4. We wanted our audience to feel
tense and frightened, we did this
by…
5. …Narrative
Establishing the significant part of the plot to happen before the credits in the
dream sequence so we didn’t verbally have to tell them the ending as she wakes up
in a panic. As it’s a psychological horror, it lets the audience know what happens and
if the film was a full movie, it would be non-linear as we would use flashbacks to
find out about the past and why things are happening.
Past – Dream Sequence Present
6. …Genre
- We used drugs to cause her death. Drugs are usually
mentioned or used in storylines for psychological films
such as pulp fiction.
We used a female character who is seen to be
innocent. Many psychological horrors use innocent
/normal male and females in everyday life. For
example, I looked at The Butterfly Effect and the main
character is seen as normal but everything happens
to him and its his job to change it. In the conjuring,
it’s a normal family but a lot of paranormal things are
happening to them.
- Our main character comes back to life and haunts Alex, this
usually happens in a psychological thriller.
7. Cinematography
At the beginning of the film we used an over
the shoulder shot multiple of times, this was
to show it was only the two characters
taking part in this part of the film.
We used an extreme close up shot of Jess’
eye for a few seconds to convey she has
died. It continues into a graphic match as
it is then Alex’s eye when she wakes up
from her nightmare.
We used a panning shot across the bedroom
when she woke up. It was to show she was
alone and there was nobody there for her and
that she has these dreams often.
We used a P.O.V tracking shot. It gives the
idea that she is being followed by someone, a
paranoid feeling is created.
8. Continuity/Editing
In our opening sequence, we changed the lighting to a cold blue to emphasise it was a dream
sequence, this happens in The Butterfly Effect a lot whilst he is having flashbacks
We used a passage of time to convey something bad is going to happen in these next few
minutes by the passing of only a few seconds.
Our film was verisimilitude as the dream sequence involved drugs and this does
happen in real life. We used real life locations such as Barnsley College and a house
party to emphasise it’s real life and these events can happen. However the
paranormal aspect isn’t real
9. Sound
When Jess wakes up, it is silent. We did this to emphasise the heavy breathing to show she was
scared and panicked and it gives a sense of eeriness because there is no noise and she is alone so
anything can happen. It is a parallel to the before scene where it was all muffled music. As she is
walking it gives a paranoid atmosphere.
Before the two minute film ends, the title “Vodka and Coke” is shown. We used
the sound effect of a static phone line. This was to make the audience jump and to
show things are getting serious. It finished on this so it causes tension.
10. Mise-en-scene/Iconography
• The Location was in an empty house where somebody was throwing a house party. The
parents were absent. It was in the bathroom where people stereotypically take drugs.
• They were both wearing party/evening clothes which contrasted with the party.
• We used different lighting in the dream sequence to portray it was a dream and we used a cold
colour to show something bad was going to happen.
• The props we used were the phone which Alex rings Jess on. These is the source with how Alex
contacts Jess. When Jess wakes up the after her dream and gets ready she is wearing minimal
make-up, this shows her innocence and she can’t be bothered to make any effort anymore
because she’s alone and isolated.
• We used blood to forebode Alex’s death before she actually did so. We used close up
shots to emphasise it.
• We used drugs to cause her death which is a conventional event in most films.
