HORROR FILM POSTER RESEARCH

HORROR FILM POSTERS
Part of my FMP involves producing a poster for the proposed film. In order to produce one that both represents what the film is and is unique, I need to look at previous film posters to evaluate what makes a good horror film poster.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

CONVENTIONS OF HORROR FILM POSTERS
CLOSE-UP OF THE ANTAGONIST'S FACE
Throughout the many years of cinema, there have been a lot of generic patterns of how horror film posters have been presented, such as posters with a large close-up of the antagonist's face surrounded in shadow.

Annabelle (2014)

 This presentation of the poster immediately shows the audience what the villain looks like and gives an indication of the atmosphere of the film.
A lot of film posters conform to this layout, which proves that this type of poster appeals to a lot of people. This type of layout is a popular choice of layout for film-makers for several reasons. Some of these reasons could be as follows:
> It is a conventional approach to horror posters, making it easily recognisable as a horror film to the audience.
> It clearly presents the main villain of the film, which could incite the first sparks of fear in the audience.

One Missed Call (2008)

> It has a aesthetically appealing look to it.

Orphan (2009)

There are other ways in which horror film posters are laid out, but a lot of posters lean towards this layout. This would suggest that it is a popular design layout and one I could consider when designing mine, although, in order to produce something unique, I could also steer clear of this layout.















DARK COLOUR SCHEME
The pattern of using a dark colour palette in horror film posters stem from the fact that the films themselves are often very dark in atmosphere and context. Many of the colours used in the poster reflect the content of the film- for instance, black and other darkened colours are often associated with shadows, night and fear.

Mama (2013)

 Poltergeist (1982)

Different sub-genres are associated with different colours. Slasher films, gore horror, and other sub-genres of that ilk commonly use colours such as red and black. The red is associated with blood and death and the black is associated with fear and shadows.

In regards to my project, my idea resembles that of a supernatural or psychological horror. This is when the antagonists are portrayed as spirits/ghosts. For my poster(s), a dark colour scheme could be used to reflect the themes in the proposed film.

TECHNICAL GLOSSARY UPDATE - PHOTOGRAPHY TERMS

APERTURE- The variable opening produced by the iris-diaphragm through which light passes through to the film.

CLOSE-UPS- The general name for photographs taken from a really short distance.

DEPTH OF FIELD- The range of acceptably sharp focus in front of and behind the distance the lens is focused on.

DIAPHRAGM- A couple of metal 'blades' that can be changed to form a large or small opening through which the light is let through.

EXPOSURE- This is when the light hits the film. The length of time that this occurs can be changed in the settings.

FISH-EYE- This is a type of lens that is wider than most other lenses and produces a distortion effect.

FLARE- This is when there is image degradation caused by light that isn't focused to form the primary image.

FOCAL LENGTH- The distance between the centre of the lens and its focus/subject.

ISO NUMBER- This is the International Standards Organisation. The number represents the film's sensitivity to light.

RESOLUTION- This refers to how sharp a digital image appears. The higher the resolution, the more pixels are present in the image.

SHUTTER SPEED- This determines how long the shutter is open when taking the photograph.

STAGE 2 BLOG

The link for my other blog is as follows: http://fndjam.blogspot.co.uk/

Here you can find my responses to various briefs, undertaken in Stage 2 of the Foundation course, such as: 3 in 1, 3 point lighting and the Glitch in Nine.

GANNTT CHART

GANNTT CHART

Here is my proposed 10 week plan for my Ganntt chart. It includes each phase of the Final Major Project (FMP)- the pre-production, production and the post-production phases.

PROJECT PROPOSAL- SECTION 3

EVALUATION
Outcomes for the FMP will be assessed and evaluated in a variety of ways in order to gain the most amount of valuable feedback, which will help me improve and further develop my ideas. Ways in which the project will be evaluated include:

• Self reflection- this will happen as I go along and will be the first source of feedback.
• Peer reviews- these will take the form of me showing examples of my work to a group of students on my course and asking for their input as to what they like/dislike.
• Tutorials- these will likely be both 1-1 and in a group. These will be one of the more valuable forms of feedback, as my tutors will be involved in voicing their opinions on what they thought works/doesn't work about my ideas.
• Questionnaires- these will be handed to volunteers after they have seen my work and they will then have the opportunity to give qualitative feedback on my work. I will then use their answers to hopefully develop and improve the quality of the overall idea.

Although, the most important thing about the feedback is improving the idea and optimising the quality of it before the final assessment, I also hope that self reflection and tutorials will make me better- as a creative individual.

PROJECT PROPOSAL- SECTION 2

PROJECT CONCEPT
Throughout Stage 3, I hope to achieve an outcome revolving around a horror film idea I have. Using photography, film and possibly a bit of animation I hope to accomplish several series of stills, a short trailer and some short clips from this horror film idea. These skills will be invaluable for the BA (Hons) Film & Television Studies course I hope to progress to.

For one of my interviews with a UCAS university choice, I was asked to pitch a screenplay. It was then that I started to develop an idea for a horror film.

It’s a supernatural horror focusing on the conflict between a newly-wed couple and a vengeful spirit of a drowned girl.

In a semi-rural English town, a newly-wed couple move into a new home to start a new chapter in their lives. They soon discover that the house is not all it seems to be, as it is home to a vengeful spirit of a young girl who is hell-bent on defending the house against its new residents. She was the daughter of a young woman who was left by her husband for a younger girl. This left the woman in an emotionally vulnerable state of mind, which led her to start to rely heavily on alcohol. Her daughter was neglected and mistreated and eventually the woman cracked and drowned her young daughter, whilst reciting the ‘Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace, Grace is a little girl who wouldn’t wash her face’. As she died a violent death, Grace’s spirit remained in the realm of the living to terrorise new occupants of her house. The couple have to somehow find a way to stop Grace, holding on to their humanity and each other as they do so. The more they investigate, the more truths about the house’s history they find. This leads them to believe that they only way to stop Grace, is by killing the woman that originally killed her- Grace’s mother, Heather. This idea was initially titled 'Grace' (stylised, 'G R A C E').

For this idea, I was inspired by horror films, such as: 'The Ring', 'Ju-on: The Grudge' and 'The Woman In Black', as well as the supernatural, Gothic genres themselves.

PROJECT PROPOSAL- SECTION 1

A REVIEW OF STAGE 1 & 2

When I started the course on the very first day of UCA, I knew little about what I wanted to do or what I wanted to achieve. That changed after I had completed the Stage 1 aspect of the Film, Photography & Animation (Media) pathway. I realised I enjoyed photography and wanted to explore that outlet of creativity more.

Over the course of the last few months, during Stage 2, I learnt how to use various digital software; like, Adobe Premier Pro, Adobe Photoshop CC & After Effects. In addition to this, I also learnt about the basic abilities of DSLR cameras, how to set up and use a photo studio properly and other photography techniques, like 3 point lighting. Prior to this, I had a brief, basic understanding of Photoshop and that was it. I have learnt a lot over the last few months and hope to continue learning throughout Stage 3.

With my new knowledge of photography and my limited knowledge (which I will expand upon), I will achieve an outcome in Stage 3 that will satisfy me.