Saturday, 9 May 2009
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
How i made the movie
I managed to get some footage from when Simon went airsofting one time, and i turned it into a real-life army footage, as if they were protecting the villages. The stills i managed to get some late night of Tesco, a well known busy place, where ht was empty, and some early morning shots of other busy locations. This made the effect global, and the desertion and stillness of the shots contrasted strongly with the fast paced images of the army before them. On some of the stills, i put a text effect over the top, and black and white filter to make it seem as if it was CCTV footage. I also put a scrambled effect over some of them to make them seem as if they are not working, linking with that theme of the civilisation collapsing.
The movie as a whole went well, although the content was not that great, and i didn't have much to work with, but i think it got the point across. I was establishing the narrative more than what was actually on screen, pictures of empty villages. I made them seem as if everyone had deserted them.
I used ALOT of transitions on the sound and on the video, most of which were fades, to represent the passage of time in-between them. These were also very effective for keeping the action rolling, as once one scene had finished, another was still fading in.
The font was made to look like it was eroded, and i had taken the idea given to me by the Dawn of the Dead opening, where the red font was being blown away somehow. I made my font look as if it was distorted or broken, and seeming quite aggressive, attacking the screen.
The movie as a whole went well, although the content was not that great, and i didn't have much to work with, but i think it got the point across. I was establishing the narrative more than what was actually on screen, pictures of empty villages. I made them seem as if everyone had deserted them.
I used ALOT of transitions on the sound and on the video, most of which were fades, to represent the passage of time in-between them. These were also very effective for keeping the action rolling, as once one scene had finished, another was still fading in.
The font was made to look like it was eroded, and i had taken the idea given to me by the Dawn of the Dead opening, where the red font was being blown away somehow. I made my font look as if it was distorted or broken, and seeming quite aggressive, attacking the screen.
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Storyboard
Due to the fast transitioned pace of our film, we thought it would be best to stick to words rather than pictures for a storyboard. This is much easier for us, as the words can cover a range rather than a picture which can only cover a point in our film.
Misé-en-Scene
Our Mise-en-Scene
Location
We will be filming in Sawtry, around the streets for a few scenes, but the main part will be based where Simon plays airsoft, and abandoned housing area. This is a very cliché of a thriller, but it shows the sheer destruction of the infection. We will take some shots of broken down and derelict places, and use them in our opening. We will also get some shots of run down areas to show the extent of destruction by the zombies, where people have abandoned their houses.
Lighting
We plan to have all natural lighting when it is getting dark when the main characters are walking in the street. This is to show the realism of the area. When they are all in the woods, we shoot the shots where there is minimal lighting.
Camera
Alot of the camerawork will be handheld to keep the idea of a news report.
Narrative
We will have a news report during the riot scenes. There will also be some yells of people shouting for each other, in confusion. The main characters will have minimal dialogue. There will be a scene with a person talking to someone on the phone where they are asking if the other person is alright, there will be no answer.
Costumes
We will have typical/casual clothing for our actors.
We will use mostly natural props, such as rusty old abandoned houses. We will have an answer phone.
Props
We will need
- Answer Phone
- Blood
- Old papers
Saturday, 4 April 2009
Title Ideas
In order to establish a connection with our target audience, we decided to hand out a questionnaire based on what font we should use. We picked a varied choice of fonts that would typically look horror, and told the people we queried to pick 2 choices. Here are our results.
2
2
3
0
0
1
4
3
The best font, was the second from last one. This was also the one we picked. It was similar to the 28 days later font, but it also had a bit more erosion on it, making it seem almost like zombies flesh.
We then downloaded this font, and used it for our opening sequence.
As for the name of the title, we decided on Contagion. This means corruption, or disease, which works well with the genre.
2
2
3
0
0
1
4
3
The best font, was the second from last one. This was also the one we picked. It was similar to the 28 days later font, but it also had a bit more erosion on it, making it seem almost like zombies flesh.
We then downloaded this font, and used it for our opening sequence.
As for the name of the title, we decided on Contagion. This means corruption, or disease, which works well with the genre.
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Dawn Of The Dead Analysis
The start opens with the logos of the distributors. We already get aspects of horror due to the jumpy music played over the top. It then proceeds to show a Ana Clark, the main character in the story, doing her shift in the hospital, we gather from the way that doctors instruct her that she is overworked and unappreciated. Ana and the sectary start having a conversation over a patient who was suffering from a bite attack. This is the first clue the viewers get on the infection and fits in with the convention of a zombie horror. Ana finishes her shift and leaves the hospital, as she steps through the doors she sees an ambulance parked up and the back doors wide open with two feet hanging out. At this point the audience have suspicions of the person being one of the infected. As she approaches the ambulance she calls out and the driver wakes up. Just as this happens, the radio in the ambulance asks the paramedics to respond to a bite attack. This is to tell the viewer that the bite attack up in the hospital was not a coincidence and that they are connected to the infection.
As she is driving home she flicks on the radio which is currently doing a news report. The report said “it is not an isolated incident” Ana then without any interest switches the radio onto another channel. Throughout the scene the viewers are given little hints such as the radio, the bite incidents and the thoughts of the paramedic being infected.
As she drives through her neighbourhood to her house a high birds eye view shot shows her route. This shot has not been used not to show isolation but to show a heavy population of what can potentially turn into the infected. The reason this method is done rather than the isolation technique is to allow the viewer to imagine the danger she could soon face. Just before she pulls into her drive she pulls over to talk to a little girl called Viviane, who’s her neighbour and is roller-blading on the road. Because she pulled over to talk this shows that Ana has a good relationship with her neighbours. Ana says “maybe tomorrow after work i will do a few backward laps around the block with you ok?”. This is ironic as we have a good idea that buy that time tomorrow Viviane and a large majority of people will be infected. From the moment we meet Viviane we can see that she and Ana have a very good bond, almost like mother and daughter.
This is a detailed narration of the opening 4 minutes of Dawn Of The Dead. I believe that the opening location was very stereotypical because the whole storyline involves a medical outbreak, in which the opening scene is set in a hospital. This set would have been chosen to portray the outbreak as an undetected and unstoppable virus, we know this because the one place you would expect the virus to be identified is a hospital, but the virus was undetected by hospitals, hence the spread of the virus.
The lighting in dawn of the dead is mainly all natural, although in some scenes the lighting is low to portray an essence of evil and danger. Zack Snyder and Mark Abraham, the directors have used lighting very well and have gained maximum effect it the attack scenes with the zombies.
In dawn of the dead there is diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The music used in dawn of the dead is very deep and contains a lot of bass. The music itself gives the impression of evil, even sometimes before it arrives. In the scene where Viviane approaches the Clarks bedroom, the suspense based music starts before we even see Viviane in a clear form or even in here blood drenched zombie form. As the music so does the suspense until she finally steps from the shadows into the doorway. As Viviane reveals herself the music reaches its peak as there is aloud quick paced beat. This is one of many examples in the way in which the music has been used to build the suspense in dawn of the dead. Through out the film the viewer would pick up on this and come to realise that with the start of that type of music means the start of danger.
The location used at the start of dawn of the dead is the hospital and the residential area. The hospital is mainly used to fit in with Ana’s character. the second location used is the residential area, this is a well chosen set as it gives maximum effect as the virus spreads into a populated area which therefore will create maximum amount of danger.
The start opens with the logos of the distributors. We already get aspects of horror due to the jumpy music played over the top. It then proceeds to show a Ana Clark, the main character in the story, doing her shift in the hospital, we gather from the way that doctors instruct her that she is overworked and unappreciated. Ana and the sectary start having a conversation over a patient who was suffering from a bite attack. This is the first clue the viewers get on the infection and fits in with the convention of a zombie horror. Ana finishes her shift and leaves the hospital, as she steps through the doors she sees an ambulance parked up and the back doors wide open with two feet hanging out. At this point the audience have suspicions of the person being one of the infected. As she approaches the ambulance she calls out and the driver wakes up. Just as this happens, the radio in the ambulance asks the paramedics to respond to a bite attack. This is to tell the viewer that the bite attack up in the hospital was not a coincidence and that they are connected to the infection.
As she is driving home she flicks on the radio which is currently doing a news report. The report said “it is not an isolated incident” Ana then without any interest switches the radio onto another channel. Throughout the scene the viewers are given little hints such as the radio, the bite incidents and the thoughts of the paramedic being infected.
As she drives through her neighbourhood to her house a high birds eye view shot shows her route. This shot has not been used not to show isolation but to show a heavy population of what can potentially turn into the infected. The reason this method is done rather than the isolation technique is to allow the viewer to imagine the danger she could soon face. Just before she pulls into her drive she pulls over to talk to a little girl called Viviane, who’s her neighbour and is roller-blading on the road. Because she pulled over to talk this shows that Ana has a good relationship with her neighbours. Ana says “maybe tomorrow after work i will do a few backward laps around the block with you ok?”. This is ironic as we have a good idea that buy that time tomorrow Viviane and a large majority of people will be infected. From the moment we meet Viviane we can see that she and Ana have a very good bond, almost like mother and daughter.
This is a detailed narration of the opening 4 minutes of Dawn Of The Dead. I believe that the opening location was very stereotypical because the whole storyline involves a medical outbreak, in which the opening scene is set in a hospital. This set would have been chosen to portray the outbreak as an undetected and unstoppable virus, we know this because the one place you would expect the virus to be identified is a hospital, but the virus was undetected by hospitals, hence the spread of the virus.
The lighting in dawn of the dead is mainly all natural, although in some scenes the lighting is low to portray an essence of evil and danger. Zack Snyder and Mark Abraham, the directors have used lighting very well and have gained maximum effect it the attack scenes with the zombies.
In dawn of the dead there is diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The music used in dawn of the dead is very deep and contains a lot of bass. The music itself gives the impression of evil, even sometimes before it arrives. In the scene where Viviane approaches the Clarks bedroom, the suspense based music starts before we even see Viviane in a clear form or even in here blood drenched zombie form. As the music so does the suspense until she finally steps from the shadows into the doorway. As Viviane reveals herself the music reaches its peak as there is aloud quick paced beat. This is one of many examples in the way in which the music has been used to build the suspense in dawn of the dead. Through out the film the viewer would pick up on this and come to realise that with the start of that type of music means the start of danger.
The location used at the start of dawn of the dead is the hospital and the residential area. The hospital is mainly used to fit in with Ana’s character. the second location used is the residential area, this is a well chosen set as it gives maximum effect as the virus spreads into a populated area which therefore will create maximum amount of danger.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
AS Questionnaire of horror/thriller
We will ask the target audience a few questions about horror and thriller conventions, which will hopefuly help us with our specification and ideas.
1) How old are you?
2) Name a scary location.
3) When you hear a scream, what do you think of?
4) Are you more scared by a physical monster or a psychological monster?
5) Do you enjoy a high octane chase with zombies, or being kept in suspense?
6) Does handheld scare you? Or do you prefer still?
7) Does the narrative play an important role in a horror/thriller?
8) When we say the word “Horror thriller” what images/film clips/sounds come to mind?
a. Images:
b. Clips:
c. Sounds:
9) What are you most scared by in a horror film?
Violence Suspense Graphical Horror Psychological Suspense
Other (List)
10) Describe a scary forest? (E.g. features of it)
11) When we say “Zombie” name 3 things that come to mind…
1) How old are you?
2) Name a scary location.
3) When you hear a scream, what do you think of?
4) Are you more scared by a physical monster or a psychological monster?
5) Do you enjoy a high octane chase with zombies, or being kept in suspense?
6) Does handheld scare you? Or do you prefer still?
7) Does the narrative play an important role in a horror/thriller?
8) When we say the word “Horror thriller” what images/film clips/sounds come to mind?
a. Images:
b. Clips:
c. Sounds:
9) What are you most scared by in a horror film?
Violence Suspense Graphical Horror Psychological Suspense
Other (List)
10) Describe a scary forest? (E.g. features of it)
11) When we say “Zombie” name 3 things that come to mind…
The difference between Horror and Thriller
We plan to use a bit of both horror and thriller in out movie. We plan to have the suspense a horror gives, but give it a horror storyline. Horror is about invoking fear, gruesome images and out of proportion issues, whereas Thriller is about holding suspense. In a Thriller, the fear is a lot more psychological based, where as a Horror has the gruesome graphics on screen. You could say thriller is based on suspense, where as horror is surprise. We plan to use both these in our film, similarly to what Alfred Hitchcock did. We give it a Horror based storyline, zombies, put a Thriller edge to it, making the zombies smarter than normal, and not showing themselves till necessary.
The lighting in thrillers is mostly studio based, to give an extra emphasis on the scenes although you do get ambient lighting in a lot of Thriller to create realism. In a horror, the lighting is purely natural. The flashing lights or red dull lights are in the scene, such as a broken spark or an alarm. The locations of Thrillers are very wide ranged. You can create suspense in anything if you can do it right, where as a horror needs a proper location to give the true effect of the destruction the antagonist gives, such as a small village is almost wiped out, or a city is in ruins. The storylines in Thrillers are often based around a flaw in the protagonist where the antagonist provokes it. There are many sub plots and sub genres in Thrillers. This is massively different to horrors, where the storyline is set and is purely based on the antagonist and protagonist and the struggle to survive. The camera angles in Thrillers have a lot of low angles and high angles to show strengths and weaknesses of the characters as they progress through the film. There is also a lot of close ups to show the characters reaction towards a certain event. In a Horror the camera angles are often point of view, or you are put in the scene as a person, while the scene takes place. This keeps the audience as close as possible to the danger, rather than trying to distance them from it. Thrillers have minimal editing, except the fast transitions at some points to build suspense, although in a Horror a lot of editing is needed, such as special effects to enhance what is going on in the scene.
To conclude we plan on using both the typical conventions that make a Horror scary, but keep the suspense that a Thriller gives. We plan on making this a whole new way of looking at a film; bringing two very mainstream genres and trying to make them a hybrid. It has worked before. Seven is a film that has both aspects of a Horror and Thriller. You could say the same about 28 days/weeks later, although that verges mostly on the Horror side.
The lighting in thrillers is mostly studio based, to give an extra emphasis on the scenes although you do get ambient lighting in a lot of Thriller to create realism. In a horror, the lighting is purely natural. The flashing lights or red dull lights are in the scene, such as a broken spark or an alarm. The locations of Thrillers are very wide ranged. You can create suspense in anything if you can do it right, where as a horror needs a proper location to give the true effect of the destruction the antagonist gives, such as a small village is almost wiped out, or a city is in ruins. The storylines in Thrillers are often based around a flaw in the protagonist where the antagonist provokes it. There are many sub plots and sub genres in Thrillers. This is massively different to horrors, where the storyline is set and is purely based on the antagonist and protagonist and the struggle to survive. The camera angles in Thrillers have a lot of low angles and high angles to show strengths and weaknesses of the characters as they progress through the film. There is also a lot of close ups to show the characters reaction towards a certain event. In a Horror the camera angles are often point of view, or you are put in the scene as a person, while the scene takes place. This keeps the audience as close as possible to the danger, rather than trying to distance them from it. Thrillers have minimal editing, except the fast transitions at some points to build suspense, although in a Horror a lot of editing is needed, such as special effects to enhance what is going on in the scene.
To conclude we plan on using both the typical conventions that make a Horror scary, but keep the suspense that a Thriller gives. We plan on making this a whole new way of looking at a film; bringing two very mainstream genres and trying to make them a hybrid. It has worked before. Seven is a film that has both aspects of a Horror and Thriller. You could say the same about 28 days/weeks later, although that verges mostly on the Horror side.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Thursday, 12 March 2009
How to make a zombie
If you are going to have a zombie, there are a few things that you might want to consider before you start to make it. First of all, will it be an ‘Intelligent’ or a dumb zombie. We found ‘Intelligent’ ones in 28 Days/Weeks Later, and in I am Legend, whereas there are dumb ones in Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead. The zombie’s personality plays a great part in thrillers, as dumb ones are usually massed and are killed all the time, though many more come, where as the ‘Intelligent’ ones seem to be everywhere, and can interact with the surroundings better. In I am Legend, the zombies are extremely fast, and are also very ‘Intelligent’; in the sense they lay traps and stay away from sunlight. There is also the ‘Intelligent’ ones in 28 Days/Weeks Later, where they mass, run extremely fast and are able to interact with surroundings. The dumb ones are usually used to show isolation due to the sheer mass of them, where as the ‘Intelligent’ ones usually create tension and suspense making the characters attempts seem useless.
When we think of zombie, we get the image of rotten skin, teeth showing, brains, claws, torn clothes and a relentless attitude. When we make our zombie, we will consider all these things, though we can not have very graphical images, so we will stick to showing silhouettes of them, or at a distance.
There is also the zombie “hot spots” such as dark rooms, isolated areas, urban cities and the classic, zombie hand clawing through the window. All these areas need to be thought about when thinking of where to make the protagonist go. A lot of zombie thrillers show the protagonists trying to get to another abandoned building, and must pass masses of zombies to get to them. This is a common theme in zombie films.
IOn our first storyboard, our zombie will wear over sized clothes, though you will only see silhouettes of it running. We will make them extremely strong and fast, making the protagonists seem inferior to them, even though they are still teenagers. We will have masses of the zombies, though we will only show a maximum of 5 in the woods scene. This is to still keep the realism of the zombies actually following the teenagers, and the isolation of them.
We could consider using fake blood and wounds if we were to use a close up, although due to our budget, we will stick to keeping them at a distance.
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Preliminary Task
We were told to do a preliminary task based around a person walking into a room and exchanging conversation. Me and simon decided to have a gangsta style one, and it turned out pretty well.
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Filming Location
Pitching the Location
In order to make sure we know where out setting and location will be, we decided to go up to the woods that we plan on filming in to take some shots that will be included in the film sequence. This makes sure that when we go up on the day, we will know where to set up our shots. It also gives us ideas to work though and show where we are so far in ideas for pitching out movie. Unfortunately due to the weather, we only have shots of the settings in the snow.
Consideration
We plan on filming our movie in the woods near where we live. This will provide us with easy access, and a powerful convention used in horror and thriller movie. The woods are perfect for our move, due to the gnarled aged trees and giant landscape. There is also the isolation of it. The woods near some open fields. We will need to consider the weather when filming in this location. Due to the muddy ground, we cannot film on a wet or rainy day as this will make filming and acting extremely difficult.
The entering the woods scene
We will need to find an opening in the woods, with a tree outside giving us cover to film the teens as they venture into the woods. There will also be a juxtaposition of the open field and the cramped woods.
The camping scene
We will need to find a small open clearance in the trees when in the woods to film and build the camping scenes. The opening must be big enough to fit a tent but small enough for trees to hang over and surround it. We must also make sure there is safe ground to build on, such as a hard surface, no hills.
(Pictures to still be uploaded)
Gnarled Tree-
We are using a picture of a gnarled tree which is a typical semiotic for bad things. This tree will set the genre of the movie when it is seen in the shot while the camera shows multiple shots of the teenagers walking up the path.
Camping location-
This will be the area that we will have the tent and camp set up. It is close to a path for easy access, and it is also flat enough for room for setting up a camp. It is also near a few trees that will be perfect for framing the camp sight in for one of our ideas.
Another shot of the camping location used to show the trees in the background.
Opening in trees/Enterance-
This is another easier to see shot of the enterance.
Here is a picture from behind a bush. This shot may be used unless we find a better way of hiding the camera from the teens as they enter the woods.
Framing of trees-
Here is a shot we will use from behind a tree watching the teens as they have entered the woods. The camera will pand as they walk from one enf othe tree, through so the camera cant see them, to the other end of the tree, back into view. This will give the idea of the teens being watched, and the audience being of an advantage to the teens.
This is a shot of the other side of the panning from behind a tree, after the teens have passed.
This is another of the multiple shots from behind a tree while the camera follows the teens up the path to their camp.
This is a shot we will use the style of for shoting the teens in the camp. It will symbolise how the teens will be trapped in the middle of the action.
Here is another shot showing trees either side of the camera composition. This shot could be used at the end when the teens realised they have been followed.
Here are some shots of the location we will be filming at. These will not be used, but give us an idea of the area we will be working in.
In order to make sure we know where out setting and location will be, we decided to go up to the woods that we plan on filming in to take some shots that will be included in the film sequence. This makes sure that when we go up on the day, we will know where to set up our shots. It also gives us ideas to work though and show where we are so far in ideas for pitching out movie. Unfortunately due to the weather, we only have shots of the settings in the snow.
Consideration
We plan on filming our movie in the woods near where we live. This will provide us with easy access, and a powerful convention used in horror and thriller movie. The woods are perfect for our move, due to the gnarled aged trees and giant landscape. There is also the isolation of it. The woods near some open fields. We will need to consider the weather when filming in this location. Due to the muddy ground, we cannot film on a wet or rainy day as this will make filming and acting extremely difficult.
The entering the woods scene
We will need to find an opening in the woods, with a tree outside giving us cover to film the teens as they venture into the woods. There will also be a juxtaposition of the open field and the cramped woods.
The camping scene
We will need to find a small open clearance in the trees when in the woods to film and build the camping scenes. The opening must be big enough to fit a tent but small enough for trees to hang over and surround it. We must also make sure there is safe ground to build on, such as a hard surface, no hills.
(Pictures to still be uploaded)
Gnarled Tree-
We are using a picture of a gnarled tree which is a typical semiotic for bad things. This tree will set the genre of the movie when it is seen in the shot while the camera shows multiple shots of the teenagers walking up the path.
Camping location-
This will be the area that we will have the tent and camp set up. It is close to a path for easy access, and it is also flat enough for room for setting up a camp. It is also near a few trees that will be perfect for framing the camp sight in for one of our ideas.
Another shot of the camping location used to show the trees in the background.
Opening in trees/Enterance-
Here is a shot that we probably will not use due to the obviousness of the camera shooting location of the entarence to the woods.
This is another easier to see shot of the enterance.
Here is a picture from behind a bush. This shot may be used unless we find a better way of hiding the camera from the teens as they enter the woods.
Framing of trees-
Here is a shot we will use from behind a tree watching the teens as they have entered the woods. The camera will pand as they walk from one enf othe tree, through so the camera cant see them, to the other end of the tree, back into view. This will give the idea of the teens being watched, and the audience being of an advantage to the teens.
This is a shot of the other side of the panning from behind a tree, after the teens have passed.
This is another of the multiple shots from behind a tree while the camera follows the teens up the path to their camp.
This is a shot we will use the style of for shoting the teens in the camp. It will symbolise how the teens will be trapped in the middle of the action.
Here is another shot showing trees either side of the camera composition. This shot could be used at the end when the teens realised they have been followed.
Here are some shots of the location we will be filming at. These will not be used, but give us an idea of the area we will be working in.
28 Days Later opening + location analysis
Title: 28 Days Later
Year it was made: 2002
Director: Danny Boyle
28 days later is a Zombie Thriller/Horror. It starts with activists who try to release monkeys who were infected by a deadly disease called Rage. A monkey bites one of the people as they let it out, and within moments you turn from being sympathetic to the chimps to terrify of them by this act. During the arrival of the activists the chimps are all crazy banging the cage, then the camera follows the views of what a monkey is being forced to watch. We then see the activists see the monkey in this table strapped down with monitors above it. On the monitors we see violence. As one of the activists takes pictures, the camera flashes and we see what the picture was taken looks like. During the pictures, there are sound bridges of the monkeys screeching to keep the action moving. This keeps the audience tense and stops them loosing interest. At this point, the music is slow and quite eerie, but is slowly building speed and suspense. Once the cage is opened, the camera goes wild and shows a first person of the monkey charging at the woman where it ends up as a close up of the monkey biting this woman. Within moments, she pukes up blood, and acts like the monkeys were like, crazed and angry. You can tell the tension of the film by the yelling of the scientist. The editing is very powerful in the way the fast transitions are done and the shots of the camera angles. You would expect the camera to be distance and away as far as possible from the danger, but in this movie, it shows you the danger as close as possible. This is what makes 28 days later a horror type, rather than thriller, the fear is created in the physical viewings rather than mentally. The lighting that the special effects create is very powerful. There are very dark red ambient lights in it to show blood, rage and anger. There may also be a dark red filter put over the top. This whole sequence leaves you wanting to watch more and more of the movie, as you are kept in your seats with the powerful music and fast transitions, never showing you the finished result.
The camera is set as if it is a person standing idol in the scene, switching from first person to third. This is creating a very dizzy effect on the audience, as they don’t quite know where they are. Are they in the scene or are they a character in the scene? This is also related with the music. Due to the high strings sound, and distorted feelings we get from hearing this music, we feel uncomfortable watching this. The way the camera switches from one view to another, while the music still, slowly drones on with slight highs keeps us watching for more!
The location is very typical of a horror in this. They managed to get pictures very early in the morning of New York landmarks with nothing or no one there but destruction and wreckage. They use these locations as it scares us. Some people, usually the target audience, use this place daily, and know how busy it is, and seeing it in this state, scares them. The animal testing facility is also very strong in the way that you never know what horrors they will be doing to the animals. This is also a controversial issue at the time this movie was created, therefore it linked in well with the timescale It was created. The lighting is one of the things that make this movie and other horror movies powerful. There is lots of flashing lights showing close ups of the faces of the victims and the zombies, making it a very hectic situation, and instead of showing a slow whole shot with no transitions, it shows snap shots of the danger. The natural daylight is also very good in the way it creates an eerie atmosphere when the man is outside the hospital. There are dress codes used in these scenes that give us a clue to the genre as well. We first see the protagonist in a hospital, completely naked. The semiotics of being in a hospital enough shows how vulnerable this man is, yet he is completely naked, isolated, being the only one in the whole hospital. The scientists are first seen coming in drinking what we would think as coffee. We drink coffee when we are tired, and due to the lighting, it looks like night. This tells us that the scientist must work late nights, and is probably really stressed. His body language also shows this. He is very submissive, yet anxious about letting the monkeys out. During this, you would expect the camera to show lots of low angle shots at him, due to the other characters yelling and swearing at him, although the camera is always shot grouping him with the other characters. This is bringing all the characters together, showing that there is no pro or antagonist in this scene, that they will all be attacked by the chimps similarly.
(Unfortunately we could not get the opening sequence)
Chimp Scene:
Location + Music:
Year it was made: 2002
Director: Danny Boyle
28 days later is a Zombie Thriller/Horror. It starts with activists who try to release monkeys who were infected by a deadly disease called Rage. A monkey bites one of the people as they let it out, and within moments you turn from being sympathetic to the chimps to terrify of them by this act. During the arrival of the activists the chimps are all crazy banging the cage, then the camera follows the views of what a monkey is being forced to watch. We then see the activists see the monkey in this table strapped down with monitors above it. On the monitors we see violence. As one of the activists takes pictures, the camera flashes and we see what the picture was taken looks like. During the pictures, there are sound bridges of the monkeys screeching to keep the action moving. This keeps the audience tense and stops them loosing interest. At this point, the music is slow and quite eerie, but is slowly building speed and suspense. Once the cage is opened, the camera goes wild and shows a first person of the monkey charging at the woman where it ends up as a close up of the monkey biting this woman. Within moments, she pukes up blood, and acts like the monkeys were like, crazed and angry. You can tell the tension of the film by the yelling of the scientist. The editing is very powerful in the way the fast transitions are done and the shots of the camera angles. You would expect the camera to be distance and away as far as possible from the danger, but in this movie, it shows you the danger as close as possible. This is what makes 28 days later a horror type, rather than thriller, the fear is created in the physical viewings rather than mentally. The lighting that the special effects create is very powerful. There are very dark red ambient lights in it to show blood, rage and anger. There may also be a dark red filter put over the top. This whole sequence leaves you wanting to watch more and more of the movie, as you are kept in your seats with the powerful music and fast transitions, never showing you the finished result.
The camera is set as if it is a person standing idol in the scene, switching from first person to third. This is creating a very dizzy effect on the audience, as they don’t quite know where they are. Are they in the scene or are they a character in the scene? This is also related with the music. Due to the high strings sound, and distorted feelings we get from hearing this music, we feel uncomfortable watching this. The way the camera switches from one view to another, while the music still, slowly drones on with slight highs keeps us watching for more!
The location is very typical of a horror in this. They managed to get pictures very early in the morning of New York landmarks with nothing or no one there but destruction and wreckage. They use these locations as it scares us. Some people, usually the target audience, use this place daily, and know how busy it is, and seeing it in this state, scares them. The animal testing facility is also very strong in the way that you never know what horrors they will be doing to the animals. This is also a controversial issue at the time this movie was created, therefore it linked in well with the timescale It was created. The lighting is one of the things that make this movie and other horror movies powerful. There is lots of flashing lights showing close ups of the faces of the victims and the zombies, making it a very hectic situation, and instead of showing a slow whole shot with no transitions, it shows snap shots of the danger. The natural daylight is also very good in the way it creates an eerie atmosphere when the man is outside the hospital. There are dress codes used in these scenes that give us a clue to the genre as well. We first see the protagonist in a hospital, completely naked. The semiotics of being in a hospital enough shows how vulnerable this man is, yet he is completely naked, isolated, being the only one in the whole hospital. The scientists are first seen coming in drinking what we would think as coffee. We drink coffee when we are tired, and due to the lighting, it looks like night. This tells us that the scientist must work late nights, and is probably really stressed. His body language also shows this. He is very submissive, yet anxious about letting the monkeys out. During this, you would expect the camera to show lots of low angle shots at him, due to the other characters yelling and swearing at him, although the camera is always shot grouping him with the other characters. This is bringing all the characters together, showing that there is no pro or antagonist in this scene, that they will all be attacked by the chimps similarly.
(Unfortunately we could not get the opening sequence)
Chimp Scene:
Location + Music:
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