Chapel Lane Evaluation 1

By Martha Hills

Evaluation 1• Chapel Lane is a Victorian Horror set in Victorian England. We

have stuck relatively closely to the stereotypes included in films similar to this for example, ‘Augustine’ written and directed by Alice Winocour, ‘Perfume’ written by Andrew Birkin Bernd Eichinger and directed by Tom Tykwer. These films both have dark and sardonic undertones much like our piece.

• Through research, we chose to set our Film Opening in the town of Marlborough next to an old church which we found out was still there in Victorian times and the fact that the lane we filmed on had cobbles gave the piece even more realism and made the whole piece more authentic.

The Title• The title of our film also sticks to Gothic/Victorian stereotypes in

the way that the word Chapel relates directly back to the 19th Century and the extensive refurbishment of churches/chapels in that time (Church of England). The word brings connotations of religion which is an old theme that also suggests different emotional ties with it for example, happiness for weddings or sadness for a funeral.

• Because the word conveys the idea of religion it gives the piece a more controversial feel as the story is one of a dangerous stalker who rapes his victim contrasting the godly title and therefore challenges forms and conventions of the media by becoming more contemporary in the way we view certain aspects of old society.

The Costume• The costume that we chose for the character of ‘John’ was a formal morning suit (a

pinstriped trousers, a tailed jacket, a black tie, and a white shirt). This is a uniform from Harrow school and it is very significant to the era we have set within the piece. This uniform hasn’t been changed since the death of Queen Victoria and the black tie signifies the mourning of the Queen and also foreshadows the dark ending for the character of ‘Elizabeth’.

• The character of ‘Elizabeth’ had a costume that we chose from the drama costume department. We chose the mysterious green dress after I was inspired by the dresses worn in other films set in that time such as ‘Augustine’ and ‘Perfume’. The black cloak also matches the black tie which is aesthetically pleasing and also the velvet material brings the characters status up along with the accessory of the cross necklace which commutates innocence. The theme of innocence is prominent in many if not all female victims as it goes along with forms and conventions in the media for example the theorist Laura Mulvey who said that the woman that had important roles in films were more likely to be shown as frightened or in need of protection.

Camera Work and Editing

• Through the majority of the filming we didn’t use a tripod which goes against the styles usually used for more contemporary film making but we thought that as most of our opening was dramatic we should create an authentic hand-held effect by making sure that the camera was straight but also as if someone was watching in the shots with the woman. This worked to an extent but we should have had more shots displaying the intensity of the stalker by using over the shoulder shots from behind the male character and also shots from in front of both the characters where we can see how close the man is with the woman. This would have given the opening more tension and would have kept the audience on their toes more. For example the image shown. It is slightly blurred due to an unsteady camera but the sequence would have been improved if there were more shots displaying each characters mind set and where they were looking.

Title Font and Style

• For our Font we used Sign Painter House Script. This was the only font that kept in with the time of the film. The writing is almost like it has been hand written in old English firstly because of the font and also how it is in italics. This gives a more historic feel to the way we end the opening and also to the authenticity of the piece. The colour of the font is grey and this conotates a neutral feel that carries emptiness and so it reflects an isolated feel which is how we want to represent the whole sequence.

The Story and how the Opening sets it up

• The story of Chapel Lane is one of mystery and loneliness. The story is about two main characters ‘John Whitlock’ and ‘Elizabeth Ashdown’. These characters are in the more upper classes and are well known in society. In the film we see the character of Elizabeth being stalked and after her Debutantes party she is raped. The opening doesn’t gave much away but makes the audience think of any possible situations which instantly leaves them wanting to watch more. The opening starts with a closed door of a church signifying how we may know something very well but we may not want to discover what is inside. This sequence quite literally opens dark secrets and displays an isolated atmosphere where only two characters seem to be significant.