Cast Members - Seda

                                                            Seda - The 'Shy Nerd'  

Seda plays the role of the smart shy girl who is very academic and her studies always comes first. She doesn't have much of a life outside her studies however her best friends Aisha, Leyla, Stephanie and Tiffani always encourage her to be more out going and often pressure her into going to different parties with them in order for her to overcome her shyness. In her spare time she enjoys reading novels and has her mind focused on going to university at the end of the year. She is always kind, loves her best friends but her extreme shyness usually gets in the way of everything and anything. Seda secretly envies the attention that her friends get from guys even though she claims she doesn't have any interest in boyfriends or relationships but really that is what she longs for most...

Cast Members - Tiffani

                                                  Tiffani - The 'Cheeky' and 'Adventurous'

Tiffani is the sporty one in the group and loves partaking in adventurous activities such as camping, exploring and loves trying something new. She has a sense of style although she is not self obsessed and does not wear much make-up or care too much about the latest fashion (like her best friend Aisha). She has no problem getting her hands dirty and doesn't mind doing things on her own as she is very brave and loves a good nose around. Other than her best-friends, Tiff has far more male friends than she does female as she finds them easier to relate to. Although Tiffani is mischievous and sometimes troublesome, she is a lot of fun to be with and can make conversation with absolutely anyone as she is very outspoken. 

Cast Members - Aisha (Main)

        Aisha - The 'Fashionista' and 'Play Girl' 

Aisha plays the role of the girl who loves to shop, has all the latest pieces and of course has an amazing sense of fashion. She will never be caught dead without any makeup and bad hair days are almost a myth in her world. Aisha is the most popular girl in school and is also portrayed as the leader in her friendship group. Most people would consider her a perfect girl as she is beautiful, charming and has a great sense of humour. Every girl wants to be her friend and every boy her boyfriend and she sometimes takes advantage of this. This type of girl is envied by many as if your'e a female you want to look and be like her and if your a guy you would give anything for her phone number! 

Despite all of this, Aisha loves her best friends Tiffani, Stephanie, Seda and Leyla and would do anything to protect them...

Finalising The Cast Members

  Left to Right - Seda, Stephanie, Aisha, Tiffani and Leyla

After a long while of deliberating, my group and I came to a decision and we were able to finalise the cast for out horror trailer after considering a variety of different people. 

We decided to go with these five girls as the majority of them all have some form of acting experience which will prove necessary when filming the trailer. This will also enable us to save time as their experience has given them the ability to take initiative and improvise If/when necessary.

Another dominant factor that also guided our decision in choosing these girls as part of out cast is that they all know each other well and had fantastic chemistry during the test shots which is crucial as the girls are expected to play best friends who have known each other for years. 

Story Board

Pretty Little Liars and Sorority Row

When creating the narrative for our horror trailer, myself and my group decided that we would incorporate elements from TV show Pretty Little Liars and the 2009 film Sorority Rowe as we want to portray teenagers as being hedonistic in our own production and felt that these two media texts did a great job of doing just that.

From both trailers above, we can see how the teenagers are portrayed and the different objects and icons they appear to associate with teenagers e.g. sex, party's and alcohol.

My Horror Film Narrative

Narrative

Five girls who’ve been best friends for seven years have received their results for their final year of college and are pleased with what they have received. Because of this, the girls decide to throw a party in celebration of their hard work. The girls have made a reputation for themselves over the years and are very popular amongst their peers – especially Aisha who is the leader of the group.

Three years before this Aisha, Seda, Leyla and Stephanie went on a road trip however Tiffani couldn’t make it as she had to attend a family wedding. On the car journey home, the girls had too much to drink which resulted in a car accident and a young male was killed. When the girls rushed out to see what had happened they realised that they had accidentally hit their best friend Tiffani’s boyfriend. In a panic, they got back in the car and drove away never speaking of what happened that night again.

The next day the group set out to prepare for their fancy dress party and it wasn’t long before their friends started flooding in.  During the party, a mysterious figure kept appearing within the crowd however; because it was fancy dress no one suspects anything.

After a great night of partying, the five best friends pass out (from tiredness) at Aisha’s house and are woken by a loud noise during the early morning. As they get up the girls notice that Tiffani is not there but they are not alarmed as she is very ‘adventurous’ and often goes off on her own. However not long after, Leyla and Stephanie notice a trail of blood leading outside and quickly inform the rest of the group.  The four remaining friends fear the worst and start searching frantically for missing Tiffani. As they run outside to search for her, trails of her belongings such as her phone, bracelet etc. are found in the garden and the girls begin to panic.

Moments later, a scream can be heard not too far from the house and so the girls decide to split up to look for her. Leyla and Seda are too scared to go out alone (as they play the innocent, shy and nerdy characters) and therefore end up going out together. Aisha and Stephanie go into a wood type location, whereas the others stay in familiar territory and look for their friend in areas close by.

The girls agreed to meet back every half an hour at a spot near the house to get updates on each other’s findings however one by one, at every meet up, another girl disappears. As Aisha and Stephanie explore the woods in the hopes of finding their best friend, Aisha catches a glimpse of the mysterious hooded figure that was present at their house party. She quickly turns to tell Stephanie but she is nowhere to be seen.

After half an hour, Seda and Leyla go back to the meeting point to tell the others that they have had no luck but already waiting is distressed Aisha. She tells the others that Stephanie has also vanished and about the hooded figure she saw in the woods. The group then decided that it would be safer to stay together and so they set off for the final time in the hopes of finding their two best friends.

The girls reach the woods a final time still desperately searching for their friends when suddenly a loud noise startles them and they start to run. Aisha trips and falls over a mysterious object but soon realises that it is the foot off Stephanie who has been buried and covered with leaves. Before she even gets the chance to scream the villain covers her mouth and drags her away.

After a tiring struggle, she manages to break free, and out of nowhere, Seda hits the villain over the head with a log of wood and the hooded figure falls to the ground. The three girls struggle to reveal the identity of the villain but when they do they come to the shocking discovery that it’s their best friend, Tiffani.

In disbelief the three friends ask her if all of this was some sort of joke but they soon realised that she was far from playing games. Tiffani then hurtfully explained how she knew what they had done to her boyfriend three years ago and thought that through getting revenge, she could finally move on and get on with her life.

Aisha, Leyla and Seda began to cry and tried to explain how sorry they were and that the whole situation was an accident. Tiffani began to get angry and pulled out a knife from inside the hoodie. She proceeded to stab Aisha and the others but before she got the chance to the ‘thought-to-be-dead’ Stephanie appeared out of nowhere and turned the knife back on her, stabbing her in the side.

Narrative Mind Map

In this post I will be showing you the mind map I created for the narrative of my horror trailer. I decided to do a digital version as well as a written one in my book to help organise the ideas that myself and my group came up with more clearly and effectively. 

Below is the brain storm (Please click to enlarge). 

Further Research Into Classifications, Age Ratings and Restrictions

I decided to do further research into age restrictions on films and why they are important and I came across some interesting findings. The BBFC regulates and monitors films to give parents and carers a guide on what is appropriate for their child and if certain content can be harmful or disturbing to them. 

 A number of studies have shown that children who are exposed to graphic, violent and sexual scenes will be affected negatively one way or another. This is because children take in what they see, hear and will remember them throughout their lives. Children under a certain age (usually below 15) are unable to differentiate between fact and fiction especially when watching films of a violent nature e.g. horror and may even attempt to copy these things that they have been exposed to.

Experts in this field have come to the conclusion that children who are exposed to regular scenes of violence will carry feelings of resentment, anger and will find it very difficult to empathise with others as they have become immune to the pain and suffering that they have seen.

I also came across a magazine called ‘Digital Parenting’ that had some useful information on this topic and felt it worth reading and blogging about. Below are the images attached. 

From this, I will ensure that the content in my trailer is suitable for people 15 and over and will follow the BBFC's guidelines on this classification as closely as I can. When the final product has been uploaded to YouTube, I will also be putting on an age restriction which will only allow people 15 and older to view the content.

Questionnaire Findings: Analysis

Preliminary Task

For the preliminary task, myself and two other students were put together in a group and were instructed to create our own version of a short scene from any horror film of our choice. This was done in order to help us get familiar with the cameras, editing software and anything else that we may come into contact with whilst filming our final product (the three minute horror trailer).

My group and I got along well as we each had similar ideas as we all wanted to do a classic bathroom/toilet scene. After a little while of discussion, we came up with our narrative which involved a teenage girl in a sixth form/college environment who encounters a mysterious person in the bathroom. Time was very limited as we were only given 1 and a half hours to gather all our shots and edit what we had produced so we thought it most realistic to film it in school instead of finding a location elsewhere.

We decided to remake a clip from Cry Wolf and incorporate elements of Psycho (e.g. the drain and tap scenes). We also ended up changing the narrative slightly due to limited time and so that we could add some of our own ideas to make it more original and not an exact copy.

We faced a few challenges during the shooting process as we were using a public toilet, meaning that many other students had access and kept walking in and out – disrupting the footage. Because of this, we then decided that it would be necessary for one member of the group to stand outside and explain to the other peers what was going on and ask them if they could kindly wait for us to finish filming. This meant that we had to film very quickly as we felt it unfair to keep people waiting for long periods of time. 

We had previously discussed the shots and camera angles that we wanted to use and the challenges that would come with it e.g. the CCTV scene which required me to climb on top of one of the doors and balance whilst trying to keep a steady hand to film. Another challenge that we faced was trying to get the camera to focus as it was a manual DSLR. Getting the camera to focus was sometimes difficult as a few of the positions we had to get into to film made it almost impossible to check if the focus was on and change it if it was not. An example of this is a gain the CCTV footage scene as I was in a very unusual position as it was high angle shot looking down which in turn caused me to have to film scenes such as these multiple times.

When editing the footage, an effect that myself and the other members of my group wanted to incorporate was the surveillance camera effect. In order to do this we had to create a darkish green filter to lay on top of the video, download a time code from YouTube and superimpose it on top of the screen to make it look as realistic as possible.  After I had finished editing the footage, myself and my group felt something else could have been added in at the end to make it fit in more with horror genre as there were no real horror ‘icons’’ present except for one scream.

Because of this, we decided to film a drain/tap scene where fake blood can be seen dripping around it. We did initially decide to have fake blood coming out front the tap but we didn’t have the time or the resources to do so. At first, we used red paint for the blood in the sink but as soon as it came into contact with water it turned purple which made it look very unrealistic and so we decided to use fake blood provided by a teacher instead.

Audience Research - Fears (15-19 yrs)

In order to aid my future horror trailer in being a success, I decided to do some secondary research on what people in my chosen target audience (age 15-19 years) most common fears and phobias are. This research especially is very important as if a movie of the horror genre is not based on something that a lot of people fear/current moral panics, then it becomes less likely for the audience to get emotionally connected or react in the way that we would like; making the film an un-success.  
Other than personal issues such as family, school, relationships etc the main fears and phobias that repeatedly came up in this age group are as followed:

The Fear Of:
Death/Dead things - Necrophobia 
Spiders - also known as Arachnaphobia 
Flying - also known as Aviophobia 
Enclosed Spaces - also known as Claustrophobia 
Heights - also know as Acrophobia 

I also decided to conduct my own Primary research on a number of peers at my sixth form by asking them what their biggest fears were:

From this I found that the majority of people questioned feared either supernatural beliefs such as ghosts, demons or dangerous animals such as snakes, sharks and dinosaurs. The rest of the fears mentioned were just things that could potentially cause harm such as falling from a great height. When comparing both my Primary and Secondary research It is clear to see a link as 3/5 fears listed above were either named or referenced by the individuals being interviewed. 

However, the final person to list their fear mentioned 'love' which is a more personal topic and because of this, I would find it challenging and difficult to incorporate into my trailer as it is too vague (the aspect of love they feared was not mentioned).

In carrying out this research,  I have now gained a better understanding on the different types of fears that I could play on and incorporate into my horror trailer to make it more current, attractive and appealing to my chosen age group. 

Audience Research - Reaction Filming and Discussion

I decided to conduct an observational study by filming a number of participants whilst watching a variety of different horror trailers. In doing this I was able to see the sections of the trailer that caused the most obvious reactions which has been useful in helping me decide on the content that I will be putting in my own.  After the participants had watched the trailer,  I discussed with them in more detail how they felt  asking them a series of questions in order to deduce useful information which will help guide me when making my own horror trailer and confirmed the definite target audience that I will be aiming my trailer at.

When looking at the obvious reactions in both footage, I found that music and sound plays a major part in setting the scene and causing the audience to react in fear and shock (e.g.jumping, covering eyes etc).  From this,  it is clear to see that soundtracks help to heighten suspense and horror and create an uncomfortable atmosphere that fans of the horror genre look for, and without,  the scariest most uncomfortable footage can be made bearable to watch.

I decided to research even further into this and came across a study from professor Daniel Blumstein  from the university of  California, Los Angeles which also involved composer Peter Kaye from Kingston University London. Professor Daniel found that  horror films had a higher than expected number of abrupt shifts up and down in pitch and came to the conclusion that the use of non linear sounds were not random - but used to 'enhance the emotional impact 'of scenes. From these findings, I will now be very careful and thorough in the selection process of choosing the music and sounds for each and every moment of my trailer in order to portray and enhance the horror and shock elements correctly and to the fullest.

When speaking with one of the students, she expressed her interest in the film as the story line was unique and different to anything else she had seen or heard before. This highlights that people of this age group find originality an important factor when trying to attract viewers as many may argue that horror films have become too predictable over the years and fans of the horror genre (such as she) can usually predict what will happen in certain scenes. 

All the participants agreed that even though the trailer they watched was not 'gory' as such (The human centipede) it was still very disturbing to watch as part of the promotion package of this film was that the surgery is 'medically accurate' meaning that this could actually be carried out in real life. This has showed me that film classed in the horror sector do not have to be all about blood and gore to be eerie and that people find realistic scenarios more frightening because they fear that there is more of a chance of it actually happening to them. 

Lastly, one of the students noticed that the actors and actresses used fit and portrayed the characters in the film perfectly. I also agree that this is very important as using someone who does not fit the role will make the film seem very unrealistic whether in a horror film or any other genre. I will now cast my actors/actresses very carefully when deciding what characters they will play in order to ensure that the actors are character appropriate. 

In the second session, one of the students mentioned that she feels the trailer would have been scarier if it had followed Todorov's narrative theory as there was no build up because equilibrium was never present at any point; just chaos right from the start. This has showed me that audiences of this age group enjoy watching a horror that builds up tension and doesn't just get straight into the blood and gore. I will now ensure that I myself will do the same by leaving the gory parts (if any) more towards the end. 

Eden Lake Presentation

By Precious King and Leyla Hassan

Examples of Film Promotion: Carrie - Cafe Prank

During the last few lessons, myself and my class have been looking closely at different methods of film promotion. A few examples include posters, trailers, exclusive viewings, adverts, radio etc. Out of all these methods stated, the video linked below is probably the most creative one i've seen so far. 

The video has been inspired by the famous 1976 'Carrie' prom scene where the young teenager expresses her humiliation and anger by exercising her telekinetic powers. This clever supernatural prank worked wonders in creating a buzz and raising awareness for the new 2013 remake as this method of promotion allowed the public to get involved causing the video to go viral on the internet after only a few days reaching a staggering 40million plus views.

                                      Carrie Coffee Shop Prank

Why are trailers so important?

The trailer is a very powerful and meaningful source of promotion and marketing as it allows viewers to get a quick insight on what the film will be about. From a trailer alone, a viewer can usually tell if they are interested in the film and whether or not they will be going to see it once it is released making it crucial for film makers to create their trailers to be as appealing as possible. 

This is just one of the many reasons why the people in the film industry put so much effort, thought and detail especially in horror trailers in the hopes of keeping the target audience captivated and anxious to see what will happen next.  The trailer is a good tool when aiming to stir up emotions as it gives the audience a short taste of the film as still images alone would be rather ineffective.

Below are a few trailers that I thought to be very captivating and were successful in persuading me to go and see them. This is because they don't give away too much (apart from Carrie as we already know what will happen) allowing room for the audience to guess what may happen next and try to piece the story together.

    'The Evil Dead' (2013)

       'I Spit On Your Grave' (2013)

'Carrie' (2013)

BBFC Classification

The BBFC – what do they do?

In order to protect children from unsuitable and even harmful content in films and videos and to give consumers information they might need about a particular film or video before deciding whether or not to view it, the BBFC examines and age rates films and videos before they are released.

The BBFC look at issues such as discrimination, drugs, horror, dangerous and easily imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex and violence when making decisions. They also consider context, the tone and likely impact of a work on the potential audiecne.
                                                             (bbf.co.uk)

U – The U symbol stands for universal which means that the context shown is suitable for any child from the age of four years old.  Only very mild bad language such as ‘damn’ and ‘hell’ are considered acceptable for this classification. No significant issues can be raised e.g. sex, discrimination, nudity etc, although brief kissing is deemed appropriate. A U film may include brief scenes of violence or moments where a character is in danger but the threat must be quickly resolved and the outcome must be reassuring.

PG – The symbol stands for parental guidance meaning that the film is suitable for general viewing but some scenes may be considered unsuitable for younger children. Mind bad language such as ‘shit’ or ‘bitch’ are considered appropriate but not repeatedly. References to sex are acceptable as long as it is mild and not dwelled upon in detail. Some blood is acceptable as long as the viewers are unable to get an in depth insight on how the wound or injury was inflicted. Realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives will not be glamorised in a PG classification film.

12/12A – This classification means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (e.g. someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them. Some strong language such as f**** is considered acceptable but it cannot be used frequently.  Sex may be portrayed briefly and verbal sex references should not exceed what is appropriate for a young teenager. There may be nudity but again, this must be discreet and brief as well as violence which must also not be dwelled upon.  Discriminatory behaviour should not be endorsed in the film as a whole.

15 – This classification means that the content in the film will only be suitable for a person aged 15 and over. strong violence, frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***'), portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal, references to sex, sexual nudity, verbal references to sexual violence, discriminatory language or behaviour and drug taking are suitable as long as it is brief and not shown in too much detail.

18 – This classification means that content is only suitable for adults. No theme is prohibited at 18 as adults are allowed to pick their own entertainment within the law, which means that some themes may be deemed effective.

Research Rationale

When analysing Paul Wells’ research into target audience, I found that people between the ages of 15-25 are more likely to be interested in watching horror as they enjoyed the bloodletting and gore the most out of all the other categories. For that reason, I have decided to target the same age group however with further independent research, this may change. 

When conducting my research, I have decided to use various methods which will enable me to collect a variety of useful datum to aid me in creating a successful horror trailer. The methods I have chosen are as followed:

Surveys

I have decide to use a survey to collect my qualitive data as it is a useful way of learning what the target audience is thinking, how they feel and what techniques they found to be effective (e.g. fast cutting  for violent action, handheld shots for chase scenes etc).  The information from these surveys will enable me to make objective decisions concerning the different elements that I should or should not include, pushing me in the right direction to create a piece that will be appealing to my target audience.  I will try to get a large number of participants involved so that I can have access to a wider range of opinions and ideas.

Secret Filming
I have also decided to conduct an observational study by secretly filming a number of participants whilst watching a variety of different horror trailers that I give them. In doing this I will be able to see the sections of the trailer that caused the most obvious reaction and will be food for thought for the content that I will be putting in my own.

 

An example of secret filming; from a 2010 paranormal activity midnight screening

Focus Groups

This leads on to my next method of research which will be to conduct a focus group using the same participants from the secret filming and discuss with them in more detail how they felt after they had watched the trailers. I will also be asking them a series of questions in order to deduce from them useful information that will again guide me  when making my horror trailer and conform the definite target audience that I will be aiming my trailer at.

Film Reviews
For additional research, I will also be looking in depth into horror film reviews and will be analysing the criticisms and compliments given. I will be sure to do this with a number of different reviews again, allowing me to see a variety of different opinions and ideas that could help make my horror trailer a great success.

 

Types Of Codes and Roland Barthes

Hermeneutic Code: the story is not fully explained, the full truth is avoided keeping the audience guessing until the final scene where all is revealed.

Podiatric Code: action or event that indicates something else is going to happen and by witnessing this, the audience can say what characters will do/ what will happen next.

Roland Barthes’ Enigma Code: A theory that suggests that a text (whether television, film, poster etc) portrays a mystery to draw an audience in, pose questions and, as such, become intrigued in the piece. For example, a murder mystery will often not reveal the identity of the murderer until the very end.

According Roland Barthes, this sequence is as followed:

Thematisation – what in the narrative is the enigma?

Positioning – additional confirmation of the enigma

Formulation of the enigma

Promise of an answer

Fraud – circumvention of the true answer

Equivocation – mixture of fraud and the truth

Blocking – not allowing the enigma to be solved

Suspended answer – stopping the answer after having begun

Partial answer  - some facts of the truth are revealed

Disclosure of the truth

                                          

Cabin In the Woods Essay

The start of the 2012 horror film conforms to the codes and conventions of horror as icons such as blood and gore can be spotted straight away. The majority of the film is also set in darkness and in isolated settings created by expressionistic and shadowy lighting, which again conforms. Atmospheric suspense music can be heard on numerous occasions along with many loud screams and cries, examples of this being in the first chase scene where the first murder in the woods takes place.  Typical characters such as the Hedonistic teenagers, Monsters and The Final Girl (almost) can all be spotted – supporting Propp’s character theory and allowing the audience to easily guess the fate of each character.

Similarly to Scream, Cabin in The Woods also subverts the codes and conventions of horror by stating ‘Rules’ during the movie.  These rules of ‘not having sex’ were broken in both films and the characters that participated in this type of activity were killed early on. The male gaze can also be spotted on more than two occasions supporting Carol J Clover’s theory.  However, the main subversion in the movie is that in most horror films, the audience is lead to believe that the situation the characters face just happen to be an unfortunate series of events whereas in this film, the audience is led to believe that horror movies actually happen in real life to please the ‘gods’ and keep the world in ‘order’ which is why sacrificial themes can be spotted throughout hence the opening credits.

As well as Scream, the movie makes reference to various other films one being Psycho. References of this film can be spotted  in one of the early scenes where voyeurism takes place as a male characters spies on the ‘Virgin’ behind the large picture frame whilst in her room. This was similar to when Norman Bates was spying on Marion though a hole in the wall. Also, the animalistic imagery of the stuffed animal heads on the walls and the slaughtered ram in the painting can be considered Psycho reference's and represent the fate of some of the characters.

The typical camera work and editing such as crosscutting for suspense sequences and faster cutting for violent action can all be identified although an unusual high angle was used in the beginning of the film however this could be argued as a point of view shot for those being watched.  

More horror icons and typical narratives such as the supernatural haunting a group of people and unexplained events can all be identified within the narrative of the horror movie. Todorov’s narrative structure of equilibrium, disruption and restoration of equilibrium have all been used in one way or another as well as the binary oppositions between good and evil, life and death, supernatural and natural all leading up to some sort of resolution but this time with a twist, suggesting to the audience that all is not well and not everything has been restored back to a ‘normal’ state.

Typically, the ‘Virgin’ or ‘Final Girl’ in the movie was the main character and the audience was lead to believe that she would survive like most of the ‘Pure’ and ‘Innocent’ characters do, although this actually turned out to be false hope as even though she was reunited with the other male character, in the end, good did not triumph over evil and there were no survivors. 

Scream 1996 Essay

How does Scream (1996) subvert and conform to the conventions of horror films?

The 1996 horror movie conforms to the conventions of horror films in a variety of different ways. This could be demonstrated though the films narrative, characters, Iconography and the key themes found throughout. Through my research I have also found this film to subvert certain aspects of horror movies due to the postmodernism present within it which I will be analysing further in this essay.

It could be argued that the narrative of the horror movie follows closely to typical codes and conventions as it lines up with Todorov’s narrative theory.  Scream starts with an equilibrium followed by a disturbance and then a new equilibrium is reinstated. All of this occurs when Casey is murdered in her home. The peace in the community is disrupted and in turn, leads to a series of events where numerous characters become victims and peace is only reinstated when a confrontation takes place between Sydney and the unmasked killers, as the local authorities appear to be powerless against the situation.

The same could be said for the characters found in Scream as the majority of the conventional characters found in horror movies can be identified. The main iconographic character present is the ‘final girl’ Sydney. According to Carol J Clover’s final girl theory, the final girl is usually one of the only characters that survives the entirety of the film and lives to tell the tale of the horrific events as the other characters (especially male) tend to die  early on in the movie, making her the ‘slasher film hero’.  The final girl is usually very smart, intelligent and watchful of her surroundings, enabling her to spot the first signs of abnormality and warn the others of her findings. They also seem to have an essence of masculinity which is usually represented through her name for example, Ripley in the Ridley Scott 1979 classic Alien. The main character Sydney fulfils this role as people continue to die around her and she is the only one left standing, leaving her to reinstate a new equilibrium by facing her fears. Typically, the film is shot through the final girls’ perspective, forcing the audience to experience the fears and terrors that she goes through and in most cases viewers tend to take her side.

Typical iconography and Mis-en-scene found in horror movies appear to be present in this film as classic icons of horror such as masks, knifes, blood and screams are featured from the very open sequence of the film and continue to appear throughout. The killer in Scream is typically masked in an attempt to disorientate the viewers and keep the villains identity hidden until the very end. The killer also uses a sharp knife to attack his victims in an attempt to murder brutally increasing the fear of both the victims and the audience. The isolated setting in the very start of the movie also conforms to the codes and conventions of horror as well as the Mis-en-scene in doors which include the dim lighting and lamp lit rooms allowing shadows and darkened areas inside the house to form.

Despite the examples listed above, it is impossible to say that the 1996 horror Scream completely abides and conforms to the codes and conventions of a typical horror. This is because of the amount of postmodernism that can be identified throughout the film. Postmodernism is when a film attempts to subvert the mainstream conventions of narrative, structure and destroys the expectations of the audience. This is done because the typical ‘horror’ audience are usually very familiar with the genre and have certain expectations and beliefs as to what things may mean and symbolise. For example, viewers who watch horror regularly tend to believe that any character that is not considered ‘virginal’ or  ‘pure’ is automatically sentenced to death and will be killed very early on in a the movie. They may also believe that colours such as white represent purity and black represent death and destruction. These expectations are all due to past horror films which have stuck closely to codes and conventions enabling viewers to guess accurately as to what will happen next. Scream acknowledges very early on in the film that viewers would have seen horror films in the past and therefore know that they have this type of mind set. Because of this, the movie attempts to play on the audience’s predictions and expectations putting a whole new twist on the horror genre.

Some examples of postmodernism found is Scream include when Casey and the mysterious character on the phone begin to discuss their favourite horror films and the different plots that go with each one. Names of films are even directly mentioned in the movie, a few being Nightmare On Elmstreet, Halloween and Friday the 13^th.

A second example of postmodernism found in Scream is when the Head teacher hears noises outside his office and begins to complain. When he opens the door to see who’s there (an elderly janitor) he replies ‘sorry janitor Fred’. This was done deliberately as the janitor was purposely designed to look like Freddy Krueger – the serial killer from Nightmare On Elmstreet.

Lastly, the Scream movie even goes as far as to have one of the characters recite to his friends the ‘rules’ or surviving a horror film! These rules include: ‘Never have sex, never drink or do drugs and never say ‘I’ll be right back’.

All of this is done to check the audience’s knowledge on horror movies and keep viewers entertained even though they usually already know what will happen next. Postmodernism also shows that the director is aware of the expectations and assumptions that people already have and use it to their advantage.

The examples of postmodernism listed above support both Steve Neal and Todorov’s quotes which state that ‘Genres are instances of repetition and difference’ and ‘A new genre is always the transformation of one or several old genres’. This is because it is clear to see that films such as Scream and many others sub-genres (for example Scary Movie) have literally borrowed and incorporated previous ideas and emerged them (and even some of their characters) into future films such as these.

Desensitisation Theory

Moral Panic Theory

Why Are Killers In The Horror Genre Usually Masked?

Throughout my research into the horror genre, I have found that a large number of the killers and villains all appear to wear masks. Because of this, I have often wondered why this is the case. Through further research into the matter, I have across a few theories and opinions as to why this may be and the one listed below is the opinion/belief that I agree with most. 

Some believe masks to be such a common convention in horror films due to the psychological factor and fear that we humans have of being killed unexpectedly or   worse, by a stranger or someone we cannot identify.

Scientific research proves that our brains are well trained to recognize and remember one another through faces. This is because this part of the body is key to unlocking a large amount of information about a person. For example, race, gender, age etc.

Information in itself is a form of power and strength and so therefore film makers and writers aim to make the audience (as well as the characters) feel as powerless as possible by withdrawing information in the hopes of heightening viewers fear to the furthest point. 

(some ideas adapted from: http://www.livescience.com/3323-hollywood-serial-slashers-wear-masks.html)

Postmodernism

What is Postmodernism?

This is when a film attempts to subvert the mainstream conventions of narrative structure, characterisation and destroys the audience's suspension of belief. They usually upend typical portrayals of gender, race, class, genre and time with the goal of creating something different from the typical narrative expression. 

Some examples of postmodernism found is Scream include when Casey and the mysterious character on the phone begin to discuss their favourite horror films and the different plots that go with each one. Names of films are even directly mentioned in the movie, a few being Nightmare On Elmstreet, Halloween and Friday the 13^th.

A second example in the Scream movie even goes as far as to have one of the characters recite to his friends the ‘rules’ or surviving a horror film! These rules include: ‘Never have sex, never drink or do drugs and never say ‘I’ll be right back’.

Lastly, postmodernism is also found in Scream when the Head teacher hears noises outside his office and begins to complain. When he opens the door to see who’s there (an elderly janitor) he replies ‘sorry janitor Fred’. This was done deliberately as the janitor was purposely designed to look like Freddy Krueger – the serial killer from Nightmare On Elmstreet.