Location scouting

My group gave me the task to complete the location scouting list, explaining where each shot would be filmed, why and display pictures showing the locations.

I looked at the storyboards and discussed with the group the different locations that we could use to shoot our film. We talked about where we could film them and came to some decisions. I then went out and took photographs of the locations as a whole and more specifically the exact parts of the location in which we will film.

From there I was able to create a document and explain the reasoning behind our decisions.

Location Scouting

The location scouting that I created and researched can also be viewed on the blog.
http://cvhs-jall.blogspot.com/2010/01/location-scouting.html

Target Audience Profile

Once I had created a plan it was very easy for me to use the plan and research what I felt I needed to look into. I could then put it into writing and create the target audience profile. The target audience profile is a very important part in the planning stages of our film as in order to ensure that the film is as successful and effective as possible we need to know in exact detail what the specific target audience will be. Therefore the target audience profile is on our group blog in order for all of our planning to make sense as a whole. http://cvhs-jall.blogspot.com/2009/12/target-audience-profile.html
Target Audience Profile

Target Audience Plan

Before I could work on the target audience profle i decided to create a plan in order for me to understand fully what the group felt needed to be included and what I needed to look at in order to make the target audience profile as understandable and clear as possible.
Target Audience Plan

Group Progress

This week, I worked on the target audience profile for my group. I did some further research into the Uses and Gratifications theory and examples of audiences of our type of genre. By looking at the target audience of the genre of our proposed film it will enable us a group to ensure that the film works and appeals to its target audience. This will therefore make our film as successful as possible and ensure that it is effective.

This week the group also had a group meeting in order to talk about the tasks which we needed to do this week. We also spoke about the script and what we felt should be included. We then split up to get on with the work that we assigned each other. At the end of the week when we had completed the tasks we sat down and spoke about the tasks in which we need to complete in the next week. We had some ideas and are continuing to think about the ideas in order to develop them. We will then sit down together again and talk through our individual ideas and create a plan to sort out what we each need to work on.

Deadlines for the 27th of November

For the end of the week our group set some deadlines to ensure that we were working steadily through the work we needed to complete and we weren't leaving it till the last minute.
For the 27th of November we decided that:
- Our similar media works presentation must be completed
- Our film brief was completed and uploaded to the group blog
- Our sctoryboard presentation was added to the group blog

The group as a whole managed to meet all of these deadlines. There was some issues with a few of the tasks however group meetings were held and the issues were quickly resolved. We are working through all the work quickly and efficiently and ensuring that it is done to our best ability.

Animatic Storyboard

To even further develop our previous storyboards, our group decided that we should take it up a level and create an animatic storyboard in even greater detail. The animatic storyboard can be viewed on our group blog. http://cvhs-jall.blogspot.com/2009/12/animatic-storyboard.html By creating an animatic storyboard it will help us even more when it comes to filming our piece as we have already thought about many of the filming details that we need to think about when filming.

The role that I played within the animatic storyboard was to write the script that is spoken over the filming of the storyboard. As a group we had discussed all of the elements and things that we felt needed to be spoken about and I went on to put this into writing and create a script for the animatic storyboard.

By creating a script it enabled us to be able to film the storyboard quickly and efficiently and move on to other tasks that required a lot more time.

Storyboard Voice Over Script

Picture Storyboard

Our group decided that we wanted to develop our rough storyboard further. We decided as a group that we wanted to create a powerpoint presentation with some images that we have taken that outline the basic story and show all of the different shots that we want to take. We then explained the different shots and what will happen on each of these. This makes it clear to us when we come to film the actual film. The photographic storyboard can be viewed on the group blog.http://cvhs-jall.blogspot.com/2009/11/this-presentation-is-alternative-to-our.html

Here are some of the images we used.

This is the first establishing shot. It shows the audience what is happening clearly and then enables them to have an understanding of what is going on. It will be of a park however it will have some forensic equipment located on the site in order to show to the audience that a murder has taken place. This links in with the last shot and shows to the audience that it all makes sense when put together.

The next shot will be of the staff room with nurses who work within the asylum which is what our film is based around. The wide-shot will let the audience be aware of where the next shot is as have a rough idea as to what is going to happen in the scene.

The next shot will be of confidential documents within the asylum saying danger across the front of them. It will be a close up to highlight the danger of the documents and create tension within the audience. We decided to use this close up in order to make it very clear to the audience what is going on so that they do not get confused.

The next shot will be a mid-shot of a couple arguing. The audience is able to see the expressions upon the characters faces and have an understanding of what emotions that they are going through. The mid-shot also enables the audience to see the surroundings that the two characters are in and are then consequently able to see what could potentially happen.

The next shot is a low angle close up of a male characters feet running through a forest area. It is a low angle close up to highlight the significance and importance of this character, but still doing it subtly so that it is not completly obvious but has some signigicance.

The shot after the previous shot is one of the female character sittng alone on a swing in the park. The shot is a mid-shot so that the audience can see all of the surroundings and the characters. The shot will be seen through the trees and bushes to increase the tension and suspicion within the audience.

After the last shot another shot of the swing will be shown however this time it will be a close up showing a male character putting their hand on the shoulder of the female character who is sitting on the swing. The close up will show to the audience in even greater detail as to what is occuring and the audience will be able to see exactly what is happening.

The final shot will be a long shot of the swing however this time there will be no characters or life about. The long shot will give the audience a very wide view and will consequently be able to see all of the scene and be able to take everything in and make their own minds up as to what has happened.

However the final presentation shows much more detail of the images. A further storyboard has also been made by the group in even further detail to ensure that the storyboards are clear and easy to read.

Similar Media Works

In order for our group to ensure that our film opening is as effective and works as best as possible, our group needs to research all areas of the horror genre and the techniques and effects used to make sure that the film works to its best ability. As a group we looked into all of the various aspects of horror films so that we had a greater understanding and could apply this knowledge to our own film.



We split up all of the various things we felt needed to be researched between the group so that we all had a fair amount and the amount of work which we needed to do, wasn't as much as we would have needed.



I was given the tasks to research the dictionary definitions of Horror and Psychological Horror, Common elements of horror films such as Antagonists and Protagonists. The Ideology of horror films and what influences it and an analysis or a horror film including mise-en-scene. These are all important elements of horror films and the analysis was a good idea so that I could break down everything that I had learnt and use good examples of it.

By creating a similar media works profile it enabled our group to have a better insight and understanding into what was included in a psychological horror film. We could also find out further about what the audience expected from a psychological horror film. By looking at other similar films we also were able to have a better understanding of successful films and therefore could apply this to our film. We also looked at target audiences, generic conventions of horror films, ideology and mise-en-scene. By doing all of this research we are able to ensure that our final film is as successful and realistic as possible.

Here is my similar media works PowerPoint slides.
The whole similar media works power point can be viewed on the group blog as a whole powerpoint with the whole groups combined slides. http://cvhs-jall.blogspot.com/2009/11/similar-media-works-presentation.html

Week Two

After a second week of working together as a group I still feel that we are progressing and working extremely well together. We have met all of the deadlines and many of them have been met even before the deadline date. Everything is being updated reguarly and we are continuing to work together as a group. Currently we all have seperate tasks to work on our similar media works project, storyboards and film brief. By working seperatly and having different tasks it is ensuring that we get all of the work done to the right deadline date. If there is any problems or issues that people come across we are all discusiing them and overcoming them together as a group, which is proving to be the most effective way for our group.

Horror Re-make

Our group decided to re-create the hallway scene from The Shining which was created in 1960. We decided to re-create this scene as it is simple yet very effective. We also decided to re-create this scene because we could use equipment which we have not been able to experiment with yet. We could also work on and learn useful techniques such as space and time management. We leanrt a lot from re-creating the scene and it gave us the much needed help in order for us to practise our planning, filming and editing skills.

It proved to be very useful research that we can take and use when it comes to planning, fliming and editing our own film. We all worked well together and thoguht about the different aspects of the scene and what we needed to think about in order to ensure that the re-make is as good as possible. We had some issues with who was editing when however we learnt from this and will be able to take away the fact that we need to plan out when and who is editing and what time. However overall we made some good re-makes that are very similar to the actual scene and show off our editing and filming skills.

The Shining 1960, Hallway scene - Remake

The group decided to re-make a scene from a horror film in order do research and find out about horror films and how they are made. We decided to re-make the hallway scene from The Shining which was created in 1960 and directed by Stanley Kubrick. The first re-make was edited by mainly Jenny, Lauren and myself.

However Abi felt that she did not edit enough of the re-make and chose to create another edit for the re-make.

However by creating two different re-makes it helped us as a group to see that we should have organised times to edit the re-make and make sure that everyone is happy in the group. Therefore we will learn from this and in the future make a structured timetable to ensure that no one feels as though they have not played a large part in the work. We were also able to benefit having two re-makes as we could compare and contrast the two different re-makes and see what common elements we included. We also used different techniques which will become useful when we need to edit the final film as we have already experiment and as a group have a wide range of knowledge about the editing process.

Week one

After one week of working togther as a group and working on the various tasks that have been set within the main project, I feel that we are all working well together and overcoming by discusiing the few different issues and problems that we have encountered. Working together is key to the success of our project and teamwork is vital in ensuring our project goes to plan.

We have all made good progress on all of the various tasks and have managed to complete many of them well before the deadlines that the group as a whole have set.

I think that the fact we all sit down together and talk about what tasks we have to do and how we are going to share out the work load and ensure that we get all of the work done to the best of our potentials.

I feel that we are heading in the right direction with our current work and if we continue to work to the standard we currently are I think that we will be very successful in our project.

The Shining 1980- Analysed Scene

The Shining 1980- Mise En Scene Analysis

The scene starts on a wide shot of a hotel with little around it showing the lack of communication from the outside world and that what goes on inside the hotel has no way of getting out as there is no one around to help. The snow also connotes the idea that it is very cold, which in turn gives the audience a sense that something is not right and effectively gives the audience chills as they are unsure what is happening. It is very dark outside showing that it is night time however it also gives a sense of uneasiness as the audience is unsure of what is really there, but more sinisterly what could be there. There is a blue light which could be seen as either the moon which could feel that it is spooky like a typical scary night in the dark with no light but the moon. The light is high up and shines down onto the rest of the scene especially the hotel, almost putting it in a spot light as to show that something is going on within the building making it seem more important to the audience.

The camera immediately flicks to a mid-shot of the character Jack Torrance who has been affected by a force called ‘the shining’. As the camera switches to this shot there is the sound of the wind howling. This denotes that the weather outside is bad which could mean that those inside the hotel are in fact trapped in. This diegetic sound connotes to the audience that the event that is about to take place could be scary with a very sinister outcome. The mid-shot helps to show to the audience a brief outline of what is happening so they are more aware of what is occurring in this scene. It also establishes the character. The audience is now aware of who is in the scene and where the scene is set. When you first look at the Character you would think that he is a normal person however the director Stanley Kubick has chosen the clothes specifically to show that all is not right and connote to the audience that there is something significantly different about this person than first seems. The clothes that the character is wearing are very dark compared to the lighter clothing that the other character in the scene is wearing; however you don’t see this character until a little bit longer into the scene. He is wearing a very dark red jacket highlighting the dark and sinister thoughts that are going through this mans head. The red also represents fear and death meaning that something could occur. It highlights the fear and really gives the audience a sense of being scared. The chequered shirt shows how casual and unexpected that this whole ordeal is. It is a dark blue which links in with the idea of the darkness and sincerity of the scene. The characters hair is all slicked back either with sweat from his desperation, this shows the audience that this man has been very affected by the spiritual ‘force’ and will do anything to achieve what he has set out to do. The fact that the character has stubble denotes to the audience that he hasn’t shaved recently as he has been affected by this ‘force’. The lighting is very low and makes the room appear dark and almost scary. This reflects the sinister events that are taking place from that side of the door. The wind is still howling showing that this problem isn’t going to go away. The character then starts to talk, he is quoting from a popular children’s story, the three little pigs. This is a clever thing for the director to have included as it is showing that the character is trying to play into the innocence and naivety of the other character. Just as children are innocent and naïve. The tone of the characters voice is very deep and mysterious to really add to the suspense that is already being built up. As this character speaks his eyes are looking in one direction and the expression on his face is very clear so the audience can really see the anger and craziness of the character. This is the point where the normality ends and the audience realises that something bad is really going to happen.

The scene suddenly switches to the bathroom where the other key character in the film is hiding. The lighting within this part of the clip is very bright. The colour of the light is mainly white. This is a massive contrast compared to the darker and more sinister colours that are the other side of the door. This brightness compared to the darkness really highlights to innocence of this character. The woman is wearing what appears to be pyjamas which connotes to the audience that before this ordeal things were occurring normally and she was very relaxed. There is also a big contrast in the colour of clothing that this character is wearing compared to the character that we have previously seen. The clothing again is lighter blues and creams highlighting the naivety and innocence of this character who is scared of what might happen. The camera is at a constant mid-shot so that the audience can see all that is happening in the room from this characters point of view. The camera also tracks the characters movements as she panics and grabs a large knife that is in the sink. This shows this desperation of the character for some help against what is happening. The camera zooms in and has a close up of the large knife, the close up denotes to the audience that it is sharp and shows the real desperation of the character grabbing the knife in such a panic. The diegetic sound of the knife being bashed against the bathroom sink really highlights the panic and desperation of the character. The extra-diegetic is a high pitched screeching sound. More than likely to be played on a violin as it has a very sinister and harsh sound to it which emphasises the situation.

The camera continues to flick between the different sides of the door. With a continued used of the screeching to really build up the tension and get the audience on edge as to what will happen next. The contrast in lighting also builds up the tension as the audience is unsure as to whether the innocence will prove to come through or the sinister dark side will win. The camera then reverts to a wide shot of the man in a normal hotel room. Again the lighting is dull and shows the darker side of this character. However from this shot the audience is able to see the axe in which the character is holding. This reflects the power that this character has compared to the woman who is just the other side of the door, as the size varies so dramatically between the knife and axe. The increased screeching of the extra-diegetic sound desperately increases the tension within the audience as the character throws the axe behind him and hammers it down into the door. The crashing of the axe hitting the door really highlights the anger and aggression of the man who is trying to break the door down. The sudden scream gives the audience a shock and makes them question what has happened to the other character as the camera takes several seconds before it reverts back to the other side of the door where you can see clearly as to what has happened to the other character. This all builds up the tension and suspense and really gets the audience on edge. The screaming continues as the axe keeps going into the door. This really makes the audience feel uneasy as they still are not aware of what has happened to the other character within the scene. The character, who is trying to break into the door, face is screwed up showing the audience the determination to break through the door. The scene the switches to the other side of the door where we see the traumatised woman hiding in the corner of the room. She has little make up on showing her desperation, it could also suggest that she was not preparing for anything to be happening, it was to be a normal evening and she was ready for bed. He hands are clasped together almost as if she is praying for help really emphasising her desperation. As the axe continues to be thrusted through the door the loud bangs of the axe hitting the wood shock the audience as they do not expect it to be so loud. The desperate screams of the female character also really make the audience feel the horror of the situation. As the scene continues the screaming gets louder and more frequent which really builds up the tension within the audience. As the male character manages to break a substantial hole through the door and is able to put his head through the door the camera focuses on his face in an extreme close up to really show how possessed the character is. The sweat upon his face shows how determined that he really was to get through the door proving to the audience that something has affected this man so greatly to make him be so desperate to break through a door. As the character moves away from the door the contrast between lighting really shows through the audience as they are able to see how very different they are. This also proves to the audience the huge difference between the sinister and dark thoughts compared to the innocent and pure ones of the other side of the door. This is continued and highlighted further as the male character reaches through the hole in the door to open the door. As the woman slices down into the man’s hand the music is put into a much high tone and has a very fast rhythm to it, this adds to the tension and creates a very surreal feeling. The fake blood which is put on the door as the man’s hand is cut really shows a huge contrast between the purity and the idea of fear and death. The camera is shooting a close up of the man’s hand being drawn away quickly leaving the audience with the question as to what will happen next.

Narrative script and rough storyboards

We managed to get a lot of work done and complete tasks that we needed to clear up, before we could move on to any other tasks. We all sat down together and thought carefully about the different shots and pieces of action that we all wanted to take place in our opening scene. By doing this we all had a clearer idea of what the film was going to look like and where we needed to go from there.

We then worked on a rough storyboard that matched our narrative. By doing this we were then able to have a clear image in our minds of what it will look like and how the film will work out in the end.

We all worked well together sharing out the tasks and discussing what we thought should be included. We are working really well together as a group and I am feeling confident about the work that we still have to complete.

Researching similar media works

We are doing some research about different horror films and its elements and technical codes, by doing this I think that it will help us all to be able to make our final piece of film as effective and to the best standard possible because we have the greatest understanding possible of how horror films work and what is included in them.

Once we had created the basic plan of the presentation we split into two different groups to help ensure that we cover all of the tasks that we need to complete efficently and ensure that we do not waste any time. Lauren and I went off together in order to find some research on the presentation and also assign jobs to those in our group for the presentation. I think that we worked well and fairly whilst also asking the other members of our group what they thought and wanted to do. By doing this we were able to complete all of the tasks that we set out to complete. By sharing out the work load it made sure that everyone was given a fair amount of work to do. I thought that this was really good because then all of the pressure isn't put solely on one person and it is truly the groups work rather than just an individuals. In all I felt that the tasks which were completed were done well with the rest of the group being happy and satisfied with what was done.

Unit G321 Preliminary Task AS Media Studies Preliminary Task Evaluation:

Do you believe that your piece of film demonstrates continuity well? Our group did and didn’t demonstrate continuity well. We kept the actors the same, and all of the actors remained in the same costume. No new actors were introduced, and no actors randomly disappeared. It is good to ensure that the actors and their clothing all remains the same so that the audience doesn’t get confused and does not understand what is going on. However we didn’t demonstrate a good use of continuity when we were filming, the actual scenes. There is one scene in particular when an actor is walking onto the set, however there is one character that is meant to be sitting down but is in fact standing up near the door. This is a demonstrating a bad use of continuity as the character is meant to be sitting down, yet they are standing up. This will confuse the audience as they will not know whether the character is meant to be sitting down or not. None of the characters have changed place so the continuity was continuous. Overall the continuity was mainly demonstrated well however there were several areas, where if I was able to go back and do it again, I would ensure that this was more even and it flowed much better and more effectively.

Have you demonstrated match on action; shot reverse shot and the 180-degree rule? If so, why are these editing techniques useful? Our group demonstrated and made good use of match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. These are all good and useful editing techniques to ensure that there is good use of continuity and ensure that the film runs smoothly and does not confuse the audience. The match on action is use widely as it is putting all of the different shots together to make sure that the film tells a story clearly and makes much more sense than just random shots would. I think that our film flows well and the story is easy to follow along with the setting and the plot makes sense because of the good use of match on action. My group has also made good use of shot reverse shot. We did this because you can really see the real facial expressions and emotions that the characters are portraying and gives the audience a greater depth of understanding the actual storyline. My group also made very good use of the 180-degree rule as it ensured that the film flowed a lot smoother. We ensured that the filming with the camera was very accurate to be sure that we didn’t cross the imaginary 180-degree straight line. If I was able to go back and was able to change things I would ensure that the 180-degree rule was used even more effectively and make sure that the match on action showed even more facial expressions.

How do you feel your group worked together? I feel that our group worked really well together, we all shared our views on what we felt was right. We also worked well as a team when filming and all ensured that everyone was happy and sure of what they needed to do. When we were editing we had a few disagreements as to how to edit the film. However we all compromised and in the end we came up with a successful film even if we did feel we could have improved it further. If I was to start the project again I feel that if we had worked in a smaller group then it would be easier to edit the film, with less disagreements as there were lots of people with different ideas and opinions as there was so many of us.

If you were to film this piece again, is there anything you could improve on?
The film was overall a success however there were many things that could have been improved to ensure that it was even better. I would have made sure that the use of continuity was much better and it didn’t confuse the audience. I would also think more about the mise-en-scene to bring more meaning and understanding to the film. I would have also edited the film differently by adding in more transitions and working on the sounds much more to make sure that it wasn’t loud when it needed to be quiet as people were speaking.

Did you plan your video well, or could you improve on this? I created a storyboard and had a basic script, which helped greatly in both the editing and filming of the piece. However I could have improved on this by thinking more about the mise-en-scene and how things were to be placed. I would have also thought and researched more about the types of music and editing that was effective. I probably would have developed the script further with more stage directions so that it was very clear what I wanted from the actors when filming then. However I feel that I made plans that were ok, as they managed to help me film my piece effectively and edit it well to a certain extent however there was many things I could have done to make sure that the planning of the video was a lot better.

Did you use transitions within your piece? We did not use transitions in our piece. I feel that this was a big mistake as the transitions would have made to film flow a lot smoother and more effectively. The transitions would have made the film a lot more effective and more understandable for the audience. I feel that this reduced the quality and effectiveness of the film greatly. However I will learn from this mistake and use transitions effectively in the future.

Have you learnt anything about the editing software whilst doing this exercise?
I have learnt from this exercise that when using this type of editing software you need to be patient and ensure that everything is done properly to make sure that the time it takes to edit the film is as little as possible. I have also learnt that I need to make sure that I save my work after doing anything significant so that I do not lose my work. Again to ensure that I do not lose my work I also found that I needed to back all of the work I did up in different areas on my computer to ensure that if something did happen to the original copy of my film, I still had a backup copy so all was not lost. If I was to use Adobe Premiere Elements to edit my film again I would make sure that I was fully aware of how to use everything to my best ability to ensure that the final product was as effective and successful as possible.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this film? When creating this film, a lot of different forms of technology were used. But from this I have learnt that you need to be very patient and make sure that everything is done properly to ensure that the film is as successful as possible. I have also learnt that you need to understand and know how to work the different technology so to use it to its best ability. By being able to use the technology to its best ability, the film can be produced to my best ability and the end result being a successful and effective piece.

Preliminary Task- Did you bring it?

Script- Ideas and Brainstorm

This was the first time our group had all got together and focused on ideas for our script. I think that our group worked really well together as we all managed to get our views and opinions across as well as coming up with lots of good ideas. We all listened to each other which was good as it would not have worked if we couldn't listen to each other. We all managed to come up with lots of good ideas which was good, and enabled us to move on with out ideas and develop those we felt were particularly good.

I managed to get across lots of my ideas on different techniques and elements that I felt should be included which was good. The group appeared to like my ideas and I hope that we will include some of the ideas that I put across to my group.

I feel that one really good thing that came out of our group discussion was that we managed to create a task list which higlighted the most important tasks that need to be completed within the next few weeks and assigned a member of the group to work on each task.

Overall I feel that our group worked well on the first major task that we need to work on. We all worked well as a group together and listened to what each other had to say. We managed to come up with a good idea that can be worked on aswell as having lots of ideas to expand our main idea with.

Mise-en-scene: Dracula Vs. Frankenstein (1971)

Dracula Vs Frankenstein was first released in 1971. Horror films in the 1970s generally reflected the grim feel of the decade as little happened in the 70s. The films addressed contempory issues and physiological fears. Dracula Vs Frankenstein deals with the idea of new things being developed, such as Frankenstein’s monster, because of the new technology being rapidly developed. Because of this new technology people would believe things such as monsters and vampires. This led to the creation of many films such as Dracula Vs Frankenstein.

The opening scene of the film starts out with a close up of the sign upon the gate of a cemetery. This close up enables the audience to be aware of where the scene is set and has a rough idea of what to expect. The camera focuses on the sign that says ‘Oak moor Cemetery’ which is in gold and in very gothic writing. This denotes to the audience that it is clearly a cemetery but the gothic writing makes it feel scary and gives the audience a sense of fear as they associate things such as gothic writing with fear. The gold is also a huge contrast to the black background of the sign. Showing the brightness and innocence of what will be the victim and the darkness of in this case the vampire. The diegetic sound is of the wind howling, this is a typical characteristics of a dark and spooky night. This tells the audience that it is night time and even though the wind is a harmless sound it brings chills to the audience and makes them question the safety of the characters.
The camera then changes to a close up of a full moon. This denotes that it is night time which makes the audience think about the scary things that could happen in the night. The camera then zooms out to reveal the pitched black midnight sky with the full moon. This highlights the sense of mystery and the fact that the audience is still completely unaware of what is going to happen. This contrast between the bright moon and dark sky could connote the contrast between good and bad. It could also give the idea that the good is less powerful and small compared to the bad which is so huge in comparison to the good. The sounds are being built up so the audience has a greater feeling of the tension that is being built up. The cricket sounds give the sense that there is something alive out there, which makes the audience intrigued to find out what else is behind the darkness.

The camera then pans down from the sky a shot of the cemetery in complete darkness. This shows that it is dark outside which really adds to the scariness and highlights the lack of knowledge as to what is in the darkness. There is a dog barking again adding to the tension which is already being built up by the different layers of sound. The camera continues to pan revealing the gates and shows glimpses of several headstones. The director Al Adamson would have thought about these features very carefully. The gates could connote to the audience that whatever is behind these gates is so evil that it has to be locked away behind gates and is not allowed out. The glimpses of the headstones remind the audience that it is a cemetery where scary movies are usually set as there is a common thought that cemetery’s contain the ghosts of those buried there. This just helps to make the audience feel fear and on edge as to what could happen. The fact that only small amounts of the headstones are shown and not the whole thing, this means that the audience isn’t viewing the whole thing they are only seeing small parts of the headstone, this could be a hint to the audience that what they see may not be all there is to know and understand. The camera continues to pan in this wide angle of the cemetery for fourteen seconds before anything else is shown. This adds to the suspense within the audience as to what they will find when the darkness finally breaks.

Once the camera has finished panning across the cemetery there is a long shot of a dark figure moving something. The figure is very dark with only a few parts of their body being shown through lighting. The lighting is very dark to show the sinister mood about the scene and to make the whole event seem very mysterious. The idea of everything being very mysterious is carried on by the fact very little of the character whom has appeared can be seen. In contrast to the dark background there is a very light shape which is being moved by the figure. The huge contrast between the light and dark could connote to the audience the difference between good and bad. Because the light colour of the shape, which is being moved, is so different to the darkness of everything surrounding it, it highlights this and draws the attention of the audience directly to this. The diegetic sound is slowly being built up further with the sound of the ground underneath the characters feet. This again builds the tension for the audience who are now very curious as to what is happening.

As the character continues to remove what the audience can now see is a lid, of what appears to be coffin the camera tracks along with the character. By removing the lid in the way that the character does it gives the audience the impression that what is inside the coffin needs to treated carefully and it could prove to be a very big shock to what the audience may expect to be revealed. The diegetic sound is still the same as it has been throughout the scene. It is building the tension so greatly that it is drawing the audience in and making them want to know so desperately what is going to happen.

The camera keeps tracking round the cemetery and zooms in on the figure. The shot is now a mid-shot showing more of the figure. By this shot being a mid-shot it gives the audience a better insight of who this mysterious figure is. However it still keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as they cannot see this characters face and are consequently completely unaware of what this character can really do. The audience can now see that the figure is wearing a black cape which is lined with bright red material inside. Because the typical stereotype of a vampire is to have a black and red cape. The bright red could symbolise the blood in which is extracted from the protagonists. The audience can see that the bright red is a very bold colour compared to the darkness which connotes that this character is very powerful and has a lot of control over his victims. The sound that accompanies this section of the scene is the final sliding of the lid coming off the coffin. This is a chilling sound which is very loud to shock the audience and really scare them before they see what is inside the coffin.

As soon as the lid has been fully taken off, the camera quickly changes to a close up of Frankenstein. By changing to this shot so quickly it keeps the audience on the edge and really makes them feel that something dreadful could happen at any time as the shots are so jumpy. By having a close up the audience can see every detail of this ‘monster’ which could scare them as it is such a sudden change and in such detail. The close up is of an old and crusty ‘monster’ which the audience later finds out is Frankenstein. Al Adamson the director has included this to let the audience know that the fact that Frankenstein is in a coffin and crusty must mean that he has been dead for a very long time and has been untouched. This if effect makes it very unusual and the audience is wondering what the character wants with this other character that has now been introduced into the scene. Frankenstein is a very different colour in contrast to the other character and its surroundings which really highlights and focuses on the difference between the two characters. The audience becomes aware of the difference but questions what each character has to do with the other. The wind is still howling and the tension is greatly built up at this point within the scene.

Again the camera quickly changes to a wide shot of the full moon shining in the sky. This creates a sense of frustration to the audience as they are completely unaware of what has just happened to the ‘monster’. By doing this the director has managed to ensure that the audience is completely hooked and will continue to watch the film so that they find out how all of these events link together. By removing parts of the story the audience is desperate to know what is happening and really ensures that they follow the story fully. The camera then immediately turns to a mid-shot of the cemetery again, however this time nothing is there. The mid-shot enables the audience to see the majority of the cemetery, however not all of it which makes the question what else could be there. Because of the excitement of the discovery of what is in the coffin the audience is eager to find out what is going on. The wall and headstones are all very gothic which denotes that it is a traditional cemetery but connotes to the audience that it is spooky and things that are not natural could occur as the gothic look is very stereotypical of things that will scare people. As this part of the scene goes on a small light appears in the background. It is very bright in contrast to the background which is a symbol of the goodness that comes with this light. The audience’s tension is being built up even more by the sound of footsteps which are getting increasingly louder. Suddenly the camera switches to a mid-shot of what appears to be a male character. Similar to the other characters only small parts of this male character are shown the make everything seems very mysterious and ensures that the audience is kept on the edge. This characters face is kept in the dark at first to ensure that they cannot be identified. Along with the neutral colours that the character is wearing this character appears very insignificant. However the fact that this character is wearing a hat and the smart clothing that they are wearing could indicate that they have some importance to this story. There is suddenly a dog barking, this diegetic sound is very unexpected and the audience is not prepared for it. This will make the audience feel uneasy as anything could happen. However this is all part of watching the film and making sure that they feel all of these different emotions, so that they get the maximum enjoyment out of the film. The face of this male character is revealed. The characters expression is very scared and uneasy as to what is going on. This reiterates to the audience that something scary is very likely to happen. It denotes to the audience that they are afraid of what could be there.

The camera then tracks the torch light being shone randomly around the cemetery. The darkness of everything and the small glimpse of light and good things connotes to the audience that through all the bad and darkness there is some good, be it small. The random things that can be seen from the torch light could give the audience the impression that the events of the film are very random yet they are all connected in some way. The items which are shown are random however they are connected in that they are all gravestones even though they are all very different.

The camera then turns back to the male character whose facial expression has an increased look of concern. This increases the concern of the audience as the person that they now believe to be good is concerned. The character cries out ‘who’s there’ again the audience can sense the caution in the characters voice and consequently feel uneasy. The characters voice is very shaky and the character sounds very unconfident due to the uncertainty of what it happening. This denotes that the character is afraid of the unknown and is concerned by the fact anything could happen. The camera reverts back to tracking the light from the torch showing the random parts of the cemetery again reiterating the randomness of this event. The camera again turns to the male character whose bright colours in contrast to the very dark background highlight his innocence and separates any connections between the good and bad. At this point there is a loud and very dramatic piece of extra diegetic sound, which brings the tension to a climax and ensures that the audience is totally aware of the suspense and dramatic event that is soon to take place.

The camera pans to the right, a glimpse of the red cape is shown and the extra-diegetic music is built up further. It is played in a minor key, with little rhythm to make it feel scary and dramatic whilst also highlighting the randomness of the events. This is the first time that the audience can actually see the face of this character, Count Dracula played by Roger Engel. The facial expression upon this characters face is very sinister this connotes to the audience that he could be about to do something evil. Dracula’s face is highlighted which draws the audience’s attention directly to it, they can see the expression upon his face and will be able to sense the fear and dread of what might happen next. The characters moustache and beard have been chosen by the director to give the character a classical stereotypical vampire look with a long, dark and droopy moustache in contrast to the very pale face. At first the shot it from underneath the character so their eyes appear to have no pupils. This appears very supernatural and will scare people. This could connote to the audience that this character is supernatural and all is not right. The camera zooms into a close up of the face of Dracula so that the audience can see and get a sense of how the character is feeling, because the audience has a greater knowledge of what the characters are feeling they too can feel the same way and with this comes a large amount of tension.

The camera then changes rapidly to a close up of the other male character within the scene. The expression upon this characters face is of utter dear and total shock. The audience really feels this with the added use of the extra diegetic sound which is still rapidly building up.

After returning back to a close up of Dracula the camera pans down the body of the vampire so that only the bold red stands out next to the darkness. This connotes to the audience that this character really does have a huge sense of power and a great deal of control over what is going to happen because of the block colour along with its boldness. As the vampire leaps over and encases the male character with his cape the contrast between the light colours of the male character and dark colour palette of the vampire is really clear and very much highlights the difference between the two characters. It makes a clear definition between the two characters and ensures the audience is aware between the two. After that point little can be seen this denotes to the audience that it is night time so little can be seen however it connotes that something very sinister could be occurring. The fact that the audience cannot see what is happening but the diegetic sound of the characters struggling and the extra diegetic sound which has reached a climax all add to the suspense and keep the audience on edge wondering what is happening. The camera again as before goes back to a wide shot of the full moon shining brightly in the sky. This reiterates that it is night time and little is around to help the male character as the audience now fears the worst because of the lack of knowledge of what has happened.

The camera pans down the ground to see Dracula on top of the male character whom are both lying on the floor. Immediately you are able to see the male characters hat as it stands out significantly against the dark floor. The audience is drawn to that straight away which connotes that something is not right. The audience is able to sense that something has happened from the extra-diegetic sound which by now has reached its climax but is very spontaneous with little rhythm. This makes it seem very sinister and helps make the audience feel uneasy and unsure as to what is going on. As Dracula removes himself from what is now a corpse, the camera is left with mid-shot of the lifeless male character lying on the floor. This mid-shot is enough to make the audience aware of what has happened. It also could connote that only part of the body is being shown meaning that possibly something else has happened. The camera zooms in onto the neck of the male character revealing two tooth marks which are oozing blood. The audience is automatically aware of what has happened by this close up. Because the camera showed the audience in detail what has happened they are fully aware of what is going on. The lighting is now very bright compared to the dull colour palette that the audience experienced before. This really highlights to the audience the innocence of this character and ensures that they are aware that this was good against bad and the innocence of the good has shone through, unfortunately at the wrong time. The extra-diegetic makes a final accent to make a dramatic ending to the opening scene and bring out the drama in the event which has just occurred. It helps the audience feel the tension and makes them feel unsure of what to expect next as the opening scene has proved anything can happen.

Dracula Vs. Frankenstein (1971)