horror

[Duck & Dog Productions]

I recently took upon the task of filming a short horror film for an upcoming festival. However this is the first time i've ever attempted to film/direct the film. any good tips on how to make the suspense of the scene come through and maybe even be amplified in the shots?

thanks all.

 

[mad_hatter]

It's difficult to say without knowing what your film is about or where it takes place, but there are a few things you could play with. You could try using harsh light to create deep, dark shadows. Shadows are scary when we don't know what's hiding in them. You could try using Dutch angles to give the viewer a sense of uneasiness. The biggest thing you'll probably want to focus on the the sound design and the music you use. Silence works well in horror, as do musical stabs that impact with the on-screen scares.

I'd say just try things out, see what works for your film.

 

[sfoster]

lets see.. make it cold, have the actors breath show.. and then a cat jumps out.

Sorry horror is not my thing. But I know a thing or two about suspense. Suspense only happens when you give the audience information. They have to know what is coming and anticipate it. That's where suspense is.

 

[cheeseandachallenge]

As said, use sound. Sound evokes an imagined image, and what someone imagines will always be scarier than the actual monster/killer/etc. There are countless possibilities to the source of the sound, and that unknown builds fear.

lets see.. make it cold, have the actors breath show.. and then a cat jumps out.

Sorry horror is not my thing. But I know a thing or two about suspense. Suspense only happens when you give the audience information. They have to know what is coming and anticipate it. That's where suspense is.

To build on that, they have to know more than the character. We all know the typical scene where the girl goes into the dark room toward the monster we already know is there.

 

[KnightsFan]

Suspense is based on the audience expecting something scary to happen. Basically, suspense is the moment between cause and effect, and one trick is to simply extend that time. Pick that scary something, like, say, a monster appearing. Describe the elements of the monster one by one. Don't say too much at once, and don't say nothing at all or else it will become boring. If the monster has claws, show bloody claw-marks first, and then maybe the fang marks, and drag lines on the ground where the victim was pulled. Maybe you hear a low growl first, then the footsteps, then a slightly louder growl.

To sum up: for suspense, make every reveal a process, rather than an event.

Within each shot in the process, use whatever lights/shadows/blood trails/torture equipment/sounds that will make the effect you're suspending seem as bad as possible. Terror is infectious. A scared character will help scare the audience.

 

[Will Vincent]

Audio plays a huge part in building suspense.