Research and planning

MS2: Research & Planning

Ellie Hamilton

Contents

Intertext Research 1 – The Grudge Pages 3-9 Intertext Research 2 – Paranormal Activity Pages

10-16 Intertext Research 3 – Cloverfield Pages

17-23 Intertext Research 4 – Black Swan Pages 24-30

Intertext Research 1 – The Grudge

About

“Karen Davis is an American Nurse moves to Tokyo and encounter a supernatural spirit who is vengeful and often possesses its victims. A series of horrifying and mysterious deaths start to occur, with the spirit passing its curse onto each victim. Karen must find away to break the spell, before she becomes its next victim.”

Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj88_yqlFMA




Institution Produced by Columbia Pictures and

Ghost House Pictures Released 24th October 2004 Estimated budget of $10,000,000 Grossed over $180,000,000


Visual Codes

This is the first intertext that I have looked at, it is the trailer for the movie The Grudge. It is a fairly scary trailer and is a bit of a psychological thriller. The colours used are very dark, lots of black and pale blues, greys and white which contrast and so clearly binary oppositions theory will be important to look at as it is very evident here. The dark colours connote fear and danger and so the audience immediately understand that it is scary, this is very conventional of movies in this genre.

The dress codes for the trailer are casual Karen is wearing a jumper or hoody and you don’t see her trousers this gives the audience the impression that she is just going about her everyday life and so it is a surprise when very abnormal things begin to happen.

The setting is predominantly the house that she is investigating, that the previous deaths happened in and where the spirit of Kayako is. The house becomes associated to death and fear for the audience and they expect bad things to happen when she goes there.


Audio Codes

Audio is very important, it is used to build tension. It uses non-diagetic sounds such as a cat meowing which has the effect of fear on the audience as the connotations of cats are bad luck and black magic, they are also very iconographic of these things and the fact that it is non-diagetic because the boy makes the very realistic meow sound is a very good use of non-diagetic sound to scare the audience. The trailer uses a mix between soundtrack and voice-over which is very effective in building tension and making the audience feel involved in the trailer, it sounds like the narrator whispering in their ear, this has the effect of fear on the audience. This is also very conventional.


Technical Codes

There is a range of camera angles used but the particularly effective ones are the low angle shot and the extreme close-up of an eye showing a reflection on what's happening, this gives the idea of seeing through the eyes of the character and is an interesting and unusual shot. It also begins with a very conventional establishing shot that shows the setting, Tokyo. The shots are edited together mostly with fast cuts between the narrative shots and then fades are used when it goes between narrative shots and information/text shots. This builds tension but also gives the audience a sense of confusion and panic. The trailer is fairly effective in terms of scaring the audience but also getting the audiences' interest.


Action Codes

The action codes for the trailer are often quite quick, sharp, sudden movements. This is because it along with the audio is very effective in making the audience jump, and scaring them. There is also the movement of the background behind the text, it waves diagonally across the screen and sort of looks like hair blowing in the wind which is quite iconographic of the film because of the girl with long, dark, straggly hair.


Narrative Codes

The trailer follows a fairly linear narrative but with quick flashbacks to the past when the original family lived there. It follows Propp’s theory quite clearly, Karen Davis is the hero, is the princess and Kayako is the villain. There are the rest of Propp’s characters in the film but those are the ones that you see in the trailer. They are very often seen as the most important characters and so it is very conventional that they are the ones you see in the trailer.

The trailer follows Todorov’s theory but also the conventions of the genre because it shows the equilibrium briefly at the beginning, then it shows the disruption and the recognition. This is fairly representative of the film but without giving too much away, although the film does spend a while on the attempt to repair. It is quite conventional for films in this genre to follow Todorov’s theory even if it has been manipulated.

Intertext Research 2 – Paranormal Activity

About

“After a young, middle class couple moves into a suburban house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. Especially when they sleep.”

Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_UxLEqd074



http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2607253760/tt1179904


Institution Produced by Blumhouse Productions UK released date 25th November 2009 Estimated budget of $15,000 Grossed almost $200,000,000

Intertext Research 2 – Paranormal ActivityVisual Codes

The dress codes are very much everyday, casual clothes. This is because the people they are filming are supposed to be average people just going to the cinema. The people in the film are also dressed in casual clothes such as jeans and t-shirts, this is conventional of thriller/horror movies, this is because it is supposed to scare the audience and make it feel like these things could happen to them and therefore making it seem everyday allows to audience to identify with the characters.

The lighting for the film looks natural, like the lighting that would exist in the setting of a house because again it allows the audience to identify with the characters but the lighting in the cinema is dark because it is meant to look like a real cinema. The colours used are quite contrasting and so you can easily apply binary oppositions, it has the effect of fear on the audience because the lack of colour connotes fear and darkness.

The setting is also very conventional as thriller/horror movies are often based in houses but also often show mostly one location. But showing the location of the cinema and people reactions is very unconventional. It creates a lot of interest and so it required them to spend less on marketing/advertising.


Audio Codes

The film uses mostly voice-overs that are diagetic but not always synchronous. This has the effect on the audience of making them feel like the characters are talking directly to them and it makes them feel more involved in the trailer and therefore the film seem scarier.

It also uses sound effects that are diagetic such as doors slamming or when the boyfriend is thrown into the camera, this makes it seem more real and therefore scarier also. It also uses some soundtrack in the background, such as drum beats. These are used to build tension in the trailer.

Intertext Research 2 – Paranormal ActivityTechnical Codes

The film looks to have low production values the audience so identify with the characters and so they feel involved in the movie and trailer and like it could be them. The trailer looks like someone taking a camera into the cinema and recording. The idea behind the camera angles/shots and the editing is that it makes the film seem much more realistic and makes the story more believable to the audience and therefore makes the film scarier.

The trailer uses lots of medium close-ups and zooming shots, but the camera is not held steady it looks like an amateur holding the camera because it feels more real and the audience can identify.


Action Codes

The film also uses quite a lot of sharp, sudden movements that go with the audio and use of editing such as cuts. The trailer ends quite suddenly with Micah being thrown at the camera and so this has the effect of fear on the audience. Sudden movements, particularly if they start from nowhere, can be very effective in making the audience jump.

Intertext Research 2 – Paranormal ActivityNarrative Codes

The trailer is unconventional because it is much more about people's reactions to the movie than the movie itself it shows quite a small amount of the movie, so it creates a lot of enigma.

The trailer follows a fairly linear narrative, it also follows Propp’s theory quite clearly, Katie is the hero, Micah is the princess/helper and the psychic is the mentor.

The trailer follows Todorov’s theory but is quite unconventional because it doesn’t just use clips from the film. It shows the equilibrium of the people going to see the film but also in the film itself. And it then show the disruption and the recognition of the disruption which is when they start to think something it in the house and when the people in the cinema start to get scared. And then the attempt to repair which is when they are talking to the psychic.

Intertext Research 3 – Cloverfield

About

“Cloverfield follows five New Yorkers from the perspective of a hand-held video camera. The movie starts as a monster of unknown origin destroys a building. As the characters go to investigate, parts of the building and the head of the Statue of Liberty comes raining down. The movie follows their adventure trying to escape and save a friend, a love interest of the main character.”

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvNkGm8mxiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvNkGm8mxiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvNkGm8mxiM



Institution Produced by Paramount Pictures UK release date 1st February 2008 Estimated budget $25,000,000 Grossed over $170,000,000


Visual Codes

The trailer is quite dark and fairly dimly lit this is because it is supposed to look realistic like it is set in an apartment at nigh and like it is filmed with just and hand-held camera which would capture the lighting all that well. This makes it more relatable for the target audience, and therefore scarier and more appealing.

It is set in an apartment mostly, although they do go up on to the roof as well. This is important to the narrative but also it is again relatable for the target audience, it looks like very much an average everyday setting, it is just people living their normal lives which makes it scarier because the audience can identify with the characters. So it also follows uses and gratifications theory.

The dress codes fit in with the other visual codes and are very conventional, they are dressed in clothes appropriate for the setting and narrative such as going-out dresses and a shirt and jeans. This connotes that they are just going about living their normal lives.


Audio Codes

The trailer uses diagetic sound of people talking and music, it doesn’t use a soundtrack, at all. This makes it seem much more realistic and scary, the noise is mostly people speaking or screaming which along with the direct modes of address makes the audience feel more involved in the scene. This is quite unconventional, to use entirely diagetic and pretty much entirely synchronous audio throughout the entire trailer, so it comes as a shock to the audience and makes the whole trailer seem much more realistic and scary.


Technical Codes

The trailer uses a lot of medium close-ups which is very conventional but again makes it look more amateur. It also uses some panning shots but they are not steady shots, they are a bit shaky this makes the film look like it has low production value and the lack of use of steady shots makes the audience feel more involved in the film and allows them to identify with the characters.

The trailer uses entirely cuts, this is so that it looks more amateur but also so that it doesn’t detract from more important things in the shot. Some of the editing uses cuts but with brief gaps in between the shots. This builds tension and confusion because the camera jumps about all over the place and so the audience don’t understand what is going on, which makes it scarier.


Action Codes

When the rocks start flying at the characters from the sky they all start to run across the roof and down the stairs, this shows their urgency and so the audience understands that they must be afraid, they are also running frantically which suggests urgency, this fear is passed onto the audience. Then later on in the street lots and lots of people are running across the shot, this adds to the idea of panic which is mimicked by the audience.

Intertext Research 3 – CloverfieldNarrative Codes

The trailer follows an almost entirely linear narrative to the point where it just shows pretty much one part of the film continuously. All apart from the very end after its shown a small part of the credits it cuts back to obviously before the party because one of the guests says “Tonight’s gunna be the best night ever.” as the audience you know this isn't true because you’ve already seen what is going to happen and so it is scarier for the audience because they can identify with the character, they can imagine it happening to them.

The trailer seems to follow at least part of Propp’s theory which is very conventional, the hero is Rob and the princess is Beth and then there are a number of characters who play the role of helper: Hud, Jason, Lily and Marlena. It is fairly unconventional for a film in this genre to have quite so many important characters, they generally have fewer main characters, but this just makes it more interesting for the audience.

The trailer also follows Todorov’s theory, it show the equilibrium, the disruption and the recognition. These are when everyone is at the party and they are all happy and having fun; then when they feel the earthquakes and they go onto the roof and see the disaster in the city; and finally when they all start to panic and run out into the street.

Intertext Research 4 – Black Swan

About:A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan.

Trailer:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs





Institution Produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures UK release date 21st January 2010 Estimated budget $13,000,000 Grossed over $100,000,000

Intertext Research 4 – Black Swan Visual Codes

The trailer is quite well lit and bright but uses a lot of dark colours such as black and grey these connote evil and darkness. But then it uses soft, pale colours iconographic of ballet such as pale pink and white. These colours connote good and purity. It follows the theory of binary oppositions as there is lots of conflict visual and conceptual and the conceptual conflicts are represented a lot through colour. The contrast of white and pale pink with black is fairly unconventional and comes as quite a shock to the audience as usually darker colours are used more. The connotations of the colours used are very important and they become easily recognised by the audience as representing good and evil.

The dress codes are in line with the colours used they are mostly dressed in pale pink/white and black. Nina is shown in the beginning of the trailer in pale pink/white but as the trailer goes on she is shown in increasing amounts of black and Lily is shown in black, these colours correspond with the audience’s feeling towards the characters based on the connotations of the different colours.

The trailer is set mostly in the ballet studio, it is not only because of its importance as part of the narrative but also because of the various connotations of it and how it is also so iconographic. Ballet and ballet studio’s represent tradition, femininity but also purity as it is widely considered to be one of the purest art forms and so the contrast between that and the evil surrounding it, makes it fascinating and terrifying for the audience.


Audio Codes

The trailer uses a mix between a soundtrack and voice over, which is sometimes diagetic and sometimes non-diagetic. The sound track uses a variety of instruments but one that stands out particularly is a violin, it creates very pure notes but with a quite sinister edge to them. It is very effective in creating fear in the audience.

The soundtrack is also used to build tension very effectively, by fading in and out. It also uses sounds that sound a bit like a gust of wind but in a context in which they don’t fit this can be very scary and suggests the idea of spirits moving around. And it uses lots of people whispering over the top of each other to create a sinister effect. All of this has the effect of fear on the audience.


Technical Codes

The trailer uses a variety of very interesting shots very effectively. There is an extreme close-ups of her ballet shoes, this is effective because they are so important, so iconographic. Another extremely effective shot/use of special effects is the one where she is looking away from the mirror behind her and her reflection turns around. This is not only scary, but further suggests the idea of madness.

The shots are edited together using mostly cuts but with some fades, this builds tension and is very conventional of films in this genre.


Action Codes

At the beginning of the trailer the movements are all very soft and graceful but as it goes on and Nina goes increasingly mad, her movements become faster and more panicked, she begins to run at various points and the feeling of out-of control is passed on to the audience making the trailer scarier.


Narrative Codes

The trailer follows to an extent Propp’s theory but it has been manipulated and it is very complicated because the characters seem to change rolls within the film Nina begins as very much the hero but as it progresses she becomes the villain and Lily goes from being the helper, to the villain, to the hero. Then Thomas is the mentor and then the princess and her mother is the dispatcher. And so the lines between the character roles are very blurred. It is conventional for a psychological thriller to do this, but perhaps not to the extreme that it is done in this film.

The trailer also follows Todorov’s theory and shows the equilibrium, when Nina has got the part of Odette and she is happy; then the disruption is when Lily comes along and things start going wrong and Lily becomes Nina’s alternate; the recognition is when she start to realise she is going slightly mad.

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