Further Research - Quarantine/Rec

I have decided to research in to this film because it also uses the haldheld camera technique and has a similar plot to what I am thinking of doing.

The original film REC was a spanish horror film, released November 2007, filmed using shaky camera work. An American shot-for-shot remake was then made in 2008 and retitled Quarantine.

Layout 

This poster is taken up entriely by the image of the person and the text has been arranged over it. The person is visible on the left-hand side of the poster and then there is more empty space on the right. Here in the top corner of the poster, names of production company's and the writer's name have been included. The name of the film has been centred at the bottom and is a lot larger than the other text. Above this there is a tag line "experience fear" and below there is the names of the two directors. There is then copyrighting in very small print at the bottom of the poster along with many institutional logos.

Colours
There is little colour in this poster as it is very dark. The majority of the poster is black as the image used is very dark. This is intended to create mystery and because the audiecne can't see much of the person, this builds fear as they don't look normal. We can see part of the person illuminated, but the colours are still dark and dull. The only bright colour is red from the REC dot, which is recognisable to anyone who has used a video camera. The colour of this red dot makes it identifibale but also relates to the idea of warning, blood, fear and so on, which I previously mentioned in my analysis for The Bair Witch Project poster. Some of the text is in a light brown which works well as a colour scheme with the warm lighting on the person's skin. This colour isn't particularly nice and this shade of brown suggests disgust and illness, which works well with the themes of the film.

Image
The shadows in the image are very strong meaning we cannot see much of the person. The use of darkness definitley suggests the film of fear and creates mystery and suspense as it is not obvious what the image is of. The audience can see it is a person, but there is something strange about them and they dont look happy. Their hair is wet, they appear to have little clothing on and there is something strange about their eyes. the audience can tell something is wrong, but because they are concealed by shadows they can't see exactly what. If the audience know the plot, or have seen the teaser trailer, they will know that a disease has spread, but from this image it is unclear as to wether this person has it or not, which makes it even more intruiging. The shot at eye level and is a medium close-up. We can also see lines across it, as if it is from a low quality recording. These things suggest realism and that it is a shot from a real recording.

Text

There is quite a lot of text on this poster, but it doesn't look overcrowded due to the image being so simplistic. There is small text in the top corner telling the audiecne institutions involved in the film and the writer. By including the insitutions and the name of the writer, the audience may be encouraged to watch the film if they have seen other films they liked from these institutions or from the writer. Below this the logos for the institutional references have been included. These logos have their actual colours, where as in most film posters they are coloured the same colour as the text to fit in with the colour scheme.

Institutional References
There is quite a lot of institutional references on this film poster compared to other film posters I have looked at. There are some references in the top right hand corner, as I mentioned before, to production companies. These have been made more obvious than the other institutional references at the bottom of the poster, perhaps because they are more well known and succesful in Spain. There is nine institutional reference logos at the bottom of the poster, all in their original colours. These are quite small but are still clear for the audience to see.

Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene of this image has made it look very dark and sinister, so it definitley fits in to the horror genre. There is barely any lighting so the image is very dark, which means the audience can not see a lot. Darkness is quite often used in horror films because it creates a sense of the unknown.

Layout

The layout of this poster is the usual way film posters are set out. The image takes up the entie poster and the tet has been poitioned appropriatley on top of it. In the top left hand corner there is a breif introduction to the story, which I think is quite interesting as usually there is just a short tag line rather than a long passgage. At the bottom the nae of the film "Quarantine" is centred and positioned so it is in te black area below her so it doesnt cover any part of the image. There is also copyrighting underneah this as well as some institutional references.

Colours

This poster has very little colour and postly consists of the colours from the image. There is mostly green from the night vision, which tells the audience it is dark. Around her is just black, meaning the image is very dark. The lack of bright colours and use of dark, dull colours suggests to the audience the theme of horror as these colours are usually related to this genre. A frightening mood is created from these colours. There is a very small amount of red in this poster from the REC symbol as if the image is from actual footage and the website featured at the bottom of the poster. This makes it stand out to the audience and tells them it is supposed to be a shot from "actual footage" and also relates to the fact it is an American remake of REC. I dont think the red recording sign has any particular reference to a mood, it just makes it stand out to the audience and makes this shot seem more realistic. The website name being in red makes it stand out to the audience, so they notice it amongst the rest of the text.

Image
The image is  from the end shot of the film, where the news reporter gets dragged away in to the darkness. I have noticed this was also used in The Blair Witch Project, where they has included a shot from the film, also in the teaser trailer. The audience will not know this is from the film if they haven't seen it yet, but it is suggested due to the battery symbol and REC symbol as the audiecne recognise these from video cameras. The image is very dramatic and by placing the audience in media-res, it is suggested the film is terrifying. The women is clearly screaming and the way her arms are spread out show she is trying to hold on and not get dragged away, so it suggests there is a lot of panick and desperation for surivival in this film. The image is green which the audience will recognise as night vision, again adding to the realism theme of the film. It tells them it is dark and she probably cant see anything, which causes them to relate to her fear. They can't see anything behind her so there is a sense of mystery as we dont know what is dragging her away. The image looks like it is from low quality footage because of the lines across the shot, which is a feature of hand-held camera films.

Text
There is a reasonable amount of text on this poster. I found it interesting that an introduction to the storyline had been included, where as usually there is just a short tagline on film posters. This introduction is in a thin sans serif type face that is small compared to the other text. It looks quite technological, as if it is something that has been typed up on a database perhaps. The film title is also in  this font except much thicker and bolder with a sort of metalic colouring effect, which again adds to the industrial, technological theme. Underneath this is credits to directors, writers and so on as well as the release date and website. The film is to be released in october, which is peak for horror films as it is close to halloween. Their website also has an interesting name "containthetruth.com". I think it is interesting they have used this rather than the film name as it suggests a sort of protest again the goverment containing information, again adding to the realism. This website name is in red so it stands out from the rest of the text.

Institutional References
There aren't many institutional references in this film poster. There is only some mentioned in the small print at the bottom of the poster such as Andale Pictures, Vertigo Entertainment and Filmax Entertainment. I think it's intersting they haven't included any of these institutions logos, as in all the posters I have analysed there has been atleast one included.

Mise-en-scene
I think the most important part of the mise-en-scene in this poster is how the image has been made to look as if it is from real life footage. This has been done from the use of very dark lighting and use of only green colour to give a night vision effect. This is often used in documentaries and programmes such as  "Most Haunted" and gives quite a sinister effect as the audience is seeing everything in an unusual light. It is also a clear sign it is dark and means they can probably see more than the characters which causes them to image a terrifying situation in pitch black. There is also the use of the [rec] symbol which the audience recognises to be on video cameras, again suggesting it is real footage, when really it is from the film.

Screen Shots:

Plot Summary:

Rec: In Barcelona, the reporter Ángela Vidal and the cameraman Pablo are covering the night-shift of local fire station. When the firemen receive a distress call from a lady in a building, Ángela and Pablo go in the firefighter truck with the firemen Manu and Álex with Pablo recording each step. When they arrive in the building under siege of the police, they find the hysterical dwellers gathered in the lobby in the entrance and they hear screams upstairs. Manu and Álex go upstairs with two policemen and followed by Ángela and Pablo, and they find an aggressive old lady that attacks one policeman. When they return to the lobby, they find that they are sealed in the building and trapped with the residents in the beginning of a chaotic and nightmarish night.

Quarantine: A television reporter and her cameraman are trapped inside a building quarantined by the CDC after the outbreak of a mysterious virus which turns humans into bloodthirsty killers.

source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1038988/  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1082868/

REC Teaser Trailer

Camera angle, movement, position
There is very good use of camera angles in this teaser trailer. The trailer opens with the filax logo fading on to the screen. As we see this we hear a crackling police radio and sirens. The logo remains on screen for a few seconds until is fuzzes like there is interference or lack of signal like you would see on a TV screen. It has been paired with a crackling, fuzzing sound to support to the effect. This fuzzing of the screen cuts the shot to the next. The shot we see looks down a corridor at a tilted angle, suggesting disorientaion or that the camera has not yet been set up porperly, appealing to the found footage genre. We see silhoutettes of two people bashing down the door and entering the building. As they move closer to the camera we see that they are firemen. As they come close enough to be in a medium close up shot, the camera flips upright to eye level shot. This effect of disorientation and shaky filming is suggesting to the audience it is real footage. A light is shining on the two men, telling us it is dark in the building. They both look at each other for a second, until we hear a piercing scream from upstairs and a loud bang. They both look up at this suddenly and the shot fuzzes out to the nest title. This title reads "last year, spanish emergency services recieved over 23 million calls". It is in a simplistic white type face that slowly zooms, making the title appear more interesting without an over exaggerating effect. As we read this title there is the sound of dialing like you would hear down a phone. There is also a quiet droning or rumbling sound which is sets a sinister mood. This title then fuzzes into the nest shot. The camera follows the firemen running up the stairs in a low angle shot. The sound of their footsteps is loud and echoey, appealing to horror genre and also created the effect of realism. There is a sense of urgency as the audience have been placed directly in the scene, as if they are the person behind the camera. This shot then fuzzes out to the next title "the firemen of barcelona attended to 15,003 incidents". This title is in the same simplistic, white type face that slowly zooms in. We can also hear a ringing sound as if listening down a phone which fits in well with the titles being shown. There is also the quiet, low rumbling sound which keeps a sinister mood without being too obvious. This title then fuzzes in to the next shot still following the firemen up the stairs. The camera is still in a low angle shot and moves around frantically because the person behind the camera is running, whihc appeals to the found footage genre as well as placing the audience directly within the scene. This shot then again fuzzes in to the next title with another interference sound to support the effect. The title reads "Fires:4.171" in the same type face, again zooming slowly towards us. We can still hear the phone ringing, which has an ominous feel because of how it is dragging out. We are wondering why no one has answered. This title then again fuzzes in to the next shot. This time we see a very high angle shot, practically bird's eye veiw, looking down the stairs at the firemen running up. This shot is appealing to the eye as it looks interesting, but has also created variety in the trailer. However just disturb the continous flow we have seen throughout the previous shot as so far the camera man has been behind the firemen. This shot then fuzzes to the next title "Rescues: 4,059". The figures are gradually going down as the titles define each of the calls the firemen attended to. This builds tension as the audience know the shots they are seeing is from a different sort of call, so they want to know what category it is under. Throughout this title the quiet droning/rumbling sound continues as well as the ominous phone ringing. There is an interference sound as the shot fuzzes to the next. The camera is again following the men up the stairs. The shot starts at a low angle, but as they reach the top of the stairs it flips up to eye level, medium close up as they are now on equal ground. Now they have stopped we can hear the rumbling sound which wasn't noticable before because of their loud footsteps. One of the firmen turns and looks at the camera, looking worried. This shot fuzzes to the next title "Other: 6,768". This title agin is in the same type face and zooms gradually towards us. We can still hear the phone ringing as well as the rumbling sound which has been continued through from the previous shot. There is also more interference sound than before where it was just added the the fuzzing effect. This gradual build up of sounds builds tension and gives the audience the feeling something is goind to happen. This title then blurs and then fuzzes to the next shot. We now see a close up of the fireman's face. The camera moves backwards as the firemen walk forwards, as if the person behond the camera is trying to get and interesting and professional shot which fits in well with the plot of the film as it is a news crew following the firemen. The floorboards squeak as they walk, appealing to the horror genre as this is a classic sound used because it makes you think you're hearing things. Suddenly the attic hatch falls open, perhpas making the audience jump. The trialer has so far made the audience feel tense so they are waiting for something to make them jump, which is why this is so effective because it is not the climax of the trailer, but for a second the audience think it is. The camera swings round to look at the open hatch, which swings back and forth but nothing is there. The hatch door squeaks as it swings, again appealing to the horror genre. This shot then fuzzes in to the next title "Unclassified: 4" which is in the same type face and zooms slightly and slowly towards us. The sounds are much clearer and louder now. The phone still rings but the rumbling sound is louder and there is also a screeching interference sound. Suddenly the title blurs and changes to "Unclassified: 5" which tells the audience the trailer is reaching it's optimum point and that the footage they are seeing is from this fifth incident. This title really fuzzes and blurs with the loud interference sound until the whole screen becomes liney and it fuzzes in to the next shot. We now see a titled angle shot looking down a corridor, we see the silhouette of what appears to be a little girl. The tilted angle suggests disorientation and that the camera man has lost focus on the camera and is more intrigued by the little girl. The firemen then move in to the shot in front of the camera, slowly and cautiously, building tension. The camera also follws slowly, the floorboards squeaking. The camera then zooms un-smoothly, appealing to the found footage genre, between the shoulders of the firemen to get a better shot of the girl. The firemen's torches shine on the girl making here slightly clearer, we can see she is covered in blood which is already disturbing. As the camera reaches a medium close up shot of the girl and she is clearly visible, she suddenly screeches and leans forward in a threatening and violent manner. We can also see she has red eyes now as well as having blood on her face and closing, which makes the shot particularly disturbing as she is only a child. This fuzzes to the next title which is the film logo REC. It looks like the logo you would see in the bottom corner of a video camera which really appeals to the found footage genre. The title zooms in towards us but quicker this time giving a sense of panic. The red dot flashes in sync with a beeping sound. The screech continues in to the title but only for the beggining part. The logo is also splattered with blood, which makes it stand out from the rest of the titles and suggests the clear themes and genre of the film. The then fuzzes in to a medium close up shot of the firemen attempting to restrain the girl as she screams, kicks and pulls forward trying to get out of their grasp. The shot then fuzzes to another closer shot of the girl, still screaming and struggling to get loose. She is clearly very violent and perhaps no longer human, which makes it a disturbing image. This shot then fuzzes to the next title "coming soon" which is paired with the sound of a distorted police radio and the rumbling and interference sound. This title fuzzes and blurs until is distorts in to a very short shot of the girl again, the firmen holding her as she throws herself about, keeping the image in the audience's head. This fuzzes out and we then hear a high pitched ringing which fdes out as we look at the black screen for a few seconds, allowing the audience to reflect on what they have just seen.

Sound

The use of sound is also very effective in this trailer. I have already stated where the sounds have been placed in coordination with the shots. The first sound we hear is the police radio which sets the scene for what is to come. The sirens tell us that there is an emergency, whicha lready gives us the feeling something bad has happened. These sounds are non-diegtic but could also be diegtic as they are realistic. As the shots fuzz between each other an interference sound effect has been added to support what we are seeing on screen. In the first shot we also hear a bang and a scream which is diegtic as it is in the shot, but was probably added in during editing. This sound sounds as if it is coming from the distance, and because the firemen look up we know it is coming from upstairs. This sound effect makes their journey upstairs throughout the trailer build more tension as we know that something is going on up there. There is also the non-diegtic droning/rumbling sound which plays throughout the trailer, but can only be heard on the titles and the quieter shots. The droning builds tension and sets a sinister and chilling mood without being obvious, which is often used in horror. With each title there is also the sound of the phone dialing and ringing. It not only supports what the titles are saying about emergency calls, but also is a sound most of us would recognise adding to the effect of realism. The way the ringing continues without anyone picking up is very ominous as it not only makes us wonder why no one is picking up, but by someone picking up from the emergency services there would be a sense of relief which is not what is wanted to be achieved. There are also some other diegtic sounds which really appeal to the horror genre. The floorboars squeaking is often used in horror films as it makes the audience think they are hearing things as well as making the building seems creepy and old. When the latch swings open there is a bang which will most likely make the audience jump. The squeaking noise the door creates as it swings back and forth appeals to the horror genre because of the point I mentioned before about the floorboards, but also leaves the audience hanging on the loud noise and shock they have just experienced. There has also been a sound effect added of the girl screeching. The little girl wouldn't be able to make this noise, so the diegtic sound effect has added to make her seem less human and therefore more firghtening. Here screams as the firemen restrain her have also been exaggerated which again makes her seem more firghtening, therefore appealing to the horror genre.

Mise en Scene

The mise-en-scene of this trailer creates a sinister and dark effect as well as suggesting realism throughout. Darkness is obviously scary to most people, which is why the location of the building is dark. We can tell it is because of how a light from the camera is being shone on to the firemen and they both have torches. We can also see it is dark from the parts of the location that are not illuminated by the camera or the torches. The firemen are recognisable as firemen because of their uniform. They have helmets on and suits that most people would identify as a fireman's clothing. The building is made to look firghtening because it is not only dark, but also old. We can see imperfections and details such as the floorboards squeaking which makes it seems very sinister. The colours of the trailer are how we would see them if we were there, really adding to the realism effect. The darkness also mutes them which creates a mysterious and threatening theme that is used in nearly all horror films. For example, bright colours are used for a comedy and muted colours for horror. The little girl is scary to us because of the costume we see her in. She is in a blood stained white night dress which suggests purity that has been destroyed. Antagonists in horror films are quite often placed in clothing like this, like it is a hospital robe or night gown. This makes them seems vulnerable at first, but of course they're not which makes them more terrifying. The little girl also has blood on her face and large, red eyes, which immediatley tells us there is something wrong with her and she is perhaps not even human.

Editing

The editing of this trailer suggests a continuous flow moving in normal time. We are led through the event in each shot, a clip of their progress through the building being shown between titles. For example, we see the firemen enter the building and hear a sound from upstairs, we then see them running up the stairs towards it through a few shots, we then see them making their way around upstairs and eventually they find the source, the little girl. The shot transitions are the shots fuzzing into each other appealing to the found footage genre.

Narrative
The narrative of the trailer runs clearly through eahc shot we see as I mentioned before. The firemen enter the building after getting an emergency call, hear a scream from upstairs, make their way up trying to find the source and eventually find the violent little girl. The trailer appears to have been filmed seperatley from the film, but does suggest to the audience the main themes and ideas of the plot. We know that the firemen get called out to this building to investigate an emergency call, and that they find something very disturbing inside the buidling. The idea is that there is an infection spread inside the building, but this is unclear from this trailer which works because what we see is disturbing and we want to find out more about why the girl is so violent and perhaps not human.

Character representations
There is a stereotypical representation of the firemen in this trailer. They barge their way in to the building, which makes them appear strong and powerful. As they run up the stairs we view them from a low angle shot, making them appear more powerful. They are also leading the person holding the camera which makes them seem in control of the situation. They seem determined in the way they run, representing them as heroes coming to the rescue. However as they become closer to the source of the screaming, they look more worried, challenging the image we have seen of them so far. When they are restraining the girl they are given the stereotypical image of them taking control of the situation. However they are clearly struggling to hold back the little girl, which makes her seem more frightening as even two fully grown men are struggling to restrain her. The little girl is extremely frightening to us as it is not the stereotypical image of a child we are expecting to see. Children are usually made ot seem innocent and vulnerable, but in horror films this is nearly always challeneged. The little girl has been turned in to the frightening enemy and the way she screeches and leans towards the camera agressivley is strange and disturbing to us. She is in a night white gown which represents innocence, but because it is covered in blood this suggests the innocence has been destroyed. She also has blood on her face, which suggests she was directley involved within the conflict. The fact she has blood on her face and around her mouth suggests cannibalism which is very disturbing in itself, but even more so because she is a child and the way she screeches. She doesn't appear to be human because of her larger red eyes and the strange way she schreeches. She is extremely violent but because the firemen are physically holding her, we think that maybe she might have a virus, not be human or be possessed.

Titles
The titles are fairly simplistic in this teaser trailer but the message they create is intriguing and sinister. The use of statistics supports the ideas of realism, appealing to the found footage genre. It makes us think that because they titles are telling us about true events, what we are seeing actually happened. The way the titles gradually soom towards us makes them more interesting but also gives the effect they they are closing in on us, giving a sense of claustrophobia. The last title using statistics I feel is particularly effective. This is because we are shown a title which then changes in a distorted way, which makes it seems sinister and also tells us that this is the fifth "unclassified" incident, making it seem more significant than the other 4. The logo for REC is clever because of how it looks like what you would see on a video camera, appealing the the found footage genre and the themes of the film. The way the red lioght flashes makes it more interesting as well as telling us this is what has been filmed, making it seem more realistic. The word REC is also splattered with blood, making it seems sinister and appealing to the horror genre. We are not shown the release date of the film, just "coming soon".

Institutional references and logos
There is only one institutional reference at the beggining of the trailer where the filmax logo fades in. It has been incorporated well in to the trailer because of the way it fuzzes out in to the next shot.

Number of shots
Including titles and the filmax logo, I counted 19. It would have been 18, but I decided that the cut between the shots of the girl screaming as the firemen attempt to restrain her counts as two, even though they are from almost completely the same position and time.