Media blog JPH

2010-09-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

'YouTube' links

2010-04-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

Both the filmed evaluation and the powerpoint evaluation can be found on 'YouTube' as well as our film trailer. The links below will direct you to the appropriate pages;

http://www.youtube.com/user/RJPWA2#p/u/2/FzTAV1oTu0Y

http://www.youtube.com/user/RJPWA2#p/u/0/ySxuhAcvk78

http://www.youtube.com/user/RJPWA2#p/u/1/vfisGyhaOkg

Filmed Media Evaluation

2010-04-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

Powerpoint Evaluation

2010-04-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

2010-04-05T04:57:00.000-07:00

We used 'formsite.com' to construct a survey to give to our target audience in order to receive adequate feedback for our production. The surveys can be found at the below addresses;

http://fs6.formsite.com/PaulSzebesta/form395034094/index.html

http://fs6.formsite.com/PaulSzebesta/form393521439/index.html

http://fs6.formsite.com/PaulSzebesta/form395967871/index.html

Social networking site inclusion

2010-04-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

To offer greater marketing for our film we decided that we would produce a viral marketing campaign through the creation of pages and groups on both ‘facebook’ and ‘twitter’. Both websites are global social networking sites used by a mass audience, which includes those in our target audience. Using online social networking sites like ‘facebook’ or ‘twitter’ to advertise and promote productions is a conventional and popular option in the film industry because of its low cost and huge potential to attract audiences. It only takes a simple click to progress the users interest from looking at the internet page to them wanting to find out information. Also with the ability to subscribe to the groups or account, potential audience members can be updated regularly on the status of the film.

The viral marketing campaign has proved to be a huge success in Hollywood blockbusters such as "The Dark Knight". In this instance, users had to enter details to reveal a pixel of an image. For other pixels to be revealed, others had to sign into the website and enter details until the whole of the image could be seen. Recently "The Fourth Kind" made use of the internet to create false news stories to attract attention to their film.

The groups can be found at the below addresses;

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=103538033017549

http://twitter.com/redroomfilm

2010-04-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

Analysis of 'Surveillance' trailer

2010-03-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

The representation of women in 'Surveillance' fails to comply with stereotypes. The audience see a woman occupying a high authority position in the FBI, she is used to interview the criminals. In contrast to this, a second female character is portrayed as a criminal dealing in drugs. This also fails to comply with the stereotypical representation of female characters as women are conventionally portrayed as victims in films of the horror genre.

However, the little girl is portrayed in a more conventional manner. Similar to ‘Room 1408’, the girl seems to be supernaturally possessed; she has knowledge of the evil and dark activities. Interestingly, the male characters are also represented in an unconventional manner. Although males are used as Police Officers- which is stereotypical as this is a highly authoritative position for male characters, it is usually male characters which take up the dominant positions in society- they are portrayed as unprofessional and represented negatively; this can be illustrated when they are interviewed in relation to the crime. In contrast to this, a male character is depicted more conventionally as he takes up a highly authoritative position in the FBI. The continued contrasts intentionally comply to and break conventions in order to ensure that ‘Surveillance’ is a unique representation of the horror genre and thus make the film memorable.

A flashback is used in the narrative to return to events that the character has already lived but the audience have yet to experience. The use of a flashback is conventional as it allows the audience to understand the narrative and the characters motive behind a certain decision. The flashback returns to the interviewing of the criminals. The camera switches between various events in the film to keep the audience guessing the conclusion of the narrative and the events of the plot. This editing is stereotypical of the horror genre.

Concerning mise en scene, the choice of costume is stereotypical as the Police Officers wear uniforms and the FBI agents wear suits. This not only complies with conventions but also provides a social ladder which the audience can understand as the ‘good guys’ are professional and at the top of the ladder but continue to be undone by the villains, making them seem superior. The villains are depicted negatively through the wearing of black clothing which connotes evil, darkness and ultimately death, this is highly stereotypical for the horror genre. The audience are able to understand the narrative better as a result of the clothing of the characters and their respective positions on the social ladder.

Camerawork used in the teaser trailer is conventional to the horror genre. During the slower parts of the film, the camera pans to follow the action and create tension. The action is also shown through the use of mid shots which is a conventional shot for horrors as it shows most, but not all, of the body. To increase the intensity of the action and heighten tension, close up shots of the characters faces are used show their expressions and illustrate their fear; this is translated to the audience. Low angle shots of the villains are used to highlight their dominance. This is a stereotypical shot in horror films and one that the audience will be familiar with as the villains are seen as the ones with power; the switch of power often changes the course of the narrative.

Fast-paced cuts and jumps are used in ‘Surveillance’ to intensify the situation and create a sense of anxiety for the audience which will ensure that they remain fixed to the action. Insert shots are used in a fast-paced montage showing various pieces of tense action; this is conventional as it attracts the viewer to the film and makes them want to find out the conclusion of the narrative. Various focus pulls are used to switch from one shot to the second and create suspense. An example of this would be when the camera is filming from behind the furniture and almost hiding from the action, this establishes a sense of secrecy, heightening tension and suspense.

The sound used in the trailer is largely non diegetic sound that rises to a climax. The music and instruments were intentionally chosen to increases anxiety and heighten tensions while intensifying the feeling from the audience. The sound is conventional to the horror genre as it is used to scare the viewer. Constant dialogue is also used to create verisimilitude.

Questionniare Results Graph 9

2010-03-08T05:18:00.003-08:00

Questionniare Results Graph 8

2010-03-08T05:18:00.001-08:00

Questionniare Results Graph 7

2010-03-08T05:17:00.001-08:00

Questionniare Results Graph 6

2010-03-08T05:16:00.003-08:00

Questionniare Results Graph 5

2010-03-08T05:16:00.001-08:00

Questionniare Results Graph 4

2010-03-08T05:15:00.002-08:00

Questionniare Results Graph 3

2010-03-08T05:15:00.001-08:00

Questionniare Results Graph 2

2010-03-08T05:14:00.000-08:00

Questionniare Results Graph 1

2010-03-08T05:13:00.000-08:00

Consent Forms

2010-03-08T04:59:00.001-08:00

Storyboard Page 9

2010-03-08T04:58:00.002-08:00

Storyboard Page 8

2010-03-08T04:58:00.001-08:00

Storyboard Page 7

2010-03-08T04:57:00.000-08:00

Storyboard Page 6

2010-03-08T04:53:00.001-08:00

Storyboard Page 5

2010-03-08T04:51:00.002-08:00

Storyboard Page 4

2010-03-08T04:51:00.001-08:00

Storyboard Page 3

2010-03-08T04:50:00.001-08:00

Storyboard Page 2

2010-03-08T04:48:00.000-08:00

Storyboard Page 1

2010-03-08T04:47:00.000-08:00

Analysis of ‘Red Room’ Poster

2010-03-08T03:40:00.000-08:00

As with all posters, the viewer analyses the ‘Red Room’ film poster through the rule of thirds and line of the eye. The reader’s eye begins in the terminal area in the top left-hand of the page with the main actor’s name, ‘Will Piper’. The eye then moves across the line to the name of the supporting actress in the alternative terminal area, ‘Naomi Murphy’, before heading downwards through the tagline of ‘There is no escape...’ This sentence establishes a sense of horror and provides an insight into what the trailer holds in store for the viewer. The use of an ellipsis at the end of the sentence suggests that events have not yet been concluded and the viewer will have to watch the film in order to resolve the plot. This layout is similar to that on the poster of ‘Panic Room’ as the viewer follows a similar line along the name of the main character from one terminal area across to the alternative before heading downwards.

The eye continues down along the line of the edge of the newspaper and finishes in the bottom left-hand terminal area. The colours of light vs dark are binary oppositions, as suggested by Levi-Strauss, contrast to gain effect. This contrast connotes good vs evil, life vs death or heaven vs hell. Furthermore, the bright white colours of the newspaper connote heaven. These colours were intentionally chosen to convey to the psychological horror genre and create a desired effect on the audience, making them want to discover what happens in ‘Red Room’ and why ‘there is no escape...’ Psychological horrors conventionally use lots of dull, dark colours to scare the viewer; we opted to use similar dark colours to comply with conventions but we intentionally lit the centre of the page to provide contrast and highlight the title of the film. The lighting and colours chosen for our own poster was similar to those used on the ‘Panic Room’ film poster.

The final movement of the eye is across the title of the film which uses a red vs white contrast to connote blood and death. They eye finishes in the terminal area in the bottom right-hand corner of the page where the age restriction is conventionally placed. The last thing that the reader views on the page is the titles which mentions the cast, director and production company. This is conventionally placed underneath the title of the film.

Analysis of 'Reel' Magazine

2010-03-08T03:36:00.000-08:00

We decided that we would place the masthead mostly in the top left-hand terminal area and allow it to cross into the middle. This design is similar to that used on ‘Sight and Sound’ and was done intentionally as the reader begins viewing the magazine from the top left-hand terminal area before travelling across the masthead through the conventionally placed date and issue number, along the top of the main image and into the second terminal area. The top right-hand terminal area shows a selection of articles, interviews and reviews that are featured inside the magazine. This is conventional as magazines often display inside features on the cover, however we broke conventions through our positioning of the text as stereotypically the text is placed on the left, dominant side of the page as the eye focuses mainly on the left-hand side of the page as demonstrated on the covers of both ‘Sight and Sound’ and ‘Empire’.

We broke conventions in order to gain a desired effect and make our own magazine cover unique. The text itself is conventional of magazine covers, yellow colouring of the sub-heading separates the text and attracts the reader’s attention while the white colours were intentionally chosen as ‘Red Room’ is a psychological horror and in this genre white is a stereotypical colour as it connotes heaven and thus death. The masthead stands out off the page to attract the reader’s attention. It is coloured red and white as they are contrasting colours and ones that relate to all genres of film. As this is a film magazine cover, not just a psychological horror film magazine cover, the colours were intentionally chosen as red may connote romance, love and emotion as well as action, danger and blood. Furthermore, white may connote innocence or purity as well as heaven or emergency. The strip of film was an additional feature to the cover as we felt it created more verisimilitude for the buyer and tied in cleverly with the title of the magazine.

From the top right-hand terminal area, the line of vision takes the eye down through the first hot spot, which in this instance is the edge of the forehead of the character and into the Primary Optical Area (POA). The POA is intentionally lit more heavily than the rest of the magazine cover as this is the spot what the viewer spends the majority of their time looking at. This is also the area which most often will attract the attention of a potential buyer before they begin reading the page. In the POA is the face of the main character of the film, ‘Red Room’. He is conventionally looking away from the camera as he refuses to be objectified and demonstrates his masculinity. This relates to Dyer’s theory of objectification. The face is coloured almost white, this is not only used to provide contrast to the dark background but also to give an insight into the film. As previously mentioned, white lighting connoted heaven and ultimately death. The four hotspots border the characters face and draw the reader’s attention to the POA. The expression of the main character suggests he is scared, the dark background and long path leading away illustrate that he is alone, both conventional devices of the psychological horror genre. The eye is the main focal point of the cover. The eye is the “window to the soul”, often in films of this genre the soul of the innocent is captured by another person or being. This shot is conventional of the genre. Shadows are used on the face to add mystery.

The eye of the reader moves along the line through the hotspot and to the beginning of the title of the main article on the cover, ‘Red Room’. On the dominant side of the page is a feature, the second most important feature of the cover as it is an ‘exclusive interview’. Often ‘exclusive interviews’ are big attractions to readers because of the exclusivity of the interview and possibility of secrets being publicised. The white text of the article separates itself from the yellow of the sub-heading. The eye moves across the film title and the tagline, ‘Piper has no escape’. This is conventional as it provides an insight into the film which taglines are stereotypically used for. The attire of the main character carries over into the film to illustrate continuity. Lastly, at the bottom of the page, the last thing the viewer reads is the additional features section. This gives an insight into the stories and articles inside the magazine, it is conventionally placed as demonstrated on all three of our analysed magazine covers, ‘Empire’, ‘Sight and Sound’ and ‘Total Film’. The eye finishes in the dead area in the bottom right-hand corner of the page with the barcode.

'Slapknee productions' logo

2010-02-27T12:56:00.000-08:00

'Red Room' green screen

2010-02-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

‘Red Room’ opens using a green screen and a shot of our own production company- ‘Slapknee productions’. We opted to include these ideas to create more verisimilitude and make the spectacle more attractive to the viewer.

Magazine Questionnaire Results

2010-02-26T04:53:00.000-08:00

How old are you?

10-16 (3) 17-25 (7) 36-45 (5) 46-60 (1) 61+ (1)

What gender are you?

Male (10) Female (10)

How many times a month, on average, do you read film magazines?

0-1 (5) 2-3 (8) 4-5 (4) 6+ (2)

What are the names of the film magazines that you read?

(The most common film magazines that our target audience read are ‘Total Film’, ‘Empire’ and ‘Sight and Sound’)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What colours do you usually associate with film magazines?

(Our target audience found that the most conventional colours for magazine covers are reds, blacks and whites while other colours such as orange, yellow, silver and greys are also used)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What genre do you feel should be advertised more on film magazine covers?

(Our target audience felt that genres such as psychological horrors, horrors and thrillers should be more heavily advertised on the front of film magazines. Other genres were action, fantasy and romance.)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Do you think it is conventional to have an image of the films main character as the main focus of the magazine cover?

Yes (13) No (7)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What type of stories do you expect to be advertised on the front cover of a film magazine?

(Our target audience felt that interviews and articles containing celebrity or movie gossip should feature on the front cover of film magazines more often. Other ideas such as additional information or dates and times of movies etc could also feature.)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Magazine Questionnaire

2010-02-26T04:52:00.001-08:00

How old are you?

10-16 17-25 36-45 46-60 61+

What gender are you?

Male Female

How many times a month, on average, do you read film magazines?

0-1 2-3 4-5 6+

What are the names of the film magazines that you read?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What colours do you usually associate with film magazines?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What genre do you feel should be advertised more on film magazine covers?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Do you think it is conventional to have an image of the films main character as the main focus of the magazine cover?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

What type of stories do you expect to be advertised on the front cover of a film magazine?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

‘Red Room’ Script

2010-02-26T04:41:00.000-08:00

(Camera cuts to POV shot of main character driving, soothing non-diegetic music sets a calm, causal tone for the scene)

(Camera fades to white as scene changes- flashback. Fade from white shows main character in lawyer’s office. Scene opens with close-up of main character.)

Lawyer-

“Let’s get straight to it. I have bad news; your mother has passed away. I know that you haven’t visited her in a long time, despite her illnesses, so I assume you will be unaware of the state of the house?”

Main character-

(Look of embarrassment and guilt)

Lawyer-

“Yeah, that’s what I thought... The carer who looked after your mother is renovating the house for re-sale. As her son it is only appropriate that you collect any items of possession that your mother has left to you.”

(Pause)

“I have been told to inform you that most of your things have been stored in the ‘Red Room’.”

“When you lose someone close to you, the pain can be too much… There is no escape…”

(Fade to white and back to coloured action.)

(Scene changes to main character climbing stairs exploring the house. Look of confusion and fear on characters face. Main character finds photo album, look of misery and distress cross his face. He is scared.)

(Slow, tense music builds suspense and heightens tension. SFX such as the door slamming, wind whistling and heartbeat can all be heard to set the scene and add effect.)

(Sink scene shows low-key and chiaroscuro lighting to add the element of fear to the narrative. Hands appear round main characters throat unexpectedly, introduces supernatural action. Flashing of lights emphasises supernatural activity, scene is accompanied by a sudden change in pace of music to fast-paced action music indicating that something is about to happen and thus heightening tension.)

(Car scene. Main character is seeking help, he stops a car to ask for help.)

Driver-

“There is no escape…”

(Pace of music builds following this as the action enters a montage of various shots that interchange using fast-paced cuts and jumps. This builds suspense.)

(Music dies down as trailer draws to a close. Final shot has slow music with heavy bass to add to the supernatural, creepy element and re-install fear into the viewer. The newspaper falls from the door and reveals the words ‘Red Room’.)

(Trailer concludes.)

Analysis of Panic Room film

2010-02-16T07:02:00.000-08:00

The narrative is about a mother and her daughter who are trapped in a room hiding away from three men who have broken into their home. It is conventional to the psychological horror genre for the villains to be male characters and the victims to be female characters as males are stereotypically dominant. A two-shot of the mother and daughter demonstrates their close relationship and indicates their love. They are trapped in the situation together.

The first shot of the sequence is a fade to black which immediately indicates terror and peril. A jump cut into a close-up of the girl’s face emphasises the terror as we witness the woman’s reaction. The sound effect of a drill is conventional to the psychological horror genre as it connotes horror; it is used to scare the mother and daughter. A fast zoom away from a close-up of the daughter indicates the panic on the faces of both characters. The male villains wear stereotypically dark clothes, long coats, gloves, hats and bandanas to connote a villain. The daughter wears pyjamas to illustrate her innocence and youth and also to suggest that it is night- it is conventional for action in psychological horrors to take place in the dark. The mother- Jodie Foster- wears evening clothes but also wears a low-cut top to highlight her breasts and indicate sexual objectification. This is conventional as the woman is objectified to the camera and to the male gaze; men look at her as a sex object. This is further emphasised by her wearing an earring- this relates to Laura Mulvey’s media theory of visual pleasure.

The room is shown in ‘false colours’ and low-key lighting to indicate danger. There is a storm outside which is a stereotypical setting for the psychological horror genre, it provides a base for the rest of the film to be built on. The weather is miserable and lightning is menacing; this theme continues into the film. A wide shot shows the prop of the daughter’s medicine. This indicates that she is ill and needs treatment, the fear of men in her home cannot be good for her. The audience begin to ask questions, “Why are the men in the house?”, “What are they after?”, “How will the mother and daughter escape?”, “Will the daughter be able to cope with the stress?” These questions are elements of the (Barthes) enigma code, one of his 5 narrative codes theory. A wide shot shows that glass has been smashed which indicates violence, fear and peril. The house is littered with cameras which film the ongoing action, the cameras are linked to the panic room. They are used to give the mother and her daughter ‘eyes’ to witness what is happening in their home. It is unconventional of the psychological horror genre for the victim to know what the villain is doing.

There is a running theme of good vs evil, male vs female and light vs dark through the film; this is a binary opposition as suggested by Levi-Strauss. The daughter is represented as being innocent, victimised and very scared. The mother has to act as the guardian, the hero. Richard Dyer suggested that they way that a character was represented suggests how they would be treated in the narrative. The daughter is innocent and frightened and is therefore treated as the victim throughout the narrative. The mother is loving and brave and is therefore represented as the hero. This complies with Propp’s theory of 8 character traits existing in a narrative; the daughter is depicted as the victimised princess with the mother being portrayed as the hero.

The room is being gassed by the villains. An Extreme Close-Up (ECU) zooms in on the hose, the camera tracks the movement of the gas inside the hose as it moves towards the room, this builds tension. The camera then moves inside the hose as the music becomes fast-paced to suggest a heightening of tensions. The camera shows the shadow of the air vent projected onto the floor, the image looks like prison bars. This is done intentionally to suggest that the mother and daughter are trapped. Shadows are conventional to the psychological horror genre as they demonstrate mystery and a build in suspense. A two-shot shows the mother higher in the frame than the daughter to demonstrate her dominance and that she is in control. An over-the-shoulder shot shows a gas fireball as the top of the picture. This is an indication of fear and peril, the bright colours are not usually associated with psychological horrors but victims fighting back is conventional of the genre. Smoke and rubble fill the room as a result of the attack; it is the calm after the action which is also conventional to the genre. There are further examples of binary oppositions here, light vs dark, good vs evil and male vs female are all emphasised further.

A two-shot close-up shows the mother and daughter embracing indicating their togetherness but also that they are both terrified at what is happening. A fade to black followed by a fade from black into an establishing shot demonstrates the heavy, stormy weather conditions outside. The rain pours down on the building to emphasise misery, the audience hear it hitting the metal piping to illustrate loneliness. The camera then moves inside the pipe and we see the daughters face and a close-up of her hand. The flickering lights emphasises anguish fear and peril. The mother sits clutching her head to indicate fear, the roles are reversed as now the daughter is acting as the hero trying to find possible escape routes. The daughter uses a torch as a tool to signal for an SOS. There is a binary opposition of light and dark, the SOS indicates that the females are in danger and need help in this case from the man across the street in order to escape. It is conventional for a female to want the help of a male as men are usually portrayed as the heroes. The SOS is a stereotypical, recognised as a sign for help, however, the call for help fails and the characters are forced to battle on their own. This is conventional of the psychological horror genre.

The villains are gathered for a meeting at the foot of the stairs, the mother escapes from the room and heads towards the phone. The sounds of action, movement and dialogue vanish and are instead replaced with the slow-paced sound effect of the wind whistling, this has ghost-like connotations. The action is also edited in slow-motion. This demonstrates an increase in the mother’s heartbeat as both she and the audience fear for her, we know this is a dangerous move but her love for her daughter drives her into pursuing the idea. The audience ask questions, “Will she make it back to safety?” This complies with Barthes theory. The mother grabs the phone but knocks over the light in the process causing the villains to hear her movement. This raises tensions as the mother has to race back to the safety of the room, the music becomes fast-paced as a result. The door shuts and hegemonic sounds of dialogue and movement return. Barthes action code and cultural code help the audience understand the plot better. The mother gains access to the phone and is able to call for help, however, as expected in the plot of a psychological horror, the mother is unable to finish her conversation with the recipient of the phone call as the phone line is cut. A two-shot close-up shows the grief on the faces of both the mother and daughter.

The daughter is diabetic; she has dropped below her level of blood-sugar. This is dangerous as it can kill her as demonstrated with an over-the-shoulder shot of the daughter’s expression. This further heightens tension and adds to the plot as there is now another way that the family can perish, the audience ask “Will she survive?” (Barthes) The prop of a gun strikes fear in all the characters. Guns are conventional in psychological horrors as they are recognised as tools of death. Altman suggested that genre can control an audience’s reaction as it is predictable and has connotations, for example horror demonstrates fear. Props such as guns can emphasise this reaction. A mid-shot shows the mother and daughter embracing once more to illustrate a sense of family and love. The mother lets out a scream of anguish, it is conventional for emotions to be released through sound in psychological horrors. The daughter has a diabetic fit; an ECU of her toes scrunched up and of her tense face indicate that she is struggling. The beeping of her watch- which is a prop used to show her blood-sugar levels- emphasises the state of panic and fear that both mother and daughter are in. The audience once again ask questions as to whether the daughter will survive, the dialogue from the mother saying “strong girl, strong girl” further emphasises the panic of both characters and also the situation they are in. The composition of camerawork positions the mother higher in the frame than the daughter to suggest the mother’s dominance. The fit ends as breathing slows, an ECU of the toes uncurling indicates the end. The mother has to leave the room to collect the daughter’s medicine. An ECU of the medicine is paired with the music beginning to quicken as time begins to run out, instruments are played in low-key to further connote horror. The medicine is a macguffin (plot device) as it moves the plot along. The audience again ask questions, “Will the mother get back in time?” “Will she get caught?” (Barthes).

A close-up of the girls face shows that she is pale and sweating heavily. This indicates her illness which is further emphasised by her heavy breathing. The camera moves into a two-shot to show the man higher in the frame than the girl to suggest male dominance. One of the villains is forced to give the daughter a shot to keep her alive, he is the dispatcher as he is moving away from the conventional villainous mindset as suggested by Propp. It is conventional to the psychological horror genre for a ‘bad’ guy to ‘come good’. The black villain’s voice becomes distorted as the camera moves into a point-of-view shot (POV) of the daughter. This is done intentionally to further emphasise her illness and to also indicate that she is running out of time. The man stares down the camera which is unconventional as he should not be objectified to the gaze of the camera. A mid-shot of the mother moving away creates a shadow on the wall which adds mystery and builds suspense. The mother has a gun but has clearly never used one before, it is conventional for the hero to act in fear rather than strategically in psychological horrors.

A POV shot from the mother looking through the spy hole in the door shows two police officers; the officers are figures of authority and are therefore superior in society. Railings on either side of the shot look like a gateway to safety, however, the mother knows that she cannot escape and leave the daughter. The lights of the police car provide a binary opposition between light and dark. The white of the police car illustrates a sense of safety, by reaching it a hegemonic society can be restored once more. The red lights of the police car indicate danger. It is conventional of psychological horrors for the hero to reject outside help for whatever reason. Heavy breathing and slow-paced organ music implement a sense of horror and terror. Organ music is conventional to psychological horrors as it connotes fear.

A CU of the daughter shows her hands covering her ears as the drill moves through metal. A fast zoom from the daughter into a two-shot of the drill and the daughter to display the action. The sound of the drill is conventional to a psychological horror as it connotes fear. A two-shot shows a white man higher in the frame than a black man which illustrates white superiority. The black man has done all the work while the white man sits and gives orders. This is conventional as historically black men were slaves and were commanded by white men. This is emphasised by the black man wearing work overhauls.

A mid-shot shows the father sitting in a chair. He is holding a gun and a lamp as protection. There are binary oppositions of light vs dark and good vs evil. The lighting makes the father look almost ghost-like as if he has appeared from the dead, this is emphasised through his blood-spattered clothing and blood running from his cuts and nose etc. Suddenly he is in control; he is the dominant character which is a role-reversal of before. A CU of the mothers lower body and the tracking of her movement show that she is carrying a weapon. The music begins to speed up as the mother moves closer to the villain, this heightens tension, before organ music is used to signify the mother hitting the villain with the weapon. The organ music is intentional as it suggests that the villain is dead as the music is similar to funeral music. The sound effect of a window smashing is conventional to the psychological horror genre, it illustrates panic and the need for movement. The sound of a police siren emphasises terror and suggests that help will arrive soon. A CU of the black villain’s feet slipping on the slippery wall indicate his struggle to leave. A CU of his face shows that he has heard the gun shots inside the house, he goes back in to save the family as he is the dispatcher, the hero as suggested by Propp. The swirling wind blows the leafs around to illustrate the confusion and panic. Tracking is used to show the villain using the hammer as crutches to ‘worm’ his way across the floor towards the helpless mother. The sound of the hammer hitting the wooden floor indicates the mother’s raising heartbeat which is emphasised by fast-paced organ music which is conventional to the psychological horror genre.

Shot-reverse-shot editing into CU illustrates the struggle between the mother and the villain. The male villain is on top of the female victim, this is conventional as males are dominant over females and he is therefore higher in the frame. This also has sexual connotations of rape etc which is emphasises the males role as the villain. One light illuminates the room to indicate terror and the fact that the mother is fighting for her life. The audience ask “Will she survive?” “Will she escape from the villain?” There are also binary oppositions of light vs dark, man vs woman and good vs evil. The fact that the villain’s face is hidden by his hair further emphasises his position as the villain. Tension is heightened as the music builds pace, a mid-shot shows the mother being slammed to the ground before the daughter tries to rescue the mother but fails. The roles are reversed as the daughter becomes the hero (Propp). Shadows are used to suggest mystery, “What is going to happen?” (Barthes). A low-angled POV shot shows the villain with the hammer preparing to kill the mother before the black man kills the fellow villain. The black man emphasises his position as the dispatcher- Propp- this is demonstrated through his dialogue “You’ll be safe now.” The black man is positioned lower in the frame than the white man to suggest he is subordinate. A low-angled shot shows the villain getting shot through the back of the head, blood spews from him- this is conventional to the psychological horror genre- as he falls to the floor. The music slows to silence to demonstrate a significant point in the film and also to indicate the end of the villain’s life. Low-key lighting adds to the atmosphere, the danger has now gone. The SWAT Team enter the building after the conclusion of the attack, it is conventional for help to arrive after the conclusion of the action.

An over-the-shoulder shot shows the black man on his knees after being caught by the SWAT Team. There is a binary opposition of light vs dark. The black man is lower in the frame than the authority figures to illustrate he is subordinate. He is told to open his hands and as a result he releases the $20 million that he has just collected into the air. A low-angle shot shows the black man looking dominant but also under pressure as the light beams down on his face. The money swirls around him in the storm to anguish him and illustrate his loss, it mocks him. He is arrested even though he is the dispatcher and the hero- it is conventional of psychological horrors to implement a ‘no rewards’ ending for those that do ‘come good’. A fade to black indicates horror, the music fades to silence to further emphasise this, the audience ask “What is going to happen to everyone?” (Barthes). A long shot of the daughter lying on the mother’s lap at the end of the film demonstrates that they have recovered and their relationship is stronger than ever before. The daughter is the most precious thing in the mother’s life, a sense of family and life exists as they are restored to a hegemonic society.

Perkins indicated that stereotypes reinforce peoples places in society. Stereotypically, women are subordinate or inferior characters to males. ‘Panic Room’ emphasises this as for the majority of the film the male villains dominate over the female victims. However, the conclusion of the film is conventional as the victims are saved but it is also unconventional as the gender roles change and the female victims dominate over the male villains. Furthermore, the ultimate hero is the male dispatcher who comes good at the end to save the family, as indicated by Propp. Throughout the film there are running binary oppositions of light vs dark, good vs evil and male vs female as indicated by Levi-Strauss.

Use of Lighting in ‘Red Room’

2010-02-09T07:48:00.001-08:00

The film opens with natural ambient lighting. A shot of the sun shining bright in the sky onto the glistening snow beneath it. The weather conditions set a winter scene and also offer a sense of innocence to the scene. Ambient lighting inside the car establishes the setting as natural and calm which is further emphasised by the calming non-diegetic music. The scene cuts to the main character climbing the stairs. Low-key lighting is used to show that the main character is isolated; the only source of light comes from the torch that is being operated by the main character. Shadows add mystery to the scene, the audience begin to ask questions such as “what is he looking for?”- this relates to Barthes narrative theory. The light is shone into the camera; the bright white of the light connotes heaven and therefore death. The white light is conventional to the psychological horror genre.

Chiaroscuro lighting is used to add terror and fear to the action. We see half of the characters face in light and half in darkness; this adds a sinister element to the main character as the audience begin to ask “who he is?” Shadows further add to the mystery, “is he being watched?” (Barthes). A focus pull is used as the character’s face disappears from the shot leaving just a solitary beam of light. The use of extreme shadow adds to the effect, the beam of light highlights the book as a prop which moves the narrative along (macguffin). The beam of light can be described as the main characters only chance of survival as he plunged deeper into the unknown.

A close-up of the sink shows running water. The lighting is tinted blue which is a conventional colour for psychological horrors as it represents coldness and chill. The colour also represents supernatural activity and a sense of creepiness, something is not quite right. The torch flashes around the sink in a fast-paced manner to demonstrate that the main character needs to turn the taps off to resist flooding. The lighting heightens tension and adds to the suspense. A silhouette of the main character demonstrates his isolation. A single light lights the room creating a natural, ambient atmosphere, the light flickers on and off to diminish the previously established atmosphere and add terror and fear to the scene. A low-angled close-up of the main characters face in the mirror is lit by a bright white light shone on the main characters face, this connotes heaven and innocence. As his face rises the main character looks into the mirror, the light begins to move away and the darkness begins to spread. This indicates that the darkness is coming and that something evil is about to happen. The fact that it is chiaroscuro lighting adds terror and fear to the scene, shadows add mystery and the contrast between light and dark demonstrates a cross-over of the main character from good to evil. The light turns to black as the hands are wrapped around the neck. A fast-paced flash of light changes the pace of the scene, tension is heightened as the supernatural activity occurs.

The car park scene uses natural lighting to establish a setting. The car lights shine bright against the dark background to contrast. Low-key lighting adds suspense and shadows add mystery to the action. High key lighting lights the face if the main character to show his expression and reactions. High key lighting is unconventional for psychological horrors; we opted to break the conventions to gain added effect. At the stair scene low-key lighting heightens tension which is emphasised by the main character running, an obvious sign of panic and distress. Shadows add mystery to the scene while the bright white colours of the shirt contrast to the darkness and thus portray innocence, or worse, heaven and moreover death. Natural ambient lighting is used in the outdoor running scene to restore a sense of normality but also emphasise the panic and fear in the scene.

A wide shot shows natural, ambient lighting as the main character assesses the book he has found. On the right-hand side of the frame the television switches itself on. The bright white colours of the television connote heaven and add to the running theme of bright white light contrasting to the dark atmosphere to illustrate death. The static of the television is conventional for psychological horrors. The driving scene shows a light flashing in the distance. The flashing light is an SOS call for help which indicates panic, fear and distress. The ambient lighting helps establish a calming scene before the main character is seen escaping from the bushes. The final shot uses a flickering light to add suspense. The main character walks past the camera to darken the scene- black connotes death- before the white colour of the newspaper (portraying innocence) falls and reveals the words ‘Red Room’.

A variety of colours were used for our lighting as we wanted to heighten tension from a very ordinary and natural setting. Initially the white colours as seen in the establishing shot of the snow etc portrays innocence, but as the narrative progresses the white colours represent heaven and therefore death. The orange or yellow colours initially used in the ‘Red Room’ signify warmth and comfort, the room appears natural and leads the actor into a false sense of security until the music changes, the lights flicker and tension is heightened as events become more supernatural. The grey colours are used to signify change, the events of the narrative change from normality to the supernatural and the main character changes from an average man to the hero/ villain. Finally, the blue colours represent the supernatural activity and are associated with masculinity.

Mise-en-scene in ‘Red Room’

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Costume;

· Main Character (Will)-
o Office worker, shirt and tie, formal trousers, smart leather shoes and black formal jacket demonstrate his professionalism. He is a hard worker but fails to succeed in his job and finds opportunities difficult to come by. The use of hair gel as make-up illustrates the fact that he is still a youthful character and slightly rebellious. The contrast of dark and light colours in his attire indicates his personality i.e. he is innocent but villainous.

· Lawyer (Mr Stratford)-
o Wears conventional professional clothing i.e. a suit consisting of a shirt and tie as well as black shoes. He is a professional and successful man who has worked his way to the top, his attitude is therefore slightly arrogant because of his accomplishments. The use of hair products illustrates the character as being slightly ‘cheesy’, a conventional trait for a lawyer.

· Carer (Naomi)-
o Wears a long, dark coat with tied back hair to illustrate that she is a professional woman who cares for her job. The carer wears dark clothes as later in the narrative we learn that she has been supernaturally possessed, this allows the narrative to progress.

Props;

· Car (Will)-
o Low-budget vehicle demonstrates that he has not been as successful as he may have hoped, despite his professional attitude and attire.

· Torch-
o Allows the narrative to progress as without the torch the main character is unable to explore the house. The torch is the main characters only aid in the trailer, it is his last hope.

· Light switch-
o The switch fails to turn on and off when the main character presses it, this indicates that there has been a power cut which is conventional to the psychological horror genre. It builds tension and suspense as a result.

· Book-
o The book is a macguffin as it moves the narrative along. The audience are unaware of its purpose but the main character assesses it before concluding that it is a photo album consisting of photos of the main character and his dead mother; however his face has been scratched out in every picture.

· Sink-
o Running water is a conventional sound for psychological horrors which was emphasised by the use of blue tinted lighting to suggest supernatural activity.

· Car (Naomi)-
o Small car demonstrates that the carer has an average job earning an average income.

· Television-
o TV turns itself on to show a bright white light which connoted heaven and thus death. The static is also conventional for the psychological horror genre.

· Photographs-
o Faces on the photographs are scratched out, therefore photos are a macguffin that progresses the narrative. The relationship between the main character and his dead mother is explained to some degree.

· Newspaper-
o Taped up across the door to indicate that the room has been left in some state for a long time. The white colour of the newspaper illustrates innocence, when it falls the words ‘Red Room’ are revealed.

· Mirror-
o The mirror is used to get the necessary effect for the specific shot. The lighting, camerawork and acting come together to show the main character from a different perspective.

Setting;

Various filming locations were used in our film to gain the necessary effect and convene to the stereotypes in psychological horrors. The camera was placed at the roadside for an establishing shot to watch the approaching car. The shot showing the inside of the car establishes a sense of normality and establishes a natural setting. The staircase scene shows the main character climbing the stairs, almost as if he is moving towards his own fate- this is conventional as the main character is unaware of what is happening. The bathroom setting was chosen intentionally as we could use stereotypical props to convene to the psychological horror genre and gain an effect i.e. the faulty light switch and sink with running water. The long hallway is also conventional to the psychological horror genre as it emphasises a sense of isolation, loneliness and movement into the unknown. The car park is a normal everyday scenario which establishes verisimilitude and calms the supernatural build-up. The ‘Red Room’ seems innocent at first, nothing scary despite the heightened tension and built up suspense. The room is filled with conventional, everyday objects such as the phone, chair, bookshelf or television etc. The house was chosen as its outlook portrays a normal upper class house and thus a normal, everyday setting. It appears innocent on first view, however, as the narrative progresses inside the house the audience discover that the house is infact the setting for supernatural activity. Our choice of settings ensured that verisimilitude was created throughout the narrative and was allowed to develop as a result of the props, actors and lighting that were chosen to further enhance the spectacle all the time convening to the psychological horror genre.

Actors;

· Main character (Will)-
o Will was chosen as we wanted to use a tall character to focus the action on. He is a youthful actor who was able to cope with the fast-paced, heavy action. Furthermore, Will has previous acting experience and did alot of research on psychological horrors focusing in particular on the reactions of characters and how to portray fear and distress to the camera.

· Lawyer (Mr Stratford)-
o Initially we used a younger actor as the lawyer as we felt it was the right way to go. However, after we watched the recorded footage back we decided that the younger actor had not worked and we would need to use an older, more professional looking character. The narrative tells that the lawyer is a successful individual who has an air of arrogance about him, therefore we opted to go for a professional looking adult, dressed in a suit who had the air of arrogance about him that we needed to portray the lawyer in the ‘cheesy’, selfish manner that is conventional of lawyers.

· Carer (Naomi)-
o Naomi was chosen as we needed a youthful actress to play the part of the inexperienced carer who strives to succeed but only has limited success. Furthermore, her innocent outlook was perfect for the part as she appears to be an average citizen before the narrative demonstrates that she is supernaturally controlled.

‘Red Room’ shot list

2010-02-09T07:35:00.000-08:00

The film opens with an establishing shot of an isolated vehicle driving towards the camera on an open road. The camera then moves inside the car and into an over-the-shoulder shot of the driver. The scene cuts to a flashback where the driver recalls an earlier conversation he had with a lawyer. The camera fades to white as it is conventional for flashbacks to be accompanied by fades to and from white. The film changes to black and white colours to emphasise the fact that it is a flashback. The flashback begins with an over-the-shoulder shot looking over the main character’s shoulder at the lawyer. The camera then moves into a high-angle shot where the camera is looking down on the main character and lawyer as it dominates over the pair. A 180 degree shot is used as the camera rotates the length of the table into a wide shot, followed by a two-shot and eventually finishing with an over-the-shoulder shot looking over the shoulder of the lawyer and at the main character. Shot-reverse-shot editing is used to highlight the conversation between the two characters. The camera then fades to white once more and back into the over-the-shoulder shot of the driver.

Scene switches to the main character climbing the stairs. A high-angle mid-shot is used to show his confusion as he searches for his answers. Scene then cuts to a mid-shot of the main character attempting to turn the lights on, using a mid-shot allows the camera to view the actions of the actor. The main character then picks up a book; the camera is positioned at a low-angle and tilts up as the book is raised from the floor. The camera then tracks the movement of the book before jumping into a close-up of main character assessing the book. A focus pull is then used to lead into the next shot; a high-angle shot of a sink which is showing running water. There is a close-up of the sink as the main character turns the taps off before the camera cuts to a long-shot of main character looking around a room. The actor moves further away from the camera so the shot changes to an extreme long-shot. The camera then cuts into an over-the-shoulder shot of the main character sitting in an armchair staring at pictures of him and his dead mother however his face has been scratched out. A mid-shot shows the main character discovering the hidden pictures on the wall. The camera cuts to a close-up point-of-view shot of the main character looking in a mirror. The shot is seen at a low-angle as the main character is shown to be dominant over the camera.

The camera cuts to a mid-shot which tracks the main characters movements around the car. A point-of-view shot shows a secondary character talking to the main character and giving him a warning. There is a close-up on the secondary character to show her facial expression as she delivers her warning. The camera switches to a wide-shot; we see a close-up of the main character’s expression as he tears photographs of him and his mother from the wall but also see the door slam shut in the background to add effect to the gloomy atmosphere. The camera moves into a long-shot of the main character kicking the door trying to break in. Fast-paced editing is accompanied by handheld camera action to add suspense and heighten tension. The fast-paced montage continues with a long-shot of the main character moving into an extreme close-up before moving into a point-of-view shot and then a mid-shot once more before the main character jumps down the stairs. The camera quickly cuts to a low-angle shot as we view the action from an alternative viewpoint; this is known as match on action.

An extreme long-shot shows the main character running, the camera is tracking his movement. Handheld camerawork is used to demonstrate a sense of urgency and fear. The camera cuts back to the previous mid-shot of the main character discovering the hidden pictures on the wall, this is an example of non-continuity editing. The narrative returns to the running scene, a close-up of the main character illustrates his desire to escape the proximity. Handheld camerawork is used once more to further demonstrate the main character’s urgency. The camera then becomes still as the main character finally escapes it; the camera is almost acting as the evil that the main character is running from. The camera moves from a point-of-view shot from the main character looking at the wall into an extreme close-up of him ripping the photographs down from the wall, this illustrates his anger and pain.

A long-shot shows a carer coming towards the main character who is in the foreground of the shot. The camera switches to a mid-shot when we see more of the main character before it becomes a two-shot when the two characters interact for the first time. The male character is conventionally higher in the frame than the female character to demonstrate male dominance and superiority. A low-angle extreme long-shot shows the main character struggling to escape from the room. The shot is conventional and the fact that it has been shot at an angle suggests that something is not quite right. A low-angle mid-shot shows the main character looking at his childhood memories. He is intentionally filmed on the left-hand side of the frame while on the right-hand side of the frame the television switches itself on, this further adds to the unusual atmosphere that has been established throughout the trailer and tension is heightened as a result.

The camera switches to a point-of-view shot of the driver inside the car. The camera shows the main character emerging from the bushes to indicate panic and fear. The final shot is an extreme close-up showing the main character walking past the door. As he moves past the door a piece of newspaper falls from it and reveals the words, ‘Red Room’. The scene fades to black as the letters of ‘Red Room’ turn to a bright, blood-like red and take up the centre position of the screen.

Analysis of Misery trailer

2009-11-23T04:50:00.000-08:00

Scene opens with an establishing shot of a fallen tree lying in the snow. The fallen tree adds mystery and gives an indication of previous traumas and possible future panic. There is a binary opposition of black vs. white, as suggested by Levi-Strauss. It is shown through the dark colours of the fallen tree disrupting the light, bright colours of the snowy background. This indicates the contrast of life vs. death. The opening scene is accompanied with fast-paced organ music, used to illustrate a sense of loneliness and isolation. The dialogue of “You almost died...” immediately sets the scene. The audience begin to ask questions, ‘Who almost died? How? When? Why is this important?’ in reference to Barthes narrative theory. This establishes a basis for the rest of the narrative to be built on. The setting is conventional to the psychological horror genre as snow and ice are dangerous elements that indicate hazards and terror. Furthermore, the fact he is isolated in the middle of nowhere further emphasises terror and is a genre convention.

A voice-over of a woman’s voice is used, the voice sounds soft and caring. The audience learn that the man- who still has no identity- has fractured his tibia and fibula meaning that he will not be able to move. This illustrates that he is trapped which in turn demonstrates a sense of peril. The lighting is low-key to emphasise the panic. The use of shadows adds mystery; the audience begin to ask questions such as “Will the man survive?” (Barthes). The shot fades to black to portray horror; red, blood-like writing comes on the screen to connote danger. The contrast of the colours- black and red- emphasise horror. The end of the women’s dialogue is “You’re going to be just fine...” this raises tension and suspense as the audience assume from the genre that perhaps everything may not be “fine”. This is emphasises through a close-up of a crowbar which connotes danger and horror but also has definitions of safety. A crane shot into wide shot shows a woman helping the man; the audience ask questions, “Who is this rescuer? How did she find the victim?” (Barthes). The shot is deliberately distorted by snow which adds to the peril. A fade to black connotes terror and this is further emphasised by the blood-like writing on a dark background to illustrate horror.

A long-shot shows the injured man in bed with a woman- presumabl the rescuer- tending to him. The white bedspread and white clothing of the woman makes her look like a nurse, the white colours also connote safety. The hospital/ medical link is further emphasised by the use of the prop of a drip. The drip is used to restore lost fluids; it is only used in hospitals for serious injuries and has death connotations to demonstrate horror and terror.

The audience learn that the woman’s name is Annie and the man is famous author Paul Sheldon. The camera shows a close-up of Annie’s face. The audience can identify with the woman, her hair is tied back to demonstrate that she is a working woman, probably a housewife which is conventional of the psychological horror genre as it illustrates innocence. The close-up of a book demonstrates an insight into Paul’s working-life. He is the author of the book ‘Misery’s Child’. The title of the book is intentional as the narrative progresses we learn that Paul is ‘Misery’s Child’. The dark background contrasts against the white book, a binary opposition which demonstrates terror (Levi-Strauss). The binary opposition is used to suggest life vs. death, heaven vs. earth and purity vs. evil. A close-up into tracking shows the rescuer holding the book. Her possession of it indicates some sort of obsession to indicate terror, peril and confusion. Annie says to Paul that he is a “good man”; this illustrates one side of Annie’s split personality. She is kind and generous and wants to help Paul- this is reflected through the tone of her voice.

A mid-shot shows the woman higher in the frame which is unconventional, she is helping him by shaving him and keeping him in good health. She is higher in the frame to indicate that she is superior to Paul and the dominant human as she is fully able whereas Paul is partially disabled. The prop of the razor also suggests danger and peril and indicates death or violence through cutting etc. Chiaroscuro lighting shows the binary oppositions of life vs. death and heaven vs. hell as the shadows add mystery (Levi-Strauss). The shot also shows a bright white light which connotes heaven and therefore death. A two-shot shows the bars on windows, this links to a prison cell which suggests that he is trapped and cannot escape. A voice-over of a newsreader is heard, “The presumption must now be that Paul Sheldon is dead.” The audience suggest that this cannot be right as Annie had previously said that she had rung for an ambulance, therefore someone must know where he is. This heightens tension and adds mystery, “Who is this Annie, why has she captivated Paul?” (Barthes).

A birds-eye-view shot through binoculars shows the up-turned car to illustrate the accident. The camera fades to an extreme long-shot of a house. This demonstrates that the house is in the middle of nowhere to indicate loneliness which is conventional to the psychological horror genre. A mid-shot shows the woman in chiaroscuro lighting which adds mystery and terror. The white light, conventional of hospitals and therefore heaven, indicates that she is still prepared to help as she is a fan of his work. However, the low key lighting demonstrates her aggression. Dark clothing and the dark background further emphasise her aggression. We see half of the woman’s face in dark, low-key lighting and half in light, high-key lighting. Chiaroscuro lighting indicates that she has a split personality; the audience ask “Why is the woman angry? Is she obsessed with him?” (Barthes). The music becomes slower and more bass is used to emphasise a change in the mood of Annie. She is angry, furious that Paul has killed off her favourite character in the novel, dialogue of “You dirty bird!” demonstrates this and illustrates her split personality. She shouts at Paul to indicate her distress, this suggests that she is psychologically ill which is emphasised through the dialogue, “I don’t want her spirit... I WANT HER!” The sounds and tones of her voice indicate her anger and confusion; these are conventional character traits for a psychological horror.

Bass music continues as Annie explains that she never called anyone and that “no-one knows that he is here.” SFX of prison cell doors slamming shut are used to link the cuts between editing. The SFX highlights Annie’s criminal activity and that she could be locked up. The SFX speeds up and more are used to illustrate a racing heart-beat, tension and suspense are built as a result. The dialogue of a voice-over is a woman explaining that the woman is psychologically ill but also intelligent. An over-the-shoulder shot shows a helicopter fly past the window, no-one can find him. This suggests her intelligence which can be further demonstrated through the phone being unplugged permanently etc.

A pan shows the sheriff looking for Paul. The camera cuts to a mid-shot of the woman driving the car. She is ensuring that she carries on everyday life. It is conventional for psychological horrors for the villain to act in a normal manner when away from the main scene. Fast-paced cuts show Paul falling from the bed and crawling to the door, this is conventional for psychological horrors as the action is being demonstrated. The camera zooms slowly into a close-up of the door handle which represents safety and freedom. The editing is used to build tension as the audience are forced to wait and anticipate for what is going to happen. The music becomes sinister and fast-paced. Bass instruments are used to emphasise a negative mood and that there is trouble and panic. These are all emotions conventional to the psychological horror genre. A shriek emphasises horror and indicates pain. The sound is conventional for psychological horrors.

The door is coloured black to illustrate horror and terror. The camera cuts to a close-up of a woman slowly pulling a gun from her pocket. The gun is a weapon which represents death, an extreme-close-up of woman’s face demonstrates anger and therefore danger. The syringe also connotes death, danger and drugs. A fade to red illustrates blood and danger. This is conventional of psychological horrors. A close-up of a newspaper article reads, “Maternity nurse behind bars.” This shows that she has been previously convicted; it is conventional of psychological horrors to have an existing criminal as the villain of the plot. The fact that it says ‘maternity’ suggests that she has previous medical experience; she knows how to use the medical equipment which makes her more of a threat. A close-up of a knife connotes death and horror.

Annie explains that she is Paul’s “number one fan” early in the narrative. As it progresses we learn that she is psychologically ill through her split personality. At the end of the trailer Annie concedes, “God I love you”. The music is still sinister and the SFX of the prison cell continues to be heard to emphasise Paul’s terror and panic. The fact that she has used the word “God” connotes happy, heavenly feelings but her actions provide a clear contrast to this as she is trying to hurt Paul and ultimately kill him. This is a binary opposition of life vs. death and heaven vs. hell as suggested by Levi-Strauss.

A close-up of the door symbolises his escape, his freedom. Fast-paced editing demonstrates Paul’s increased heartbeat; it is fast as she is scared. This is conventional for psychological horrors. The music speeds up to demonstrate a climax; things are moving quickly in a dangerous direction. The pace of the music illustrates the trailer is approaching a tense finale. The woman wants to hurt Paul as she is upset that he has killed off her favourite character in his books. This is her motive. Close-up shots of the knife, hammer and the syringe all indicate danger and peril. The trailer ends with red blood-like writing on a dark background to indicate blood, danger and ultimately death.

The music fades from fast-paced to silence; the silence is conventional for psychological horrors as it adds mystery to the plot, it also demonstrates an end to the trailer. The audience are left asking, “What happens to Paul? Does he survive?” This leaves the audience wanting to learn more and therefore watch the film. The fast-paced fade to silence may suggest an end of a life?

2009-11-23T04:13:00.000-08:00

Analysis of The Strangers trailer

2009-11-23T03:51:00.000-08:00

The representation of the killers and the victims in the film "The Strangers" are very different to one another. The female victim is shown in the trailer as alone, and hardly seen with her husband. This shows me that she is being portrayed as the inferior of the couple and will be the one who is more vulnerable of the victims. This is conventional as the woman is normally viewed as the victim in horror films. An example of the vulnerability of the woman is with one of the first shots in the trailer where we see her naked in the bath. this shows her innocence and we see her with no protection which gives us an idea that she is going to be attacked. The male victim is shown as masculine, and wearing a suit. The choice of clothing connotes wealth and power, which we know he has over the woman. We also see the man going to take on the killers, and try and protect the woman from them. This shows his masculinity and we also see how he is the more powerful of the couple. The three killers are shown as calculated, and quite clever and logical. We see them following the couple, and leaving clues around the house to where they are. The swings moving, ande then the music player starting are some parts of this. We also see them as cold hearted, and quite quiet. We see them attacking the couple, and they only talk once in the trailer, which helps to keep their mystery and keep us in suspense.

The narrative in the trailer shows the happenings of the film in chronological order. This is used to help the audience create a story in their minds of the happenings in the film. We see the man and woman as a normal couple at the beginning to help us get a sense of what the couple are like, and what they are doing in the house they are in. We then see a series of events culminating in the killers coming into the house and attacking the couple. From the shots we see in the trailer, we can create our own storyline to whats happening to the couple and the struggles they are enduring with the killers.

The mise-en-scene is carefully selected for the film to help create a sense of suspense and envolvment within the audience. The masks are used on the killers to create mystery and suspense, and when the masks are removed, we only see the hair and not the faces of the killers to continue with the suspense. Also used are props that you would find in an everyday setting in a house, which helps the audience interact with the family as it is easy to relate to. Also, low key lighting is used on the killers, and outside, to help create a sense of mystery. This helps us realise that the killers are there and still a threat to the couple inside, and outside, the house. The objects that the killers also use to threaten the couple are very important in the teaser trailer. The axe and the knife are both show in full view to the camera, which creates a sense of danger and death, which is what the audience want to see from a horror movie.

The camerawork used in The strangers trailer is varied, but helps us interact with the characters in the film. We see the distance between the victims and the killers in terms of knowledge of the whereabouts of each other. A long shot is used to show the woman in her kitchen, oblivious that one of the killers is in the room with her, which we can see both, and see that the killer has control of the situation.

Questionnaire

2009-11-20T02:13:00.000-08:00

1.How old are you?

10-16 17-25 26-35 36-45 46-60 61+

What gender are you?

Male Female

How many times a month on average do you watch films?

0-1 1-2 2-3 3-4 5+

What is your favourite genre?

Action Thriller Horror Romance Comedy Psychological Horror

Do you feel psychological horrors are only for girls?

Yes No

Why?.................................................................................................................

What is the film that you most associate with the psychological horror genre?

……………………………………………………………………………..

Who is the usual victim in the psychological horror genre?

Boy Girl Man Woman Stranger

What is the personality of the main character typically?

Shy Confident Loud Geek Popular Mentally insane

What is a typical ending?

Happy Sad Cliff-hanger Death Other ………………………..

What would you change about psychological horror if possible?

…………………………………………………………………………………….

What conventional costumes would the characters wear in the psychological horror genre?

…………………………………………………………………………………………

What is the main lighting type you would expect to see?

Low Key Neutral High key Ambient

What are the main areas of a plot you would expect to see?

Questionnaire Results

2009-11-20T02:12:00.000-08:00

1. How old are you?

10-16 17-25 = 10 26-35 36-45 46-60 61+

What gender are you?

Male = 4 Female =6

How many times a month on average do you watch films?

0-1 1-2 =2 2-3 =3 3-4 =4 5+ =1

What is your favourite genre?

Action Thriller =1 Horror = 2 Romance =1 Comedy =3 Psychological Horror = 3

Do you feel psychological horrors are only for girls?

Yes = 2 No = 8

Why?.................................................................................................................

Men Characters, Boys enjoy death, Appeal to both genders, I don't watch them, Horrors are for both sex

What is the film that you most associate with the psychological horror genre?

………………………………………………………………………………..

Saw = 4, Seven = 2, 1408, Number 23, Green Street, Sixth Sense

Who is the usual victim in the psychological horror genre?

Boy Girl = 1 Man = 4 Woman =4 Stranger = 1

What is the personality of the main character typically?

Shy = 2 Confident = 4 Loud Normal = 4 Geek = 1 Popular Mentally insane = 1

What is a typical ending?

Happy = 1 Sad = 1 Cliff-hanger = 5 Death = 3 Other ………………………..

What would you change about psychological horror if possible?

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Less death, more realistic, more death =2, easier to understand

What conventional costumes would the characters wear in the psychological horror genre?

…………………………………………………………………………………………

normal clothes =6, ripped clothes, dark clothing, masks

What is the main lighting type you would expect to see?

Low Key = 5 Neutral = 4 High key Ambient =1

What are the main areas of a plot you would expect to see?

…………………………………………………………………………………………

death =3, beginning middle end, torture, one person survives, puzzle, dark house

2009-11-20T02:05:00.001-08:00

The Panic Room poster shows the main character played by Jodie Foster lying down, whilst a dark character we associate with being someone sinister looms over her standing in a doorway. It gives the impression he is an intruder and unbeknownst to him, Jodies character has realised he is there. This gives a basic impression of the plot fot the entire film.

Technically the poster follows the rule of thirds, the hot spots outline the looming man and come down to Jodies right eye, this draws the viewers eyes to the sinister character and Jodies awarness of him. When first looking at the poster the audience read the name "Jodie Foster" and come down across the poster and then back right to read "Panic Room" this obviously highlights the films to major pulling points, its A-List main actor and the films name, and director. This will appeal particually to fans of Jodie Foster and the director. Also Foster is a well known thriller actor, this tells the audience that if she is in the film it must good.

The colour pallet for the poster is very dull, lots of dark colours including blues and greys place the film in the thriller genre and show the film to be a frightining and dark, another major pulling point. "Panic "Room is in red as opposed to the rest of the writing which is in white, this helps it to stand out. Also red as a colour shows passion and anger. This tells the viewer that the film will also be action packed.

The door the intruder stands in does just that, paints him as an intruder as we symbolise doors as entrances often to private or safe places.
The fact the doorway is wide open also makes the audience uneasy as a wide open doorways give the feeling of unprotection and exposure.

Analysis of Total Film Magazine Cover

2009-11-16T09:43:00.000-08:00

Analysis of Empire Magazine Cover

2009-11-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

Analysis of Misery DVD Cover

2009-11-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

Analysis of Room 1408 DVD Cover

2009-11-16T07:09:00.000-08:00

Analysis of Room 1408 trailer

2009-11-13T02:34:00.000-08:00

The scene opens with a two-shot of a mother and her daughter which immediately indicates a sense of family and relationship as well as suggesting love. The audience quickly learn that the daughter will die soon, however, the father (John Cusack) claims that his daughter will “stay here with us”, his daughter responds by explaining that “everyone dies”. Shot-reverse-shot editing into close-ups between the father and his daughter indicate that she is the most precious thing in his life. To emphasise this, the sounds of piano and string instruments can be heard to connote love as well as and danger and a sense of trouble ahead. The instruments are intentionally played in a minor key to demonstrate sad, lonely and haunting emotions. The music is conventional to the psychological horror genre. The deep voice of a man provides the voice-over for the trailer, this is conventional as it adds to the heightening of the tension. The voice-over moves the plot along as it explains that “after many years of searching, he (Cusack) no longer believes”.

The scene cuts to Cusack searching for evidence of ‘other life forms’ in a dark corridor using a special gamma-ray torch. This is a binary opposition of light and dark as suggested by Levi-Strauss. Cusack uncovers handprints on the walls, this indicates terror. The fact that Cusack has never seen a ghost before is the motive behind his desire to visit various places in order to find evidence of their existence. The use of both Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack in the film is intentional. Black actors are usually installed as authority figures, Jackson wears a suit and tie to demonstrate his power.

The camera cuts to an Extreme Close-Up (ECU) of the key turning in the lock. There is a binary opposition of the dark of the door and the bright white of the light outside as the key turns. This is done intentionally to indicate that he is opening the door and about to ‘enter at his own peril’. Furthermore, the bright white colours are usually associated with heaven. This suggests that Cusack is in real danger of death by staying in Room 1408, as he was warned by Jackson. The sound of the creaking door as it opens emphasises a haunted space. This sound is conventional to the psychological horror genre. A long shot shows Cusack standing in the doorway staring into the darkness. This emphasises that he is very much alone. A pan of the room demonstrates a hegemonic setting, the room is normal, nothing is wrong- or so it seems. This is demonstrated through Cusack stating, “Is this it?” in an arrogant manner. The door is pushed closed and the camera shows the room number, the door creaks shut to again indicate terror and haunting, the screen then fades to black to emphasise loneliness, peril and ultimately death.

The terror begins with the buzzing of the clock. Music is played from it before a close-up of the clock now displaying a countdown timer. Jackson had previously stated that most residents don’t last more than an hour in the room, the timer counts down from the hour mark to show that Cusack’s remaining minutes alive are being clocked. A fade to black further emphasises the peril. Following this, there are quick fades from the action on the screen to black. This is used to demonstrate the quickened pace of Cusack’s heartbeat, he begins to fear the room. Visual effects and Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) are used to make the film more disturbing, for example a negative effect is used on a man swinging a knife at Cusack and also to demonstrate Cusack’s reaction to the attack. The negative effect is used intentionally to connote to the psychological horror genre and to further emphasise the scale of the attack. The room must be feared.

A high-angle shot shows Cusack trying to escape from the room, rather predictably the key will not turn- this is conventional to the psychological horror genre- and he is thus trapped. A close-up of Cusack’s face shows him curled up in fear, hiding from the room. This demonstrates that he now fears the room, it is unconventional for the male character to be the victim in a psychological horror, however, he can also seen as the hero as suggested by Propp’s theory. A male playing the role of the hero is more conventional. Todorov’s theory can also be used when analysing the ‘Room 1408’ trailer. The equilibrium of the narrative is Cusack’s daughter dying and him going on a quest in search of ghosts, the disequilibrium is the panic and confusion inside Room 1408. The resolution of the trailer is that Cusack manages to escape the tortures of the room but he still finds himself face to face with the ghosts of his precious daughter. Shot-reverse-shot editing into a close-up of the father and daughter’s conversation, there is a fade to black in between the cuts to close-ups, this is used to further illustrate peril. The trailer ends with the daughter asking “Daddy, don’t you love me anymore?” An ECU of Cusack shows that ‘monsters’ hands have been placed on his own as he grasps his head in fear. We see another shot in negatives to illustrate fear and confusion- this is conventional for psychological horrors- before a shot of the room door and the number displayed on the outside. There is a binary opposition of the dark colours of the door contrasting with the light, bright, gold colours of the number.

Cusack climbs through the air vent in an attempt to escape, however, he is blocked by a body that he presumes is the dead body of the last resident to have stayed in Room 1408. The body comes to life and Cusack screams in fear as demonstrated with an over-the-shoulder shot. The background music heightens tension as it goes from being slow to fast-paced music very quickly, this may again demonstrate Cusack’s heartbeat. The sound effect of the wind whistling further emphasises terror and the fact that he is alone. Cusack returns to the room which is now covered in snow and ice, he is freezing cold which is demonstrated by a CU of his face showing small icicles hanging from his eyebrows, nose and beard etc. He is speaking to a woman on his computer and asks if she has rang for help, she replies that the police are in Room 1408 but the “room is empty”. This raises suspense and mystery as the audience ask, ‘where is he?’, ‘how does he escape?’ etc. This complies with Barthes enigma theory from the 5 narrative codes. An ECU of Cusack’s head being raised from the floor to a position where he looks straight down the camera- unconventional as he is a male character and should therefore resists the gaze of the camera- demonstrates he is tired, scared and confused as well as being very much alone.

Fast-paced jump cuts then show Cusack facing trouble from all four of the elements. First a portrait of a ship comes to life and freezes Cusack’s room, a wide shot shows him struggling against the fury of the waves. Then as he tries to escape from the room he hangs from the building attempting to ‘shimmy’ along it to safety. However, the powerful gust of the wind outside ensures he is further tormented by the room as it tries to force him off the side of the building. The scene then cuts to Cusack throwing a projectile at the fireplace in anger, but this leads to his room being filled with raging flames. Lastly, after evading the collapse of the concrete structure Cusack stands in the ruins of the broken building staring into the face of the ghost of his daughter. He faces trouble from all the elements to demonstrate the power of the room and that it should not be misunderstood.

A CU shows Cusack move to grasp his head in terror, his expression is one of fear and hatred. The backdrop swirls around Cusack as he clutches his head, this is used to demonstrate his confusion and that he is lost while emphasising that he is alone. Suspense is built as a result. An ECU of Cusack’s eye demonstrates his pupil has dilated; fear dilates the pupil following an adrenaline reaction to the body’s normal ‘fight or flight’ response in a situation. The red lines of the white of his eye balls demonstrate how tired and weary he is and suggest panic. The music stops and everything becomes silent which builds tension. Silence is conventional to the psychological horror genre; it is used as the calm before any significant action. The daughter enters the room, a wide shot shows her wearing white which indicates her purity. Her father wears contrasting clothes to portray him as a stereotypical middle-aged, middle-class man. A light shines on the daughter as she enters; it is the only source of light in the room. This is done intentionally to portray the daughter as angelic and illustrate that she is already dead and her ghost has returned- this is a significant moment in the plot as it the first real ghost that Cusack has seen. A CU shows Cusack screaming, a negative effect is once again used to heighten tension and demonstrate stereotypical horror.

The use of the negative effect is a recurrent theme throughout the narrative. They are used as conventional horror tools and also provide a binary opposition between normality and paranormality, life and death. They are intentionally used at times when Cusack experiences some form of anguish to heighten tension, portray horror and raise suspense for the audience. The Hotel is named ‘The Dolphin’. This is intentional as dolphins have connotations of innocence and purity which contrast heavily to the actions that take place in the room.

2009-09-21T03:40:00.000-07:00

Excellent detail in your analysis Will, you give specific examples from the text and relate these to the theorists that are appropriate. You have a secure grasp of media terminology and clearly understand convention within genres.

2009-09-18T02:29:00.001-07:00

Analysis of ‘Vain and the Brain’

Costume was used to represent each individual social group. For example, because of the school setting, students were dressed in school uniform to create verisimilitude. We wanted to demonstrate the behavior of a stereotypical school student; therefore we filmed students in their natural school environment, this can be verified by one student swearing at the camera, or the popular characters dominating over the geeks etc. The school setting is conventional to the Romantic Comedy genre, this is emphasised by classrooms and halls which are school iconography. Ed Buscombe argues that we must define genre through generic iconography as the film is a visual medium.

The main character is a geek. Therefore, we ensured that he followed the ‘geek’ stereotypes through conventional clothing such as glasses, a shirt and tie/bow-tie, canvas shoes and a comb over hair-style. The second geek had long hair and spots which also connotes to the ‘geek’ stereotype. Conversely, the popular characters wore branded clothing such as jeans and trainers as well as using hair styling products and make-up. They also spoke loudly and used foul language to further convene to the ‘popular’ social group. The representation of the geek was enhanced through the use of props such as the Game boy, iRobot DVD, books, the bag and the handkerchief. Tessa Perkins suggests that stereotypes reinforce places in society. When applied to gender, this can suggest that males are the dominant figures in society and females the subordinate. Concerning ‘Vain and the Brain’, we followed Perkin’s theory to a degree as we ensured that the male character was taller than the female and therefore dominant in some context. However, we wanted Will to comply to the ‘geek’ stereotypes so therefore this made him inferior to Mel in social status and therefore social power.

We wanted to create a link between the two main characters, Will and Mel. Although they contrast heavily in their social status we used the ‘iRobot’ DVD as a signifier as this film represents the sci-fi genre- which has ‘geek’ connotations. Concerning interpretations of the representation, we subverted the gender conventions in our film. A section of our film was produced in accordance with Dyer’s theory about the ‘Role of Stereotypes’ where Dyer explains that certain stereotypes are associated with certain genders. For example, in our film, Will looks at Mel but Mel looks away towards the floor to demonstrate her romantic emotions. This emphasizes the males’ power and dominance over the female character.

Ferdinand De Saussure was a linguist. He explained that signs were a form of communication and can be demonstrated as something that may represent something else. A signifier is something that represents something else; this may be a prop, choice of clothing or piece of music etc. The signified is the meaning of the object and how it represents what is representing. Together, the signifier and signified produce the sign. An example from our film would be the bow-tie or geek glasses worn by Will. Both items of clothing are signifiers as they move the plot forward, they signify ‘geekiness’ and ‘awkwardness’ and convene to the ‘geek’ stereotypes so are therefore signs.

Furthermore, concerning representation, Laura Mulvey argues that women are objectified to the male gaze. Mulvey goes on to explain that women are the object of the camera. In ‘Vain and the Brain’ we wanted to show evidence of Mulvey’s work. In the romantic scene where Will and Mel stand gazing lovingly into one another’s eyes, we tried to make Mel the object of the camera by making her look down the camera while also trying to keep the feeling of awkwardness alive. Conversely, we wanted Will to be less reluctant to look at the camera. This was demonstrated by him constantly looking down at the floor or in different directions; only rarely did he look down the camera. Will’s reluctance to look down the camera also further emphasizes the awkward and romantic feelings he was demonstrating towards Mel.

Claude Levi-Strauss spoke of binary oppositions in media text. For example the plot of a film could feature good vs. evil or life vs. death oppositions for the base of the production. In ‘Vain and the Brain’ we had a geek vs. popular binary opposition. Will, played the geek and was socially inferior to the popular Mel. However, because Will is the male character, he still held some dominance over Mel.

Todorov adopted his own narrative theory of media text. He argues that all media text has a normal setting, followed by a problem and then the resolution of the problem, i.e. equilibrium, disequilibrium and resolution. ‘Vain and the Brain’ featured an equilibrium with the characters living their normal lives i.e. Will talks science with his other geeky friends, blows his nose constantly and gets bullied while Mel hangs out with her popular friends discussing parties and her attire. The disequilibrium was the deviation in social norm when Will knocked the books out of Mel’s hands and they faced one another. Mel begins to argue with Will before he moves towards the books to pick them up. The resolution happens when Will picks up the ‘iRobot’ DVD and stands to stare at Mel. There is a romantic moment which is highlighted with the use of slow-motion editing. The bells rings and this signifies the end of the resolution, everything snaps back into reality.

When relating audience to ‘Vain and the Brain’, we can consider Morley’s theory that people interpret media text differently depending on their social backgrounds. Our film was targeted at 16/17 year-old teenagers to 24/25 year-old adults. Therefore, an adult of a later age may not be as interested in the film as someone in our target audience. Furthermore, the female audience may find the film more interesting than a male, as the genre of romantic-comedy usually applies more to women than men. Also, the various social demographic groups of a conventional school i.e. geeks, those that are socially accepted, sports stars etc may take different views on the plot of the film. Someone in a higher respected and more professional job may not enjoy the film as someone in a less professional occupation as it does not fit with their social standing. The background of an individual will influence their choice of film and how much they enjoy a particular genre. Therefore, not all genres will be enjoyed by all.

Blog1

2009-06-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

John,

As a group (Paul, Josh, Ross and myself) we have not yet chosen a film genre that we wish to progress with. However, initial ideas have included genre's such as RomCom, Thriller or Horror etc. Moreover, without actually chosen a genre to base our film on, we may struggle to analyse a film of the same genre to aid us in our coursework. Therefore, what I have chosen to do is analyse a film in the RomCom genre as this is the genre we pursued last year and also the direction that I feel we should take this year. The film I have chosen is 'Love Actually.'

The film generally follows the conventions of the RomCom genre, especially concerning gender. Much of the camera framework is used to demonstrate male superiority and female inferiority, shots such as two-shots, close-ups and long-shots, accompanied with high or low angles and editing techniques such as shot-reverse-shot etc emphasise this point. An example may be where Hugh Grant, playing the Prime Minister is higher in the frame than his female secretary. This not only demonstrates a superior position through gender but also through power and social status.

Concerning the narrrative, 'Love Actually' is unique as it does not follow the conventions of most RomCom films. 'Love Actually' uses multi-narratives to tell the story and introduce all the characters, non-continuity editing is used to allow the story to flow. However, in reference to Media theorist Todorov, all narratives have a conventional equilibirum-disequilibrium-resolution storyline and most if not all of the separate narratives have a happy ending- again conventional to the RomCom genre. Furthermore, Syd Field- a second Media theorist- agreed with the work of Todorov in part as he also explained that all storylines follow a beginning, middle and end structure similar to that suggested by Todorov.

By looking in more detail at one individual storyline, Hugh Grant plays the role of Prime Minister while his secretary is the attractive female Martine McCutcheon. Grant plays the lonely power-stricken character who in theory has everything he needs, e.g. power, success and money (this is the equilibrium). However, it soon becomes clear that Grant requires love to solve his problems (this is the disequilibrium). Grant finds solace through an unlikely source, his female secretary who is an average citizen and certainly not someone who the press would look lovingly upon if Grant was to take the relationship further becuase of his high political and celebrity position (the disequilibrium is continued). However, Grant ignores the opinions of others and proceeds to follow his heart and build a romantic relationship with his secretary therefore making him completely happy as he has finally found the missing piece- love (this is the resolution). The mini narrative has a 'happy-ending', this is conventional of the RomCom genre.

Lastly, stereotypical features such as sex, nudity and the traditional kiss can also be highlighted as they are conventional to the RomCom genre.

Will Piper