BLK - why the following horror shots work well

'Dawn on the Dead' This shot contains many horror related elements. The close up shot creates a big impact and really draws in the audiences' eye. The white background focuses all attention on the character which works really well and creates an interesting effect, as the dark colours on the character's face and clothing stands in stark contrast to the background. There aren't any distractions that steal the eye of the audience. Only half of the characters' face is revealed in the shot, implying he has a mysterious, dark side. Maybe darker than what we already see of him. The first thing we look at it is the characters eyes. Having no eyeballs make him zombie like. Furthermore, we don't know where he is looking which makes him seem more sinister and untrustworthy. The dark bags under the characters eyes stand out in start contrast to his pure white eyes. Either showing that the character has had a lack of sleep or has been in a fight (explaining why he also has blood dripping from his mouth.) The face expression creates a big impact. Gritting his teeth makes the actor look furious. His dirty teeth warns the audience beforehand to what extent this character can go!

This is the second shot I chose which portrayed an ideal horror shot. This is a two shot with one character in the foreground, peering over the wall at the scond character in the background. The character in the foreground is dressed in casual clothing giving the thought that she is trapped in this primitive place. Whereas, the character in the background is wearing dark clothing, making him look more sinister. He is facing away from the camera, creating enigma, as the audience eagerly wait to see who this character is and whether or not he will see the girl sneakily looking at him. The wall between the two character is postioned excellently as it splits the shot in two, signifying the two different worlds of the two characters. The character in the background looks like the villain in the shot, and seems to be more familiar with his location; knowing exactly where he is. The medium shot gives away enough information, from who the characters are and what they are doing, to the surroundings and the mise- en - scene. The low key lighting with candles as the only source of light creates a perfect, conventional horror shot.

Our attempt at a horror shot

Film still practical

For our practical we were put in groups of 4 and had to produce a image based on 'horror.'

I reckon we reached the 'horror' theme well. This is a long shot of a teenage indian girl being hung from a curtain bar. The low key lighting creates a silhouette which leaves the character in darkness, hiding the face of the victim makes the shot primitive and mysterious. It also creates enigma as the audience are left unknowing of who the girl is and who hung her. The character is wearing a leather jacket and a skirt. The casual clothing makes the girl seem innocent and vulnerable. It also made it seem as if this murder was commited by someone else rather than a suicidal one.

Whilst taking this shot, there were many factors we had to think about before hand. Such as: the position of the character, and how she would look most timid. Her hands are hanging infront of her, with her head bowed down and hair hanging over her face. Making her seem dead.

The gender of the character - we chose a girl as this would make her seem more timid and less dominant and controlling.

The lighting - we had to make sure there was no extra lighting which would effect the silhouette of the character.

The shot - we chose a long shot as it would show the position of the character and what is happening to her aswell as a bit of the mise- en - scene, and where she is being hung from. The whole shot worked well as you could see the rope above the girl aswell as most of the girl herself to underline the story behind the shot.

Other objects in the frame - We made sure there werent any other distractions that inteferred with out shot and attracted the aundiences' attention which made our shot look more proffesional. Therefore, we kept the mise - en - scene very plain yet eerie at the same time. Outside the window you can only see a bit of a building: leaving the location unknown. This worked really well for the shot as it created enigma, as the audience are left wanting to know where the hanging has taken place. The silhouette works well as the clothes were fitted, making the postion of the character more obvious. If i were to redo this shot I would make sure the protagonist's feet weren't cut out. This would make it more obvious that the character is being hung, rather than just standing on her tip toes. We had to compromise with what we had, therefore the rope in the shot is actually a scarf rolled up. If I were to do this shot I would use a rope and make sure it was tight and firm making it look like the victim was being hung from it. The postion of the character, made her seem somewhat more evil than vulnerable. The leather jacket hunched up the characters shoulders giving the shot a completely different interpretation. I would also use some low key lighting to show the expression on the characters face. This would make the shot seem more mysterious and scary. Finally, I would change the mise - en - scene. A location more eerie and deserted is ideal. Perhaps the middle of an empty room with no windows or furniture, just writing accross the walls. If I were to use paint shop pro to edit the image, I would contrast it to make the light and dark areas more striking, making the silhouette bolder and more significant.