Animatic Shoot - 1

Evil Dead - Film Analysis

Evil Dead is a 2013 American horror film co-written and directed by Fede Alvarez. It is the fourth installment of the Evil Dead franchise, serving as both a reboot and as a loose continuation of the series; the first not directed by Sam Raimi.

The film is the feature debut of Alvarez, whom Raimi selected. It was produced by Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert G. Tapert: the writer-director, lead actor, and producer of the original trilogy respectively. The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest festival on March 8, 2013. On March 9, 2013, it was announced that the film will have a sequel, followed by a crossover with the original trilogy. Evil Dead was announced on July 15, 2013 to be adapted into a live experience as the first maze announced for Universal Studios Hollywood's and the second maze for Universal Orlando Resort's annual Halloween Horror Nights event for 2013.

The film included lots of close ups and quick montage. There is restricted amount of light throughout the film, with only natural light used, which adds to the realism of the place, as well as the harshness and isolation from technology and the rest of the world.

There are whispers throughout the film from some unknown speaker, adding to the fear created by the atmosphere as well as making us as an audience listen carefully.

There is an establishing shot right at the beginning of the film to show us the cabin, which is where most of the story of told around, and then all the woods next to it. Again this follows the conventions of most horror films, as the idea of setting the film in a forest adds to the atmosphere and creates a sense of danger, abandonment and primalness to the film.

 During the film the cutting rate changes so that it moves from a slow cut then to a quick montage. This makes the scenes more dramatic and plays on the idea of each cut sequence mimicking the pace of a heart.

The possession scene is film in the water, yet the camera angles are used in such a way that makes Mia look small, and the evil spirit look big by placing Mia at the bottom of the screen, and under the water, and then the spirit at the top of the screen making her look big and powerful, and Mia very weak and vulnerable. There was a match on action in the scene in the bedroom of the cabin, when the possessed person looked at the victim, then we see it from both points of view.

A large majority of the film was filmed with point of view shots, which makes us as an audience empathise with the victims, which adds fear, realism and tension to the movie as a whole.

The imagery in the film makes it an effective horror film, as during one scene the sky opens up and almost seems to bleed rain, which in fact is blood. The use of diegetic dialogue of the demons was also effective as it was used to mirror the action taking place and move along the story when needed.

Paranormal Activity - Film Analysis

Paranormal Activity is a Supernatural/Horror film released in 2007. Initially it was an independent film however it was later acquired by Paramount Pictures and released in 2009. It was written and directed by Oren Peli.

The plot revolves around a young woman who has been haunted all her life by a spirit and moves to a new house in San Diego with her partner. To confirm any paranormal action in the night, they set up a video camera in their bedroom to record them while they sleep. As the nights progress, the activity becomes more aggressive and frightening, which leads up to the horrific ending involving demonic possession.

This unique selling point for this film, which makes it original in terms of a horror film, is that it is all filmed on one home video camera instead of the usual cameras used for films. The reasoning behind this was to make it appear believable, as if it were recovered footage from the camera that was found days after the climax of the film. This therefore makes it seem like a "home movie" type of recording, due to the lack of professionalism in the filming and realistic behaviour of the characters as the film continues. This of course was seen on another successful budget film, the Blair Witch Project.

The characters used present authenticity to the audience, as they are a relatable young couple who have just moved into their new home but find themselves vulnerable and unaware from the beginning. During the day, the man records any relevant events, such as meeting experts for help or the current state of his girlfriend as she suffers the most throughout the nights. Again this type of film was mostly new in terms of what it offered for thrills and expectations, whilst maintaining a sense of realism and horror simultaneously.

Its use of camera shots and angles is hard to determine due to its home movie style camera work, which then leads on to the use of a soundtrack, whereby there isn't one. The effects of this horror come solely through its content and story.

Finally the setting and prop usage are quite cliché, seeing as though it stands alone in other aspects. It uses a big suburban house as its primary location, with plenty of space and rooms, leaving it with enough space for paranormal events to occur. Meanwhile its props are minor, conventional house related objects that simply add to realism, the main prop however is obviously the camera, which serves as the audience's only method of witness to the events in the house.

In my opinion, it is a strong horror film that conveys its thrill through a realistic and relatable manner, and because of this the film is very effective for its purpose.

Movie Magazine Research

After analysing these magazines, it is clear what their conventions are, and the features they share to become effective promotional magazine covers.

Firstly, the main coverline is always big and bold and almost stands out the most on the page, sometimes more than the title of the magazine itself. In modern conventional magazines, such as the one at the top, the font somehow links with the film by becoming more of an image than just a word, either with colour or images.

The main image is the item that has the power to either attract a reader's interest initially or not. This therefore makes it the most important feature on a magazine cover, and so, in regards to film magazines, the image is always a character, characters or actor that are soon to be in the public light due to a film, that is sure to be featured with them.

The coverlines seem to appeal to audiences in other ways, not necessarily in direct relation to a film. The bottom magazine for example, discusses "gadgets, buy your own lightsaber" and the top discusses "Chris Rock" and "Comic-Con Preview".

Finally the magazines use banners to advertise a part of the magazine that may be exclusive, or just to showcase other minor articles in the product.

After this research, I feel I am able to successfully produce a magazine cover later on in the process.

Insidious - Film Analysis

Insidious is a Horror/Supernatural Thriller film released in April 2011, directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell. The two are friends who have worked on other successful projects in the past, such as saga's like Saw and Paranormal Activity, which are of a related genre, therefore it can be assumed that this film would follow closely with them.

It tells the story of a young family that makes the terrifying discovery that the body of their comatose son has become a "vessel" for malevolent entities, while his consciousness lies trapped in the dark and disturbing realm known as "The Further."

The opening and closing titles for the film strike fear immediately into the audience with its use of loud, unsettling noise and flickering red letters. This creates a sudden sense of danger and horror on a cliché level, like a classic horror film you would expect a few decades earlier. The tribute is unusual but good, and it delivers exactly what it sub-consciously suggests.

Again the plot is quite cliché, as it focuses on the hauntings and strange happenings to an innocent family. However some of that focus is on the realm in which the boy is lost in, through astral projection, and is used to explain more justifiably why there are entities and spirits in the house. It also uses the character of an expert who is called in for help, who specialises in dealing with these types of paranormal incidents, but it is later revealed that even she has never seen an entity this powerful before, which means if she is vulnerable, the family must definitely be in danger, emphasising that this film is not just another ghostly encounter and that the audience should be prepared for some level of fear.

As expected with this genre and film, it uses many sequences of suspense to create a dramatic effect, through use of camera angles, editing and of course, non-diegetic soundtrack, which includes simple repeated melodies of string instruments along with stereotypical child lullabys or rhymes. The camera angles are mostly close-ups, or wide shots, either to display a character's facial expression or to display the setting being used.

In terms of setting and props, they're conventional in terms of this type of film, as it features a big american suburban house, which contains an attic where the equilibrium is disrupted initially. Whilst it also uses props such as paranormal detection equipment, Ouija boards etc. which are all useful but at the same time dangerous to discovering the antagonist in the plot.

I think its a good example of its supposed genre which whilst sticking to most conventions, it uses its own dramatised plot with its own twists.

Hard Candy - Trailer Analysis

•       Hard Candy was released in 2005 at Sundance Film Festival

•       The Film focuses around the idea of dangers facing teenagers on the internet from paedophiles. However the plot turns on traditional connotations as the suspected sexual predator gets tortured by the fourteen year old girl.

•       The film was described as unique and controversial because of its plot

•       Psychological thriller

•       The genre of the film is portrayed through the trailer by the non-diegetic soundtrack, diegetic dialogue/ sounds and the cutting rate.

•       As well as this the trailer creates a sense of tension and feelings of wrongness due to the idea and plot behind the film.

•       The film portrays sadistic violence which is shown briefly in the trailer, helping to portray its genre.

•       By switching the roles between the man and the girl it shows something that is unconventional and for some creates a sense of mystery behind the females character, as the transition from the her first appearance in the trailer as being sweet and innocent to the hard and cold character makes the audience question her motive for targeting this man.

•       The first shot of the trailer portrays the logo of the film company; however the mixture of the non-diegetic soundtrack and the diegetic sound of blinds moving creates a tense atmosphere. This tense atmosphere is also created through the visual effects during this first shot. This also helps to portray the type of genre of the film.

•       It then cuts to a close up of a computer screen with the message “So we should finally hook up, baby?” shortly followed by “NOT a baby, I keep telling you”. This introduces the idea of a flirtatious and sexual relationship which was formed online between a man and a teenage girl; this is made clear through her writing style and user name portrayed “thonggrrrrl14”.

•       It then cuts to a medium close up of a man and alternates from a long angle to a high angle shot through the shot reverse shot. From shots in the trailer, such as this one, the character of the man is shown to represent a seemingly average middle aged male. However as the trailer progresses it portrays him as more of a victim, even though he is the supposed “predator”.

•       The young girl is portrayed as naïve and innocent during the beginning of the trailer, shown through her diegetic dialogue of “I’m reading a ninth grade book”, suggesting that she is trying to impress the man and to seem older than she is. This as well as the dialogue of the man saying to her “you look older than you are and you certainly act older than you are” which in contrast to her reply “really?” makes her seem even more childlike.

•       However similarly to the man, her character becomes more cold and violent, which is mimicked through the non-diegetic soundtrack of the bass gets louder and the cutting rate becomes faster, which seems to mimic her actions.

•       The dialogue of “You thought since we’ve been talking for three weeks you know everything about me” which in the next cut showing a medium shot of her dressed in a grey vest top, makes her appeared hardened, which is also shown through the lighting and her body language.

•       The relationship between the two characters is at first portrayed as happy and slightly sexual, shown through the medium close up of the man touching the girls lips.

•       However in parallel to this, towards the end of the trailer we are shown through a fast paced cut sequence of medium close ups and close ups of her attacking the man. The editing technique used here bridged with the non-diegetic soundtrack portrays the genre and the relationship between the two characters as being violent, as if he was going to kill him.

•       The trailer lasts two minutes and thirty three seconds, which for most movies is the average time given. In that time though we are shown a variety of different shots, which tells us a story without giving away too much information, whilst at the same time promoting the film.

•       The film is an effective form of promotion as the reviews shown in the trailer give positive feedback, such as “will provoke audiences into a debate that will set word-of-mouth on fire.”