Theory: Media language

I will be writing about the future trailer me and my group will produce, which is about a rich man who resurrects a killer to attack and get rid of teenagers who are staying on some land he wishes to buy. The teenagers are taking part in drinking and drugs. The use of media language will be vital in the audience understanding of the trailer and how they can decode the semiotics of it. For example the antagonist wearing black to connote evil and the protagonist wearing black to connote innocence and virginity. However the meaning we put into our trailer may be interpreted differently by different people.

The first type of media language we will try to include in is symbolic codes, with the use of lighting and colour, positioning and sets and location. Will be the weapons used by the antagonist who is the masked killer of the teenagers. He will be using weapons like knives and axes these are a signifier for phallic imagery. The reason this is being used is because slashers are conventionally about a male killing victims. Sarah Dobb's theory of feminism in horror states that 'scream queens' are used just to be killed off, they will be killed by the antagonist use of the knife which allows him to get up close and personal with them and therefore exhibiting there male dominance. The denotation of a knife will be put into context with the male using it as a weapon therefore giving him power gives it meaning.

Technical codes will also be used for the trailer were doing. They will help with constructing the characters significance and can help the audience figure out how they are apart of the trailer. This will be done with the use of camera shots and angles like low angles, close-ups and high angles. There is specific meaning to all the shots. A low angle of the antagonist can make someone look powerful and dominating, in the trailer we do we will have a shot like this to show how the anatagonsit has the power and strength to kill the protagonists and victims. Opposite to this is a high angle, this will be of the victims to connote weakness and how defenceless they are. Also a close up on the victims face to show the fear they have, it also creates a sense of claustrophobia which signifies that there trapped and can't escape the antagonist.

Ferdinand de Saussure refers to the use of the signifier and signified for media language. For example a signifier can be the use of blood, which then signifies the loss of innocence specifically if shown on white clothing. These are used because the sign or symbol we see does not make sense without the actual object and the meaning it creates. A similar theory is Roland Barthes denotation and connotation. This lets us when making the trailer think more about the purpose of a symbol like mis-en-scene, written, audio or technical code and how the audience may see if it fits in with the sub-text which is that drinking and taking part in illegal activities is wrong and takes away innocence. This will be shown in the trailer by the use of blood as white represents purity and if we put blood on it it connotes a loss of innocence. 

Levi-Strauss's theory of binary opposites is another theory we will use in our trailer via the editing. Making the scenes with the victim slow and then with the antagonist fast. Suggesting how chaotic the killer can be with the antagonist being shown in a fast pace and also represent how overpowered he can be. With editing the use of cuts to black suggest urgency and that the next action happens fast. For example the montage at the end of the trailer will have fast cuts where a lot of action is shown in a short amount of time. The use of fades to black connote the need for intensity and wanting to drag out a situation in order to create the suspense needed for the horror.   

Theory: Audience

In this essay I will be looking at how audience theories apply to my group's media horror trailer. Audience theories are about how the audience takes consumes a media context and how they understand it.  There are two types of audience, mass audience which is where everyone reacts the same way and can influence people and active audience who as individuals can interpretation media in different ways.

 Cultivation theory is a representation of a passive audience it’s about how media can affect people’s sense of reality. For example if someone watches a lot of slasher horror films then then they might feel there’s a lot more violence towards teenagers in the world and a lot of psychopathic killers. There is evidence to prove this theory by a study that compared heavy, moderate and light media users, where they found heavy media users have ‘mean world syndrome’. In the summer trailer my group did you don’t see any violence just teenagers looking around an abandoned building, this therefore means that from watching the trailer, audiences can’t really change how they view the world. The trailer is therefore unsuccessful as it's lack of violence doesn't depict what the meaning is suppose to be, which is teen punishment. In the trailer we will be doing we could show more typical conventions of a slasher so that when people watch it they can associate it with other ones they’ve seen and make their own judgement. Such as how the world can be violent or how there's serial killers out there trying to kill teenagers. To make the new trailer effective we could use clothing to symbolise different characters for example the final girl could wear white which connotes innocence and another character could wear red symbolising blood and evil. 

Another theory that can be applied to horror trailers is the Catharsis theory, where the audience uses the media to help them as it can purge or cleanse negative emotions. This would be an example of an active audience, this theory is not necessarily bad as it allows an audience to watch a horror film that may be violent but instead of seeing it as something like what the copycat theory suggest they use it to purge their own aggression making them less aggressive. We could have improved are horror trailer by including more action and violence so that the audience doesn’t feel like they’ve wasted there time and that they get something from watching it. As the lack of violence suggest the trailer didn't fulfil it's purpose.

A theory that can be applied to our trailer is the hypodermic needle. This is where a message is injected into the media which would be are horror trailer and they are passive towards it. It can be applied to our trailer as it’s about a group of teenagers trespassing in an abandoned building and then something comes to attack them. This relates to are trailer as it shows the audience that actions have consequences and that they shouldn’t do something like that or there’s a chance something bad could happen to them.

 Denis Mcquail’s uses and gratification theory can also be applied to our trailer. With the tension free explanation that states that some audience use media to escape their own lives and to relive tension. When watching our horror trailer the audience can escape their lives which may be boring or sad and be concentrated and involved in the lives of the teenagers who are doing stupid things. As they want the thrill of someone else life or made up reality to make there's feel less boring.  However in the trailer we will be making we could utilise more of the uses and gratification theory so that more people can relate to it. For example the effective needs (personal identity), as it’s a slasher we will be making there are common conventions of personality type with the jock, explorer and the final girl. The use of these characters would mean a wider range of audience’s can relate to them and they can satisfy their emotional needs. The use of mis en scene could also appeal to the audience for example using props like chainsaws, and knives so that they get a feeling of tension as these won't be everyday objects that they see people being chased with and killed.

Another passive audience theory is the copycat theory which states that an audience can copy what media they see and that it can effect and influence them. A strength of this theory is that it can play off the fears of people, for example parents start actively monitoring what their children watch. If an audience watches are trailer they might get an idea they hadn’t had before, to go and explore a abandoned building. However they could be stopped by someone who hasn’t watched the trailer. However not everyone can be monitored for what they watch and if someone watches a very explicit violent horror they might want to do the same thing. 

Overall we could have used more of the audience theories that will help with the audience relate to the trailer and also how they react to it. In the trailer we do next we will need to take into consideration how to effectively put them in the trailer. Specifically uses and gratification, the effects model and the hypodermic model as these theories are about the actions and attitudes audience can have towards media.

Theory: Representation

I am looking at last years final horror trailer called The Collector and how representation applies to it. Representation can be applied to horror because of the use of the different characters and themes that all have a meaning and purpose yo why there, there. For example the final girl represents innocence that's the reason there not killed. Also how a knife can represent phallic imagery which can also represent male dominance with the use of penetration. The Collector is using teen punishment theory to imply that drinking and drugs is wrong and that's why there being killed.

Sarah Dobbs theory of feminism in horror relates to this trailer with the 'scream queens'. As there is a young female blonde who's being attacked who screams loudly. The lead up to that scene is shots of her sleeping and then looking scared. The fact that she's stuck in a room with the antagonist shows convention of scream queen as there not known for there intelligence. This suggest that it's conventional of a slasher and that the character doesn't really have a purpose other than to be killed off. This is implying that the trailer is misogynistic, this is conventional of horror films especially the slasher sub-genre as it's about male dominance and the male installing fear in women making them feel masculine. 

Another theory is Carol Clover 'final girl', the meaning of final girl is that she is suppose to represent purity. The final girl can be found in slashers like Halloween and Cabin in the woods. It can be seen to look like a final girl character in this trailer as the end scene is the antagonist going to this only other female. However a possible limitation is that it's not very clearly a final girl character as she is not shown anywhere else in the trailer so don't have any information about the character.

The theory by Derry about religion and sexuality isn't represented in the trailer ad there isn't possession or demons. However this not being represented in the trailer isn't a weakness as it's a slasher it has specific representations that make it recognisable like the masked figure. However they are drinking and taking drugs which can mean a form of temptation and sin which leads them being hunted and killed.

Teen punishment is represented in this trailer. The victims are young and attractive and are indulging in drinking and drugs. This trailer is mainly based on this representation. It is shown throughout, with the opening shot being a close up of two beer bottles. Then another one showing them all drinking. This is typical of a slasher horror and the trailer conveys it well despite not seeing the punishment you know the antagonist is there to punish or kill them.

Derry's theory of the human monster and the horror of the personality. The monster represents the demons of the people and how there no longer inncocent and pure, he's killing because of the activities there taking part in and the monster needs to punish them because of it. The use of the mask represents this and is similar to other horrors like Scream and Texas chainsaw massacre. The mask represents mystery and wanting to hide something with the monster being themselves. A strength of the trailer is that it doesn't show the masked man a lot and that it's based on a masked man killing other victims for doing something wrong, suggesting theirs something wrong with the killer making him do it.

Theory: Genre

Edited version after being marked

'How does the concept of genre apply to your trailer'

The media product I am going to write about about is my groups summer horror trailer. Which is set in a abandoned building, Neale's theory states that theirs a set of pleasures for audience's. My horror trailer follows some of the conventions as it has some jump scares that will scare a audience, jump scares are a typical feature of horror films and trailers. It is giving them what they want as there watching a horror trailer. The expectations that a audience is looking for is to know that it is a horror film but also that there watching it to be scared and to feel something as they've clicked it. For example for a slasher they will want to see a masked antagonist, or lots of zombies depending on the sub-genre.

Chandler's theory about type is about whether it's recognisable as a horror, the audience should be able to identify the genre through it's conventions. Whether there is specific conventions like jump scares, creepy music in the background and cuts to black. An example of where it's recognisable is the use of non-diegetic sound of a heartbeat it connotes the intensity of the trailer and tells the audience it's about suspense. As well as the low-key lighting throughout the trailer which is typical of horror films and trailers. Something that my group could have done differently is that the sub-genre was slasher however there wasn't a phallic object like a knife or a bat that makes it recognisable.

Rick Altman argues that genre offers the audience a set of pleasures emotional, intellectual and visceral. The trailer has conventions of the intellectual pleasure as it leaves questions unanswered, especially as you don't know what will happen to the male. However there aren't enough typical conventions for visceral pleasure which is to make them feel a physical emotion for example feeling it in there stomach and emotional pleasure for it to convey what a horror trailer should should be which is to make the audience jump.

My groups horror trailer has elements of Abercrombie's theory where he states genre is dismantling the boundaries becoming permeable this is about genres being able to mix and not be completely put into one sub-genre or category. For example are horror genre is slasher however the use of camera shots looking like a friend is filming. For example it has a shake and makes it look hand held.  It has aspects of thriller as they go exploring and the audience is made to feel like anything can happen. This therefore shows that Abercrombie's theory about post modernism for genre is relatable and can still tell and make a recognisable horror trailer.

Mittells genre theory also applies to my trailer as he talks about audiences having a choice when watching a trailer as they know they are picking to watch a horror and not a comedy. When watching  the audience can tell it's a horror trailer based on that it follows similar horror conventions, the close ups of the antagonist, background music and low key lighting. These conventions along with mis-en-scene create tension and atmosphere that allows the audience to be scared if theirs a jump scare and to be curious of who the masked figure is in the background.