Directors Commentary:
Creating Enigma-
We created enigma by the use of our music, camera angles (i.e. low angle, etc). We also decided to create enigma through the use of mise-en-scene and the settings alone, the lack of other people, dialogue, etc.
Establishing setting-
We established a setting through our close-up shots of the actor and her props.
Later in the film, we did a slight establishing shot before there was another shot from an inside, enclosed setting.
We decided to have only one clip with an outside setting as we wanted to suggest to the audience that the primary character is not safe, and this is shown through the inside settings and locations.
Establishing genre-
We established our genre through our music, location, mise-en-scene and our camera angles. We decided to conform to generic horror movie ways of creating the enigma, suspense, etc.
Focus Group-
I decided to show my focus group the opening of the inspired film to our own ('Scream') and then ask them questions on the comparisons they felt were conformed and suborned.
After they all watched both of these openings, I asked them a few questions:
"Are there any scenes in both of these openings that you think are very similar, and therefore conform to generic horror movie conventions."
Fran:
"I can see that in the scenes that both of the main characters are worried that someone/something is looking at them and they both look for them/it."
Rebecca:
"The fact that both of the main characters are women is something that stands out to me straight away."
Amy:
"Both of the main characters are being shown as being isolated, like through the outside shot in 'Scream' and the bit where 'Ava' is walking by herself outside."
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Isabella:
"I suppose the idea alone that they're both being stalked, but the character in 'Scream' knows about it, wheres in your film 'Masked' the main character doesn't seem to."
From their responses to my first question, I understood that they thought that Nav and I had conformed to a lot of horror genre conventions: such as the use of the female character, etc.
Once I had asked this, I was curious to find out whether or not they saw any real differences in terms of subordinating to generic conventions of the horror genre.
"Did any parts of 'Masked" stand out to you as being effective and different from 'Scream'?"
Fran:
"I thought the idea that the movie was from the stalkers position was different and therefore created a different effect, whereas 'Scream' had the film from the main characters view, rather than the stalker."
Rebecca:
"The idea that the character in 'Scream' is unsafe because she is alone in her house, whereas the character in 'Masked' has been made to seem unsafe whilst in a public area."
Amy:
"I think that in 'Masked' the idea that the 'stalker' is remained without a gender yet we all assume its a male suggests to me that I think the main character is a weak character, whereas in 'Scream' we know straight away that its a male"
Isabella:
"The lack of dialogue in 'Masked suggests that the main character is reserved and shy whereas in 'Scream' the main character is outgoing and veracious. This makes it look as if 'Ava' is clever, and not going to be tricked into messes, unlike most of the girls in classic horror movies."
Again, from these responses I was able to understand that my focus group believed that our film subordinated some of the conventions of the horror movie genre, i.e. the dumb girl in the horror movie, etc.
