Horror movies and their Sub genre

Psycho (1960) Thriller

 

What the movie is about

The movie psycho is about a young women who stays the night at a motel after taking the back roads to avoid the police after she has stolen £40,000 from her employer. While at the motel she is introduced to a young man who has an interest  with taxidermy and has a rough relationship with his mother. He becomes fascinated by this young women and when he does not get what he wants from her he decided to stalk her, and when she is in the shower he kills her by stabbing her continuously with a knife.

 

Action

The films opening consists of no dialogue it is a really old film so the technology was limited in the 1960's therefore the opening of the film was not of any particular scene or person it was a blank screen with different colours e.g. black, white and grey to show the audience the movies title, the actors starring in it and the producers of the film. The lines in the opening scene resemble the knife slashing scene in the shower, this is one of the most iconic movie horror scenes in movie history. The title sequence was created by Saul Bass who was a very famous man as he created movie openings that revolutionised the making of film openings and their credits. Thousands of other films have used Saul Bass's design in the opening of their film as it is iconic of his work, stylish and modern.
 

 

 

 

Fonts and Styles

The fonts used are very basic as in the 1960's there was a lack of technology that could be used to create stylish and creative openings. The fonts consisted of white writing and a black background, many films nowadays use a black background especially in horror movies as it gives the elution of darkness. The use of the grey lines could represent the knife slashed that occur in the film as they are in time with the music that plays over the opening scene of the film.
 

 

 

 

Sounds/Music

The music used in the opening to Psycho resembles the knife slashes in the iconic shower scene. This is used cleverly to give the audience a taster of what is going to happen later on in the movie. It is a clever piece of ingenious work created by Saul Bass. The music is perfectly in time with the lines that appear from all four sides of the screen, these lines represent the knife slashes that occur in the films iconic shower scene. The music used in the opening scenes are also used in the iconic shower scene. This is almost used to indicate to the audience the horror and demented scenes that happen in the movie.

All of these combined create a dark eary atmosphere that is commonly known for in horror films. If one of these elements was missing then the opening for this film would not be as eary and scary as it is and would not impact the audience in the way that it has.

 

 

 

 

Dawn of the dead (Zombie)

 

What the movie is about

The movie Dawn of the Dead is about a women who finds out that her daughter has turned into a zombie and has attacked and killed her father. She manages to escape and seek refuge at a nearby camp where she finds a group of people who are willing to help her in fighting the un dead and making sure that the world can go back to what it once was.

 

 

 

Action

In the movies opening scenes we are introduced to vast amounts of chaos and horror. We are emerged to watch people run from the un dead and save loved ones. There are news reports which makes the movie look lore realistic as there is a theme of using the news to make it seem like these events are taking place at this very moment. This gets the audience more anxious into watching the movie as they want to know what the news reporters are reporting on. There is a cut scene to where we see a scene of one of the un dead, this is both scary and interesting at the same time as it allow the audience to finally see what the news reporters were talking about. Also it allows the audience to get a look at what the zombies in this film look like. Finally there is a scene where there is a human cell that seems to become mutated which suggests the reasons why all these people are turning in to zombies.

 

 

Fonts and Styles

The fonts used in the opening scene are those that are commonly used in a horror film. The bog, blocky and red. The red fonts represent blood and this theme is used as the film is about zombies and gore. In order for there to be gore there needs to be blood. Furthermore the way the text disappears on screen suggests that of when blood runs on the floor. This is used to again indicate at the blood and gore that the audience will experience in this film. Finally, the black background represents darkness, also darkness resembles that there is no hope. This is what the film is based on, the fact there seems to be no hope for survival.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds/Music 

The music used in not of what you would expect from a horror movie, however if you listen to the lyrics then you would take into account that the lyrics are a hint at what the film is about and the chaos that occurs in it. Also the sounds in the background of the opening scenes are harrowing. There are people screaming, news reporters reporting on the events. Which gives a realistic feel and the sounds of the zombies grabs the audiences attention at that is what they wanted to watch.

 

With all of these elements combined together it creates a really scary, eary feeling that is common of horror movies. They all combine well and create a really creative, scary theme which grabs the attention of the audience and makes them really excited for the rest of the movie.

 

 

 

 

 

SAW 1 ( Slasher)



 What the movie is about

SAW is a film about a psycho maniac that calls himself 'Jigsaw'. He is diagnosed with cancer and is given only months to live. So he plans to torture people that have done wrong in their life such as murderers, drug dealers and thieves. He devises many traps that will cause severe pain to all of the people that are taking part in his 'Games'.

 

 

Action 

In the opening scene we are introduced to two men who find themselves locked in a room, chained to a pipe with a dead man in the middle of the floor with his brain splattered everywhere. They find a tape next to the dead body and they are told that only one of them will survive. We are shown the pain and mental torture these two men are faced with and we are not sure what they are going to do next as they try to figure out firstly how they got there and how they are going to escape alive.

 

Fonts and Styles
The fonts and styles used in the opening for SAW are only the title of the film and the company that produced it. There are no other fonts what so ever we are dropped straight into the action. The fonts are big and thin, the colour of the fonts are blue. This is unusual of a horror film as the colour would normally be red, to represent blood. However in this film the fonts are blue.

Sounds/Music
The sounds in the opening scenes consist of splashes of water which could represent panic as the men are fighting in the dark to get loose from their chains. Also there is one piece of music that is used to build up the anticipation of what they two men are looking at, the music gets louder and faster the closer we get to what these two men are looking at. We are finally shown what the two men are looking at and it a dead body on the floor surrounded in its own blood.

All of these combined create a real scary atmosphere and as the audience watching the film you feel like the film is not just gory and bloody but also psychological. With all of these together the scenes really work well together and just by watching the beginning of the film, you are both scared and hooked into wanting to watch more.

 

Cloverfield (Science fiction)

 

What the movie is about

The movie is about a group of people who film the event of the destruction of New York City by a massive alien like creature. The film is full of scary scenes of traumatic pain of loosing loved ones, and action scenes of when the government try and take down this alien predator.

 

 

 

Action

In the opening scene we are introduced to the group of people who happen to be the main characters filming on top of a rooftop when there is an explosion. When this explosion occurs everybody rushed down to the streets to find their friends and loved ones. They then discover that the statue of liberty has been destroyed as its head comes tumbling towards them. They then talk about where everyone is and their next plan of action. They then decide to take cover and shelter in a nearby off licence shop.



Fonts and Styles
There are no fonts displayed in the opening of Cloverfield it is all action. This gives the audience a feel of realism as the filming is also filmed on what looks like a camera phone or digital camera. Not using any text and fonts gives the film a documentary type feel. As there is no text and it is just the filming that is going on. It makes the audience focus on the actors expressions and not the text that would have been displayed on screen.


Sounds/Music
There is no music used in the opening of the film. However the sounds that you can hear really set the mood. There are all types of sounds over the course of the opening scenes. The sounds include screaming, people talking wondering where people are, people shouting and explosions and dust settling throughout the street. These sounds help give the audience a feel of realism and that they film is happening in real life.



All of these combined set the tone and allow the audience to feel emotion towards the characters as you can really see their emotions and the situation they find themselves in. All together with the use of sounds, the use of the camera that looks like a normal person is filming it, and the use of the people running through the streets it really gives a sense of realism.

 

Scary Movie (Horror Comedy)

What the movie is about

Scary movie is a movie where the scenes consist of different famous horror movie scenes however there is a twist. The scenes are comedy based. Each scene has some scary scenes that make you jump but then immediately transform into comedic scenes.

 

 

Action

The first scene of the opening to the film scary movie consists of a women making popcorn then she gets a phone call. This is based on the famous horror movie scream. We are taken through the stages of the women being chased through her house by the scream murderer. There are obviously some comedic elements such as she picks up a banana to protect herself instead of a knife or gun.

Fonts and Styles
The fonts and styles used in the title of the film are not of what you would expect from a horror film. The font itself is long and thin and black, and it has a blue outline. Most horror movies have a red font to portray blood or death. Although this films title does have a black background which is typical of horror movies it does not have the red fonts that are commonly used in horror movies. The reason why the font is blue and not red is because the movie has a comedic feel and it not all horror based.

Sounds/Music
The music used in the opening scene to this film is used to suggest fear and how scared the female character is when trying to escape from the scream murderer. The sounds like the eary voice of the scream murderer over the phone adds some more horror to the scene as you find his voice creepy so you don't know what he would be like in person and you feel sorry for the female character as she has to deal with the games that the scream murderer likes to play.

All of these 3 elements combined show both the comedic and the horror elements of the film. The music is eary but not as scary as the music you would get from a pure horror flick. This is because scary movie is a comedy horror therefore they can use different traits that you would not normally find in a horror movie.
 



General codes and conventions of Movie openings 5 Different Genres

The cabin in the woods (Horror)

What the movie is about

The cabin in the woods is a horror film about a group of friends that go away for a weekend and stay in an abandoned cabin in the woods. They realise when they are staying there that they are not the only ones living in the woods. There is a company that deals with the mythical dark creatures that live below and it wasn't till these friends showed up that problems started to occur.

 

Conventions of Credits

In the opening credits of the film we see the company logo of Lionsgate the film production company behind the making of the film. The trailer follows the usual credits of a film. It starts off with the company logos that made the film, then there is the list of the director, the producer and other important people behind the filming of the movie, next there is the names of the main characters in the film and then finally the names of other actors in the film that are not so important or well-known.

Narratives

As the trailer starts there is the logo of the production company and the film title, then we are introduced to two of the characters in the film having a conversation. There is no immediate that this film is a normal horror film. It does start with the dark backgrounds and red colours and fonts to hint at blood however apart from that the opening of the film is just conversations between the characters in the film and what they are planning to do later on in the movie. Which makes the audience enticed into watching the rest of the film to see what happens.









Fonts and Styles
The fonts used in the opening scene to The cabin in the woods consists of big, blocky, capital lettered text that is in red, which you would assume is to based on blood and this is a colour used in many horror movies as it hints at the blood, gore and horror that is going to occur in the film. Furthermore the style of the text is used to indicate the importance of the people behind the film  as the writing itself is smaller than the names of the actors, directors and producers. This is done in such a way that people are not paying attention to what the other text says but they are focused on who is behind the making of the movie and the actors that are starring in it.
 

 

Sounds/Music
The sounds that are used in the films opening are music at the beginning when the title sequence is taking place. It is an eary soundtrack that is common of horror films. It makes the audience feel scared but also anxious for the gory action that is going to be taking place. These sounds are used to create a scary and dark gothic mood that gets the audience ready for the film and the gore that comes with it.

 

Kung Fu Panda (Animated)

What the movie is about
The movie follows the main protagonist Po as he embarks on a journey to becoming the greatest kung Fu panda in the world. Po ever since he was a young boy dreamed of being a member of the famous 5, who are later introduced and forced to work with Po to help take down the feared leopard Tai Lung. The movie is great fun for all the family and is a classic animated comedy.



Conventions of Credits
In the opening credits of the film we are emerged to the logo of the production company behind the making of the film Kung Fu Panda, also then the films title appears for a moment to allow the audience to see the films title and gather thoughts on what they think the film is about. Apart from the logo of DreamWorks there is no other indication of actors or the producers of the film in the opening scene of the film. Instead we are given a brief action scene inside the mind of the main protagonist Po.

Narratives
We are given a scene of  the films title that is shown across the screen for a brief moment,  then the effects used in the action scene that occurs in the mind of the films main character Po shows the audience that this film is visually stunning and the action is both funny but yet skilfully crafted just like a real ninja. Although the opening scene does not establish the main setting for the film it does allow us to see what the main character Po has wanted to be his whole life a ninja warrior. This gives the audience a hint at what the film is about and the theme in which it surrounds.

Fonts and Styles
The fonts used in the title for the film Kung Fu Panda is such that is related to Japanese Kung Fu, it is really blocky yet elegant and stylish. It almost shows what a ninja is about they have a great authority of power like the size of the films title however they are also precise and elegant like the style of the font itself. Also the fonts used in the DreamWorks logo is very similar to the title of the film, the DreamWorks logo is present before the films title so it allows the audience to make assumptions of what they think the film is about before it has started. There is no other fonts to comment on as the rest of the opening of the film consists of a battle scene that occurs in the mind of the films main protagonist Po.

















Sounds/Music
The music in the opening scenes od Kung Fu Panda are used to explain to the audience the genre of the film and the themes that are involved in the film. The music used is a typical Japanese soundtrack that displays to the audience that the film is a ninja animated film with the characters being animals that are inspired by typical Japanese animals such as Pandas and Monkeys. There is also a voice over of the main character Po portrayed by Jack Black as he described the scene and what is going to happen next.

 

Hulk (Superhero/Action)

 

What the movie is about

Hulk is a film about a man who adapts to a mutation that when he gets angry turns him into an indestructible green monster that destroys everything in his way. When the government find out about what Bruce Banner has done to himself they immediately track him down and wage a war against him because of his mutant power. The film is full of action, anticipation and romance that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Conventions of Credits
In the opening scenes of the film we are introduced to the work that is conducted by Bruce Banner the mad scientist who transforms into the menacing Hulk. The scenes consist of Bruce injecting many poisons into different animals in order to gain some sort of results. This shows that they film has some science based themes that would explain how Bruce Banner transformed into the Hulk. We are also introduced to scenes of human cells becoming mutated. This also relates to the science theme and could explain in more detail the effects of the mutation and how they cause Bruce to transform into the Hulk. All of the scenes in the opening credits relate to the theme of  the film and allow the audience to gather their own opinion of what they think the film is about and how exactly Bruce gets himself into the predicament  that he is faced with.

Narratives
The first few moments we are introduced to who only can be described as the man who becomes the Hulk, Bruce Banner. There is no action in the opening of the film it is all an in depth look at the knowledge of science and how Bruce engineered the mutation to grow in such a way that he would turn into a huge, green, angry monster. These scenes are useful to the audience as they can see the reasons for the defect that caused Bruce to transform into the Hulk and also gives them some knowledge of how Bruce Banner became the Hulk and the science behind it.









Fonts and Styles
The fonts that are used throughout the opening scenes of the film Hulk are big, bulky rounded fonts that are in the colour black surrounded by an outline of bright aluminous green. These fonts are in reference to the Hulk himself as the fonts are big and bulky just like the Hulk. Also the green outline suggests a slime that resembles nuclear waste. Nuclear waste is used in sciences and this is the main cause for the mutation that turns Bruce Banner into the Hulk, science. The green colour font used to show the actors names and the names of the directors etc. is used to show the resemblance to the Hulk as the Hulk is green.

 

Sounds/Music
The music used in the opening scenes of the film is typical of a superhero action film as it expresses the emotions of anticipation and puzzlement rolled together as the audience of a superhero movie and ecstatic for the films action but are also puzzled by the superheroes powers and are intrigued to find out how they got them.

Pride and Prejudice (Drama)

 

 

What the movie is about

Pride and Prejudice is a drama about a women who falls in love with a man and the film explores the struggles that the couple face in order to become happy. There is drama, heartache and laughter it is a true love story about how two different classes can come together through their love for one another.


Conventions of Credits
Pride and Prejudice follows the basic conventions of credits in that in the opening scene we are introduced to the production companies behind the making of the movie. Then the films title will appear after this. However it also does not follow the basic codes and conventions as there are no use of text to display the names of the actors and directors in the film. It just displays to the audience the production companies behind the making of the film, but not who stars in it. This would leave the audience confused about who the actors are in the film and which character they play, they would have to wait until the end of the movie to find this out.

Narratives
In the first few moments after the title sequence we are introduced to the main female character portrayed by Keira Knightly walking through a field reading a book. They it follows her back to her home where herself, her mother and her sisters ease dropping over a conisation about a man, which in these days is what a women wanted, a man. This was common in the times of where the film was set for women to fantasise over the perfect man and the love they would share. The audience can gather from these opening scenes what the characters are like and the class they are in. As we follow Keira Knightly through her house we can see that they are a large family that struggle through life with not a lot of money but they are hold each other together. This gives the audience an idea of the class that they are in as well as a rough estimate of what century they film was set in.



Fonts and Styles
The fonts used in the opening scenes for Pride and Prejudice are big, blocky, yet free flowing. This gives an impression of 18th century writing which is the century in where the film was set. This allows the audience to get an idea of the century in where the film was set. Also the text gives a free flowing vibe which could explain to the audience the mood of the film and the events that may occur all through the use of the fonts.

Sounds/Music
The opening scene consists of birds singing in the background and then piano music begins to play over the singing birds. This implies the tranquillity of the film and the free flowing emotion that occurs over the course of the movie. It also allows the audience to gather their own opinions and emotions about the film within the first opening scenes. This is used to express to the audience the mood of the movie and the events that take place are similar of the music used in the opening scene.

Legally Blonde (Romantic Comedy)



What the movie is about
The film legally blonde is a comedic look at the life of a teenage girl who has it all, the makeup, the friends and the popularity. The one thing she desires the most is the love and affection of one boy. The film consists of many comedic scenes and romantic scenes which expresses the reasons why this film is a romantic comedy.


Conventions of Credits
In the opening scene of Legally Blonde we are introduced to the Production company behind the making of the movie, the director and the actors that star in the movie. This movie follows the usual pattern of the codes and conventions in a films opening. This is used to show the audience who is behind the making of the movie and who is starring in it. The opening scene for this film is a long list of names of people who are in the movie or have made a contribution in the making of the movie, this is used to give credit to those people and allow the audience to appreciate their work before the actual movie has begun. The scenes we see behind the text is used to build up the scene until the credits disappear and the film itself begins.

Narratives
We are introduced to the main character portrayed by Reese Witherspoon as she gets ready for school, also as she goes around the school to hand out party invites. This gives the audience an idea of what the main character is about. She is a popular girl who likes to have the best clothes and shoes and everybody looks up to her. We can gather this from the opening scene as we see her getting ready and using expensive looking makeup and perfume as well as biking around handing out party invited on a pretty looking bike and dressed in pink and baby blue, that also suggesting that she is a girly girl.

Fonts and Styles
The fonts used in the opening scenes for Legally Blonde are squiggly and loopy as well as neat. This commonly resembles a females hand writing. Also the pink outline furthermore suggests that the film is girly as pink is a colour that people associate with females. The way the font appears on the screen also suggests the girly theme as it appears in such a way that it looks like it has been written on the screen and because the font resembles a style of hand writing of a female it gives the audience more ideas about what the film is about and what events will occur through out the rest of the film, just through the use of the fonts and colours.

Sounds/Music
The music that plays in the opening scene of the film Legally Blonde is a female pop singer singing one of her songs. This commonly resembles a female as the music is a catchy, slow paced song that you can sing along to and could quickly become your favourite song. It is used to give the audience an idea of what sex they think the character is. Also because of the pink swirly fonts the audience would be able to develop a more in depth idea of what they think the main character is about.

Saul Bass

Who is Saul Bass?:

Saul bass was an American graphic designer and Academy Award winning filmmaker, best known for his design of motion picture title sequences, film posters, and corporate logos. He was born on the 8th May 1920 and died on the 25th April 1996. He was born in New York and died in Los Angeles California. 

 

Companies he has designed logos for:

Saul Bass designed logos for companies such as Qauker Oats, who make porridge and other cereals and they are still around today. Kleenex are another company that Bass designed logos for and Kleenex "stay true to Bass's original vision".

Where his career started:

He began his time in Hollywood in the 1940s, designing print advertisements for films including Champion(1949), Death of a salesman (1951) and The moon is Blue (1953), directed by Otto Preminger. His next collaboration with Preminger was to design a film poster for his 1954 film Carmen Jones. Preminger was so impressed with Bass's work that he asked him to produce the title sequence as well. This was when Bass first saw the opportunity to create a title sequence which would ultimately enhance the experience of the audience and contribute to the mood and the theme of the movie within the opening moments. Bass was one of the first to realise the creative potential of the opening and closing credits of a movie.

Evaluation

Evaluation:

What worked well and why?
when filming the different types of shots we managed to film some good footage. This meant that when it came to editing the finished piece did look quite professional. we managed to edit together a crabbing shot of Jack switching to a medium shot of Alannah, then back to Jack as he entered the room. This made the footage look more professional as during the convocation they had, we managed to edit the footage to make three different takes of one convocation looks like a continuous convocation with three different shots in it.





What didn't work and why?
When editing the footage we realised that we had forgotten to film the close-up and other shots that weren't on the storyboard. This in turn had downgraded the quality of our work as we had missed out and changed the majority of our story board. Also we didn't film enough footage. This meant that when it came to editing we did not have much footage in the final piece.


What can be improved for next time?
Next time i think that to improve we need to make sure that if are to change the shots around when filming then we should make those changes to the story board to make it easier for the examiner to understand. Also we should film some more footage so that when we come to editing we have more footage then just over 30 seconds.

Prelim Task-Planning and Finished Video

Storyboard:

Shot list:

Tracking shot	Dolly zoom	Crabbing shot	Match on action	180 degree rule	Shot reverse shot
Long shot Character 1 – Jack	Close up (of teachers face) Character 2 – alannah and the office	Close up ( of the feet) Character 1 – jack	Close up  (back of the head) Character 1 – jack	Mid shot  and over the shoulder shot of the conversation. of the teacher and Dre about to have a conversation Character 2 – alannah	Mid shot ( teachers face)   Character 2 “ Dialogue – teacher begins to speak” Character 1 Student begins to reply” 2 – then reversing it back to Dre’s face  3 reverses back to the teachers face with  a close up shot.

Missing person – head teacher calls student to office – interrogation

- section 1