Group Work - Short Film Extract

Our main objective of the extract was to build mystery around our monster and to create tension to a cliffhanger ending, hence the name Stalker. We wanted to create a monster type figure because it is a popular convention of horrors and thrillers; you can create any type of thing you want because it doesn't have to be realistic.

We used a mixture of non-diegetic and diegetic sound. For Diegetic sound we used the sound clip to create a pace for the monster to move around with. This is also shown with the diegetic breathing we decided to add over the top of that. We made the breathing louder and only to be heard from the P.O.V of the creature; this way we know why were seeing the clip from this perspective and it builds tension as we realise the person is oblivious to what is happening (creating dramatic irony). We also added a door creaking and door knob turning sound effect to add age to them; this then creates the convention of the place maybe being abandoned or old. Footstep sounds were also added for the human to again add age to it.

In terms of camerawork, it was all hand held but we monetised it when uploading to youtube. We wanted to do this because the original footage was too shaky. However for the monster's numerous P.O.V shots, we decided to have it sway side to side to look like the monster is struggling. This characterises the monster because we can now form different ideas on why it is struggling. The monsters shots are also shot close/on the ground to again show how hidden it is and the struggle it is facing; it builds height to the character. We also filmed the human from a low angle. Again this shows the height of the human against them but also that theoretically the human has a higher chance of surviving; but this could be creating false hope.

Editing wise we added a couple frames of just pure black. This was both to make the clip longer but also to build tension because the viewer can't physically see what either the human or monster is doing. Again it builds tension because we can't tell who is going attack first or how close the creature is. We also used continuous editing to show the monster is moving at the same time as the human and the fact it is there and is aiming to capture them.