Evaluation of Premlinary Task - Bussing Sequence

 We created a bussing sequence that consisted of a victim located in isolated toilets, who has no idea she is being stalked by a murderer. The killer in this sequence tricks the victim by banging and opening toilet doors making her believe that she is not alone. We chose the location of the toilets as they were quiet and the concept of an isolated toilet is not only creepy but also typical of a horror film. Once in the toilets, we realised that we were able to create a range of diegetic sounds from bangs, creaking doors and running water. The lights in the toilets alone created a background noise for our sequence; the sound of a generator helped to build tension. The bright lightning in the toilet also juxtaposed with the black suit worn by the killer.

Whist filming our sequence, we came across a few problems, some which were unavoidable. One of the main problems was the location as it was a toilet in a school; people kept coming in which disrupted our filming which could have caused problems with continuity, as the positioning for each shot would be different. We overcame this by editing the shots together in correct timing so that there were no continuity mistakes throughout. During our planning for the sequence, we did not incorporate enough close up shots within our storyboard so that when watching our sequence back we saw that there were not enough reactions from the victim. When filming our establishing shot, we were faced with the unavoidable noise of local traffic which took away from the effect of the shot and gave an overall industrial feel rather than horror. The fact that we had to film during the day was unavoidable but this made us realise that a night time setting is essential when filming a horror trailer or scene as it helps to create a sense of unease and tension as the audience is unaware of exactly what is happening. One final problem we faced was the issue of dialogue. We couldn’t incorporate any dialogue into our scene as we did not have a boom microphone. The use of dialogue would of helped to connect with the audience and build tension, especially during the cubicle scenes.

There were a number of elements of the bussing sequence that were good. Minus the background noise and daytime setting the overall establishing shot was good; the building itself and the mise-en-scene of the gates created an overall gothic feel to the building which is spot on for a horror film. The camera work during the tracking scene down the corridor was excellent, as the over shoulder shot made it seem as if someone was following the girl; the use of the handheld camera helped to make it look more realistic as it actually looked as if someone was walking behind her. During the scenes within the actual toilet, the use of diegetic sound was perfect. The door bang was right on cue, and the use of the canted angle made everything seem unsettled. Throughout the toilet scenes, there were a few good sections which conveyed a hidden meaning. For example, when I went back to the sink and washed my hands again I was cleansing away the shock of the bang. There was also a link with the film ‘Psycho’ when we cut to the water washing away down the plug hole. Throughout the whole sequence we used a range of shot types and kept the continuity during each individual scene so that the sequence as a whole made sense for the audience.

When other members of our class watched our sequence for the first time they thought it was an overall good first attempt at a bussing sequence. However, they picked up on some minor details that our group didn’t pick up on. Firstly, the non-diegetic sound at the beginning creates a melancholy feel and then the mood goes from sad to horror which is unconventional as it is normally the other way round in a horror movie. They also again picked up on the missing close up shots to show the actor’s reactions to the bangs. They also suggested that, during the scene where the actor inspects each cubicle we should slow that whole scene down; then add point of view shots of what’s inside each cubicle to help build up tension to that final cubicle. Finally, they picked up on the fact that when the camera pans around the head, we as an audience are made to believe that it is the killer (Martin) who is behind her; this then is proven wrong when we are shown the reflection of martin standing in the corner. This could be edited or shot better to create a better continuity.