Statement of intent

This is our initial starting point.

Research: Genre

This is my genre research.

I don't watch horror movies, so I don't have much knowledge regarding this genre. But since my group decided to pick horror, I did some research into this. This is the result.

A Quiet Place (2018)

What conventions does it conform to?

This movie follows typical horror conventions, like the constant chilling and tense atmosphere with little amount of dialogue, giving out a feeling of danger throughout the movie.

What conventions does it subvert?

This movie doesn't rely on loud jump scares or eerie music to scare its audience. Instead, it is filled with a lot of silence to put the audience deeper into the characters' shoes.

What representations are there? (people/places/events)

The movie represents a family struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. The places are desolate and portrays isolation.

What technical elements are used to give meaning to the representations?

The little sound and near-complete silence are used to create a tense atmosphere and brings the audience closer to the characters in the movie.

Close-up shots of facial expressions help convey emotion and fear without words or sound, making silence a powerful storytelling device.

Get Out (2017)

What conventions does it conform to?

This movie slowly builds-up tension as the story progresses which can be seen in a lot of other horror movies.

What conventions does it subvert?

This movie subverts typical horror conventions by focusing more on racial and social tension rather than supernatural forces, giving a horror twist to everyday interactions.

What representations are there? (people/places/events)

The film represents the African American experience through the main character, who faces racism disguised as politeness. The setting is a quiet, upper-class suburban home, which is the main background focus throughout most of the movie.

What technical elements are used to give meaning to the representations?

Close-up shots are used to show the main character's powerlessness and psychological aspect, with dark lighting and muted colors to build tension. The soundtrack is unsettling and minimal.

Below are the 8 other films that I analysed more broadly, with interesting elements that I might incorporate into my film.

Hereditary (2018)

Target audience, and how are they appealed to?

The target audience is mainly older teens and adults aged 16 to 40, especially the ones who love and appreciate psychological horror. It appeals with its unsettling atmosphere, immense grief, and suspense.

What would you like to use in your opening from this?

The slow yet eerie tension and long shots to build up the unsettling mood of the movie.

What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?

The intense, slightly overused gore in some scenes which might be distracting and too much within a movie.

The Conjuring (2013)

Target audience, and how are they appealed to?

Older teens and young adults who love supernatural horror are this movie's target audience. It appeals with its more realistic storytelling compared to some other supernatural horror movies.

What would you like to use in your opening from this?

The period setting and suspense build-up before terrifying events helps bring authenticity into the story.

What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?

Overly relying on jump scares to bring suspense into the movie can feel predictable and even repetitive.

It Follows (2014)

Target audience, and how are they appealed to?

More mature teens who enjoy indie horror movies. It appeals due to its fresher concept, which an inescapable supernatural entity.

What would you like to use in your opening from this?

The constant pacing and sense of being continuously followed, creating immense suspense throughout the movie.

What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?

The ambiguity around the main villainous creature might frustrate viewers who seek a clear resolution.

Midsommar (2019)

Target audience, and how are they appealed to?

Appeals to younger adults who enjoy more psychological storytelling. It appeals by subverting the typical horror by scaring in daylight throughout the movie.

What would you like to use in your opening from this?

Its unique setting choices, like its unsettlingly bright contrast.

What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?

The very slow opening pace might frustrate some audience who prefer darker grittier movie openings.

The Babadook (2014)

Target audience, and how are they appealed to?

More mature audiences aged 17 to 40 who are interested in traumatic psychological horror with immense grief and emotional themes.

What would you like to use in your opening from this?

The use of a metaphorical monster to represent internal struggles, creating a more unique experience for the audience.

What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?

The psychological themes shown in the movie might be too heavy and complex for some audiences.

Sinister (2012)

Target audience, and how are they appealed to?

Mature teens and young adults who love found-footage supernatural horror. Its appeal comes from its combination of horror with elements of investigation.

What would you like to use in your opening from this?

Found footage elements add a more realistic touch to the movie's horror theme.

What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?

Over-the-top violence might disturb and overwhelm some audiences.

The Witch (2015)

Target audience, and how are they appealed to?

More mature audiences who enjoy horror with 1600s historical settings.

What would you like to use in your opening from this?

Historical settings can add to the realism of the movie.

What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?

Slow pacing might backfire for a horror intro when suspense should generally be introduced early on.

Don’t Breathe (2016)

Target audience, and how are they appealed to?

Mature teens and young adults who love home-invasion themes as well as high tension. The appeal is the claustrophobic house setting and mix elements of thriller and horror.

What would you like to use in your opening from this?

Confined spaces increases tension and anxiety which can help add suspense to the movie scene.

What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?

Explicit and graphic violence can shock, disturb, and even overwhelm some audiences.

This video taught me how to improve my opening scene ideas

Research: Audience

This is my research on different types of audiences and the target audience for my team's film intro.

Research: Industry

This is my research on industry based on the genre I chose.

What genre am I working on?

The genre my team is working on is horror.

Do I want my music video to be niche or mainstream?

We plan to make a cinematic independent film with lower budget.

What company would most likely produce my media text in the real world?

Blumhouse Productions as we plan on creating a found-footage style film intro.

Self-Reflection: Blumhouse Productions produce a lot of amazing found-footage horror movies with some that subvert the horror genre and some that conform to it. As my team found interest in creating found-footage horror, I think Blumhouse Productions would be the most likely to produce such a movie.

Preliminary Research

Film	Genre/Genre Conventions	How did this scene introduce characters, settings and create intrigue?	What did you like/dislike about the intro?
Extraction 2	Action Fight, explosion	By putting the protagonist in a dire condition	A bit sudden and feels slightly random, but still does its job pretty well.
Pamali: Dusun Pocong	Horror	This scene begins with an aged bearded man digging and burying a corpse at nighttime in a remote place surrounded by trees. It shows the man having a part on his arm suffering from some kind of plague. It ends with continuous creepy whistling sounds.	I liked the way the music starts off from being silent to creeping the audience in the end.
Uglies	Sci Fi	The main character, a teen girl, talks about the road humanity took, which led to destruction. The audience is then introduced to a radical solution scientists took, which is by “making perfect” everyone above 16. This leads to the “imperfects” to be called Uglies, which heavily burdens the girl.	I like how she explained all that happened in the past leading to the situation, but it felt confusing in the end.
(500) Days of Summer	Romance	By third-person introduction. The boy is shown to often sink into sadness, while the girl is shown to be more cheerful, even though she suffers from her parents’ divorce. It creates intrigue by telling the audience that the movie is not a love story.	I love the way both main characters are introduced, which feels like the storyteller is talking directly to us. I also like the background music played while showing us past recordings of the two’s young self. Though, I feel like the past recordings shown are too much and feels boring and repetitive midway the intro credits.
Johnny English	Comedy	The main character is shown in his daydream, being the secret agent he’s always adored: Agent One. He was then revealed to be a reckless person working for Agent One. But as the time was fast forwarded, the misinformation he created led to Agent One’s death. And then, the rest of the agents’ deaths.	I love the comedic intro, overall.

Weekly Progress + Plan

Week 1

This week, we were introduced to our next project, which is making a 2-minute movie intro. My team decided to pick mystery/horror noir.

What we did?

Nothing much, just picking the genre for our new project.

Problems

My previous team decided to split and go on our on ways.

Solutions

I moved to a new team.

Week 2

This week, we began researching movie intros for the genre we picked: horror.

What we did?

Nothing much, just picking the genre for our new project.

Problems

I'm not that familiar with horror because it's a genre that I don't really like.

Solutions

I watched a few horror movie intros to better understand this genre.

Week 3

We talked about media consolidation and vertical & horizontal integration.

What we did?

We learned that media consolidation means less people controlling shares of the mass media.

Problems

I had problems remembering the new terms I learned, and its definitions.

Solutions

I watched a few youtube channels to better understand the terms and expand my knowledge of the media world.

Week 4

We assigned roles for each other.

What we did?

We picked the roles and tasks that best suit each one of us.

Problems

I'm not that familiar with horror because it's a genre that I don't really like.

Solutions

I watched a few horror movie intros to better understand this genre.

Week 5

We began storyboarding and making a few scripts.

What we did?

Nothing much, just picking the genre for our new project.

Problems

I'm not that familiar with horror because it's a genre that I don't really like.

Solutions

I watched a few horror movie intros to better understand this genre.

Week 6

We began completing tasks like storyboard, research, and some classwork for us to better grasp the idea of our project.

What we did?

Completed tasks like storyboard and classwork.

Problems

I'm a bit behind due to being busy with other subjects.

Solutions

I'm trying my best to complete my remaining tasks ASAP.

Reflection:

practice

Week 1

We did some shooting practice to recreate a scene from a horror movie. We also learned about New Media and technological convergence.

What we did?

Movie scene recreation and learned more theories.

Problems

Shooting practice went slightly awkward due to little hands-on acting experience.

Solutions

We went on with the shooting and in the end it went well.

Week 2

We learned some more theories, like Cultivation theory, desensitisation theory, social learning theory, reception theory, etc. We also did an editing practice.

What we did?

Learned more theories, and editing practice.

Problems

Shooting practice went slightly awkward due to little hands-on acting experience.

Solutions

We went on with the shooting and in the end it went well.

Team

Brief

Below is my brief for the project.