Olivia LyonsMedia Advanced Portfolio- A. Product ResearchAnalysis of 3 Similar Products to Main PieceShort Film 1:Dead Man’s Lakehttp://www.bloodycuts.co.uk/films/ep6-deadmanslake/

Genre elements Conventions presented in the Short FilmCharacters – representations, stereotypes, behaviour, body language, specific actors/stars

The audience are introduced to the characters at the very start of the film. The girl is a stereotypical character in a horror movie. An innocent blonde girl, blonde having conations of being “ditsy” and dumb. She is pretty and the use of dressing her in a pink top identifies her as a feminine character and creates a sense of vulnerability. There is usually

always a girl victim in the horror genre who is last to be killed, as there is only one female character introduced this creates suspense with the audience.

Narrative events –how is the narrative ordered and structured?

Ordered and structured with a non-linear narrative- the film isn’t in chronological order and goes back and forward in time. Elliptical Structure- certain key pieces of information/events are revealed to the audience, leaving them to fill in the gaps. Cuts to the woods where the audience are shown the camera tracking through the trees then cuts back to the characters at the campsite leaving the audience to fill in the gaps about what is happening in the woods. Creates tension and mystery- both clear conventions of the genre.Enigmatic Structure- The full meaning of the film isn’t made clear until the moment of resolution. The audience are only revealed to events that make them believe the burnt male character is the villain; however at the end at the moment of resolution it is revealed that the man is the victim.

Iconography – props, symbolic codes

Props- the use of having the character looking at a map whist walking through the forest immediately establishes to the audience that the two are in an unfamiliar setting and don’t know where they are going.

The fire of the barbeque gives an insight as to what is going to happen. Fire has connotations of danger and burning. The close up shot emphasises its importance.

Olivia LyonsMedia Advanced Portfolio- A. Product ResearchAnalysis of 3 Similar Products to Main Piece

The knife suggests death and danger. Close up shot creates tension and suspense.

Setting- mise en scene

Setting- a forest, easy hiding places, middle of nowhere, a deserted place which creates a sense of the characters being alone. Deserted location is a convention of the horror genre.

Mise en scene- “Private Property”, “Keep Out” on a sign made visible to the audience once the characters have walked past it. Writing in the colour red, red having connotations of danger and blood which are conventions of the genre

Technical and audio codes – camera use, editing, lighting, diegetic/non diegetic sound, sfx

When the film cuts to the woods the filming is from the characters point of view- this technique creates suspense and tension. The camera pans through the woods, scanning the scene and following the moving object.

The film is set outside and is therefore in natural light so no artificial light(s) are used.

Non diegetic sound- atmospheric music played as the people are walking to the lake builds suspense and draws the audience in.

Neale’s ‘Mental Machinery’: How does the text meet audience expectations? How does it conform to convention and/or deviate from convention?

It is clearly established from the beginning of the film that it is a horror; from the mise en scene, music, and characters all having clear conventions of the genre. The preferred audience for the horror genre expect to see clear conventions of the genre throughout the film, such as, a victim character, a villain, deserted location, no escape, symbolic props and atmospheric music and sound effects. The film conforms to convention and meets the audience’s expectations by encoding clear conventions of the horror genre, such as the deserted forest as the location. However, the film deviates from convention by not having a villain character, as it is shown in the moment of resolution that the suspected villain character is in fact a victim.

Olivia LyonsMedia Advanced Portfolio- A. Product ResearchAnalysis of 3 Similar Products to Main PieceShort Film 2:Love Fieldhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4meeZifCVro

Genre elements Conventions presented in the Short FilmCharacters – representations, stereotypes, behaviour, body language, specific actors/stars

The camera pans across the field and the audience are introduced to the first character, by firstly seeing just a foot. The body language of the foot being curled up and clenched suggests the character is in pain. The blood on the foot and the diegetic sound of the character screaming out, suggests she is being assaulted

and therefore identifies the character as being a victim. The screaming is feminine and suggests the character is a woman; a women victim is a clear convention of the horror genre.

The male character is first revealed by a close up shot of the tattoos on his arm. The Skull is the symbol of death and God and immediately establishes him as a mysterious, threatening character. He is thought to be the male antagonist which is a clear convention of the horror genre.

Narrative events –how is the narrative ordered and structured?

The film has a linear narrative- it is ordered with all the events happening in chronological order, and there is no cuts going back and forward in time.

The film has an enigmatic structure. The audience are only shown events that can be interpreted in different ways. For example they are shown the women screaming in pain and blood, but not that she is pregnant and that the man is

helping her. The full meaning of the film isn’t made clear until the moment of resolution.

Olivia LyonsMedia Advanced Portfolio- A. Product ResearchAnalysis of 3 Similar Products to Main PieceIconography – props, symbolic codes

Blackbirds represent omens and mystical concepts. Black, the colour of their feathers, has connotations of evil, fear and danger. The audience being introduced to the blackbird first of all suggests that the location is a deserted place with no sign of life.

Close up shot of a mobile phone immediately identifies that a person has been or is still in the field. The fact it is open, showing it has tried to be used makes the audience fill in gaps about what has happened and creates tension and suspicion. As the audience are so far thinking the film is a horror, the mobile phone represents a form of escape which is a clear

convention of the genre; that the character/s is so close to escaping.

The hand shows that there is another character in the field, as well as the women that the audience are first introduced to. The axe gives an insight as to what is happening and suggests danger and violence. The colour red of the blood has connotations evil, death and danger.

Setting- mise en scene

The setting/location of the film is immediately established as being a deserted corn field. This, and the gloomy grey weather, suggests the film as being within the horror genre as these are both clear conventions. The audience are made to believe, from the start, that the film is a horror.

Technical and audio codes – camera use,

Non diegetic sound- atmospheric music played from the start creates tension and draws the audience in.

Olivia LyonsMedia Advanced Portfolio- A. Product ResearchAnalysis of 3 Similar Products to Main Pieceediting, lighting, diegetic/non diegetic sound, sfx

Diegetic sound- the creaking of the sign blowing in the wind is added to seem as though it is noise within the film. The creaking noise disturbs the audience as it is on-going and creates suspense. The music, and also the camera zooming in to the action, creates a sense of diversion and diverts the audience from everyday life/problems/ routine as they become lost in the action of the film (Bulmer and Katz Theory).

Aerial Shot- used at the beginning of the film establishes the setting.Neale’s ‘Mental Machinery’: How does the text meet audience expectations? How does it conform to convention and/or deviate from convention?

Although the film includes clear conventions of the horror genre, it also deviates from convention. The audience are watching the film expecting it to be a horror as clear conventions of the horror genre are encoded throughout. However, at the point of resolution the film deviates from convention as the male antagonist is revealed as being the hero as he is helping the woman who was giving birth. The audience may not be able to deal with the hybrid genre and therefore they may encode a negotiated reading as the text hasn’t met their expectations.