Analysing Vein and the Brain

Representations of the bully are typical. We made him more powerful and bigger than the two geeks, which gave him an advantage over the geeks, and also a bigger visual presence for the bully, as we had him standing up and the geeks sitting down. We also used the positioning of the people in the frame to construct representations. We made the geeks sit apart from the rest of the class, and used a long shot to show the separation from the rest of the class. The geeks are shown as scared, and inferior to the bullies, and also use formal language when speaking, which also enforces the geeks social group.

We also used the costume on the geeks and cool people to make sure the two social classes were specifically defined. The cool people were wearing casual clothes, such as jeans and jewellery, whereas the geeks wore glasses, a bow tie and shirts. This is stereotypical if the two social classes. The bully was also stereotypical of the social class because we show him with other people who could be in the group with him, and show him in casual clothes, and not smart dress, which is what you expect of that specific person.

For the film, we chose to represent the teenage social groups. We chose to do this as we are all teenagers who produced the film, so we thought we had a better knowledge of what would be needed in order to maximise the potential for the film. However, there were only boys on the production team, and no girls. This in turn means we have no first hand experience of the lives of girls, so this may have caused us to use stereotypes of girls to construct the personalities of them in the film.

The things above could force people to view the social groups in a certain light. This could be like the girls being popular, due to the fact they are talking about going to a party, whilst the other person in the scene isn’t going. Also, the geeks are seen as polite and conservative as they say “please” and also do not put up a fight, or become aggressive.

The images used in the film also confirm and also subvert to the stereotypes. We see the girl change from being cool, to dropping the iRobot DVD, and then moving from the “cool” to “geek” social group. We also see the geeks subvert to the geek stereotype, with the bowtie and the shirts they are wearing in all the scenes. This shows we are remaining constant with what we associate with the geek genre.

There were two main signifiers that we used in the film. These were the gameboy and the iRobot DVD. The gameboy was used to make the geeks move from the classroom to the corridor, where we see the girl become a geek. The other signifier is when we actually realise the girl is a geek. For this part, we saw the DVD fall from her folder, and then the geek sees it, and realises they aren’t different, which is the main point of the film.

On the geeks, we start with a long shot. This shows them isolated from the rest of the class, to imply that they are not in the other social group, and in their own group. We then see another shot on the geek, which is a mid shot, then a close up. These shots are used when he sees the girl is a geek, and are used to show the emotion on his face, and are also used to show him picking up the iRobot DVD which helps the viewer understand what’s happening. The geeks are always shown in formal clothing and talking with polite and quiet dialogue. These two things make us realise that they are conservative characters, and conform to the geek social class. A two shot is used on the girls to show them together, and separate them from the other people in the room. This makes the viewer realise that they are “cooler” than the geeks, and at this moment, we class them in a different social group to the others in the film. The costumes used also show them as casual people, with no specific social class. The dialogue used also shows them as popular, which we see when they are talking about the party.

The girls are shown as objectified. We see this through the slow motion shot of Mel walking away from the geek. The music coupled with this shot makes us see her as a sexual object, and an object of desire for the geek. In the shot we also see her look at the geek, while playing with her hair. This connotes objectification, and makes us realise she is the centre of attention. The geeks are not objectified, and are there to make the other people become objectified. They are still important in making the plot move on, and create other plots in the film, which is helpful.

Dyer says that women are looked at, and men look at the women. This is shown in our film when Will sees Mel. We see Will looking at Mel, who is off camera, and this backs up Dyers theory of the woman being objectified. Will is not really objectified, and we only see Mel playing with her hair, and walking off, which again backs up the point that the women are there to be looked at, and are active, while the men are passive.

Our intended audience is teenagers. We used this target audience because that was who was starring in the film and also what we based the stereotypes and characters on. We also aimed the film at this age because we are all teenagers who produced the film, therefore we created it from a teenager’s point of view, and it seemed sensible to create it for that age group.

The Strangers Analysis

The representation of the killers and the victims in the film "The Strangers" are very different to one another. The female victim is shown in the trailer as alone, and hardly seen with her husband. This shows me that she is being portrayed as the inferior of the couple and will be the one who is more vulnerable of the victims. This is conventional as the woman is normally viewed as the victim in horror films. An example of the vulnerability of the woman is with one of the first shots in the trailer where we see her naked in the bath. this shows her innocence and we see her with no protection which gives us an idea that she is going to be attacked. The male victim is shown as masculine, and wearing a suit. The choice of clothing connotes wealth and power, which we know he has over the woman. We also see the man going to take on the killers, and try and protect the woman from them. This shows his masculinity and we also see how he is the more powerful of the couple. The three killers are shown as calculated, and quite clever and logical. We see them following the couple, and leaving clues around the house to where they are. The swings moving, ande then the music player starting are some parts of this. We also see them as cold hearted, and quite quiet. We see them attacking the couple, and they only talk once in the trailer, which helps to keep their mystery and keep us in suspense.

The narrative in the trailer shows the happenings of the film in chronological order. This is used to help the audience create a story in their minds of the happenings in the film. We see the man and woman as a normal couple at the beginning to help us get a sense of what the couple are like, and what they are doing in the house they are in. We then see a series of events culminating in the killers coming into the house and attacking the couple. From the shots we see in the trailer, we can create our own storyline to whats happening to the couple and the struggles they are enduring with the killers.

The mise-en-scene is carefully selected for the film to help create a sense of suspense and envolvment within the audience. The masks are used on the killers to create mystery and suspense, and when the masks are removed, we only see the hair and not the faces of the killers to continue with the suspense. Also used are props that you would find in an everyday setting in a house, which helps the audience interact with the family as it is easy to relate to. Also, low key lighting is used on the killers, and outside, to help create a sense of mystery. This helps us realise that the killers are there and still a threat to the couple inside, and outside, the house. The objects that the killers also use to threaten the couple are very important in the teaser trailer. The axe and the knife are both show in full view to the camera, which creates a sense of danger and death, which is what the audience want to see from a horror movie.

The camerawork used in The strangers trailer is varied, but helps us interact with the characters in the film. We see the distance between the victims and the killers in terms of knowledge of the whereabouts of each other. A long shot is used to show the woman in her kitchen, oblivious that one of the killers is in the room with her, which we can see both, and see that the killer has control of the situation.

Narrative Theory - Hibbert

Todorov proposes the theory that all films contain a three stage structure. The stages are equilibrium, disequilibrium and then a resolution. In the film "Disturbia" the film starts with a normal family in a house, and this is the equilibrium part. Itis the calm of the film ,where things seem normal, and everyday. In the same film, the disequilibrium is when Shia Laboeuf realises that the neighbour is a murderer, which causes some kind of disturbance and problem for the characters to solve. The disequilibrium is where a problem is raised to disrupt the calmness, and the characters have to solve this. Todorovs theory is again proved in the film Disturbia when the character manages to save his mother from being killed by the murderer by solving the problem raised and completing the cycle to resolution. This particular film proves the theory of Todorov and by also looking at other films from the horrow genre in particular, i can see many of them also follow this pattern.

Genre Theory - Hibbert

Will Wright explains that genres are seen as almost myths. This means that they are like "stories" that people believe. I am studying horror genre, and can relate to this as the conventions contain mythical things, such as ghosts and vampires. Wright also thinks that genre makes the film easier to understand for a wider audience. I can relate to this with reference to the horror genre as, woth such a film as White Noise, i can see that it is aimed at a large audience, with all people above 18 targeted. With other films, such as Chucky, are aimed at an age range of 15, which ahows me that other groups of people who are younger and also interested in horror are able to watch the films they desire. Wright also says how genre is set to specific conventions, and any fluctuations in the conventions are made to reflect the changes and thoughts of the society they are shown. He a;sp tells us how the genre of the film reflects the things people are fond of, and the things that people enjoy about society. I can see this in horror films, as, such as in Shaun of the Dead, shopping centres and pubs are used, which are obvious places for people to enjoy and visit in society.