Technical planning - Shooting schedule

Technical planning - Shooting schedule 

Here is the shooting schedule for which days me and my group are shooting scenes for the opening of the film which scheduled for three days within three weeks. all the details in regards for the shots for the film can be seen in the shooting schedule.

Technical planning - Props and costumes

Technical planning - Props and costumes

Props and costume 

The props used was a white mask, a fake knife and fake blood. We chose a white mask as it disguises the killer and follows the codes and conventions of a horror slasher as the antagonist is usually a masked killer. Also the mask also represents and reinforces death which is also a feature and convention of a horror slasher due to the mask looking like a ghost. We chose a knife to be used for the killer's weapon as it is a blade which connotes a slow painful death and also it is the most famous type of blade as knifes are the main weapon used within a horror slasher. We chose fake blood to reinforce the code and convention of gore that is found within horror slashers. Also blood is a common phobia found within our target audience which can make them scared but due to the responses of the questionnaires most of our target audience feel squeamish and do not like the sight of blood which may detract them from the film, so we chose to use some but not much so the audience does not detract from the film but the film being able to follow the codes and conventions of a horror slasher.

Technical planning - Actors

Technical planning - Actors 

Actors 

The actors within our film is Tawanda Tsanga who played one of the college students (protagonist) which he had the correct look as his costume was casual wear which college students wear which reinforces the codes and conventions of a college student. He also suited the role as he is smaller than the antagonist which can create the sense of vulnerability when he is confronted with the antagonist.

Calvin Palin also played one of the college students (victim) which he had the correct look as he was also smaller than the antagonist and he had the correct costume as it was casual college wear which are the codes and conventions of a college student.

I played the antagonist which I had the correct look as i was bigger than the victims, which creates the sense of superiority for the antagonist and vulnerability for the victims. 

Technical planning - Script

Technical planning - Script 

Technical planning - Title of film

Technical planning - Title of film  

Title of film

The title of my film is Perdition as the word Perdition connotes the antagonist of the film because it means utter destruction, the state of final spiritual ruin, loss of the soul, and having an harmful influence which gives the audience an idea what the film is about or may consist of. It also indicates that the film comes under the horror genre and will appeal to the audience, as the name gives the audience a subliminal synopsis of what the film may be about and the word also may give the audience a disturbing and uncomfortable feel which they can connect with their past experiences from other horror films which tells the audience that it is a horror film.

Technical planning - narrative

Technical planning - narrative 

Narrative 

Technical planning - storyboard

Technical planning - storyboard 

Storyboard

For the storyboard, I chose to plan shots/scenes of the perspective of the antagonist in which the scene is set in the woods as the woods symbolise isolation and vulnerability. By the antagonist walking in the woods creates more mystery as the antagonist wants to be hidden and not be seen by anyone which will create suspense for the audience as the antagonist's appearance has not been revealed but will keep the audience engaged within the film as it creates curiosity for the audience as they will be wondering what the identity of the antagonist is. This convention is found within the horror slasher genre as this convention can be found within the opening of the film Halloween (1978).

 

I also chose to plan an extreme long-shot of the protagonists as it reinforces the convention of vulnerability and inferiority as it will create the illusion of them being smaller in size and and for the composition of them being in the middle of the screen it makes them look more vulnerable as it makes the protagonists look even more smaller and the audience will feel more in suspense as they will feel anticipation of what danger surrounds them as danger could strike the protagonists from anywhere. This convention can be identified within the horror slasher genre as this can be seen within the horror slasher film Halloween (1978) which this convention was chosen for the same effect.



I also chose to plan shot where the antagonist jumps out to the protagonists unexpectedly which will make the audience feel scared and will flinch as they will not expect the antagonist to jump out of nowhere and attack one of the protagonists and will frighten the audience. This convention can be identified within the horror slasher genre as this convention is used within the horror slasher The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) which was used to create the same effect for the audience.

Target audience research

Target audience research

The target audience for horror slasher films is for teenagers and young adults which range from 15 - 25 years old. One of the reasons why is that the characters within the films are young adults that attend college or university which the audience can connect with the characters with their previous experiences with college and university on the film which will make the audience more engaged within the film. 

The audience will choose this genre of film because they want to see suspenseful horror which will frighten them, to see action/ violence, gore and for the male audience, to see conventions for the male gaze. 

The target audience is more male orientated as horror slasher films usually contains conventions for the male gaze, contains violence and action, which engages males as these are the conventions that attracts the male audience to watch the film. 

What puts the target audience off from watching horror slashers is that some may be offended by frequent strong language, discriminatory behaviour/language, gore, portrayals of sexual activity, and strong violence. 

The target audience would expect to see in a horror slasher film, a masked killer that is almost unstoppable and unpredictable, killer's signature weapon, final girl, isolated areas which the characters are trapped in, the setting is at night, promiscuity, gore, death, eerie/sinister music, killer making startling appearances which may be supported by stings.


Questionnaires and results

I produced a questionnaire to see and find out what my target audience wants to see in a horror slasher, so my film can appeal to a more larger audience.

The first question is a closed question simply asking what gender is the person. This is useful as me and my group can see what the males like to see within a horror slasher and what the females want to see within a horror slasher.

The second question is another closed question which simply asks what the person's age is. This is useful to me and my group as it tells us what the average age is for our target audience.

The third question is another closed question in which asks how often the person watches horror films. This gives me and my group an idea on how popular horror films are.

The fourth question is a an open and closed question in which asks the person if they enjoy horror slasher films and if they answer no, they have to explain why. This tells me and my group if people enjoy horror slashers and how popular horror slashers are and if the reasons why they do not like horror slashers (if they answered no) we can exclude those features from are film if similar responses occur regularly, which will make our film appeal to a more larger audience.

The fifth question is an open question which asks the person what they like most within a horror slasher film. This tells me and my group what to include in our film and what the most popular feature within a horror slasher, which can enable our film to be as successful as it can be by including those features.

The sixth question is another open question which asks the person what could be improved within horror slashers. This is beneficial to me and my group as it tells us what lacks in most horror slasher films and we can try to improve those features or add those features that may be missing in most horror slasher films into our film.

The seventh question is an open question which asks the person what they think is vital within horror slasher films. This tells me and my group what the main important feature that needs to be included in a horror slasher film, which we can include in our film, so t can be as successful as it can be as it appeals to our target audience as it is what they want to see within a horror slasher film.

The eighth question is another open question which asks the person what they dislike within horror slasher films. This tells me and my group what the majority of our target audience dislikes within horror slasher films. This is useful to us as we can exclude disliked features from our film as we want it to appeal to our target audience and to increase our size of our target audience.

The ninth question is an open question which asks the person what makes a scary antagonist within a horror slasher. This tells me and my group what makes a scary antagonist. This is useful to us as we want to make our antagonist to be scary as that is one of the main code and convention of horror is to scare the audience as they want to be scared. By including those features which make the antagonist scary, it will make our film more appealing to our target audience making successful as it can be.

The last question which is a closed question asks the audience what pace they like to see a horror slasher film focus on which asks three options which are tension/slow, intense/fast, and both. This gives me and my group an idea on what our target audience would like to see the pacing of the film to be and what the most effective pace a horror slasher film should be. By including the most occurred response from this question in our film, it will appeal more to our target audience, which should make it as successful as it can be as that is our objective.



Results


The percentage of females from our target audience is 57% and the percentage of males is 43% that answered the horror slasher questionnaire.

The majority of people who answered the questionnaire enjoy most about horror slashers is the suspense and tension that is created within the film. They also prefer to see the pacing of the film to be both fast/intense pace and slow/tense pace as the majority of the audience like the exhilaration they experience but also the element of dread.




















The majority of people said what they dislike about horror slashers is that there is too much gore and a weak plot/narrative.

The majority of people who answered the questionnaire said what makes the antagonist scary is the antagonist being big, strong, wearing a scary mask and the antagonist being unpredictable.

Overall, these results tells me and my group what the target audience would like to see within a horror slasher. Me and my group will use these responses to help us create a successful horror slasher film. We will make the antagonist big and scary by the antagonist being bigger than the victims and by him wearing a scary mask, black costume, having a knife for a weapon and also making the antagonist unpredictable (out-smarting the victims by him jumping out at them and hiding in areas where the victims will run to when he is chasing them).

We will make the narrative interesting and include some gore but not much as we do not want to detract the audience away from the film but at the same time we want to include gore as it is expected within a horror slasher as it is a code and convention of a horror slasher.

We will make the film have pacing elements of intensity and tension which we will include chase scenes and also include point of view shots of the antagonist getting towards the victims which the victims are unaware of the antagonist coming towards them.

Questionnaire results

Questionnaire results

The percentage of females from our target audience is 57% and the percentage of males is 43% that answered the horror slasher questionnaire.

The majority of people who answered the questionnaire enjoy most about horror slashers is the suspense and tension that is created within the film. They also prefer to see the pacing of the film to be both fast/intense pace and slow/tense pace as the majority of the audience like the exhilaration they experience but also the element of dread.

The majority of people said what they dislike about horror slashers is that there is too much gore and a weak plot/narrative.

The majority of people who answered the questionnaire said what makes the antagonist scary is the antagonist being big, strong, wearing a scary mask and the antagonist being unpredictable.

Overall, these results tells me and my group what the target audience would like to see within a horror slasher. Me and my group will use these responses to help us create a successful horror slasher film. We will make the antagonist big and scary by the antagonist being bigger than the victims and by him wearing a scary mask, black costume, having a knife for a weapon and also making the antagonist unpredictable (out-smarting the victims by him jumping out at them and hiding in areas where the victims will run to when he is chasing them).

We will make the narrative interesting and include some gore but not much as we do not want to detract the audience away from the film but at the same time we want to include gore as it is expected within a horror slasher as it is a code and convention of a horror slasher.

We will make the film have pacing elements of intensity and tension which we will include chase scenes and also include point of view shots of the antagonist getting towards the victims which the victims are unaware of the antagonist coming towards them.

Target audience research

Target audience research

The target audience for horror slasher films is for teenagers and young adults which range from 15 - 25 years old. One of the reasons why is that the characters within the films are young adults that attend college or university which the audience can connect with the characters with their previous experiences with college and university on the film which will make the audience more engaged within the film. 

The audience will choose this genre of film because they want to see suspenseful horror which will frighten them, to see action/ violence, gore and for the male audience, to see conventions for the male gaze. 

The target audience is more male orientated as horror slasher films usually contains conventions for the male gaze, contains violence and action, which engages males as these are the conventions that attracts the male audience to watch the film. 

What puts the target audience off from watching horror slashers is that some may be offended by frequent strong language, discriminatory behaviour/language, gore, portrayals of sexual activity, and strong violence. 

The target audience would expect to see in a horror slasher film, a masked killer that is almost unstoppable and unpredictable, killer's signature weapon, final girl, isolated areas which the characters are trapped in, the setting is at night, promiscuity, gore, death, eerie/sinister music, killer making startling appearances which may be supported by stings.

Questionnaire 

I produced a questionnaire to see and find out what my target audience wants to see in a horror slasher, so my film can appeal to a more larger audience.








The first question is a closed question simply asking what gender is the person. This is useful as me and my group can see what the males like to see within a horror slasher and what the females want to see within a horror slasher.

The second question is another closed question which simply asks what the person's age is. This is useful to me and my group as it tells us what the average age is for our target audience.

The third question is another closed question in which asks how often the person watches horror films. This gives me and my group an idea on how popular horror films are.

The fourth question is a an open and closed question in which asks the person if they enjoy horror slasher films and if they answer no, they have to explain why. This tells me and my group if people enjoy horror slashers and how popular horror slashers are and if the reasons why they do not like horror slashers (if they answered no) we can exclude those features from are film if similar responses occur regularly, which will make our film appeal to a more larger audience.

The fifth question is an open question which asks the person what they like most within a horror slasher film. This tells me and my group what to include in our film and what the most popular feature within a horror slasher, which can enable our film to be as successful as it can be by including those features.

The sixth question is another open question which asks the person what could be improved within horror slashers. This is beneficial to me and my group as it tells us what lacks in most horror slasher films and we can try to improve those features or add those features that may be missing in most horror slasher films into our film.

The seventh question is an open question which asks the person what they think is vital within horror slasher films. This tells me and my group what the main important feature that needs to be included in a horror slasher film, which we can include in our film, so t can be as successful as it can be as it appeals to our target audience as it is what they want to see within a horror slasher film.

The eighth question is another open question which asks the person what they dislike within horror slasher films. This tells me and my group what the majority of our target audience dislikes within horror slasher films. This is useful to us as we can exclude disliked features from our film as we want it to appeal to our target audience and to increase our size of our target audience.

The ninth question is an open question which asks the person what makes a scary antagonist within a horror slasher. This tells me and my group what makes a scary antagonist. This is useful to us as we want to make our antagonist to be scary as that is one of the main code and convention of horror is to scare the audience as they want to be scared. By including those features which make the antagonist scary, it will make our film more appealing to our target audience making successful as it can be.

The last question which is a closed question asks the audience what pace they like to see a horror slasher film focus on which asks three options which are tension/slow, intense/fast, and both. This gives me and my group an idea on what our target audience would like to see the pacing of the film to be and what the most effective pace a horror slasher film should be. By including the most occurred response from this question in our film, it will appeal more to our target audience, which should make it as successful as it can be as that is our objective.

Title font research

Title font research

Within the title sequence of Halloween 2, the font of the titles is bold and is in capitals which has sharp corners of the letters which can connote blades which symbolises a slow and painful death. The colour of the titles is orange which connotes Halloween as Halloween is associated with dark and orange due to pumpkins being orange symbolising the season. This enables the audience to identify straight away that this is a horror film through these codes and conventions being expressed. 

Within the title sequence of Insidious, the font of the titles is thin and in capitals which may have been done so it does not draw all the audience's attention away from the background of rooms within the house as they want to set a eerie and paranormal tone of the film which is if the titles were big and bold it may draw the audience's attention away from the background but at the same time by the titles being thin and small, it can be seen as being subtle but is visible, like a metaphor for ghosts or any paranormal presence lurking in the background as you know/feel that they are there but cannot see them. The colour of the titles is red which connotes blood, evil and danger which enable the audience to identify that it is a horror film. 

Within the title sequence of A nightmare on Elm street, the font of the titles is thin and in capitals which by it being in capitals, the letters has sharp corners, it connotes blades which symbolises in a horror slasher a slow painful death which reinforces the codes and conventions of horror slashers. The colour of the titles is white which can symbolise in horror, ghosts or even death which death is code and convention is horror.The title name is big, bold and is the colour red which connotes blood, evil, and danger which is the codes and conventions of a horror slasher. 

Overall, for my font and colour for my titles within my film will be the ideas taken from Halloween 2 and Insidious which the title font will be similar to the Halloween 2 titles but not as bold, as the font looks sharp, which connotes blades which symbolises a slow painful death as it will be perfect for my film as my film is a horror slasher. For my title colour it will be red,as red can symbolise evil, blood and danger which the codes and conventions of my film. By having these amalgamations of these features for my titles, it should reinforce the codes and conventions of a horror slasher to the audience as they will be able to identify immediately what genre of film they are watching and also it sets an effective tone for the film which should engage the audience from the start of the film.