Planning/Into action Conventions 2

Horror/thriller research.

• After watching various title sequences for horror and thriller films we have found that there is often few characters involved and the setting is usual rural or urban and very isolated to make it seem deserted and hard to escape from. We have only included one character in the sequence that you can see and the second character is not visually revealed.
• We found that there is a lot of POV shots to make the audience see what is happening from the characters eyes whether this be the antagonist or protagonist. This can make the audience feel more involved and connected to the film possibly making it more scary. We used this effectively by having one character all POV shots.
• There is a running theme of the audience knowing things that the characters dont which creates more involvement and suspense. We used this in our title sequence as the audience are aware of the person in the house and the character approaching is not.
• Props are essential in the title sequence as it is unlikely that the drama or violence is going to commence at this point as there will be a large build up to this in the film however there is often use of props such as knives to connote and foreshadow the danger to follow. We have decided to use scissors, pins and fire for this reason.
• Low key lighting is effective in creating an uncomfortable atmosphere as you cannot see everything that is happening and the audience is on edge as to what may be hiding.
• We particularly liked how some films didnt incorporate the titles into the film but rather had a black screen seperate with writing on. We have used this in our title sequence as it makes it more unsettling and dark.
• There is frequent use of zooming to things of relevance or things to distract the attention of the audience. We decided to zoom to various pictures on a picture board to make it as though the audience are looking like the character is and zoomed in on the girl to show her vulnerability on the photo.
• Jump cuts are consistently used in our favourite style models. We found the use of jump cuts makes you constantly wondering what is happening and at times confused, but we liked this effect. We used lots of jump cuts from the two characters to signify journeys they were both on and creat and uncomfortable unnerving effect.
• We found there is often little sound in the title sequence and the sound that there is is very subtle. This creates a certain atmosphere as it is not overpowering but still significant.