Pitch

One girl “becomes friends” with the three friends that used to bully her and gets her revenge on an outing on an unforgettable weekend

The Quiet Ones Editing Trailer Analysis

Audience Research Results

From these results I can conclude that to make my horror trailer scary to all viewers, I would need to include a few things. The protagonist in the trailer must be around 16-18 years old and human as that is the most common age that completed the survey and 65% of people said they would find it more scary if the villain was realistic rather than improbable and 42% of people said that they would find it more scary if the protagonist was around their age. Also, the horror trailer must be more suspense based rather than gory as 81% of people said they prefer suspense films to gore. The elements that need to be most prominent in the trailer would be the plot, editing and the actors need to be good for the trailer to be successful. Furthermore, majority of people said that the horror film that scared them the most was 'The Conjuring'. If my trailer is to be successful and scary, I would need to include similar suspense parts from said film. 

Audience Research - Questionnaire

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Compare and contrast 28 Days Later with Shaun of the Dead, commenting on the structuralism or post-structuralism qualities

Structuralism is a theory that states how every element to something relates to a bigger picture. Structuralist films emphasise heavily on how films convey meaning through the use of codes and conventions and how single elements make a film a whole. However, post-structuralism is a contrast to this and argues that the structure within every text does not make the film a whole.

The first structuralist idea we see in 28 Days Later is the setting of the film. The film is set in the city of London and little parts in the edge of Manchester but it is not placed in the streets, however, it is placed in abandoned mansions and churches to emphasise the horror and isolation within the film. This contrasts with Shaun of the Dead which is set in the suburban area of London in houses and pubs. This gives the idea of how zombie apocalypses can happen to anyone, anywhere and it does not mean that is has to be in isolated places. Furthermore, this adds to the comedy aspect of Shaun of the Dead as it is not a normal setting.

The characters and plot of both films also display a difference in their post-structuralist and structuralist ideas. In 28 Days Later, the characters are determined to survive the apocalypse and will fight no matter what it takes. This idea is shown as a structuralist idea as it is a common theme is horror films is survival and to fight. However, this contrasts with Shaun of the Dead as they too are determined to survive, however they will not fight if they don’t have to. Majority of the film is about them trying to escape the zombies and trying different ways so they do not have to fight. This again shows the comedic theme in the film as they act like zombies to try and escape however also shows the post-structuralist theory of the film as not following codes and conventions. Shaun of the Dead also goes against codes and conventions as they do not show a lot of blood or gore for effect but more for comedic purposes. This again is a post-structuralist idea. The main characters in the films are both trying to be the hero and lead their group to safety however, in both films it shows how the women are actually the strongest characters and can look after themselves. This is both a post-modern and post-structuralist idea. The villains in both films are the same type of villain however; they are different in the way that they act. Zombies are structuralist ideas like 28 Days Later shows as their zombies move extremely quickly and turn into a zombie seconds after becoming infected by a bite. However, Shaun of the Dead expands on the idea of structuralist zombies as they take quite a few minutes to turn into a zombie after becoming infected, again by a bite and they move extremely slowly. To add to the comedic effect of the film again, Shaun, the lead character, walks straight past several zombies without noticing due to their slow nature.

In both films, they have used costumes to emphasise on the horror aspect of the film. In both films, the zombies are covered in blood to give this horror effect of them having killed someone. They also wear torn clothes, glazed over or white eyes and they also may be missing a limb. These are all structuralist ideas as they back up the paradigms of horror. However, the human clothes vary throughout the two films. In 28 Days Later the characters are seen as wearing army type clothing to show that they are fighting a battle however this contrasts massively with Shaun of the Dead as they are wearing normal clothes such as suits and skirts to show how unprepared they are and how they don’t understand the seriousness of the situation. This can be both post-structuralist and structuralist as it promoted the idea of something so bad happening to someone so normal.

The props used in both films contrast with one another as one is structuralist and one is post-structuralist. In 28 Days Later, the weapons used as props are knives, guns, axes and anything that can do a lot of damage. This is a structuralist idea as they are proper weapons that are dangerous and can do a lot of damage. However, this contrast with Shaun of the Dead as they use vinyl record, snooker cues and cricket bats. This is seen as a post-structuralist idea as they are not the normal weapons which a horror film would use. This goes against codes and conventions and is used more as a comedic value. This is supported by the fact that in the scene with the snooker cue, the hits go along with the beat of the music which is ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen.

Therefore, Shaun of the Dead very rarely follows codes and conventions of horror films compared to 28 Days Later who follow majority of the codes and conventions. Due to not following these codes and conventions, it is possible to say that Shaun of the Dead is a post-structuralist film who is basing the horror around a comedic aspect whereas 28 Days Later would like to induce fear into their audience instead of a comedic aspect. This therefore makes 28 Days Later a structuralist film.

How does the director use micro-elements to present the genders in your film?

Jennifer’s Body is a film based around two characters, Jennifer, the main character who is also the killer and Needy, her best friend. The films pans out that Jennifer is sacrificed but in the process is possessed by a demon. This then means she starts to kill and eat males to live while Needy tries to stop her.

Even the name Jennifer’s Body is said to be feminist because the title even bases itself around her body and all throughout the film there are sexualized long shots of her walking down a corridor or laying on a bed to highlight her body. Also, the film could be named Jennifer’s Body as she attracts men to kill by using her body, like a weapon.

Jennifer is shown to be a promiscuous, popular, high school girl in the film, which is normally the girl who gets killed first, however, in this film she is the villain. This is because she gets possessed by a demon when a band she meets try to sacrifice her thinking she is a virgin, ironically, being unchaste saves her life. However, the theory of the “Final Girl” by Carol Clover still stands as the awkward virgin, Needy, is the last girl standing and is the one who kills Jennifer.

As the villains in films are usually men and they are played as males torturing women, most women victims need to be masculinized before they are able to become a killer. For example, in the Alien films, the center woman becomes more masculine as the films play out. She gains more muscle and dresses more like a man and as this happens her technique of killing the aliens becomes more accurate and easier. Therefore as the band that sacrifices Jennifer use a knife to do this, you could say that every penetrative knife stroke transfers part of their male energy into Jennifer, allowing her to be masculine enough to kill.

Jennifer embodies the proverb “man-eater” in this film as she is shown to be a oversexed who walks over weak and blameless men but she relies on them to live and for her to keep her power. Needy says to her at one point “You’re killing people.” And Jennifer replies, “No, I'm killing boys.” However, by the end of the film, after killing a few men, she says she “Goes both ways” meaning she kills women too. This could suggest how she had become so masculine from killing and eating men that she started to kill women like a typical villain in horror films.

At the end of the film, Jennifer tries to kill Needy’s boyfriend, Chip. Needy obviously tries to stop Jennifer and this is where Jennifer says she also kills women. Chip then stabs Jennifer with a pole and she walks away from them, not finishing the kill. Chip then dies and Needy seeks revenge on Jennifer, however, before she does, she needs to become masculinized just like Jennifer was and Jennifer needs to become feminized just like Needy was. This is done through Needy using a box cutter to stab Jennifer in the heart and Needy telling Jennifer that it was used to cut boxes, disregarding the butch comment.

Therefore, Jennifer’s Body could be said to be a feminist film due to change in gender roles and how they are presented. We have a promiscuous female villain who feeds off of men to stay beautiful and keep her power and we have the awkward virgin as the final girl. The final girl follows conventions of a normal horror film, however, a woman being the villain does not. Also, as it is men that she kills, they show them to be weak and vulnerable, swapping gender roles again.  

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Horror Mood Board

How does the Halloween (1978) trailer adhere to codes and conventions of the ‘slasher’ sub-genre?

The trailer for the 1978 film Halloween uses signs, codes and conventions to establish itself as the horror sub-genre slasher. In the few minutes that the trailer lasts for, it also establishes the setting, weapon, characters and icon that will feature in the film. These are all prominent in any horror film, however they also add aspects into the trailer to make it the sub-genre slasher.

In the first few seconds of the trailer, they establish the setting of the film, using an establishing shot, as a big, detached, mansion-like American house at night. This is common in slasher films as they normally require running from a killer and as this is a detached house, they cannot easily alert someone of their murderer and that it would be hard to see them during the night. The camera then cuts to a POV shot through a mask showing a knife being used in a stabbing motion. This establishes both the icon of the film and also the weapon. The film have used a mask as they want to create a sense of mystery for the killer and also make it a hidden identity, it also corresponds with the name Halloween, as during this time you would see many people in masks to create fear. Using a knife as a weapon implies that the sub-genre of this film is slasher, as you have to get close to someone to hurt them, creating tension. However, the knife is also an important symbol in the film because when they are seen, you think of death, murder and torture, many themes that are associated with slasher films. There is then a paradigm shift in the trailer, as the killer is revealed to be a little boy rather than the expected typical murderer.

There is then a mid-shot of three teenage girls walking alone, establishing other characters that also feature in the film. The characters being women is also significant as it isn’t a traditional male figure that survives, just like in other horror films. The slasher sub-genre normally features women as survivors and males as the killer to create more tension and show how the killer usually has more power. These girls also play a role of the typical slasher paradigm as you have the moralistic survivor and the promiscuous girl who usually dies. As the girls turn around to face the way they had come, the non-diegetic music becomes deeper and also louder to create mystery and tension of what the girls saw. The girls’ facial expressions of shocked and scared also creates tension as it shows the audience that there is a treat to the characters and their everyday lives.

After the camera cuts to create mystery of what the girls saw, the cuts get quicker to build more tension and show the action. Every time the camera shows someone getting injured or that they are in danger, the music increases in volume and becomes more prominent while you are watching therefore also creating tension. Also when the girl who is trying to escape falls down the stairs, she screams for help. This shows the audience that there is an obvious danger to the girl and that she is scared. This is also an important part to a slasher film as the girl needs to seem helpless and isolated so that it is a one on one fight to the death between the killer and victim. Furthermore, in the trailer the killer is shown walking to kill the girl instead of running. This adheres to conventions of a slasher film, as the killer needs to be shown as confident and collected while trying to murder someone, showing that they have done it before. This then makes them a serial killer, which is the normal murderer in a slasher film.

By the use of the mask as an icon, the knife as a weapon, the character personalities and the serial killer traits in the murderer, we are able to establish that the film would be a slasher. The structural paradigms also suggest that the film is of the slasher sub-genre as they have an equilibrium, a period of disequilibrium and do not show the new equilibrium in the trailer. This therefore means that the Halloween trailer adheres to codes and conventions of the sub-genre slasher.