Style & Technology

Style

Horror films rely on many camera and editing techniques to build suspense in the audience. For example, extreme camera movement can be used to create a sense of chaos. In the following clip from The Exorcism of Emily Rose, a shaky camera effect is used together with fast and sudden tilts and pans. The clip is edited with mainly fast cuts and there is juxtaposition between high and low angle shots. This shows that during climactic points in horror films, camera movement can be used to make the scene more effective and shock the audience. In our film opening we could use similar camera effects and a voyeuristic style to make it seem like the girl is being watched when in fact she is home alone.

Lighting is also an important aspect in the style of horror films. In the clip, low key lighting is used to create a dark atmosphere. The lightning outside creates some fast flashes of light however it is dark for most of the clip. This helps to build up mystery and enigma as we fear the unknown, and the audience’s imagination can fill in the blanks of what they can’t see which creates part of the horror experience. The contrast between light and dark especially with the frequent flashes of lightning creates a lot of suspense. We could incorporate the same style in our sequence but maybe using the light from her phone or a flickering broken light bulb instead and make full use of what resources we have.

Technology & Film Making Techniques

It would be a good idea to use low key lighting in our clip as it is quite conventional in horror films. To achieve the darkness that we need, we could film at night and use lights to create shadows. For the typical horror style we will need to use harsh lighting. As the clip is going to mainly focus on sound we will need some non-diegetic sound effects such as a screech or scream which we can get online or record with a mic. Finally, when we edit the clip we will use Adobe Premiere Pro. Due to our low budget, we won’t be needing much other technology.

An important shot we need to consider is when the girl looks out of the spy hole on the front door to see who’s there. We can use a ‘fish eye lens’ effect like in the image below to create the intended look.