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.

LOCATION RESEARCH

Hatchlands Park House

When originally planning this idea, I wanted to use a fairly grand, old location- as the story is meant to be set in an old house.

For exterior shots, I scouted various National Trust properties as they all have grand houses and gardens, which would be ideal for the type of building I am looking for. I visited Claremont Landscape Gardens in Esher and Polesden Lacey in Bookham to determine where to take exterior shots. Another location I wanted to visit is Hatchlands (pictured right), however it is closed for winter.

Even though both these locations have grand houses, it would be impossible to take photos inside them as, at Claremont, the house is closed to the public and, at Polesden, photographs are prohibited from being taken.

CLAREMONT LANDSCAPE GARDENS
The first location I visited was Claremont Landscape Gardens. Here are some locations at that property that could work well with the story of my idea:

This house upon the lake could be the location which Grace
(the ghost) originally died. Instead of being drowned in a
bath, as the initial idea states, she could be drowned in the
lake.

This the Belvedere Tower. This could be the exterior of the
the grand old house that the couple in the story move into.
I could Photoshop Grace standing in one of the towers as the
couple walk towards the property.

The long driveway of the house creates a feeling of suspense,
as the audience can see Grace in the tower but the couple
can't.

As it is gated, the use of Photoshop will be required. If this
was used, then another location will be required for interior
photographs.

The surrounding gardens offer stunning views of the lake.

POLESDEN LACEY

The other property I went to was Polesden Lacey. As the following photos show, there is a lot more on offer at Polesden, than Claremont. However, both would be suitable for my project. Here are some locations at Polesden that I think would be suitable for my story:

Polesden Lacey is home to a huge mansion, which would be
perfect for the grand old house in the initial story idea.

As the house is so big, each angle offers a different visual
perspective of the house. The opportunity to produce a
variety of different photographs is very real.

One problem with taking photos at Polesden Lacey is the
fact that it is seemingly very popular with the public. Taking
photos will prove difficult with a lot of people walking around.

This is the front of the house. Everything about the house is grand.

The pet cemetery on the grounds produces a creepy atmosphere,
perfect for a horror project. In relation to the story, this
could be where Grace's body is buried.

The gargoyles and other decorations scattered around the
gardens help to create an eerie, ominous atmosphere.

Polesden Lacey as a variety of different grounds- including
a herb garden.

This stone bath is ideal for this project, as it is in an area
of the property that is often not frequented by the public.

In relation to the story, it could be the bath in which Grace
was drowned by her mother.

Overall, out of these 2 National Trust properties, I would say that Polesden Lacey lends itself the best to my project as there are lots of locations on the premises.



INFLUENCES
GREGORY CREWDSON

Gregory Crewdson, 2007

Before my project ever began, I was looking at many examples of Gregory Crewdson's work- mainly from his book 'Beneath the Roses' and his documentary 'Brief Encounters'. I really liked the style of his photographs, the cinematic effect they seemed to have and the dark, moody atmosphere the lighting created. These different aspects of his work lent themselves well to the application of stills from a proposed horror film, because a horror film would have a similar atmosphere.

Some of the photographs that I looked at, in particular, are as follows:

All of these photos have an element that I incorporated into my final photos.

PHOTOGRAPH 1

This photograph was one of the ones Crewdson used in his 2008 book, 'Beneath the Roses'.

It features a middle-aged woman in a grey skirt and yellow top holding a blue item of clothing. There is a car with one of its doors open behind her. In the background, a bright light can be seen in a small amount of mist. The setting of the photograph is in a suburban street with a large tree looming over it and a white panelled wooden house to the tree's right.

The lighting of the photo, and almost all of his others, is dark and creates a sombre atmosphere, which is further emphasised with the expression on the woman's face- one of sadness. This produces an engaging narrative behind the photo and provokes the viewer to ask questions regarding the photo- what could have happened?

The bright light in the background of the photo could have produced by a HMI lamp (Hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide lamp). These are often used in high-budget films or photo shoots to produce light of blinding quality. The fact that Gregory Crewdson uses this kind of expensive equipment is a testament to the fact that all his photo shoots are designed using a high-budget- a budget associated with many films. Because of this, all of Crewdson's photographs are completed with cinematographic visuals, which mean that a lot of his created photographs look a lot like film stills.
It was this kind of image that appealed to me when looking at Crewdson's work and this kind of image that I wanted to attempt to create for my final major project (FMP).

PHOTOGRAPH 2

The next photo I drew some inspiration from was this one.

It features a young girl sitting up in bed, with a middle-aged woman (presumably the girl's mother) lying in a bed adjacent to her. The setting is a dark, old-fashioned room with the dim light casting shadows all over the place- creating a very grim and moody atmosphere.

The shadows cast around the room, combined with the young girl, really create a creepy atmosphere.

The fact that the young girl has a completely blank expression on her face and is seemingly staring at the photographer suggests a creepy and eerie tone of the photo. It was this aspect of the photo that I drew inspiration from, primarily. The creepy aesthetic of the young girl in the photo would not be out of place in the horror story idea I had in mind for my FMP. I wanted to emulate this photo in my work.

PHOTOGRAPH 3

This photo was part of Gregory Crewdson's 'Beneath the Roses' as well.

It features a car with one of its doors open sitting in the middle of a road junction. There are some traffic lights off to the right-hand side of the photo and a shop of some sorts off to the left-hand side. In the background, there are more buildings and trees shrouded in a light mist. The sky is overcast with a tinge of purple, which creates light ambient light. There is a small circle of light, barely visible, spotlighting the vehicle.

The lightness of the photo is in contrast with most of the other untitled photographs in the same series as this one ('Beneath the Roses').

The small spotlight on the car emphasises the car as the main focus of the picture. It is unclear as to why someone as left the car in the middle of the road, but, again, this creates a narrative to the photo and raises intriguing questions as to the backstory of this photograph.

Although this photo is lighter than a lot of Crewdson's others, the photo is still dark, in the sense that there isn't a lot of colour in the photo. Most of the surroundings of the car, and the car itself, have a blue hue to them, indicating coldness. There is also ice on the part of road in the foreground of the photograph.

The main element of this photo that I drew some inspiration from was, ironically, one of the least important parts of the photo. I really liked the mist right at the back of the photo. I thought that if it was brought to the front of my photos it would help to create an eerie atmosphere. In this photo, it shrouded things around it, but there is a dark tree in the middle that the outline of which can still be seen. This makes the tree almost seem powerful, like viewers of action films can often see the main antagonist striding through fog which creates the same effect. I wanted to use this to make my main antagonist appear to have the same effect, as well as to accentuate certain features of the photo.

PHOTOGRAPH 4

This last Crewdson photo I drew inspiration from was this one.

It features a young woman sitting in a room full of flowers, however she is inside. There are several beams of light hitting the woman's face from the right-hand side of the photo.

This photo has far more colour than some of his other work, due to the number of flowers in the room.

The part of the photo that I wanted to emulate in my photos was the blank expression and the lighting of the room. The woman's face seems to be devoid of emotion, which would be good for the villain in my proposed story. As for the lighting, the way the light accentuates the young woman in the middle of the room, creates a cinematographic style to the photo.