What is a documentary?
A documentary is a factual story or investigation about real people and their lives, it can be a statement on society. It shows real facts and can be in different styles such as interactive, observational format, reflective and Performative documentary.
What happens if you haven't done enough research?
It is very important to research for your documentary as you want all the information you are giving out to be factually correct. A documentary has to be factual as you are trying to change people's views and give yourself a voice and by having the wrong stats you are going to be seen respectfully. You could be charged for not researching you work and saying incorrect information without any evidence.
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Secondary and Primary Research
The topic in which we are producing and finding data and information upon is horror films. We wanted to have detailed information about how the horror genre effects society and peoples behaviour, how the genre has changed over the years and how is the genre and films so scary. We did this by searching the internet (secondary) to find information about these question and asked people personally (primary) on their opinions. This is very important when putting together a documentary as you need to understand the subject you are discussing and informing others on, this will give you an advantage when putting it together and also make the information more clear.
Primary Research (field research)- gathering new data which hasn't been collected yet. For example surveys and questionnaires.
Secondary Research (desk research)- Involves gathering existing data that already has been produced. For example internet and newspapers.
Harvard Reference check-BBC . (2014). Business Studies . Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/business/marketing/marketresearchrev3.shtml. Last accessed 22nd September 2017.
Primary Research (field research)- gathering new data which hasn't been collected yet. For example surveys and questionnaires.
Secondary Research (desk research)- Involves gathering existing data that already has been produced. For example internet and newspapers.
Harvard Reference check-BBC . (2014). Business Studies . Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/business/marketing/marketresearchrev3.shtml. Last accessed 22nd September 2017.
Primary Research
This information from my survey shows that people believe that the horror genre mostly appeals to 13-18 years old with 57.14% of people believing this. This may be due to their own personal experience or what they have seen within the cinema whilst watching. However, people also said that they thought the age range of 19-30 appealed to this genre as well, with 33.33% people agreeing within this. Overall, this information shows to me that the genre is targeted towards teenage to young adults age range. So if I wanted to make a horror film I would need to design the film around targeting this audience in order to get the mass amount of box office money.
This information shows the age range answering the survey and who the survey about Horror Films most appeals too. From this I can defer that the interview appealed to the age group 13-18 with 70% of people filling out the survey at this age. This shows to me the type of age this questionnaire appeals too.
This information shows that most people who watch the horror genre are mostly female. As 71.4% of people doing the survey are female, This is helpful to know as we know that when making horror films that
I created an online survey on the website 'SurveyMonkey' asking questions about Horror Films and what they thought about them. I did this to see how well received horror films are from my generation and other generations. As over the last few years horror films have become a lot more popular and more prominent in society, especially with the killer clown faze happening in the summer of 2016. I wanted to see generally if this genre of film was liked and ask some specific questions upon it.
When asking the question ‘Do you watch horror films?’ I got a mixed response between yes and no. Many people who had answered yes had explained it brought excitement and gave them a thrill, one person said ‘Yes I watch horror films because of the ability for them to be able to manipulate people’s fears’ (9/24/2017 3:53 PM). Yet others, who answered no illustrated their fears towards them and how they don’t like to be scared. One person answered ‘No - because I don't like scary films and am worried about having nightmares’ (9/24/2017 2:37 PM). This illustrate some enjoy the thrill of the feeling of being scared where as other don’t.
In the survey, the question ‘Do you think the horror genre has changed over the years?’ eleven out of thirteen people answered yes with many differing views why. Some explained how the films have become scarier ‘it definitely become more scary’, whereas, four people talked about how technology has improved thus making the films more realistic and scary ‘Yes, I think that technology has changes so have all films. There is a lot more CGI now whereas in the past the Hammer House of Horror films were all about blood and guts...’. And others explained how the films have become gorier over the years ‘Yes, they have become more gory’. In conclusion, the horror genre has adapted over the years and evolved into a scarier more nightmarish genre as this is the reaction that keeps the box office ratings high and fear and hype amongst its viewers.
Also, in third question ‘Do you think this genre will remain popular’ eleven out the possibly thirteen people carrying out the survey agreed the genre will remain popular. They believed not many other genres of films could give off the same feeling of adrenalin that horror does, this feeling has been proven to be addictive. This therefore means that horror should remain popular. One person said ‘Yes! People love what they don't know and getting scared’ and another said, ‘I think that as long as there are new original ideas horror will remain popular’. Whereas on the switch side someone said, ‘No because different things become popular over time’ this is a valid point due to other genres such as western films dying out in popularity over the years, yet even in their peak they were very popular. However, overall the survey did show that people were positive in thinking horror films will remain relevant and popular.
In asking ‘what makes a horror film scary?’ the most popular response was jump scares. Over the years as horror films have become more developed technology wise there are a lot more jump scares within the films. Also, many talked about suspense, tension and music used to manipulate the audience’s emotions, one person said, ‘The tension and build up before the horror’ where as another person said, ‘The unexpected - you don't know what's going to happen’. Overall, the horror films scare people by building tension and making the audience await the dreaded horror which will occur.
When asking in the survey ‘What age range do you think the horror genre most appeals to?’ there was a mixed response between different categories. Yet, there was a clear winner between the age range of thirteen to eighteen years old. 7.14% of people asked said the genre appeals to under twelves the most, 64.29% said thirteen to eighteen and 28.57% said it appealed to nineteen to thirty year olds.
When asking the question ‘Do you watch horror films?’ I got a mixed response between yes and no. Many people who had answered yes had explained it brought excitement and gave them a thrill, one person said ‘Yes I watch horror films because of the ability for them to be able to manipulate people’s fears’ (9/24/2017 3:53 PM). Yet others, who answered no illustrated their fears towards them and how they don’t like to be scared. One person answered ‘No - because I don't like scary films and am worried about having nightmares’ (9/24/2017 2:37 PM). This illustrate some enjoy the thrill of the feeling of being scared where as other don’t.
In the survey, the question ‘Do you think the horror genre has changed over the years?’ eleven out of thirteen people answered yes with many differing views why. Some explained how the films have become scarier ‘it definitely become more scary’, whereas, four people talked about how technology has improved thus making the films more realistic and scary ‘Yes, I think that technology has changes so have all films. There is a lot more CGI now whereas in the past the Hammer House of Horror films were all about blood and guts...’. And others explained how the films have become gorier over the years ‘Yes, they have become more gory’. In conclusion, the horror genre has adapted over the years and evolved into a scarier more nightmarish genre as this is the reaction that keeps the box office ratings high and fear and hype amongst its viewers.
Also, in third question ‘Do you think this genre will remain popular’ eleven out the possibly thirteen people carrying out the survey agreed the genre will remain popular. They believed not many other genres of films could give off the same feeling of adrenalin that horror does, this feeling has been proven to be addictive. This therefore means that horror should remain popular. One person said ‘Yes! People love what they don't know and getting scared’ and another said, ‘I think that as long as there are new original ideas horror will remain popular’. Whereas on the switch side someone said, ‘No because different things become popular over time’ this is a valid point due to other genres such as western films dying out in popularity over the years, yet even in their peak they were very popular. However, overall the survey did show that people were positive in thinking horror films will remain relevant and popular.
In asking ‘what makes a horror film scary?’ the most popular response was jump scares. Over the years as horror films have become more developed technology wise there are a lot more jump scares within the films. Also, many talked about suspense, tension and music used to manipulate the audience’s emotions, one person said, ‘The tension and build up before the horror’ where as another person said, ‘The unexpected - you don't know what's going to happen’. Overall, the horror films scare people by building tension and making the audience await the dreaded horror which will occur.
When asking in the survey ‘What age range do you think the horror genre most appeals to?’ there was a mixed response between different categories. Yet, there was a clear winner between the age range of thirteen to eighteen years old. 7.14% of people asked said the genre appeals to under twelves the most, 64.29% said thirteen to eighteen and 28.57% said it appealed to nineteen to thirty year olds.
Secondary Research
I made an Infographic of the horror genre over the years to make the information given more engaging and enjoyable to read. The information below the infographic is the same just in a more boring and non engaging format.
This infographic is random interest facts about the horror genre which you wouldn't usually know about the genre. It gives some insight into the making of some of these horror films and makes you feel engaged with the genre,
This is an infographic explaining the journey of the horror genre from its origin to the present day. This shows how the genre has developed and changed over time and illustrates the trends of the past and present and what was popular at the time. This is more engaging way of learning about this information.
Golden Age of Horror
The era of 20s and 30s was said to be the finest time for horror films. Silent films such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922) were made. These films were there first films of their time set out to unsettle the audience. In the 1930s this was the first type horror was called horror, previously it was romance melodrama with dark elements in it. Also, this was first time horror stars such as Bella Lugosi (of Dracula Fame) were born. Horror films did become very controversial and had to be censored or even taken down due to the public worrying. For example, 1932 film Freaks was cut extensively and even today there are no copies of this film anywhere. |
The atomic Years
The Hammer Horror Company founded in 1934 became profile in the 50s due to the working with warner and other US studios, this resulted in global dominance and many films and TV shows being made. Adaptations of Frankenstein, Dracula and The mummy. Also, during this time Alfred Hitchcock helped to establish the slasher sub-genre.
Due to in the 40s and 50s war and nuclear fallout were hot topics in society this was reflected into horror genre. By this time the antagonist was less supernatural and we saw the first version of radioactive mutations for example The Incredible Shrinking Man. Also, due to the fear of invasion classics such as The War of the Worlds was produced.
The Hammer Horror Company founded in 1934 became profile in the 50s due to the working with warner and other US studios, this resulted in global dominance and many films and TV shows being made. Adaptations of Frankenstein, Dracula and The mummy. Also, during this time Alfred Hitchcock helped to establish the slasher sub-genre.
Due to in the 40s and 50s war and nuclear fallout were hot topics in society this was reflected into horror genre. By this time the antagonist was less supernatural and we saw the first version of radioactive mutations for example The Incredible Shrinking Man. Also, due to the fear of invasion classics such as The War of the Worlds was produced.
The Gimmicky Years
During the 50s and 60s electric buzzers and paid stooges pretending to scream and faint occurred in the cinema to generate fear amongst the audience. However, this involved a high expense meaning that the production of these films had a low budget. Also, in the era the zombie style of the horror genre originated. Films such as the 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead rose to popularity. |
Hell breaking loose
In the 70s and 80s there appeared to be a cultural obsession with religious evil which appeared in many horror films, most famously The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1973). Also, the supernatural popularity came back (back to literacy years) due to Stephen Kings novels being adapted into films such as Carrie (1976) and The Shining (1980).
In the 70s and 80s there appeared to be a cultural obsession with religious evil which appeared in many horror films, most famously The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1973). Also, the supernatural popularity came back (back to literacy years) due to Stephen Kings novels being adapted into films such as Carrie (1976) and The Shining (1980).
Slasher Years
The slasher phenomenon was kicked off by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974. This carried all the way into the 80s with successful slasher films such as Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
However, the slasher craze died out by the 90s due to the films being too formulaic. This then introduced comedy in the 90s with Peter Jackson’s brain Dead (1992) and Wes Craven’s slasher parody Scream (1996) which met overwhelming success.
The slasher phenomenon was kicked off by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974. This carried all the way into the 80s with successful slasher films such as Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
However, the slasher craze died out by the 90s due to the films being too formulaic. This then introduced comedy in the 90s with Peter Jackson’s brain Dead (1992) and Wes Craven’s slasher parody Scream (1996) which met overwhelming success.
Present day
Today it’s the age of remakes, reboots and sequels which dwell on the success of the past. However, there is some hope with films Like The Cabin in the Woods, changing the genre and branching off into its own sub-genre. There is still hope for the horror genre to continue to grow in the future.
Today it’s the age of remakes, reboots and sequels which dwell on the success of the past. However, there is some hope with films Like The Cabin in the Woods, changing the genre and branching off into its own sub-genre. There is still hope for the horror genre to continue to grow in the future.
Harvard Reference Check
Helen Kantilaftis. (2015). How horror movies have changed since their beginning . Available: https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/how-horror-movies-have-changed-since-their-beginning/. Last accessed 24th Septemeber 2017
Helen Kantilaftis. (2015). How horror movies have changed since their beginning . Available: https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/how-horror-movies-have-changed-since-their-beginning/. Last accessed 24th Septemeber 2017
Facts about horror
- Study at the University of Westminster show that watching horror films help in burning calories due to building up adrenaline of the viewer and thus burning fats in the films. The Shining is said to burn 184 calories, Jaws 161 and [Rec] is said to burn 101.
- The horror generation was referred to by 'Horror' until the 1930s
- There is a total of 13 sub-genres of horror
- In the film Poltergeists, the scene with Diane swimming through dead bodies to save money whilst filming the bodies used were in facts real skeletons.
- The horror generation was referred to by 'Horror' until the 1930s
- There is a total of 13 sub-genres of horror
- In the film Poltergeists, the scene with Diane swimming through dead bodies to save money whilst filming the bodies used were in facts real skeletons.
Harvard Reference Check
Franco Gucci. (2016). Halloween Is Here! It's Time To Explore 7 Fun Facts About Horror Movies. Available: https://moviepilot.com/p/interesting-facts-horror-movie-genre/4135665. Last accessed 26th September 2017.
Franco Gucci. (2016). Halloween Is Here! It's Time To Explore 7 Fun Facts About Horror Movies. Available: https://moviepilot.com/p/interesting-facts-horror-movie-genre/4135665. Last accessed 26th September 2017.
Box office of horror
Over the last two years there has been an increase in the number of people watching horror films, this diagram illustrates the horror genre gross over the years. As you can see by the graph that horror films brings in a higher grossing audience all the other genres together.
Harvard Reference Check
N/A. (2017). Box Office History for Horror. Available: http://www.the-numbers.com/market/genre/Horror. Last accessed 25th September 2017.
N/A. (2017). Box Office History for Horror. Available: http://www.the-numbers.com/market/genre/Horror. Last accessed 25th September 2017.
Horror's popularity
This diagram shows the blue line which is the actual number of horror films produced worldwide, for each year from 1930 to 2006. While the red line shows the trend of this data. This graph makes it clear over the last few years we can see an increase in the annual production of genre works. Indeed, while 229 horror movies were produced in 1990, and 358 in 2000, by 2006 we had no less than 874 fear flicks. Also, you can see since that since 1997, the year when digital reached a new pinnacle in the form of DVDs, there has been a huge, steady increase in the number of horror films produced worldwide. The graph shows a renewed interest in the horror genre in the late ‘60s, most probably due to the success of sophisticated and revolutionary horror films such as Night of the Living Dead (George Romero, 1968) We also see a sharp decline towards the late ‘70s, which could indicate another shift towards science fiction due to the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977) and Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977). Finally, we can also observe the overwhelming saturation of the horror market with the countless direct to video slasher flicks made during the mid ‘80s, as well as the horror renaissance of the ‘90s heralded by Scream (Wes Craven, 1996).
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Harvard Reference Check
Marco Lanzagorta. (2007). Horror Cinema By the Numbers. Available: http://www.popmatters.com/column/horror-cinema-by-the-numbers/. Last accessed 25th September 2017. |
Science behind the love of horror
Beneath the caked fake blood and prosthetics, horror films have a soft centre: they have the power to unite us and can boost our confidence. They are also big money-makers, grossing over $8billion worldwide since 1995. This attraction to controlled fear is the key to the appeal of horror. When a person is afraid, the amygdala, an almond-shaped set of neurons in the brain, triggers the “fight or flight” response, causing palms to sweat, pupils to dilate, and ensures that the body is pumped with dopamine and adrenaline. Our bodies respond to both genuine and fabricated fear in this way, but feelings of pleasure rely on the invidual and whether a person subconsciously knows they are safe, some people’s brains lack what he called the “brakes” on dopamine release – meaning they're more attracted to being scared this means they react more positive to it.
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Harvard Reference Check
Kashmira Gander . (2015). Halloween and Horror films: Why do we enjoy being scared? . Available: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/halloween-horror-films-movies-scared-a6713446.html. Last accessed 25th September 2017.
Kashmira Gander . (2015). Halloween and Horror films: Why do we enjoy being scared? . Available: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/halloween-horror-films-movies-scared-a6713446.html. Last accessed 25th September 2017.