"- You know, it's Halloween.
I guess everyone's entitled of one good scare, huh?"
- In this video, we're going to look at the basic elements
that go into an effective jump scare.
All of the best jump scares are built differently.
But there are tried and true techniques guaranteed to raise the terror factor.
This is "What is a Jump Scare."
There are two main types of jump scares.
Shock.
"- Great party, isn't it?"
- And suspense.
Shock is created by a sudden and unexpected event.
"- Slow ahead.
I can go slow ahead. Come on down and chum some of this sh*t."
- Suspense is created by a delayed and expected event.
"- God damn it."
- So, what makes the best jump scares work
while others fall flat?
A jump scare is all about timing.
The anticipation of a jump
can often be scarier than the jump itself.
A great way to play with this kind of timing
is with long takes.
"- Hello."
- This moment from "The Shining" culminates
with a single tracking shot
lasting over a minute.
Shocking jump scares by definition
have zero build-up.
The jump happens with complete surprise.
"- Then you can just drop f*cking dead."
- It's not just vehicles that can be used for a shocking jump.
Sharks can interrupt as well.
"- We're going to pull together
and we're going to find a way to get out of here.
- First, we're going to seal off this room."
- Withholding information from the audience
is another essential element.
This is all about what we can see or hear
and what we can't.
The most obvious technique is to obscure the scene
which create perfect hiding places for our biggest fear.
You can use the set itself to obscure hidden threats.
Some filmmakers opt for wide shots
to keep us guessing.
Instead of a limited POV,
we can see the entire room.
But we still aren't safe.
We're left guessing which door or which shadow contains the threat.
"- Oh, there you are."
- Found footage style is perfect for withholding information.
"- Where are you?"
- The view is almost always limited
making it even more difficult to see into the shadows.
"- What you're about to see may disturb you."
- We're also usually only given one perspective
through the lens of a single shaky camera.
"- Move children!"
- Close-up shots play a vital role in great jump scares.
By keeping the frame tight on the subject,
we can't see the rest of the room.
And that's when a small camera movement can be used for a big reveal.
One of the most common elements of the jump scare is the sting.
The loud jab in the sound to accentuate the terror.
Most of the time the sting is a loud shriek or hit
that makes us leap out of our skin.
A quiet build-up contrasts perfectly with the loud sting.
This makes the audience lean in without focus fully applied.
A great way to keep your jump scare scary
is by using an audience's expectations against them
through misdirection.
A huge part of jump scares is not knowing where the threat will come from.
Sometimes a threat is exactly where you expect it to be.
But good jump scares are built with the unexpected.
Like when you're so focused on what's in front of you...
...you forget to check under the bed.
Another common way to misdirect is with a fake-out.
This is when an initial jump
is merely a false alarm
and is immediately followed by the real shock.
"- Don't open the door.
See? Everything's okay."
- In "Insidious" we expect the jump to happen here.
Not the present-day scene.
"- I can still hear that voice.
What?"
- Now, let's watch the hospital hallway scene in "The Exorcist 3."
What many believe to be the greatest jump scare of all time.
See if you can pinpoint all the techniques we've just covered.
Here are the answers.
How many did you get right?
Jump scares are more common now than they ever have been.
But they can still be thrillingly original and horrifically shocking.
Take your time.
Use wide shots to keep us guessing.
Use a sting.
And misdirect the audience.
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We'll see you in the next one assuming we both survived.