A Level Media Studies | Press Kit for a Horror Film
This project is a non-related art project. This is my Media Studies coursework from A2. I have included this to show my ability to write and using photoshop as this software was hugely used to achieve the desired effect. Here I have my DVD Cover, Article in a Magazine, Posters and my Research and Evaluation.
The Production brief
‘An investigation into genre conventions in supernatural and horror films’
My aim of my A2 production is to inform, persuade, and entertain my target audience on the world of supernatural horror. The research title for my production I have carefully selected is ‘An investigation into genre conventions in supernatural and horror films’. The production I am planning and proposed to do is a DVD presskit on the sub-genre supernatural horror. This includes films posters, film DVD covers and a film review for a magazine such as Empire.
The target audience I am reaching out to for my production is a niche market of 15 to 25 year old, both female and men whose culture would be all about belief in the unknown.
An important part of my production that is necessary for my evaluation is my audience research. The methodology I plan to use for feedback is online surveys, paper questionnaires and focus groups. I will make sure my results are not bias. This is because I will survey my age range and all three types of sampling: stratified sampling, quota sampling and random sampling techniques.
From existing production nothing really inspired me, what inspired me was from A2 work I have been shown, I have not noticed many DVD presskits but I also have noticed that there isn’t any supernatural horror subgenre production. Most genres I have noticed is social realism and fantasy. This gives me the chance to experiment with media due to how unique this sub-genre is.
My A2 production is a different production layout to my AS media because even though both productions are print- based texts, my AS production was a magazine based on the genre of holidays and tourism. My A2 Is planned to be a DVD presskit which is exploring the film industry and the sub-genre supernatural horror.
My production will be inclusive and superstition ideologies and aims to represent minor ethics from a far. I hope my production will entertain my target audience and will have a professional finish that is worthy of a place in the world of media. Furthermore, for my individual investigation of the sub-genre supernatural horror, I intend to focus my studies on the concept of genre. This is because I believe with this concept, I will have lots to say about it and will help me achieve a high grade, not just because of its uniqueness.
An investigation into genre conventions in supernatural and horror films
Genre is a “type or kind “of art, music, or literature which has common thematic and iconographic features (NEALE, S 2000:9). An example of this is horror, western and science fiction. For my research, I’m focusing on a sub-genre of horror. After researching this genre, I found that “The roots of filmed horror were an extension of a genre of literature that got started in the late 1700s: Gothic Horror” (FilmmakerIQ.com 2015). This was the main inspiration for filmed horror which the term ‘horror’ was first used in the 1930s. As part of my pre- production, I’ve carried out an analysis of two professional DVD covers of a similar genre to identify the codes and conventions used. I’ve chosen to examine “Insidious” and “Sinister”.
First of all, the title of ‘Insidious’ conveys typical connotations of horror such as, when a key element to the narrative is harmed without notice, which anchors the genre. Moreover, the mise-en-scene of white has connotations of innocence and purity which could symbolise that the boy was innocent before he was possessed (Empowered by Color 2015). This relates to Levi Strauss’ theory on binary oppositions. Binary oppositions creates meaning, “we cannot conceive of ‘good’ if we do not understand ‘evil’, same goes for ‘black’ and ‘white” (LACEY, N 2000:65). My focus group agrees this is a common convention commenting “It’s a well-used opposition so due to the fact that it simply is so well used and known, I believe it could be one of the defining parts of differentiating the supernatural horror sub-genre from any other genre.” But some didn’t believe it defined the genre. Two letters ‘SI’ are red which has connotations of blood, danger, tension and power which reinforces the genre (Empowered by Color 2015). This creates enigma as the audience doesn’t know why this is, therefore is a narrative code.
Roland Barthes suggests there are 5 codes that describe a meaning of a text. Enigma and symbolic codes are more define in horror because of the iconography (WJEC AS Media Studies 2012:19). These will be key codes that will influence me in my production. The tagline ‘it’s not the house that’s haunted’ makes it clear to the audience that this is a horror film. On the other hand, Sinister’s tagline “once you see him, nothing can save you” is ironic, because the blood on the wall reinforces the genre and has formed an image which the audience assumes is the ‘him’. This creates catharsis. Also the title ‘Sinister’ is dried blood that has been smudged. This symbolises that something has died which has been dead for some time and stands out against the white/grey walls that symbolises innocence and evil.
Sub- genre is ‘a category that is a subdivision of a larger genre’ (Collins English Dictionary 2015). Supernatural horror is indicated by someone who is haunted. Sub-genres and hybrids were introduced to attract the target audience after the genre started to decline. Some subgenres were: Monster Horror (1930s), supernatural horror (1950s), psychological horror (1960s), gore horror (1930s), slasher horror (1960s), and zombie (1930s) (New World Encyclopedia 2015). This was a key feature of changing sub-genres to appeal to audiences. Both Insidious and Sinister have been influenced by these sub genres.
‘So scary I was whimpering in sheer terror’. This expert criticism on the ‘Insidious’ cover anchors and gives the audience a sense of what to expect while watching the film. The audience will have an idea of how they will react because the genre creates catharsis (dictionary.com 2015). Horror films are designed to frighten, panic, cause dread, alarm, and highlight our worst hidden fears. My focus group also agreed saying “it makes me scared and jumpy all the time”. In 1898 to 1914, Max Maurey (Grand Guignol History, 2015) turned the Grand Guignol Theatre in Paris into a house of horror. Maurey measured the success of a play by the number of people who fainted during its performance. To attract publicity, he hired a house doctor to treat the most fainthearted. All the plays shown involved dead bodies, children being strangled and hallucinations. This shocked audiences as this was not heard of or seen before but now in the 21st century it’s what we expect to see. According to my focus group they said “Something with comedic elements to lighten the mood, or something new and different would make me more likely to watch them. And something looks like it has a good storyline and plot, I’ll give it a go.”
Panofsky (1982) argues that the genre of a text is defined through its iconography. The background and iconography of the Insidious DVD cover has dark blue, and blue-grey tones. These colours have connotations of mysterious conventions which anchors the supernatural genre (Empowered by Color 2015). Likewise, the back cover of Sinister also has dark tones which is a common iconographic feature. The colour blue-grey comes from the Latin name lividus meaning “a dull leaden – blue colour and also used to describe the colour contused flesh” (Wikipedia 2015). This means bruised which symbolises injury of some kind and relates to Barthes Codes (WJEC AS Media Studies 2012:19). The bluey, black filter highlights the horror genre because of its additional meaning. The sky on the insidious cover has connotations of a storm approaching which could symbolises that storms are approaching their lives, which anchors the image. In addition, the mise-en-scene and iconography is a stereotypical American house which has connotations of a disturbing atmosphere as the house is positioned in a symmetric pattern. The iconography of an eerie abandoned house helps the audience identity the genre. This type of setting is what my focus group said to be common. “The key setting I think of would be a house- probably new to the main characters so either a house they just moved into or a haunted house in the neighbourhood etc.” they also said graveyards and dark scenes. Nevertheless, the wall edges on ‘sinister’ have darker tones but are more opaque in the direction she is travelling. This could symbolise how an innocent girl is turning evil and leaving her old life for cold blood. Moreover, the background has cracks in it; personally, I think this could connote the psychological mind of the missing child state decaying.
Children are often the focus of horror, which are often innocent but are threatened by dark forces. My focus group agrees commenting ‘The use of children either as a victim or as the fear-inducing element makes the films scarier, probably due to human nature and a desire to protect the children involved’. This is a common convention of horror as children are used as a prop to show fear. On the Insidious cover, the boy’s dress code of pyjamas is a common convention but also an insight into the film as he ‘travels’ in his sleep. The use of pyjamas and a young child is unsettling and anchors the genre. Like Insidious a child is used in “sinister” but instead a girl in pyjamas which is more common. McArthur (STAFFORD, T 2011:114) emphasises the importance of mise-en-scene in defining genre including the ‘dress of the actors, the characters they play, the mannerisms, dress code and attitudes of surrounding characters’. This relates to Barthes Codes (WJEC AS Media Studies 2012:19). This dress code has become to be known as a key iconographic feature of horror. Moreover, his left eye is possessed but his right eye is normal, this has connotations of a split personality of innocence and evil - binary opposition. Also, this could suggest that he has the power of his family. This is enhanced more as he is staring directly at the audience which draws them in.
The lightening is also as important to define this genre. On the Sinister cover the male character’s code of dress is interesting as he is wearing everyday clothing. This suggests he is not the person who will cause harm. However, his facial expression connotes a mystery which creates enigma. This is further enhanced by the chiaroscuro lighting. Films like Insidious and Sinister use natural and studio lights to create shadows, but in the late 1920s, films were made using German expression (FilmmakerIQ.com 2015).In 1918, Germany couldn’t compete with Hollywood so developed their own style using symbolism (German Expression). Back then, “electricity was still scarce and German industries were allotted power on a quota basis. UFA had used up almost all their quota that year so the filmmakers decided to paint the shadows on the set rather than try to create them naturally with electric light” (FilmmakerIQ.com 2015). This is a key element of how horror is defined today. My focus group commented “Lighting is vastly important in filmmaking and the use of a lot of shading and shadows of a set is a common aspect to the sub-genre and has been for many years.”
Buscome (1970: published in his book in 2003) said ‘many film directors and producers of media texts play on audience expectations. They give the audience what they want and expect to see, thus reinforcing genre conventions. The audience of Insidious and Sinister are likely to understand the genre; the iconography of the blood on the Sinister cover and the use of a child on Insidious one is what the audience expects. However, my focus group believes ‘jump-scares’ are the most common. “Jump-scares are a big convention and the use of children as the fear-inducing element is quite common.” Also, the mark of quality says ‘From the makers of Paranormal Activity and Saw ‘which connotes the film cycle of other successful similar genres and shows that this film is quality. The first film cycle of horror was mainly created by universal. Most of these first few films were based on horror literature books such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and The invisible Man. These films appeared to have high production valves but were made cheap by German Expression and making sequels (Wikipedia 2015). As (NEALE, S 1980:48 in faculty Washington article) said ‘pleasure is derived from repetition and difference’. The films are original however, sequels after sequels loses its originality and the genre declines. Barry Keith Grant (2012: xvii) said ‘genre movies are those commercial feature films which tell familiar stories with familiar characters in familiar situations’. Paranormal Activity, Saw and Insidious all have similar narratives with familiar characters that are mainly children, in similar situations which most are possessed in some way. As the audience already have an idea of what to expect, the producers don’t have to explain the conventions. This is Fowler’s theory (Genre theory quotes, 2013). He argued that ‘one advantage of genres is that they can rely on the audience already having knowledge and expectations about the works within a genre.’ As the other films have been successful, the audience knows what to expect and therefore are likely to understand the genre.
In addition, the mise-en-scene and iconography of a broken DVD on the Sinister cover anchors the narrative of the film and its genre. This is because the narrative focuses on film tapes that are a recurring motif. The genre is anchored because the fact it’s broken, connotes how the little girl is broken mentally. It would be interesting to consider McArthur’s perspective (STAFFORD, T 2011:114). Without this DVD tape, the audience would still be able to identify the genre of the film, but not the narrative. Moreover, the smaller images and iconography of the creepy girl and creatures on both covers anchors the supernatural conventions as these are common thematic features in this genre. Moreover, the image of the family cuddling has connotations of realism and shows a loving family. This subverts the conventions as normally families are broken apart. My focus group agrees with this convention; ‘I suppose it gives a more lifelike and realistic indication of the horror genre, showing that bad things can happen to everyone, even normal people with normal lives’. Another small image is of a woman whom cleavage is clearly defined. It could consider this image with the theorist Laura Mulvey (2015 Representation of women in media today). She said that ‘women are continually objectified using camera angles and movement to encourage male gaze’. However, her theory has been criticized because she hasn’t considered the female gaze.
Bibliography
Non electronic primary and individual research:
< >NEALE, S. (2000) Genre and Hollywood, London: Routledge.LACEY, N. (2000) Narrative and genre, Basingstoke: Macmillan.BELL, C. AND CONNELL, B. H. (2012)WJEC AS Media Studies, Cheltenham: Illuminate.PANOFSKY, E, (1982) Meaning in the visual arts, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.STAFFORD, T, (2011) Teaching visual literacy in the primary classroom, London: Routledge. BUSCOMBE, E. (2003) Cinema today, London: Phaidon.GRANT, B. K, (2012) Film genre reader IV Austin: University of Texas Press.FILMMAKERIQ.COM A Brief History of Horror | FilmmakerIQ.com 2015 http://filmmakeriq.com/lessons/a-brief-history-of-horror/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2015].EMPOWERED BY COLOR The Color White| Empowered By Color, 2015 http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-white.html [Accessed 9 Oct. 2015].EMPOWERED BY COLOR The Color Red | Empowered By Color, 2015 http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-red.html [Accessed 8 Oct. 2015].COLLINSDICTIONARY.COM Definition of “subgenre” | Collins English Dictionary 2015 http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/subgenre [Accessed 2 Dec. 2015].NEWWORLDENCYCLOPEDIA.ORG Horror Film - New World Encyclopedia, 2015 http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Horror_Film [Accessed 2 Dec. 2015].EMPOWERED BY COLOR The Color Blue, 2015 http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-blue.html [Accessed 2 Dec. 2015].WIKIPEDIA Blue-gray, 2015 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-gray [Accessed 2 Dec. 2015].DICTIONARY.COM The definition of catharsis, 2015 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/catharsis [Accessed 22 September 2015]GRANDGUIGNOL.COM Grand Guignol History, 2015 http://www.grandguignol.com/history.htm [Accessed 3 Dec 2015]WIKIPEDIA, 2015 Universal Monsters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Monsters [Accessed 15 Nov 2015]FACULTY WASHINGTON An introduction to genre theory, 2012 http://faculty.washington.edu/farkas/HCDE510-Fall2012/Chandler_genre_theoryDFAnn.pdf [Accessed 3 Dec. 2015].SULLIVAN, E. Genre theory quotes, 2013 http://www.slideshare.net/ellesullivan310/genre-theory-quotes [Accessed 14 October 2015]IB, A. AND STUDIES, M, 2015 Representation of women in media today https://getrevising.co.uk/diagrams/representat_ion_of_women_in_the_media [Accessed 12 Nov 2015]
From the producers of Chillier and Werewolf Attack, Disjointed is the shocking story of a family orientated village who, become memories of the past. When puppet master, Clive Hopkins moves to Whitwell in summer 2015 everything seemed fine, until only 3 people are left. 20 year old Seth Jones unveils the truth of the mannequin in suspect and uncovers the truth about Hopkins actions. As the village comes emptier, time is running out to save it. Will he be able to stop Hopkins and the mannequin before his time is up?
Evaluation:
My production for ‘Disjointed’ informs my target audience of what to expect because of typical horror genre conventions. An example of this is one worded film titles which gives a dramatic effect with threatening connotations and the colour red which typically anchors mortality. These elements are visible in my professional production as well as my own. Throughout my production just like ‘Insidious’, I have used the house style of the colour red on one letter which I learnt was a key element in my research defining the genre by Panofsky. This was influenced by the poster which has an underlying message with the intentions of creating enigma. This refers back to Barthes codes that talked about. He says they’re 5 codes that describe the meaning of a text. Enigma and symbolic codes are more define in horror because of the iconography. Also for the supernatural genre the colour blue-grey is a common convention to anchor the sub-genre. I subverted this only using the iconic black, white and red colours, aiming for a mass audience.
As well as colour, audience expectations of the setting are also a common convention of horror. Both my professional production takes two different routes on mise en scene. Sinister’s effect is achieved by using natural colours which is distorted by the electric red and insidious is a stereotypical house. I have decided on the iconic graveyard setting after listening to my focus group who said ‘setting is key element in horror such as haunted houses and graveyards’. On the other hand, I have also challenged audience expectations of this genre. Stereotypically children are used in horror films as a fear-inducing element. I challenged my focus group expectation of ‘The use of children either as a victim or as the fear-inducing element makes the films scarier, probably due to human nature and a desire to protect the children involved’. Instead I used teenagers to make my production stand out against the professional ones which mostly use children.
A Strength of my production according to my focus group is my photography. The influence of my main photography on my DVD cover, Poster and my article was on a Yu-Gi-oh card called mind control which is a spell card. A common convention I learnt from my research and included in my production is that it’s supposed to ‘frighten, panic, cause dread, alarm, and highlight our worst hidden fears’ which this genre is designed to do. With my choice of composition and theme, I do believe I have met some audience expectations. Moreover, this leads to my next strength of composition and layout. From my research both of my professional productions have a theme of symmetry such as the cracks in the walls on ‘Sinister’ and the setting from ‘Insidious’. I have taken this idea of symmetry and applied it to my own production using a composition of ‘three’. This was influenced by the artist Ralph Goings who creates still life, super realist paintings mostly in a composition of three. He uses the composition of 3 as a base to his selection of photos he takes. He said in an interview that ‘I just respond to things I see and go with that without trying to analyse why I like them.’ I have used 2 hands and the character’s appearance as my composition.
However, I did face some challenges during my production. One of these challenges was the editing of my production. I used Photoshop to add the threshold effect which is a common convention that I learnt in my research. Both ‘Sinister’ and ‘Insidious’ have high production values as they both use a lot of CGI to make the film look believable. I toke the advice of my focus group using high editing techniques like both of my professional production, but I made my production cheaper using German expression which has intentions of creating enigma using shadows. After many editing techniques, I constructed a poster that helps the viewer decode the text as they already have an idea of what to expect from previous films.
Also with the editing, I wanted to reinforce some conventions of horror. After struggling to position my title on my DVD cover I eventually it placed under the puppets arms. The ‘o’ in ‘disjointed’ is a skull/ face which covers the convention in my research of when a key element to the narrative is harmed without notice. This was an accidental experiment that has become an important feature.
Overall, I do believe I have met my aims as an editor/writer/designer through the use of my photography, and layout and have effectively established and challenged audience expectations of hedonistic ideologies.
