All horror films are based on making the audience scared. According the the reviews this film is very good for doing this. We can use some techniques that the film used such as mise en scene, lighting and camera work.

analysis of sky news bulletin

In the start to our film we will be giving away certain narrative information by using a news broadcast, this means we can then get a lot of information across in a short space of time.

In the top left corner there is a logo for the sky news programme and underneath there is the share prices. Along the bottom there is a rolling title of news stories with 'BREAKING NEWS' to show these are important news stories. The presenter is a medium long shot with the news room slightly distorted in the background to emphasise the presenter and the stories. 

The rolling title and the logo in the corner have stayed the same from the first shot but now there is more information on the story that is currently being reported about and the breaking news has moved from the yellow titles to the current story. 'STUDENT MURDER' is in bigger letters along with breaking news and underneath there is a basic outline of the story. The two people that are being interviewed from the angle they are sat and how the man is looking past the camera as if he is talking to someone. This shot is a medium two shot. 

The shot has now changed to a photo on the screen but the rolling titles and the big titles have not changed. This is no longer a moving image but its still a medium close up. 

Final Storyline.

Josh Peters is at home babysitting his younger brother Joe whilst his parents are out for a work party. Whilst chatting online with his friends, he receives a friend request from an unknown user. Attracted by the profile picture, he accepts the request immediately. Throughout the evening he receives many strange messages from the girl, which he jokes about with his friends until the messages become stranger and more serious and he realises that this person is watching his every move. Soon it becomes clear that the person is actually in his house and that they are intent on kidnapping Joe.

Conventions of a horror film

Generic Conventions: Horror from iamama

This is a useful source describing the key conventions of a horror film. This discusses mise en scene,  editing, characters, iconography and narrative. There are several key things that I would like to include in our film such as lighting as this could be tricky due to the genre of our film.  

Detailed Storyline

Josh is going to be at home in his room, with his TV playing the news. The news will be talking about the disappearance of a young boy from his home in a town nearby. 

Josh will turn off the news, turn up his music and continue messaging his friends on Facebook. 

His Mum will then walk in to say that she and his Dad are leaving for their 'work do' and that Joe, his little brother, is sleeping in bed. 

He continues to message his friends when he receives a strange message from a girl called 'Charlotte Simmonds'. 

At first he thinks it's funny and he jokes about it with his friends, but after a while it becomes clear that this person is watching Josh's every move by noticing where he is, what he is saying, what he listening too etc. This is then clear that they're in the house with Josh. 

Josh will then remember the news story that was on his TV earlier and he realises that this person is after his little brother. 

Having realised this, he goes to check on Joe, to find that his bedroom window is open and that Joe is nowhere to be seen.

It will then end in a long shot facing on the front door from the top of the stairs. 

The next door neighbour a friend of Josh's comes around to help study for an exam the next week. She receives a phone call from her cousin 'Charlotte Simmons' who passed away in a car crash aged 20 five years ago. She realises that something isn't right and calls her mother who then calls the police.  

Inspiration

This is where we found our inspiration from. When a Stranger Calls Back this was made in 1993 by 

Director Fred Walton. 

This is the storyline of the original:

Julia is babysitting two young kids while a doctor and his wife are out. During the evening, a stranger knocks on the door asking Julia if she can call the auto club so he can get a tow. The phone line is dead though. This is all part of the act as he has made his way inside and abducted the two children. Years later, Julia has become an introversive college student. She claims the stalker is back haunting her. Enter Jill Johnson and now retired cop John Clifford, who have reunited to help Julia find the stalker. Can they stop him before he strikes again?

However, as this film was such a success and the storyline was so thrilling another Director called Simon West and Production Company Screen Gems adapted the film and decided to make it more modern to appeal to a more diverse target audience. They did this with a new storyline of the film When a Stranger Calls:

Jill Johnson is being forced to babysit at a BIG house all by herself for exceeding her telephone minutes. Then all of a sudden a stranger calls making these weird remarks. Jill decides to call the police to trace the call. Jill is freaked out when she finds out that the call is coming from inside the house! Jill runs in a hurry trying to get the children and leave. Will Jill make it in the house in time? Will she live? Well you just have to watch the movie to find out!

Overall, we are going to be using this film as inspiration due to be being such a gripping film and thrilling film.

Individual Research- Outline Description of the Genre Horror.

The typical definition of a Horror film is:

...Horror films are designed to frighten and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience...

Horror films are based on nightmares and imagination. The way that directors and editors use the imagination of others to help develop there own film is very impressive. The way that this happens is the audiences mind plays on itself so that it makes you think about things that arent even in the film itself. However, this is used to an advantage to the director as there is less information needed into the film itself but still has the same effect maybe even more as each member of the audience will have a different interpretation. This technique has been used for over 100 years. From this time the viewers of a horror film use vivid imaginations to see ghosts in shadowy shapes and typically horror objects to be emotionally connected to the unknown and to fear things that are not likely to happen. 

Watching a horror film gives an opening into that scary world and sort of into fear itself, without actually being in danger. There’s a very real thrill and fun factor in being scared or watching disturbing, horrific images.


Here are some examples of trailers:

      The Exorsist

Coraline- This is a childrens rated horror/thriller film.


http://www.filmsite.org/horrorfilms.html - this website shows all the ways that the genre of Horror is seen and explains it using different techniques and  an in depth explanation and also showing the first Horror films made.  

Research

This is an example of a film in which we have found inspiration from. the storyline is something similar in which we wish to create. However, we would like to update this idea by using social media sites to modernise the concept and make it more relevant to our target audiences interests. By using a male as the lead character, going against the final girl theory. 

 The Final Girl Theory- Clover

The final girl theory says that in most thriller stories involve a woman or girl as they are more vulnerable, they are confronted by a killer and the plot line evolves. the woman usually defeats of kills the the 'evil' character. We want to go against the conventions and try and create a film that goes against these conventions however still seem frightening. We will have to try and create sympathy for the character by making him seem equally as vulnerable as a woman would. 

individual film idea

Test Post

This a trailer and screen shot of the film Chalet girl. I like the idea of creating a film around the theme of skiing. My storyline would be based less around romance however more to do with the sporting aspect. 

Click here for imdb review

In my storyline I would have two female characters who are training for the 2014 Sochi olympics. They are both rivals in the same downhill skiing competition and have a strained relationship. The two females both have the same love interest causing yet more conflict. At the last minute, just before the competition one of them becomes injured forcing them to withdraw from the competition. the other contestant continues to compete however when drug tested was found to have performance enhancing substances in their system. The love interest ends up with the injured female who at the next Olympics competes and places first.