Set in a mental institution in 1964, the series follows the stories of the patients and doctors of the asylum. This was great inspiration for our own project, and was the inspiration for the idea to create a period horror, as the customs and treatment of the patients could be represented much more violently and affectionless. The promo videos for the show are what I find most intriguing, and although they are not traditional trailers, they are created very stylistically and artistically, featuring scenarios that are extremely disturbing and abstract. Due to the absence of a budget for our trailer, it would be difficult to recreate anything of a similar nature, however this style definitely inspires me and opens up ideas of how to present our film. Here is a collection of the promo videos that were used for the show.
The narrative sometimes flashes forward to present day, where the asylum is run down and in ruins. This was part of the inspiration for our back story, and I found the colours that were used particularly interesting, as the 1960s storyline had a much more vintage and gritty look, for obvious reasons, where as the present day scenes were much much more vibrant, with more red and lightbulb yellow used. This is to create the modern horror style, where as the period narrative focuses much more on the old fashioned horror.
The show gives a very good overview of Briarcliff asylum, with introductions to the vast range of characters/patients purely to show that the asylum deals with the most troubled, with one character to have apparently drowned her sister's baby before slicing her ears off, and another verbally abusing one of the 'sisters' that works in the asylum, and throwing faeces at her. Although it is all very disturbing, I think that it pushes the boundaries and effectively represents the horror that occurs in Briarcliff.
In terms of mise en scene, the asylum is actually run by nuns, making religion and the brutalities of such quite a big focus and used to create part of the horror. The outfits are very smart, however visually intimidating and clearly strict. The patients themselves mainly where cloaks and straight jackets, which I think our group could replicate for our film trailer. The structure of the building is very complex, with an overwhelming entrance hall that features a large spiral staircase, however the actual interior design of the institution is very minimal - mainly white walls, singular lights and concrete floors. This is an obvious choice for a horrific mental asylum, and gives me hope that if we find a suitable building, we won't need an excess of props, as the asylum rooms would be very basic.
The way that the show is actually captured is what inspires me the most. The types of angles used are very visually stylistic, experimenting with different ways of telling the narrative in an artistic manner. I found the wide shot of the character 'Lana,' bound to her bed particularly disturbing but visually stunning. I have also added a promo trailer for the series which this time features a collection of scenes taken from the show, which hopefully provides an insight into the style of the angles and cinematography.
The editing in the show is also very effective. There are frequent, quick flash cuts to other scenes of horror as well as quick cuts to other angles of the same scene almost in fits, which captures the idea of the characters being mentally insane or affected by the horror.
Overall, I think that this show is a great source of inspiration and for ideas, and I will hopefully take a lot from it before applying to my own trailer. The stylistic design of the programme is what I found most interesting, and in my opinion captures the illusion of a horrific mental institution perfectly. I also think that when it comes to planning the trailer in terms of shots/storyboards, this show will be a useful resource which I hope that people appreciate for its imaginative and artistic video.
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