Audience theory- Enigma theory

Audience Theories (The Enigma Theory)

Media theorist Roland Barthes devised a theory of the enigma code, in which he claimed that the purpose of the author of a media text is to keep the audience guessing through establishing enigmas for the audience to work out. These are conventionally revealed in the final scene of the film. This is a useful tool for a trailer, as establishing enigma codes makes the audience want to find out the answers to the enigmas and go and see the film.

Enigma codes pose questions to the audience which will then be answered later in the film. Examples of enigma codes are 'Who is that?', 'Where are they going?' etc. Enigma codes are an important aspect of any film as it enables the audience to become intrigued about the film and influence them to continue watching the film. In our trailer we have used various enigma codes to entice the audience. For example the audience will be asking 'Who is that?' when they are shown an over the shoulder shot of a suspicious figure following the victim. This means that the killers identity is an enigma as the audience will want to find out who the killer is by watching the film. This leads on to the next question 'Why is the victim being followed?' and 'Where is the victim going?'. These questions are all questions the audience wants answered and the only way to get these answers is to continue watching the film.

Other enigma codes we used were 'What has happened to them?'. This is when the audience are shown a long shot of the victim being dragged through the woods. The audience cannot be sure what has exactly happened to them but will be intrigued to find out which, again, will make them want to continue watching our film. These enigma codes have all been recognisable in our trailer. During our audience feedback a strength of our film was that our mixed story line made the audience question what is happening which enticed them to continue watching.

Audience theory- Cultivation theory

Audience Theories (The Cultivation Theory)

This theory also treats the audience as passive and it suggests that repeated exposure to the same message, such as an advertisement, will have an effect on the audiences attitudes and values. A similar idea is know as desensitisation-which suggests that long term exposure to violent media makes the audience less likely to be shocked by violence and more likely to behave in that manner.

The theory states that repeated exposure to the same message, such as an advertisement, will have an effect on the audiences attitudes and values. A similar idea is know as desensitisation-which suggests that long term exposure to violent media makes the audience less likely to be shocked by violence and more likely to behave in that manner. We apply George Gerbner's Cultivation theory to our film by using a black hooded murderer as the main antagonist. We also use the idea of a girl home-alone and being vulnerable in her own home which has a horrifying effect on the audience; they believe it could easily happen to them, even in the sanctuary of their own home. The mise-en-scene of the antagonist is another way we incorporated the theory into our film as the antagonist wore a black hoodie-creating a negative perception of those who wear hoodies, causing the audience to see them as dangers. The black hoodie could also be associated with gangs which could make the audience fearful of gang culture.

What does the theory suggest?


Strengths?


Weaknesses?


As audiences watch more television or films, they gradually develop certain views about the world, some of which are false.


This approach draws attention to the fact that audiences gain a lot of their knowledge from the media and also recognises the important role the media plays in our lives.


This approach can effect viewer’s perceptions and is hard to prove if accurate or not.

Audience theory- Two step flow

Audience Theories (The Two Step Flow Theory)

Katz and Lazarsfeld assumes a slightly more active audience and suggests that messages from the media move in two distinct ways. First, individuals who are opinion leaders, receive messages from the media and pass on their own interpretations in addition to the actual media content.

The information does not flow directly from the text into the minds of its audience, but is filtered through its opinion leaders who then pass it in to a more passive audience. The audience then mediate the information received directly from the media with the ideas and thoughts expressed by the opinion leaders, thus being influenced not by a direct process, but, by a two step flow.

This theory appeared to reduce the power of the media. and some researchers concluded that social factors were also important in the way in which audiences interpret texts. This then led to the idea of active audiences.

Audience theory- Active audiences

Audience Theories (The Active Audiences Theory)

This idea was created by the "Two Step Flow Theory", which was in a previous post, and sees the audience as individuals who are active and interact with the communication process and use media texts their own purposes. It is the active audience model and is considered to be a better and more realistic way to talk about audiences. We behave differently because we are different people from different backgrounds with many different attitudes, values, experiences and ideas.

Audience theory- Uses and gratification

Audience Theories (The Uses and Gratifications Theory)

The model stems from the idea that audiences are a complex mixture of individuals who select media texts that best suit their needs-which goes back to "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs".

The model suggests that media audiences are active and make active decisions about what they consume in relation to their social and cultural setting and their needs.

This was summed up by theorists Blumier and Katz in 1974; "Media usage can be explained in that it provides gratifications related to the satisfaction of social and psychological needs." This means that audiences choose to watch programmes that makes them feel good, for example Soaps or Sitcoms, or give them information that they can use, for example news and world events.

Our film also makes use of the Uses and Gratifications theory which states that there are five reasons why audiences consume media products-to be informed and educated, to identify with characters and situations, to be entertained, to be able to socialise by discussing the film and to escape from everyday life. Four of these are applied to our film but we do not inform or educate the audience as the purpose is to frighten and entertain them. Our audience will have many reasons to watch our film, one of which would be to identify with the characters. In our film, the characters have day to day lives that our audiences could relate to. They also offer different vices and virtues that, we like to think, our audience can relate to. The opening "Based on a true story" also allows the audience to relate to the film; it was a true event that could possibly happen to them. Another reason why our audience would enjoy our film is because its' main focus is to terrify and entertain the audience as they are left trembling in their seats. The third reason would be to offer escapism as our film allows the audience to follow the lives of other people and see how they deal with the terrifying situation they have found themselves in. It also allows the audience to immerse themselves in a world distant from their own-allowing to forget their problems and enjoy the film. The final reason of socialising and discussing aspects of the film can also be applied; there are many enigmas established throughout the film, leaving the audience with more questions than answers which could prompt a discussion to see the views of others.

What does the theory suggest?

Strengths?

Weaknesses?

Instead of researching what the media do to the audience, this approach studies what the audience does with the media. This approach also takes account of people’s personalities and personal needs.


The audience is seen as active and reasonably intelligent. Life experience in general is regarded as more influential than experience of media. The pleasures that the media offer audiences are not regarded as negative.


Too much optimism about the ‘power’ and ‘choices’ of an active audience can distract us from the power certain texts have, or the influence that media institutions and ownership may have on texts and understandings.

Audience theory- Reception theory

Audience Theories (The Receptions Analysis Theory)

The theory was put forward by Professor Stuart Hall and looks at how audiences interact with a media text, taking into account their situated culture. The theory suggests that social and daily experiences can affect the way an audience reads a media text and reacts to it.

What does the theory suggest?	Strengths?	Weaknesses?
Audiences are seen as active producers of meaning, rather than as merely consumers of media meanings. They make sense of media texts according to their social position and their gender.	This approach values highly the specific, personal and contextualised responses of individuals and groups. People’s life experiences are important influences which enable them to make active choices as members of media audiences.	The readings and responses of the audience are given more emphasis rather than the institutional aspects of the media. Some researchers can get side-tracked into analysing audience lifestyles, and thus media reception is sometimes neglected in favour of a more holistic sociological approach.

Audience theory- Hypodermic needle theory

Audience Theories (The Hypodermic Needle Model)

In this model the media is seen as powerful and able to inject ideas into an audience who are seen as weak and passive. It suggests that a media text can inject ideas, values and attitudes into a passive audience who might then act upon them. This theory also suggests that a media text has only one message which the audience must pick up. The theory stems from a fear of mass media, and gives the media much more power than it can ever have in a democracy. Also it ignores the obvious fact that not everyone in an audience behaves in a same way.

What does the theory suggest?	Strengths?	Weaknesses?
The theory is injected in the audience like a syringe used to inject a drug into the body, and it directly injects a message into the minds of the audience.	The approach draws attention to the power that media producers have, and to the importance of the forms of media to which audiences have access.	The “injected” audience is seen as passive and powerless, however they have they are smart and create their own perceptions of the media. It also suggests that all people think the same way, however we are each individuals and have our own ways of thinking-creating our own perceptions.

Audience theory- The male gaze

Audience Theories (The Male Gaze)


Laura Mulvey came up with the term ‘male gaze’ and she argues that in films the audience view the film from a heterosexual male point of view- where woman may be objectified in films for the pleasure of the male viewer. The theory suggests that characters,narratives, plots scenes,etc may be designed to appeal to a male audience.

The Male Gaze theory states that films are from a male perspective and objectify women, such as in Cabin in the Woods. This theory can also be applied to our film as we use two women in our trailer, in which one of them wears provocative clothing. However only one of the women has a main speaking role whereas the other is only there to fulfil the satisfaction of the male viewers. The plot does, however, focus on the female character of Rachel as she is the main protagonist and the character to solve and stop the killings in Surrey. This subverts the theory as the woman plays a bigger part than the male characters, which allows the film to appeal to both sexes as it does not, solely, focus on one gender.

Audience thoery- Utopian Theory

Audience Theories (The Utopian Solution Theory )

Richard Dyer states that entertainment texts offer audiences a ‘Utopia’ or perfect idea that they can access through media consumption. This ‘Utopia’ is in contrast to the imperfections and difficulties audiences face in their own lives and offers a perfect alternate dimension. Evidence of the "Utopian Solution Theory" can be seen in the popular film series of the "Hunger Games" as the audience are positioned to see Katniss Everdeentry overcome great odds and succeed in winning the tournament-while protecting her loved one, allowing the audience to take pleasure from her triumph

This does not link in to our film as the audience want to see the protagonist succeed and be the hero or heroine but in our trailer this inst the case as the killer succeeds by killing at least 3 people and not being caught. This maybe a bad idea as this means that by the audience seeing the trailer, they may feel that they don't want to watch the film as they don't see who they want to succeed.

Audience feedback 2

From the audience feedback we were able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of our trailer. From the feedback we identified that our strengths were how we effectively used non- diegetic music to create tension and the use of the black screen with 'Based on a true story' written across it was successful as it also created tension for the audience. Also our shot types were successful. The over-the shoulder shot we used caused the audience to question why the victim is being followed and it encouraged them to continue watching the trailer in order to find out why he is being followed. Also, the close up of the murder weapon was seen as a strength of our film as it emphasises the size of the weapon which could be seen as more lethal to the audience. Another strength of our film was the way we used fast paced shots. This kept the audience enticed to our film and encouraged them to continue watching. The other close up we used was of the victims hand hitting the door at the very last scene. This was seen as effective as the audience will want to know what has happened to the victim and whether she is likely to survive or not. We also successfully used high- angle shots to show our victims are vulnerable and weak. This allowed the audience to understand that they don't have much power and are most likely to be targeted by the killer. These are all conventions of horror films which means our film can be relateable to successful horror films. Our mise-en-scene was also effective, especially the use of clothing. We adhered to the typical conventions of what a killer would wear- dark clothing to hide their identity. By adhering to this it meant the audience was able to recognise that our film genre is horror and therefore may make our trailer more scary for the audience. Also our story line was seen as quite mixed. This meant that the audience were seen small sections of the films which concerned different characters. This meant the audience would be wondering whats happening to each of them and if they are all linked to one another.
However, the weaknesses of our trailer were that we didn't differentiate the transitions we used between shots. This perhaps meant that the audience weren't as enticed to our trailer as we didn't offer anything different which could create tension. Another weakness of our production is that it was hard to understand how each of the characters were linked. This may make it hard for the audience to watch as they will be trying to work out what relevance each character has to one another. So to improve this we could have included a scene of all our characters together with some dialogue which gives the audience a bit of background information as to how they are all linked

Evaluation 4

Evaluation Activity 4 (How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning and in the Evaluation Activity 4 (How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning and in the evaluation stages?)

We used Adobe Premiere Elements 10 to edit our film. We decided to choose adobe because it was fairly simple and easy to use. Our film was only just after one minute long so we didn't need to use really complicated software to edit. Also because our film was relatively simple we didn't need anything too complicated. Adobe Premiere Elements 10 was best suited to our film. The group and I have no experience in editing as we have never edited before so we also didn't want to use anything too complicated otherwise it would of taken us too long to edit which would have pushed back our finishing time. Despite Adobe Premiere Elements 10 being fairly simple in our editing process, it did offer a variety of different effects and transitions. This was good because it allowed us to choose between different effects and transitions which would best fit in with our film to make it the best it can be.

We used Blogger to upload everything we have done throughout the year. Blogger was an effective website that we used as we were able to document our progress and keep a track of everything we have done. It has showed our journey right from the very start up until now so it allows us to see the progress we have made over the past few months.

We used YouTube to share our finished product with our audience. It is very simple to use so did not cause us any problems when it came to sharing our film. YouTube also played a big part in our research. We were able to watch other openings to films of our genre and get ideas from them and also see the conventions they follow and if they subvert any of the conventions. This helped us establish what we needed to do to make our film successful.

The camera we used was a DV1 camera. This was the most important aspect in the making of our film because it was the item that captured our film. It was a decent camera as it did the basics (take pictures, film etc.) however it was not as good as we would have hoped. The picture was fairly clear however we had issues with zooming. Throughout our film we needed to zoom in during one of our shots however we were not able to do this. This was because when you zoomed in during one of the shots it was very jumpy which resulted in a very bad quality clip. This therefore meant that we could not zoom in during our shots.e evaluation stages?)

use new media technologies in the construction, research and planning and in the evaluation sta

Research and Planning

Research and Planning

What real media and audiences did you look at?

We looked at a variety of different horror films such as 'Cabin In The Woods', 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. We looked at these films because these all adhere to many of the typical conventions of a horror film. This meant we were able to take on board what we have seen in these films and work them into our film. This would mean that our film would be more recognisable as a horror film to our audience. This would make our film more enjoyable for the audience.

We also looked at our target audience. We looked at individuals who had a keen interest in horror films. We did this because they would know the typical conventions in a horror film. This meant when we questioned them about what they would like to see in our film it would be reliable and accurately similar to real horror films, therefore making our film similar to successful well known horror films. We used the same media and audiences for both AS and A2. We did this because we chose horror as the genre for both our media productions which meant all our research was relevant to both our productions. For our AS production we had to construct a two minute opening, so we looked at successful horror film openings. However, for A2 we needed to construct a trailer so we looked at horror film trailers such as House At The End Of The Street.

How did they inform your thinking about your media production?

The real audiences we looked at informed us about what they would like to see in our horror film.
This helped us with ideas for our 2 minute opening and trailer as they would be our target audience so we wanted to include things they most wanted to see. Also, if we made it appealing to the small sample of people we looked at, it would most likely appeal to a much wider audience.

How did you record all that research?

We recorded our research for our AS production by analysing two minute openings and making a note of what conventions the openings have adhered to. We could then use these conventions in our own film to make it more appealing to the audience. For A2 we used the same method, however instead of analysing two minute openings, we analysed horror film trailers. These informed us about what we should included in our trailer, therefore making it more conforming to the horror genre.

What primary research was undertaken?

AS: The primary research we undertook for our AS production was a questionnaire that we distributed to a number of people. The type of questions we included were about where they would most like to see the location for the film set, which murder weapon they preferred and if the murderer should have an iconic costume. The purpose of this questionnaire was to get an idea about what our typical audience members expected to see. This meant that we were able to adapt our opening two minutes to live up to the audiences expectations which, in turn, would make our film more enjoyable for our audience.

A2: The primary research we undertook for our A2 production was the same as what we did for AS. We kept the same method for extracting our primary data as it was the most effective way to reliable results.

How did it inform the production?

AS: We were able to understand what our target audience most wanted to see in our film e.g. murder weapon, location etc. So, as the most popular location was a woods we set the location for our film in a woods. This meant the audience would be most likely to enjoy watching our film as they would prefer the location.

A2: Similar to AS it meant we were able to include what the audience most wanted to see into our trailer. We changed some of our ideas in order to cooperate with the audiences preferences. E.g location.

What is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?

For both AS and A2 this research was very effective as it provided us with up to date information about our target audiences preferences. This meant we were able to adapt our production in order to suit our audience which would make it more enjoyable for them.

Research and Planning

What real media and audiences did you look at?

We looked at a variety of different horror films such as 'Cabin In The Woods', 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. We looked at these films because these all adhere to many of the typical conventions of a horror film. This meant we were able to take on board what we have seen in these films and work them into our film. This would mean that our film would be more recognisable as a horror film to our audience. This would make our film more enjoyable for the audience.

We also looked at our target audience. We looked at individuals who had a keen interest in horror films. We did this because they would know the typical conventions in a horror film. This meant when we questioned them about what they would like to see in our film it would be reliable and accurately similar to real horror films, therefore making our film similar to successful well known horror films. We used the same media and audiences for both AS and A2. We did this because we chose horror as the genre for both our media productions which meant all our research was relevant to both our productions. For our AS production we had to construct a two minute opening, so we looked at successful horror film openings. However, for A2 we needed to construct a trailer so we looked at horror film trailers such as House At The End Of The Street.

How did they inform your thinking about your media production?

The real audiences we looked at informed us about what they would like to see in our horror film.

This helped us with ideas for our 2 minute opening and trailer as they would be our target audience so we wanted to include things they most wanted to see. Also, if we made it appealing to the small sample of people we looked at, it would most likely appeal to a much wider audience.

How did you record all that research?

We recorded our research for our AS production by analysing two minute openings and making a note of what conventions the openings have adhered to. We could then use these conventions in our own film to make it more appealing to the audience. For A2 we used the same method, however instead of analysing two minute openings, we analysed horror film trailers. These informed us about what we should included in our trailer, therefore making it more conforming to the horror genre.

What primary research was undertaken?

AS: The primary research we undertook for our AS production was a questionnaire that we distributed to a number of people. The type of questions we included were about where they would most like to see the location for the film set, which murder weapon they preferred and if the murderer should have an iconic costume. The purpose of this questionnaire was to get an idea about what our typical audience members expected to see. This meant that we were able to adapt our opening two minutes to live up to the audiences expectations which, in turn, would make our film more enjoyable for our audience. 

A2: The primary research we undertook for our A2 production was the same as what we did for AS. We kept the same method for extracting our primary data as it was the most effective way to reliable results.

How did it inform the production?

AS: We were able to understand what our target audience most wanted to see in our film e.g. murder weapon, location etc. So, as the most popular location was a woods we set the location for our film in a woods. This meant the audience would be most likely to enjoy watching our film as they would prefer the location.

A2: Similar to AS it meant we were able to include what the audience most wanted to see into our trailer. We changed some of our ideas in order to cooperate with the audiences preferences. E.g location.

What is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?

For both AS and A2 this research was very effective as it provided us with up to date information about our target audiences preferences. This meant we were able to adapt our production in order to suit our audience which would make it more enjoyable for them.

What quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were employed?

For both AS and A2 the quantitative analysis methods we used were questionnaires. We used closed questions in our questionnaire which meant the individuals answering the questionnaire had to chose one of the answers we had written on the page. This meant we were able to get a quantitative result which made it easier for us to understand what are target audience's preferences are.

The qualitative analysis methods we used were interviews with target audience members. This meant that we were able to get unique answers from each individual but could also be relatable to other target audience members.

How did the results from these inform the production?

These results informed the production as we were able to determine what our target audience would like to see, which allowed us to successfully modify our film ideas to adhere to what the audience wants to see.

What is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?

These kinds of research are extremely effective as it means we were able to successfully adapt our film to suit the audiences tastes. This means that they would be most likely to enjoy our film. It also means our film is likely to be successful as we know that from our research we are including things the audience wants to see. This lessens the risk of failure for our film.

What quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were employed?

For both AS and A2 the quantitative analysis methods we used were questionnaires. We used closed questions in our questionnaire which meant the individuals answering the questionnaire had to chose one of the answers we had written on the page. This meant we were able to get a quantitative result which made it easier for us to understand what are target audience's preferences are.

The qualitative analysis methods we used were interviews with target audience members. This meant that we were able to get unique answers from each individual but could also be relatable to other target audience members.

How did the results from these inform the production?

These results informed the production as we were able to determine what our target audience would like to see, which allowed us to successfully modify our film ideas to adhere to what the audience wants to see.

What is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?

These kinds of research are extremely effective as it means we were able to successfully adapt our film to suit the audiences tastes. This means that they would be most likely to enjoy our film. It also means our film is likely to be successful as we know that from our research we are including things the audience wants to see. This lessens the risk of failure for our film.

Audience feedback

From the audience feedback we were able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of our trailer. From the feedback we identified that our strengths were how we effectively used non- diegetic music to create tension and the use of the black screen with 'Based on a true story' written across it was successful as it also created tension for the audience. Also our shot types were successful. The over-the shoulder shot we used caused the audience to question why the victim is being followed and it encouraged them to continue watching the trailer in order to find out why he is being followed. Also, the close up of the murder weapon was seen as a strength of our film as it emphasises the size of the weapon which could be seen as more lethal to the audience. Another strength of our film was the way we used fast paced shots. This kept the audience enticed to our film and encouraged them to continue watching. The other close up we used was of the victims hand hitting the door at the very last scene. This was seen as effective as the audience will want to know what has happened to the victim and whether she is likely to survive or not. We also successfully used high- angle shots to show our victims are vulnerable and weak. This allowed the audience to understand that they don't have much power and are most likely to be targeted by the killer. These are all conventions of horror films which means our film can be relateable to successful horror films. Our mise-en-scene was also effective, especially the use of clothing. We adhered to the typical conventions of what a killer would wear- dark clothing to hide their identity. By adhering to this it meant the audience was able to recognise that our film genre is horror and therefore may make our trailer more scary for the audience. Also our story line was seen as quite mixed. This meant that the audience were seen small sections of the films which concerned different characters. This meant the audience would be wondering whats happening to each of them and if they are all linked to one another.
However, the weaknesses of our trailer were that we didn't differentiate the transitions we used between shots. This perhaps meant that the audience weren't as enticed to our trailer as we didn't offer anything different which could create tension. Another weakness of our production is that it was hard to understand how each of the characters were linked. This may make it hard for the audience to watch as they will be trying to work out what relevance each character has to one another. So to improve this we could have included a scene of all our characters together with some dialogue which gives the audience a bit of background information as to how they are all linked

Audience Theory Todorov's theory

Audience theories- Todorov

Todorov's theory states that a film and a trailer can be broken down into five sections. These sections are an equilibrium at the start, a disruption of that equilibrium, a recognition of the disruption, an attempt to repair the disruption and the final stage of where the equilibrium is restored.

Here narrative is not seen as a linear structure but a circular one. The narrative is driven by attempts to restore the equilibrium. However, the equilibrium attained at the end of the story is not identical to the initial equilibrium. Todorov argues that narrative involves a transformation. The characters or the situations are transformed through the progress of the disruption. The disruption itself usually takes place outside the normal social framework, outside the ‘normal’ social events.

For example:

A murder happens and people are terrified.

Someone vanishes and the characters have to solve the mystery.

The character start to work out the pattern and track down the murderer.

The characters try to catch the murderer by setting up traps and attempt to get the police involved.

The antagonist is caught or killed and the characters live the rest of their lives, well the ones that remain.

This links in to our film trailer as you see Cory die right at the start of the trailer and you also see Connor die later on. It also doesn't link in to our trailer as we have no one trying to find and kill the killer and so instead the killer carries on going around killing and so our trailer ends with the antagonist succeeding.

Todorov's theory states that a film and a trailer can be broken down into five sections. These sections are an equilibrium at the start, a disruption of that equilibrium, a recognition of the disruption, an attempt to repair the disruption and the final stage of where the equilibrium is restored. In our film we applied three parts of this theory. The first section of the trailer focuses on the character of Cory in his house, which seems to be an uneventful scene as he seems relaxed. Then Cory is followed and murdered in the woods-showing the disruption of the equilibrium. Other characters in the film recognise the disappearance of the victim and are then targeted themselves. The trailer then ends with a bloody hand print on the door suggesting our protagonist, Rachel, is in trouble. This flouts Todrov's theory as the equilibrium is left un-restored and instead an enigma is created, leaving the audience with more questions than answers.

Evaluation 2

In this scene we decided to show some credits. these credits showed each of the characters names. I believe that this worked successfully as the audience can easily tell what each person is called as their name pops up on the screen whenever there in the scene and there credit is bold and clear making it easy for the audience to read and understand. We also decided to put the credits on the scenes when there wasnt much action and that it was slower paced. in they were shown in a fast pace scene then the audience may not se it as there eyes are glued on watching the main part of the scene.

In this scene we decided to show the killer creeping up behind the victim with the murder weapon in their hand. In a few scenes before we hear a knock at the door and so this is the reason why the victim opens it but as she does so the killer moves up behind her. This may leave the audience a bit confused as a few scenes before they saw the killer in the building scrapping the same murder weapon along the table and so how were they able to knock on the door while being in the house. This means that  they may be not sure how the killer got their or that there is someone else helping the killer.

In  this scene we see the killer dragging one of his victims along the floor. A few scenes before this we saw the killer following the killer along a road path and within the woods and so the audience knew that this victim was going to be killed sooner or later. We decided to use a high angle shot for this scene as it shows that the victim in under control from the killer. By seeing this scene though, no one knows if the victim has been killed or just been knocked unconscious but we can suggest that he is dead as a few scenes after we see the killer killing again.

In this scene we see one of the victims sitting down in their home. we also see the credit pop up of their name. We decided to use a high angle in this scene as it is trying to show the killer looking through the window act the victim, and so now the victim becomes weak and is under the killer control. we also decided to have the victim dressed up in their normal clothes to show the audience that they are just living their normal day to day life and so they are unclear on what is about to happen.

In this scene we see a hand scrap down the window of the door. This would suggest that someone has been injured and scraps the door trying to show that they are trying to escape. This gives the audience the idea that the victim has been killed again and that the killer is still on a killing spree. We had many ideas for this scene as we thought of having blood on the victims hand but it didn't fit well as their has been no blood throughout the rest of the trailer and so it would look odd. By the audience seeing this scene they can have mixed ideas being that one or both of them have been injured or that one person has died. They will feel sorry for the victim if they believe that she has died as they saw through out the trailer that she was unaware of what is about to happen and that she done nothing wrong to deserve to die.

Evaluation

We decided to use the title scene and the end of the film as it will stay in the audiences minds if they see it last. If they saw it in the first scene and then watched the rest of the trailer then they may forget what the trailer was called. We also put all of the credits underneath the title so that if some the audience want to see who is in the film then they can rememvber there name when they see it at the end.

This scene shows an establishing shot of the main location of the trailer even though we had a few scenes with characters walking/running through the woods or down the pavement. This gives the audience the idea that the main killing will take place here. We also decided to use this scene when the surrounding light became darker as it conforms to the typical stereotypes that murder normally take place in the dark so that no one can clearly see the killer.

This scene shows a knife being scrapped along a table with in the main house. Before this scene we see the victim walk past the table towards the telephone so this gives the audience the idea that the killer is following the victim. By scrapping it along the table shows that the killer is ready to kill and that he creates tension within the audience. We had the close up of the murder weapon the give a clear idea to the audience that this weapon is going to be used soon and that it may be the main part of the trailer.

This scene shows another victim running through the woods. This gives the audience the idea that the killer changes the ways in which he kills as we have already seen him walking behind a victim and now in this scene it suggests that he is running. By having this scene in the woods conforms the typical stereotypes of a horror trailer as normally when you see anyone in the woods, they are normally on their own trying to find their friends or trying to run away from a killer  and this is the same case in this scene.

Evaluation of our Film

How are social groups represented in your production?

In the very first scenes, we see different shots including a mid shot, close up and over the shoulder shot. This shows that we decided to use lots of different shots to try and make the trailer more dramatic. We then see an establishing shot of a house with the next seeing one of the characters inside. This gives the audience the idea that most of the scenes they will see will be located within this building and that it will be mainly based around that 1 character.

After this we see a lot of different things happening with in film, seeing 1 character being followed by the killer and eventually being killed as well as the other character in the house answering the phone. The mise en scene of the victim with the house shows that she is living her daily life having no suspicion that a killer is out to kill her Though out the whole trailer there is a constant suspense music which keeps the audience on edge. There are pauses within the music at important scenes where sound is a key factor.ore worried about the mysterious phone call with no one speaking on the other end.

Instantly after this scene we see a knife scraping along the table, which makes the audience understand why the killer phoned, so that he could distract the killer and get in to the house unnoticed. By also dragging the knife along the table, it suggests that he is ready to kill.

After this scene we then see the victim open the front door as she hear a knocking sound. As she opens the door we see the killer come out from the background and walk up behind her. This shows the audience that either the killer is very clever or that there may be another person helping him as, how can he open the door while being in the room at the same time. For a few seconds this will makes the audience slightly confused but as soon as he creeps up behind the victim, their modes change to being worried and anxious for the victim's safety.

Straight after the door closes we see a hand scrape down the front of the door. This gives the suspicion that the victim has been struck by the killer with the knife we saw earlier on in the trailer and that she has probably died  or been badly injured in the incident.

Production Update

Production update

On Wednesday 7th January we travelled to Fetcham to continue the production of our film, "The Disturbed", and we used a variety of camera angles and locations to add a dynamic angle to our film. Each individual had a different role; Connor's role was to help film and also star in the film, Rachel was the main protagonist and also played a directing role in the film too by offering ideas, Ryan was the antagonist and I was also a Director.

On the day we filmed most of our trailer and included many aspects from the horror genre, including props, such as knives, suspense-packed scenes and the idea of a vulnerable woman home alone. We had very low lighting to give it that horror aspect. The mise-en-scene of the antagonist was a long black coat that covered the entire body of the murderer as if he was a shadow-we chose this colour as black is the typical colour of an antagonist but also because the colour black connotes evil and darkness. He then had a knife in his hand which was his murder weapon for the film but throughout the film other props/weapons would have been used.

Film Titles

Film Titles From Trailer (The Disturbed)

This image is the title of our film and the production credits. It is a screenshot from our trailer as it appears at the end. The credits shows the audience what each member of the group did-and shows that the work was shared between them. We are very proud of this as it shows that all of our teamwork and hard-work has all eventually paid off

Film Magazine

Film magazine (The Disturbed)





This is our film magazine. It follows the typical features of a horror magazine and uses the typical format of a black background with red coloured text. The images each represent different films and features in the magazines-with two of the pictures being created by ourselves (the middle picture and the top right picture). The image in the middle was taken in the woods and then edited in Photoshop to create a more sinister look. The whole poster was edited in Photoshop with the help of tutorials and teamwork.

Film Poster

Questionnaire

Horror Questionnaire

1) Do you enjoy watching horror films?

• Yes
• No

2) How often do you watch horror films?

• Once a week
• Once a month
• Once a year
• Never

3) What setting would you associate with a horror film?

• Abandoned house
• Woods
• Hospital
• Own home

4) Do you prefer a mix of gender in the film or only one gender involved?

• Yes, I prefer a mix of males and Females
• No, I prefer one gender

5) What props do you expect to see in a horror film?

• A knife
• A noose
• A gun
• Rags with blood and other.
• A hammer
• Blunt object

6) What do you want the ending to be?

• Boy and Girl survive
• Girl lives as boy sacrifices himself
• Killer wins
• Twist

Consideration of representation and stereotyping

Consideration of representation and stereotyping

The usual stereotypes of a villain are male, sinister, mysterious, unknown identity, dangerous and powerful. In our film the villain will be mysterious and he will have an unknown identity. This means that the audience will feel eerie and it will put them on edge because they will not know who the killer is which creates even more suspense.  We will also represent the villain as sinister as the victims will not expect anything to happen to them. This, again, is conforming to the stereotype of villains being dangerous and mysterious.

The female victim is conforming to the stereotype as women being weak and vulnerable. This is because she has no idea what is about to happen, it could represent her as quite ditsy and unaware. This then conforms to the stereotype of women being much more vulnerable and perhaps a bit clueless. We have not subverted the stereotype of women in any way as we have only conformed to the stereotype. We have not subverted the stereotype because in our trailer we needed to get straight to the point and allow the audience to understand and make a judgement as to who the victims are in the film. The point in this is it keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as they may try and guess what will happen. We have left an element of surprise because we are not showing whether all of the victims get murdered, we only show a few scenes in which two of the characters have come into contact with the murderer. This is so the audience will have something to continue watching it for- they will want to know who dies and who the murderer is.  However, we have two victims, one being a girl and the other being a boy. The boy victim is conforming to the stereotype of a victim but is also subverting the stereotype of a boy being strong and powerful. The boy is conforming to the stereotype of a victim because he was unaware of the events that were about to take place which shows he is very vulnerable and also perhaps a bit ditsy because he hasn't even realised that he is being watched by the murderer. However he is subverting the stereotype of boys being strong and powerful because he is the victim in all this and even though he had no idea that he was going to be murdered he could of perhaps tried to fight off the murderer.

Camera angles, sound, editing and mise en scene

Camera angles:
The main camera angles that we are using for our film are high, low angle and tracking shot. We are using high angle regularly on the victims as it shows that they are small and unable to control the situation they are in. The low angle shot will be used on the villain because it shows that they are dominant in what ever situation they are in and that they can control others. We use the tracking shot so that the trailer can run through at a fast pace so the audience don't become bored or find it uninteresting. Other angles that we will use are mid shot, two shot, birds eye shot and over the shoulder shot.
Sound:
The same type of sound will be used through out the trailer. When there is fast paced action then the sound will speed up and become louder so that it links in with the footage. If there are scenes where character are creeping around corners or around a building, then the sound will be slowed down to nearly silence.
Editing: in our film "psycho" we used a variety of very effective titles and editing processes;with the main one being our innovative production titles which are seen at the beginning of our film trailer.the audience will see the effective sinister fade in fade out effect which automatically tells the audience that they are watching a horror.we edited the main titles and trailer using adobe premiere elements 10 and its array of sinister effects and processes.
Mise en scene:
The villain will wear dark clothes, mainly black so that the audience don't have any idea who the villain is and what they look like. The other characters will wear there day to day clothes e,.g. casual as it is a normal day for them until the villain arrives.

Time Management- Disturbed

Time Management-Disturbed

The table below shows the schedule for our upcoming trailer of our new film called "Psycho". We filmed in various locations, including Ashtead, Leatherhead and Fetcham. This gives the audience a sense of realism as it is set all over instead of just one location. Each individual had a role in the planning but when it came to creating the trailer we all shared the roles with helping in the filming and editing to give us a better understanding and experience of the production.

The mise-en-scene, such as the clothing, was chosen specifically to get a certain reaction from the audience so they understand who the main protagonist is and who the extras are too. The black clothing of the main antagonist (Ryan Eastman) shows he is the murderer of the film and is the evil within the home of our main Protagonist. 

The lighting of our film is quite light as it is in a house but is dark at times, especially in the woods, which adds to the Horror aspect. 

We used many shots, including high angle shots and close ups, to show the vulnerability of the characters and enhance the situation they have found themselves in.