Evaluation 1

Evaluation 1

• 1.
  IN WHAT WAYSDOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
• 2.
  When watching filmsor observing texts in the horror genre, audiences will have ‘definite expectations’ of the type of features that they expect to see from their prior experiences with the genre, as outlined by the theorist Robert Warshaw. All the time, they will pick up clues and signals that will enable them to have a basic understanding of what will happen next within the film, and it is these codes and conventions that allow these audiences to feel a sense of satisfaction when their expectations are met – almost making them feel as though they are part of the narrative themselves. However, this satisfaction has the potential to be short-lived and often conflicted, as viewers will become accustomed to these codes and conventions and will therefore tire of the same recurring features in each and every horror film. Despite the existence of many subgenres within the horror genre – which attempt to counteract the formulaic narratives driven by codes and conventions through their own unique and distinctive styles – it is necessary for many filmmakers to challenge these codes and conventions to a certain extent. Ultimately, it can be said that an effective horror film will be able to maintain a balance between satisfying an audiences definite expectations and presenting them with something innovative enough to captivate them, and ensure that they are spending every moment on the edge of their seat. An effective horror film will also utilise the specific styles, themes and conventions associated with whatever subgenre it is allocated to, and will cater specifically to the target audience who are most likely to engage with this subgenre. Generally, this is what I have attempted to achieve throughout the entirety of my promotional package. THEBASEMENT Initially,atthe beginningof pre- production,Iwasdeterminedtomake ‘The Basement’arelativelyformulaic supernatural horror,firmlyrootedwithin itssubgenre andwitha greateremphasis on the complexitiesof itscharactersthan the scares themselves.Originally,‘The Basement’couldbe surmisedasatypical haunted-house story,whereacouple buy an oldabandonedmanorand are plagued by a seriesof hauntingsthatendintheir demise andthe revelationof the one, true evil entity.Thisformulaicand predictable approach,of course,would have beenreflectedinthe compositionof the ancillarytextsandtrailer,which wouldhave drawnmore heavilyon existingmediatextsforinspirationin fulfillingcodesandconventions. However,afterfamiliarisingmyselfwith the codesand conventionsof supernatural horrorfilmsinthe research and planningstages,Ibegantotire of the same featuresrepeatingthemselves across eachand everymediatext. Consequently,mydesire tocreate ‘The Basement’asa conventional,character- drivenfilmwasdiminishedand,asa result,Istartedwatchinghorror filmsin my owntime andat myown leisure. I associatedmyself withhorrorsthat have beenviewedascriticallyacclaimed and/orcontroversial,suchasthe Argentoclassic‘Suspiria’andJennifer Kent’srecentdebut‘The Babadook’.In filmssuchas these,Iwasable to identifyhow codesandconventions were challenged,andhow thiswasa keycontributortowardstheirenduring successand abilitytoscare.In addition to this,itwas alsoapparentthat these filmswere able toreflecttheir individualitythroughtheirpromotional packages(trailer,advertising,posters etc),and thisabilitytobe creative enticedme togo againstmy previous ideasregarding‘The Basement’and create somethinguniquewhile remainingidentifiabletothe target audience.Inordertoachieve this, however,itwasessentialtounderstand the conventionsof the filmthatwould be altered,andthe conventionsof the filmthatwouldbe abidedby,andhowI woulddisplaythisthroughthe promotional package.
• 3.
  LIST OF CONVENTIONS(TRAILER) 1. The main threat/entity remains masked or hidden throughout most of the trailer – ‘the final revelation’ 2. The protagonist is a strong figure who rises above the other characters to make it to the very end. 3. Main characters introduced as having some form of personal conflict that will affect them later. 4. Jump scares and anti-scares used in abundance. 5. The setting for the film is isolated and away from civilisation. 6. There is an outside helper who offers advice, consolation, or serves to reinforce/dissuade the protagonist’s beliefs. 7. Establishing shots are used and voiceovers give an insight into the narrative. 8. A montage of clips is shown towards the climax of the trailer. 9. The non-diegetic soundtrack soundtrack builds in intensity and volume throughout. 10.Straps, production studio, and release date information. http://youtu.be/VKfE5NrE7K8
• 4.
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• 5.
  In regards tothe other codes and conventions of horror film trailers, ‘The Basement’ also abides by the common convention of keeping the main threat/entity hidden until the end of the trailer, where it offers only a glimpse of the horror to come. Almost every supernatural horror trailer uses this convention and, for ‘The Basement’, the satanic implications of the final shot are used to create a lasting impression, one that audiences will immediately think of whenever they are confronted with phrases related to ‘the basement’. Furthermore, in the substantial number of trailers that I watched, I felt that although this convention was utilised consistently, it was not effective for the vast majority of the time and failed to leave a lasting impression. Often, this was a consequence of insufficient build-up, a lack of change in the non-diegetic soundtrack (to signify the importance of the antagonist) or the shot itself being too short in duration. The excerpts from the final shots of three different trailers shown below exemplify this – in terms of their imagery, they are substandard and do not appreciate that the final shot is the most likely to remain in the viewers’ memory, as is shown in their basic subject matter. Each of these shots are also burdened by the aforementioned issues regarding pacing, sound and immediacy. SINISTER (2012): Effective as a jumpscarebut over too quickly to leave an effect. Undersells strong narrativeand interestingthemes of film. THE OMEN (2006): Central character whispering ‘Don’t let himkill me’. Expected, unoriginal, onlyslightlyunsettling. Expects audience to know who‘he’ is without introducing himor showing anyactionshots of him committingthese horrors. The Grudge (2003): Unique idea displaced by the fact that the shot is over-litand finishes too soon.No change in soundtrack either. Consequently, although I was determined that this convention would be upheld, I decided to ensure that it fixed the major flaws of the many trailers that had used it ineffectively. I developed this convention of ‘the final revelation’ of the trailer firstly by introducing a noticeable shift in the non-diegetic soundtrack, bridging the sound of white noise into a faded old children’s song that was briefly used at the start of the trailer. Not only does this indicate to the audience that the primary threat is about to be shown, but it also allows them to associate this threat with the doll’s house and real-life Cumberwell manor – generating a greater sense of intrigue by insinuating that it is linked to everything they have just witnessed. The contrapuntal sound here (http://youtu.be/klwUGSScs0s) is another conventional sound feature in horror trailers, and was heavily inspired by Insidious 2’s use of ‘Through the Tulips’ in its effective, terrifying trailer (http://youtu.be/_eQQKVKjifQ). However, in order to expand upon this conventional feature and create something truly memorable, the shot depicting the devil rising up is held for around 12 seconds, forcing the audience not to look away. This lengthy duration, coupled with the ominous soundtrack, build-up and use of profile lighting, ensures that the audience will have the image burned on to their retinas long after the end of the trailer, with the lack of any explanatory narrative generating a sense of intrigue that will prompt them to find out more about the film. Ultimately, therefore, it can be said that I have developed upon this convention that I have viewed as ineffective in other trailers in order to twist the expectations of a typical jumpscare or quick shot that would usually conclude a horror film trailer. By using typical horror- based imagery, colours, and sounds to support this, the audience are likely to know that their expectations are being met but also being expanded upon, enticing them to actively indulge in deconstructing the meaning of each shot with ease in order to assume the narrative.
• 6.
  However,continuedwatchingof trailersforfilmssuchas‘Fridaythe 13th ’,‘Mama’,and ‘The Amityville Horror’ eventuallyforcedme tomove awayfromthe conventional directionthatthe projectappeared to be headingin.The consistentreliance oncodesandconventionsinthese trailersmerelymade them feel asthoughtheywere all extensionsof eachother,losingtheirownidentityinthe process,andthis lessenedtheireffectivenesssubstantially. Consequently,Iwantedmyowntrailertostandout fromthe restwhile maintainingthe rightbalance of conventional attributessothatmytargetaudience wouldbe able to recognise andenjoyit – thusapplyingthe ‘repetitionanddifference’techniqueto‘The Basement’whichwillsatisfysomeof the audiences‘definite expectations’andchallenge others.Inorder to formulate anappropriate methodof challengingconventions –anddecidingwhichonestochallenge inthe firstplace – I reflecteduponthe shortfilmsof Youtube animatorssuchasDavidFirthand Sam Barnett,primarily‘CrookedRot’,the videoshownabove.Althoughthese are neithertrailersnorfeature- lengthfilms,the attentiontodetail demandedof the stop-motionformwasa keyinspirationinenabling me to decide howIwouldchallenge the conventionsof atypical horror filmtrailer.Indeed,the obsessionwithfigurinesandthe manipulationof miniature objectsishugelyapparentinthe trailerfor ‘The Basement’,where theyare usedasthe main indicatorsof the plot.
• 7.
  Another inspiration forthe direction of my trailer was the trailer for ‘The Woman In Black’. https://youtu.be/7lReemWmO5o This challenged most of the conventions associated with typical horror film trailers by forsaking narrative for atmosphere – the audience are left guessing as to the plot ofthe film, trying to deduce the meaning from the shots alone, and this prompts them to pay deeper attention to them. Furthermore, it fails to include any jump scares (until the final shot), allowing for the trailer to play out like a story within itself and gradually intensify in terms of pacing, sound and levels of disturbing content. This makes it significantly more effective and bold than other trailers of its ilk and directly inspired ‘The Basement’s’ lack ofnarrative structure and focus on non-diegetic sound. Much like ‘The Woman in Black’ successfully achieves, I wanted ‘The Basement’ to be focused on atmosphere, and this had the effect of drawing attention away from the typical character introductions and putting the emphasis on a slowly- building series of scares. Subsequently, the trailer is unconventional as it doesn’t place specific emphasis on the setting as a whole or the personalities ofits characters, and this is done in order to reflect the basic premise ofthe film – they are irrelevant in the face of the omniscient power of the devil. Indeed, I wanted to create the impression that the devil was not just controlling the characters in the trailer – as shown by the deliberate manipulation of the dolls’ bodies and the theme of voodoo running throughout – but also that it was controlling the audience’s perception of what they are seeing, twisting and challenging the conventions that they expect to see. To do this, the usual structure of most horror film trailers had to be disregarded, while also maintaining enough powerful imagery, sounds and occurrences to ensure that the audience still remained secure in their acknowledgement of ‘The Basement’ as a supernatural horror film. Moreover, the decision to portray the two protagonists of Joel and Kerrie as weak and helpless stemmed from both the results of a target audience questionnaire – where 19 of 25 listed their least favourite convention as the one character who makes it to the end – and the desire to avoid certain scenarios that consistently recur in supernatural horror films. These scenarios consist of humans triumphing over the power of supernatural forces, such as in Insidious, when a father rescues his son from a demon in the astral realm. By contrast, although the characters of Joel and Kerrie are strong in their personalities and willpower, it seems more fitting and viable that they should not be shown as having any chance of defeating the forces ofeternal evil that present themselves in ‘The Basement’. It is these forces that will form the basis of the film’s plot and, as opposed to the equilibrium at the end of most horror films, it is these forces that will showthe insignificance of humanity in the face of the unknown in the ending of ‘The Basement’. Ultimately, this will serve to truly terrify the audience, and it is therefore imperative that this bleak and horrifying tone is replicated in the trailer, albeit at the cost of several conventions that would otherwise detract from the individuality of the film.
• 8.
  LIST OF CODESAND CONVENTIONS POSTER FRONT COVER 1. Production info 1. Masthead 2. Masthead/title 2. FAPs 3. Tagline 3. Sell lines 4. Main image takes 4. Skyline up whole frame 5. Main image 5. Horror-based 6. Tagline imagery 7. Barcode/date 8. Horror imagery
• 10.
  As I decidedto alter and challenge so many of the conventions associated with the trailer, it was necessary for me to show continuity in regards to ‘The Basements’ core themes/style while also using conventions to greater effect with the poster and front cover. Also, with these two particular forms of media, there is less potential to challenge conventions as they are still images and must therefore apply themselves to the conventions of their form in order to be recognised within the genre. Firstly,intermsof the two posters,itisclearto see how the conventionsof atypical posterin the genre were met.Withthe teaserposter,the overall aestheticwasdeliberatelycreatedin orderto lookas minimalisticas possible–and thismeantremovingthe conventional text featuresthatdetractfrom the image.Thisisbecause Iwantedto make a powerful,bold posterthat couldbe pairedwiththe official posterinorderto show a progressionof horror – while the teaserpostermerelyhintsatthe genre throughthe profile lightingandhintof horns inthe shadow,the official posterbuildsuponthisbyshowingthe mainfigure morphinginto thisbeastwhile handsreachoutand grasp at him. In orderto create thisidea of continuity,it was necessarytosacrifice certainconventionsinthe firstposterandshow themsurfacingin the secondwithoutnoticeablychangingthe style orcontentof the imagery.Indeed,this wouldbe substantiallymore effective if the teaserposterwasreleasedtothe general public before anyotheraspectsof the promotional package,aswhenthe official posterisreleased, audienceswouldinstantlybe able tomake comparisonsbetweenthisandthe teaserposter due to the unique contentof the image.This,inturn,will entrenchtheirknowledgeof the premise of the film,andwill subsequentlymeanthattheyare more likelytowanttofindout more about it– which,of course,will be possible,withthe addedtextualconventionsof the official poster.Theseposterconventionsthatinvolvethe inclusionof textontothe image, such as the tagline andproductioninformation,dooftendetractfromthe boldnessand‘stark’ qualityof the image itself,anditisforthisreasonthat the teaserposter (whichwill be the firstpiece of promotional mediathatthe targetaudience sees) isabsentof suchfeatures. Many mediapractitionershave usedthistechniqueinregardstopromotingtheirownfilms, and several prominentexamplesof thiscanbe foundinthe horror genre.Duringthe introductorystagesof the researchand planning,thisparticularexample servedtoinspire my decisiontocreate twopostersinsuch a fashionthattheybuilduponeachother.
• 11.
  Here, the ideaof gradually emerging conventions is used to great effect. The left-hand image (the teaser poster) fits much more into the frame due to the increased space caused by the lack of textual conventions. Although a tagline is used here, it is comparatively shorter than the one in the official poster, which builds upon the abstract premise of the teaser poster by creating a lengthy introduction to the film. Due to the effectiveness of the two posters as a pairing, I decided to use a similar promotional technique – the first poster is bold, eye- catching, and ambiguous, and the official one (released at a later date) partially answers some of the questions audiences would have asked themselves after seeing the teaser. It does this through fulfilling all of the typical conventions while remaining true to the underlying element of mystery that individualises ‘The Basement’ – and this is shown in the brief but memorable tagline of ‘Don’t look’. Furthermore, concerning the content of the main image, this idea of development across the two posters abides by the conventions of the genre as well as establishing an insight into the narrative. Audiences will immediately be able to recognise ‘The Basement’ as a horror film by the use of profile lighting, blood-like substances (on the walls), and the implications of paranormal activity (the grasping hands and horns of the shadow). These are conventional images associated with the supernatural subgenre, and the use of a simplistic blue and black colour scheme serves to enforce this. Moving on to the front cover, codes and conventions are mainly met - again due to the limitations of the formand the necessity for audiences to recognise it for what it is. The main inspiration for the ‘Overlook’ front coverstems from the amateur horror magazine ‘Fangoria’, and in particular, the one with the ‘Under the Skin’ feature on the front (shown on the side here). Unlike the more established magazine brands, such as Total Filmand Empire, the appeal of Fangoria was its thorough dedication to the genre of horror, reflected in its in-depth mode of address, explicitimagery, and red, black and yellow colour scheme. However, I felt that the deliberately amateurish layout of Fangoria front covers would not be sufficient in reflecting the sophisticated nature of the horror films that Overlook would represent, and therefore structured the layout of the front cover in a way more akin to magazines like Empire. By diversifying in terms of my influences, a more unique identity can be created for Overlook magazine, one I feel was reflected successfully in the completed product. Applying the ‘typical’ codes and conventions to the front cover, while retaining a distinctivevisual style that could only signify the horror genre, allows audiences to view Overlook as a worthy companion piece to the other areas of my promotional package and a strong contender in the genre- specific field of filmmagazines. The combination of explicit imagery and a general white, black and grey colour scheme immediately allows the audience to recognise that this is a horror-
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  specific magazine –and if this is their preferred genre, they will automatically take an interest. Unlike Fangoria, Overlook does not cater for the diehard horror fan and instead aims for those who are well familiar with the genre, but do not necessarily need to know about it in great depth. The masthead of ‘Overlook’ – which refers to both the famous hotel in ‘The Shining’ and how the magazine is an overlook of the genre as a whole – consolidates this. In the main image, a face is seen pushing through a wall, or some form of material, and this idea of the threat being masked also abides by the conventions of a typical horror image. Moreover, the fact that the threat is partially hidden will entice viewers to flick through the magazine and/or purchase it, in the hope of having the opportunity to ‘unmask’ the mystery themselves. FAPs, or feature article photographs, are used scarcely, but prominently, in a strip at the bottom of the front cover, imitating the style of Empire magazine and allowing readers to automatically attribute the ‘established’ label on to Overlook, by way of comparison. To retain individuality, the images used are gory and explicit, and an unusually bold/rotten font serves to go against the sophistication associated with the placement of the FAPs and the lack of other visual features on the page. Furthermore, due to this placement, viewers will be able to be more affected by the power of the main image, as it is the only area in which it is covered. Although this lessens the effectiveness of the front cover as a whole, it boosts the chances of audiences being allured by the mystery of ‘The Basement’, and demonstrates how Overlook places more importance on the films it covers than its own success – a fact that may be appreciated by many fans of the genre. `
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  C H A L L E N G I N G C O N V E N T I O N S Although there wasonly so much I was able to change with the poster and front cover, I was keen to create a unique visual experience for each piece, and doing this meant that certain conventions had to be challenged/altered to a certain extent. For both posters and the front cover, I was keen for the image to be different to the generic horror posters of the modern era, which are usually shrouded in black and depict extreme close -ups of distortions or glimpses of evil. They nearly always show the protagonist and antagonist, battling in some way or another, and tend to all merge into one forgettable string of uninspiredimages, as seen in the extremely similar posters below. Consequently, I decided to deviate from the norm of a standard close -up shot enveloped in darkness,and instead opted for a wide-angle long shot where both the protagonist and antagonist appear to be one and the same, as opposed to being in conflict with each other. Although this did not deviate from using the conventional imagery of horror film posters, it did mean that I had to adjust the layout in a relatively unused way, whereupon the production information and film title were at the top ofthe frame instead of the bottom. This, I feel, was a necessary step; I did attempt to structure the poster conventionally but, as shown below, this obscured the actor and detracted from the visual power of the main image. Although it was framed by darkness, the dark areas covered much less space than the average horror film poster, only allowing for space on the upper third of the poster. This is because I did not want to superimpose darknessupon the image, which was attempted in the poster above and detracted from how natural the original looked – as all the images were taken myself, and limited to only basic editing, the event taking place in the image appears to be naturally occurring, which reflects howthe devil is an unstoppable part of nature in the narrative. It also makes the image more striking.
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  In regards tothe front cover, there were several conventionsthat were directly challenged in order to create a unique identity for the magazine. One of the most prominent examples of this was the decision to place the masthead vertically, in relation to the image. This was directly inspired by the aforementioned‘Underthe Skin’ feature on Fangoria, where they placed their masthead similarly for a one-off edition. I felt that this edition captured the individuality of the film being covered more effectively than previous editions, and it is this that inspired me to shape the front cover around the identityof the featuredfilm, as opposed to the other way around. Ultimately, this allowed for a more visceral experience, one that was comparable to what I was trying to achieve with the poster. The unconventional placement of the masthead also meant that other layout features had to either be neglected or moved, with the film title and anchorage text being moved to the top of the frame as opposed to the conventional right hand third, and also meant that puffs and sell lines could not be used. This, I feel, was a good decision, as an abundance of these often draw attention away from the power of horror being displayed in the cover image, making the magazine appear more commercialised and brash. Here, I want the images used to achieve their full potential – explaining the minimal use of textual features – and audiences to recognise Overlook as distinctive and simplistic, in a world driven by magazines offering competitions and subscription discounts as opposed to meaningful content. https://youtu.be/YO_sDQYz5BM The posters shown above, and almost all of the posters for American Horror Story, were my primary inspiration for Overlook magazine’s cover image. Stark contrast and simplistic (if haunting) subject matter, coupled with minimal text, creates an unforgettable image that audiences aren’t likely to forget, and the face pushing through on Overlook may not depict a clear protagonist/antagonist like other magazines, but instead serves to grab the audiences attention immediately. Despite my overall satisfaction with the front cover, I feelas though a tagline could have been used in order to entrench the identity of the magazine, as it is more focused around ‘The Basement’ than the magazine itself. The decision to ignore this convention may potentially make viewers uncertain as to who the magazine is catering to; although the mode of address can be seen in the text available, it is shaped around the identity of each article being promoted, and less around a distinctive style that sets Overlook apart from contemporaries such as Fangoria, which clearly appeals to diehard horror fans in its use of inside jokes, exclamation marks, and detailed, specific information.