Introduction
Welcome to my A2 Level Media Studies Blog that details all of the Research and Planning stages of the project, as well as the final products and the Evaluation.
Saturday, 15 March 2014
Original Brief
Original Brief
Welcome! The
purpose of this blog is to keep a record of the project that we, as A2 Media
Students, have been assigned to complete. The project, or challenge as I like
to refer to it, is to create a promotional campaign or package for a new Horror
film. This package will include a Film Trailer and two ancillary tasks, a film
magazine front cover promoting the Horror film and a poster for the film. In
order to maintain professionalism and to maximize the effectiveness of the
three pieces, they will share a symbolic link, thus allowing the audience to
relate to each different piece more effectively as they become more familiar
with the meaning being portrayed.
Now into more
detail about the package. We have chosen to base our promotional project around
the Horror genre. The reason for this is that the history of the horror genre
fascinates us, as does the effect that horror films have on their audiences.
The adrenaline that one receives when watching horror really portrays how
horror directors set out to scare, shock and entertain their audiences; we hope
to achieve the same with our work.
To appeal to our
audience we will use horror conventions within our three pieces, whilst
adding a touch of originality. Researching and exploring as well as
analysing existing media texts will allow us to become familiar with existing
conventions, which, as a result, will allow us to see the potential for growth
and change. Analysing horror films will give us as a group a deeper knowledge
of how much detail and and thought has gone into creating the different
films.
There have been many Horror films that have inspired us to create professional Horror pieces of media including "The Possession", "The Exorcism of Emily Rose", "Insidious" and "The Last Exorcism". These films are huge, blockbuster titles that are excellent and effective in scaring audiences that follow many Horror film conventions which is something we would like to achieve with our work.
There have been many Horror films that have inspired us to create professional Horror pieces of media including "The Possession", "The Exorcism of Emily Rose", "Insidious" and "The Last Exorcism". These films are huge, blockbuster titles that are excellent and effective in scaring audiences that follow many Horror film conventions which is something we would like to achieve with our work.
We are all
extremely excited and thrilled to work together in producing three different,
chilling, professional and effective media texts. The following individuals
will being working in our group: Ninette Esshaghian, Miriana Younan and finally myself, Chris Donnellan.
Introduction to Horror Sub-Genres
Introduction to Horror Sub-Genres
I will be discussing five different sub-genres found in the larger genre of Horror. These sub-genres include Possession, Slasher, Psychological, Supernatural, Gothic and Zombie.
Possession
The Possession sub-genre is very relevant in today's society. More and more people are going to the cinema to watch the latest Possession films. These films are usually about an object or a person becoming possessed by an evil spirit or entity. The possessed being then proceeds to show very abnormal, scary and horrific behaviour as if manipulated by evil itself.
One reason why it is so popular is because of the typical conventions that the sub-genre uses to draw in the audience; these conventions include an unknown evil spirit that commits unpredictable actions to keep the audience on their toes, iconography such as blood, religious symbols and antique items.
Possession films use religious imagery, particularly Christian and Jewish religious items, to build a connection between the audience and the film. These items are seen as objects that can defeat evil so then audience are drawn to these objects with hope that the evil can be destroyed. The great history of the religions depicted in Possession films leads the audience to believe that the evil spirit has also had a great history, meaning that it is very hard to get rid of it.
One example of this is in "The Possession" where a Rabbi is asked to perform an ancient Jewish ritual to stop the evil being possessing a grown man:
Possession films are usually located in isolated locations with lots of dark history, normally a large house or even a place of worship. The place of worship ties into the religious imagery conventions of the genre. The films are set in those isolated locations because it means that the characters cannot get help if they are in trouble. These places have lots of history because it gives the audience a sense that the evil being has been there for years and will continue to be there at the end of the film. In the clip above the action is taking place in an abandoned hospital.
Examples of Possession film posters include: "The Possession" and "Insidious 2".
The Slasher sub-genre has produced some of the most famous Horror films such as "Halloween", "Friday the 13th" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Slasher films primarily feature a masked killer, lots of gore and blood, and iconography such as knives, axes and machetes. The weapons that the killer uses are items usually found in the home, making the audience believe that their own possessions can be used against them. One example of this is in "Scream" in which a masked killer murders a girl with a kitchen knife. This scene features lots of conventions of both the Horror genre and the Slasher sub-genre. The main character is in an isolated mansion in a wealthy suburbia, meaning that that there are a plenty of rooms for where the killer can hide. Since the mansion is isolated there are no other towns or neighbours nearby to help the main character. As a result of all of these conventions, this scene is one of the most iconic scenes in Horror film history.
Slasher films usually start with teenagers going to an isolated location and then get killed by the masked killer. It gives a hidden meaning that you will get punished if you do what the teenagers in the film do, which is usually partying, drinking lots of alcohol and having casual sex.
The reason that Slasher films are popular is because they provide a way non-Horror fans to ease themselves into the whole Horror genre and its different sub-genres. One criticism of Slasher films is that they are cheesy, however the do create some very scary sequences, like in "Friday the 13th" when the masked killer, Mike Myers, is creeping up to his next victim, creating a tense, dark and scary atmosphere.
Slasher films became popular in the 1980's and have been popular ever since.
These are some examples of Slasher film posters, "Friday the 13th" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre":
Zombie
The zombie sub-genre has had a great influence on popular culture today. There are many films within the Zombie sub-genre such as "28 Days Later" (and its sequel, "28 Weeks Later"), "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dead Snow". A Zombie is a dead human being that has been risen from the grave and has a blood-lust for the living. There have been many variations of what a Zombie is, but everyone follows this same principle. In some films, the Zombies can only move very slowly while in another films, they can sprint much faster than any human being.
Key conventions of the Zombie sub-genre include massive crowds of Zombies in various locations, a group of 'survivours' who are trying to live through the Zombie outbreak and also try to find a cure or a way to stop the Zombies. Another convention is that most films are very gory; with huge piles of dead bodies, lots of blood and human organs.
These are some examples of movie posters that promote films within the Zombie sub-genre:
Possession
The Possession sub-genre is very relevant in today's society. More and more people are going to the cinema to watch the latest Possession films. These films are usually about an object or a person becoming possessed by an evil spirit or entity. The possessed being then proceeds to show very abnormal, scary and horrific behaviour as if manipulated by evil itself.
One reason why it is so popular is because of the typical conventions that the sub-genre uses to draw in the audience; these conventions include an unknown evil spirit that commits unpredictable actions to keep the audience on their toes, iconography such as blood, religious symbols and antique items.
Possession films use religious imagery, particularly Christian and Jewish religious items, to build a connection between the audience and the film. These items are seen as objects that can defeat evil so then audience are drawn to these objects with hope that the evil can be destroyed. The great history of the religions depicted in Possession films leads the audience to believe that the evil spirit has also had a great history, meaning that it is very hard to get rid of it.
One example of this is in "The Possession" where a Rabbi is asked to perform an ancient Jewish ritual to stop the evil being possessing a grown man:
Possession films are usually located in isolated locations with lots of dark history, normally a large house or even a place of worship. The place of worship ties into the religious imagery conventions of the genre. The films are set in those isolated locations because it means that the characters cannot get help if they are in trouble. These places have lots of history because it gives the audience a sense that the evil being has been there for years and will continue to be there at the end of the film. In the clip above the action is taking place in an abandoned hospital.
Examples of Possession film posters include: "The Possession" and "Insidious 2".
Slasher
Slasher films usually start with teenagers going to an isolated location and then get killed by the masked killer. It gives a hidden meaning that you will get punished if you do what the teenagers in the film do, which is usually partying, drinking lots of alcohol and having casual sex.
The reason that Slasher films are popular is because they provide a way non-Horror fans to ease themselves into the whole Horror genre and its different sub-genres. One criticism of Slasher films is that they are cheesy, however the do create some very scary sequences, like in "Friday the 13th" when the masked killer, Mike Myers, is creeping up to his next victim, creating a tense, dark and scary atmosphere.
Slasher films became popular in the 1980's and have been popular ever since.
These are some examples of Slasher film posters, "Friday the 13th" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre":
Zombie
The zombie sub-genre has had a great influence on popular culture today. There are many films within the Zombie sub-genre such as "28 Days Later" (and its sequel, "28 Weeks Later"), "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dead Snow". A Zombie is a dead human being that has been risen from the grave and has a blood-lust for the living. There have been many variations of what a Zombie is, but everyone follows this same principle. In some films, the Zombies can only move very slowly while in another films, they can sprint much faster than any human being.
Key conventions of the Zombie sub-genre include massive crowds of Zombies in various locations, a group of 'survivours' who are trying to live through the Zombie outbreak and also try to find a cure or a way to stop the Zombies. Another convention is that most films are very gory; with huge piles of dead bodies, lots of blood and human organs.
These are some examples of movie posters that promote films within the Zombie sub-genre:
Supernatural
The supernatural sub-genre features a very diverse film library and is becoming increasingly popular in today's society. The supernatural sub-genre can be split up even more into sub-genres such as Possession, Poltergeist and Ghost. The main way of defining a supernatural film is that an unknown being haunts innocent people. This can range from simply scaring the characters to harming or even killing them.
Supernatural films often feature secluded and isolated settings like a large house out in the woods. These locations often have a lot of dark history that relate to the plot of the film. An example of this would be: "A ghost has haunted this house for 100 years comes back to haunt whoever stays in the house overnight".
Conventions of Supernatural films include a family or a group of people go into an isolated location, horrific imagery such as blood, dead bodies and possessed beings.
Examples of these films include "Paranormal Activity", "Insidious" and "Sinister".
Psychological
The Psychological sub-genre is an interesting genre because of the diverse narratives that each film has. While many films in the sub-genre have very different narratives, they normally try to play mind games with the audience. Many of the films make the audience believe something that isn't true (or vice versa), leading them to realise a big twist in the narrative while scaring them at the same time. They usually create very tense, quiet and scary atmospheres throughout the course of the film, leaving the audience on the edges of their seats.
Psychological films were very popular during the 70's because of one main convention. The killer or the psychopath was someone who seemed very normal to the audience, like a father in a loving family or someone with a stable job, making them think that anyone can be a cold hearted killer. In "The Shining" the main villain, Jack Torrance, is a father and a loving husband that kills his family. In "Psycho" by Alfred Hitchcock, the main villain, Norman Bates, reveals his dark secret and kills people.
Examples of Psychological films include "The Shining" and "The Grudge":
.jpg)
Psychological films were very popular during the 70's because of one main convention. The killer or the psychopath was someone who seemed very normal to the audience, like a father in a loving family or someone with a stable job, making them think that anyone can be a cold hearted killer. In "The Shining" the main villain, Jack Torrance, is a father and a loving husband that kills his family. In "Psycho" by Alfred Hitchcock, the main villain, Norman Bates, reveals his dark secret and kills people.
Examples of Psychological films include "The Shining" and "The Grudge":
Gothic
Gothic Horror films were some of the earliest Horror films made but became very popular in the 1930's, 40's and 50's. Gothic films have very specific and obvious conventions that are easily identifiable. Vampires, werewolves and ghosts usually appear as the evil force and they all try and kill or haunt people. Gothic films are usually set in isolated locations such as a dark, misty forest at night, or a huge house/mansion in the middle of nowhere. This is to show that the characters have nowhere to escape the evil force and cannot get help from anyone.
The first ever Horror, "Nosferatu" (1920's), is considered a Gothic Horror and many other classic Horror films are as well such as "Dracula" (1958), "Frankenstein" (1931) and "The Mummy" (1959).
Gothic Horrors are still alive today with very popular films such as "The Woman In Black" (2012) and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007). They follow the typical conventions that were in place back in the early days of Gothic Horror.
Posters of Gothic Horror films include:
Why My Group Chose the Possession Sub-Genre
Why My Group Chose the Possession sub-genre
My Group and I decided to choose the Possession sub-genre because we believe that it is the most interesting genre to create a film in. There are many conventions to follow and challenge and there are also many different narrative possibilities. Since Possession films are becoming increasingly relevant in today's society, it would make sense to create a film that will appeal to a wide range of audiences that like to watch the latest Possession films such as "Insidious 2" and "The Possession".
Since the sub-genre is one of the more sophisticated Horror sub-genres, we can target a sophisticated audience that understands the many codes and conventions of the genre. Possession films are very popular, with many successful films in the genre such as "The Possession", "Insidious" and "The Last Exorcism Part 2". All of these films have grossed at least $15 million worldwide, with "Insidious" bringing in nearly $100 million. By looking at these figures, my group and I found that these films are very successful and there is definitely a desire for a new, blockbuster Possession film. We decided to study these films and we were inspired by a range of things, particularly the narrative in "The Possession".
Since the sub-genre is one of the more sophisticated Horror sub-genres, we can target a sophisticated audience that understands the many codes and conventions of the genre. Possession films are very popular, with many successful films in the genre such as "The Possession", "Insidious" and "The Last Exorcism Part 2". All of these films have grossed at least $15 million worldwide, with "Insidious" bringing in nearly $100 million. By looking at these figures, my group and I found that these films are very successful and there is definitely a desire for a new, blockbuster Possession film. We decided to study these films and we were inspired by a range of things, particularly the narrative in "The Possession".
Not only will the film be interesting for the audience, it will be very interesting to create the film itself in all stages of production, from brainstorming narrative ideas to story-boarding to filming and to editing. We believe as a group that the project will be very interesting to produce and will allow our creative ideas and thoughts to flourish. This will allow us to develop as media practitioners because of the great opportunity for creative ideas.
Codes and Conventions of the Possession sub-genre
Codes and Conventions of the Possession sub-genre
To be put on Slideshare.
Target Audience Questionnaire and Analysis
Target Audience Questionnaire and Analysis
Target Audience Questionnaire:
Analysis:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)