Making A Mask - Part Two

After being inspired by the 'sack mask' and 'The Scarecrow' in "The Batman", I was finally ready to make my mask. Below, is a step by step process of how I made my mask. 

I first placed the sac over my cousin. This was so that I could correctly plan where the features of my mask would go.

 

I then drew an outline for the eyehole on the sac.

Then, I cut an eyehole in the mask.

Afterwards, I made stiches near the eyehole. I also drew the lining of the mouth which was an idea from 'The Sac Man' in "The Strangers".



I then made some adjustments behind, so the sac would fit as a mask around the person wearing it. This was achieved through stiches.

As the sac was too long, I had to trim its length with scissors. The finishing touch was the rope around the neck area. Overall, the task did take long. However, it was easy to find my materials. The only thing left for me to do, was adding the dirt to the mask to give it a more rough look.

Making A Mask - Part One

My interest in the 'sack mask' has inspired me into making my own. Below is an image of a 'sack mask' which I am aiming to create. I am particularly keen in making this mask, as the idea would be more distinctive compared to the 'sack masks' which have already been used in slashers.  

What will I need to do?

• Find white material, either a white bag made from cloth.
• Cut a hole into the mask to create an eyehole.
• Find a rope to attach to the mask.
• Apply some dark shades to the mask.

As I was also fascinated by 'The Scarecrow', I will try to add features of my own e.g. stitch like patterns. I will achieve this by sowing a black thread through the mask. 

Narrative Theories

• Bordwell and Thompson (1980): “a chain of events in a cause-effect relationship occurring in time”.
• Sydfield, an American screenwriter: a good film needs to interest the audience and inform them of the narrative in the first ten minutes.
• My group and I had to conform to this theory to a huge extent, as we had limit of sixty seconds to draw the audience.
• Due to the trailer’s format, we used a restricted narration to interest the audience quickly through the use of an enigma. This is evident by the shot of the blonde, female victim opening the door (at the beginning) and seeing nobody there after the door knocks.
• We also used a restricted narration, as this is a common convention of the horror genre. Our trailer has a subjective character identification, as the trailer never focuses on one specific character.

• Vladimir Propp’s theory of narrative: characters have the role of narratives ‘spheres of action’ or functions.
• From a comprehensive study of folktales, Propp made seven character types, each with a different function such as the ‘hero’, ‘villain’, ‘donor’ etc.
• Our trailer partially conforms to this theory, as our hero is the main girl which subverts Propp’s suggestion of the hero usually being male.
• Having the main girl as the hero however, the one who restores the narrative equilibrium, is a convention of a slasher film.
• Our villain, the killer, disrupts the narrative (which conforms to the theory) after he knocks on the door. This is evidenced near the beginning by close up shots of him attacking the main girl and the two shot of the killer behind the young male with his knife, ready to attack him.

• Todorrov’s theory of narrative: conventional narratives are structured into five stages including the state of equilibrium, the disruption of the equilibrium and a reinstatement of the equilibrium (at the end).
• Our trailer conforms to this theory to an extent, as our trailer begins with a state of equilibrium of a party being held at a house.
• A disruption of this equilibrium is recognised once the killer arrives at house. This is expressed by the door knocks and the change in soundtrack – from a party beat to silence. On the other hand, we subvert the theory by not reinstating the equilibrium at the end of the trailer, which can be seen through the last shot which denotes a low angle of the killer which visually signifies his dominance.

• Alan Cameron’s theory claims that modular narratives “articulate a sense of time as divisible and subject to manipulation”. Cameron identifies four different types of modular narrative: anachronic, forking paths, episodic and split screens.
• In our trailer, we conform to this theory, as we use an episodic narrative which is seen by the killer attacking his victims.

• Aristotle’s unities, the first ‘narrative theory’ puts forward the idea that a narrative should be created within a ‘unity’ of time, place and action – it should all take place in the same location, in real time, and with all action moving towards a logical conclusion.
• Our trailer conforms to this as we have one plot, no sub plots which takes place in the same location. Having one location conforms to the convention of a horror film of victims being entrapped.

• Barthe’s codes claim that narratives are like “tangled balls of threads which need unravelling”, some open with many different interpretations and some being closed, with only one possible interpretation.
• Barthe narrowed down the action of a text in to Five Codes which are woven into any narrative. Our trailer utilises two of the codes, one being the Hermeneutic Code which is the way the story avoids telling the truth in order to create mystery.
• We conformed to this through our shot towards the end which denotes the killer appearing out of nowhere, connoting that he may have supernatural powers. However, the audience are not told this, so a mystery is created. In the same shot, the killer is behind the main girl with a knife, ready to attack her. This shot conforms to the Enigma Code as the audience do not see what happens to the final girl, leaving them guessing what happens next.

Storyboard

1. Opens with an establishing shot of the house in low key lighting
2. Over the shoulder/tracking shot of final girl entering the house and walking down the hallway with her friends in front 
3. Long/mid shot sitting around a table drinking (except final girl) with non-diegetic music
4. Close up of final girl looking uncomfortable in her surroundings 
5. Non-diegetic knock at the door followed by sinister boom with mid shot facing the door
6. Long shot of friends at tables with confused expressions as to the door knock

    7. Mid shot of boy checking door, looking through key hole as non-diegetic sounds start building 

    8. Non-diegetic sound stops and a point of view shot shows outside of the door, panning left to        right, loud non-digetic sound as door shuts 

    9. Loud non-diegetic boom with text

   10. Fast paced edits begin- long shot shows killer attacking girl in low key lighting so not too much of killer is given away

   11. Long shot at floor level of person being dragged through door way

   12. Killer scrapes knife along an edge close-up, loud non-digetic scraping sound

   13. Low angle, torch shone through key hole in mid shot of girl so looks like killer is walking past with non-digetic footsteps/creaking

   14. Close/mid shot of killer pulling curtains back making the mask clear

   15. From outside window with close up of victim and long shot of killer who appears in background with non-digetic boom carrying knife- victim unaware 

   16. Low angle of basement stairs, only stairs illuminated by light as one foot moves down a step followed by blood

   17. Close up shot of final girl crying, blood all over her looking at hands, steadicam? 

   18. Boy covering girls mouth in close up shot, heathy breathing as scared, lighting done by flashlight 

    19. Close up of back of the head as killer turns

    20. Side profile of final girl in close up, killers hand appears grabbing her hair and pulling her back 

    21. Point of view shot of final girl from the killers viewpoint 

Evaluation Question 3 - What did you learn from your audience feedback

Our teaser trailer was aimed at a young age group of teenagers to young adults, so 18-24, both genders. We targeted this audience, as we knew from previous research that our type of production would appeal to this audience. Before our production process, to gain apsects into what our audience were interested in, we used Survey Monkey, an online site that allows users to create their own survey for others to access and complete via a weblink. The questions are shown below and their responses are displayed in the form of a bar chart, giving my group and I, visual feedback. By posting links to our survey on social media such as Twitter and Facebook, we were able to gain a large number of responses, giving us a good insight into what would appeal to our audience. 

Most of our audience wanted our film title to be called "Knock Knock". Our film name ideas were "Knock Knock", "The Unexpected" and "Who's There?". 11 people (55%) voted for "Knock Knock", 8 (40%) voted for "The Unexpected" and 1 person (5%) voted for "Who's There?". From my research into film names, I found that film titles from slasher films tend to be short and sharp. This makes them catchy and identifiable for the audience. We used "who's there?" as our slogan as this fits in well with the film name "Knock Knock", forming the commonly known joke of "knock knock who's there?". People would be familiar with the phrase "knock knock" and so using this for our film title would establish our film's name.



When we asked what characters the central focus should be on, 13 (65%) voted for a group of teenagers, 5 (25%) voted for a family unit and 2 (10%) voted for a single character. Having a group of teenagers is a common convention in the slasher genre which we conformed to. Below are images which reflects this: 








When we asked what weapon our killer should use (a classic convention of the slasher genre), 12 people (60%) voted for a knife which was the most popular item as opposed to an axe, a chainsaw and a rope. This was helpful was for us, as a knife was easily accessible and also allowed us to mirror styles set in renowned films such as "Scream".

After my group and I had filmed some footage, to gain more feedback, we conducted a focus group. Through this focus group, one thing we found out was that our lighting needed to be improved on. After carrying out some deconstructions on lighting used in slasher films, this is what we found out:

• Slashers tend to use warm colours such as yellows which is evident in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" which could be used to visually signify the hostility the characters live in.  

• Slasher films also use lighting to often reflect the narrative. Below is an image from "A Nightmare On Elm Street". The red tint may have connotations related to the narrative (Freddy Krueger is burnt alive by the parents of the children, so the red lighting can represent flames).

From our research, it appeared that slashers use lighting to either reflect a theme or a narrative. So, my group and I made use of different lighting in our teaser trailer. Below are images which denote different types of lighting.

We used high key lighting at the beginnings a means of establishing an equilibrium. High key lighting connotes positivity which conforms to stage one of Todorov's theory of narrative, a state of equilibrium at the outset.

This image shows a slight warm tint in lighting ,which reflects the climax of the scene after there is a disruption of the equilibrium.

In this shot we used under lighting which gave our killer a sinister look.
  

Through our focus group, we also discovered that a more diverse range of shots needed to included to keep our audience visually stimulated.

 

This is a head on shot of the killer grabbing the girl.

This is a close up shot of one of the victims. The close up effectively denotes her facial expressions. The audience can see the that the victim is terrified. If you look closely, we have also integrated a two shot, as the killer is behind her.

This low angle denotes the killer. The low angle makes him appear dominant, thus signifying his dominance over the victims.

What did I learn?

• Audiences like short, sharp film names for a slasher.
• Teenagers tend to be the preference of the ideal victims. This could be due to the change in how nowadays adults are not often used in slasher films.
• Lighting can have a significant impact in the way one can interpret a film's meaning.
• Having a range of shots and angles keep an audience visually stimulated, as they are invited to watch footage from various points.

Typography Manipulation

Now that we had the font for our film name, I had to come up with ideas to make our film name look more creative. One idea was changing the colour of our font. 

I opened up a new file on Photoshop.

I then used the default Photoshop size.

I went onto texts and selected the font 'Scream Again' which I downloaded from 'Dafont'. 

In my new layer, I kept the 'mode' as normal and the 'opacity' as 100%.  I named the layer as 'Knock Knock'. 

This was the font style of 'Scream Again'. 

I then went onto 'color' and then adjusted the intensity of the red colour to 244.

After adjusting the final settings on 'color picker', I then selected the letters in the film title which I wanted red. The red colour visually signifies blood and is therefore conventional of the slasher genre. 

Potential Endings For Trailer

To find ideas for our ending, I have watched several teaser trailers of the slasher sub-genre. Below are examples of inspiration.

• At 0:49 seconds, the killer attempts to kill his victim. The trailer ends with a blackout (plus the film title) after the killer lashes his weapon.
• This ending is effective in terms of audience positioning; the audience become shocked as they almost witness a killing. 
• The ending also entices an audience, as they do not actually know if the killer killed his victim. This can therefore make an audience more keen in seeing the film.

• At 1:07 a low angle shot denotes the killer ready to attack the main girl.
• The low angle shot effectively places the audience in the main girl's position, as the audience see the killer from her perspective.
• The tilt adds onto the climax.
• On-screen diegetic sound is used with the girl screaming as the killer approaches her. This also makes the scene more intense.
• Scary music is used in the background to build the climax. 
• The scene ends with a blackout. This is an enticing tool for the audience, as they do not know if the girl has been killed or not.
• The killer's mask appears at the end along with the film title. The close up faces the audience with the killer, another enticing tool. 

Most slasher teasers tend to denote the killer at the end ready to attack a victim. This is then usually followed by a blackout with the film title appearing. I like how Friday The 13th (2009) show a close up of the killer's mask at the end of their teaser, as it is almost as though the audience are face to face with the killer and given a direct address which invites them into watching the film. We could use these elements in our teaser.

Film Schedule

Date: Thursday 10th of December
Time: 4:30 pm
Location: Tor's house
People needed:

• Holly - filming
• Gaurav - killer
• Lorna - main girl
• Tor - actor (main girl's friend)
• Fraser - actor (main girl's friend)

Equipment needed:

• Camera
• Tripod

Props needed:

• Mask
• Knife x2 (one for the killer, one for the main girl)
• Alcohol bottles
• Cigarettes

Shots to be filmed:

• Re-film mirror scene
• Close up shots from various angles of killer grabbing main girl
• Re-film door shots

Possible Fonts For Film Title On Poster

After researching on existing film titles, I tried making a film title which could potentially be used in our poster.

 

From my previous research in As Media Studies, I know that film titles in slashers are short and sharp e.g. two words. This technique effectively allows the audience to immediately identify and remember the film name. For this reason, after coming up with my own film names, I decided to use 'Knock Knock'. The name relates to our plot of a unknown killer knocking on the door of the house the teenagers are in. People are familiar with the phrase 'knock knock' and so this film title would be incredibly effective in establishing our film's name.



I used 'Dafont', a website specially designed for font types.

After clicking on the 'horror' category, I found this font type called 'Scream Again'. I thought the font stands out, capitalisation is used in the font type. The overall look of the font matches the idea of a knock on the door, as the font can visually signify wood.

I then typed in 'knock kock' in the 'custom preview' tool bar. I selected large for 'size'.



Final product of film title.

In terms of colour, the black could work, or brown could be useful in connoting a wooden door. Applying red blood dripping to certain areas in the film title would work well with brown, as the colours contrast quite well. Black however would also be appropriate. Deciding on colours however will all depend on our mise en scene in the poster, in terms of our background colours. This font can also be used in our teaser trailer. The colours again will heavily depend on the mise en scene in the point at which the film title is displayed (towards the end). 





Deconstruction On Film Titles

Part of our coursework entails making a poster for our film. I have carried out some research on the various font types used in slasher films. Below, I have deconstructed several film titles from the sub-genre. 

Friday The 13th (2009)

 

• The letters have been capitalised. 
• This makes the film title stand out, drawing the audience in. 
• The colour of the font is red. 
• Red visually signifies blood and death which relates to the slasher genre. 

You're Next

• Capitalisation has been used.
• The font is red, having connotations of blood, horror etc.
• To convey the theme of blood and death, the film title has blood dripping down.
• The audience relate to blood from the use of red.

The Strangers

• The letters are not capitalised.
• The colour of the title almost mirrors light.
• The colour subverts conventional colours of a slasher film.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

• Similarly to 'The Strangers' film title, the title is lit.
• The effect of this can perhaps be to build a contrast between the title's light colour and the black background, which draws the attention of the audience.

• The font's colour is white which complements the white 'scream' mask.
• The white also contrasts with the pitch black background, making the film title stand out more.
• Red has been used in the title, which can be a visual signification of blood.
• Capitalisation has been used, making the title look prominent.

Generally, I have found that capitalisation tends to be used with the film title. This can allow the film title to stand out and therefore draw an audence in. The backbround's colour/theme will contrast heavily with the colour of the film title, also making the title look prominent. Using red in part of the film title is a conventional tool for signfying blood.

 

What we can do?

• Capitalise our letters.
• Use a colour for our film title which contrasts well with the background.
• Apply some red, perhaps in the form of blood dripping.

Scream 4 Teaser Trailer Deconstruction

Below, I have deconstructed the teaser trailer for Scream 4. I will be particularly focusing my analysis on elements within the mise en scene which are conventional for a slasher film. 

Mise En Scene

• The trailer firstly denotes the production company, 'Dimension Films'.

Cinematography

• The medium close up shot effectively focuses the audiences' attention towards the production company, allowing 'Dimension Films' to establish their position.

Sound

• The off-screen diegetic sound of the telephone ring sounds during the establishment of the production company. The sound raises an enigma, as the audience cannot see the telephone, which creates an eerie atmosphere at the beginning of the trailer. 

Mise En Scene

• The audience can identify the main girl, through her innocent look. The trailer has included her in the opening scene of the trailer, suggesting she may be the central focus in the film.

Cinematography

• The medium close up denotes the main girl's facial expressions. The audience can note she is in shock.
• Fade in transition shots used are pitch black which are suspenseful, complementary of the sub-genre (slasher). 

Sound

• The audience hear diegetic dialogue of "Welcome home Cindy" from an unknown caller.
• Again an enigma is raised, as the audiences do not know who the caller is.
• The audience however can identify that the caller is a man, through his voice.
• Off-screen diegetic sounds of screams orally signify the film's title - Scream.
• The sound also connotes that the unknown killer may not be pleasant. 

Mise En Scene

• Two young girls scream. The audience can see that they frightened, suggesting the killer's presence being active.

Cinematography

• Naturalistic lighting helps the audience to examine the characters' facial expressions. 
• The two shot connotes the theme of the youth being close to each other throughout the events in a slasher. 

Sound

• An off-screen diegetic sound of a man's scream is heard, which has a echoing effect. 
• The sound can be an oral signifier of the killer's presence and eeriness. 
• The girls' screams are on-screen diegetic which raise climax. 

                            

                            

Mise En Scene

• The above shots denote the killer's presence behind the victims.

Cinematography

• Editing has been applied in the first shot, with the killer being blurred. This technique effectively makes the shot more suspenseful. 

Mise En Scene

• One of the girls appears to be running.

Cinematography

• Panning is used to denote the girl's pace. 

Sound

• Non-diegetic music is used which is upbeat. Drums sound throughout this point repetitively.
• The sound effectively complements the action in the mise en scene.

Mise En Scene

• The killer appears to be attacking a female character, during the events of the climax.
• The killer misses his target and struggles to pull his knife out of the dresser table.

Cinematography

• A tilt is used as the girl defends herself. The camera tilt creates effectively makes this part of the trailer more intense.
• The tilt may also make the audience feel that they are experiencing the events (audience positioning).



Mise En Scene

• The killer appears to be running towards his victims.
• The killer is holding his knife, ready to attack his victims.

Cinematography

• A long shot denotes the killer.
• The killer, as he runs, comes closer to the camera, denoting him in a medium close up shot.
• The effect of the killer coming closer to the camera, is of the audience almost feeling that they are being enclosed in by the killer.

Sound

• The sound is still upbeat, orally signifying fast pace and climax which is suitable for the movement in the scene.

Mise En Scene

• The film's name appears at the end of the trailer, as a way of concluding the events.
• 'The Scream' mask is in the background which portrays the film's theme/name.

Sound

• An off-screen diegetic sound of a scream is used at the end, again to hold the themes of screaming, horror and fright.