Research and planning powerpoint

Research and PlanningAS Media Studies

Ashleigh Groom

Textual Analysis of Similar Texts

Researching Intertexts

1.‘Shrooms’ – 2007

• Horror Genre• Directed by Paddy

Breathnach• Distributed by Vertigo Films

(UK)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHhwiT6eedc

‘Shrooms’ – Audio Codes

Diegetic Sound: screaming, panting, gasping, crying, heavy breathing connotes terror

and fear, being scared and is a typical convention of sound for a horror movie

“its coming” sets up an enigma code, what it is? Entices the audience and adds an element of fear

Characters are often heard whispering, connotes fear and is typical of the horror genre

Scary story being told, Iconic of group of friends camping, creates a creepy atmosphere

Non Diegetic Sound: Trailer starts with subtle, gentle soundtrack connoting an equilibrium,

everything if fine. Becomes tense when scene moves to woods, builds up throughout the film becoming quicker and heavier towards end this connotes suspense, fear, terror, running away and makes the audience more tense and keeps them on the edge of their seat, keeps their attention.

‘Shrooms’ – Visual Codes

Setting in an empty woods connotes lonely, dark, unknown Dress codes- casual, everyday connotes that these are normal

people, makes them more relatable and makes the film appear more realistic.

Dark/natural lighting makes the scene more creepy so inflicts fear into the audience.

Cut leg with blood/bone, blood splattered on car wind screen iconic of horror film connotes violence and torture Props – axe – connotes murder, terror, torture, violence which are

all typical conventions of a horror film Skull appears over female characters face, connotes death,

makes the audience wonder, will she die? And therefore entices them and will make them want to watch the film to find out

Blood is seen a lot throughout, this connotes danger, torture, violence, injury

‘Shrooms’ – Action Codes

Characters take drugs and experience hallucinations- audience doesn’t know what's real, they have to think about it, engaging

Characters running through woods, typical convention of horror film, connotes fear and terror.

Scary story told around campfire, typical of the genre, done to scare the audience.

‘Shrooms’ – Technical Codes Close up of characters faces through out, particularly blonde femalecharacters (implies she is the main character) done to show fear in theirfaces as a reaction to what’s happening, makes the audience connect more to the characters and feel their fear. Birds eye view camera shot of characters walking through woods, sets

the scene, connotes being alone, abandoned Long shot of camp to set the scene, typical setting, camp in woods Close ups on characters faces when story is being told to show character

reactions, makes the audience feel the same emotions e.g. scared, fear, anticipation

Close up on broken leg, blood/injury is iconic of horror film, gore, meets audiences expectations

Long shots of running through woods connotes fear and danger Simple editing – cut/fade with white/black effect Text speaking directly to audience telling scary story, typography of text

is white, thin font connoting bare, creepy. The word ,legend, is used, makes the audience wonder is it true or not? Which then entices them, a typical convention of this genre

‘Shrooms’ title at end, font connotes creepy, strange

Camera movement, camera tracks characters as they run, makes the audience feel like they are running with them

180 degree rule editing when telling story creates continuity Cut away- close up of vines on hands and car and then cuts back

to characters reactions, hallucinations

‘Shrooms’ – Technical Codes

‘Shrooms’ – Narrative Codes The narrative of the text follows a group of friends who camp out in a

woods. They take drugs, shrooms and experience hallucinations. Some one/thing appears to be attacking them but it is not known what, the audience don’t know what its real and what isn’t. This creates an enigma around the text and will make the audience want to see the film to find out.

Binary oppositions (Levi-Strauss)- There are binary opposition between good and bad which is very conventional of the horror genre and also between reality/imaginary which isn’t used as often in this genre

Narrative Theory (Todorov)- The trailer follows Tvzetan Todorovs narrative theory by beginning at an equilibrium (the start of the trailer, everything is fine) then a disruption occurs (take the shrooms and experience hallucinations) and the realisation of the disruption (people begin to get attacked/murdered). The attempt to repair the disruption and the return to equilibrium are not shown so this makes the audience want to go and see the film to find out what happens.

‘Shrooms’ – Narrative Codes Character Theory (Propp) – It is not made clear who all of the

characters of Vladimir Propps theory are in the trailer which gives the audience a reason to see the film, however the ‘villain’ is clearly shown to be the shrooms. This challenges audiences expectations because the villain in a horror film is usually a human.

2.‘Eden Lake’ - 2008• Horror Genre• Directed by James Watkins• Distributed by Rollercoaster

Films (UK)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYxE1XWrLtc

2.‘Eden Lake’ – Audio CodesDiegetic Sound: Rustling in forest, connotes that someone is there, someone is

watching Screaming and crying from victims connotes fear, torture and

danger, typical of this genre dog barking connotes danger and aggression Shouting from both victims and attackers connotes fear, danger,

violence and aggressionAll of these diegetic sounds meet the audiences expectationsNon Diegetic Sound: Soundtrack at start is simple and connotes romance,

peacefulness. Interrupted by hip hop soundtrack, connotes disruption and youths. After this the soundtrack becomes tense and heavy and builds up suspense as the trailer goes on, this is to make the audience feel tense as they watch adding an element of fear, which is what and audience expect from a horror movie.

2.‘Eden Lake’- Visual Codes Characters dress codes (victims) are normal and conventional of everyday people, this is very typical of the horror genre. The man is wearing a blue shirt and trousers and the women is wearing a pink dress, these are very conventional outfits for each gender and very ‘normal’. At the start of the trailer the two main characters dress codes are clean and become very dirty and bloody as it progresses. This meets the audiences expectations. The characters that are the attackers are dressed very casually, wearing casual,

baggy trousers and t shirts/jumpers, this connotes youth. They maintain quite clean throughout, implying that they are in control, which is what the audience expects from the ‘bad guys’.

The setting is by a beach in woods, its derelict, quiet, no one else there (apart from the protagonists) which meets the audiences expectations and is a conventional setting for a horror film.

The colours red and brown are seen al lot, these connote dirt and blood and are often seen on the victims showing they are in danger

At the start the two victims gesture codes show them hugging and kissing, an example of this is when they are in the lake, this connotes that they are very comfortable, relaxed and loving. This changes throughout the trailer as they becoming very quick and rushed, there is also a lot of running, this connotes that they are in fear and danger.

A knife and blade are seen which connote danger, torture and pain, this meets audiences expectations.

Fire is seen in the background, this connotes danger Bright lighting used at start to connote that the scene is at an

equilibrium and dark lighting used after disruption occurs to connote danger.

2.‘Eden Lake’- Visual Codes

2.‘Eden Lake’ – Action codes Characters are shown running frequently

throughout the trailer which connotes fear, being chased, danger

The car, being driven by the youths, nearly runs over the couple who dive out of the way. This is connotes violence, danger and being out of control.

The main villain ‘Brett’ attempts to stab the man and torture him. These are conventional action codes for a horror film.

2.‘Eden Lake’- Technical codes Editing – simple fade/cut, editing gets quicker towards the end to build

suspense Hand held camera used at start, connotes being filmed for a home video and

makes the audience feel like they are actually there and makes it more personal. This is a conventional technical code for the horror genre.

Point of view camera angle through the bushes to a longshot of the couple at the camp fire, connotes that someone is watching, danger Close ups on characters faces throughout the trailer, used to show the

audience the characters reactions and emotions usually connoting fear or anger. This helps the audience to connect more and also inflicts emotions onto the audience, this is very conventional of horror movie trailers.

Cut away to close ups of the knife and the dog, this connotes danger and violence.

When male character is badly injured there is a high angle shot of the women and a low angle shot of the man, this connotes to the audience that the women is now in control, he is relying on her.

180 degree rule is used between characters confrontations to create continuity The typography of ‘Eden Lake’ at the end is white, has a stencil font and it

patchy, this connotes a danger/warning signal.

2.‘Eden Lake’- Narrative Codes The narrative of the text follows a couple who go on a romantic break to Eden

Lake. While there they are terrorised and tortured by a group of teenagers. This both meets and challenges audiences expectations as while torture and violence is conventional of a horror movie, the fact that the villains are younger than the victims is unconventional. This relates to the current (especially at the time of release) moral panic of youths being violent and out of control. It is very typical of horror films to reflect a moral panic.

Binary oppositions (Levi-Strauss)- There are binary opposition between good and bad shown through the action codes of the characters and also between light and dark. The events of the trailer reflect the second binary opposition, at the start when everything was fine there was bright lighting and when the disruption occurred the lighting was very dark.

Narrative Theory (Todorov)- The trailer follows Tvzetan Todorovs narrative theory by beginning at an equilibrium (the start of the trailer, everything is fine) then a disruption occurs (youths some along) and the realisation of the disruption (steal car, pull out knife), the attempt to repair the disruption (victims are shown to try and fight back) but the reinstatement of the equilibrium is not shown as this makes the audience want to watch the film to find out if in fact the equilibrium is restored.

2.‘Eden Lake’- Narrative Codes Character Theory (Propp) – When applying Vladimir Propps

character theory, the villain Is clearly shown to be the youths, particularly ‘Brett’. The hero appears to be the woman from the couple and the man the princess. This challenges the audiences expectations as the hero is normally a man and the princess a woman. No other characters are really shown in the trailer apart from the villains, hero and princess which is conventional of the genre.

3.’The Strangers’- 2008• Horror Genre• Directed by Bryan Bertino• Distributed by Rogue

Pictures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCU0k_jbCUo

3.’The Strangers’-Audio CodesDiegetic Sound: Creaking of swing, creepy, connotes that someone is out there, don’t know

who’s swinging on it so sets up and enigma code and is scary for the audience.

Banging, loud, someone is there, makes the audience scared, who is it? Whispering connotes being scared, hiding, fear Screaming connotes being scared, pain, fear Record player, not necessarily conventional of horror film, jamming of record

player builds up suspense and gets faster as the trailer building up suspense more and more. This directly effects the audience and makes them feel tense and is very conventional of this genre.

The victims asks “why are you doing this to us” and the villain replies “because you were home” – this adds an element of fear because its connoting unprovoked violence, could happen to anyone for no reason

Non Diegetic Sound: Piano soundtrack at the start, simple, connotes romance and love. Soundtrack becomes heavier and faster, building up suspense. Moments of silence, connotes being alone, danger, makes the audience feel

fear

3.’The Strangers’- Visual Codes Characters dress codes (victims) are normal. The man is wearing a suit

which connotes romance and a wedding. The women starts in a silk dress which connotes romance and then changes into everyday clothing which just connotes being a normal, everyday person. This is conventional as the victims are usually shown as everyday people in horror genres and romance is usually a subtle theme that occurs in horror films.

The characters that are the attackers are dressed in everyday clothes, but with masks on. This connotes mystery and makes the audience scared as they don’t know who the attackers are, this meets the audiences expectations as hidden identity and masks are very conventional of horror films.

The setting is in a large house in the middle of no where by some woods, this is a conventional setting for a horror film trailer as it connotes being alone and helpless.

At the start the two victims gesture codes show them hugging and kissing, connoting

romance, love and being comfortable in their surrounding as well as having privacy. This changes throughout the trailer as their gesture codes then connotes that they are in fear and danger by hiding, running, heavily breathing etc.

3.’The Strangers’- Visual Codes An axe and gun is used as a prop, this meets audiences

expectations of the horror genre and connotes violence, murder, threat and anger.

Roses and wine is shown at the start of the scene which connotes love and romance, this is not conventional of a horror film and shows that everything is at an equilibrium at the start

Dark lighting is used throughout the trailer with the light appearing to come from natural sources, this creates a lot of shadows and connotes mystery and hidden information. Shadows are iconic of horror films.

Villains in masks are often shown in the background lurking in the shadows, this is conventional of horror genres and makes the audience actively involved in the film because they are wanting the character to turn around and see.

There is a medium shot of blood splattered on a wall, connotes murder, violence, death and is conventional of horror.

3.’The Strangers’- Technical Codes

Editing – fades are used at first but develops into cuts which get faster as the trailer goes one, this builds suspense and make the audience feel the suspense.

Establishing long shot of house at start, sets the scene so the audience know where its taken place. Also connotes that the house is being watched.

Point of view shot from main characters, shows the audience what the characters can see and therefore connects the audience with the characters

Long shot of woman standing in the kitchen in the foreground with masked mam stood in the background lurking in the shadows, tells the audience she is in danger, audience want her to look round therefore making them more involved, shadows connote mystery, a dark side.

Close up of phone in the fire, connotes abandonment, helplessness, alone, cut off

Near the end there is a long shot of a young masked girl stepping out from the shadows. This connotes mystery and is done to scare the audience. Goes against the audiences expectations by one of the villain being so young.

A hand held camera is sometimes used, this connotes chaos and makes the audience feel like they are there in the scene.

3.’The Strangers’- Technical Codes

Close up of her hand locking the door, connotes she is scared, doesn’t feel safe, danger.

At the end there is a close up of the masked villains face with a blurred effect, this connotes fear and mystery and sets up and enigma code, who are they?

Simple white font is used which is conventional of a horror film and has shadows going over it, connoting mystery and evil. The text says “inspired by true events”. This inflicts fear into the audience which is what they expect from a horror film and will therefore want to see the film.

3.’The Strangers’-Narrative Codes

The narrative of the text follows a couple staying over for the night in a large house in the middle on nowhere who then get terrorised by a group of people who are hidden in masks with unknown identities.

Binary oppositions (Levi-Strauss)- There are binary opposition between good and bad shown through the dress codes, the ‘bad’ guys wear masks and the ‘good’ characters don’t.

Narrative Theory (Todorov)- The trailer follows Tvzetan Todorovs narrative theory by beginning at an equilibrium (the start of the trailer, everything is fine) then a disruption occurs (banging on the door) and the realisation of the disruption (burnt phone, writing on window, axe through door), the attempt to repair the disruption is only slightly shown (man with gun) but the end result, the reinstatement of the equilibrium, is not shown as this makes the audience want to watch the film to find out if in fact the equilibrium is restored.

3.’The Strangers’-Narrative Codes

Character Theory (Propp) – When applying Vladimir Propps character theory, the villain Is clearly shown to be the masked people. It is unclear who the other two characters are, and isn’t shown if one of them is a hero or princess so therefore could challenge this theory. This is quite conventional of some horror films as there isn’t always a hero, just victims.

4. ‘Saw’ - 2004 • Horror Genre• Directed by James Wan• Distributed by Lions Gate

Entertainment (UK)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1lgXhFbXy4

4. ‘Saw’- Audio Codes

Diegetic Sound: Yelling and screaming from victims connotes pain, panic and

suffering, typical of horror genreNon Diegetic Sound: Voice over talking about killing – enigma code, who is it? Get the

audience actively thinking about the text “let the games begin” used as a catchphrase, audience becomes

familiar with it Voice over of victims ‘he wants us to saw through out feet’

connotes blood, gore, torture. Different concept from other horror films as they have to inflict the pain upon themselves so draws audiences attention

Soundtrack is heavy and suspenseful, sounds mechanical and builds up throughout the trailer making the audience suspenseful, very conventional of this genre

4. ‘Saw’- Visual Codes

There is a medium long shot of a figure with dark, hooded, cloaked dress codes. This connotes dark, evil, mysterious and death (grim reaper) and makes the audience wonder who this person is

The characters that are victims are casually dressed implying that they are just normal people. This is a typical convention of the horror genre.

The settings vary but all are dirty and abandoned. Newspaper articles are shown about murders, tells the audience what’s

happening, connotes that this had been going on a while, more than one victim, serial killer

Medium point of view show of a saw on the floor as voice over says about swing through their foot. Put the audience in the body of the victim, makes it personal, makes the audience feel the victims fear.

Close ups of victims showing their fear and pain, audience feels their emotions, typical of horror genre.

Blood stains connote danger, violence, pain, murder, torture. A bore is shown, mysterious connotations, sets up an enigma code, what is the

relevance of this? Makes the audience want to find out

4. ‘Saw’- Technical Codes Editing – cuts, get faster at the end, builds suspense Video camera effect at start, connoted being watched, stalked,

recorded

Medium shots of victims in lethal contraptions to show the audience the way in which they could die to meet audiences expectations of a horror film

High angle shot of man hitting something with a slab, from point of view of victim, makes the audience feel the fear of the victim, makes him appear more violent and dangerous.

Cracking, fuzzing effect used like an old TV, connotes technology/mechanical like a video game

Text is white with a green tint and a glow. Simple font. Conventional of horror genre and connotes a video game.

4. ‘Saw’- Narrative Codes The narrative of the text follows a man who doesn’t kill his

victims, he finds ways for them to kill themselves in a number or torturous, gruesome ways.

Narrative Theory (Todorov)- The trailer doesn’t particularly

follows Tvzetan Todorovs narrative theory as there isn’t a clear structure to the narrative. No equilibrium is seen at the beginning which is quite unconventional of a horror movie trailer.

Character Theory (Propp) – This text challenges Vladimir Propps theory by not showing a character for each clear role suggested in the theory. The is a lot of mystery surrounding what character plays which role which can be quite conventional of a movie trailer of the horror genre.