Harrison Epps - Personal Research
Activity One
Activity Two
Activity Three
Film Title: The Conjuring
Year Of Release: 2013
Director: James Wan
URL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=k10et241950
Shots Of Victims: 16
Shots Of Aggressor: 2
Graphic Content: n/a
Sound Techniques:
- Claps, Foley sound effects
- Laughs, door Slams
- Diegetic Sound
Editing Techniques:
- Quick cuts
- Long takes
Camera Techniques:
- Crabbing shots
- Tracking shots
Location:
- America
- Seems to be a farm type house with a large plot of land
Film Title: Poltergeist
Year Of Release: 1982
Director: Steven Spielberg
URL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd25zprvzfm
Shots Of Victims: 20
Shots Of Aggressor: n/a
Graphic Content: n/a
Sound Techniques:
- Screaming
- Narrator over cuts and between takes
- Bangs and crashes for explosions
- Foley sounds
Editing Techniques:
- Quick cuts
- Explosions
Camera Techniques:
- Crabbing shots
- Canted Shots
Location:
- Suburban house hold
Film Title: 28 Days Later
Year Of Release: 2002
Director: Danny Boyle
URL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7yhwagqidq
Shots Of Victims: 24
Shots Of Aggressor: 21
Graphic Content: Blood, zombies biting each other
Sound Techniques:
- Adrenaline style music (fast paced)
- Explosions
- Foley Sound
Editing Techniques:
- Slow Motion
- Quick Cuts
- Longer takes
- Panning
Camera Techniques:
- Crabbing shots
- Tracking Shots
- Canted Shots
Location:
- Starts in the city of London
- then moves towards more of a country side type view
Film Title: Goodnight Mommy
Year Of Release: 2015
Director: Severin Fiala / Veronika Franz
URL: www.youtube.com/watch?=epxuwotncey
Shots Of Victims: 29 (had to assume who the victims were as it was hard to tell)
Shots Of Aggressor: 19
Graphic Content: n/a
Sound Techniques:
- Ambient Sounds
- Foley Sounds
Editing Techniques:
- Quick Cuts
- Long takes
- Lots of shots edited together in one part, really faced paced
Camera Techniques:
- Crabbing Shots
- Tracking Shots
- Canted Shots
- Establishing Shot
Location:
- Seems to be a foreign household in the countryside
Activity Five
Trailer Analysis - Paranormal Activity The Ghost DImension
Props: They have a lot of VHS Tapes which ties into the main story (how they find the tapes and as they’re looking at the tapes from years ago they interact with the present and strange happenings occur). They also have a video camera type thing which is also the main prop of the whole movie as a good majority or the film is through the lens of this old fashioned camera. The camera is how the characters see the paranormal happenings which are a big part to play in these types of films.
Lighting: The majority of the film is at night, during the day the atmosphere changed drastically as they go about their normal lives and seem to be reasonably happy however during the night they go around and investigate what is causing all this and you can tell that something will happen due to the amount of suspense built with the use of the dim lighting and the sound.
Costume: The costumes used within this trailer are pretty generic and normal, nothing is out of the ordinary and there aren’t really many drastic measures when it comes to the costumes and outfits. The family in this all seem to be wearing rather normal clothes however the daughter in the poster and trailer is seen wearing a night gown for the majority of it and this can connote how bad things have mainly happened to her during the nights.
NVC: NVC or Non Verbal Communication plays a big part as the young girl has numerous blank expressions on her face which can add to the effect of her being this possessed type character. As well as during some nights within the trailer you can see him going around their house whilst looking through the cameras lends and you can tell that the character that’s holding the camera is scared due to the amount the camera is moving around and his breathing.
Setting: The setting takes place in what seems to be a mordern house in america, most of the film is in the living room and some other rooms around the house as well as some takes place in the garden. These don’t sound very scarey but the comination of the dark lighting and music combined with the modern type house adds very well to the effect of the scary film. The house seems mordern however you do get an older feel from it with its large stairs and open plan living room, Towards the end of the trailer and film it tends to be filmed in the daughters bedroom they figure out that she has been possedes of some sort and they try to help her, the daughters bedroom is very generic with flowery esc wallpaper and numerous girls toys dotted around the room and used as props to help set the scene.
Narrative Structure
Looking at this trailer you can apply narrative structure to it, looking at Todorov and how he created the idea of a beginning, middle and end
And in this case you can see that the beginning is the family having a nice time settling into their new house then finding the camera and making use of it around their house and recording what their family are doing throughout the days. The middle would then be them finding the weird videos in the attic as well as the strange sightings that they see through their camera. And then the end would be how they figure out to stop this from happening and then fix this outcome. By looking at how Vladimir Propp implemented the narrative structure the villain in this creates a struggle for the young child as well as the rest of the family. The hero could then be seen as the father and how he is a male which is usually the gender of the hero within the horror genre.
Burtons Genre Theory
Protagonist: The main characters, and they are; the father, the mother and the young child.
Stock Characters: the stock characters would then be the other two adults that are seen at the start of the trailer as they don’t really have a big impact on the film as the other characters and wouldn’t have made much difference if they weren’t in it at all.
Stock situations: During the trailer there aren’t many Stock Situations as the majority of the action seems to take place within their house.
Icons: The main feature that this is could be the camera that they use to find the strange happenings through as well as the videos they find that show the entirety of the strange goings on of the previous family that lived there.
Background and Décor: The main setting is their house that they have just moved in to.
Themes: The theme that seems to be prominent is family and how the mum and dad attempt to save their young daughter.
Use of Enigma
The use of enigma within this trailer could be how when the camera is shown being in use and they see a weird orb thing in the air, this could create questioning as the audience wouldn’t particularly know what it is and then want find out more so that it is explained. At the start of the trailer they find some old VHS tapes and when they watch them the two girls on the screen the girls interact with the two men watching them and in real life that would be physically impossible and that could create some questions. For example; “How are the girls interacting with them if the tape has already been filmed”, “Why are they continuing to watch the tape despite the strange happenings?”, “Why was a camera like that left from the previous tenants?” These questions are then answered throughout the film through different things happening to the family.
Activity Six
Poster analysis - paranormal Activity The Ghost DImension
Denotation
The main feature of these posters is the small shot from the movie that are used and centred in each poster in the majority of each of the posters there seems to be a black shadow behind someone as if they’re looking down onto someone wanting to do something which links in with the genre of film that these comply to. In the main poster above “Paranormal Activity – The Ghost Dimension” there is no shadow however there seems to be a young girl standing on her bed looking into a long tunnel that has seemed to be made just above her bed, the abnormal drawings or hieroglyphics that are around the hole/tunnel seem to make it that much more abnormal.
Props
The use of more childish type toys can suggest the scene of which the film may be based or even where the haunting takes place and with these posters they often include the victim of it either asleep, awake but looking scared or even just standing and then we are unable to see their facial expressions.
Non-verbal communication:
She’s standing awkwardly
facing into the tunnel which can suggest to us that she is not afraid and she in a way wants to enter the tunnel. She as kind of a neutral position and she seems relaxed in a way.
Mise En Scene
Lighting
The image in general is very dim and this can represent the stereotype of a horror film where everything bad normally happens when its dark and the fact it normally seems more scary at night. There is one lamp on and this could represent how maybe it’s not all dark and it also adds to the effect of it being a young childs bedroom, because normally when a child sleep with the light on it may connote that they are scared of the dark.
Costume
Clothing seems to be normal however the young girl is wearing her bed clothing which may connote to us how the majority of the film takes place at night in in her bedroom.
Setting:
The setting seems to be a young girl’s bedroom and this may seem very odd, out of the ordinary really. You can see on the wall that there are butterflies and polka dots which are nice and calm and soft whereas the massive tunnel contradicts this and show how out of place it really is.
Film Title
The main film title is in red and it says “Paranormal Activity” this is the franchise in a way, however the 5th film doesn’t have a number it has its own title, as it says “The Ghost Dimension” underneath “Paranormal Activity” where as in the other film posters there is a number in between paranormal and activity correlating to the film that its representing whether it be the second film then there would be a 2 on show, The paranormal activity part is in red and red can connote all different kinds of things ranging from danger and blood to even love and romance however in this instance love and romance won’t apply and we can see that from the images danger plays a big part in these films. The position of it is just below the main image so it’s the second thing you’re most likely to look at when glancing at this poster (the image will be the first) and the colour and position work well, as the title is just below the main image and its red it takes all the attention off of the image and draws you in to the title of the film and then end up making you want to see the film. In the 5th poster the words “The Ghost Dimension” is larger than the actual film name and this can there for connote to us that it may be taking a change from the original films that have already been published and therefore further attract audiences.
Tag Line
The tag line on this poster if often seen on the top hand side of the poster, it’s in more of a generic type font, however it’s not in one line; they’re all on different layers, and this can add a kind of suspense. The tag line says “for the first time, you will see, the activity”. It being on different lines makes the reader read the tag line as if they’re a part of the film or like a narrator over the top of it. They are in a white colour to stand out from the black background and potentially be one of the first things the audience will read.
Film Credits
They are located at the bottom of the page in a darkish blue colour and then this kind of contrasts with the black background of the poster, each colour used within this poster is a blocky type colour they’re not mixed with any colours or anything and I feel that this gives the effect it needs to because this poster itself is very basic. The size of it is rather small as this wouldn’t be the main attraction to the poster, they only really appear on the new poster and this can show how simple the posters used to be and how they seemed to almost not be professionally made which gives it the effect of it being a homemade movie.
Font
On the poster the words “The Ghost Dimension” it is written in serif font, this connotes a more of a typical type of font and this film conforms to this in a way. The font at the top seems to look like it’s been typed out and this may make it easier to read when printed out.
Derry
“Theorists such as derry believe such films display unique representation of religion, gender and sexuality” we have a female in the poster and she’s the main character of the film and this could conform to her theory.
“Within films of this subgenre, dark forces can remain spiritual presences, or can take the guise or witches (blair witch), ghosts(the haunting) or demons (exorcist)” the use of the word “ghost” in the film title conform to this and it suggests to us what the film is about and what’s included.
“sometimes the evil force wants to corrupt its victims – to make them do evil.Eg ‘The Shining’. In this case the evil force wants to take control of its victims – take over his body or his mind or soul.”
Textual Analysis - Film Magazine
Denotation
This magazine cover consists of a medium long shot of a man looking reasonably concerned and anxious like he’s plotting something and you can assume that this potentially has come straight from the movie itself, we can also assume that he is holding what looks to be a gun of some sort or even the silencer that can be attached to a gun. The background of the magazine is a verity of buildings (towards the top) and then the bottom half seems to be a street of some kind which looks pretty normal. You can say how the word “FILM” has been changed into buildings links in with the film as the film itself is about manipulating the world around you, creating new places and altering time and to me that is the main focus of the magazine as it looks so different to the other ones that have been sold as they are all the same with the same font and colour where as this one links in with the film itself.
Mastheads
You can notice that the masthead is in the same place on all the different magazines that I have seen, they all seem to use the same font and colour which makes it stand out and it makes it the main focus despite the other aspects of the magazine. All the other “Total Film” magazines have a white masthead yet this particular magazine subverts this normality of the film magazine and it changes it into linking in with the film, it can also connote that this was a big promotional stunt and this being a big film already then the magazine will be willing to go out of its way to help promote it even more by allowing the masthead as well as the background subvert the main theme of the rest of the magazines. You can also talk about how the masthead links in with the film as it’s all about changing buildings and the masthead links directly to this. The name doesn’t particularly focus on any one particular group of people as anyone would be able to purchase this copy and read about an upcoming film that may be advertised through this front cover or in a smaller cover line.
Character
The character on the front cover is extremely successful actor Leonardo DiCaprio which is another reason why they’re creating a different look for this issue.
Composition
His poster is very rigid and firm, he doesn’t seem to be relaxed at all. His facial expressions connote to us that he’s about to do something that maybe he’s uncomfortable with or he’s worried about because due to his facial expression he looks anxious and or worried and I feel that this creates enigma and it makes the audiences want to read into it some more and eventually see the film and find out exactly what happens.
Costume
He is wearing a suit which can connote that he is professional and that he is smart and wealthy which can directly correspond to his character which is portrayed to have all of these characteristics throughout the film. The fact he has what we can assume is a weapon of some sort can contradict the fact he is in a suit because we seem to associate guns and weapons with violence not with suits and strange abilities, however this can also suggest and connote what type of person he is and how he will “dress to impress” almost and how he wants to looks smart despite what he is doing, and the fact he’s a white collar worker can show how he has a respected job as well as the suit that is completely blacked out also adds a little mystery to it as his costume in general doesn’t conform to the typical white collar worker.
NVC (Non Verbal Communication)
His NVC is very mysterious and suspicious in a way which links directly to the title of the film which is primarily based on creating a mystery. He also looks very anxious which creates enigma, it makes the audience wonder what is going on or what he is about to do or even what he has done to get the look he has. He has slicked back hair which can also suggest higher wealth and potentially a more of a higher respected job.
Lighting
The lighting of the magazine cover is very low key, which again can link to the fact that the idea of the film is to confuse or to create “Inception” or even enigma. The misty effect in the background connotes the idea of smoke and mirrors to add to the theme of the film, which is mystery and intrigue. The lighting on him is again very low key which therefore reinforces the idea of a mystery and enigma.
Setting
He’s in front of the buildings which links directly to the film again and you can say how that he is a composited image which means he has been photographed separately and then he has been added to the background. The lower half of the magazine cover seems to be a street with trees and buildings both sides however this is very misty and therefore is adding to the whole enigma and mystery idea.
Cover line
The main cover line is written in a sans serif font its bold and clear, it also has a kind of gradient effect to it which I feel adds to this idea of a mystery as I feel that the gradient effect isn’t normally seen on a masthead and I feel like it’s a very minimal effect that can be added to a font/masthead, it also makes it stand out from the background as well as the colouring of the font creates a metallic look which connotes to the film idea in general and its relation to the action ,sci-fi and adventure genre.
The second cover line makes it clear that they study on a wide variety of films instead of just promoting this one to the max, the fact the words “Mind-blowing” is written in red shows how that they want this to be read before the other words that the fact its read makes your eyes get drawn to it first, as well as the text being red can connote the idea of blood and violence within these films however it can also just be the fact red goes with the silvery metallic colour used with the main masthead as well as it stands out again from the background.
And the secondary cover line says “Meet the masters of mind flicks” which shows how there are further information on this film as well as the actors involved within this film and you are able to see the “master” behind the making of the film which is the director (Christopher Nolan) and how he has created the playful tricks and mind games used within the film itself, the idea of this is to tell the reader that there is a more of an insight within the magazine and this therefore may invite more people to buy it to find out some more information.
