Cast, Props and Setting

Cast:

• Ria Harrison - The girl attacked by the unkown.

• Alice Fews - Friend of Ria.

• Hannah Smith - Other friend of Ria.

We asked our actors to wear clothes that they wear on a day-to-day basis because we wanted everything to seem completely natural and normal so the impact of something going wrong is much greater because the audience wouldn't expect it. Also we chose to use actors aged 16 - 17 so that the audience could connect better because we had chosen the target audience to be between the ages of 15 - 25.

When Ria becomes possessed we put pale make-up on her face to give an effect of the life being drained from her. Also very dark eye make-up and fake blood to look like she had been attacked.

Props:

We didn't use many props because we kept it very natural and simple. We used mobile phones to emphasise the fact that something is wrong when Ria doesn't answer it and did a close up shot of her phone ringing on it's own. There were two mobile phone, one was an iPhone and the other was a BlackBerry. We chose these phones instead of normal house phones to represent younger people because lots of people have those phones.
The only other props we used were things in Ria's bedroom to make it seem realistic. She had text books and other types of notebooks for when she is revising. Also when we use an over the shoulder shot when she is applying normal make-up she has her make-up bag and make-up set out on her desk.

Setting:

We asked Ria Harrison's permission to use her house for the setting and she kindly agreed.



Woodland Road, "Woodside House", Portishead, BS20.
This is was the perfect setting for our film opening because it is an isolated area right next to the woods. This is a common horror film convention; being set in the woods and involving normal teenagers.

All locations included -

• two bedrooms
• hall way
• stair case
• Woodland Road
• the drive-way
• the woods

The Story - "sixsixsix"

We have decided to name our film "sixsixsix" because the one of the characters in the story gets possessed and becomes a sort of demonic character and the number 666 is supposed to be a representation of the devil. We researched names of other horror films, and many of them included very short titles; only a few words. I feel that it has more impact on the audience if it's not very long.

Our story is about an innocent teenage girl who gets targeted by a demonic character, who you never actually see, and possesses and changes her. At the beginning she has invited her two friends over because she became bored of revising. As they are on their way their friend is attacked. When they arrive at her house there is no answer and she doesn't answer the phone. They continue to enter anyway, only finding something they do not expect.

Story Board

This is the story board that we have created for our film opening. It shows the main shots included and the most important. We have included the type of camera shots and also the angle of the shots. Also we have shown approximately the length of each shot.

Questionnaire Results

We found that the most popular type of Horror Film was 'Psychological Horror', although it was closely followed by comedy horror. 24 of the 30 people asked to complete a questionnaire were between the ages of 15 and 20, and there were only six people who didn't choose the psychological horror genre. Seeing as there is a big difference between the number of people who picked the second most popular genre, we have decided to create a psychological horror film opening. Aimed at people aged 15 to 25 but could also be suitable for people older.

Horror Film Quistionnaire

Age: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Gender: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What is your favourite Horror Film?

………………………………………………………………………………………………...………

What did you like about it?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

What sub-genre of Horror do you prefer?

Comedy Horror         (   )

Slasher Horror           (   )

Psychological Horror  (   )

Demonic Horror         (   )

Other:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What genre of music would you expect in a Horror Film?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What characters do you prefer featured in a Horror Film?

Zombies                         (   )

Murderers/Serial Killers  (   )

Vampires                       (   )

Ghosts                           (   )

Monsters                        (   )

Demons                          (   )

Other:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………


We printed out 30 of these and handed them out to a range of ages going from 15 - 40.

Slasher or "Splatter" Films

A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a really graphical violent way, often with a cutting tool like a knife or an axe. The term "slasher" is used as a generic term for any horror movie involving graphic acts of murder.

The first film we looked at was "Halloween" which was one of the first "slasher" film as well as "Psycho".

 (1978)   (1960)

In "Halloween" a 6-year old murders his fifteen-year old sister in their home in Haddonfield, Illinois. Because of this the young boy is sent to a mental hospital for fifteen years. After that he is then sent to court, but escapes. His younger sister then begins to see him everywhere.

Settings:

• Woods/Forests
• Empty Houses
• Abandoned Buildings
• Castles/Old Buildings
• Normal Neighbourhoods

All of these are typical settings for horror films. They are usual un-known places and no one knows they exists or where they are. This emphasises the fear because the audience know that there is no hope for the character(s). The effect of the setting being in a normal neighbourhood makes it more scary because it gives the sense of you never know whats going to happen, because nothing bad is supposed to happen in places like that.

Stereotypical Horror

The horror genre is made to frighten people and to create a tense atmosphere for the viewers. These films can include lots of different characters.

• Serial Killers/Murderers
• Zombies
• Vampires
• Monsters
• Ghosts/Spirits
• Demons

Another theme that is often included in horror films is that children are the evil characters. Either for being possessed or becoming ghosts or spirits. The fact that children are supposed to be seen as innocent and wouldn't harm anybody makes the viewer unsettled and makes it seem like you never know what is going to happen next. A good example of a children being possessed is The Children.

   (2008)

The plot of this film is a Christmas and New Year holiday with a family turns into a fight for survival when the children start turning on their parents, they all begin to act really strange and no one knows why.
The cause for the children's increasingly disturbed and psychotic behaviour is suggested to be the result of an un-known sickness brought into the household by the youngest child.

At the end of the film the teenager and an adult get away but when they excape they discover hundreds of more infected children which suggests to the audience that it is never ending and no escape, which is much more daunting than when you know that they can defeat the evil.