R9- Night Night Nancy: textual analysis

R9- TEXTUAL ANALYSIS NIGHT NIGHT NANCY

Night Night Nancy is a horror film where a teenage girl is left spooked when she notices pictures taken of herself whilst asleep, with no one at home the main character- Nancy is left petrified as she tries to keep herself safe from harm.

Night Night Nancy, short horror: textual analysis.

The short horror film opens with a close up, of a text which reads 'Night Night Nancy' , it is used to set the scene, along with the ambient sound of general bedroom noise. The shot then changes to a wide shot where the character is shown to be asleep. Natural lighting is used to create realism and the overall silent morning atmosphere. The text conversation between Nancy and character- Josh is shown on screen, this allows the audience to understand what is going on and what is being said. The close up, point of view shots of the phone screen, clearly show what the character is looking at, this makes the audience feel a part of the scene. The close up allows the audience to see the character's facial expressions as she discovers the images, silence is used to create a realistic imagery.

The music, starts when the film has come to a climax, the low pitched metal-sound instruments along with the ambient sound of the door creak make the scene tense and create a horror atmosphere. Low key lighting is used to heighten the sense of alienation felt by the character, also, naturally this forms shadowy effects which is a key convention of horror. The sound of the music gradually increases as the character faces her fears, the music is used to both thrill and grip the audience making them interested and focus on the fear of the protagonist. The director also uses crab shots to signify the fear felt as the protagonist fears for her life. One of the main factors in this short film is the use of ambient sounds- the ambience creates a very familiar and mundane sounds to what the audiences may hear in reality, which works effectively in inducing fear into audiences.

The horror genre is often known for playing with real emotions and toying around with the idea of 'the unknown' a successful horror film often expresses these horror elements very well and I think this short film does this precisely due to the minimal sound is used alongside the 1 type of lighting style this gives it that extra edge creating a cold, horror theme.  

Also, as the facial expressions of the character as she screws her eyebrows and has her hands over her hands showing a sign of fear and helplessness making the audience sympathise with her. Towards the ending the director choses to introduce grotesque imagery which is often associated with death and blood. An unconventional element to this particular short film is that all the suspense, plot and twist of the story was saved until the ending which was unexpected and made me seem more awake and gripped.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiL6ECmzP-E 

R8- Victim short horror film: titles and credits

R8- TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF VICTIM (TITLES AND CREDITS)

Victim is a short horror film, which has won a student award. It is based on 'Slender Man'. A film about a boy who becomes a victim to being stalked by a mythical creature 'Slender Man'.

Analysis of the titles and credits

The film begins with a series of shots which are all interlinked as they are iconic to the forest imagery in which the film is filmed in. As the shots are presented in a fast pace, the audio used in the beginning of the film correlates with the scenery as the music which is low pitched and increasingly loud, as well offering a static and unusual feeling which constructs a tense atmosphere. Perhaps the director chose to start with a range of shots creating a montage, to foreshadow the scenery which will be clearer in the film.

At 14 seconds the production title 'GEO Films' is presented in a background which is supposed to represent a grotesque and scary scene. The font of the title is faded into the background, creating a sense of unease. Also, the colours used which are old golden crispy and earthy colours such as black and brown create a vivid imagery of the woods and nature. This is followed by an establishing shot and ambient sound creating a sense of realism and reinforcing the idea that this is a normal, foggy winter morning. As an audience this makes me feel intrigued and a little unsettled as the scenery of the fog and the ice cold branches of the trees is what I witness on a cold winter morning myself, attracting my attention to see what will happen.

At 48 seconds the titles begin with 'JEO Films present'... 'A Film by Eddie Anderson'. The director chose to keep a simple yet sophisticated house style, which appears both professional and presentable. This is then followed by the actors and actresses names and a sting which was heard when the film first started. The director uses both ambient and non-diagetic sound which instills fear in me as the realism and the fear of the unknown are combined together, this is a key convention in horror films. By doing this the director immediately gives an insight into the setting and atmosphere of the film, in which the audience create an expectation of what they will see in the short film.

Finally, at 1:27 the title of the film 'VICTIM' is presented which with the sound and imagery of the woods keeps the audience amerced and interested to see what this is about. My initial thoughts, until the title of the film at 1:27 was that there will be a heinous act in which a person (the victim) is left traumatised, I gathered this information because of the method the director uses, without revealing the plot, the sound made me feel afraid expecting gore and the imagery of flat land reinforced the idea that there will be a sense of lonely and aloneness.

The film ends its credit with the title of the film.

I think is is an effective way to introduce the tittles, the typography follows a consistent style it's edgy and expresses harsh tone to the film. Also it grips the audience's attention from the beginning, portraying the horror theme through the extreme close ups of particular wood/forest imagery. The titles have a consistent house style which is easily recognisable.

This helps me understand how to present my titles in a creative way which the audience are going to be captivated from the beginning of the film, setting the scene of a horror themed film and presenting the cast members at the same time.    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsC1_PCOGos

R6- ABE: textual analysis

R6- TEXTUAL ANALYSIS: ABE

The movie opens with a consistent house style on a plain black background immediately reinforcing the horror theme as the silence makes it tense and creates an atmosphere of suspense leaving the audience with an expectation of being frightened. 

ABE opens with an enigma code, grabbing the attention of the audience as the establishing shot of the curtains and the chains is rather peculiar and opens in a mysterious way. The curtains and lack of in an isolated room are conventions of the horror genre as they are typical icons used throughout horror films as it connotes the idea of secrecy and induces a level of fear in audiences. The icons could be used to foreshadow the scary scenes that are yet to be discovered by the audience. 

The shadowy effect created alongside the low key lightning is a key convention of horror films which creates a spooky setting, the film plays with typical conventions of horror films to draw in its existing audience as McLellan uses the fear of the unknown - as audience's are left intrigued and curious as to what lays behind the curtains, their own interpretations of the chain and curtains and what they are used for is possibly worse in the audience's imagination that what actually happens. 

The panning of the equipment which was sharp, heavy and metal denote the agony and pain the victim could possibly go through, again the dear of the unknown is used.

A moth is used to portray a short, yet insignificant life this may be used to represent the victims life. In addition, the moth also represents the ideology that they are attracts to what kills them, as the moth flies around the light which will eventually end it. The cruel characterisation of the robot slashes the moth, perhaps the director is foreshadowing what will happen to the victim. The use of violence and harsh 'punishment' is also a key theme which is reoccurring in many horror films. 

Binary opposition is used to create sympathy as the victim is wearing a pink dress which represents her youth and innocence, this is directly contrasted with the barbaric setting she is placed in. The restrictions on her mouth, hands and legs is a connotation of her helplessness and lack of power.         

The director used the conventional bright red blood which is associated with danger, fear and death. The splattering of blood signifies the agony in which the victim felt, sadistic characters are of a main focus in horror films that fall into the sub-genre of sc-fi and psychological horror.  

The sting associated with the robot enhances the visual imagery as the slow, mid pitched sounds of piano and continuous loud drones makes the movie sound scary, sound is used throughout the movie to create fear and a tense atmosphere. The movie ended with the robot having a flash back, in which editing is used to create a hazy yet vivid picture of how he spent his life, reminiscing the past experiences which helps the audience understand from his perspective and perhaps justifies his actions. The movie ended with the frame fading into black, connoting the ending of a life, as well as scene. The house style of the front is sustained from the titles, to the credit. 

It relates very well to the horror genre as it carries an enigma throughout the film, the location, mes-en-scen as well as the sharp music and hollow sounds all link and create a tense atmosphere. 

R9- Ideas for film

Ideas for film

After looking at the conventions of the sub-genre in which my film which is zombie horror, in order to stick to the sub-genre i will need to tick all the required conventions in a zombie horror. I will need to add scenes in my film which deal with gore, blood and the grotesque nature of zombies.

I will need to include loud and eeire sounds which are playful and induce a level of fear in the audience.

R8- Why the zombie sub-genre?

R7- Camera work in horror movies

Camera work in horror movies

Establishing shot 

The establishing shot in insidious is used to capture all the things in the setting, also, the movie is based on a haunted house therefore showing the houses in which the family will be haunted. The upper class lifestyle is presented through the shot as it is visually visible that the house is grand and nicely kept, which contrasts to all the things which happen inside the house, also, big houses are a key convention in horror movies.  

Long Shot

The long shot in this scene is used to show all the things in the scene, also the space around the protagonist is used to reinforce the idea that she is alone, the low-key lighting is used to connote the dark and mysterious element of the abandoned room.

Tilt shot

A tilt shot gives the action a more dramatic feel, creating tension and unease to the audience. Also it give audience a difference perspective for example, in the image below, from a scene in Insidious, the tilt shots creates an atmosphere of tension making the audience feel somewhat threatened by the red door or what's behind it.

Close up

This shot is used to draw the audience to a specific object or person and closer attention on the little details, helping the audience observe the fear and tense emotions a person is feeling. For, example in SAW, the villain's seriousness is depicted by focusing on his facial expressions, as his stern look creates unease and a degree of fear to the audience as they can get a clear imagine of the victim's pain/suffering.

High angle/bird's eye view

This shot is used to create a barrier in terms of power, high angle shots are often used to connote the authority and superiority held by an individual, making them look physically vulnerable and helpless. Bird's eye views are also used in horror movies to show the entire image to the audience, bird's eye view shots often are a dramatic device as they allow the audience to see what's happening in the scene and the possible threats whereas the victims do not know. This shot from The Walking Dead, the zombies which are gathering in masses is shown to the audience through the bird's eye view, this creates feelings of sympathy for the humans who are helplessly trying to stay alive.

Tracking shot

Tracking shots are used to show that the victim is being watched or followed. These shots are common in horror films as the instil fear in the audience by making the audience aware that the victim is being followed. In zombie horrors they are common, along with the sound of footsteps getting increasingly louder the tracking shot reaffirms the genre of the film. 

Point of view

Point of view shots are used to show the scene through the protagonists eyes, in the shot from Orphan, the audience are able to see through the eyes of the Ester. These shots are often used to create an element of fear as the audience do not know who is watching and sometimes who is being watched, therefore playing with human feelings of fear of the unknown.

 

Hand-held shot

Hand-held shots create realism, making the audience feel as though they are part of the film themselves these shots give the audience a true and genuine account of what the protagonist sees. These are very common in horror films as it is used to present scenes in confined spaces and fast faced action whereby the protagonist makes a sharp and quick move, allowing the audience to be a part of it too. Horrors like Paranormal activity use these shots throughout the film as it enhances the viewing experience because the audience are amerced into the scene as they feel they are part of the action on screen.

R10- What is a short film?

What is a short film?

A short film is a film which is not longer than a feature film. A film which can be up to 40 minutes or less including titles and credits. 

Short films can be produced by both professionals and amateurs, they are often screened at film festivals, and short films are often made on low budget as a way of show casing new talent for future work.   

Feature and short films differ not just in lengths, in a short film there is not much exposure to key characters and a fully developed introduction, also there will be fewer characters starring in the film. Moreover, the locations and settings will be limited therefore there will heavy reliance on acting and the visual effects.

Other kinds of films are:

Biopic- a film based on the events of someone's lifeDocumentary- a film or television programme that deals with real people and events Feature film- a film of standard length

Overall a short film can be anything shorter than 40 minutes and does not necessarily have to be produced by professional practitioners.  

Source: Future Learn