4 Hour Film Challenge

Planning

• brief - narrative of a door, match on action
• follows the conventions of horror 
• use of ambient sound to build tension
• walking through doors until the individual reaches the end of the corridor/room
• opening and closing doors 
• equipment - camera & tripod 

Evaluation:

 A strength of our film "Behind The Door" is that we were successful in demonstrating a range of camera and lighting techniques. Some of the shot types we included were medium, close up, canted angle, point of view and long shot. Our range of shot types ensured that we had good match on action throughout the film so each shot transitioned smoothly to the next and it gives the appearance of a real film as it follows the conventions of continuity. 

An element that we struggled with during filming was the lighting because the location that we chose to shoot in was very dark and it had an affect on the overall clarity and effectiveness of some of the shots. For instance the shot where the individual walks up to the first room and looks inside, the use of low key lighting is too dark here therefore we should have used additional lighting such as an LED light to make sure both the subject and room are lit to a suitable level. In spite of this, I do believe that this is also works in our favour because it makes the film appear more disorientating which is a common convention with the horror genre in achieving a reaction from the viewer. Disorientating the viewer means that they are s less likely to be able to guess what it is to come next as it becomes more difficult to keep up with the events that are taking place on screen therefore this adds a scare element. 

In our final shot of the film the individual opens another door and goes in to a room at the end of the corridor and the room is well lit due to the use of natural lighting coming through a large window in the room. This is effective in terms of demonstrating camera and lighting techniques because it gives our film a contrast between the extremes of low key lighting to high key lighting at the end of the film when the film takes a lighter note than what the audience may have expected.