Independant Study: Mask Research.

We decided that we might use a mask in our piece because masks carry a sense of mystery. They're very scary because you don't know what's underneath them and the audience often begin to imagine what could be.

We also had to choose what kind of mask we wanted, there were three options that we particularly liked:

-Clown masks

The mask on the left would be more ideal than the mask on the right because the mask on the left is slightly more creepy because it doesn't looks as happy and bright as the mask on the right.
If we were to duplicate this mask we may not even need to make the mask, we could paint this design onto the persons face, because face paints also hide a persons personality and are very easy to do.

-Blank masks

 These two masks are good because they don't show emotion, however they are maybe a little too blank and too white, we could make this effect without the mask so what's the point in buying a mask when we could just paint the child's face white anyway? These masks lack the creepy factor that we want.


This Mask is a hockey mask that has already been used in a film before, because it does not have a mouth it hides any kind of emotion and completely drains the wearer of any kind of personality and feeling, making it a very scary mask, especially if the person does not talk. Eyes don't give away much in terms of emotion, but if we can see the eyes it makes the wearer appear very cold and creepy. We should add eye holes so that the child appears cold and emotionless.



-Potato sack masks
This mask is particularly scary because of the way it has been stitched together, essentially a mask is what everyone sees so it is like a secondary face. This mask leads the viewer to believe that underneath the mask the person is also disfigured in some way because of how the mask is also disfigured. Again there are holes cut out for the eyes, which show no emotion and are very cold and creepy. I like the way the mouth is stitched, however I think that instead of the mouth looking sad it should look happy instead because that is far creepier when it seems like the villian is having fun playing with their victim or murdering their victim. 

This mask actually has a child underneath it which is what we would do with this mask, and overall it is extremely creepy.
The mask looks like the child has decorated or made it themselves as the eyeholes are wonky and not perfect and the makeup on it looks like clowns makeup.

Personally I believe that we should make a mask that is just like this one, as it is a mixture of all three mask types that we liked, and it is also the creepiest. It has the eye holes to show the stone cold eyes and the emotionless personality. The clown makeup makes it seem like an innocent child, but also clown makeup is creepy and clowns are a huge phobia for many people. I also think we should stitch a smiley mouth into the mask as well in order to make it extremely creepy. 

Independent Study: Location Souting

When deciding on a location in which to film our opening scene, we began to look for abandoned buildings. Many of us thought of the Klinger Factory in Foots Cray, therefore I decided to go down to Foots Cray and see whether we could film there.

Upon finding the factory, I had to trouble of getting into it. This however became a serious problem. There is physically no way into the factory. All around the perimeter there is a double 8 ft fence of wood and wire. This made it impossible to get into the factory without getting caught. Therefore I decided it was better to find another location that was not only safer, but easier to access. 

Independant study: Doll Research

CHUCKY (1988 - 2013)
Chucky is one of the most famous horror dolls in the history of films. At first his appearence within the first three films was very decieving. Although he was a crazed cereal killer, he almost looked innocent.

As the films progressed, Chucky began to become mad. At the end of the third film, he gained his famous scars and stitched due to the fact he was cut up into many pieces. This gave Chucky more of a horror look to him therefore making him scare the audience to such an extent, they want to turn the film off.

DEAD SILENCE (2007)

The second film involving dolls I looked at was called Dead Silence. This film doesn't particually take on the roll of dolls but more of a ventriloquist. Although these dummies do no have scars and cuts all over their facy like chuckie, these Dolls still have the desired effect on the audience.

These dummies have the black paint around their eyes which make their white eyes stand out even more. This also gives the effect that no matter where you go, his eyes are always upon you, watching. Another this that is creepy about this dummy is the fact he has red paint on his lips. This could be just to define them and make the stand out against his pale skin, however it could be to make the clear representation of blood and passion.

PINOCCHIO'S REVENGE (1996)

This film is slightly different in terms of killer dolls. It takes on the traditional view of Pinocchio, being made of wood and very similar features to a real boy. Here the Pinocchio doll looks very innocent, raised eyebrows, wide-eyed, simple facial expression and trypical childish clothes.

However as the film progresses on we later find out that Pinocchio was never as innocent as everyone thought. Here we find Pinocchio holding a knife above his head, in an attempt at stabbing someone. In addition to this, we see that is eyebrows have now furrowed and his eyes are not wide and innocent anymore but contain a glaring look within them. Finally, Pinocchio's facial expression has shifted dramatically. He is no longer content with those around him but he appears to be angry and displeased with them.

The I looked at how we could create out own scary looking dolls. I did this by buying a cheap china doll from a charity shop then I added characteristics to it that are typically scary. For example: 

I blacked out the eyes with black acrylic paint. This is naturally scary and appears in quite a few horror films when a person or thing becomes possessed.  

Following this, I sewed the lips up to give the effect that all this is happening against their will and they cannot control it.

The final thing i did was singe all of the dolls hair as this gave the effect that she has been pulling her hair out and going mad in the process. This meant the doll looked as though she had a back story and actually was alive. 

Here is the final product: