the dos
CREATE A STORYBOARD
A storyboard is important as it helps you plan what you are going to do within your film, it also helps you stick to your plan and make changes that you think can improve your film.
RISK ASSESSMENT
Always complete a Risk Assessment as some locations you film on will need you to have asked for permission in order to use prop weapons on. In addition to this, some places may be dangerous and you will need to state precautions to avoid harm.
STICK TO THE BRIEF
We have been given the genre of horror. It's important that we stick to the dedicated genre as if we chose to do something different after being given a particular brief; in a real production, the company may back out of the deal to finance your film.
SET A CLEAR STORY LINE
It's important to ensure there's a clear story line to make sure that the audience can easily follow it and not get too confused. To avoid over complicating the story, make clear notes before filming so you know it's going to make sense.
CASTING
If the character you're trying to cast for is a little girl, you must ensure you cast someone that resembles that.
ACTING
The acting in each shot must be convincing in order to give a sense of realism to the audience and bring the film to life.
SOUND EFFECTS
In order to create the correct atmosphere for a scene in a film, it's important to involve compelling sound effects to get a response from the audience. For example when building to a climax, use a sound that reflects what's happening.
LIGHTING
To maintain an atmosphere, lighting can be used. For example, filming at night with little lighting creates a haunting setting, Where as using day light gives the audience feelings of safety and comfort. Despite this, when filming in darker areas, its still important to ensure quality is maintained.
COSTUME AND MAKEUP
It is important for the makeup and costume to look as realistic as possible, as this engages the audience more .
LOCATION
You need to plan the location carefully as it is a key input when creating a horror film. Places that are much darker and are isolated set the scene. It is important to fit the genre of the film when deciding on a location.
PROPS
When picking out props to use they is is important that they fit the genre. For example certain weapons like knifes are associated with horror.
the DON'TS
ZOOM
Zooming in on a shot can cause it to not focus and it can also make the shot wonky. It is better to film close up and extreme close up shots, as this shows as a higher quality.
DELETE BAD TAKES
It is important to keep all shots taken as they can be later used in editing for a different purpose.
USE HAND HELD CAMERAS
Using hand held camera make the shot uneven and shaky, therefore it is always important to use a tripod so it doesn't distract the audience.