Friday, 29 January 2010

Editing Influences



The jumping and fast forwarding used in this music video, gives a sense of surrealism, provoking that she is supernatural or extraordinary.




During this other AS Media Horror project this group used an extensive amount of fast forwarding, this is common in horror films and we are planning on using a similar technique during our film.
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Thursday, 28 January 2010

Music Choices for Short Film



This is the looping song from the film 'The Strangers' we found it rather creepy and believe it could be used in a scene towards the end of our film when the girl attacks the teenagers. The repetition builds tension and could be used to sync the music with the film.




This is a song from 'The Ring' sung by a little girl who dies in the film. This could be quite good for our film as it is very similar to our story as they both feature supernatural girls. The song is very creepy and could be used with establishing shots to set the scene and build tension.




This is a soundtrack from the video game 'Dead Space'. We are contemplating using this because it is very similar to our story as its a children's rhyme and our film features a supernatural girl killer. It could be used to build tension among the audience and has a rather eerie feeling to it.




We like the beginning of this song and believe the song can be used after they hear the knock on the door as it would build tension, but after they answer the door and realise nobody is there it will give the audience some 'comic relief'




We have found many songs from this game that could be used in our horror film opening sequence. They all build tension and could be used well with our film.




There are a few parts in this soundtrack that could be used to build tension or to be used as a climax. Once the filming is done we can see if there are any parts where this soundtrack would fit in.
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Monday, 25 January 2010

Filming And Editing Schedule

Thursday 26th January 2010 - 1.30pm - Test Shots, Sweeps & Pans (Establishing Shots)
Tuesday 2nd February 2010 - 4pm - Start filming (Indoor scenes)
Thursday 4th February 2010 - 4pm - Antagonist Scenes (Outdoor)
Tuesday 9th February 2010 - 4pm - Editing
Thursday 11th February 2010 - 4pm - Reshoot
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Sunday, 24 January 2010

Final Location Choice






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Saturday, 23 January 2010

Choices of Locations for Horror

Part 2







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Choices of Locations for Horror

Part 1




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Friday, 22 January 2010

Prop List

Costumes:
2 sleepover girls - Short pyjamas
Sleepover boy - shorts and a t-shirt
Villain - white dress, dramatic make up, dirt and mud/rips
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Final Idea

Our opening scene will begin with an establishing shot of a house, there will be 3 teenagers inside (2 girls, 1 boy) who are all watching a horror film (n/a) and there is an atmosphere of tension. It will then cut to outside the house where there will be a point of view shot from the antagonist watching the 3 teenagers who gets closer and closer to the window at extreme speed and breathes on the window. All is quiet, until there is a loud ring from the doorbell, they answer the door and no ones there. the two girls return to the horror, but the boy goes to the kitchen, as she is facing the window, we see the antagonist behind him. He turns around and the antagonist is gone (at this time she is oblivious to the danger) . She returns to the room pretending to be dragged and scaring everyone until we see her properly dragged away and then the electricity cuts, they all scream. When the lights flicker back on, one of them has disappeared leaving the last girl alone in the center of the room with the girl behind her. She gets closer (incidental music) and closer (incidental music)... cut to title.
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Sunday, 17 January 2010

Psycho (1960)



Psycho is a 1960 american horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano. Psycho is about the encounter between a secretary, Janet Leigh, who is in hiding at a motel after embezzling from her employer, and the motels owner, Norman Bates, and the aftermath of the encounter.

The film is notorious for its famous 'Shower Scene' where the murder of Janet Leigh's character actually occurs. The Shower scene is one of the most famous scenes in cinema history and could be stated as being the revolutionary scene to change the horror film industry.

The scene begins in a bathroom, the bathroom is spotless and white, possibly showing the innocence and purity of the protagonist. Furthermore due to the film being black and white, in my opinion I feel this further enhances her purity as the colours seem to be more pure. However when we see the antagonists silhouette through the shower curtain we can immediately see the contrast between the protagonists purity and the antagonists impurity.

The protagonist enhances her purity and fundementally her vulnerability when she removes her dressing gown to enter the shower. This portrays to the audience that danger is looming. Whilst the protagonist showers we see a series of different camera angles as she enjoys her shower. But then the camera angle changes and remains there as we see the antagonist vaguely enter the room, meanwhile the audience are looking through a shower curtain so the antagonists identity remains unknown therefore increasing the tension. The antagonist then rips open the shower curtain and begins his attack.

The murder weapon is a knife which conforms to the iconic conventions of horror films as it portrays a more brutal and painful death. Once the protagonist has been attacked we see a close up of her hand run down the tiles on the wall as her life slowly fades away. But she then grabs on to the shower curtain with a last gasp of strength then the shower curtain falls and with the shower curtain the protagonists body falls to the floor.

Throughout the scene lots of jump cuts are used to build up tension. There are also a vast amount of close ups of the protagonist. These are possibly used to show her emotion and emphasise her innocence and purity. The most notorious shot of the whole scene is where the camera is directed at the protagonist but the framing is interesting and she is not placed in the centre, but instead is placed slightly to the right. This allows us to see over her shoulder and see the antogonist enter the room. This builds up a huge amount of tension as the audience can see what is going to happen before the protagonist can.
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Iconic FIlms

Alien

Alien was directed by Ridley Scott, with a UK release date of 6th September 1979, it was one of the first sci-fi horror films.

The Shining

The Shining was directed by Stanley Kubrick released in 1980 with the slogan 'The tide of terror that swept America is here' was one of Jack Nicholsons most memorable films.

The Exorcist

The Exorcist was directed by William Fredkin was released in 1978 and was based on the novel by William Peter Blatly, its slogan was 'The movie you've been waiting for, without the wait'

Blair Witch Project

This was a horror documentary about 3 young students who go missing. Directed by Eduardo Sanchez. Iconic 'real footage' shows antagonist as little as possible to create suspense

The Amityville Horror

This was released in 1979, its about a family who move into a house with a history of murder. Its iconic because it features real life paranormal experiences of the family

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

This was released in 1970 and was based upon a story of a guy who wore peoples in faces in Texas (USA). The iconic chainsaw was one of the first of it's kind as it was the first power tool to be in a horror film

Jason-X

This film has features of iconic films with the use of a mask on the antagonist therefore making them more initimidating

Psycho

The main plot is about a man who owns a motel who murders a woman, its iconic for the famous shower scene
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Modern Horror FIlms

Irony In Horror Films

Horror has become more self-mockingly ironic and outright paroduc example of this would be 'Scream'

The Return Of The Zombies

There has been a major return to the zombies genre in horror movies made after 2000, a larger trend is a return to the extreme, graphic violence that characterized much of the type of low budget, exploitation horror from the seventies.

Torture Porn

They have been labelled torture porn due to the sadistic yet sexual, This new form of horror has only been recently become popular because of the how we have been descencitized
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Horror Hybrids & Sub Genres

What is a sub genre?

Sub Genre is defined as 'category of artistic, musical or literary composition characterised by a particular genre'

Sub Genres Of Horror

  • Comedy
  • Extra-Terrestrial
  • Monster
  • Teen
  • Slasher
  • Supernatural
  • Psychological

Comedy Horror Films

Horror films involving some form of comedy an example of a film like this would be 'Shaun Of The Dead'

Slasher Horror

Sub genre of the horror film genre typically involving a psycho killing an example of this would be 'Halloween'

Supernatural Horror

Depict events that appear beyond normal perceptions, for example a film such as 'The Ring'

Psychological Horror

Relies on characters fears, guilt, beliefs, usually involves eerie sound effects, relevant music and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot

What is a horror hybrid?

Something of mixed origin or composition when two films genres are combined together in order to create a combination of both the films for example films like 'Deadlands', 'Alien'
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Thursday, 14 January 2010

Psycho (1960)



Psycho (1960) is an american suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano
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The Use of Sound in Horror

Sound in the Horror Genre

The use of sound in horror is an extremely overlooked feature but without it the suspense and drama in a horror would automatically decrease. Perhaps the reason for music being overlooked is that it must be integrated with the visuals and work seamlessly to intensify the drama of the film, without taking away from it and therefore many simply subconsciously take the music in without realising its true effect.

The main convention of horror music is orchestral music which is effective in it's use of creating a certain mood and following different events. Although modern horror has tried different genre's of music (the Blair Witch Project opted for death metal) it can be argued that these do not work as well as they can take away from the action.

The musical cues in horror seem to also follow a particular convention that most people recognise. It consists of a long build up of strings or horns to create a mood of suspense as the victim approaches an empty door for example or a dark alley, this is then followed by a loud orchestral hit as the door is opened or the antagonist jumps out. This loud hit contrasts with the eerie build up and creates a huge shock for the audience who are already in suspense as the long build up has shown them that something is about to happen. Different sounds can also suggest different things; a long deep tone might indicate tension whilst a rapid staccato played by strings may indicate stress and panic.

There are also different techniques used in sound in the horror genre. One old technique that is rarely used in modern day horror is known as "mickey-mousing". It was most famously used in King Kong as the music rises and falls as he jumps from building to building mimicking his movement. Another device used is known as The Auditory Symbol which is when a certain sequence of music is used to symbolise the villain in the film. This is famously used in the horror film series Friday the 13th where an unnerving sound has been assigned to Jason (a psychopathic killer) whenever he is close to his victims and is also used in Halloween with a spine chilling piano whenever Michael is close.

Horror films also tend to highlight sounds that would otherwise go unnoticed in everyday life. For example a heart beating, heavy breathing or a the distant sound of a crow in the background, this draws the audience into the scene.
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The Development of Horror

Development of Horror

Early films from the 1890's

The first horror film was The House of The Devil made in 1986. It was a french two minute long film initially intended to amuse people but nonetheless, is considered the first horror film. The film starts off with a large bat flying into a medieval castle. Once in, the bat circles slowly while flapping its monstrous wings before suddenly changing into Mephistopheles. After preparing a cauldron, the demon produces skeletons, ghosts, and witches from its bubbling contents before one of the summoned underworld cavaliers holds up a crucifix and Satan vanishes in a blast of smoke. Another early film made in the horror genre is Frankenstein. It today is still very popular and iconic. The plot is a young ardent scientist and his assistant piece together a human body to create a new life. The story was derived from the book.

1930-1940's

In this decade Gothic horrors began to emerge which involved a science-fiction element and were often plucked from literature. Dracula was a 1931 film made in the United States of America based on the book Dracula by Bram Stoker. Its a very iconic film based on vampires.

1950-1960's

Due to advances in technology new types of horror began to be introduced and it became increasingly popular. Horror of the personality, horror of the Armageddon and horror of the demonic were defined and used. Also there were many super natural films being made. In 1960 one of the most famous horror films were made called Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The film depicts the encounter between a secretary, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), who is in hiding at a motel after embezzling from her employer, and the motel's owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), and the aftermath of their encounter after he kills her. The shower scene is very significant in the history of horror and had become a famous convention and icon in horror.

1970-1980's

During this period the super natural theme was carried on and slasher movies with a psychiatric killer caught on. In 1975 Steven Spielberg directed the film jaws which went against many of the horror conventions which audiences were used to because most of the effectively scary scenes were shot in daylight. Other significant films made in the 1980's are Halloween and A Nightmare On Elm Street. Wes Craven produced A Nightmare on Elm Street on an estimated budget of just $1.8 million, a sum the film earned back during its first week. The film's premise is the question of the distinction between dreams and reality. The villain, Fred Krueger, exists in the "dream world" yet can kill in the "real world".

1990-2000's

From 1990 to now, many sequels from previous years were released. In the early 2000's not many horror films were released or extremely successful until Saw and Finial Destination which were very tormentative and mentally thrilling. Teenage catered horror films were popular for example Alien vs. Preditor and also a comedy element was added for comic relief with films such as Scary Movie and Shawn of the Dead. However in this period the Japanese began to make extremely horrifying films for example, The Ring and The Grudge.
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Analysis of the Opening Scene of a Horror




A Nightmare on Elm Street

Nightmare On Elm Street is an American horror film from 1984. It involves a young girl called Nancy being tortured in her dreams through the powers of a child murderer called Fred Krueger. It was very influential in a series on slasher films released afterwards and originates many clichés found in low budget horror films.

The use of mise-en-scene in the opening scene ties into the conventions of horror. Smoke, darkness and shadows are used to hinder the view of the audience to create a sense of disorientation and confusion as to what is happening. Also, the use of weapons is conventional to a horror film, all of which have connotations of pain and death such as metals, blowtorches and blades. This then contrasted with little children in white dresses, the white has connotations of purity an innocence which highlights the murderous and evil nature of the antagonist. The protagonist herself is also always in light colours such as baby blue, which highlights her innocence and vulnerability towards the antagonist which helps us empathise with her.

Sound in A Nightmare on Elm Street is used effectively to interlink with the conventions of horror. The use of a high pitched instrumental sound throughout helps build the suspense and creates an eerie tone to the opening, as it highlights the danger she is in. The scratching noises against metal and through clothing shows the audience his murderous intentions and foreshadows what fate she may encounter if she doesn't escape. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of a psychotic hysterical laugh and a baby crying symbolises the girls audience vulnerability contrasted with the antagonist's evil nature and is a regular motif throughout the opening with the further use of nursery rhymes which have a surprisingly sinister effect.

The director utilises the camera angles and movements to reinforce typical horror cliche's. At the beginning of the opening there is quick editing on close ups of the antagonist making weapons yet we never see his face. This shows the audience his murderous intentions and the fact we never see his face doesn't allow the audience empathise with him and this further portrays him as an evil character. The use of quick cuts evokes panic and chaos and builds suspense in the scene. Furthermore, as the girl is walking through the seemingly desolate factory long shots are used to show that she is alone and therefore vulnerable to attack. In the point of view shots from the villain towards the victim, the framing of the shots is behind objects creating obstructed viewing and there are tracks from behind her. These both show that she in unaware of the antagonist's whereabouts and shows that he is in control, it once again highlights her vulnerability as we see that she could be attacked from any angle.

To conclude, it can be argued that the opening scene to A Nightmare on Elm Street is fairly conventional in its use of mise-en-scene and other factors. Through these conventions the director creates a scene of true suspense and horror as we see the true vulnerability of the victim and the power the villain holds.
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Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Analysis of Past Media Student Horror Film - Distortion



Distortion

In terms of the plot the opening scene follows an innocent looking girl walking down an alley as she is followed by an intimidating man whose face we cannot see, as what we expect the climax to be (the girl being killed by the man) there is a twist in the plot and the girl turns out to have lured the man into her trap.

The mise en scene used is effective in regard to the conventions of horror. The girls lack of clothes makes her seem vulnerable and forces the idea of her being the victim upon the viewer. Furthermore, she is wearing a white top, white has connotations with purity and childhood reinforcing the idea of the victim and contrasting explicitly with what we think is the murderers black atire. Furthermore, the believed antagonist has his hood up throughout before we see his face after he has been killed, the hood makes him ominous and unrecognisable which does not allow us to empathise with him therefore at this time we align ourselves with what we think is the victim making the twist all the more shocking.

Furthermore, the use of sound, the majority of the time, ties in with the conventions of horror. The background music used at the beginning gives an eerie feel to the piece and puts the viewer on edge which is then contrasted with the use of silence when she hits her victim with the bottle. Furthermore, when the protaganist hits her victim with the glass it is too slow and little sound is used. incidental music would have been extremely effective here followed by the use of silence as the lack of incidental music makes what should be the climax to the whole piece lack any shock or suprise as to the huge twist. Despite this an effective use of sound is the non diagetic sound of the short crackling at the beginning as we see the news flash which is then repeated as the girl walks awsy from her victim. This ties the newsflash and the girl together, bringing the entire piece together as we see they are infact linked. As the newsflash told us that there had been murders it makes an otherwise confusing plot turn more easily understood.

The camera shots used also tie in with conventions of horror. The opening shot which is a slow track which is seemingly hand held is a regular convenion of horror as it gives the idea that the girl is being watched. The way it slowly moves out from obstructed view and the hand held element gives the impression of a point of view shot. This therefore makes her seem extremely vulnerable as we see at this time she does not know where the person she is running away from. This idea is enforced further by the low angle point of view shot used when she has fallen over and is lying on the ground. It makes the hooded figure seem extremely intimidating and the use of dramatic irony is effective as we are led to believe by him standing up he has all the power when in fact she has simply lured him into her trap. Lastly, a weakness in the camera shots was the shot of the poster near to the end, an extreme close up of the picture or certain words may have been more effective as it would have made the plot twist more explicit, this would have also been an effective final shot as it leaves the viewer in shock.

The lighting used throughout is also a strength of the piece as it follows conventions. The darkness of the alley makes the piece seem scarier as it obstructs how much we can see. Furthermore, the way she walks into the alley from the light of the streetlamps into the pitch blackness symbolises what we think is her walking from safety to danger. This once again reinforces the idea of her being a victim and therefore shocks the viewer even more when we find out she is in fact the murderer.

To conclude, the piece itself follows the conventions of horror to a point and then somewhat succesfully subverts them at the end. To become a stronger piece i feel plot twist needed to be more explicit and the fact there is no incidental music makes the piece lack any real shock for the viewer. Despite this, the use of cross cutting and jump cutting throughout is at times effective and the beginning with the newsflash is one of the strongest parts.
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Tuesday, 12 January 2010

Analysis of Opening Scene of a Horror Film



Halloween (1978)

In regard to conventions Halloween both subverts and upholds them with the main shock being the child killer who are usually portrayed as sweet and innocent, and are more usually the victim as opposed to the antagonist. However, apart from this conventions are upheld which makes the scene one of the most effective and shocking openings of the time.

The camera angles and movements in the opening sequence are one of the most effective devices used due to the famous point of view shot of the killer. It gives a true essence of someone being watched which no other shot could do, and the slow camera movement truly builds suspense as the killer gets closer and closer to the victim. Furthermore, it also gives an eerie feel to the scene, as we see the story unfold as we find out the killer knows his way around the house. An effective part is when the killer reaches into the draw and pulls out a knife, the use of this convention which has connotations with blood and death makes the viewer feel further on edge as not only do we now see the killer is familiar with his surroundings but he also intends to kill.

The use of sound in the opening scene is also extremely effective. At the very beginning a distant crow can be heard in the background, followed by crickets and then silence proceeds until we hear the girl talking to her boyfriend. The fact that we can hear the crickets emphasises that there is nobody around and the crow has clear connotations with nature and therefore implies that the house is isolated which is further shown by the silence. These regular conventions in horror make the girl seem extremely vulnerable as she is completely oblivious and to the danger that surrounds her at this point.

Lighting is also used in the opening sequence to build tension. An obvious and essential convention of horror is the use of darkness and this effective in Halloween, as we see Michael stalking his victim in the darkness outside the safety and light of the house. It is symbolic of the danger that he holds and the fact that the safety of the house has not been infiltrated. However, as the girl makes her way upstairs she begins to turn lights off until she turns the final light off which is heightened by incidental music. As this happens the pace immediately picks up which shows that the light was symbolic of the safety of the house which has now been penetrated and now she’s in true danger. As the boyfriend leaves he comes out of the darkness and into the light which shows that he has escaped yet she is still left upstairs into the darkness, not only this but this further shows that the girl is now alone which makes her all the more vulnerable.

The setting of the house also adds to the fear as it is meant to be a place of safety for an individual and the isolation of this particular house further heightens that. Despite this mise en scene seems to play a relatively minor part, apart from the dagger, as the main features are the camera angles and the lighting. Editing is also kept to a minimum if not non-existent as it adds to the realism and the point of view shot means it is not needed.

To conclude it seems to the audience the conventions are followed throughout Halloween and this makes the opening effective. The use of lighting and camera angles are the main features in the opening as the darkness and the camera angles heightens the suspense as we do not see the killer until the final moment after he has done the deed.
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Saturday, 9 January 2010

Initial Ideas

Idea 1

For the first idea there is an innocent and vunerable female saying goodbye to her female friend in a car park then there is a man by her car who subsequently kills her.

Scenario 1 - She offers her friend a lift but she refuses and says she is fine getting the bus because it is going out of the protagonists way to build tension amongst the audience. As she is putting shopping in her car boot a normal average looking dark clothed male approaches her in a natural and comfortable way. In the inital shot he looks menacing but as she turns aorund after she hears the footsteps his facial expression changes to a warming and welcoming manner. He manages to get her to give him a lift home because tyre broke/insurance sales man.

Brainstorm opening lines... "Hi, my car's broken down, this might be a very stupid question but do you know how to hot wire a car?" Then she replies no and he then asks for a lift. "Hey, I couldn't help but ask are you are 'Brians' daughter?" She replies yes then there is a flashback to the male at home researching her on facebook.

Scenario 2 - Her car window was smashed through as she returned to her car and there is the male sitting on the bonnet of her car. He approaches her by saying, "Hey oh my God I've been here for ages. There were some kids earlier trying to steal your car after throwing a brick through the window. I didnt want to leave the car alone so Ithought I would wait for you to return." She is very grateful and end up giving him a lift home. As he gets into the car thre is a quick cut to a rope and a knife under the passenger seat.
  • Dark, shadows

  • Black clothing for the male. Not revealing skin but face

  • Light, sweet clothing for the female. Slightly revealing skin

Idea 2

To open the establishing shot is of a playground with the roundabout spinning, a young girl sits on it. A large and intimidating man approaches her and we see them converse, seemingly to the audience he will be the villain. She then runs away from him, beckoning him to follow and he obeys finally coming upon a building with the doors open. He enters the house to find the little girl with her head down playing with an old sinister toy. She then looks up and there is a quite shot to her face where she looks different and sinister. There is then a flash forward to him near death/dead/tied up.

  • Incidental music to highlight the twist in plot
  • The man should have his hood up so the audience cannot empathise with him to make the twist all the more shocking
  • The girl should be innocent looking, dressed in white.
Idea 3

Establishing shot of a girl saying goodbye to her friends after a night out and starting to make her way home alone. She is then walking down the street when she notices a sinister looking car following her, she begins to walk faster and faster looking at the car not realising that she is in fact coming towards an alley. She then slowly turns around to the alley and we see a close up of her face as she see's somebody down the alley holding a knife.
  • The girl should be wearing minimal clothing to highlight her vulnerability
  • The street must be dark to tie into conventions of horror
  • Music should be incidental and the use of silence is necessary to show her isolation

Idea 4

There is a group of teenage boys and girls mixed group. They are having a camping party in the woods with drugs and alcohol. One of the male characters pretends to have been taken away and is mocking scary horror films. Loud music and the males gets abducted by someone in the woods. His screams cant be heard because of the loud music. Then one by one people drop off the group in quick flash cuts between people struggling the murderer and the murdered until there is one person left. She struggles then to get away from a man who has appeared and is seen being killed.

Idea 5

This idea is very much the same as idea 4 but the location of the scene has changed into a house. A girls parents have gone away so she is having a gathering in her house with drugs and alcohol and loud music.

  • Girls wearing revealing clothes to show vulnerability
  • Drugs and alcohol to give the effect that they are doing bad things and 'deserve' to be punished
  • Shadows and shots through blinds

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Friday, 8 January 2010

Hey Y'all,
Welcome to our awesome blog. It's totally rad and scary as hell.
This is dead wicked and I can't wait to begin filming. I'm like so excited.
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