Props- Ouija Board

Below is the Ouija Board which we created for our trailer. We researched what a home-made ouija board looked like and found pictures similar to this. As this was the most practical design for a ouija board, we came to an agreement in a group to base our ouija board on our research. We also had empty alcohol bottles in the background to show that we were following the codes and conventions of horror movies, as underage drinking is a moral sin.

Chase Scene

Here are many different shots which we experimented with. these includes flickering lights and close ups of the characters faces in the dark and chase scenes. Not all the shots were included within our trailer. As a group we selected the best shots which we felt suited our trailer.

Raw footage of the toilet scene and locker scene

Here is the unedited footage of two seperate scenes in our trailer.

Practice Shot- Toilet scene

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Risk Assessment

Risk assessment

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Production Schedule

Production schedule

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Analysis of Props

In our trailer, we are going to feature an Ouija board to summon the supernatural elements. We were initially inspired by a particular image of an Ouija board on Google, whilst we were doing some research on how Ouija boards look. To create a false Ouija board we will use a pack of playing cards and candles. This will both create an eerie and suspenseful atmosphere as well as making the Ouija board look realistic.

A stereotypical persona of teenagers is to drink, smoke and party most of the time. As these aspects also contribute to the codes and conventions of horror movies, we have decided to have novelty cigarettes and empty alcohol cans to show this persona, and make aware to the audience the moral sins being committed by the characters.

The lead character Sam is a film studies student, and likes documenting everything. For this reason a hand-held camera would be used as a prop for Sam. However, within our group we have decided to make some of our trailer in the form of found footage, which is another reason for us to use a hand-held camera as a prop, so it seems more realistic. Having found footage allows our target audience to be afraid and terrified as found footage is seen to be the newest technique which teenage audience find frightening today.

Analysis of Costume

Sam: We decided to have Sam wearing a chequered shirt, with a plain blacktop underneath, and blue jeans. We believe this will make her look very common, plain and un-feminine making it consistent with other horror movies as the final girl is always dressed slightly masculine. The connotations put to a shirt are that of being intelligent and slightly “nerdy”, this therefore depicts we want to portray, thus making Sam’s costume relevant for the role. Similarly the character of Sydney, in Scream (1996) is also seen to have very masculine clothes on, also being the final girl of the horror movie.

Ava: To fit the codes and conventions of horror movie characters, Ava is to wear a short skirt and a short, knitted top. This portrays her character as the promiscuous teenager and therefore makes it clear to the audience what type of character she is. An example of this would be the character of Pepper, played by Lauren Leerhsen, in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) who is also seen to have revealing and short clothes on as the promiscuous girl. Another example would be Tatum, played by Rose McGowan in Scream (1996).

Jared: Similar to other male characters in horror movies, Jared is dressed to show his masculinity. This is highlighted from the shirt and jeans worn. The lack of interest in what Jared is wearing compared to the character of Ava shows the very differing personalities of the characters, thus portraying to the Jared does not care about his appearance, unlike the female characters in our trailer.

Michelle: within out trailer Michelle is the comical character, not so much the saint as the final girl, but not too promiscuous either. It is for this reason that Michelle’s costume is very common, stylish but not revealing. A stripped top and blue jeans shows Michelle’s casual character and puts her directly in the middle of all the characters. An example would be the character of Annie Brackett, played by Nancy Loomis, who is also dressed casually but isn’t all innocent as she too dies.

Analysis of Location

Location

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Analysis of Cast

Sam: we have decided to name the survivor of our trailer, Sam. This follows the codes and conventions of horror movies because it is typical for the final girl to have a unisex name. An example of this would be the horror movie Scream (1996), where the final girl’s name is Sydney. Another example would be Halloween (1978) and where the final girl’s, Jaime Lee Curtis, name is Laurie.  Having a unisex name for the surviving character shows that they have the characteristics of both a female and male, thus showing that they are both weak to begin with then becoming stronger as the movie follows on. As a majority of horror movie audiences’ are male, it is a preconception of women to be weak at first and then gain masculine characteristics, becoming the final girl at the end.

Ava: we named the promiscuous character Ava as it is a very feminine name. The name Ava is derived from the name Eve, which is significant as Eve is the first female who caused destruction to men. For this Eve was punished similarly to our character Ava, who will be punished for being free about her sexuality and committing moral sins, such as drinking and smoking.

Jared: In contrast to the character Ava, we have named the only guy in our trailer Jared. This is because it is a very masculine name, similar to many other characters in horror movies such as Trent and Clay in Friday the 13^th (2009), Rob and Jason in Cloverfield (2008) and Ben and Harry in Night of the living Dead (1968).

Michelle: the other friend is named Michelle as this is also a very feminine name. This shows her to be interested in similar things as Ava, such as drinking, partying and smoking, however, she is not so promiscuous and open about her sexuality like Ava.

Script

Script 

Characters

Sam: Film studies student, Tomboy; virgin; intellectual

Ava: Student, promiscuous, wild child, Sam’s best friend

Jared: Student, Ava’s boyfriend

Scene 1

Location: Classroom

Narrative structure: Period of equilibrium

Characters in scene: Sam, Ava, Jared, Michelle.

The very first scene consists of an establishing shot of the school to set the scene for the trailer as well as to narrate to the audience where everything takes place. The establishing shot, then changes to a still shot of Sam turning on her hand-held camera, walking into her film studies classroom. The ‘noise’ transition is used in between the two shot to present a shift in time and setting as they are now in the building. When Sam has turned her hand-held camera on, the shot switches from still shots to ‘found footage’, hand held shots. This enables the audience to be a part of the actions as well as be in the same position as the character of Sam. Through the hand-held shots, Sam joins the rest of her friends having a good time presenting the period of equilibrium. 

Scene 2

Location: In the corridor

Narrative structure: Period of equilibrium

Characters: Ava, Michelle

A mid-shot of Ava and Michelle at the lockers, shows them to be having a conversation when Ava receives a text message from Sam. An extreme close up of the text message and the phone reveals to the audience the characters are “meeting at 8.00pm in the attic”. The long shot of Ava and Michelle walking off, reinforces they are still on school grounds due to the mise-en-scene. This includes the lockers, other students coming out of lessons and the characters holding texts books. 

Scene 3

Location: Walking up the stairs

Narrative Structure: Period of equilibrium.

Characters: Michelle, Sam

This scene starts with Ariel shots of Sam and Michelle walking up the stairs to meet Ava and Jared in the attic. The composition of shot shows Sam and Michelle to be alone and therefore presents a shift in time. This is also supported by the ‘noise’ transition we intend to use. Whilst Sam and Michelle are making their way up to the attic, the shot changes to Ava and Jared alone with bottles of alcohol with them. Within this scene it is established that Ava and Jared are in a relationship, due to the position they are sitting captured by the mid-shot of them together. The shot reverse shot of Ava and Jared to Sam and Michelle presents irony within the scene and shows all the characters to breaking the rules as the sign on the door states no food or drink to be taken into the classrooms, yet the characters have alcohol with them.

Scene 4

Location: Gym hall

Narrative structure: moment of disequilibrium

Characters: Michelle, Ava, Jared, Sam

This scene presents the moment of disequilibrium through Ava blowing out the flame on the match stick, indicating all the candles have been lit therefore the Ouija board, the séance, is set up. As all the characters are performing the séance, we have decided to have the camera pan around them, with a jagged and shaky movement. This is adds to the moment of disequilibrium and suggests an unnatural force to be present. 

Scene 5

Location: Toilet

Narrative Structure: Period of disequilibrium

Characters: Ava

During this scene the period of disequilibrium is established. Ava is alone in the toilet smoking indicating she is committing a scene; she hears a thud in the toilets and becomes very anxious as she is all alone. As she investigates, all the taps mysteriously turn on and an extreme close up shows Ava’s fear.

Scene 6

Location: school corridors, stair case, classrooms

Narrative structure: Period of disequilibrium

Characters: Michelle, Jared, Sam

All the characters, apart from Ava, are running from the unnatural force, which they have summoned. The chase scenes take place in various locations within the school such as the school corridors, classrooms and staircases. Throughout this scene, we intend to switch the shots from both still to hand-held footage to create more of a tense atmosphere. The very last shot of our trailer is going to be the hand-held camera on the floor filming Sam running away from the camera.

Treatment Analysis

Treatment

Within our group, we came to a decision to call our horror movie The Summoning. The story focuses on a group of teenagers who decide to stay behind in their school on Halloween in order to perform a summoning including an Ouija board. All but one of them believe Ouija boards and supernatural elements to be non-existent, making the summoning a sort of practical joke for the teens who are seen to very irresponsible and immature, as they are drinking and smoking to add to their good time. What the teens are unaware of is what they believed to be just fooling around in the dark, has actually conjured an unknown force onto the, old school grounds, where it shall torture them all.

The sensible computer-geek friend, Sam, is seen to be very weary and doubtful about the ritual as the time creeps closer, however, she believes in supernatural forces and the idea of magic, which has made her even more curious and excited to perform the summoning via Ouija board. Throughout the movie Sam has a hand-held camera to film the summoning and capture any unknown element unleashed. Though her friends discourage her and believe she is being very silly about it all, it doesn’t stop her from questioning everything once it’s all been done.

The promiscuous friend and her boyfriend believe that the summoning and Ouija board are a waste of time and have only taken part because they were forced to by the rest of the friends. Their lustful relationship is deemed as a moral sin which is later on to be punished by the unknown force, resulting to their gory, bloody deaths. Unlike the teenage couple, the other friends have decided to come along to the summoning as they had nothing else to do, and thought it would be a bit of fun. Their immaturity and recklessness behaviour finally results to their tortured and brutal deaths.

The group of teenagers start off in their classroom where they are secretively discussing their plan for the following evening of Halloween. These plans consist of staying behind after the closing hours and locking up of the school, to sneak around the school to perform the Ouija board in the perfect spot, the old, abandoned gym. After all this came to be true and when the teenagers were finally alone they set up their Ouija boards and started the ritual. But where they really alone? Once the ritual was done and dusted, and no visible change was seen, they all decided to hang around the school anyway, and have a little private party of their own. What they didn’t know was they should have gotten out as fast as they could, for now no one is safe. One by one each member of the group is hunted tortured. Trying to escape their horrid fate, they are all captured and graphically killed, apart from Sam, who was now aware of what she has let loose from Hell.