2. Codes & Conventions
The title – Accursed. Literally
means “under a curse”. Straight
away the audience know they are
watching a horror film.
I will also closely follow other codes
and conventions, whether it be
the character types (the victim),
iconography (screaming man,
dark lighting) or conventional
sounds (dark, creepy music), my
film will stay true to the
“possession horror” genre.
3. Synopsis
Joel Heritage wakes up on
the floor and discovers
something isn't quite right.
He finds a sinister looking
note and starts to look
around. Slowly, he is
psychologically ripped apart
by a mysterious presence
that possesses him, and he
collapses unable to take it
any more Will he survive?
Will anyone survive? Will
evil finally triumph over
good once and for all?
4. Sound
I have chosen to have no dialogue in the opening
two minutes of my film. This is partly because
there is only one actor in it, but partly to slowly
build tension and a climate of uncertainness,
which I believe would be more effective to a
background of ambient, intense music.
There will be some diagetic sounds though (the
cupboard, the tap) and most importantly, his
breakdown at the end.
5. Typical camera shots
I like to think the shots used are a good representation of
horror overall. Close ups and longs shots are key parts
of horror, and as a result, my opening. Close ups allow
a connection to be built, whereas the long shot show
how isolated and vulnerable the character can be.
Other shots I will use include a panning shot to a mirror, a
POV, and a shot from the viewpoint of a cupboard.
6. Casting
The protagonist is an “Everyman”, a normal
teenage boy that the audience should be able
to relate to. This is vital to the idea that horror
could happen to anyone. I chose my friend Joel
to play him, because of his acting experience
(he's been a member of a youth theatre group
for the past four years now), and because he
has no problem with being put in uncomfortable
situations. This will be very useful for when he
needs to have Bovril oozing out of his nose.
8. Certificate
The certificate (given out by
the BBFC) for my film will be
a 15. Their guidelines state
“Strong threat and menace
are permitted unless
sadistic or sexualised.” As
my film is neither of those,
but will still contain strong
scary images, a 15 is most
applicable.
9. Promotion
Twitter / Facebook – my target audience frequently use
social networking, so it would be easy to target them this
way.
Viral – This targets internet users who are not on social
networks
Film festivals – This will attract more “high brow” film fans,
who would choose to ignore what they saw in mainstream
cinema publications.
Posters / trailers – To ensure my product is seen by a wide
bunch of people outside the internet
Magazine features / interviews – This will entice fans who
actively research films.
10. Technology
As it is a small, no budget college production, the
whole thing will be shot on one camera and
using a tripod. This means we will have to me
more imaginative in the way we go about
things, especially the special effects.
