Trailer Conventions

Common horror trailer conventions:-

• Short, Snappy shots
• Scenes are all over the place- not in narrative order
• Voiceover/subtitles/ narrator
• About 70+ shots
• Music- loud, strong base; creates atmosphere and reflects the genre
• Doesnt give away the storyline
• No beginning, middle or end
• Name and introduction to production company
• Title and release date, at the end so it stays in mind longer
• Reviews and star rating
• Promotes the director
• Text on screen- revealing the aspects of the narrative
• About 2-3 mins, Teaser Trailer 1-2 mins
• 'best bits' of the film used
• Conversations consist of one line each

Theory/Model

Desensitisation:-
This theory suggests that the audience's attitudes to violence can be affected by having been exposed to too much violence on screen.
Exposure too too much fictional violence is argued to amount the audience being 'desentisitised' to real life violence.

Strengths:-
It draws attention to the sheer volume of violence onscreen and raises questions about the degree of exposure audiences should have to violent and aggressive images.

Weaknesses:-
It is extremely difficult to prove how attitudes may have been affected by the single stimulus of medi. There may be many other variables involved.

BBFC Guidelines

U:- No discriminatory language or behaviour unless clearly approved of.

No reference to illegal drugs or drug misuse, unless they are infrequent or there is a clear educational purpose, Scary sequences should be mild. Very mild bad language and nudity, sex and violence.



PG:- General viewing, but some scenes maybe unsuitable for young children.



12:- Suitable for 12 years and over, Occasional gory moments

12A:- An adult must accompany the child



15:- Suitable for 15 years and over, No one younger may see a '15' rated film in the cinema, There may be frequent use of strong language, nudity may be allowed.



18:- Suitable only for adults, No one younger than 18 may see an '18' film, Age of 18 adults should be free to chose their own entertainment.

Moral Panic

What is moral panic?
Horror films are often the centre of moral panic
Cohen (1972) argues that a moral panic is when the media amplifies an event to refer to its consequences to much wider social issues.
Moral panic is essentially a 'crusade' against behaviour or is perceieved negative developments in society.

Papers that run moral panic;-
News Of The World
The Daily Mail
Daily Express

How and Why do they work?
It works by raising the alarm and awareness in people by suggesting the event or incident is responsible of a decline in standards or values. That society is becoming more dangerous and permissive.
Suggests morality today is as strong as in ' Golden Age'
Used by politicians and Campaigners


Moral panic has created changes in the law including the 1984 Video Recording Act that gave the BBFC power to classify videos and an amendment to the Crimal Justice and Public Order Bill, insisted the BBFC took issues of 'harm' on board when classifying films.

Representations Of Women

These are the representations of women in horror films;-

In a lower position to men:- men are dominant and submissive
Sacrificed for good
Blonde- victim is too stupid to survive
Brunette- Survive? more practical
Fragile
Needs mans strength

Known & Unknown

Known
Life
Human normality
The everyday
Normal sexuality
Normal pyshical behaviour
Health
Culture

Unknown
The supernatural
Death
Abnormal sexuality
Social disorder
Disease
The unconscious self
Nature

Brief

For our final A2 Media We have to Create;-

A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of following three options:

• a website homepage for a new film
• a film magazine front cover, featuring the film
• a poster for the film

What Is Horror?

Horror Films are unsettling movies that strive to show the emotions of fear, disgust and horror from viewers. There mian objective is usually to startle and shock the viewer through the supernaturnal. It often overlaps with the thriller genre.
Horror films deal with the viewers nightmares, hidden worst fears and terror of the unknow. They include supernatural such as ghosts and demons, serial killers, disease/virus, torture, gore, haunted houses.

Mulvey's Theory

What is "the gaze" exactly? --
describes the act of looking; began as the study of the objectification of women in visual texts.
How does it impact women in particular?
What are some of the issues involved in discussing "the gaze"?
the objectification of women-- seen as objects
the commonalaity of female nudity -- display implies subordination
internalization of the gaze, changes women's perceptions of themselves and makes them think of themselves as objects
shift to objectification as a source of pleasure (for both the looker and the looked-at)
men as the dominant group have been the looker (the subjects; women the objects)
ties back to another aspect of teh feminist critique of Freud-- the degree to which Freudian theory iis based on visual dynamics

Propp's Theory

Propp analysed 100 folk and fairytales to identify how characters are used to move the narative foward.

His theory includes the following:

1) a hero

2) a villain

3) the donor

4) the dispatcher

5) the false hero

6) the helper

7) the princess

8) her father



These are the main points that he bases his theory on. This theory is true to an extent, however I do not think that it is usually seen applied to horror films. These are mostly related to fairytales and not applicable to the horror genre.

Final Girl Theory

The final girl theory refers to the last girl that is left alive of the film, that confronts the killer. This theory is applied in many films such as Scream, Halloween, A Nightmare in Elm Street and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This is the theory of Carol J. Clover, who believes this theory to be true in most horror films.
The final girl is a virginal and pure character, who does not have a boyfriend, does not do drugs, or does not drink. She is a brunette, is clever and therefore posesses characterstics to survive. She also is manly and androgynous and has a unisex name. Examples of names used in films for the final girls are ' Laurie and Sidney.' The final girl is also not scared to defend herself and is extremely brave.

Scream Opening

The opening scene of Scream is a parody of the horror films that have been made over time. It includes all aspects that are commonly used in horror films and uses them to create its own special opening. The film follows the rules:

1- you will not survive if you have sex

2- you will not survive if you drink or do drugs

3- you will not survive if you say 'I'll be right back'

4- Everyones a suspect

5- You will not survive if you ask 'who's there'

6- You will not survive if you go out to inverstigate a strange noise.

The Famous Shower Scene From "Psycho"

Famous Shower Scene From Pyscho

This is the famous shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock's Pyscho. This scene left many too scared to go into showers alone and turned into being one of the most memorable scenes in horror history. It is considered the most 'stunning and horrifying' scenes of all times and is the film that lets Pyscho in being included in the top-phobia including films list. The entire film is shot in black and white, despite the option of colour being available. The blood that is shown during the scene, is actually chocolate syrup, but due to the use of black and white, creates the blood effect.

Horror Films

Over the past few weeks, I have been watching horror films in order to expand my knowledge on horror films. Before my media coursework, I wasnt really into horror films, therefore have not watched many, and the couple that I had watched I did not really think about why the films how they are. However now the films that I watch make me interpret the films differently, and have made me more aware of why the films are made in such a way. I consider the camera angles, editing and the theories and try to understand why they have been used. In media lessons the films that I have watched are:

Nosferatu (1922)
The Faculty (1998)
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Bramstoker's Dracula (1992)
Pyscho (1960)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Halloween (1978)
Carrie (1976)
Scream (1996)