Ms2 report
Media studies
Rohan Taneja

The task
My brief was to create a 2-3 minute opening sequence for a horror film and produce a storyboard. I decided about doing a horror film sequence because I love watching horror films due to the thrill it gives me. Therefore the chance to make a part of a horror film was an opportunity and challenge which I wanted to take on. My assignment implicated me to research my target audience, creating a storyboard and producing the opening sequence. I set out to make an opening sequence that would create tension for the audience and grip them to watch the whole movie to find out what happens next.
For the sub-genre, I did my research on the internet and looked at various different websites including Internet Movie Database (IMDB) and the British board of film classification (BBFC). I also looked at movie reviews on BBC and several newspaper websites which included the Guardian and The Times. I also researched into the age ratings of the film. My research showed that the most popular sub genres were action horror, science fiction horror and slasher horror.
I already knew from experience as an avid film watcher that an opening sequence needs to capture its target audience and make them want to see the whole movie. Watching these films like ATM (2012), Scream (1997) and Texas Chainsaw massacre (2003) gave me an excellent understanding of the conventions of opening sequences and the use of mise-en-scene elements. In these movies the opening creates a huge tension which grips the audience in a very short time. The music used is atmospheric which builds adrenaline and gets the heart pumping. The pace of the opening sequence changes by starting slow to introduce the characters and then speeding up to show more of the action. The killer is then introduced and the action starts. In reference to Todorov’s Narrative theory, the equilibrium is always shown as the audience are trying to make sense of what is happening in the 2-3 minutes in the opening sequence which attracts the audience to keep on watching the film. However, Stuart Hall’s theory shows us that his theory is based on preferred reading and what the audience should feel after watching the opening; I want the audience to feel terrified as well as shocked by using the effects of the sound. The sequences I looked at all had conventions of a typical horror film which included the mysterious main character of the film, their costumes and the dark settings.
In the film ATM the character is shown as a mysterious stranger who appears in the opening sequence where his persona is enhanced by the use of low camera angle and low key lighting. All this adds to the chill and mystery of trying to work out who the character is. The establishing shot is in a low key lighting in which the audience can’t really make out the face of the character to create suspense. This influenced me to use a comparable character in my storyboard because the mystery it creates adds to the tension of the audience.

ATM is a slasher horror film, which motivated me to create my own slasher horror opening sequence. The opening sequence of ATM created the most thrilling and suspenseful pleasure. This was achieved by using the camera movement of close ups and establishing shots as it creates the dramatic effect as well as creating the element of suspense and fear as you don’t know what you are going to see next which I will be using in my storyboard. Both diegetic and non- diegetic sounds are used in the opening sequence. Examples of diegetic sounds are the banging of the windows and the sound of the knife slashing which shocks the audience. Non-diegetic sounds are footsteps and tensional music. The sound of the footsteps emphasises the scene. Music adds to the tension of the scene scaring the audience when there is a build up to a jumpy moment. These two types of sound have influenced me to use in my storyboard in several of my scenes to create suspense and anxiety.
The use of camera angles and positioning is a crucial part in creating tension in horror films. In the movie ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ the camera shot that was used was a close up of when the girl gets killed showing the facial expression. I have used close up camera shots in my storyboard to emphasize the facial expressions of the character adding to the tension.
Setting of a horror movie is also very important. Isolated places such as woods or a jungle as in ‘Childs Play’ or ‘Arachnophobia’. Large cities or run down ghost towns, anything which connotes isolation or being alone. The isolated setting is seen in ATM as it is set in New York but at night time in a lonely car park with a cash machine in it which creates isolation. Another popular setting is a place with ‘dark history’ like abandoned houses, hotels and insane asylum e.g. ‘Apartment 1403’, ‘Scream’ and ‘Texas chainsaw massacre’. Audiences can relate to the setting of a house as it is there daily life routine to be in a house. For these reasons I have decided to film the first part of my opening sequence in a house and then in an isolated area of a field.
Props used in horror films are an effective part of the film in creating the necessary atmosphere. The props include knives, chainsaw other weapons which are commonly used and are seen in the film “Texas chainsaw Massacre” illustrates the point. Clothing and makeup worn by the characters like old shabby clothes which are often torn or dirty is one example. A killer often wears disguise such as masks, the classic example of which is the film ‘Scream’. I intend to use a weapon and a disguise in the form of a hoodie in my opening sequence
After researching these films and conventions of horror films for my horror opening sequence I decided to use the demographics of targeting adults and teenagers between the ages of 16-50. I decided to use the age of 16- 50 as I wanted a broad group of audience and as some of the horror films included gore and blood. I created a survey to find out from my targeted audience their preferences about the genre, the setting of the movie etc. I posted the survey on Facebook and invited my friends to answer the questions. The questions I asked was “what type of genre do you prefer in a horror film?” and set the selected answers as ‘action horror’, ‘comedy horror’, ‘science fiction horror’ and ‘slasher horror’. The results showed that doing a slasher horror film would be successful as this is what got the most votes. Another question that I asked was: “which settings do you most like in a horror film? (haunted house, car park, isolated area, other)” most of the answers I received were ‘isolated area’ Based on this I decided to choose the setting in a house and isolated field near woods. Moreover, from this survey that I created the mass of the recipients find that the soundtrack and the jump scares are effective in horror movie/opening sequences. The audience for my opening sequence that I would target would be C1 & C2, D and E categories as they would be able to relate to the narrative and context of the film more than the higher status of category A and B.
I have managed to achieve the goals that I set out which were to create a 2-3 minute opening sequence and a storyboard. Based on the feedback from my friends and family after watching the opening sequence, I believe that I have created the suspense and tension in my opening sequence to make the audience want to watch more of my film if it was to ever be made. However whilst doing the tasks there were several things that I could have improved. Finding suitable actors is one thing that I could have improved on. Given the short time I had to rely on my classmates who did not have any acting experience to act in the film. The sound on the movie could have been better by the use of a better microphone and it’s positioning as at times it is difficult to understand what the characters are saying. To improve the sound quality of the characters so they could be heard more clearly was for me to go closer to the characters as well as using a bigger microphone which could initially increase the sound quality.

I have used a mid shot with the use of a low key lighting from the film Texas Chainsaw Massacre successfully in my opening sequence. As you can see in this shot the protagonist is wearing a mask to cover his identity which I have also used in my movie.

I have used a mid shot but taken with a high key lighting with the use of a mask which makes it a conventional feature as it hides the identity of the protagonist. This makes the audience want to watch more of the film to find out who the killer actually is.
Also as part of our evaluation process we were also asked to ask our peers in our class and my targeted audience who were adults and teenagers aged from 16-50 to assess the strength of my storyboard. This was done for me to improve for next time. The feedback I received was both positive and negative. On the positive side, the drawings I made were very accurate as they could picture clearly about the story and its setting. On the negative side I was told that the description of my characters was unclear and could have been improved.
I think my opening sequence and storyboard would be clear and easy for a film crew to understand as I followed all the conventions of a horror opening sequence and how to do a storyboard. I also used a good range of camera instructions and lighting to create the effect and suspense. I think that my choice of shot durations were good as it created more exciting and tense short shots so it could create suspense and attract the audience to want to watch the whole film in full. My music choice of the exorcist piano and the use of the eerie soundtrack should appeal to my target audience, and also suit this type of opening sequence. I fully believe that my production was successful as it followed all the conventions.