Nightmare on Elm Street Website and Poster Deconstruction

Website-

http://www.nightmareonelmstreet.com/dvd/

-Trailer instantly begins to play when you enter the website.

-Clear headings for easy and user-friendly navigation around the website. Also there is no need to scroll up or down the screen.

-Option to buy DVD or enter the website. Above is the trailer and film title, with a large image of the villain to the left of the screen.

-Once you enter the site there is again a large image of the villain on the right (again no need to scroll around.) In the centre is an image of the DVD accompanied by information.

-Menacing music and dark (black, red and grey) colour scheme links well to horror (slasher) genre.

-Links to social media in bottom left (Facebook, myspace, twitter etc.)

-Clear options at top centre of the screen such as special features, photos, downloads, official shop etc.

Poster-

-The release date for the film is central at the bottom of the poster. It is not surrounded by a lot of text which makes it stand out more and also makes it easier to read for the audience.

-The film title is central just above the release date (near the bottom of the poster.) The typography is stereotypical of a film within the horror genre, with red, distorted (smudged) typography. The red of the text also ties in with the main image of the villain. 

-Above the film title is the recognisable film slogan, 'He knows where you sleep.' The typography is smaller than that of the title, and is in white to contrast against the dark background.

-The black, red and white colour scheme is very stereotypical of the horror genre.

-The image of the villain above the girl is menacing and makes him seem bigger and therefore more frightening to the audience.

-The villain is in hallway window backlighting, meaning that the audience cannot see his features properly, making him more mysterious and adding to the horror.

-The knives on the left hand are slightly accentuated (shine,) which is a classic trait of this character that is recognisable by fans.

-At the very bottom is the production company names and logos (either side of release date.)

Website Deconstruction

Edge of Tomorrow

http://www.edgeoftomorrowmovie.com

Genre- Action

•Pictures and reviews slide- most of the screen

•List of things to see down left side- links- user friendly

•Links to social media

•Small box bottom left hand- choice of trailer or play online games related- interactive

•Right hand- slogan

•Spaced out clearly with not to much text

•Colour scheme matches genre- black, gold etc

•Images used link to genre- violence etc

Paranormal Activity 4

http://www.paranormalmovie.co.uk

Genre- Horror

•Typography used throughout paranormal activity films- recognisable

•Red, white & black colour scheme- classic horror conventions

•Have to enter date of birth- interactive & target audience

•3 options at first- trailer, dvd etc- user friendly

•Links to social media

•Links to other part of website clear at the top of the page- main screen showing information etc

•Advertising DVD

•‘Wall of fear’ appeal to those who like horror- target audience

•Webcam option- interactive

About Last Night

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/aboutlastnight/discanddigital/

Genre- Comedy

•Arrows move through pictures- able to tweet etc – link to social media

•Actors names clear at top of page

•Bright colours- Blue, white, pink- links to comedy genre

•Social media links- interactive

•Competition- interactive & target audience

•No scrolling

•Only at cinemas- recent release (e.g no dvd option etc)

•Links at top of page to rest of the website- navigation e.g home button

Alternet

Genre- Psychological drama

Facebook ‘bar’ at top of the screen

Links down left hand side of the page- user friendly

Trailer instantly starts playing in middle of screen

Reviews just under trailer

Links to social media- interactive

Left hand side image- blends in to background- appropriate to genre

Decontruction Of Urban Drama Film Posters

Below I have deconstructed a film poster from the urban drama genre. I have focused on the key conventional features which appear on urban drama film posters. 

 

What's In The Mise En Scene?

• Objects such as bats and guns will appear on an urban drama poster. These conventions carry rough connotations, and therefore, are conventional of the urban drama genre.
• The background will also tend to be a visual signifier of the genre. In this poster's background, London city has been denoted which connotes the film's location as well as the genre.
• The main character will tend to be the central figure of the key image. This enables the audience to identify the film's main character, to further build their interpretations of the film.
• In most urban dramas, the main character will tend to be from a black ethnic background.
• The film title will usually be big and bold. Here for example, the title stands out and the colour red could signify the violent theme of the film.
• To further expand the audiences' knowledge of the narrative, taglines are often made use of.

Overall, I believe visual features such as costume, weapons and ethnicity have a key part in signifying the urban drama genre.

Deconstruction Of Victims In A Slasher

In this post, I will be discussing typical appearances of the victims in a slasher. I will look at:

• Age
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Etc.

After researching into the sub-genre, I have noted that the victims will often be teenagers or young adults. This is evident through slasher films e.g. "Friday The 13th" (2009).

• The victims also tend to be far away from mainstream civilisation or help. This makes them even more vulnerable to the antagonist.

The victims will tend to be white. Some films will contain other ethnic groups e.g. black. However, mainly the victims will often be white. This is evident through "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (2003).



The gender of the victims will vary, with a group of males and females. In most slasher films, there is one female who will tend to be the main character. She will be portrayed as innocent and will often be a virgin. An example of this is in "Halloween" (2007).

• She will usually survive in the end.

Those who engage in sexual behaviour usually end up dying in the hands of the killer. Examples of this are in "Friday The 13th" (2009).

 



Official Trailer Conventions

In this deconstruction I will be focusing on the conventions which appear in an official theatrical trailer.

 

After watching several official trailers, I have noted that the following conventions often emerge:

• Film production titles
• Titles of actors' names and director
• An indication of an approximate release date
• More ideas of the narrative - clear through clips and titles
• Official clips from the film
• Parallel non-diegetic sound
• Diegetic dialect (voices of characters)
• Film title (towards the end)

Below I have deconstructed the official trailer of "The Expendables 2", noting the common conventions of an official trailer.

 

 

The trailer is introduced with titles of production companies. The main company is shown first (Lionsgate).

 

Immediately the audience are shown scenes of action e.g. gunshots being fired. This enables the audience to note the genre - action.

 



Other visual signifiers of the genre are visible through titles e.g. reload which have action connotations. These titles, more specifically, tell the audience about the sub-genre - shootout action.

 

Non-diegetic music (at 0.30s) is upbeat and leads to other non-diegetic sounds e.g. guitars. These sounds carry a fast, action packed theme and can therefore be oral signifiers of the action genre. The non-diegetic music is parallel to the action and can help to further entertain members of audience, fulfilling audience pleasures.

 

At 1.29s, an indication of the release date is given - through the title "This Summer".

To keep the action theme intact, various clips of action have been displayed throughout. This is a tool of keeping the audience entertained throughout and making sure the genre is made clear of.

These clips of explosions are very conventional of the shootout sub-genre.







The film title has been displayed towards the end (at 2.07s). This is a good technique of concluding the trailer and also meets audience expectations, as the audience would expect to see the film's name.

Like in most trailers, the actors' names are mentioned, either during the trailer or towards the end. Here names have appeared at the end of the trailer, as well as the director's. These titles are a good way in notifying the audience who will star in the film - again fulfilling audience pleasures.

Although my group and I have not selected an action genre, I think this trailer follows a very chronological structure. In addition, I like the way in which film production companies have been presented at the beginning, and how the trailer concludes with the film name. I think these two features would certainly be good for our genre - psychological horror. In terms of title cards throughout, my group may use these as a way of drawing our audience in more. One way in which we can achieve this is through having title cards with conventional connotations of our genre. However, we may choose to not give much away about our storyline, so in this way enigmas can raised within the trailer, making our audience even more enticed. 

 

Gothic Art In The Media

After reading an article about the influence of gothic art in film, I carried out further research into how society and events affect art and film. Below I displayed my research.

What is the meaning of gothic?

·         Belonging to a dark age, a dark horror.

In architecture?

·       From French gothique or late Latin gothicus, it was used in the 17th and 18th century to mean 'not classical' (i.e. not Greek or Roman).

·       Gothic also refers to medieval architecture which did not follow classical models and a typeface based on medieval handwriting.

·         The earliest gothic artefacts were monument sculptures on the walls of Cathedrals.

Gothic influences in Film

·         The gothic style was first seen during the German Expressionist Cinema of the 1920’s.

·       In these films the dark, surreal artistic values mirrored the economic and social depression following Germany’s defeat in the First World War.

·       Gothic films have sets designed to portray the dark horror through extended shadows and walls that appear to tilt and twist from one side or the other.

 



 

·       The set for The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is designed to reflect the early Gothic woodcut etchings with high contrast and deep backgrounds.

Art’s influence on film

·       Gothic paintings by Francis Bacon inspired the Joker’s look in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008).

·       Gothic art has said to reconnect with the ‘dark side’ of human life. It allows us to see the world through a surreal filter.



 

Events which have influenced gothic art

·       Guernica – painted by Pablo Picasso, it was created in response to the bombing in Guernica in the Spanish Civil War.

·       The painting shows the tragedies of war and the suffering individuals face, particularly innocent civilians.

·       Soft Construction With Boiled Beans – painted by Dali, was made to represent the horrors of the Spanish Civil War.

How To Deconstruct An Opening Based On Genre

When deconstructing an opening for genre, always think about these key elements:

·         Mise en scene

·         Camera angles/shots

·         Camera movement

·         Lighting

·         Editing

·         Sound

After mentioning these, think about what effect they have i.e. what they connote and how this may link to the genre. Follow these steps:

Step 1

·         Find your opening on YouTube you want to deconstruct. If you are displaying your work on a blog, scroll down and click on “share”. Select the “embed” option and copy the link.

 

 

Step 2

·         Past the link on the “html”, then click on “compose”. The embedded video should appear.

 

Step 3

·        Watch the clip and select certain parts which allow you to comment on the key elements e.g. mise en scene, sound, lighting etc. and make clear links to the genre. Make sure you print screen your selected parts and past them on your blog.

Watch this opening of “The Conjuring” and see how it has been deconstructed, based on its genre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQLxrTokX-w