M1

 In our filming we made sure to follow the conventions of short films by not having a massive build up to the action in order to accommodate for our films short run time. The film is straight into the action and there isn't much character building, which is again to accommodate for the short run time of the film, conversations are also clear and the film has a simple premise. 

Horror

good vs. evil

We have tried to incorporate a good an evil dynamic to make interactions between these 2 different types of characters more suspenseful. By having a masked killer it also feeds into the fear of the unknown and makes it so that the audience can't naturally resonate with or trust the character.

Isolated setting

Having our characters isolated in a place that isn't what we're used to, like the woods, makes characters seem more vulnerable, it is also a trope in horror films to be in an isolated area.

Props

The use of a mask and a knife as props makes the killer more threatening, the use of earphones and phones by the teens also makes them come across as more ignorant.

costumes

Having our protagonists wear casual clothing makes them more relatable and really sells them as teenagers as they seem like they don't have much responsibility, it also lets you know they're not coming from somewhere like a job. By having the killer wear a mask, we obscure their face and that makes them untrustworthy to the audience. 

Antagonist

By portraying our antagonist as aggressive, this makes the audience naturally dislike them as they have poor morals and are attempting to hurt others.. The antagonists role is a very simple one that is characterised by their actions.

Scary music and sound effects

Utilising tense music during chase scenes heightens the experience and invokes a more emotional response from the audience, foley sound effects also improve the immersion of the film as we can create diegetic sound in post and add it later rather than attempting to force it on the day.

Cinematography 

Throughout the film we use techniques such as long shots, tracking shots and POV shots. These kind of shots help to establish location and align the audience with certain characters.  Certain types of shot also make some moments more suspenseful such as the POV shots.

Editing

The film is quite fast paced due to its short run time, things happen very quickly and this is one of it's shortcomings. By using the fast pace, however, we accomplished a more exciting and comedic final result.

Comedy

Upbeat music

The use of upbeat songs at the start already subverts expectations for a slasher film. By using cheesy 80's music, we can capture the old school slasher horror feel while also subverting viewer expectations. This enhances the film's relatively positive and light hearted atmosphere. However, by using scary ambience and sound effects for jump scares we can maintain the horror feel.

Jump scares

Jump scares in this film are used to facilitate the comedic reactions of the characters, by using jumpscares to first scare the audience, we then give that comedic relief through the characters reactions.

Teens reactions 

The main characters reactions are an integral part of the comedy throughout this film, by having the teens come across as unbothered or entertained by the killer, it takes power away from the killer and makes situations seem playful rather than threatening

Funny dialogue

By having clunky, amateur acting guided by cheesy dialogue, we create a more novelty kind of film experience rather than trying to make a blockbuster level production with top class actors.