Portfolio Post 5 (Week 2): Technical Elements

Technical Elements in the Horror Genre

        The technical elements that fill up horror movies generally all serve the purpose of building suspense and/or scaring the audience. Common techniques such as manipulating the lighting to produce shadows are effective in instilling fear of the unknown in the audience. This would work well for our project because the antagonist isn't going to ever be shown in detail on screen. One scene we are planning for our opening is the shadow of feet cast upon the bathroom floor. This checks the box of letting the audience in on the plot unbeknownst to the main character. Uncommon angles are another technical element that is present within the horror genre. Dutch angles convey unease and point of view shots invite the viewers in on the distress. Shots taken through windows are effective in dispatching that the character is being watched from outside or in a more vague sense, is unsafe. We can utilize this shot in our opening by filming through our character's bedroom window. To combine both shadows with this shot we can implement a shoulder in front of the window that moves away towards the end of the clip. 

            

        A substantial, but underrated technical element of the horror genre is the utilization of colors to transfer information to the audience subconsciously. Overall, filters cast over films are a pivotal factor in elevating horror, heightening the darkness allows for more mystery and the opportunity for shadows. Dark colors are not atypical but more specifically deep greens, reds, and browns, are recurrent themes. Beyond just the setting, colors are gifted with the ability to communicate character traits nonverbally. For example a white outfit shows innocence whereas a red one may signal danger.

        Lastly, another focal element of the horror genre is the musical score and sound effects. Similar to color music can influence the way the audience feels without them even knowing. Some classic movies such as Jaws or The Shinning both reiterate notable and original scores though this does not always have to be the case; many films weaponize sound without headlining it. For example sound effects are much less potent but are effective in frightening the audience. For our opening our music is going to come solely from our character's phone. Her listening to loud music will give us the opportunity to allow more realism to her oblivion. As for the song, we have not decided exactly what will be playing but we imagine for it to be an upbeat song to create a stark contrast and establish somewhat of a honeymoon phase before the action starts. For example, horror movies like Fresh (2022) use jazzy, joyous as their soundtrack even though the plot is filled with nightmarish, cannibalistic events.

 

Citations

Moses, J. D. (n.d.). 4 classic cinematic techniques for horror films. Digital Photo Pro. Retrieved February 7, 2023, from https://www.digitalphotopro.com/pro-video/4-classic-cinematic-techniques-for-horror-films/