Audience Research

Horror film research

I have done some research into the genre of horror and as to why people may like them or why not. I can use this research in order to produce my own short film so that it is successful in terms of the audience thinking it is enjoyable and effective.

I have browsed on a number of websites containing views of horror films and why people enjoy them. This is what I have found:

The question is: Why? If our best selves find the horrific so repulsive, why do we pay good money to watch it again and again?

It's not merely an attraction to blood and gore, experts say. People who liked the "Saw" series, for instance, wouldn’t necessarily derive such pleasure from watching a steer being slaughtered in a meat-processing plant. Researchers say one reason we watch is because the thrill calls up primal behavior, mainly in males, to assess threat levels. (The typical horror-flick viewer is a male adolescent between the ages of 15 and 45.)

"People go to horror films because they want to be frightened or they wouldn't do it twice," says Jeffrey Goldstein, a professor of social and organizational psychology at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Goldstein edited a book on the subject titled, "Why We Watch: The Attractions of Violent Entertainment" (Oxford University Press).

"You choose your entertainment because you want it to affect you. That's certainly true of people who go to entertainment products like horror films that have big effects. They want those effects," Goldstein said.

He and other social scientists suggest we watch for different reasons, which include enjoying the adrenaline rush, being distracted from mundane life, vicariously thumbing our noses at social norms, and enjoying a voyeuristic glimpse of the horrific from a safe distance.

http://www.livescience.com/7949-horror-movies-people-love.html

This website has informed me that mainly sensation seekers are the type of people to enjoy watching horror films, This suggests that these people will be my target audience and in order to make the film enjoyable I will have to make sure the effects of it on the audience will be enticing and thrilling.

Short film practice continued

Mise en scene

The short film takes place in school classrooms and a hallway suggesting that it is about school children.

The film is set in natural lighting due to the surroundings of the school. The unedited natural lighting presents the naturalistic and simplistic school environment.

The costume is the school uniform as the film is set in school and the characters are school girls.

Sound

There is  no non-diegetic sound in the short film, only dialogue between two characters. Again, this presents the scene to be more realistic to the audience. The absence of non-diegetic sound also allows the audience to focus purely on the conversation between the characters which is the important part of the plot.

Editing

The editing within the short film is very minimalistic, there is a white blur in between the scene in the classroom to the scene to the hall way and vise versa. This bright blur represents the difference between imagination and reality as the character is day dreaming in a lesson. 

The other forms of editing are the jump cuts between all shots, Jump cuts are used to show the reaction of both of the characters whilst in conversation so the audience can see all of the action.

No other editing is used to keep the film minimalistic as the film is based on a persons life which would need to be relatable to the audience.

Short film practice continued

Camera shots/angles

Medium shots - Throughout the short films I have used many medium shots as this presents the character involved and also enough of the setting that is necessary. It also catches any important movement or facial expressions to be seen by the audience.

Long shots - A long shot is used to portray the movement of the character and the fact they are travelling to one destination to another. It also shows the subject in the setting (the school corridor).

 Medium close up - I have also used a medium close up, mainly to focus on the characters confused facial expression. The camera is also placed behind the door showing the character through the window to create a variety of shots within the film.

Reaction shots - I have also used reaction shots in the film to portray the conversation between two characters. It shows the facial expressions of the characters throughout the conversation capturing the feelings that they may have which adds to the plot.

Low angle - A low angle was used to emphasise the power of the villain in this film. Low angle shots portray a superior side to a character making the audience feel inferior.

High angle - A high angle was used to make a character look inferior to the audience, the high angle portrays the character to have a lack of power compared to other characters and is in need of help.