My media product; planning

Before we started working on our media product, we devised a plan in order to follow and make sense of what our opening was based around. The rough drawings shown above represented the action taking place in each of the shots used, however, the more time we experimented with the camera, the more shots were gradually included. As a group we personally feel we stuck to the plan as an overall, trying our best efforts to include everything we hoped to require in our product. The description of each shot is visually displayed in our opening, sustaining the genre and elements significantly seen by the protagonist. Finally, after filming and uploading our media product, we included a track which fit in best with what we wanted, this being, rock music suited to teenagers between the ages of 16 and 25.

Scene in The Amityville Horror

In the Amityville horror, the fear in it is builded up and created through the use of many techniques, mainly on the use of sound. The backing music played up the stairs represents the desire to escape, with the instrumental use of the orchestra and more significantly the violins. These are typical instruments which can effectively be played in minor key inflicting a fearful mood and tone.

There are many sound effects which appear in this particular scene of the film, some being the cocking of the gun to build tension as to whether the male protagonist is going to fire it, and evetually the actual gunshot itself which gives a jumpy, anxious effect because the hole caused by the shot is in a hard object and not yet a person. other noises such as the smashing of the glass frame exhibits the anger from the man and physical objects in the household being broken, so he is not concerned with his possessions let alone his family. The window slamming is abrupt. Due to its suddeness, the viewers fear is sustained as they are not ready for another sound to 'stand their hairs.'

The noises made from the characters themselves are also effective for the sense of fear, terror and dis-comfort. Examples of these include the heavy breathing which denotes them panicking. The feeling can reflect on viewers as they also become curious for what horror may occur next. The screaming from the family victims is also evident as their panic is verbally released as their reaction to the situation. During the mans flashback to past memories is an instinctive constrast to the fear of the present moment as the lighting is vividly different because of its general brighter weather and playfulness from the whole family. However, while this is visualised, the words 'kill them' is played over which shows the reality of the moment and that it will not go away. The tone of the voice is not of an everyday one but as a whispery, guttered insect which makes the flashback creepy and not happy, calm and jolly like it is ironically meant to be.

Lighting is also significant to the overall effect of fear because of its use. There is a constant flashing/flickering of lightening outdoors. These weather conditions are often grey and glum, inflicting a negative and hopeless mood onto viewers in this case. They are also factors to what add to the dramatic scene as there is no sustainable source of light despite is mainly appearing natural. When the man falls off the roof into the mud, his eyes open with the timing of the thunder and lightening flickering which may symbolize the fear having not yet gone nor soon to be going. The house light indoors also flickers when the man passes it, so perhaps he has more power than we suspect as he is in control of everything around him.

There are many images which are visually fearful and frightful to look at during the scene. The face which suddenly appears at the window which looked through by the woman is unexpected and resembles an old man who as we know, haunts the house. This disturbing element is enhanced as we are aware the film is based on a true event. Skulled images of the characters faces are also images which occur more than once on the protagonists faces when the man looks directly at them, and due to him being possessed, views his family in this light which continues to force the urge for him wanting to murder them.

The way the shots are used, present the element of fear effectively, many of them being medium and close-up shots as they display the body language and facial expressions of each character to the moments in the scene. The tensed faces and hunched backs are evident of the anxiety and fear the victims preserve unlike the straight faced man whom is trying to kill everyone in his family. There are close-ups of objects such as the hole in the door caused by the gun which had been shot, showing the whereabouts the bullet was fired and the damage it had caused. An object such as the long, straight stick the man is holding in intention of hitting his son over with is also displayed as a close-up, as this dangerous object inflicts a sense of fear as we are aware of the damage the man can physically case. Very low angle shots are also common in the scene to display the characters on the roof top, focusing on their slow, steady foot movement in order to present the man hearing them pace along it. The overall camera work is primarily filmed with a tracker shot, so the action is followed. This makes the audience feel part of the action as it is done at such a fast speed.

Overall, everything which takes place in this particular scene basis around creating fear and for the audience to also feel the sense of fear the protagonists are so they are able to relate to the reality of what happened, and sympathise with what happened.

This scene in the film resembled the opening of my product and was influential in the sense of creating a character who was vunerable aganist another, and whom displayed their sense of fear, inflicting this onto the viewers which grasps their attention making them wanting to watch on. The use of many close-ups was vital in my opening as well as this particular scene, so significant objects were focused on, displaying their importance and representation.