How to take horror movies

Hello! Today, I will talk about how horror movies were taken and what it is necessary to do.

First of all, what does it need do you think? Script? Actors? Or mechanical equipments?  It needs no saying. But, there is more necessary fact. It’s money.

You may imagine that to take movie costs some billion yen. For example, a Hollywood movie “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End” costs about 24 billion yen. In Japan, a famous movie costs 100 million over. But, it is said that horror movie less costs than them. For example, a recent horror movie “Paranormal Activity” costs about 15 thousand dollars. There are three reasons.

1.    To not use famous actors
2.    To have taken at home of director
3.    Shooting time is short. (this film is had taken for 7 years.)
Especially, many horror movie were used unknown actors. So, horror movies can be taken with low cost.

Next, do you think more important fact? I think that it’s good ideas. If there were good ideas to cause an audience fear, producers could take a good horror movie. Well, what ideas cause an audience in Japan? In case of Japanese horror movie, imagination is important fact to make horror movie I think. Fear Japanese feels come from imagination. For example, if you saw a lot of hair at your bathroom, you might imagine that “who does something like this?” and you might get frightened. When there is a part of a person at impossible spot, it causes us frightening imagination: it’s hair, head, brain tissue, eyes, nose, lip, tongue, neck, arms, hands, foot, fingers, nail, and the like. When a person notices a difference with other people, she or he feels fear. Japanese tends to get rid of different things. So, it is good for you to use this tendency.

 Third, how producers stand out those fear still more? A necessity to do it is effects: for example, it’s light, camera angle, makeup, sound, color, CG, and the like. Of cause, the wok of actors is important. However, I also think the works of people who helped behind the scene are horror movie is very important to cause fear all the more. Especially, I would talk about sound and light. The reason is that those is easy to use and can be used in many situations.

・Sound

Why people feel fear to sound? When visibility became poor owing to the dark, people tend to pay attention to the sense of hearing. Also, people can give full scope to them imagination from something to hear. Then, one of the ways with sound is to use a noise. Noise is electronic sound given from radio, television, telephone, or computer. For example, when Strange sound like woman’s voice got lost in noise, you may get a fright. In Japanese horror movie, water sound is used often.            .

・Light

If you took horror movie, you might take in the night or at a dark place. Then, light is important to show actors’ faces. However, strong light may break an atmosphere of horror. So, the best light is very important. Then, it is good to use blue light. Blue light can make sharp image. If you use digital camera, you may pay attention to color. Those camera makes spectral sensitization (分光増感) by itself. It makes a dull color. So, you use an normal aperture stop (開口絞り) better.

Do those knowledge is useful for you? 

Finally, I will introduce a homepage.

ホラー講座～恐怖の書き方

  http://eigalesson.com/horror/index.html

Next week, I would like to talk about special effects in detail. See you!