1. AS Media Studies
Ashleigh Groom

2. AS Media Studies

3. • Horror Genre
• Directed by Paddy Breathnach
• Distributed by Vertigo Films (UK)
• Stars: Lindsey Haun, Jack Huston, Max Kasch
• Written by Pearse Elliott
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHhwiT6eedc • Production company: Capitol Films

4. Diegetic Sound:
 screaming, panting, gasping, crying, heavy breathing connotes terror and
fear, being scared and is a typical convention of sound for a horror movie
 “its coming” sets up an enigma code, what it is? Entices the audience and adds an
element of fear
 Characters are often heard whispering, connotes fear and is typical of the horror
genre
 Scary story being told, Iconic of group of friends camping, creates a creepy
atmosphere
Non Diegetic Sound:
 Trailer starts with subtle, gentle soundtrack connoting an equilibrium, everything
if fine. Becomes tense when scene moves to woods, builds up throughout the
film becoming quicker and heavier towards end this connotes
suspense, fear, terror, running away and makes the audience more tense and
keeps them on the edge of their seat, keeps their attention.

5.  Setting in an empty woods connotes lonely, dark, unknown
 Dress codes- casual, everyday connotes that these are normal people, makes
them more relatable and makes the film appear more realistic.
 Dark/natural lighting makes the scene more creepy so inflicts fear into the
audience.
 Cut leg with blood/bone, blood splattered on
car wind screen iconic of horror film connotes violence and torture
 Props – axe – connotes murder, terror, torture, violence which are all typical
conventions of a horror film
 Skull appears over female characters face, connotes death, makes the audience
wonder, will she die? And therefore entices them and will make them want to
watch the film to find out
 Blood is seen a lot throughout, this connotes danger, torture, violence, injury

6.  Characters take drugs and experience
hallucinations- audience doesn’t know what's
real, they have to think about it, engaging
 Characters running through woods, typical
convention of horror film, connotes fear and
terror.
 Scary story told around campfire, typical of
the genre, done to scare the audience.

7.  Close up of characters faces through out, particularly blonde female
characters (implies she is the main character) done to show fear in their
faces as a reaction to what’s happening, makes the audience connect
more to the characters and feel their fear.
 Birds eye view camera shot of characters walking through woods, sets the
scene, connotes being alone, abandoned
 Long shot of camp to set the scene, typical setting, camp in woods
 Close ups on characters faces when story is being told to show character
reactions, makes the audience feel the same emotions e.g.
scared, fear, anticipation
 Close up on broken leg, blood/injury is iconic of horror film, gore, meets
audiences expectations
 Long shots of running through woods connotes fear and danger
 Simple editing – cut/fade with white/black effect
 Text speaking directly to audience telling scary story, typography of text is
white, thin font connoting bare, creepy. The word ,legend, is used, makes the
audience wonder is it true or not? Which then entices them, a typical convention
of this genre

8.  ‘Shrooms’ title at end, font connotes creepy, strange
 Camera movement, camera tracks characters as they run, makes the audience
feel like they are running with them
 180 degree rule editing when telling story creates continuity
 Cut away- close up of vines on hands and car and then cuts back to characters
reactions, hallucinations

9.  The narrative of the text follows a group of friends who camp out in a woods.
They take drugs, shrooms and experience hallucinations. Some one/thing
appears to be attacking them but it is not known what, the audience don’t know
what its real and what isn’t. This creates an enigma around the text and will make
the audience want to see the film to find out.
 Binary oppositions (Levi-Strauss)- There are binary opposition between good
and bad which is very conventional of the horror genre and also between
reality/imaginary which isn’t used as often in this genre
 Narrative Theory (Todorov)- The trailer follows Tvzetan Todorovs narrative
theory by beginning at an equilibrium (the start of the trailer, everything is fine)
then a disruption occurs (take the shrooms and experience hallucinations) and
the realisation of the disruption (people begin to get attacked/murdered). The
attempt to repair the disruption and the return to equilibrium are not shown so
this makes the audience want to go and see the film to find out what happens.

10.  Character Theory (Propp) – It is not made clear who all of the characters of
Vladimir Propps theory are in the trailer which gives the audience a reason to see
the film, however the ‘villain’ is clearly shown to be the shrooms. This challenges
audiences expectations because the villain in a horror film is usually a human.

11.  Opening Weekend:
£313,758 (UK) (25 November 2007) (199 Screens)
 Lifetime Gross:
$4,954,621 (worldwide) (10 February 2008)
On its opening weekend, the film ranked at #99.
Ratings
 Film4 – 2.5*
 BBC- 2*
 Empire- 2*

12. When ‘Shrooms’ was released it received generally negative reviews. In 2010
the film held a 24% approval rating on the film rating website ‘Rotten
Tomatoes’.

13.  Age 18-21
 Both genders
 Occupation: Students
 Income: Low income
 Demographics group E
 Hypodermic Syringe Model
If the audience is passive, the trailer is injecting the them with the idea of
it being scary, thrilling, exciting.
 Polysemic Readings
Preferred reading: That the film is scary, thrilling interesting and worth
seeing. That the film shows drugs in a negative way.
Oppositional reading: The trailer isn’t scary or have an effect of the
audience.

14.  From this text I learnt the importance of suspense.
 The use of the diegetic sound “it’s coming” showed using enigma codes is an
effective way of making the audience feel anticipation and want to watch the
film.
 Building up the soundtrack throughout the trailer is a good way of adding
suspense
 The woods is a good setting for a horror film as it has a creepy atmosphere and it
connotes being alone, helpless, in the unknown
 Running is a common gesture code to connote fear
 Close ups are an effective way to show the characters emotions and make the
audience feel their fear

15. • Horror Genre
• Directed by James Watkins
• Distributed by Rollercoaster Films (UK)
• Stars: Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender, Jack O’connell
• Written by James Watkins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYxE1XWrLtc • Production Company: Rollercoaster Films

16. Diegetic Sound:
 Rustling in forest, connotes that someone is there, someone is watching
 Screaming and crying from victims connotes fear, torture and danger, typical of
this genre
 dog barking connotes danger and aggression
 Shouting from both victims and attackers connotes fear, danger, violence and
aggression
All of these diegetic sounds meet the audiences expectations
Non Diegetic Sound:
 Soundtrack at start is simple and connotes romance, peacefulness. Interrupted
by hip hop soundtrack, connotes disruption and youths. After this the soundtrack
becomes tense and heavy and builds up suspense as the trailer goes on, this is to
make the audience feel tense as they watch adding an element of fear, which is
what and audience expect from a horror movie.

17.  Characters dress codes (victims) are normal and conventional of
everyday people, this is very typical of the horror genre. The man is
wearing a blue shirt and trousers and the women is wearing a pink
dress, these are very conventional outfits for each gender and very
‘normal’. At the start of the trailer the two main characters dress code
s are clean and become very dirty and bloody as it progresses. This meets
the audiences expectations.
 The characters that are the attackers are dressed very casually, wearing casual, baggy
trousers and t shirts/jumpers, this connotes youth. They maintain quite clean
throughout, implying that they are in control, which is what the audience expects
from the ‘bad guys’.
 The setting is by a beach in woods, its derelict, quiet, no one else there (apart from
the protagonists) which meets the audiences expectations and is a conventional
setting for a horror film.
 The colours red and brown are seen a lot, these connote dirt and blood and are often
seen on the victims showing they are in danger
 At the start the two victims gesture codes show them hugging and kissing, an
example of this is when they are in the lake, this connotes that they are very
comfortable, relaxed and loving. This changes throughout the trailer as they
becoming very quick and rushed, there is also a lot of running, this connotes that they
are in fear and danger.

18.  A knife and blade are seen which connote danger, torture and pain, this meets
audiences expectations.
 Fire is seen in the background, this connotes danger
 Bright lighting used at start to connote that the scene is at an equilibrium and
dark lighting used after disruption occurs to connote danger.

19.  Characters are shown running frequently
throughout the trailer which connotes
fear, being chased, danger
 The car, being driven by the youths, nearly
runs over the couple who dive out of the way.
This is connotes violence, danger and being
out of control.
 The main villain ‘Brett’ attempts to stab the
man and torture him. These are conventional
action codes for a horror film.

20.  Editing – simple fade/cut, editing gets quicker towards the end to build suspense
 Hand held camera used at start, connotes being filmed for a home video and makes
the audience feel like they are actually there and makes it more personal. This is a
conventional technical code for the horror genre.
 Point of view camera angle through the bushes
to a longshot of the couple at the camp fire, connotes
that someone is watching, danger
 Close ups on characters faces throughout the trailer, used to show the audience the
characters reactions and emotions usually connoting fear or anger. This helps the
audience to connect more and also inflicts emotions onto the audience, this is very
conventional of horror movie trailers.
 Cut away to close ups of the knife
and the dog, this connotes danger and violence.
 When male character is badly injured there is a high angle shot of the women and a
low angle shot of the man, this connotes to the audience that the women is now in
control, he is relying on her.
 180 degree rule is used between characters confrontations to create continuity
 The typography of ‘Eden Lake’ at the end is white, has a stencil font and it patchy, this
connotes a danger/warning signal.

21.  The narrative of the text follows a couple who go on a romantic break to Eden Lake. While
there they are terrorised and tortured by a group of teenagers. This both meets and
challenges audiences expectations as while torture and violence is conventional of a horror
movie, the fact that the villains are younger than the victims is unconventional. This relates
to the current (especially at the time of release) moral panic of youths being violent and out
of control. It is very typical of horror films to reflect a moral panic.
 Binary oppositions (Levi-Strauss)- There are binary opposition between good and bad
shown through the action codes of the characters and also between light and dark. The
events of the trailer reflect the second binary opposition, at the start when everything was
fine there was bright lighting and when the disruption occurred the lighting was very dark.
 Narrative Theory (Todorov)- The trailer follows Tvzetan Todorovs narrative theory by
beginning at an equilibrium (the start of the trailer, everything is fine) then a disruption
occurs (youths some along) and the realisation of the disruption (steal car, pull out
knife), the attempt to repair the disruption (victims are shown to try and fight back) but the
reinstatement of the equilibrium is not shown as this makes the audience want to watch
the film to find out if in fact the equilibrium is restored.

22.  Character Theory (Propp) – When applying Vladimir Propps character theory, the
villain Is clearly shown to be the youths, particularly ‘Brett’. The hero appears to
be the woman from the couple and the man the princess. This challenges the
audiences expectations as the hero is normally a man and the princess a woman.
No other characters are really shown in the trailer apart from the villains, hero
and princess which is conventional of the genre.

23.  Opening Weekend:
£192,027 (UK) (14 September 2008) (184 Screens)
 Lifetime Gross:
Worldwide: $3,983,997
On its opening weekend, the film ranked at #93
Ratings
 Guardian- 4*
 Empire- 4*
 RottenTomatoes- 4*

24. According to the film rating website ‘Rotten Tomatoes’, ‘Eden Lake’ was
given a 83% approval rating.
It was described in reviews as "an effectively harrowing Brit thriller-cum-
horror pic," and "this looks to me like the best British horror film in years:
nasty, scary and tight as a drum,"

25.  Age 18-21
 Both genders
 Occupation: Students
 Income: Low income
 Demographics group E
 Hypodermic Syringe Model
If the audience is passive, the trailer is injecting the them with the idea of
it being scary, thrilling, exciting.
 Two-step-flow theory
The main character, Jack O’connel, will act as the opinion leader as he was
recently a predominant character in the TV series ‘Skins’ so fans of him and
the show will trust his choice in film and choose to watch the film.

26.  I learnt teenage characters are good in a horror film, and would make the
film more appealing to the target audience my trailer will be aimed at.
 Doing a camera shot being the bushes is a really good way to connote
the victims are being watched and inject the audience with fear
 Simple fades/cuts/dim to black editing are effective and increasing the
speed of them throughout my trailer will help to build suspense
 Mud and blood are good visual codes for a horror film as it meets
audiences expectations

27. • Horror Genre
• Directed and written by Bryan Bertino
• Distributed by Rogue Pictures
• Stars: Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCU0k_jbCUo
Gemma Ward
• Production Company: Rogue Pictures

28. Diegetic Sound:
 Creaking of swing, creepy, connotes that someone is out there, don’t know who’s
swinging on it so sets up and enigma code and is scary for the audience.
 Banging, loud, someone is there, makes the audience scared, who is it?
 Whispering connotes being scared, hiding, fear
 Screaming connotes being scared, pain, fear
 Record player, not necessarily conventional of horror film, jamming of record
player builds up suspense and gets faster as the trailer building up suspense more
and more. This directly effects the audience and makes them feel tense and is
very conventional of this genre.
 The victims asks “why are you doing this to us” and the villain replies “because
you were home” – this adds an element of fear because its connoting unprovoked
violence, could happen to anyone for no reason
Non Diegetic Sound:
 Piano soundtrack at the start, simple, connotes romance and love.
 Soundtrack becomes heavier and faster, building up suspense.
 Moments of silence, connotes being alone, danger, makes the audience feel fear

29.  Characters dress codes (victims) are normal. The man is wearing a suit which connotes
romance and a wedding. The women starts in a silk dress which connotes romance
and then changes into everyday clothing which just connotes being a
normal, everyday person. This is conventional as the victims are usually shown as
everyday people in horror genres and romance is usually a subtle theme that occurs in
horror films.
 The characters that are the attackers are dressed in everyday clothes, but with masks
on. This connotes mystery and makes the audience scared as they don’t know who the
attackers are, this meets the audiences expectations as hidden identity and masks are
very conventional of horror films.
 The setting is in a large house in the middle of no where by some woods, this is a
conventional setting for a horror film trailer as it connotes being alone and helpless.
 At the start the two victims gesture codes show them hugging and kissing, connoting
romance, love and being comfortable in their surrounding
as well as having privacy. This changes throughout the trailer
as their gesture codes then connotes that they are in fear and
danger by hiding, running, heavily breathing etc.

30.  An axe and gun is used as a prop, this meets audiences expectations of the horror
genre and connotes violence, murder, threat and anger.
 Roses and wine is shown at the start of the scene which connotes love and
romance, this is not conventional of a horror film and shows that everything is at
an equilibrium at the start
 Dark lighting is used throughout the trailer with the light appearing to come from
natural sources, this creates a lot of shadows and connotes mystery and hidden
information. Shadows are iconic of horror films.
 Villains in masks are often shown in the background lurking in the shadows, this
is conventional of horror genres and makes the audience actively involved in the
film because they are wanting the character to turn around and see.
 There is a medium shot of blood splattered on a wall, connotes
murder, violence, death and is conventional of horror.

31.  Editing – fades are used at first but develops into cuts which get faster as the trailer
goes one, this builds suspense and make the audience feel the suspense.
 Establishing long shot of house at start, sets the scene
so the audience know where its taken place. Also connotes
that the house is being watched.
 Point of view shot from main characters, shows the audience what the characters can
see and therefore connects the audience with the characters
 Long shot of woman standing in the kitchen in the foreground with masked mam
stood in the background lurking in the shadows, tells the audience she is in
danger, audience want her to look round therefore making them more
involved, shadows connote mystery, a dark side.
 Close up of phone in the fire, connotes abandonment, helplessness, alone, cut off
 Near the end there is a long shot of a young masked girl stepping out from the
shadows. This connotes mystery and is done to scare the audience. Goes against the
audiences expectations by one of the villain being so young.
 A hand held camera is sometimes used, this connotes chaos and makes the audience
feel like they are there in the scene.

32.  Close up of her hand locking the door, connotes she is scared, doesn’t feel
safe, danger.
 At the end there is a close up of the masked villains face with a blurred effect, this
connotes fear and mystery and sets up and enigma code, who are they?
 Simple white font is used which is conventional of a horror film and has shadows
going over it, connoting mystery and evil. The text says “inspired by true events”.
This inflicts fear into the audience which is what they expect from a horror film
and will therefore want to see the film.

33.  The narrative of the text follows a couple staying over for the night in a large
house in the middle on nowhere who then get terrorised by a group of people
who are hidden in masks with unknown identities.
 Binary oppositions (Levi-Strauss)- There are binary opposition between good
and bad shown through the dress codes, the ‘bad’ guys wear masks and the
‘good’ characters don’t.
 Narrative Theory (Todorov)- The trailer follows Tvzetan Todorovs narrative
theory by beginning at an equilibrium (the start of the trailer, everything is fine)
then a disruption occurs (banging on the door) and the realisation of the
disruption (burnt phone, writing on window, axe through door), the attempt to
repair the disruption is only slightly shown (man with gun) but the end result, the
reinstatement of the equilibrium, is not shown as this makes the audience want
to watch the film to find out if in fact the equilibrium is restored.

34.  Character Theory (Propp) – When applying Vladimir Propps character theory, the
villain Is clearly shown to be the masked people. It is unclear who the other two
characters are, and isn’t shown if one of them is a hero or princess so therefore
could challenge this theory. This is quite conventional of some horror films as
there isn’t always a hero, just victims.

35.  Opening Weekend:
$20,997,985 (USA) (1 June 2008) (2466 Screens)
 Lifetime Gross:
Worldwide: $82,391,145
On its opening weekend, the film ranked at #3
Ratings
 Guardian- 3*
 Timeout- 2*
 RottenTomatoes- 2*

36. The film received mixed reviews from critics. It holds a rating of 45%
approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 146 reviews; a rating of 50%
amongst Top Critics.
The film was described as "suspenseful,“ and "highly effective,“. Another
review stated "The movie deserves more stars for its bottom-line craft, but
all the craft in the world can't redeem its story."[

37.  Age 18-25
 Both genders
 Occupation: Students
 Income: Low to middle income
 Demographics group E and C1
 Hypodermic Syringe Model
If the audience is passive, the trailer is injecting the them with the idea of
it being scary, thrilling, exciting.

38.  I learnt how good use of diegetic sound can help inject fear into the audience, for
example creaking and banging
 Using the dress code of a mask on the villains is scary for the audience as the
hidden identity make sit tense and mysterious
 Point of view shots are a good way to but the audience in the characters shoes
and make them feel their emotions

39. • Horror Genre
• Directed by James Wan
• Distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment (UK)
• Stars: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell and Danny Glover
• Written by
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1lgXhFbXy4 • Production companies: Evolution Entertainment, Saw
Productions Inc.

40. Diegetic Sound:
 Yelling and screaming from victims connotes pain, panic and suffering, typical of
horror genre
Non Diegetic Sound:
 Voice over talking about killing – enigma code, who is it? Get the audience
actively thinking about the text
 “let the games begin” used as a catchphrase, audience becomes familiar with it
 Voice over of victims ‘he wants us to saw through out feet’ connotes
blood, gore, torture. Different concept from other horror films as they have to
inflict the pain upon themselves so draws audiences attention
 Soundtrack is heavy and suspenseful, sounds mechanical and builds up
throughout the trailer making the audience suspenseful, very conventional of this
genre

41.  There is a medium long shot of a figure with dark, hooded, cloaked dress codes. This
connotes dark, evil, mysterious and death (grim reaper) and makes the audience
wonder who this person is
 The characters that are victims are casually dressed implying that they are just normal
people. This is a typical convention of the horror genre.
 The settings vary but all are dirty and abandoned.
 Newspaper articles are shown about murders, tells the audience what’s
happening, connotes that this had been going on a while, more than one victim, serial
killer
 Medium point of view show of a saw on the floor as voice over says about swing
through their foot. Put the audience in the body of the victim, makes it
personal, makes the audience feel the victims fear.
 Close ups of victims showing their fear and pain, audience feels their emotions, typical
of horror genre.
 Blood stains connote danger, violence, pain, murder, torture.
 A bore is shown, mysterious connotations, sets up an enigma code, what is the
relevance of this? Makes the audience want to find out

42.  Editing – cuts, get faster at the end, builds suspense
 Video camera effect at start, connoted being watched, stalked, recorded
 Medium shots of victims in lethal contraptions to show the audience the way in
which they could die to meet audiences expectations of a horror film
 High angle shot of man hitting something with a slab, from point of view of
victim, makes the audience feel the fear of the victim, makes him appear more
violent and dangerous.
 Cracking, fuzzing effect used like an old TV, connotes technology/mechanical like
a video game
 Text is white with a green tint and a glow. Simple font. Conventional of horror
genre and connotes a video game.

43.  The narrative of the text follows a man who doesn’t kill his victims, he finds ways
for them to kill themselves in a number or torturous, gruesome ways.
 Narrative Theory (Todorov)- The trailer doesn’t particularly follows Tvzetan
Todorovs narrative theory as there isn’t a clear structure to the narrative. No
equilibrium is seen at the beginning which is quite unconventional of a horror
movie trailer.
 Character Theory (Propp) – This text challenges Vladimir Propps theory by not
showing a character for each clear role suggested in the theory. The is a lot of
mystery surrounding what character plays which role which can be quite
conventional of a movie trailer of the horror genre.

44.  Opening Weekend:
£1,239,813 (UK) (3 October 2004) (301 Screens)
 Lifetime Gross:
Worldwide: $103,096,345
On its opening weekend, the film ranked at #3
Ratings
 Empire- 4*
 BBC- 4*
 RottenTomatoes- 2.5*

45. The film received mixed to positive reviews. Reviewing website Rotten
Tomatoes reports that 48% of 162 critics gavethe film a positive review, with
an average rating of 5.4 out of 10.

46.  Age 18-25
 Both genders
 Occupation: Students
 Income: Low income
 Demographics group E
 Hypodermic Syringe Model
If the audience is passive, the trailer is injecting the them with the idea of
it being scary, thrilling, exciting.
Preferred reading: That the film is scary, thrilling interesting and worth
seeing.
Oppositional reading: The trailer isn’t scary or have an effect of the
audience.

47.  From this text I learnt how effective using unusual and abstract shots can be, it
makes the text more interesting
 Using casual dress codes for the victims is effective because it makes the
audience more fearful – it could be them
 Voice overs are a good use of non-diegetic sound

48. AS Media Studies

49. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/guidelines/15-2/
 Suitable only for 15 years and over- No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No
one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.
 Discrimination- The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.
 Drugs- Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug
misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols
or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.
 Horror- Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.
 Imitable behaviour- Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming)
should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be
glamorised.
 Language- There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest
terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated
use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
 Nudity- Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no
constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
 Sex- Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal
references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless
justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to
be acceptable.
 Theme- No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.
 Violence- Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The
strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also
unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any
portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

50. Suitable only for adults
 No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema.
 No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.
 In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC’s public consultations and The Human Rights Act
1998, at ‘18’ the BBFC’s guideline concerns will not normally override the principle that adults should
be free to choose their own entertainment. Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:
 where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a
criminal offence
 where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or, through their
behaviour, to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal
drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sexual or
sexualised violence which might, for example, eroticise or endorse sexual assault
 where there are more explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context. Such
images may be appropriate in ‘R18’ works, and in ‘sex works’ (see below) would normally be confined
to that category.
 In the case of video works (including video games), which may be more accessible to younger
viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.
Sex education at ‘18’
 Where sex material genuinely seeks to inform and educate in matters such as human sexuality, safer
sex and health, explicit images of sexual activity may be permitted.
Sex works at ‘18’
 Sex works are works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation. Sex works containing
only material which may be simulated are generally passed ‘18’. Sex works containing clear images of
real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images, or other very strong sexual images
will be confined to the ‘R18’ category. Material which is unacceptable in a sex work at ‘R18’ is also
unacceptable in a sex work at ‘18’.

51.  From this I have learnt that censorship is very important because it
ensures that a film is suitable for an audience of a certain age and stops
younger audiences from seeing something that may be unsuitable for
them.
 I have decided to make my trailer certificate 15 because I do not think it
will feature anything that is unsuitable for people aged 15 and above

52. AS Media Studies

53. Links to my Questionnaire
http://www.survey.com/cgi-bin/pollxt.pl?poll=PM2U1AR9V0K8
http://www.survey.com/cgi-bin/pollxt.pl?poll=PM2U1AR9V0B8
http://www.survey.com/cgi-bin/pollxt.pl?poll=PM2U1AR9V0Q8

54.  I used the first question in my questionnaire to find
out what age and gender my audience would be.
From the survey I found that it would be both
genders, with the majority being female, and aged
between 15 and 18.
 The next question
told me that my
trailer will be
aimed at and
audience of
students and/or
unemployed. This
fits with the target
audience age
range of 15-18.

55.  This question told me
the majority of
people who took the
survey chose comedy
as their favourite
genre, however half
of them still said
horror was, so I will
continue to make a
horror film as I feel
my ideas are strong  This question reassured
for this genre. me that a high
percentage of over half
the participants enjoy
horror films and another
13% don’t mind them. I
know I will have a large
target audience.

56.  This question tells me that my
audience watch films fairly
frequently, but not too much.
With the highest percentage
being 1-2 films a fortnight and
only 14% watch 3-4. I think this
is a reasonable amount.
 From this question I have found out that my
audience consume a range of different types of
media. From the survey I now know that the best
type of media for advertising would be TV and
internet as these have the highest percentage of
use. The feedback has also told me 100% of the
audience use film as their preferred type of
media, this is good as I am making a trailer for a
film so I know it will have a large audience.

57.  From this question I
know some good  This question was  This was one of the most
Intertexts to watch very helpful because helpful questions in the
as I know my it tells me what my questionnaire, it tells me
audience like them. trailers that my target
This can tell me what target audience want audience like so I can see
works well in a horror to see in a horror film what they use to make the
film and what my so I know what I trailer enticing, and it also
target audience could include in my has told me aspects of
enjoy so I can ensure trailers that appeal to my
my trailer is film trailer to make target audience, like
appealing to them. them want to then suspense.
see the film.

58.  The results from this question tells me the target
audience will like the ages of the characters in my
film, with the highest percentage saying they
would prefer to see teenagers in a horror film.
 100% of my target audience chose a mix of both
genders for characters they would prefer in a
horror film, so I know to definitely use both
genders in my trailer.

59.  From the comment
 This question has left here I know the
 The feedback from told me what my ideas for my trailer
this question has told target audience are approved of.
me that my target would like to see in a
audience likes the trailer for my film
ideas for my trailer. ideas, I now know
what to include to
make it enticing for
my target audience.

60.  From this questionnaire I now know I’m definitely going to use
teenagers, aged between 166 and 19 of both genders in my trailer.
 I know I’m going to use the woods as a setting as one of the feedback
comments stated they liked the idea of the setting.
 My target audience enjoy scary films that build suspense so I know the
narrative of my trailer will reflect this. I also found out that good acting is
an important factor which I will need to consider.
 I know that suspense, dramatic build up of music, good enigmas and a
realistic story line would make my trailer appeal to my target audience.

61. Hypodermic Syringe Theory
 My trailer will be injecting the ideology of it being scary, suspenseful and thrilling
directly into the passive audience.
Polysemic Readings
 Preferred reading – the preferred reading of this text would be that its
scary, realistic and thrilling with a narrative that makes the audience want to see
the film
 Oppositional reading – the oppositional reading would be that the text isn’t
scary or realistic and doesn’t make the audience want to see the film
Two-step flow theory
 When applying the theory, the producer and the actors will act as the opinion
leader, because the audience trust their opinions the audience will want to watch
the film

62. Uses and Gratifications Theory
 My target audience will use my trailer for personal identity, as they would be the
same age as the characters in the trailer and they could use if to see how they
would react in the same situation. They could also use the text for integration and
social interaction as they would be able to discuss it with their friends and share
opinions. The main reason when applying the uses and gratifications theory my
audience will use this text is for entertainment.

63.  Age: 15-19
 Gender: Mixed
 Marital status: single
 Education: Secondary school/ higher education
 Occupation: Student, part-time employment
 Income: Low income but has some disposable income
 Demographics group- E (unemployed students, casual workers)
Psychographics: My target audience will enjoy going to the cinema and like trying
new things. They like being social and often use different media texts as a subject of
conversation. Watches mainly mainstream films. Likes adrenaline and a challenge.
(Aspirers, mainstreamers, explorers)

64. AS Media Studies

65.  Video based production:
- 2 minuets opening sequence
- a trailer
 Horror or thriller
Decision: A horror trailer

66. Narrative:
Group of teenage friends go camping in a woods, 3 mysterious ‘men(?)’ in masks
terrorise them/ kill/ torture them
Or
Two teenagers (boyfriend and girlfriend) are home alone together, 3 girls dressed as
dolls start to terrorise them and want to turn them into dolls

67. I have now decided to do a horror movie
trailer, with the narrative being about two
teenagers (Boyfriend and girlfriend) who are home
alone on a Saturday night, the evening starts at an
equilibrium with them thinking they are going to
enjoy a nice night together. Weird things start to
happen, one thing being that start to find dolls
everywhere. 3 girls dressed as dolls appear, they
start to attack the couple. The 3 dolls are deranged
girls who want to turn the couple into dolls. The
boy will die. At the end the parents come home
and its left at a cliff hanger.

68.  Dolls House
 Dollface
 Dolly
Final decision: Dolls House

69. Lizzy Holes’ House – Front room, kitchen, hallway, bathroom, bedroom, garden.

72.  Boyfriend: - Jay (James), 17 years old
 - Casual clothing

73.  Girlfriend: - Chelsea, 16 years old
 - Casual clothing

74.  Attackers: Girls dressed as Dolls
 - Old fashioned dresses, doll mask (NEED TO TAKE
PICTURES IN CHARACTER)

75.  Parents: - slightly dressed up, after night out
Mum Dad

76. - Flip knife/other weapons
- Dolls – burnt/mutated
- Fake blood

77.  - need to scan in-