Actor Description and Interviews

Actor Description and Interviews:

Teenage Girl 1:

We have selected our main female character to be Grace Sullivan. She studied drama at GCSE and achieved a grade A, which proves that she is more than capable for the role. Her look, as well as being attractive to male viewers, is unique and portrays a vulnerable feeling. She has an ability to appear to be emotionally connected with a character and therefore we believe that she will depict our teenage victim role very well.

Interview - 

Why would you be good for the role of main female teenage victim?

I would be good for the role of main female teenage victim because I have had experience playing roles similar to this before. I also do contemporary dance which main theme is feeling vulnerable so I am used to being in this role.

Have you considered how you could show the character successfully through your body language and voice?

I feel as though the character needs to be relatable for a wide teenage market, so in terms of my voice I would roughen it down as my well-spoken voice does not tend to fit this role. In terms of body language, when feeling vulnerable it is all about reducing your surface area. This could be by crossing your arms and legs or partly having your hair over your face to show insecurity as opposed to confidence.

How does you character relate to the usual characters commonly featured in this genre?

The fact that a vulnerable female character is commonly used in the horror genre means that I can relate to the character and gain inspiration for it through watching horror films. 

Teenage Girl 2:

Another member of our group of teenagers is Gemma Flower. She also studied drama at GCSE and achieved a grade C. This demonstrates that she has some key skills needed to play the role. Her character, although more in the background, is still important for our opening scene as our female teenage audience may relate to her personality. Her role is important in demonstrating the contradiction between the safety that you feel when you’re with your friends, vs when you are on your own. 

Interview -

Why would you be good for the role of a teenage girl amongst a group of friends?

I would be good for this role as I have had acting experience as a member of the chorus in school productions. I am very good at acting physically so this suits my role of not necessarily saying as much as other characters but still being able to portray the role.

Have you considered how you could show the character successfully through your body language and voice?

I would involve myself in conversation but not necessarily be the one in charge of it. For example, I would laugh along with jokes but not essentially be the one to say them. This means that my role would be important in showing a group of friends but not required for the main story line. I would be relatable for some members of our audience.

How does you character relate to the usual characters commonly featured in this genre?

My character doesn’t necessarily relate to this genre, but it relates to the group of friends we are trying to portray to our audience. The character is essential in creating a realistic story.

Teenage Boy 1:

One of the members of our cast is Connor Bassett. He has not had any major experience in acting. However, his confident personality demonstrates that he could adapt to a role very easily. His character is important as every friendship group has a couple of main characters. We would like his character to be comedic and a leader figure. This means that he may influence other characters and their decisions.

Interview -

Why would you be good for the role of a confident teenage male?

I would be good for this role as I am able to adapt my personality to suit this character. I am naturally quite funny so would be able to use this to build a persona around my character. Although I am not a natural leader, my year 6 production acting skills may shine through into this role.

Have you considered how you could show the character successfully through your body language and voice?

I think that the most confident and leader characteristics are not being afraid to say anything and not being afraid to be seen. Therefore I will talk with a loud and manly voice, which isn’t natural for me. I will also not cross my arms but stand certainly, looking open for a conversation.

How does you character relate to the usual characters commonly featured in this genre?

My character is normally seen at the beginning of a horror genre to help contradict the resultant at the end of the film where the characters cocky personality is now shy and intimidated. It is important to show the psychological effects of horrifying experiences such as these.

Teenage Boy 2:

Prasanna is another member of our horror film. His role is to contradict the comfort felt in a large group of people versus when you are isolated. He should add a comedic factor to the first events in our timeline of our horror film when everyone is relaxed. He tends to follow the group and does what others do to fit in.

Interview -

Why would you be good for the role of a background teenage male?

Although this is different to my normal personality traits that is what acting is all about. I haven't had much more experience in acting than a toothbrush but i think my confident personality will help me to take on a new role well.

Have you considered how you could show the character successfully through your body language and voice?

My body language will be comfortable and not overly open or hidden. My voice will be slightly quieter than normal to adapt to this role. However, i will laugh along to jokes made by other characters.

How does you character relate to the usual characters commonly featured in this genre?

My character relates to a normal member in amongst a teenage group who has a friendly personality is happy to talk to most people. I believe there is someone like this in every group so i am a relatable character.

Our Brainstorm

Our Brainstorm

Our brainstorm, consists of all our props, settings and characters we will use. On it, there is also code and conventions of horror genres such as gore, paranormal and psychological. Our ideas on the brainstorm, are the ideas that we are going to try and incorporate into the opening two minutes of the film.

Mood Board

Mood Board

This is our horror moods board, on it we have all or most of our ideas. Some of the ideas we will not be able to use, however the purpose of this was to show our initial ideas. After finishing the mood board, it became apparent that most of the images were quite dark, therefore we had a dark theme on the mood board, and this highlights the horror genre.

In our film we used a lot of these ideas, we used ideas such as; train station, sound effects, low key lighting and bruises and cuts. We used the mood board for our inspiration, adding in these features increased the final quality of the film, as it created mystery and enigma codes. We featured the train station as our setting for the whole opening, we then used dark lighting so we filmed at night and had low key lighting from the train station.Cuts and bruises are a main convention of the horror genre, therefore we designed our makeup to look realistic and we used close up shots to show this.

Location: Parks

Location: Parks

Parks was one of the suggested places as to where we should locate the opening 2 minutes of our horror film. Parks would be a good place to use because there easily accessible and are often large places with a mix of facilities within. As we choose to use a group of teenagers as our main characters, a park would be a suited environment as you would typically see teenagers hanging around in parks, this would link nicely with our idea of involving underage drinking because it is a hidden environment where often things like this go on in other films. Below will be some research into possible parks we could use. 

Auriol park:

Auriol park is situated off Salisbury Road in Worcester Park and closes half an hour before sunset and re opens at 8 am Monday to Friday. The facilities within the park include two tennis courts, 5 football pitches in various size, children's playground, bowling green and a multi-use games area. This would be an ideal location for our film because it is a large space and is very close to where the people in our group live, so if the weather would affect filming we could leave and come back with no hassle. Some disadvantages of this location is it is quite open and there could be some interferences from the public, also it doesn't stay open to late so would be hard to make it look dramatic and scary.

Location: Train station

Location: Underground train station

Our clear winner when we analysed the results of our questionnaire proved that an underground train station would be the ideal place (according our questionnaire takers) to base our opening scene. I have a particular like to this idea due to the fact that it is a relatable location and would therefore allow the audience to put themselves into the shoes of our characters. I believe that this relationship between a character and its audience is what makes a film successful. This is why I also believe that maybe including some iconic locations in London, or simply a park setting would be of benefit to our film. This does not only allow the story to be identifiable for the audience, but it also adds interest for the basis of our story to build upon.

Underground train station:

Aldwych: 

This train station was closed in September 1994 but the buildings and platforms remain. They are often used for cinematic purposes so our group has decided to contact transport for London and see if we have any luck when it comes to using their underground station. The reason that this station would be of preference to us, and not another station which is open, is the control that we would have over lighting, the unlimited amount of shots we could take and also the endless amount of ideas we could use without affecting train customers.

The aesthetic of the outside of the station has an old fashion look to it and this would, I believe, be a positive contradiction to the modern teenage group of friends that may end up visiting it.

This screenshot of the location on the map and a picture from google maps shows what our potential setting looks like. It is positioned on the Strand in London and therefore has very good, iconic surroundings.

Obviously, there is a slim chance that a group of A Level students will be given the privilege of the use of this station so I am going to research other train stations in the London area that we could use.

Stoneleigh: 

Stoneleigh: This train station is very near to our houses and has recently been done up, demonstrating a relatable and modern horror setting which is not normally seen. It also has low lighting in the evening and only lights up when their is movement underneath the lights. This could create a really cool scene for us and the shadows it would create would be a typical convention of horror. The benefits of this station are that it is not normally busy and the trains do not run at night so we would be able to film our footage without being disturbed, or disturbing other people on their commute.

The aesthetic of the inside of the waiting room is slightly more run down so could create a feeling of horror and uncertainty. Furthermore, it is dirty so creates a negative feeling and aesthetic. The location of it means it will be very easy for us to film in.

The only negatives of this station is the fact that parts of it have been done up, and also the fact it is a public place restricts our ideas.

Locations: London

Locations: London

Southbank:

From researching Southbank and its skating area, it is clear to see that this would work for our setting as there are many dark places for people to hide, these dark places are conventions of horror films. The graffiti on the walls make it look a ‘dodgy’ place as it looks like its abandoned and old. In the dark, if torches are used, a shadowed figure could be seen with the graffiti in the background creating a mysterious and tense effect.

	Advantages:	Limitations:
Southbank Skating	The graffiti makes the area look ‘dodgy’ The dark corners would create good shadows The shadows created would mean we can use torch lighting	Other people would be in the area We would have to go up to the location and it would be dark so not everything would be seen The lighting may not always be correct, as it get dark quickly

St Paul's Cathedral:

St Paul cathedral could be potential setting due to the old building of St Paul's and as it can be busy, you wouldn’t expect many horrible things to occur. Obviously we wouldn’t be able to film inside however the surrounding areas could be potential. The dome from the cathedral could be the iconic spot which the audience could relate to. The historic cathedral would have many stories that we could also research into which we could use as part of our story line. It is said that the iconic cathedral is haunted by ghosts, this could be our horror part of this setting.

	Advantages:	Limitations:
St Paul’s Cathedral	As it’s very open around, the audience wouldn’t believe anything bad could happen. The audience would recognise the area	Very busy, so other people would be in our shot (Could be an advantage) Wouldn’t be allowed to film inside

Museum of London:

The museum of London could be an interesting setting, as from pictures and from experiencing it myself, the area surrounding it is slightly run down and quite grey and brown in colour. It’s not too far from St Pauls therefore, if we decide to film in both of these places and use these as our settings then it will be easy access. Obviously, we would have to only film in the surrounding areas we wouldn’t be able to get consent from the museum to film inside, but also, the inside wouldn’t complement our film genre.

	Advantages:	Limitations:
Museum of London	Has dark corners The lighting could be good with little beams Easy to get to	People may be around and we need an isolated area Far away

Questionnaire Feedback

Questionnaire Feedback

From the first question, the style of horror film that the audience would be prefer to see, would be psychological horror alongside paranormal. As a group, we thought that the effects of a paranormal horror would be psychological, therefore we will combine these with a bit of gore to add in the conventions of this genre.

From the second question, the setting that the audience thought would create a good horror film was an underground. Therefore as a group we would look into filming in the underground, it was closely followed by a house so we may incorporate this in too.

The third question was ‘What props would you like to see?’ the main response was drugs and creepy dolls. As a group we will have to brainstorm hon how to add in these props to the opening two minutes to entice out audience.

The fourth question was referencing costumes. The main costume that the audience wanted to see was ‘Dressed up for a night out’, this would then help us create a good story line for the opening two minutes.

When reviewing the fifth question, ‘What characters would you enjoy watching?’ it was clear to see that a group of teenagers was by far the most popular, this will be an advantage to us because of our age. This means we can use our friends as actors and actresses to take part in our media project.

The sixth question about lighting was a tight vote. Low-key lighting and Night-time with torches were very close in votes. Low-key lighting was the most popular as this is the main type of lighting used in a horror films showing that this is a typical convention.

Once again, looking at styles of camera angles, there was another tight vote, however the majority of people voted for a normal camera angle. As this was closely followed by shaky camera, we will incorporate this in too.

The eighth question was referring to types of editing. Once we’ve collected all of our shots this will play a key role. Normal type of editing was the most popular, this means that the music and non-diegetic sound will have to be extremely important to create tension and build suspense.

The ninth question was; ‘What type of music should be playing in the background’, the more popular was ‘no sound just diegetic sound’, however to create tension we will add in some non-diegetic music as this will intrigue that audience more.

The last question was to do with the target audience. We chose this question so we knew who to aim our film at. The most popular was young female, however from other research, we found that young males aged between 15 and 24, were more likely to go and see a horror film.

Overall, after analysing all the data we have taken it on board and are in the process of discussing our storyline and setting. The feedback received was very helpful, therefore we, as a group, will take it on board to think about the props, setting used and who our target audience would be, from this we can then think about the certificate of the film overall.

Audience Questionnaire

Audience Questionnaire:

As a group we have devised a questionnaire, to ask our family and friends to answer our questions about what they look for in a horror movie. We created 10 questions, which we think will be applicable, and which will help us devise our final piece. The response we get will affect our final piece greatly as it will be analysed so that we can see what would be popular in a high grossing movie.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/K3DQCKY

Target Audience Research and Profile

Target Audience Research and Profile

My chosen films are; ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, ‘The Woman in Black’ and ‘The Purge’. 

'A Nightmare on Elm Street’, is an 18, this included so much horror with lots of jump scares. The main gender who it attracted was male at 57% compared to women at only 43%. The main age it was aimed at was 15-24 year olds, who had the highest percentage of 71%. The film covers three different genres, this would attract more viewers as there is more of a range of types of scenes. The high cost of the film at £5,500,000 was down to the fact of high profiled actors and having to use many props and type of settings. The male-gaze theory would increase the amount of males who attend as there was a group of teenagers, this would attract the male gender as there would be ‘pretty’ girls and the group ‘lad’ culture which is included.

‘The Purge’ was certificated a 15, and was mainly aimed at 15-24 year olds, the main gender who viewed this film was males at 65% and females at 35%. This is due to the fact that there is a lot of gore shown in the opening scene, it also has a distressing storyline so wouldn’t be appropriate for younger viewers. The film only covers two genres which could limit the viewing audience, however due to the amount of gore more males were attracted and saw the film. This film produced out of the three which are being analysed, it has the cheapest estimated box office price. The estimated box office price was £1,000,000. This would possibly be due to the lack of actors which are used.

‘The Woman in Black’, is certificated a 12A, which means it is suitable for the younger viewers, also children younger 12 can go to view it, as long as they’re accompanied by an adult.  The main ages for the audience was 15-24, making this the target audience, the younger target audience would be down to the low age certificate of the film, however even though the viewers aged 15-24, had 29% of viewers, the ages 25-34 also had 29% viewers, with 35-44 at 15% and 45+ at 27%, creating quite a high percentage for the older population. The main genders who went to view this film when released in 2012, was male at 60% to females at 40%. For a horror movie, the female percentage was quite high, possibly due to the ‘well known’, famous actor Daniel Radcliff.

Overall, from analysing each film and its opening, from my point of view I will create and produce a certificate 15 film, this means from my research the film wouldn’t be able to dwell, on gore too much but it can be shown. I would also aim it at the male gender therefore this would mean I would use the male-gaze theory to my advantage and use a ‘pretty’ girl to attract the male audience, I would also create tension to build up suspension and to increase the intensity and excitement for the audience. The film made, wouldn’t star any famous actors however, the story line would be intriguing to the audience to capture their attention. I would also use and pick out codes and conventions from horror films and the films analysed to show to the audience that the genre of the film is horror this also would capture their attention.

Certificate research: 18

Certificate research: 18

A film certificated 18 is for the viewing of adults only. No one younger than 18 can purchase or rent this type of film. These type of films could include high amounts of strong language, horror and violence.

These type of films would limit the number of viewing and the type of people who could view the films due to their content.

Areas that an 18 rated film in likely to refer to are; breaches of criminal laws, through the use of criminal offences. Where material or treatment appears to be a risk or harm individuals. This is usually linked with the abuse of substances such as drugs or alcohol. There is more likely to be more explicit images of sexual content. Sex material in these type of films is used to inform and educate in matters such as safe sex or sexuality.

Examples of 18 rated films would be; Mad Max 2, Oldboy, Sin City and The Shining.

Certificate research: 15

Certificate research: 15

For a film certificated 115, it is only suitable for viewers aged 15 and over. No one younger than 15 can view this film in a cinema, nor can they rent or buy a DVD with this certificate if they are not of appropriate age.

Films certificated 15, usually contain strong language such as swearing, strong horror or strong violence. Violence may be strong and use gory images.

Drug taking could be shown, however it cannot promote or encourage drug use. Dangerous behaviour such as hanging, suicide or self-harm may be touched on but cannot dwell on them. In a certificated 15 film, there is no restriction on nudity however if there is nudity in a sexual context it cannot include strong detail. This is the same for the use of sex, sexual activity can be shown however usually without strong detail.

This would enhance the audience for the film as there is a wider audience to reach, there can be more detail in the story line which could intrigue more viewers. These type of film would usually attract young adults.

Examples of films rated 15 are; Big Nothing, The Boat That Rocked and The Bodyguard