Research and Planning Investigation

Jordan Harrison

What are research and planning?

Research is the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

Planning is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale.

What research and planning stages are needed to create a horror film?

In the pre-production stage, research would be undertaken to find what common conventions make a successful horror film. This could be through asking the public (the target audience) what they find scary and think makes a successful film and also analysing other horror films to see what conventions work well and what doesn’t work so well. Also research into a successful advertising campaign would have to be undertaken. I will do this when researching for my horror film.

The planning needed to create a horror film would begin with determining the narrative of film, whether it being a simple linear narrative with a clear start, middle and end or a contrasting circular narrative, which is used in films that aim to have a sequel or become a series.

The representation and sound must also be planned carefully to fit the horror genre.

Planning to fit in all the common horror film conventions such as tension is important in pre-production to create a successful horror film also.

Finally a successful advertising campaign must be planned, including a trailer that must make the film look exciting to watch but not give the story of the film away which I will take into account when advertising my film and making a trailer.