AUDIENCE THEORY

Hypodermic Syringe Model

The model states that the content of a media product has an intimidate effect on the audience, similar to the effect of a drug being directly put into you. For example, if you watch something romantic you then become more romantic yourself, or if you watch something violent, you then become violent. 

Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were found guilty of murder at age ten. They abducted and violently killed two year old toddler, james Bulger. The two boys had apparently watched 'Child's Play 3' before the murder. As the acts they performed on the toddler were similar to those in the film news papers such as 'The Sun' began debates whether violence like this should be exposed in the media.

Two-Step Flow Theory
There are two steps to this theory, first, the 'Opinion Leader' gains the information from the media source. 
Second, the opinion leader then passes the information on to the influential's. This information may be changed slightly to their opinion. 
Examples of this are; Elections and advertisement.   

REFLECTION ON EXISTING MEDIA RESEARCH

The secondary research that I have been doing is based on what I will produce. The first thing I researched was the teaser trailer which gave me the inspiration for what type of horror film I would like to do. I then researched into the ancillary tasks and analysed film posters and magazines. This then helped me understand what makes a good front cover and poster for advertisement.

FILM MAGAZINE ANALYSIS

Empire magazine

Empire is also a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Media. The first issue was released in July 1989 and is now known as the biggest film magazine in the UK, towering over the sales of Total Film magazine.

The layout of this Empire over follows the rule of thirds. This rule indicates how the images and text should be composed to be able to catch the audiences attention. For example, where the lines meet at a point are main focus points for the audience, such as the eyes of the actors and the anchorage text. These are the first things the audience will look at now these essential points.

In comparison to the total film magazine empire is more simplistic, it isn't covered in a number of different pictures there is one main image. The colour scheme is red, white, black and yellow. Although many magazines only have three colours this cover looks neat and professional.   

FILM MAGAZINE ANALYSIS

Total Film

Total Film is a British magazine which releases a new issue every four weeks. They review; films, cinemas, and blue-ray DVD's. You can either have a print version or a interactive version on Ipads or Iphones.

This cover follows the route of eye layout. The masthead is at the top of the page so it is the first thing the audience see. They will then move onto the main image looking into the persons eyes and then through their bodies. Then finally the cover story is the last thing they will read as it is situated at the bottom of the page. The less relevant information surrounds the route of the eye for example, the bar code and tag lines.
 This front cover looks very busy and is full of colour, this makes this magazine stand out and catch the attention of the audience.
The masthead 'TOTAL FILM' is capitalised and in a bold, white font, this makes it stand out against the colourful background and makes it the first thing the audience see.     

FILM POSTER ANALYSIS

House of Wax

The main image on this poster looks very sinister and disturbing. We can see that it is a girl who's body dissolves into the black background by the use of dripping wax. This relates back to the title 'House of Wax' This immediately grabs the audiences attention as this is very unusual.

The black background connotes death and terror helping the audience identify the horror genre.

'House of Wax' is shadowed creating the sense of ghost or spirits being a part of the film. The allows the audiences imagination to wonder what they film may be about as this poster do give them a lot to go by. The would make them want to go and see the film to find out what its all about. 

I think this poster is easily identified as horror and does show signs of scary imagery, however, it doesn't give you any incite of what the film may include. This isn't the best poster I have seen but I think its gives the audience a lot to think about.     

FILM POSTER ANALYSIS

The Strangers

The first thing we notice on this poster is the main image and the mise en scene used such as costumes and setting. We can see five of the characters and three of them are wearing masks, the connotes that they are the villains and are hiding their identity which is common in most horror films. All of the characters seem to be wearing fairly dull, casual clothing which indicates that these are normal strangers that you could see on the street, linking back to the title of the film.  

The background to the main image is a brick wall. This indicates that they two suspected victims have no way out and are trapped beyond the brick wall. This allows the audience to give sympathy to the victims and make them wonder if they ever do get out. 

The title of the film is located directly underneath the main image against a black background. Black often indicates death and allows the writing to stand out. The orange glow font used may indicate fire or flames which could relate to an event which happens in the film. 

Overall, I feel this poster advertises the film well, the genre is shown easily and allows horror film lovers to want to go and see the whole film to see what happens to the victims sat in front of the masked people.  

FILM POSTER ANALYSIS

One Missed Call

This American supernatural film 'One Missed Call' was released in 2008 by Warner Bros Pictures. 

The main image of the poster is very sinister. Three different mouths are making up an illusion of a deformed face. The audience are already scared by the face created, however once you look further into the picture you can see the two top mouths are screaming which makes the audience wonder why they are screaming. The person is holding a mobile phone to their ear which relates to the tag line at the top of the poster 'what will it sound like when you die?' This lets the audience imagination figure out whether that question is has already been asked or is going to be answered in the film. 

The black background connotes death and the unknown and the red writing connotes blood and fear. The credits and title of the film are written in white so they can be seen clearly against the black background. This is a good way to catch the audiences eye and draw them in, making them want to watch the film. 

I think this poster is a good way of advertising the film, the genre is clear, the audience are intrigued and is catches the eye.  

ANCILLARY TASK

Along with creating a horror film teaser trailer, I also have to create a film poster and the front cover of a film magazine based on my teaser trailer. 

To understand my task better I will analyse existing posters and film magazine front covers. 

MY CHOSEN GENRE

The genre I have chosen for my teaser trailer is horror. Horror can be deceived in many different ways, whereas other genres are very pacific and will be harder to depict in a few shots. 

Although the other trailers I analysed such as action, crime and thriller link closely to horror in some situations, I am going to focus on just horror as I feel this is what I can get the best results in. 

THRILLER FILM ANALYSIS

non-stop

Non-stop is a 2014 thriller distributed by Universal Pictures in February this year. From the trailer you can understand the plot that someone is hijacking the aeroplane the film is set on and is threatening to kill someone every 20 minuets. The suspense is built as the audience wish to know how it is. 

Throughout the trailer the use of subtle, mysterious music creates a mysterious mood a raises tension. The blurred shots of the aeroplanes and passengers queuing up connotes the title of it being non-stop and an unsteady environment. 

The unknown often scares audiences so the idea of not knowing who is doing this makes it a thriller and creates a lot of tension in the trailer which makes the views want to go and see the whole film. 

The editing technique of flash cutting from shot to shot connotes the title non-stop implying that the film is fast and you need to keep us with who are the suspects and who are not. 

The use of close ups of all objects on the plane and passengers highlight the fact that they have no where to run and that the killer is on the plane with them; it could be anyone. 

Thriller films are different from horror films because although they can include death they don't include blood and gore. The suspense is created by the unknown of the killer. This is done in a cleaver way and must have an excellent story line. 

ACTION FILM ANALYSIS

The Amazing Spider Man 2

The Amazing Spider Man 2 was distributed by Sony Pictures in 2014 on April 10th. Based on the Marvel comics character Spider-Man it is filmed in New York and includes many computer animated effects. 

The trailer includes hard hitting background music with sharp sudden beats throughout. This connotes the actions that spider-man takes and how there is always something else that is going to happen. The trailer opens with an action shot of Spider-Man flying down the side of a building which grabs the audiences attention straight away.

The use of establishing shots shows how much is going on in the city and how amazing spider man really is that he can sort out all these problems. This trailer does follow the character theory of Propp's as the blonde women is seen a vulnerable, the hero is dark and mysterious however also masked when in action to hide his identity and the villains are not human which suggest they have a lot more power that spider man which connotes back to the title 'The Amazing Spider Man' 

The shots of normality throughout the trailer show clear skies and bright lighting which then contrasts with the shots of action when the lighting is very dark which sudden shots of bright lights showing the action and danger in the shot. 

Although the Villains may seem scary to younger audiences, this trailer doesn't show many of the conventions shown throughout the horror trailers I have looked that. The genre of action is clear to see and wont be mistaken for any other.    

CRIME FILM ANALYSIS

Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction is a 1994 crime film set in America. The film was very successful and was nominated for many Oscars and other film awards.

From the trailer you can not tell much about the narrative or the characters however, the use of weapons and drugs establish the crime genre.

John Travolta and Samuel Jackson are dressed in black suits which helps the audience identify them as hit men. Props such as guns, cars, money and suggestions of drug use throughout the trailer highlights the crime theme. 
At the beginning of the trailer the fast music connotes the fast lifestyle the hit men have which works well with the editing technique of using fast cuts and loads of different shots. 
The music then becomes a lot slower and calmer and the shots are separated by a plain back background with the words 'loyalty' 'betrayal' and 'crime' fading onto the screen. This connotes that the life of hit men is not always at a high and it comes with it lows and unstable lifestyle. 
The music then goes back to an upbeat tune and a number of different shots appear showing the crazy lifestyle they normally have such as going to clubs, getting drunk and driving recklessly. 

Although crime and horror can sometimes overlap, this trailer doesn't share many conventions that a horror trailer has and that is what makes it clear that these genres are very different. 

HORROR FILM ANALYSIS

The Possession

The possession is supernatural horror film released in 2012. As you can tell from the trailer, the film is based on box which seems to be haunted and then suddenly the young girl starts acting strange. The film was distributed by Lionsgate and produced by Ghost House Pictures.  

This trailer follows the common theory of tordrov which shows that the trailer would start with a every day normal life and then it all of a sudden changes. Many horror films use this and it creates the thoughts that this could happen to anyone.

Non diegetic and diegetic sound is used through this trailer such as mysterious subtle music which then becomes more distressed the further on into the trailer you get. The music played in teaser trailers are vital in keeping the audience interested. 

Point of view shots and longs shots are used throughout the trailer to make it seems like whatever the supernatural force is, it is following them everywhere they go and that they have no where to hide. The use of close ups to the box and to the actors makes the audience feels as if they are experiencing these events along with the characters.

The lighting throughout the trailer is very dark, they use lighting very cleverly to create shadows which create a scary mood.    

  

HORROR FILM ANALYSIS

Saw

Saw was distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment and produced by Twisted Pictures in October 2004. With a budget of $1,000,000 the worldwide revenue is $103,911,300. The saw films have been a worldwide success and have many other media products such as soundtracks, toys, costumes and also rides at a variety of theme parks across the world. 

This trailer follows the character theory of Propps. The masked man known as 'jigsaw' is the villain, the use of the mask hides his identity which is well known for the villain character. 

The stereotypical blonde female is the victim and is seen as vulnerable and helpless and the audience is made to feel sorry for her.

The use of sound, camera movement, editing and mise en scene created the scary mood in this trailer. 

Throughout the trailer non diegetic sound is used such as a high pitched rumbling noise has been used at different moments in the trailer to create tension and to scare the audience. The diegetic sound of the actors/actress voices are unclear and understandable which creates a fear of the unknown for the audience. Other diegetic sound such as screams and the laughter of jigsaw will make the audience feel uneasy and fear for the person who is screaming. 

Throughout the trailer they use jump cuts to move from scene to scene, this creates suspense as the audience feel disorientated. There are many shots throughout the trailer where only dark is shown, this makes the audience feel as if they are involved and make them want to know what is coming next making them feel vulnerable.  

Popular camera shots in horror trailers are close ups which are used throughout this trailer. The close ups of characters faces highlights their fear and emotions which allows the audience to understand what they are feeling and sympathise for them. 

Throughout the trailer the lighting is very dark, and there is a lot of exposure to blood and weapons. The characters clothes have been ripped and covered in blood to show the torture the have been through. The use of props such as saws show how dangerous the situation these victims are in.

HORROR TRAILER ANALYSIS

Insidious

The trailer for Insidious follows the theory of Todorov. The trailer begins with an equilibrium, which introduces the audience to the family being happy with the arrival of a new baby and living to what could look like 'The american dream' to some people. This doesn't last long as shortly after the disequilibrium occurs where the older son seems to be disturbed by something supernatural in their house. Finally, the new equilibrium occurs when the family are informed that it is not their house that is haunted it is their son. 

Iconography - We find out from this trailer they are living in a new home where strange situations keep occurring. They find this hard to manage as their new home is so large. The use of running up and down stairs in threw corridors and into different rooms is used to portray the fact the house is so large they can never tell whether they are alone or not. They use props such as baby monitors, ladders and rocking horses to enhance the fact they are a normal family and that this could happen to anyone. 

The frightening and tense mood created throughout the trailer is done by using sound, camera movement and editing. 

Throughout the trailer their is a mix between sharp cuts and and quick fades between shots to keep a variety. The use of quick cuts create a irritated effect as they audience are unsure of what will come onto the next shot. This keeps them on their feet and allows them to feel frightened. Towards the end of the trailer the pace of shots speeds up which denotes that something will suddenly happen. 

During the trailer the use of over the shoulder shots are used, this is to put the audience in the perspective of the family which makes the audience feel their fear.

POSSIBLE GENRES

LOOKING AT THE BRIEFS

Option 1: A music video

I feel there are many opportunities to express my love for music with this option, however, the genre of music I listen too the most doesn't create many music videos and I would be limited to resources I could refer to as inspiration. Although there are many other genres I enjoy I wouldn't feel as passionate and my heart wouldn't be in the tasks.

Option 2: A Teaser Trailer

This option interests me the most. There are so many different film genres I enjoy but my initial idea is to do the theme horror. I am a fan of horror films and would enjoy researching into them, how they were made and things I should include in my own trailer.

I have chosen to create a teaser trailer for my A2 media production.