Coursework

 01/05/24

L/O: To explore coursework briefs and requirements

NEA Introduction

03/05/24

L/O: To research the codes and conventions of similar products

NEA Research

DO NOW:    

FRONT COVER

1. In the main image there is a man killing somebody, the shot type used is a mid shot, taken from behind him and therefore doesn't show the audience who he is killing, which creates several enigma codes; he is presented as violent and aggressive.

2. The title is at the bottom of the cover, with a bold, block capitals, sans font.

3. The tagline of the poster is "Office space meets battle royale", telling the audience that there is violence within the film and that it is set in an office.

4. The colour palette is black, grey and red, holding connotations and conventions of a horror film.

5. There is no extra information

6. There is only one font used on the cover, being a bold, block capitals, sans font, however the size varies: the title of the film is significantly larger than the cover lines.

7. The genre is shown though the main image.

 

BACK COVER

1.The main image is the same as the front cover but at the different POV (side) and shot type (close up).

2. The thumbnails used present the audience with more characters within the film.

3. In one of the thumbnails, we can see a character holding a gun, suggesting to us that this could possibly be the villain within the film according to Propp's theory

4. Enigma codes are created to hook the audience by having the main image not show us who the main character is killing, not telling us who the characters are etc, (lack of information)

5. The blurb tells us the meaning behind the title of the film, and further emphasises the horror genre.

6. The same colour palette is used as the front cover, however there are hints of blue as well, possibly holding connotations of tears and fear.

7. There is no extra information

8. The same bold, block capitals, sans font is used throughout the entire dvd box, the only variations being the sizes and capital and lower case.

9. Only men are displayed throughout the entire cover, implying a patriarchal theme within the film, which is also stereotypical for men to be fighting rather than women. 

MAIN THEATRICAL POSTER

1. In the main image there is a man killing somebody, the shot type used is a mid shot, taken from behind him and therefore doesn't show the audience who he is killing, which creates several enigma codes; he is presented as violent and aggressive.

2. In the bottom fifth of the poster, the main image is cutoff with a black box where the title, release date, credit block and producer information is all placed. The rest of the poster is filled with the main image, with the tagline placed at the very top in the centre, with two of the main actor names below it in a very minor font.

3. There are 2 logos included in the poster placed within the credit block, being Blumhouse and Orion, however the main producer of the film is The Safran Company.

4. The title of the film is placed at the bottom of the poster, in a large, block capital, serif (?) font.

5. In the black box at the bottom of the poster, it tells the audience that the producers also created other famous horror films, 'The Conjuring' and 'Annabelle', which tells the audience that the film must be high budget and therefore a good film.

6. The colour palette used consists of black, grey and red, which people stereotypically associate with horror films, but these colours hold connotations of a more gruesome, old-style version of a horror.

7. The same font is used throughout the poster, however the size changes throughout: the title being the largest in order to promote the production, followed by the tagline and producer information.

OVERALL 

1. The genre conventions are: dark colour, blood, unrevealing images, aggressive dynamic poses

2. The ideology of teamwork is presented in these images, along with the power that men hold over others, especially when working as a team

3. The people are represented as violent, as we only see the protagonist from the behind and therefore cannot see his facial expression or why he is killing somebody, but we see what we can assume are the antagonists on the back cover, which we do see their facial expressions which seem determined and not frightened or scared like someone would in this sort of situation.

4. The target audience is likely to be elder teenagers - young adults, due to the fact that even though it is represented as quite gruesome on the cover, the theme of a battle royale in an office space still gives the impression of a theme for a younger audience.

 

FRONT COVER

1. The main image consists of, presumably, two main protagonists running through a train station, an establishing shot / long shot type is used to present the characters dynamic poses, and although the girl is facing the opposite direction, the man seems frightened and panicked, but also determined.

2. The title is at the bottom of the cover which is block capitals, sans serif bold font.

3. There is no tagline on the cover.

4. A range of colours is used within the cover, but the most prominent are white, red, orange and grey, which in combination hold connotations of some form of explosive event.

5. Along with the title, below the 'Busan' there is a producer name for the film, and there are also ratings of the film positioned at the top of the cover, leaving a lot of empty space within the centre for the main image and star vehicles.

6. All of the typography on the front cover is the same font (sans serif font) however, the producer information is not in bold like all the other typography.

7. The genre is shown through the horror conventions involved, such as blood, helicopters, zombies etc.

BACK COVER

1. The main image is a man hanging off of a train, seeming to be kicking away zombies that are clinging on to it, the shot type is a low angle establishing shot.

2. There are 4 thumbnails, showing the audience main protagonists and locations / scenes involved in the movie.

3. This suggests that in the narrative the locations will be changing frequently due to the train, and that they will be exiting the train multiple times despite the zombies, it also tells us who the characters will be as most are not on the front cover.

4. Enigmas are created to hook the audience by the lack of information throughout the dvd box.

5. 

6. A range of colours is used on the back cover, but the most used are white, red, blue and black, holding connotations of quite masculine covers, which is stereotypical for horror films to be male orientated.

7. The credit block, logos and more producers information is placed at the bottom of the back cover.

8. There are two fonts used on the back, the main tagline being in the same bold sans serif font as the front cover and is the same size as the ratings on the front, and the blurb being in a basic helvetica font alot smaller than any other text on the box ( except the credit block ).

9. 3 people are represented in the images which are all males, following the stereotype of men being in horror film only, and that men are the strong ones.

MAIN THEATRICAL POSTER

1. The main image is an establishing shot of the 6 main characters in the film, which appear to be purposefully placed so that the protagonists and closest to the shot, and the least appearing in the film are further back. They are presented to be running from something, as the shot is taken where the star vehicles are in dynamic poses.

2. The poster is laid out so that all of the typography is placed at the bottom, other than the logo which is at the centre-top. 

3. The title is in the bottom third of the poster, where a block capital, sans serif bold font is used. It is designed to look worn, which gives an impression of the narrative to the audience.

4. The tagline is directly above the title, in the same font but sized down significantly, however it still stands out as much as the title does due to the red colour used that isnt used anywhere else on the poster.

5. The main colour palette consists of red, blue, grey and black, which all hold connotations of some form of dramatic situation (e.g. red = blood, blue = tears)

6. The same font is used throughout the poster, the only variations being the scale and the colour.

OVERALL 

1. The genre conventions are: dynamic poses, dark colour palette, tense or frightened facial expressions, enigma codes and destruction around the scenes shown in the images.

2. The ideology of family and friendship is presented in these images, as we see them all working together as a team, and the personal connections and relationships between the characters

3. The people's facial expressions are shown which seem determined and not frightened or scared like someone would in this sort of situation, giving the audience the impression that they are courageous and brave, which is anti-stereotypical for a horror film which are normally filled with fear and anxiety.

4. The target audience is teenagers - adults who are fans of the apocalypse themes, which the producers make this appeal to through their use of mise-en-scene in the images, displaying destruction and zombies forming the impression of a dystopian world.

03/05/24

L/O: To research the codes and conventions of similar products

NEA Research

DO NOW:     

• 1. Dark colour pattern
• 2. Lack of information on the cover
• 3. Sans serif fonts, in block capitals.
• 4. A stereotype is lots of blood and gore

10/05/24

DO NOW:     

• 1. Horror
• 2. Dark colour palette
• 3. Fearful expressions
• 4. Enigma codes

15/05/24

L/O: To research the codes and conventions of similar products

NEA Research

DO NOW:     

• Representation in media is displaying people of any background (ethnicity, age, gender, disabilities, etc.) or issues within society to raise awareness and give audiences a sense of familiarity with the media.
• Representation is how a media text deals with and presents gender, age, ethnicity, national and regional identity, social issues and events to an audience. This is done through shot-type / angle, mise-en-scene or editing.

GENRE CONVENTIONS IN HORROR MOVIES

• IMAGERY
• Imagery in horror films, especially older horrors tend to involve occult and gothic imagery in all of their mise-en-scene; they tend to often include meaningful symbols such as pentagrams, rituals and crosses. Typically horror films have dark and fear-inflicting atmospheres and ambiances in order to create enigma codes for the audience (and the characters) and induce unease and agitation, which makes viewers invested in the narrative and drawn in to find out what happens next. 
• 
  
• COLOUR PALETTE
• Colour palettes in horror films typically consist of dark and 'grimy' colours, yet also have a diverse range of colours all representing different horror aspects: red = blood, death, negative emotions, orange = witchcraft, madness, rituals, green = sickening, decay, the grotesque etc. However, these colours tend to be in dark tones to continue the stereotype of horror films being dark and terrifying. 

• TYPOGRAPHY
• In typography in horror films, there is a clear pattern within the typography’s used for horror movies due to all of the films above are showcased to being very white and bold as this can insinuate the light vs dark contrast in this type of genre. This references to binary oppositions which is an extremely common convention of horror films.

• CHARACTERS
• Characters in horror films typically follow the Propp's theory character types, mainly consisting of: the hero, the villain, the helper, and sometimes the the false hero and the princess. However, in horror films characters tend to have roles that are solely used in the horror sector, which names are often based on urban legends in order to increase the fear factor, taking stories that spook viewers that make it feel real, the main ones being: the entity, the harbinger, the pawn, the hunter, the cop, the final girl and the jock. 

• NARRATIVE
• The narrative in horror films tend to be split into thirds and follow a 3 act structure: act 1 has the threat appearing, act 2 is where the protagonists learn the meaning of the threat and start to plan to fight back, and act 3 is where they finally confront the threat and fight it, either surviving or dying. Horror films narrative's usually include serial killers, graphic violence and otherworldly figures.

• REPRESENTATIONS OF PEOPLE
• Horror films usually have a diverse representation of people, through ethnicity, age, gender, etc. Women in horrors stereotypically are represented / given the role of  vulnerable victims of the perpetrator, especially slasher movies that almost constantly consist of a female victim being chased throughout the film by a killer. 

15/05/24

L/O: To research the codes and conventions of similar products

NEA Research

DO NOW:    

• Primary research is direct access to information, whereas secondary research is second hand information told from others.

REPRESENTATION

• REPRESENTATIONS
• Patriarchal, violent, frenzied, 

• REPRESENTATIONS OF GENDER
• Gender is represented solely through men in the all covers of the film, implying that the women in the movie are not as strong as the men and more vulnerable, having the men protect them which fits the Propp's theory role of 'the princess'. This further implies a patriarchal society that has developed throughout the film, possibly suggesting a misogynistic narrative. However, the men that are displayed are represented as macho and dominant, opposing the women.

• REPRESENTATIONS OF AGE
• Age is represented as very non-diverse within the covers, presenting only characters all within the same middle-aged range (35-55). Therefore there is little to no representation of age in the dvd box and theatrical poster.

• REPRESENTATIONS OF ETHNICITY
• Ethnicity is also very non-diverse, only displaying white characters and hence there is practically no representation or diversity or ethnicity.

• REPRESENTATIONS OF HORROR
• Horror is represented through common codes and conventions of horror films, such as the blood splatters, dark colour palette and use of male characters; this further creates a stereotypical kind of horror film, as this is what audiences would expect of a horror film.

• STEREOTYPES
• Repeatedly used stereotypes in the dvd box and cover are: dark colour palettes, blood splatters, male characters, weapons, dynamic poses, stern expressions.

 

REPRESENTATION

• REPRESENTATIONS
• Determined, dynamic, 

• REPRESENTATIONS OF AGE
• Age is represented diversely in the dvd box and theatrical poster, with age ranging from 5-45. This makes the film attract a wider audience as people will find someone that they relate to due to their age.

• REPRESENTATIONS OF GENDER
• There is an equal range of gender in the dvd box and theatrical poster also, within the six main protagonists there are three girls and three boys, implying that in the narrative there is little male dominance, however the mens expressions seem far more stern and determined than the females, which appear more concerned and fearful.

• REPRESENTATIONS OF ETHNICITY
• Ethnicity is also very non-diverse, only displaying asian characters as it is an asian production and hence there is practically no representation or diversity or ethnicity.

• REPRESENTATIONS OF HORROR
• Horror is represented through common codes and conventions of horror films, such as the blood splatters, fire, explosion, destruction, zombies and fearful / determined expressions. however some of these elements of the mise-en-scene are anti-stereotypical for horror films like the explosions, which are more common for action / adventure films. 

• STEREOTYPES
• Repeatedly used stereotypes in the dvd box and cover are: dark colour palettes, blood splatters, weapons, dynamic poses, stern and scared expressions.

23/05/24

L/O: To research the codes and conventions of similar products

NEA Research

DO NOW:    

• Are you interested in this genre of film?
• What age range of characters is best for horror films?
• What sub-genre of horror do you like the most?

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=LrMCyrkXcUyHBitgvDQbi4hnFTg7WIpAsjxyeYvGUSRUQ0dEOU04MFFUVU04UkdWS0pJTDNLUVdNTi4u

AUDIENCE

I think that the target audience for this film is teenagers - young adults, as there is an element of gore to the film and therefore is not intended for children, however the concept of the film is more directed at a younger audience at the same time.According to the VALS psychographic segmentation, people who are categorised under the experiencers and thinkers are the target audience for this genre of film.

 

AUDIENCE

For this film, I think the target audience is directed at the same audience as 'The Belko Experiment', which is teenagers to young adults, however possibly ranging to older adults as well due to the fan-favourite sub-genre of zombies, which is loved globally. I don't think the target audience is children due to the gore levels in the film, but the age rating (15) implies it is for teenagers specifically. The same as the other film, according to the VALS psychographic segmentation, people who are categorised under the experiencers and thinkers are the target audience for this genre of film.

RESEARCH CONCLUSION

1. I have chosen the genre of psychological-paranormality due to the results from the microsoft form

2. My target audience will be peoples ages 16-24yrs, no specific genders, those who are interested in paranormality and horror and that are categorised under the experiencers and thinkers in the VALs psychographic segmentation.

3. 'Whispers of the Damned' 'Hells Call'

4. a person suffering from depression haunted by spirits (their own mind) + a demonic manifestation convincing them to join them in hell. everyone believes theyre possessed bc they are crazy and try to perform an exorcism without knowing that they angered the real one and then the real demon attacks

5. '

6. 

7. I am going to use a dark colour palette consisting of red, grey, black and white, as these are stereotypical colours for the horror genre.

8. For the main image, I am going to use a long shot type, with a person tied to chair with rope, along with a cracked cross floating above their head.

9. On the poster, I will include the title and tagline, actor names and production company.

10. On the DVD cover, 

05/06/24

FORM RESULTS

07/06/24

L/O: To research our target audience to enable successful targeting

Target Audience

DO NOW:    

• Psychographics is a persons personality traits like what they enjoy, cat or dog person etc. whereas demographics is black and white facts such as age, gender etc.

07/06/24

L/O: To create an effective product aimed at a specific audience using appropriate codes & conventions

NEA Create!

07/06/24

L/O: To create an effective imagery to appeal to our specific audiences

NEA Photoshoots

DO NOW:    

• Close up shot of protagonist looking shocked with engraving in head (make-up), claws.
• Wide shot shot of people in church, priest costume + 70s costumes.
• Long shot of protagonist tied to chair in apartment, visible sweat, ropes.

10/09/24

L/O: To review work so far and create a detailed plan

Coursework Review

PLAN OF ATTACK - DEADLINE 17TH OCT                                                                                                                                                                                        24th Sep - Finish photoshoots

1st Oct - Finish editing photos / touch up

17th Oct - Checking

   13/09/24

L/O: To create an effective imagery to appeal to our specific audiences

NEA Photoshoots

DO NOW:    

• The target audience for the brief is: 16-24yrs categorised under the experiencers and thinkers in the VALs psychographic segmentation.
• I have to produce a horror dvd cover (front, spine and back) and a film poster
• Dark colour palette, enigma codes, blood are things I will include to appeal to the target audience

   17/09/24

L/O: To create an effective imagery to appeal to our specific audiences

NEA Create

DO NOW:    

• Raheem Sterling is a black footballer who faces racism.
• Malala is known for being a women's educational rights activist, and also for being shot in the head by the Taliban at 15, but continuing with her education and activism.
• GQ stands for Gentlemans Quarterly.
• Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine.
• A magazines masthead is the title, commonly the standout and largest element.

 20/09/4

L/O: To create an effective imagery to appeal to our specific audiences

NEA Create

DO NOW:    

• Malala was an unusual cover choice for vogue because she isn't conventionally attractive like models for vogue typically are. She's islamic, unlinked to fashion.
• GQ's target audience are middle aged, fashionable men ABC1 men (High jobs), 20-44
• Vogue's target audience are fashionable women in young adulthood ABC1 females, 20-45, sophisticated.
• Anchorage is the text paired with images on a magazine cover (Gives meaning)
• The main cover line is the largest cover line on a magazine cover, typically the main topic of the magazine.

 24/09/24

L/O: To create an effective imagery to appeal to our specific audiences

NEA Create

DO NOW:    

• The Quality Street Advert was produced in the 1950's.
• The names of the two brand icons were Major Quality and Miss Sweetly
• The chocolates were aimed at all classes.
• If it asked about media language, you could look at lexis, typography, mise-en-scene
• If it asked about representation, you could look at gender, status and ethnicity

 27/09/24

L/O: To create an effective imagery to appeal to our specific audiences

NEA Create

DO NOW:    

• B is a serif font
• Lexis is the words used
• Typography includes: font, size, capital / lowercase colour
• Mise-en-scene includes clothes, props, setting
• CGI and colour grading come under editing

 01/10/24

L/O: To create an effective imagery to appeal to our specific audiences

NEA Create

DO NOW:    

• A is a sans serif font
• The slogan on the 'This Girl Can' advert is 'Sweating like a pig, feeling like a fox'
• Ideology includes viewpoints, beliefs, attitudes & values
• Intertextuality is a link between one media form and another
• The NTTD DVD was rated 12+ 12

 

 01/10/24

L/O: To create an effective imagery to appeal to our specific audiences

NEA Create

DO NOW:    

• Typography includes font, size, colour, capital / lowercase.
• NTTD was released in 2020. 2021
• The TMWTGG poster included a reference to the karate genre. (Kung Fu)
• Intertextuality is a reference of a form of media in another.
• The women in the NTTD poster were represented as confident and determined through their expression, however their feminine outfits contrast this.  

 01/10/24

L/O: To create an effective imagery to appeal to our specific audiences

NEA Create

DO NOW:    

• In TMWTGG, Roger Moore played James Bond
• TMWTGG was released in 1979 1974
• The TMWTGG referenced to the oil incident at the time global energy crisis
• Daniel Craig played James Bond in NTTD
• The women in TMWTGG were represented as attractive and stereotypical, however the Kung-Fu woman contrasts this. Sexually objectified, stereotypical Bond girls.

 15/10/24

L/O: To create an effective imagery to appeal to our specific audiences

NEA Create

DO NOW:    

• NTTD was produced by MGM Eon productions
• NTTD was distributed by Universal Pictures
• Production, Distribution, Exhibition are the three stages of the industry process
• Marketing comes under exhibition Distribution
• Film marketing products can be posters, trailers, merchandise.

 15/10/24

L/O: To apply required brief elements in order to improve coursework

Coursework Improvements

DO NOW:    

• Coursework is worth 30%
  
• You have to include a certain amount of images in your coursework
• Genre conventions are the typical characteristics of a specific genre
• The deadline for NEA Draft 2 is January 6th 2025
• No non-original images can be used other than logos and age ratings