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Research plan
Research plan
I am going to be doing both secondary and primary research for my FMP in order to get an understanding of the different elements that are involved in my project. This will help me make a film that will have an emotional effect and induce positive reactions from the audience.
PRIMARY
PRIMARY
questionnaire
interviews
observational studies - information I have gathered from observing similar projects, such as watching horror films and short horror films on YouTube and other streaming platforms
SECONDARY
SECONDARY
statistical analysis - gathering of statistics from different sources
content analysis - gathering of information from existing content across different sources
case study - detailed study of a specific piece of media
SecONDary research
SecONDary research
Genre
Genre
To help me further develop my ideas for my FMP, I am researching the genre to learn about the conventions and typical elements of horror.
CONVENTIONS
CONVENTIONS
the "monster" can't be reasoned with
perpetual discomfort - monster could attack at any moment
balance of fantasy and normal - use familiar to ground fantasy elements
monsters power gets greater as it goes on
sadomasochistic flip flop - give the audience enjoyment from the character's suffering but also empathy for them
unsettling environments - danger could be anywhere and the atmosphere is uncomfortable
heroic protagonist is the final victim after minor characters have been killed off
false ending - moment of relief but then more danger arises
realisation of defeat
heroic protagonist surprises us with their strength and beats the monster
Some other common things seen in horror films include:
jumpscares
low-key lighting
quick shots
dark colour palettes
pathetic fallacy
link between the supernatural and young children
religious themes
secluded locations
I researched elements that make a good horror movie and discovered that a good technique is tricking the audience into a false sense of relaxation only to be surprised by the scares. I could do this in my film by at first portraying the woods as calming, peaceful and an escape from the protagonist's problems. Another thing I learnt is that a good horror movie has a good plot. This makes the scares much more effective and actually hooks the audience much more than being bombarded with jumpscares would.
Music/soundtrack
Music/soundtrack
Typically, the soundtracks in horror movies include similar elements to induce fear and nerves.
eerie intervals - intervals in music connote uncertainty as it throws off the rhythm and melody
intimidating instruments - instruments such as the pipe organ and violin are associated with eeriness, and specifically the pipe organ is famous for it's link to vampires and gothic themes
human-like sounds - instruments are used to mimic or give connotations of human-like sounds. For example string instruments and high notes can resemble screaming, pain and shrill eeriness
silence - silence builds suspense as it gives the audience a feeling like something is about to happen but without any indication as to what or when
Music is used in film to connote emotions and atmosphere. Specific instruments are typically seen portraying certain emotions such as the piano or violin to show sadness; however, a piano could be used in a different way to express romance. The tempo and pitch also can be used to show feelings, for example a slow pace usually has sad or negative connotations, while quick and upbeat usually has happy connotations. On the other hand, a quick pace could also represent panic and chaos, but the context of the scene along with the instruments used and the dynamics of the music is what gives the whole scene a general mood/emotion, so multiple factors help contribute to this, not just music alone (mis-en-scene). Music is very important for creating emotion though which is why I am intending on including emotive music in my film as it is supposed to be psychological and compelling. The most common instruments used in horror films include stringed instruments like the violin or zither which can be uncomfortable and off-putting. Synthesisers are also a common instrument used in the soundtrack of horror movies as they can create eerie and unfamiliar sounds. The waterphone is stated to be "the King of creepy", as it creates ethereal sounds through the use of a stainless steel resonator bowl with a little bit of water and bronze rods around. Another instrument that is very often used in horror films is one that was invented for this purpose. It is called the "The Apprehension Engine" and was created by Tony Duggan-Smith to make jarring horror sounds.
Colour schemes
Colour schemes
To fit the theme of my film, I am aiming to make the colour scheme bleak and dull to go with the context of the film. I can achieve this by editing how the footage looks on Premiere Pro or After Effects, and also by filming with low exposure. I am aiming for the tone to be a dull greenish colour filter; I also think this is a good idea as the film is set in a forest/woods, so earthy tones like green and brown would be fitting.
I researched more about colour theory on this website and applied my knowledge from Unit 4 to help with deciding the colour scheme.
To the left is an image of the colour wheel with labels for each side. Colours on the warm side, which include yellow, orange, red, and magenta usually are used to portray warmth and happiness like what the sun provides. However, they can also be used to represent intense emotions such as anger or urgency, like how urgent alarms often are red. The colours on the cool side, blue, purple and green, typically are used to represent the cold, winter, night time, loneliness and fear. On the other hand, they can be soothing like a blue sky or the ocean.
As my film has a scary and eerie atmosphere I will be using colours on the cool side of the colour wheel .his is because cool tones are often representative of night time, the cold and sadness, and that is how I will use these colours. I will probably keep the saturation fairly neutral however I am planning on experimenting with it during the editing process to see if less saturation fits the mood.
After reading about the different types of colour scheme on this website I have decided to aim for an analogous colour scheme which is variations of colours next to each other on the colour wheel. This provides a even and consistent colour scheme without being as monochrome as a monochrome colour scheme. I am intending on doing analogous because I want it to be different variations of a blue and green hue.
SHOT TYPES
I used a to see examples and descriptions of different types of shots commonly used in horror films. A common one is a tilt shot, which can portray unease and victimisation. Another shot type is birds eye view angle as this can make the subject of the shot seem small, overpowered and vulnerable.
Costume
Costume
Since my film isn't going to be obviously set at a specific time era, the costumes should be fairly simple and universal. Typically in horror films the characters tend to wear dark clothing to emphasise and match the theme and to make the film scary as it gives the illusion of more shadows.
Primary Research
Primary Research
INTERVIEW
To help me gather more opinions to help me with my FMP, I will be interviewing a few people within the genre's typical age range about their opinions on my FMP, and if they have any ideas for improvement. I will be asking them a number of questions and taking their answers into consideration and potentially applying them to my ideas.
FMP Interview.docxOBSERVATIONAL STUDIES
I went to my proposed shooting location to check that it was suitable and to get an idea of shots and the environment of my film. My observations showed me that this was a good location because there are lots of different areas to shoot in and it is the environment I was envisioning for my film while still having factors I could use for cinematography such as the views of Bath as it is on a hill.
As part of my observational studies I will be watching a variety of horror movies of different sub-genres to help me get an even further understanding of the genre and how it is portrayed in different ways, although I am unsure whether this falls under primary or secondary research.
SURVEY
I created a survey using Google Forms to gather the opinion of my classmates and people I know. These ages range from 16-80 meaning I can get a varied range of results and opinions. I sent it on Microsoft Teams for my classmates to fill out and also sent it to my family members and asked them to send it to whoever they can. The results will help me know how to improve my ideas and what the majority of that audience likes.
From the 31 results I gathered from my survey, I discovered that 54.8% of my respondents find horror movies entertaining, 29% somewhat and 16.9% don't. Regarding sub-genre, 22.6% preferred a sub-genre not listed, whereas the most liked sub-genres were psychological (32.3%) and supernatural/demonic (29%). In the question about things the audience doesn't like in a horror movie, most answers were along the lines of too many jumpscares and jumpscares that are not scary and effective. Another common response was to do with too much gore and blood. This won't be a problem for me because to create gore I would need prosthetic makeup and require equipment which I do not have. This is good because lots of people in the responses to my survey like psychological horrors and weren't so keen on slashers and gore. For the question about what the audience wants to see more, the most common response was along the lines of better build ups to the jumpscares and better storylines. This works well for me as my film is a psychological horror so the backstory and narrative is important, so I am going to try and make my film as meaningful as possible. The results of my survey have also made me consider adding one or two jumpscares to my film, however I am not sure when or how to include them yet, as executing an effective jumpscare that is unpredictable and scary could be quite challenging.
Research Evaluation
Research Evaluation
I think I have completed sufficient secondary research for my FMP, as I have gathered a much greater understanding of my chosen type of media and the genre after researching from sources online. I learnt more about audio as well and the typical styles of soundtrack and sound effects used in the horror genre. I also researched aesthetics/colour schemes and how they portray different moods and atmospheres, and how I can use colour to represent themes in my film. Although I think I did enough secondary research, I feel like I could have done a bit more primary research. The survey I made for part of my primary research was very helpful and this went very successfully. I also did observational studies where I studied my chosen location and worked out how to best utilise it to work with my plan. I was planning on interviewing my friends who fit into the most common age range of horror movie viewers, however this was never carried out; I think this would've been useful though. Overall I am happy with the amount of research I did.
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