Evaluation 1

Evaluation 1Issy Hills

The title of the filmWe were inspired to title our film Chapel Lane after researching horror films set in the Victorian era. The results showed names such as Ripper Street, which was a BBC TV series set in Whitechapel and was produced six months after the infamous Jack the Ripper murders. This gave us an inspiration for our title as using a street or lane in the title makes it seem as if the setting is enclosed and inescapable, which enhances the girl character in our opening. Chapel came from the setting that our film opening was made, and it also adds to the Victorian era as religion and faith were a lot more important in those times, therefore it makes our film opening seem more realistic. Setting/locationThe setting takes place just outside a church. This is shown in the first shot where the man walks out the church doors. We were inspired to use a church setting from the film Angels and Demons. Although this film is not similar to our opening in many ways, it still holds the same codes and conventions of a horror film, as well as being set in a church. The church creates an unusual setting for a horror as it enhances the contrast between good and bad (right or wrong) as it is an all holy place, which makes every action seem wrong and disrespectful.

Costumes and propsWe used the prop of a mirror to show the reflection a the man behind her. This is a typical technique used in horror films, and an example would be Flatliners where the character Rachel (Julia Roberts) sees the ghost of her dead father in the room behind her. The use of the mirror works well as the innocent character as well as the viewers, do not expect to see a reflection of someone else. The costumes we used were inspired by From Hell, as this was also set in Victorian times and identified the main costuming needed to create a realistic standard. For the man we also used a top hat, not just for the aesthetics but also to create connotations of mystery and hiding of the face, connoting two sides/split personality.

Camerawork and editingOverall we wanted to make our camera techniques traditional, in order to stick to a traditional Victorian styled film. We used close-up shots to enhance the importance of a character, and in this particular screen grab he is smoking outside the church, which connotes danger and forebodes disrespect to religion, which is why we used the prop of a cross necklace for the girl, so that it shows connotations of disrespect regarding the girl. Smoking also suggests a certain intensity that is seen in films such as Shutter Island, at the beginning on the boat. Also for our camerawork we used the idea of reflections of both mirrors, to add to the tension and horror of the film, and shadow images to make it seem as if the man has a split personality or a hidden identity. We also followed traditional styles regarding editing, although we added some techniques such as the non-diegetic sound of music to create suspense, and also we cut out the noises and made the filming black and white so that it seems more realistic to the era. We also lowered the brightness so that it seems more intense and shows a dark side to the character. Our filming techniques were similar to that shown in a typical old horror film such as The Ghost Train.

Title font and styleWe chose this font as it is a traditional italic style of writing which was carried out by people in the Victorian times, therefore it makes it seem realistic. We have made this title page simplistic as during the opening the music and filming has built suspense, so by adding only a simple title page it does not distract the viewer from the actual film, but at the same time allows them to focus on who its produced by and the name of the film. We chose this style for our page as it is simple but also old fashioned in the colouring of it, and looking closely, it is as if it were like a cloth material, all old and ragged. We were inspired by the title pages of Sherlock Holmes at the end of the film as it has that old, worn down affect, but we did not want to make it too complicated as ours is in the opening, therefore we did not want to distract the viewers.

Story and how the opening sets it upIn this two shot it shows the two main characters in one frame and emphasises both of them as the two main characters. This is because the main camera focus is of the man therefore we know he is the main character; but, his complete focus is on the woman, therefore the viewers can start to understand that he has some sort of infatuation with her. We were inspired by the film Perfume, as the male character in that has an obsession with the smell of women, to the extent to which he kills them. This shows a foreboding danger in the way in which we can already start to tell that he has some unusual connection or impulse to the woman.

Genre and how the opening suggests itThe genre of our film is a gothic horror, which is shown through our opening in the way that it is black and white, but we have lowered the brightness so that it is darker, therefore more gothic. We discovered this in our voxpop when asking people what they through a gothic horror should include in an opening. It shows the codes and conventions of a horror film as the music builds tension and fear for the viewers, but also the slow and steady paces of the man following the woman, showing that something bad is going to happen.

How characters are introducedThere are two main characters to our film, which are clearly established in the opening. Both characters are introduced by coming out of the church, but the difference between the two characters is that the man immediately lights up a cigarette outside the church, showing disrespect, as if he did not actually want to be there for any particular reason, whereas the woman leaves the church and is wearing a cross pendant to connote here faith and religion. This immediately makes the viewer sympathise and relate to her character more as she is immediately linked to the stereotype of the innocent girl or the victim, whereas the man is the stereotypical bad guy.

Special effectsIn our film opening we didnt use many extravagant special effects in order to keep with the traditional style of filming for a Victorian film. We made the filming black and white in order to add to the era and make it seem more realistic. We felt as if special effects would only make our film seem less like a Victorian era time.