Group Prelim: Shooting Schedule

Group Prelim: Storyboard

Producing this storyboard allowed for myself and my group to gain clarity on what we needed to record, what effects we need to place and where. Furthermore, if some of the group needed to record and not everybody was present, it was easy to see what needed to be done and how. Also, the angles and distancing were easily identified.

Group prelim: Reasons for choosing horror clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHqQzF4JXdE&feature=player_embedded
The reason why we decided as a group that this was a great clip to analyse was due to the fact that it used a large variety of camera angles alongside many complex horror elements such as the supernatural, which we found was an easy task as the supernatural is the unseen so therefore, we were able to recreate the scene with close attention to detail because a lot of the scare elements within this clip were behind closed doors such as the banging and the appearing of the doll. This was key for our project as we only had six days to record and edit the clip and taking that into consideration, I believe we worked well as a group and productively.
Furthermore, another reason for choosing this clip was the fact that the scene fitted perfectly with Sophia's house, the layout of the rooms and corridor. In addition to this, Sophia's house was the best place for the group to gather at as it was free which made recording a whole lot easier and it is close for myself and our group to go to.
Moreover, the lighting for most of the clip was easy to obtain as we simply used our phone's flashlights and several room lights to create a dark effect as light and dark contrasted but the camera focus was on the dark which dimmed out a lot of the light. One problem we experienced with lighting was in the scene where Sophia through away the doll. We attempted to use the flash of the camera, however this did not sufficiently light her porch and so we asked Mariyam to hold the lamp near Sophia while Annamaria recorded the shot from an aerial view. This was another problem as Annamaria had to physically lean out the window as we did not have a drone for starters and we did not have any stand for the camera to stably be placed on.
We used one prop for this clip, which was the doll. Although it is not a copy of the original Annabelle doll, we applied makeup on the doll in order to create a horror effect to create anxiety within the audience. The reason we did not obtain an actual Annabelle doll was mainly because we had six days to complete this project and the prices online were rather expensive, ranging from £50.00-£100.00.
The reasoning behind the choice of this clip was due to the fact that, when we watched this movie as a group, it genuinely scared each and every one of us which meant that it had great elements as I personally aren't very interested in horror movie as they seem so predictable and don't place me on the edge of my chair. Also, this movie kept us engaged throughout the whole duration and it was the beginning of the haunting on Annabelle's behalf.
The one main difficulty we interacted with was as stated before, the time restrictions. The fact that there was such as lck of time, we were unable to recreate the complex angles to the standard which we could have if we had say for example, a week more. Also, the fact that time was so short, it didn't allow us to order the actual replica of the Annabelle doll and obtain props which could have been used to produce more interest for the audience.

Poster Deconstruction

Roland Barthes: Enigma Code

Roland Barthes suggested that either one or more of five codes are used within any text in order to describe the meaning. Furthermore, he stated that texts may either be ‘open’ or ‘closed’. If the text is ‘open’, this means that this may unravel in a lot of different ways but if the text is ‘closed’, there is only one obvious thread to pull on).

The definition of ‘Enigma’ is a mystery or a puzzle in which you have to rely on yourself to solve. This is key within a movie as if the audience do not have questions which they want answered, they will simply not watch the movie as there is nothing which intrigues them. Furthermore, movies allow for the audience to make their own interpretation of the text. This means that when one watches a movie, they are the only person who can put together the movie but generally, the director will have an objective of the text which only occasionally is understood.

·         Hermeneutic/Enigma code

This refers to the mystery within the text as ‘Enigma’ means a mystery. These mysteries within the text make the audience want to know more but no clear answers are ever given. Audiences may become frustrated if confronted with unanswered enigmas.

·         Proairetic/Action code

This code includes sequential elements of action in the text. These elements increase the suspense within the text.

·         Semantic code

This code refers to places within the text that suggest or refer to additional meanings. Elements included in the Semantic code are called Semes which have connotative function in the text. It has an extra layer of meaning along with its literal meaning.

·         Symbolic code

This code refers to the symbolism within the text. This portrays the opposites, creating tension, drama and mainly character development.

·         Referential code

This code refers to external bodies of knowledge such as scientific, historical and cultural knowledge

Sequence of Enigma

·         Thematisation – What in the narrative is an enigma?

·         Positioning – Additional confirmations of the enigma

·         Formulation of the enigma

·         Promise of an answer regarding the enigma

·         Fraud – Circumvention of the true answer

·         Blocking – The enigma cannot be solved

·         Suspended answer – Stopping the answer after having begun

·         Partial answer – Some parts of the truth are revealed

·         Disclosure of the truth

Audience Theories

There are three main theories of audience which allow us to gain a better insight about relationships between texts and audience:

·         The Effects Model or the Hypodermic Model

Media texts being consumed by audiences have effect/influence upon the audience. The main consideration is that the effects are negative and that audiences are passive and powerless to prevent the influence and lastly, the power lies with the message of the text. This is also known as the Hypodermic Model in which the messages in media texts are injected into the audience and the audience are powerless to resist. Therefore this shows that the media works like a drug and the audience is intoxicated.

The evidence proposed to support this model is the Frankfurt School experiment in which this school theorised in the 1920’s and 30’s that mass media act to restrict and control audiences for the benefits of corporate capitalism and governments. The Bobo Doll experiment was also sufficient evidence to back up this model as it proved that children copy violent behaviour. Within this experiment:

1.       Children watched a video of a man violently attacking a clown toy called a Bobo Doll.

2.       Children were then taken into a room with attractive toys which they were not allowed to touch

3.       The children were then led to a room with Bobo Dolls

4.       88% of these children imitated the violent behaviour which they had viewed earlier. 8 months late, 40% of these children reproduced that same violent behaviour

·         The conclusion reached was that children will imitate violent media content, however this experiment is unethical as there may possibly be long-lasting effects on some of the children after watching this. They may also adapt violent behaviour into their lifestyle as they grow older.

·         There is no clear method in which we can set the link between violent media texts and violence within children.

This is the most dominantly used theory used by politicians, some parts of the media and a number of religious organisations in attributing violence due to the consumption of media. In each case, there had been a political outery for the texts to be banned and in other cases, laws were changed, films were banned, and newpapers demanded the burning of films. Due to this, there was no case which could be proven to demonstrate a link between the text and the violent acts. This theory also links to the ‘Moral Panic’ theory.

·         The Uses of Gratifications Model

It is clear that this theory is flawed as there are millions of media consumers who are not influenced at all by such genres of texts which contain violence. Furthermore, if media texts really had so much influence, every person on this Earth would be a killer because it is inevitable for one to come into contact with such texts. This therefore means that there has to be another theory put in place.

This theory is the opposite to the Hypodermic Model. The audience is active and uses the text rather than being used by the text. They also use the text for their own gratification and pleasure.

The Uses of Gratifications Model indicates that the power lies with the audience and not the producers. It also emphasises what audiences do with media texts, how and why they use them. This theory shows that the audience is far from being duped by the media, the audience is free to reject, use  or play with media meanings as they see fit

Using media texts to gratify needs for:

·         Diversion

·         Escapism

·         Information

·         Pleasure

·         Comparing relationships and lifestyles with one’s own

·         Sexual stimulation

The audience has total control and consumption of media helps people with a variety of issues:

·         Learning

·         Emotional satisfaction

·         Relaxation

·         Help with personal identity issues

·         Help with social identity issues

·         Help with issues of aggression and violence

In contrast to the common views that violent media texts cause violence within the community is the view that it may be helpful to consume such violent images rather than harmful as the theory suggests that audiences act out their violent impulses by consuming media violence. This means that the audience’s inclination towards violence is sublimated, thus making it less likely for the audience to act violently.

·         Reception Theory

Stuart Hall developed the theory of how texts are encoded with meaning by producers and decoded by viewers.

This theory suggests that:

·         When a producer constructs a text, it is encoded with a meaning or a message which is passed on to the audience through the text for them to decode as they wish. On occasion, audiences will correctly decode this text, allowing them to understand what the producer meant. In other examples, audiences will reject or fail to decode the message

Three types of audience readings (or decoding) of the text:

1.       Dominant or preferred

Audience decodes message as producer wants and broadly agrees with it, like watching a political speech and agreeing with it.

2.       Negotiated

Audience accepts, rejects or refines elements of text in light of previously held views, nor agreeing or disagreeing with the political speech or being disinterested.

3.       Oppositional

Dominant meaning is recognised but rejected for cultural, political or ideological reasons, total rejection of the political party speech and active opposition

Well's and Cohen's Research