RMT

Digital technology is software/hardware that is used to aid me in the creative process of completing my media assignment to the highest standard. These devices are manipulated to enhance our heights of inspiration and standards at which we assimilate modern pieces of media text and recreate it into something new and refreshing. Through and applications such as YouTube, Weebly, Final Cut Pro, and Adobe InDesign & Photoshop, we are enabled with the tools that allow us to experiment with our ideas and create a piece of work that is original but recreational. Due to the development of the internet and the media I am able to access social networks such as Instagram, where there are communities based on your preference or methods of creativity, and people are allowed to critique others' recreational ideas. Bricolage is the process of selecting certain characteristics and parts of other people's pieces of work and incorporate it into your own to make a never-seen-before piece of work. Hyper reality is a form of escapism for those

In the audience that want to briefly take a break from the stresses and boredoms of reality. My trailer contains this with the use of the supernatural subgenre. Aesthetics are the aspects of the work you make that are visually pleasing. 

During the brief time spent in my AS preliminary task my skills were extremely limited as it was the first task was ever given to complete on my own. The RMT I used for this task was Internet Explorer to search for examples of what college magazines looked like and use that as a template for my preliminary task. Adobe InDesign was used to copy the layout for my front cover, contents page and double page spread, add pictures from the internet and edit and enhance the typography of the work to help it better-resemble the college magazine I was basing my work off of. Due to the fact that my knowledge and skills in the use of Adobe software was little to none, I was given a photocopy screenshot of the application and labels to explain the use of each tool, easing the difficulty of the task. After completing this task, the end result was not as clean and professional as my work is currently. Since my skills were limited, so was my creativity, I wasn't able to questions the conventions I was portraying and experiment with different layout to improve the result. However, I do feel about of the access to social media and other online sources, my skills have developed further as I have used these resources to help educate myself and to inspire me for my current and future work. 




The AS music magazine I produced was incredibly better than the preliminary task I made, mainly due to the fact that I was able to develop my skills as the course went on and utilise the RMT given to me to the best of my ability, rather than directly copy someone else's work without fully understanding and analysing the conventions which was part of the research and planning I had to do during the course. However, even though I was able to analyse the conventions and understand why certain things went where, I had to go against some of the rules associated with the conventions in order to make my work unique, but this ended with me not following what my audience wanted, but what I wanted. More over, because my ability to use RMT was  not as restricted as it was with the preliminary task. 

Conventions

Conventions are a set of rules that are to be followed in order for the type of media text you are creating to be recognised by the target audience for what it is. They can be either followed or broken down and moulded into something similar, but are usually just followed in order to be identified for what they are. They are sometimes broken, however, and can be turned into a bricolage with other conventions from other subgenres in order to invent something that is a refreshed version of what others have previously followed, as audiences will tend to grow tired of producers of their genre constantly reusing the same material over and over again in each consecutive movie. An example of a bricolage would be crossing over the monster genre with slasher to create a monster/slasher hybrid. Over the course of my two year course I have tried to meet the expectations of my audience but be unique and give a refreshing version of the common conventions.

In AS, my brief was to create a music magazine. To complete this I had to identify the common conventions found in real music magazines in relation to the layout and structure, which involved placement of the masthead, cover lines, images, and so on. I analysed exemplar magazines such as ‘VIBE’, ‘Complex’ and ‘XXL’ (associated with the rap subgenre) as they are the magazines associated with my target audience, and what conventions the target audience would recognise on those magazines is what I should put in my own. Conventions such as the dominant image were iconic in the subgenre I planned to recreate as this was the convention which the target audience would be able to recognise easily as the model for the image would be someone famous, asserting their dominance in that particular genre through aggressive poses or flashy jewellery, connoting a form of respect in that target audience’s community. I used conventions like this in order to authenticate my magazine. This, however, did not show my understanding of conventions as the only reason I used them was because they were in similar places as the ones looked at in the real music magazines.

In A2 my task is to create a horror teaser trailer. My genre is supernatural, and in order to recreate the subgenre I had to research the conventions found in the supernatural genre, such as the subtext of priests, low key lighting, religion, and child possession. Horror movies such as The Exorcist and Carrie provided excellent insight as to what conventions the target audience will expect. The low key lighting provides anonymity for the antagonist and pent-up suspension throughout the trailer, the use of religion provides the haunted individual/collective with a sense of false security, as they will expect all their problems to be solved by the (usually masculine) religious figure, and the use of child possession gives parental viewers a frightening feeling, as they will be terrified by the fact that someone’s child was possessed by an evil spirit and made to be out of control, and would wish for the same to not happen to their own child. I wish to incorporate these sort of conventions into my trailer to give it a more meaningful idea, as without them my supernatural trailer wouldn’t be supernatural, it would just be a badly produced one minute clip.

In conclusion, I believe that my skills in the use of conventions has improved massively as I am able to identify key conventions, break them down, and apply them to my own piece of work. I also understand how to mould different conventions from different subgenres and turn them into a bricolage. I have acquired the knowledge needed to use conventions for my own media text in full.

R&P skills

Research and planning is a skill because as you continue to do so the understanding and skill in the use of resources to collect data and formulate ideas develops throughout. My researching and planning skills have developed greatly over the two years mainly due to technology and the use of internet. The purpose of research and planning is to gain a better understanding and clarity towards the product I am making, and it is paramount to widening the spectrum of one's creativity as I am able to think of new ways to tackle the practical side of my project. R&P is also key to learning conventions and themes associated with the project, and what the target audience wants that project to be like. 

For my preliminary task all I had to do was search Google Images for exemplar photos of the college magazine I had to recreate and examine the template/layout of them and figure a way of executing this in my own way. I had to copy exactly what was on the template due to my lack of knowledge and understanding of the conventions included in a college magazine, and this dramatically hindered my creativity as all I was doing was copying the positioning of all the conventions. This lack of knowledge means I cannot further my creativity anymore than what I know of for the task.  

For my AS music magazine my research and planning was 50 times more thorough than my preliminary task. I had to learn conventions of a music magazine, basic camera shots, but magazines in order to study the layout and conventions, then use Weebly to record my findings and further my research to the point of comparing magazines with each other. Then I had to create drafts for each part of the magazine and find other students to model for my magazine. The software use was incredibly helpful in strengthening my research, using Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, Weebly, Presentation applications to strengthen the presentation and craftiness of my work. I also drew up draft copies. This was quite difficult as it was the first independent task I had done before, but it helped develop my creativity and analytical skills massively as I understood what conventions went where and what could or couldn't be done. I also partly understood what certain things connoted and denoted. 

For my A2 film trailer I have to base it on existing genres, take certain elements from a few and mould them into one. I had to study many horror trailers and movies, analyse what certain things meant, what subtext was, etc. More outlets for research were used, such as YouTube, and after this, I had to upload it all to weebly. This took my research and planning skills a step further as I increased the amount of tools at my disposal. The purpose of creating the trailer is to realise that the hidden meanings were deeply rooted in modern and postmodern society. Certain objects and characteristics could mean something important in relation to the hidden meaning, and also in relation to how certain sub genres affect their audiences and why. This definitely shows developement over two years as I am now able to find the subtext buried in layers of conventions of media text and interpret it to the relevant of society today. 

Creativity essay

Without creativity human beings would be a very dull species, we wouldn't have made the necessary evolutionary steps made to progress over the many years we've been on this earth, and postmodern society as we know it right now would not exist. Creativity is an innate ability to use your imagination and create new things from it by picking apart things you've experienced and witnessed in your daily lives that gave you inspired you in a positive/negative. It is something that us as humans cannot go 100% without. However, originality is something that extremely rare at this day and age. Back in modern society, people were able to create new things, concepts and ways of thinking due to the fact that they were able to put pieces of experiences and what they've witnessed together and come up with an original concept. However, in postmodern society, we've reached a point where all original ideas have been used up and now we can only reuse those ideas and reinvent them into something newer and more exciting. Technology has helped exponentially in how we as humans are able to be creative, and express ourselves fully. Gadgets such as phones, computers, etc have increased our ability to be creative as it has added new elements such as social media platforms, such as instagram that enable us to enhance our beauty, or facebook, which gives us the choice of becoming an entirely different person on social media to the one you are in real life. In a way new technology and gadgets have enhanced the ways in which we are able to communicate with and understand others and the different ways of thinking in the world through the worldwide web, due to the fact that we are able to gain more knowledge on how they work so we can be inspired to create something, as we can communicate with those half a world away, but he also limited communication to those around us as we tend to become addicted to our technology and forget about those around us. Burn and Buckingham said “If creativity is not inherent in human mental powers and is, in fact, social and situational, then technological development may well be linked to the advances in the creativity of individual users”. I interpret this as the fact that most of us no longer have the ability to be originally creative but due to the technological advances we can be creative through the means of others' creations and use that to further develop our inspiration and creativity in order to make something new. It's not impossible to be creative, as it is innate, technology brings it out. The first ever project I done for Media Studies was a preliminary task which involved me creating a college magazine cover. This task was very basic and not creative at all as I had little to no knowledge on how to create a magazine front cover, so I had to copy the template used by a previous student in order to create my own. This was not creative at all because all I was doing was copying the exact layout of the magazine, and posting text and pictures where the previous student, creating an identical copy of what was already created. I had no idea of how to create my own unique version, so I had to leech previous ideas. This was at the beginning of the AS year, and as the year progressed I had accumulated the skills to enable me to create my own magazine cover. The final magazine cover I created was completely different from the first one I had done. The concept was different, the genre was different, the position of conventions were different, the font was completely different and the pictures taken were also different. My reason for creating the cover the way I did was due to inspiration I had garnered from similar magazines of the same genre, researching online on which conventions went where, and analysing various main stream magazine companies. Similarly to the AS preliminary task I completed, over the course of the summer holidays I was given the task of working in a group of 4 and creating a horror movie trailer. This task was t necessarily difficult as during the final weeks of college I had learned what genres of horror there were, certain conventions, what certain themes and objects connoted, we analysed many movies in class, and created the concept of our trailers and how they would be executed. However, the final product itself had certain horror elements but wasn't a horror movie as there were elements from other genres which overpowered the horror in it. However, from that experience I was able to understand what to do and what not to do when creating a horror trailer, and from then till now I have gathered and researched the knowledge needed for me to create my next and final horror trailer. 

Self assessment

Peer Assessment Question 1b Portfolio

Question/Theory: Genre
Student name: Nathan Erinle

MEG:                      Working at Grade:
List theorists & theories referenced:

1 Levi-Strauss

2Barthes

3Propp

4 Domaille

5
List terminology words: binary opposition
Etherior structure
All of the 5 Narrative codes
Antagonist
Protagonist
Equilibrium
Disequilibrium
Stock
Faust

Level Description Ref no Grade Agree?
Level 1: Outlines or describes 1 theorist with little reference to own production, and is under 250 words (1 side handwritten A4) U Yes
Level 2 lower: Introduces and describes 2-3 relevant theories using some correct terminology/theorists E Yes
Level 2 mid: Provides some examples but inconsistently and/or lacks correct explanation of how it applies E/D- Yes
Level 2 higher: Provides a maximum of 2 theories and introduces correctly in some depth and with some reference to own production D Yes
Level 3 lower: The essay uses paragraphs and full sentences, there are minimal errors in grammar or spelling C- Yes
Level 3 lower: Gives specific textual examples from own production of how 3-4 theories can be applied C Yes
Level 3 mid: Explains why or how it is relevant or significant to own production rather than explaining the theory C/B- No
Level 3 higher: Discusses how the theory is or is not applicable and gives reasons to justify, possibly referring to existing media or creative intentions B No
Level 3 higher: Consistently analyses how the theoretical approach creates significance or meaning B+ Yes

Level 4: Evaluates the extent that 4 or more theories are applicable, with justification in relation to creative intentions A
Level 4: Confidently justifies argument with detailed textual examples from the production and conventions of existing media it is based on A
Level 4: There are no or minimal grammatical or spelling errors and terminology is used confidently, regularly and correctly A

What are the 3 priority targets to secure the grade or move to a higher level
1. Application of theory and analysis

2. Use of examples


3. Use of terminology








Question/Theory:
Narrative Student name:

MEG:                      Working at Grade:
List theorists & theories referenced:

1 Todorov 3 act structure

2 Levi Strauss Binary Opposition

3  Barthes Enigma Code

4 Propp Archetypes

5
List terminology words: equilibrium
Disequilibrium
Stock
Binary opposition
Connote
Systematic opposition
Phallic
Represent
Resolution
Enigmatic
Archetype
Cliché


Level Description Ref no Grade Agree?
Level 1: Outlines or describes 1 theorist with little reference to own production, and is under 250 words (1 side handwritten A4) U Yes
Level 2 lower: Introduces and describes 2-3 relevant theories using some correct terminology/theorists E Yes
Level 2 mid: Provides some examples but inconsistently and/or lacks correct explanation of how it applies E/D- Yes
Level 2 higher: Provides a maximum of 2 theories and introduces correctly in some depth and with some reference to own production D Yes
Level 3 lower: The essay uses paragraphs and full sentences, there are minimal errors in grammar or spelling C- Yes
Level 3 lower: Gives specific textual examples from own production of how 3-4 theories can be applied C Yes
Level 3 mid: Explains why or how it is relevant or significant to own production rather than explaining the theory C/B- Yes
Level 3 higher: Discusses how the theory is or is not applicable and gives reasons to justify, possibly referring to existing media or creative intentions B Yes
Level 3 higher: Consistently analyses how the theoretical approach creates significance or meaning B+ No

Level 4: Evaluates the extent that 4 or more theories are applicable, with justification in relation to creative intentions A no
Level 4: Confidently justifies argument with detailed textual examples from the production and conventions of existing media it is based on A yes
Level 4: There are no or minimal grammatical or spelling errors and terminology is used confidently, regularly and correctly A no

What are the 3 priority targets to secure the grade or move to a higher level
1. Application of theory and analysis

2. Use of examples


3. Use of terminology










Question/Theory:
Student name:

MEG:                      Working at Grade:
List theorists & theories referenced:

1 Sarah Dobbs Feminism

2 Carol Clover Final Girl Theory

3 Laura Mulvey Male Gaze

4

5
List terminology words:
Hegemony
Stock scenes
Camera cuts
Enigma code
Masculinised
Sexualised
Perspective
Voyeurism


Level Description Ref no Grade Agree?
Level 1: Outlines or describes 1 theorist with little reference to own production, and is under 250 words (1 side handwritten A4) U Yes
Level 2 lower: Introduces and describes 2-3 relevant theories using some correct terminology/theorists E Yes
Level 2 mid: Provides some examples but inconsistently and/or lacks correct explanation of how it applies E/D- Yes
Level 2 higher: Provides a maximum of 2 theories and introduces correctly in some depth and with some reference to own production D Yes
Level 3 lower: The essay uses paragraphs and full sentences, there are minimal errors in grammar or spelling C- Yes
Level 3 lower: Gives specific textual examples from own production of how 3-4 theories can be applied C Yes
Level 3 mid: Explains why or how it is relevant or significant to own production rather than explaining the theory C/B- Yes
Level 3 higher: Discusses how the theory is or is not applicable and gives reasons to justify, possibly referring to existing media or creative intentions B No
Level 3 higher: Consistently analyses how the theoretical approach creates significance or meaning B+ No

Level 4: Evaluates the extent that 4 or more theories are applicable, with justification in relation to creative intentions A no
Level 4: Confidently justifies argument with detailed textual examples from the production and conventions of existing media it is based on A no
Level 4: There are no or minimal grammatical or spelling errors and terminology is used confidently, regularly and correctly A yes

What are the 3 priority targets to secure the grade or move to a higher level
1. Application of theory and analysis

2. Use of examples


3. Use of terminology











Question/Theory:
Student name:

MEG:                      Working at Grade:
List theorists & theories referenced:

1 hypodermic model

2 reception theory Stuart Hall

3 Bulmer and Katz uses and gratification

4 copy cat theory

5
List terminology words: consumer
Audience
Passive and active
Mass audience
Institution
Hypodermic model
Reception
Coded and decoded
Personal social integrative
Tension free needs
Cognitive needs
Copycat

Level Description Ref no Grade Agree?
Level 1: Outlines or describes 1 theorist with little reference to own production, and is under 250 words (1 side handwritten A4) U Yes
Level 2 lower: Introduces and describes 2-3 relevant theories using some correct terminology/theorists E Yes
Level 2 mid: Provides some examples but inconsistently and/or lacks correct explanation of how it applies E/D- Yes
Level 2 higher: Provides a maximum of 2 theories and introduces correctly in some depth and with some reference to own production D Yes
Level 3 lower: The essay uses paragraphs and full sentences, there are minimal errors in grammar or spelling C- Yes
Level 3 lower: Gives specific textual examples from own production of how 3-4 theories can be applied C Yes
Level 3 mid: Explains why or how it is relevant or significant to own production rather than explaining the theory C/B- Yes
Level 3 higher: Discusses how the theory is or is not applicable and gives reasons to justify, possibly referring to existing media or creative intentions B No
Level 3 higher: Consistently analyses how the theoretical approach creates significance or meaning B+ No

Level 4: Evaluates the extent that 4 or more theories are applicable, with justification in relation to creative intentions A no
Level 4: Confidently justifies argument with detailed textual examples from the production and conventions of existing media it is based on A no
Level 4: There are no or minimal grammatical or spelling errors and terminology is used confidently, regularly and correctly A no

What are the 3 priority targets to secure the grade or move to a higher level
1. Application of theory and analysis

2. Use of examples


3. Use of terminology

Audience essay

Audiences are the people that consume media on a regular basis. This makes it easier for the institutions that create the media to correctly direct their content towards their target audiences and associate them with symbolic codes. The audience themselves understand and consume the media to a different level from each other due to their backgrounds and how they've seen the world. My trailer is seen to incorporate the copycat theory into the contents. Media can be interpreted differently by audiences. But there are two main audience theories that are mainly recognised: Mass Audience (Passive) and Active Audience. Mass audience theorists believe that media is dangerous as it could influence people to do dangerous things, and that everyone will react in the same way to media text. Active audience theorists believe that we as individuals interpret media texts in different ways. They see media texts as polysemic (open to interpretation) and try to understand why audiences may respond differently to the same media text. John Hartley said "Institutions are obliged not only to speak about audience, but crucially talk to one as well. They need not only to represent audience, but to enter a relation with them". 

The hypodermic model is a theory that addresses how the media really effects you psychologically and gets under your skin. The effects model is on how the consumption of media texts has an influence on the audience in a negative way, due to the fact that the audience is positive and it is the power within the message that has an effect on the audience's mind. The hypodermic model is how the message is injected into the audience via powerful, syringe-like media text, and the audience is powerless to resist this as the media works like a drug, numbing the audience. This type of media is one that habitually blames the effect of media for why there is so much violence in today's society. This is a passive theory as the media has no power over what is being done to them, and the text is slowly numbing their beliefs like drug. 

The reception theory focuses on how text is coded and decoded by the audience. This theory was created by Stuart Hall and analyses the relationship between producer and audience. Text can be dominated, meaning that the audience responds in the way the producer wants them to; text can be negotiated, meaning that the audience accepts or rejects the elements of the text; and opposed, meaning the dominant meaning in the text can be recognised by the audience but rejected as well. This theory is an active theory because the audience has the power of choice on how they consume the text and it doesn't affect their ideologies. 

The uses and gratification theory was developed by Bulmer and Katz and is about how audience consumption is based on highly active audience choices & personal preferences. Individuals have different uses for different texts, and used it to their advantage in order to meet needs. Cognitive needs was basic use of media in terms of surveillance, such as news or magazines, and was used for people's affective needs. Personal intergratived needs were how the audience used the things they see in media to change their lifestyle to meet the norms of society. Social intergrative needs let the audience know what our friends are up to, so they don't feel out of place. Tension free needs, used for escapism, was used for people to have a safe haven from reality and escape from the boring cycle of life, e.g. The violence in horrors used to satisfy their adrenaline as their day to day life had no action whatsoever. This can be associated with by trailer as most of the stock scenes have the killer strangling, stabbing, or chasing people, giving the audience a tang of fear and excite. 

The copycat theory is a theory on why audiences too young to comprehend the gravity of their actions copy what they see in movies. This is mainly directed at content too graphic for younger viewers, such as horror movies and children, because they have a tendency to copy what they see, so if they're seeing in Scream that someone is being stabbed repeatedly they'll believe it to be okay and practise it in real life. This theory is relevant to my trailer because there are stock scenes which have characters being stabbed and strangled. This is a passive theory as the audience has not fully comprehended the gravity of the content and has subconsciously thought it is okay to do it. 

Representation essay

Stereotypes act as guidelines on how we should and should not act.
Teen stereotypes is a theory created by Clover, and is based on hegemony in society, and that if teens act a certain way in society, I.e. The jock and slut - in horrors they'd be punished for being rebellious against the ideas that are set by the dominant group in society (Adults), and the characters purest of heart, usually the final girl or a nerdy character, is always the one most likely to survive because they don't rebel like the other stereotypes. In my trailer the stereotypes used are the jock, the fool and the final girl. The fool is portrayed as the joker of the stereotypes and usually makes cliche remarks about death, like mine did in my trailer, and usually ends up being one of the first to die like mine was. The jock in my trailer was portrayed as being smooth, laid back, overconfident and self-centred, and due to these negative qualities he was punished (killed) by the adult killer. The final girl was portrayed as innocent but attractive, not quite rebellious, is female and is the last to survive out of the stock characters. After the camera cuts from her screaming the trailer ends to give the stock scene an enigma code as you cannot show the final girl dying otherwise it would ruin the convention of her not dying. 

The representation of feminism is a theory created by Sarah Dobbs and is about men in horror movies being misogynistic and treating women as mere decorative objects and disposable victims. An example of this in my trailer is when the Antagonist chased the final girl and catches up to her. In the scene it is almost as if she is some sort of prey and the killer is hunting her like it's some sort of perverted game of 'it'. This very significant as women are only seen as tools of pleasure and entertainment and have nothing to gain from being what they are portrayed as. 

The final girl theory was thought by Carol Clover and refers to the last female alive in the movie left to confront the killer. She is typically virginal and masculinised and sexualised even though she's innocent. She is portrayed as the 'investigating consciousness' of the movie and is there to help move the narrative forward, exhibiting intelligence, curiosity and vigilance. The point of view is usually shifted to the killer's perspective to amplify the vulnerability of the Final Girl, like she's prey. An example in the trailer is when the final girl of my trailer is running away from the villain and the camera is from the killer's pint of view, and it's as if he's hunting her, but her running away is a form of resistance. This is to show that the final girl can't be punished by the adults as she's done nothing wrong.

The male gaze is a theory created by Laura Mulvey and is about sexualising women's bodies on the screen. Is all about voyeurism and the sexual gratification men achieve from this. It controls the women making them an object of gaze an example of this in my movie is when the killer stalks the final girl throughout the equilibrium. This further strengthens the thought that women are objectified and seen as tools of pleasure because the pleasure. 

Narrative essay

A narrative is defined as a chain of events in a movie leading to a cause and effect theme recurring in the movie. Narrative is how special and temporal events are organised leading from a beginning, through the middle, and to the end. The product I will discuss is my horror trailer. My trailer is a slasher, and relates more to Levi-Strauss’ Binary Opposition and Barthes’ Enigma codes.

Todorov’s theory of 3-Structure narrative does apply to my trailer. It had the equilibrium where the teenagers were introduced, and a foundation for the story was laid. The disequilibrium happened straight after the equilibrium and the villain was introduced, and he begins to stalk the protagonist like she was his prey. As we come towards the end of the trailer the stock scenes start to phase in, showing the entire cast get killed off. This trailer follows the linear structure of Todorov. In Scream you can find Todorov’s 3-act structure. The beginning has the introduction of a character, and the disequilibrium straight after with the deaths if the first two characters introduced into the movie and the introduction of the killer. The resolution n comes right at the end of the movie when Gale shoots Billy in the head. This theory is applicable because it is easy and basic to understand and is commonly used. It is relevant to the Narrative in my trailer because it follows this 3-act structure.

Levi Strauss’ Binary Opposition applies to my trailer as in the trailer at the end the final girl is chased by the antagonist. This connotes systematic opposition between good and evil, life and death, Teenage rebellion and adult society and even man and woman as the villain represents the male and the phallic object the tool of oppression of women, and the punishment teenagers must receive for disobeying their parents. An example of Binary Opposition would be in The Exorcist with the Warrens representing good/life/Religion in the movie, and the evil witch spirit representing evil/death/Witchcraft. My trailer is relevant to this theory as it incorporates the core element of binary opposition in it.

Barthes’ Enigma code is relevant in my trailer as without it my trailer would be pointless. The whole point of a horror trailer is to make it as appealing as possible without revealing too much, or the resolution. This gives the trailer an enigmatic air to it because if it is enticing enough without spilling the resolution it would entice the audience to go and watch it to find out what happens at the end. This applies to my trailer, as at the end the killer catches up to the final girl, appearing in front of her all of a sudden, with her screaming and the video cutting to black. This provides an enigma code as you do not know what happens next and it leaves an air of suspense around the trailer. This is very relevant as if the video didn’t cut to black and showed  the girl being killed then it would ruin the resolution and there would be no point going to the theatre to watch the movie.

Some of Propp’s Archetypes are applicable to my trailer. I have the villain, a common one that every horror should have, otherwise it wouldn’t be a horror, I have the virgin protagonist, I have the clown that makes a cliché comment that the event they’re going to “Won’t kill us or anything”, and the popular best friend. These archetypes are portrayed to an extent, but not to the level where you feel the characters are realistic enough, like in Scream, where Billy portrays the smooth boyfriend that wants to take his girlfriend’s virginity. The villain also doesn’t give a realistic enough performance that makes you feel the same terror the person being antagonised does.

To a fair degree, I have made use of Todorov’s 3-act structure as the trailer clearly follows the structure throughout the trailer; the theory of Levi-Strauss’ Binary Opposition is clearly met as the concepts are shown in the stock scenes; Barthes’ Enigma Code is also shown inn my trailer, as the resolution is not given away; and Propp’s archetypes, although not strongly enforced, are clearly portrayed throughout the trailer. These 4 rules of narrative are very important as without one the horror trailer would be incomplete. If you had a 3-act structure but included the resolution, then it wouldn’t be a 3-ct structure, and you’d rule the enigma code. If you only had the antagonist aimlessly killing, without any resistance from the protagonist then there would be no binary opposition, and if you didn’t follow Propps’s archetypes then there would be no plot as you would have no characters.

Genre 30 min essay

Self-Assessed Feedback

The next trailer I attempt to make must have the 3 Step Structure. The mistake I made when creating the trailer was that I did not completely follow there structure. I started off with too much unnecessary footage of dialogue, there was not a proper tone set from the beginning. There should only be one main character in the trailer. When coming up to the second Act there should be a disequilibrium where everything goes wrong.  Because I filmed a slasher I did not properly take into consideration the stock scenes and as a result not enough where added.The lighting was too high key and as result the footage was not as authentic as it should've been. Next time I should try and find locations that fit the tone of the movie and start shooting at a specific time because in this trailer I mostly shot in the daylight.
My trailer did follow the conventions of the sub-genre it was trying to replicate (Slasher), it had a mask, a phallic object, a final girl, and the killer's i identity remained a mystery, which was a positive. The movie was also far too long. When shooting my next trailer I should aim to make it as a teaser so I do not give away too much of the storyline.

THE LIST

Trailer 1 Timeline Content & Structure Analysis