We decided to de-construct the beginning of 'Saw VI' because it is another well known 'Horror', so it includes all the necessary features that make a successful film within this genre.
This film is different to 'The Grudge' in that this horror includes more blood and gore, whereas 'The Grudge' is more of a psychological horror.
First Still
The first still shows one of the companies that was involved in the production of this film. The word 'Lionsgate' is surrounded by what looks like red clouds, and the rest of the screen is black. These colours on their own indicate dark images and blood/danger. As you watch this shot progress, you hear gears grinding and the gate opening. These are sounds that aren't very pleasing to the ear, they are quite creepy sounds that can send shivers up your spine.
Second Still
This still shows another company that was involved in the production of this film 'Twisted Pictures'. This time the background is completely black, and the name of the company is white, and has barbed wire twisted around it. During this still, you hear nail grinding, scratching sounds, that tend to give people shivers.
Third Still
In this shot you see a cockroach crawling up a girls hand. This is a very dark shot, making it difficult to clearly see objects within the scene. At this moment in the film all you can hear is the sound of high pitched machinery at work. This isn't a pleasant sound, which causes tension.
Fourth Still
This still shows more names of people who were involved in the production, with a dark background, and what appears to be the silhouette of clouds in amongst the darkness. As this is shown, we hear high pitched creek and what could be a door opening. This are creepy sounds, and are unpleasant to hear, therefore putting people on edge and creating a tense atmosphere.
Fifth Still
In this shot we see a large set of scales, on one end is a section of fat that a man has just cut off of his body, on the other is a woman's arm. These are horrid images that cause people to feel quite sick, also it is a gory scene and therefore will make some people feel the need to look away. This doesn't really frighten people, it just makes them feel disgusted and sickened, which is the main idea in this style of horror. Whilst we watch this horrific scene we hear panting and groaning, whining as the scales tip, the timer clicking as their time is up, and then a drilling sound and lots of screaming as the man dies painfully. These are all unpleasant sounds, which added with the horrific images creates a very disturbing, yet successful scene.
Sixth Still
This is the title shot, it introduces the film 'Saw VI' in white writing, up against a black background, similar to the other shots that include writing. As we see this we hear fast paced music, drumming, and the sound of machinery. The fast pace of this music creates excitement and tension, causing people to feel nervous about what is to come.
We decided to de-construct the beginning of 'The Grudge' because it is a well known 'Horror' film, and therefore includes all the features of a typical film from this genre.
The opening scene really sets the scene, and prepares people for the rest of the film, so it needs to include things that will frighten the audience, otherwise it will become an unsuccessful film.
First Still
The first still gives an overview of what is going on, so that people can understand the film fully, making it possible for them to access the full potential of the horror this film can provide. The background colour is black, which is the darkest shade achievable, which links to the whole idea of a dark story, and dark stories are generally more frightening than others. The writing in white stands out against the black, indicating to people that it is necessary for them to read it if they are to understand the plot to the full extent.
There is also an intense background sound of someone breathing deeply, this is played through the first couple of clips, the effect of this is that they create tension.
Second Still
This still sets the scene, it shows the city and all the people in it, we can hear the sounds of the traffic and builders working. This creates a sense of reality and makes the film easier to relate to, which again makes it more frightening because it leads people to believe that this could happen to them personally. It creates conflicting emotions for the audience as they are still tense from the previous scene, but reassured by this familiar setting.
Third Still
This still shows the first dramatic scene of this film. It shows the first character that we come across throwing himself off of a high balcony. We can still hear the sounds of distant traffic, but then it moves onto a woman talking to the man who is about to kill himself in a very casual tone. She asks him 'Are you okay?' and says 'You're up early today' trying to create a conversation. We also hear his name, we causes us to become more familiar with him, making it possible to make a bond with the character, but before we can fully understand him, he commits suicide. We hear the sounds of air rushing past him and then the sound of him hitting the ground, and what could be bones cracking and blood splattering. It is a disturbing idea, and completely eradicates any feelings of reassurance we got from the previous still.
Fourth Still
The fourth still shows the man who killed himself lying on the ground in the middle of the street, and then other civilians stopping what they are doing to investigate what has just happened. You can see blood on the ground, surrounding his head. During this image you can hear whispering and a sharp-high pitched noise. These sounds are quite disturbing, because whispering is quite a creepy sound and high pitched sounds tend to make people feel uneasy and on edge.
Fifth Still
The fifth still includes the film title. 'The Grudge' is written in black, which contrasts to the blood-red colour of the background. The colour red is generally associated with danger and anger, which links the colour of the background to the events that occur within the film. Leading up to this shot are sounds of running water and eerie music playing through it, it sounds as if something is crawling through a puddle, which creates horrific images in the minds of the audience, therefore putting them on edge, and then as the title appears the sound of someone breathing in deeply returns.
Sixth Still
This still is set in the house of a woman, and it shows an old woman and her carer sitting in one of the rooms. As we are watching this, we see the names of the executive producers come on screen in the bottom left corner, written in red, which continues the theme of anger/danger. All we hear is the carer trying to talk to the woman.
After having a group discussion including ideas of what we could use in an opening scene for a film, we came to the conclusion that 'Horror' would be the best genre to work with.
Reasons for choosing 'Horror'
- we can experiment with special effects
- the use of camera angles and shots
- the use of sound
- we would be able to get a reaction from the audience
Examples of existing Horror films
- The Grudge
- Saw
- The Amityville Horror
- Dawn of the Dead
- The Exorcist
It will be difficult to create tension and the right atmosphere for the audience, but by doing our individual research and working together as a team we believe we can create a successful horror opening scene.
Emma Uddin, Sarah Whitehouse, Rebecca Ivan and myself have decided to stay together as a group to complete the main task, as our preliminary task was a success.
Here are the other members' blogs:
http://emmamediablog.blogspot.com/
http://www.becca-beccasmediablog-becca.blogspot.com/
http://www.sarahsmediaas.blogspot.com/
