Shot types within horror films

Nightmare on elm street: shot types

Shot 1:

TYPE OF SHOT? This shot shows the production company logo being new line cinema.WHY? This is to give information to the audience about who made the film.WHAT IS THE FUNCTION? This is to not only give information to the audience but also to

encourage them to watch the film as it is a well known production company.WHEN? This is used at the beginning of the film which is very common in movie trailers as the

company will make the audience watch it by giving them something to recognise.HOW WILL I USE IT? I will use this in my trailer as it is a good way of getting across who made

the film which shows the audience whether it will be a good film or not.

Shot 2:

TYPE OF SHOT? This is a close up of the name of the road which the film is set, Elm Street, This road is also in the name of the film.

WHY? This shot is used to establish the setting for the audience and give them information on the history behind the name of the film.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION? This shot helps the audience realise that the film is set in a very basic, ‘normal’ environment which makes the film seem scarier as it is in a setting which the audience would be used to.

WHEN? This is used towards the beginning so that the audience can straight away establish the setting through the typical road sign instead of having to look at other images which this shot is infact followed by.

HOW WILL I USE IT? I could possibly use this type of shot in my film trailer to introduce the character to the main setting of the film.

Shot 3:

TYPE OF SHOT? This is a close up of the hand of the killer scraping a long a wall creating sparks. You can also see what looks like the ‘victim’ in the background of this shot.

WHY? The fact that the ‘hand’ is not human and looks like it is made out of knives, makes it scarier as you cannot identify with this person as a human being because they are different from the norms of society.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION? The function of this is to remind the audience of the genre of horror and that things such as knives can kill people when in the hands of a killer, but with him, they are his hands.

WHEN? This shot is shown towards the middle of the trailer to build on the representation of the genre, horror.

HOW WILL I USE IT? I could possibly use a close up of the weapon in my trailer as I feel that it is a good way of representing the genre as people often see it as a common convention of horror.

Shot 4:

TYPE OF SHOT? This is a close up shot of the killer, Freddy, talking to one of the victims revealing what his face looks like.

WHY? By revealing the killer with a burnt face it shows that he is again, un human like and represents him as someone who is distant from society which makes him scarier from the audiences point of view as well as the characters.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION? This makes the audience feel more scared as it shows that he is not like a human and has no real feelings which makes the audience wonder about his back story and why he looks how he does.

WHEN? This shot is used in the middle of the trailer when suspense is being built to further represent the genre of horror.

Shot 5:

TYPE OF SHOT? This is a mid shot of the silhouette of the killer. It also shows one of the many settings used in the film in this case it is isolated.

WHY? By not showing the full face of the killer, it makes the audience want to either watch the film or the trailer as well as making him look scarier in the abandoned building.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION? This creates a sense of mystery which will make the audience want to go and see the film. It also establishes the genre which is horror through the dark, isolated setting. It also introduces the audience to the protagonist of the film.

WHEN? This shot is used towards the end of the trailer to straight away represent the genre of horror which is important as it tells the audience exactly what this film is going to be like.

HOW WILL I USE IT? I will most likely use a shot like this in my film trailer as I want to reveal the killer o the audience without revealing what they actually look like and who they are at the beginning of the trailer.

Shot 6:

TYPE OF SHOT? This is a low angled mid shot of a girl asleep in the bath with the killers hand coming out of the water.

WHY? The constant iconography of ‘Freddy's’ hand which is made out of knives represents the genre of horror and to also draw the audience in.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION? This image is very iconic and as this is a remake of the film, it will therefore draw the audience in as they have seen this hand before and therefore they will remember the other films and be reminded of the horror behind it.

WHEN? This shot was used in the middle of the film to make further build suspense and remind the audience of the genre which is horror.

Shot 7:

TYPE OF SHOT? This is a wide shot of a group of people in a grave yard at a funeral with very dim, dull lighting.

WHY? This shot was used in the trailer so that the audience are able to see that somebody has died however the audience does not know who and only has some idea of how they died.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION? The function of this is to show that it is a very normal setting and they are doing things which are normal when somebody dies making the film seem more realistic and it shows the consequences of what the killer is doing.

WHEN? This is in the middle of the trailer to show that people are dead/dyeing and it is all because of the killer.

HOW WILL I USE IT? I could possibly use this in my trailer to show that people are dyeing.

Shot 8:

TYPE OF SHOT? Typography ‘to you new nightmare’ after previous typography stating ‘welcome.’ It is written in sharp red lettering which conveys the genre of horror.

WHY? This explains the films storyline to the audience which is that a man is killing people in their nightmares this also represents the genre of horror through the colour and idea behind it.

WHAT IS THE FUNCTION? The purpose is to make the audience feel like it is talking to them making it more realistic. It also reminds the audience of the genre making it scarier and building more tension.

WHEN? This is used towards the end of the trailer so that it ties the story together explaining to the audience the plot of the film and the genre.

HOW WILL I USE IT? I could possibly use this type of shot in my trailer to make the audience feel more involved and to explain the storyline better.

Shot 9:

TYPE OF SHOT? This is a close up as one of the stock characters screaming. WHY? The facial expression of her being scared and screaming helps the audience with how

they are supposed to feel which is also scared as they are unaware of what is happening.WHAT IS THE FUNCTION? The purpose of this shot is to not only tell the audience hw to feel but

to also represent the genre of horror as this is a common shot used in horror films.WHEN? This is at the very end of the trailer to finalise the film and make the audience feel

scared up until the last point. HOW WILL I USE IT? I will most definitely use a shot similar to this in my trailer as it is something

that is commonly used and will help the audience realise the genre which is horror.