2. There are a total of four locations required for ‘Who’s There?’. The opening sequence
begins with our survivor walking briskly down a path just outside the forest whilst
walking to meet our victim.. This then leads to our second location of an old chapel
where the two characters meet and outside, the survivor finds a newspaper on the floor
which has an article about a masked killer in the local forest, they think nothing of it and
carry on. They then walk to our third location which it just outside the forest and it is
here where our survivor makes the decision of not walking through the forest, however
our victim decides to carry on an head into the forest which is our fourth location of
inside the forest where he meets his end.
3. Location one: The pathway
Our first location will help in establishing the genre as once filters
have been applied to the footage the scenes will look more eerie and
create a more sinister atmosphere. As the location is also in a wide
open space, it makes the character seem more vulnerable. Hopefully
the audience will also get the sense of isolation and fear for the
character thus creating a real sense of fear and danger. Also, the fact
that there are trees all around suggests possible places for a masked
killer to watch their victims. At this point, the character is by
themselves making them more vulnerable.
Audiences should either consciously or subconsciously assert the
image of an open space with other horror films they have seen. They
should recognise the threats there are to an individual in an open
space such as this and the vulnerability of the character in this
location. By using this location we can establish the appropriate
about of fear for our victim and audience that is needed at the
moments where this location is featured.
4. Location two: The Chapel
Our second location also helps to establish the genre as it is a dark,
run-down, old chapel. Again, once filters have been applied it will give a
stronger suggestion of the genre however it still gives a sense of the
type of film on its own. Although the Chapel isn’t in a secluded area it
still suggests the genre a different way. A chapel suggests religion and
purity which is contrasting to a horror film which suggests violence and
bloodshed. Hopefully this will still suggest fear to the audience whilst
the characters are unaware of the possible dangers they face.
Again, audiences should consciously or subconsciously associate this
image of an old chapel with similar images and scenes from other horror
films. Using a location where the characters don’t feel any fear or
vulnerability will hopefully make the audience fear more for them as many
horror films include ‘jump scares’ which sometimes happen when the
characters least expect it to, thus creating more tension and fear for the
audience. Although none of these are included in our film, the suggestion
and the possibility of them to the audience will hopefully make them more
fearful.
5. Location three: Entrance to the forest
Our third location is more useful for creating tension as hopefully
the first two locations have been used to establish the genre. As
this location is just outside the forest where the violence of the
opening happens it is good for creating tension. As the audience
are already aware that a masked killer has been spotted in a
forest and one of the characters is uncertain about going into
the forest it creates a more tense and suspenseful atmosphere
for both the audience and the characters. This is also the place
where the two character split up which again suggests
vulnerability for both of the characters as it is not certain which
character, if any, will be the victim. As they are then separated it
also makes them isolated, thus reinforcing the fear.
The audience should immediately compare this location to
other existing horror films, as with the previous two locations.
It should make the audience recognise the threats to the
characters to then create a more eerie atmosphere for the
audience.
6. Location four: Within the Forest
Our final location is inside the forest. This is where the violence of
the opening happens as inside the forest is where the masked killer
is discovered and our victim is killed. The forest is closed off on
either side, the only way in or out is either walking back or walking
straight through. This makes the victim more isolated and vulnerable
creating a more tense and fearful atmosphere for the audience. The
further the victim goes in the more scared he becomes, the fear that
he shows is then transferred to the audience which increases the
tension.
Again, as with the previous locations, the audience should either
consciously or subconsciously associate the image of a secluded
forest with images of existing horror films. They should recognise the
threat to an innocent, vulnerable person walking through a forest
alone and the possibility of being left alone to the power and mercy
of a more powerful force. By using this location we can utilise the
audiences’ collective understanding of the horror genre and establish
the appropriate amount of fear and intimidation for our victim.
7. The images at the bottom of each location are from already existing horror films, for
example there is a picture from ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ in location one. This film
utilises their locations in the same way we wish to with ours. By making the characters
more vulnerable when they are left defenceless and to the mercy of the unknown. This
creates immediate vulnerability which the audience will be fully aware of. Horror films
rely on the audience becoming emotionally with the characters, they need to be aware
as to whether the ‘good’ characters are going to live or die in order to create the tension
and atmosphere needed.
8. Changes:
Since we filmed the first version of our opening we have decided to make changes to our
locations.
We decided that we are going to get rid of the scene of the chapel. This is because we felt
that it didn’t make sense for the characters to meet here. Once we had edited the first
version we discovered that it was also too long and that it would make more sense to
cut this than other locations as it did not suggest the genre as well as the other
locations.
