Short film: Planning

Setting

My film will take place in an empty forest as to the audience it connotes a gloomy deserted place but filled with trees and obstacles in which things could be lurking. I feel it is a good space to film as I could create many interesting and different shots within a forest to improve the quality of my film.

Sound

There will be no dialogue in my short film to create suspense and enigma. The audience will therefore have to work out what is happening in the scene as no character is informing them. No dialogue will leave space for an eerie ambiance which will create the horror effect.

However throughout the short film I may include non-diagetic music to enhance the suspense at certain points.

Costume

I have decided that the costume will be casual clothing as the film is based on a young girl. I have come to this conclusion as using this girl in casual every day clothing will mean that the audience can relate to her and therefore create empathy towards her. This means that the horror elements will have a larger impact on the audience as they would feel they are in the film also.

Lighting

I have chosen to have natural lighting for my film as it is set in a forest which is known by most people and is a natural place where no artificial lighting will be portrayed. Also, having natural lighting will present the film as realistic and relatable to the audience making them feel more involved in the plot.

Plot

I have decided on a plot that is simple with the use of Todorov's equilibrium theory, however, with a twist. My previous research has informed me that some people feel the plot of horror films can be quite confusing, therefore, that is why mine is simpler. The young girl is walking in the park and gets followed by something unknown, she is then chased through the forest and just as the audience are expecting something to happen she wakes up as it is a dream. However, a man (shadow) appears in her house and she gets killed. As many have said they do not enjoy the gruesome side of horrors, I have not included any as you do not see the killing, only the shadow.