The presentations that we created last time were not up to the standard that our teacher was happy with, and so she gave us a guide on how to make perfect presentations and how to present that in a good way. Using this feedback, we created new presentations that featured examples of horror trailers and whether or not our trailer will conform or subvert the codes and conventions from the last presentation we made. There were six slides to this presentation including a title page once again.
On the second slide, I made a bullet point list of the typical conventions within a trailer just to recap, and then used this bullet points to explain around when presenting instead of just reading off the slide like last time. These bullet points were as follows:
Dim lighting
Music
Voice over
Content
I explained once again how there is usually little or no lighting within a horror trailer as it adds to the fear of the unknown, how there is no music in modern trailers but eerie quiet music in the old ones, how there is usually no voice over in modern trailers but in the old ones there was usually a deep-pitched man speaking to act like the villain, and how the trailer never gives anything away but only showing the build up to important scenes and then cutting the actual action.
The next slide is where the examples began. My first example was The Saw Series. I placed a link to the trailer for the first Saw film which is also accessible here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1lgXhFbXy4 Embedding the link within my presentation meant that the class could watch it and then understand why I used it as an example and the different elements it has. I then bullet pointed the key features of the trailer that were conventional, which were that it had dim lighting, little content, no music and no voice over. I talked around these points to give the class true detail, such as the reasons why these conventions were kept and what effect they give.
The second example on slide three was of The Nightmare on Elm Street Series, the trailer to the 2010 version of the first film being here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SulpWn6Glk&feature=related I bullet pointed similar conventions such as the dim lighting, little content and no voice over but there was also a new element to this trailer - a chilling child-song. This famous song sung by small children is conventional of older trailers from around the same era as the original Nightmare on Elm Street film. It's the typical eerie and quiet music, only expressed as a nursery rhyme to create a more spine-tingling atmosphere, and is quite original and unique, as if the creators of this film trailer may have subverted to the conventions of trailers at that time.
The third example I used was Texas Chainsaw Massacre, linked up here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mra_Z3cpGCM I noted with this trailer that as well as the typical dim lighting and lack of voice over, it also has very dramatic music throughout which gives the audience a sense that there will be a lot of action in this film. The trailer also contrasts from beginning to end - at the start, there are a few happy young people laughing and enjoying themselves on a drive. At the end, they're bloody and terrified of something that's coming after them. This shows the audience how realistic it could be, that even when it's sunny and everyone's having fun, danger can attack from anywhere. This would scare the audience more than the conventional ways would, as it means that they're never safe.
Our final slide pin pointed how our trailer will mostly conform to the codes and conventions of horror trailers, as we will have dim lighting, eerie music called "The Sound of Silence" that eventually gets heavier, no voice over and the stereotypical male villain and female victim. The only way in which our trailer subverts conventions is that in horror trailers - in fact, in any genre of trailer - it usually shows the best bits of the film in a short compilation. Our trailer, however, will be one long sequence of an entire scene, with bits of it cut out so as not to spoil the action of the film.
In today's lesson we also learnt about representation, narrative and Todorov's theory.
Representation
This is how characters and ideas are put across in media. Using our idea for our A2 horror film trailer product, we created a mind map about representation:
Identification of Characters: magician is a psychopath, insane, put across by how he acts and what he does. The girl is the victim and is vulnerable, so her clothes will be torn and face dirty, tears on face constantly.
Representational Concepts: gender is stereotypically used within our film trailer; a dark, domineering, powerful man attacking a vulnerable, young, beautiful girl. This links into Stereotypical Representations.
Elements: the magician has a vacant yet focussed facial expression and looks directly at what he desires, e.g. the girl. He wears formal, conventional magicians clothing e.g. a suit, top hat and cane. He will act ecstatic and creepy. The girl has a terrified facial expression throughout and her eyes flutter about glancing around. She wears torn casual clothes. She will scream and act scared and worried.
Other Representations: the setting will be a long dark corridor, and a dusty dark room. The location will be an abandoned looking area, isolated and deathly.
Conform/Subvert?: We do conform to the idea of a magician in a suit and top hat, and the to girl having torn clothes and a dirty bloody face, and their gender roles in the film. This is all very conventional of typical horror films, therefore nothing has been subverted.
Narrative
This is the way in which the trailer has been structured and the storyline behind it. We once again used our idea for our A2 horror film trailer product to create another mind map.
Narrative Structure: a crazy magician kills girls whilst searching for the perfect glamorous assistant.
Narrative Techniques: mystery - you don't see much of the antagonist. Lingering shots that build tension for the audience.
Establishment: we have an antagonist and a back story to go with him, lot's of vulnerable female victims and conventional settings such as dark nights and rainy weather.
Adhere/subvert: we do adhere to the narrative conventions of horror/slasher trailers.
Todorov's Theory
Todorov said that all stories you come across have the same five stages which are equilibrium, disruption, recognition of disruption, attempt to repair disruption and reinstatement of equilibrium. In more detail:
Equilibrium: setting is established, key characters are introduced, storyline is set up.
Disruption: oppositional character(s) appear and the story takes particular direction.
Recognition of disruption: lives of characters and events interweave, tension builds (often longest section)
Attempt to repair disruption: highest point of tension - change in dynamic after this
Reinstatement of equilibrium: matters are sorted out, problems are solved, questions answered.
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