We have come up with the idea for our production from inspiration of the ring one where before Noah dies there's a shot of his cup making a water mark on his newspaper of a ring. This is to signify that trouble is about to take place. We like this idea and we have chosen to use this as our character being on the phone and subconsciously drawing a picture of a hangman game on her newspaper and then we will use a close up shot of what she's drawn.

Opening Sequence Scream 2

The Opening sequence is very effective to the second sequel as it makes the audience feel that the second film will probably be more gory than the first one with more twists. It starts with a couple going to watch the stab movie which is based on the murders which occurred in the first sequel. The couple go into the cinemas where everyone has the scream masks on as a theme to celebrate the movies released, this is very helpful for the killer as no one will notice if someone is being murdered and it will be harder to catch the killer as everyone is almost dressed in the same Costume. The boyfriend is murdered first in the toilets and the killer takes his clothes including his own costume so that when he enters the cinema the girlfriend wont suspect anything, Only she discovers Blood and realizes that maybe this Man is not her boyfriend. She is then Stabbed continuously without anyone taking any notice, as she passes a lady some blood is wiped onto her. she struggles to get a the front of the screen to the audiences attention that she has been stabbed and lets out a painful cry. The audience stop and pay attention but it's too late as she falls down dead. This Opening scene is great as it pulls the viewer to want to continue to watch more.

 

The shining

This Film has a range of good shots as they are used to be effective. The scene i looked at was the 237 clip. The boy is being followed by a tracking shot to show the vast area of space and his loneliness. When he discovers the Sisters at the end of the corridor there is a shot reverse shot and then single shots of the boy and the sisters. This is to show the tension beyond the scene as it is single shots. There is medium long shots of the sisters and Close ups of the boy as he is sitting in a toy car, this could be done maybe because to show that is is not of a standing level where as the medium long shot of the sisters is because they are standing up. the scene is indeed disturbing but pulls the viewers to want to watch more. There are a series of flash backs used in this scene for effect. Children are used in this sequence to portray innocence, by the boy suffering from some mental trauma we see through out the film and the twins being brutally murdered this could also be used to show that evil is at work.

Opening Credits Idea

This is the opening credits from the film Se7en. It is a similar idea to what we could use for our opening credits. In our 2 minute sequence there will be about 1:00 of filming, then just entering the opening credits for around 1 minute. We will use a similar idea to Se7en's opening credits, showing clips of the killer planning his attack on the female victim. The text will then use a gothic font, flashing between images and text, to give an eery effect. Se7en's credits work effectively as it uses many close up shots in sequence which gives a mysterious feel about the film. The transition in which these shots are shown is shown as very skewed and "scratched" giving the idea of destruction, as the tape reel looks as if it has been destroyed. In the short shots used, the scenes are also shown as very dirty. This, along with violent or strange acts, immediately occurs to the viewer that we are watching the killer, a mysterious, filthy character. The soundtrack used for these particular credits is also very mysterious and gives the effect of destructiveness, as if it has been destroyed and scratched. Various horrific sounds are used such as scratching, and creaking of doors. These sounds are emphasized to give an effect of disorientation and possibly paranoia or fear. We will use similar sounds in our sequence to give this effect about "Hangman". 

Age

We surveyed mainly 15-18 year olds. Therefore after receiving the results we are going to use a 15 certificate as we feel our main audience will be 15+ males and females.

After looking at our results on our questionnaire, we were able to deduce that most males preferred comedy and the majority of males prefer suspense to gore. Therefore we will try to limit the amount of gore and instead use more suspense. 

Most of the males we surveyed liked our synopsis and also to improve the storyline they would include more characters. 

 

From the results of our questionnaire we have found out that the majority of females prefer romantic comedies. Because of this we think that our predominant audience will be male 15 - 18. Also, the majority of females prefer suspense to gory. To appeal to females as well we will try to include more romance or sadness. Therefore we will include both suspense and emotion in the opening not just gore.

From our questionnaire 50% of the women we surveyed said they weren't really drawn to the plot because it was too violent and confusing. However the other 50% thought it was good and to improve it they would add more important characters.

Questionnaire Previews

Have a look at these 2 openings of movies:

1. Which opening do you prefer?

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2. What did you especially like about your preferred opening?

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3. What did you not like about your preferred opening?

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4. How would you change this?

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5. Do you prefer the background music of "Amityville Horror" or the simple sound effects of "The Ring Two"?

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Thank you for taking part.

"Hangman" Questionnaire

1. Are you Male or Female?

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2. How old are you?

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3. What's your favourite genre of film?

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4. Do you prefer a gory horror, or a suspenseful horror?

...........................

5. Would you prefer a happy ending or a sad ending?

............................

6. How often do you go to the cinema to see a film?

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7. What was the last film you saw?

............................

8. Take a look at the "Hangman" Synopsis:

After losing her boyfriend, Rachel is left heartbroken. The killer then returns for her death, entering a brutal, violent scene. Rachel is held hostage and tortured by the "Hangman", who later turns out to be her envious ex-boyfriend. Managing to escape from his trap, Rachel seeks revenge on this mystery man. However, in shock of discovering his identity Rachel meets a terrible fate.

Does this appeal to you?

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9. If you had to, what would you change about the storyline?

............................

Votes	Average
Males	14,751	5.8
Females	2,940	6.2
Aged under 18	580	6.7
Males under 18	393	6.7
Females under 18	185	6.8
Aged 18-29	12,196	6.0
Males Aged 18-29	10,090	5.9
Females Aged 18-29	2,063	6.4
Aged 30-44	4,172	5.6
Males Aged 30-44	3,605	5.6
Females Aged 30-44	525	5.8
Aged 45+	723	5.3
Males Aged 45+	576	5.3
Females Aged 45+	139	5.2
IMDb staff	5	5.5
Top 1000 voters	333	5.1
US users	6,591	5.7
Non-US users	11,090	5.9

From these ratings (found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384806/ratings) we can see that Amityville Horror appeals mainly to those under 18 up to 29. From the higher number of males voting, it is evident that we should aim to appeal to the male audience for a horror. 

This idea is similar to ours as it is based in a house and it shows a different time frame; the future when he kills his family and the past when it actually starts. Ours is similar as we are going to show the past in our opening sequence and flashes to the present where our film takes place.

In this opening sequence the weather reflects the mood of the film. This works well, as using rain and lightning, and the outhouse door banging in the wind, is very effective. It is also clear that we are looking at a particular time frame by stating the date, also using a creepy font to add to the tension. When the scene begins the camera is disoriented, showing the viewer how this man feels inside. A continuous use of fast-paced shots works well, displaying different moments in time (ascending the stairs, shooting one victim, shooting another). This gives an effect of how the killer has planned out his attack, displaying each killing separately.  The lighting works well in this situation, as the lightning flashes fast giving a lot of tension and excitement. The sound in this sequence consists of diegetic sound, as we hear the lightning strikes and gun shots, however these sounds are made louder and more obvious to give the sense of how loud it actually is at the scene of the kilings, making the viewer feel as if they are there.

This is St Mary's Church of our possible filming locations.

We might use this for the graveyard scene.

The Strangers:

	Votes	Average
Males	17,827	6.2
Females	3,456	6.5
Aged under 18	1,052	7.2
Males under 18	774	7.2
Females under 18	277	7.3
Aged 18-29	15,139	6.3
Males Aged 18-29	12,667	6.3
Females Aged 18-29	2,431	6.5
Aged 30-44	4,309	5.9
Males Aged 30-44	3,686	5.9
Females Aged 30-44	587	6.2
Aged 45+	753	5.7
Males Aged 45+	607	5.6
Females Aged 45+	137	6.2
Top 1000 voters	189	5.8
US users	10,854	6.4
Non-US users	10,416	6.1
IMDb users	22,540	6.2

This information has come from imdb.com

It shows that the majority of viewers are female and male under 18s. From this we feel that our audience will most likely be similar and therefore we will aim to use a 15 certificate.

The Ring Two

The use of the lightly lit room in the beginning is similar to what we want because you wouldn't expect horror. Also the fact that its a couple at the beginning is effective as it promotes the film to the audiences of both men and women. Maybe they might watch it together.

In the opening the audience sees a lot of water therefore instantly suggesting that water plays a part of the film. The camera zooms in to a specific point a lot. This portrays the sense of someone following or walking up to the character or object. The use of the dark intense, suspensful music produces a feel of horror and danger. The use of the diegetic sound of the telephone acts as the climax to the tension as it is unexpected. The use of the pink clothes portrays her innocence contrasting to the boys green t-shirt and black hair. Also the use of the high angle onto the girl reinforces this. The use of the close-up on the boys face emphasizes his emotion throughout the opening sequence.

The use of the focus on the tape highlights that it plays an important part in the film.

We can see from the opening scene that this is a continuation of the previous film and more twists are involved. It starts off with teenagers watching the tape and has continued to do so in this one.

As the opening sequence ends, there is a sudden cut to the movie itself, adding fast pace and ending the tension suddenly. 

Possible filming locations:

St Mary's Church graveyard - It's close to college and we need a graveyard.

St Johns Church - It's also one of the nearest churches.

Another possible location is Jade's house as it is the closest to the college.

"Hangman" synopsis

After losing her boyfriend, Rachel is left heartbroken. The killer then returns for her death, entering a brutal, violent scene. Rachel is held hostage and tortured by the "Hangman", who later turns out to be her envious ex-boyfriend. Managing to escape from his trap, Rachel seeks revenge on this mystery man. However, in shock of discovering his identity Rachel meets a terrible fate.