Within my media product, I have included many forms and conventions of supernatural horror that a typical and common of this genre. The sub-genre of supernatural horror plays on our fears of the unknown, unexplained and the distortion of what we see as normal in our everyday lives. I have incorporated this within my own film in an attempt to clearly convey the genre and for it to be easily interpreted by the audience without question. In supernatural horror the main convention is a paranormal entity with dark and cruel aims, which are usually inflicted upon the main protagonists. This is specifically followed in my own short film as the supernatural entity of a demon, not only possess' the female protagonist, but brings harm to both the present and previous protagonists. Here it is clearly represents the danger of paranormal entities, inciting fear into the audience as its the question of the power of these entities and the threat they could pose to our everyday lives, which ties in with the conventional fear of the unknown. This is mainly represented through the plot itself, which had to be shortened and summarised as the film was to be around five minutes; the use of mise-en-scene and sound were also very important in the unfolding of the plot in a short amount of time. The use of dark tones, costumes, lighting, symbolism through props and the diegetic/non-diegetic sound effects/music in minor key really constituted to the fear effect and conveyance of the genre. Another convention I followed when making my film was the relatable protagonist lead, that the audience can compare themselves to and to have the ability to imagine being in her position thus making the fear more vivid and individual to them. Usually this character's qualities/personality is introduced slowly over a full movie production period, although due to my project being a short film, I only incorporated the qualities that would give the audience a sense of the unknown and induce tension as they know something is going to happen from her odd behaviour.
The supernatural genre relies on the distortion of the character's lives through this evil entity that has to power to control a person; strange occurrences, violence and death are major elements in evoking the fear factor and presenting the genre clearly as the occurrences are down to the paranormal. Within my film and many others this is shown through the protagonist targeted by the supernatural and the relationship they have with their own mind. I represent this through the breakdown of stability and mania that the main protagonist experiences as she enters her new home and finds this pendant. The slow demise of her sanity builds up the tension and question-ability of how far she will be pushed by the demon and the outcome. Through editing, using quick cuts, flash transitions, incorporating non-diegetic orchestral music and more, I believe the film was successful in conveying it's specific genre. The build-up was important in such a short film as it had to be done correctly to ensure the plot didn't feel too rushed and overwhelming. I went against certain conventions within my short film, as usually in supernatural horrors the main focus is on the entities and the dialogue which conveys the plot clearly and increases the terror; although within my short film the decision was made to having very little dialogue and focuses on the mise-en-scene, music score, sound effects, shots and how with the editing we could convey our plot and provide the fear factor without the need for explanation in dialogue. The focus on aspects such as these brought in factors of the psychological/thriller genre.
Deconstruction of film:
0:00-1:00
Camerawork:
- mid-shots
- long-shots
- tracking shots
- panning
- zoom in
- zoom out
- a mix of hand-held and steady cam
With this camerawork I was able to establish the location/setting, introduce the audience to the characters and set the tone for the film. The shots were stabilised creating a false sense of security for the audience as the filming was not erratic or symbolic of something unnatural happening. The majority of shots were the mid-shots which really helped in establishing the introduction to film; it is a simplistic shot yet effective as I didn't want to distort the audience too early on.
Editing and Sound:
- cuts - quick
- the transition of clips - ordering
- diegetic sound effects - car, attic door, 'demon' breathing/whispering
- non-diegetic music - minor key - orchestral
Mise-en-scene:
- box -deep red
- shadows/dark lighting
- grey tones in setting and clothing
- costume - simplistic
- no extravagant makeup - more believable for the audience
- setting - suburban home - small town
1:00-2:00Camerawork:
- long shot
- low angle
- over the shoulder
- birds eye
Editing and Sound:
- quick cuts
- diegetic sound effects - ladder squeaking, box closing, light switch
Mise-en-scene:
- casual clothing
- bedroom - nighttime - limited lighting - warmer lighting
- red box
- pendant - focused on - emphasises its importance
2:00-3:00
Camerawork:
- mid shot
- over the shoulder
- low angle - close-up
- low angle - showing shadow
- panning - reveals demon in reflection
Editing and Sound:
- Suspenseful non-diegetic music - orchestral
- transition - fade to black as demon moves in front of shot
- quick cuts
Mise-en-scene:
- bedroom - desk - old fashioned wallpaper
- red box
- pictures
- pendant
- everyday clothing again
3:00-3:55
Camerawork:- mid shot
- tracking shot
- over the shoulder
Editing and Sound:
- non-diegetic music - minor key
- dialogue "are you alright?" - signifies behavioural change
Mise-en-scene:
- every day clothing
- pendant
- laptop
3:55-5:00
Camerawork:
- mid shots
- close up - faces and gun
- high angle - pendant dropping
Editing and Sound:
- Quick transitions - demon appearing/disappearing
- quick cuts
- flash transitions
- 'kill him' whispering - voice overlay later added to the film - representative of the demonic possession
- black screen with 'kill him' voice over - impactful
- minor key/high pitched non-diegetic orchestral music
- black and white - representative of flashback scene
- gun shot diegetic sound effect
Mise-en-scene:- pendant
- gun
- everyday clothing
- flashback clothing - smartly dressed representative of the character's age and signifies they're from the past
- limited lighting - subtle scene - soft lighting - use of shadows/dark - evokes danger and fear of what is in the shadows
Comparison to existing texts:
The main plot and idea was inspired by films such as 'The Amityville Horror'(2005) with the story by Jay Anson and directed by Andrew Douglas. 'The Amityville Horror' follows a similar plot in a family moving into a new home and there being a satanic, demonic entity in the house that possess our male protagonist, George Lutz, to make him want to murder his family, which had also happened years prior with the previous owners of the house. Andrew Douglas reveals to the audience the backstory of the previous owners and their son murdering the whole family because a demon made him, therefore from this the audience are already aware and this foreshadows the events about to unfold. Where as, within my film 'Don't Turn Around', the revelation that the occurrences are cyclical and have happened with the previous owners is revealed at the end of the film, which was done to shock the audience and give the impression that it will happen again; furthermore, within 'The Amityville Horror' George Lutz and his family leave the home before it is too late, where as our main characters get the same fate as the previous owners and die at the end. Therefore, I believe our ending is very effective in evoking the fear factor as there is not a lot of the backstory or origins of the demon explained, unlike conventional full-length feature horrors, and therefore the mystery and fear of the unknown fuels the overall horror of the film. Similarly both films also follow what appears to be the spiral of the protagonists mental health into mania and aggression, which are conventional attributes conveyed in horror as violence/anger are not desirable in a character/person, thus making the characterisation have more of an impact and making the audience fearful. Within 'The Amityville Horror' the camerawork is also very steady, and establishes each scene effectively; I tried to include this within my short as well, but also because it is such a short film I wanted to use a wider variety of shots. Overall, my film 'Don't Turn Around' follows many typical conventions of supernatural horror films, especially in terms of the characterisation and plot.
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