The 180 Degree Rule

The 180 degree rule is a renowned method in the film making industry. states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.

The cast:


Shaun McGee - Matt Davison


Killer - Chris Marskell


Mr Oswick - Mr Oswick


Director - Dan Zammit Lewis


Producer - Ben Horley


Music created by Jamie Gamache

Ratings

The same criteria is used to classify '12' and '12a'. These catogories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. When the film is classified it shows that it may upset and distress children under 12 or there parents may believe it is unsutiable for them.

The '12a' category is specific to cinema films and gives the parent or gaurdians the ability to decide if they believe their child is mature enough to watch the film and understand its contents.

We have decided that we are going to film our film in school, the reason why we are doing this because it is a prime location and it will be a lot easier to film inside school rather than filming outside in a different location. the name we have decided to use for our film is "Detainment". we are going to have 3 actors, the teacher, student and the killer. We are going to have to make sure that we work hard on creating a good sound because that will make the tension high and the audience anxious.

First Ideas

After thinking and discussing what genre of film to produce we chose to do horror. horror is a popular genre with many people, young to old. Reason being that horror movies inject fear and mess with the viewers emotions. This allows the viewers to almost enter a fantasy world and imagine what it would be like to be in these gory situations.

Mise En Scene and props

Many horror films are low budget films which is one reason for why our group decided to do horror. The choosing the right setting is one of the most important things to do in a horror film. The surroundings set the tone of the film and let the viewer know that it's a horror film. Popular choices for settings used in horror films are; woods, empty warehouse, school at night time, prison or an old house. Our group have decided to film in a school when it's quiet. This will make the viewer uneasy as the school should normally be busy and buzzing with students.

Not many horror films use many props unless there are bug horror films such as Saw. In Saw they use many props including death traps, pit full of needles and a playground roundabout which people are strapped to and killed. Typical horror film might only use props like;include are a knife, gun or some other kind of weapon and maybe a costume or mask for the killer/villain along with other normal everyday props. As we don't have a Hollywood budget we will be using props such as the ones listed above.

Plot

People are mostly frightened when they are watching horror movies because of the films thrilling plots, which are main things in this movie genre. A strong character is often used to make a thrilling plot. A lot of horror movies also haunt people by using plots which are related to supernatural. Also, a murderer or someone who is looking to get revenge is often a main character who kills other characters one by one, making people feel excited all the time they are watching. These are three typical horror elements found in many horror movies.

Our group haven't yet decided what the final storyline is going to be but we have got rough idea. One plot we have come up with is either a student or teacher is at school most properly after school. Someone else not sure who yet will be wandering around school trying to find the other person and once found them will end up killing them. We have not yet decided if they friends or if the killer chases after the victim etc.

Camera Work & Sound

The camera work and sound plays a huge part in making a successful horror film. Camera work can add to the tension and also make the viewer feel like they are part of the scene. In most horror films a popular camera angle is close up or POV (Point Of View). A close are often used to show tension and emotion on an actors faced. It can also be used to highlight something important in the scene such as a clue to the murderer or the murderers weapon. POV is often used to make the viewer feel like there are inside the character. This shot would often be used when the villain is being killed. By doing this it allows the viewer to seem more involved with the scene adds gives them an opportunity to see a murder through the killers eyes.

In horror films sound is a key part to add tension and put the audience on edge. How much suspense is added to a scene by sound is to do with how fast/slow and how loud/quiet it is.

For a scene where the murderer is looking for the victim, the soundtrack might be slow and quite as they are tip toeing about. Once the murderer has found the victim and maybe chasing after them the music would change and now be quite loud and have a fast tempo getting the audience heart racing and adding tension. Sound effects are also used frequently in horror films, for example the victim is being stabbed they might amplify the sound effect to make the scene seem more gory. A classic example of a sound effect in horror films is the creaking of the door, adding this in adds suspense and makes it seem eerie.

Our group have not yet decided on camera work or sound. These will most likely be done once the plot and settings have been finalised.

This is a possible location for our film, we liked this because it had a booming echo. They also offer a scary effect which is perfect for us as we are creating a horror film.

Superbad Movie Trailer

In this movie trailer the director uses a wide range of different camera angles, shots and movements. This shows that the director must have put a lot of thought in how he wanted the scenes the look and what he wanted the audience to feel as they watched each selection of footage.
The first shot we see is a tracking shot to show the movement of what we understand to be a mother moving towards a car, this shows that this woman has a very dominant and secure walk and is in no sense of danger or feels threatened in any way. We follow this to over the shoulder shot of two boys in a car looking at the women, this shot shows the audience that the women is very comfortable with the boys and also gives us the opportunity to feel as if we are part of the conversation.

The conversation continues with a POV shot of the women looking at the two boys driving the car this means we can see the faces of the boys and their reaction to the conversation, giving the audience a chance to establish the relationship between the characters. A two people medium shot then comes up of the two boys in the car this lets the audience see the two boys together and how they interact with each other, with the medium shot we can see the body language of the two boys so the audience can see what type of relationship they have. We then cut to a long shot of the same two boys coming off a bus, this shows how the two characters feel in there surroundings and how that the two boys must be close friends as we see them in many different situations, the use of this particular camera angle lets the audience become more acquainted with the characters and see what they look like shoulder down.

Another over the shoulder shot is then used between two people to show that another conversation is taking place, this use of shot lets us see the peoples reactions very clearly and to understand how they feel at certain words or phrases being used the audience can relate to this and begin to understand what type of film they can expect. We then get the first use of camera movement with a panning shot showing three boys at a party and this lets us see how they behave in there free time and the audience feel like they can relate to how the kids behave and feel as if they are one of the people at the party with them. We then get a medium shot which the director would have used to show the feelings of the adults at the house and the slight low angle shot gives the audience a feeling of being looked down on by the parents and as if they are bigger and have more authority then we do. The camera then changes to a medium shot of three boys; this introduces another character to the audience and shows us that he is another character that is very close to the two kids we have seen before and could have a large influence in the film this is followed by a POV close up of what the boys were looking at, a director uses this to show important props that would not be remembered by the audience if it was not specifically pointed out with this type of camera angle, we then have an extreme close up of the same object to further highlight the faults in the object and so that the audience can really understand what the people are looking at.

We have a two person view of two policemen to show the audience what they look like and how close as a partnership they are. A panning shot of a police car is then used to make it feel even faster then it was going and as if it was in a chase or had to be somewhere very urgently. There is a large selection of high angle shots to show two boys in bed, this shot makes us feel powerful over them and that they are very vulnerable in the state and position they are in.
The trailer uses a lot of different camera angles which helps the audience establish what the characters are doing it and where there doing it, but there is a distinct lack of camera movement used by the director.