Short Horror Film

           

The Shining

The Shining:
(Here's Johnny Clip)





The sequence opens with a shot which is tracking backwards showing the main character Jack Torrance the camera is tracking at the same speed of him walking. In this shot jack is walking into a room up a small corridor, while this is happening non-diegetic sound is playing in order to create suspense. The music playing is a high pitched screeching type sound which tells the audience that something sinister is going to happen.
When Jack reaches the end of the corridor he is stood in front of a door/window in this shot you can see a cross shape being made by the window panels. This shape is seen very frequently throughout the whole film which is used to reference religion and possibly a sinister force being present, this is big horror film convention used a lot in the genre.
From this the shot cuts to a mid-shot of a woman struggling to get out of a window, the fast movements of the woman and the speed of the music helps to create panic in the viewers. The following long-shot shows the boy outside of the window, the panic is also emphasised from the fast and heavy breathing of the boy, this put me on edge as you know that something is going to happen soon. From this scene I also began to mimic the sense of nervousness shown in both the characters. The next few shots are shot reverse shot of jack walking closer to the bathroom door and the woman trying to get out of the window, these are being used to show the audience that the woman and her son are trying to get away from Jack.
In the shot that Jack reaches the door the music takes a slight pause and then begins to increase its pace again, this adds to the suspense of the film as it uses the music to show climax's in the action. The following shots are of Jack breaking the door down with an axe, in the first shot there is a window present again showing the cross symbol, perhaps hinting at the supernatural force that sent him into madness.
There are many different shots used at different angles showing Jack breaking down the door, the second shot is positioned in line to the door, this is a mid-shot and shows the axe coming through the door and also the woman's reaction. The music during these scenes are very quiet compared to build up, the prominent sounds are diegetic and of the axe/door and the woman screaming. Another shot used was a mid-shot showing Jacks face as he is making a hole in the door, this shot shows Jack to be quite crazy, following this shot is the shot of Jack with his face through the door this also emphasises how crazy he has become.

The Shining

The Shining (Come play with us - twins scene)





The beginning of this scene opens with a long shot tracking forward, this is showing the boy Danny riding down a long corridor on a tricycle. This shot obeys with the rule of thirds as all the walls and furniture fit within the rule, this happens with the majority of the scenes in the film giving the place an eire feel. The camera carries on tracking despite Danny being out of shot. The next shot is still tracking forward showing Danny riding down a corridor, however the camera is closer towards Danny and he does so, this helps the audience relate to his position as they feel as though they are there also. As Danny turns the corner of the hallway a long-shot is used to show the audience Danny, the hallway and also the unknown characters. The scene then cuts to a close of up Danny's face showing his expression of shock and fear, from this you can also see the fast breathing of Danny which will help the audience to replicate his fear.
The music throughout this sequence I used again to create suspense and to also show climax's in the films action, the music puts the viewers one edge as it gives a sense of when something is going to happen but instead is nothing.
Following this the scenes cut to one another quicker, shot reverse shot is used also to show both Danny and the unknown twins. These scenes caused me as a viewer a lot of nervousness and confusion as although you have not been introduced with these characters yet they know Danny's name and are talking to him. This made me want to carry on watching the film in order to find out who they are. The scenes show the twins talking and then also dead with the corridor being covered in blood, this tells the audience that the people are possibly just figments of Danny's imagination. This is one of the early signs that the place may be within company of a evil presence.
After this the Twins disappear as Danny is repeating to himself that the people are just like pictures in a book backing up our idea that the people that Danny is seeing are not real. The setting is always neat and well maintained look which contrasts with the flash backs to murders which appear to be reckless and messy, this gives the hotel an unnatural feel as it seems too neat.

Reflective Analysis

Short Horror Film:

Our Objective was to produce a small sequence, from 1-2 minutes long, which would fit into both the horror and thriller genre. In order to make this effective we included conventions from both genres, this includes the types of shots used such as; long shots, mid-shots, close ups. We filmed these shots In various different ways, examples of these are; tracking shots, zooms and panning. All of these were used in order to create nervousness within the viewers and to also keep them wondering what is going to happen next. We used a familiar setting as well as characters which are easy to relate too, this helps the audience to feel fear as they can imagine themselves in that position.

The first half of the film was set in an open environment and as the sequence progressed the setting changed from into a confined space of a building and then a small room. The setting of a small room or corridor is a major horror convention which we thought would add to the audiences fear. Buildings are used as it shows the audience they are in a confined space and it is difficult for them to escape if needed. In our film we showed the victim walk into the building shortly followed by the stalker, this would have emphasised the 'trapped' feeling and would have heightened the feeling of panic in the viewers. As well as this the lighting suddenly changed from high-key when outside to very low-key when inside, this would have gave the building a sinister feel and also created uneasiness in the viewers.

The age group to which this is aimed at is teenagers and adults which is why our rating would be 12 or 12A. This is because of  the themes that the sequence projects such as stalking and murder would not be suitable for children under the age of 12 to see.