Posible shot

One of the shots I want to include is a shot of the group walking through the woods, but they don't realise they are being watched by the ghost who is sitting on a branch from a tree. This is good shot to include as it allows the audience to briefly connect with the ghost, showing that although he isn't human now, he was at one point. It is also very scary helping the film become worth seeing.

What I want it to look like is below.

Characters

The main character is going to be the boy who is the ghost. We will need someone to play him in the first scene as he will be seen. For his costume we will need victorian based clothes. Below is a Powerpoint explaining what I want my ghost to wear.

Final Storyline

I have decieded to use the storyline from working title one, I have chosen this as I believe the storyline is more believable and could be created to be more scary. I also like the idea of the main character being a victorian child as they can be very creepy as he has been dead for a while.

A more in depth version of the storyline is

Back in the victorian times a boy worked in some coal mines near a small village, he worked long hard hours and the foreman he worked for was harsh and cruel. One day the foreman brought in his daughter who the boy fell in love with straight away, he decieded to buy her a gift. He went out and spent his savings on a ring, he then walked to the foremans house to give his daughter the ring. When he turned up the foreman opened the door and saw what the boy was doing, he was so angry that a poor young coalminer would fall in love with his daughter he was so angry he pulled the knife from the sheath on his belt and stabbed the boy till he died. The foreman realising want he just did, picked up the body and ran into the woods, buring it in a shallow grave, his soul continued to haunt the woods he was buried in. Slowly the town shut down and people left and the coal mine was abandoned, a few people stayed but the town became abandoned in many places. It became a hotspot for missing persons cases but it didnt stop people from going there now and then.
After graduation a couple of friends decieded to go camping, the packed there stuff and went. They looked on the map and saw a small town not so far away so they deieded to go there. They set off and when they got there they set up camp, but one of the friends disappears without a trace, they then realise they are getting stalked by something or someone. Its teh ghost of the boy, they try hiding and some of the friends get killed and some make it to a abandoned house. The foremans house, they try hiding but they are found by the ghost. They are in the girls room, the ghost starts cry when he sees the girls dressing table, the wooden ring is on it. He walks over picks it up and vanishes. The kids run back to the car and drive to the nearest police station, but the police dont believe them, that a ghost killed there friends.

I think this is a good storyline as it hasnt been used before in any way and we could involve many clever camera angles and effects such as black and white in flashbacks.

Horror Film Storylines

We havn't yet decieded on what the storyline will be so we have written possible storylines, they are below.

Working Title 1

In this storyline, the killer would be the ghost of a victorian child who was killed in the coal mine by foreman for falling in love with his daughter. And he would come back to kill anyone who is near the mine until he is reunited with his lover. The storyline would be based around a group of kids camping in the forrest, unaware that it is close to the old abandoned coal mine, the ghost of the boy comes back and slowly picks off the children one by one.

Working Title 2

In this storyline a pyschodelic madman, breaks out of the mental hospital he is kept in by killing a nurse and dressing up as him. He then travels to London, to seek out the victim that he injured but not killed. He breaks into a fishing shop and steals a harpoon gun and a hunting knife. He goes around killing everyone in his way. In the end the victim ends up in a one on one fight with the killer.

Soundtrack Research

Horror films usually have slow building music to help create tension within the scene, music can help make a great film and without it may not be as scary. The music itself usually fits in with extremely well, like when action happens, the pitch to raise and the tempo to rise as well. Classic Horror movie music is usually orchestral based, and is written and played for the film.  Although in some modern horror titles more rocky and upbeat music can be used, putting a twist into the film.

2 Example of Classic Horror Soundtracks are those from Jaws, Dead Silence and Friday the 13th

Whereas here is a example of a piece of Modern Soundtrack music, they are from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I prefer the music for Dead Silence as I think it is very creepy and would help build tension within the film. I would like to have a track like this for my film, I also like the music from Jaws and the way that the music changes to help represent the movement of the shark, I think it helps the audience realise that the shark is coming closer, and its a clever way of letting the audience know of oncoming danger for the characters without the characters knowing. I will compose and play a peice of Classical Horror music for my soundtrack.

Film Certificate Research

For a Film to be shown in cinemas or sold in any way the film must have a film certificate, some of which guide the viewers and there parents on wether the film may be suitable and some are a strict rule, allowing no-one under the age of the film to see it. Below is a list of the film certificates and what they involve.

Definition/Notes
	Universal	All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children over 4.
	Parental Guidance	All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for children under 8.
	12A	Cinema only. Introduced in 2002. Films under this category are considered to be unsuitable for very young people. Those aged under 12 years are only admitted if accompanied by an adult, aged at least 18 years, at all times during the motion picture. However, it is generally not recommended that children under 12 years should watch the film. Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, commonly used milder swear words, and moderate violence/sex references.
	12	Home media only since 2002. 12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating. Nobody younger than 12 can rent or buy a 12-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game. Films in this category may include infrequent drugs, infrequent use of strong language, brief nudity, discreet sexual activity, and moderate violence.
	15	Only those over 15 years are admitted. Nobody younger than 15 can rent or buy a 15-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, strong language, moderate-strong violence/sex references, and mild non-detailed sex activity.
	18	Only adults are admitted. Nobody younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and strong violence/sex references along with strong sexual activity is also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context.
	Restricted18	Can only be shown at licensed cinemas or sold at licensed retailers or sex shops, and only to adults, those aged 18 or over. Films under this category have material the BBFC does not allow for its "18" rating, thus the violence and sex activity will be stronger in R18-rated VHSs, DVDs and films than those rated "18," however, there is still a range of material that is often cut from the R18 rating. More cuts are demanded in this category than any other category.

As we are making a Horror film we are most probably going to try and aim to get a 12, a 15, or a 18. We wouldn't want to get a U, a PG, or a 12A as this would stop us putting in many popular horror film cliches, and it may also deter Horror fans from seeing it as they might assume that it won't be scary as it is suitable for children. We also wouldn't want to get a restricted 18 as it might put off Horror fans as it may be too disturbing.


Beneath is a list of the top 20 grossing Horror movies and what certificate they are and a table and graph to show this. The highest grossing is at the top of the list.

1. What Lies Beneath -  15

2. Gremlins -                 15

3. Blair Witch Project -   15

4. A Christmas Carol -    PG

5. Godzilla -                   PG

6. The Ring -                 15

7. The Grudge -             15

8. Paranormal Activity - 15

9. Paranormal Activity 3 - 15

10. Scream -                 18

11. Scream 2 -               18

12. Sleepy Hollow -        15

13. The Haunting -         12

14. Scream 3 -              18

15. Saw 2 -                    18

16. Amityville Horror -     15

17. Paranormal Activity 2 - 15

18. The X Files -             15

19. Dracula -                   18

20. Freddy vs Jason -      18

After this research into how a film certificate affects the amount of money a film makes, it show how important the certificate is. As PG's, 12's, U's and 12A's clearly don't work well as Horror films as only a few have ever reached within the Top 20 most grossing. Due to this research I believe that the decision is between an 18 and a 15 as these are the highest two categories. There are benefits and disadvantages of using both. Using a 18 certificate would be good as it would attract an audience that likes violence, swearing and sex scenes, and it also means we can put in many famous cliches  without worrying that they will be to gory. However a disadvantage of having an 18 is it majorly cuts down the box office audience as 15-18 year olds are one of the highest cinema attending audiences and you cut out many of them due to the age. A benefit of using a 15 certificate is that it will allow all of the target audience to watch the film, allowing for a larger profit. A disadvantage of using a 15 certificate is that you may be forced to cut out scenes of extreme violence. In conclusion I believe a 15 certificate would be best for our Horror film as it allows the whole target audience to view the film and will probably mean a larger profit. 

I have chosen to use a 15 for my film.

Blog Feedback

Some good analysis and lots of interesting ideas. I nned to see planning of your actual production now - show evidence of scripting, choice of actors and interviews, questionnaire you target audience and take photos of location. Upload a storyboard animatic and get some feedback from friends. You have lots to do in a short space of time Will - you film after Christmas.