Research Codes and Convention Identity Trailer Analysis- Main Task

Identity is a 2003 mystery thriller directed by James Mangold. Strangers from all walks of life including a limo driver escorting a fading television star, parents with a young son who's marriage is in crisis, a cop transporting a dangerous convict, a beautiful call girl, a couple of young newly weds, and one nervous motel manager are caught up in a rainstorm leaving them stuck at a desolate motel in Nevada. Soon they realise they maybe stuck at the motel for another reason as one by one people start getting killed off. As tensions flare and fingers are pointed, they have to get to the bottom of why they are there.

Identity is within the psychological thriller genre, with the main narrative of the film focusing on several different characters who are trapped at a motel due to a rain storm, however people soon go missing and the characters realise they are linked in some way.

The audience is firstly identified with the psychological thriller genre through the conventions such as music, issues for the characters to face such as weather and death with the trailer also having a sense of mystery.

the trailer attracts the audience as it makes the narrative non linear and unclear, also appealing to the a wider target audience range and age through the uses of key characters that are all ages, so that thee wider audience has a character that they can relate to. The trailer last for around 2 minuets 29 making it a theatrical trailer, giving the audience more of an insight into the film than a teaser trailer would. 14-15 different types of shots are approximately used within the trailer with the vast majority of the shots being made up of close up of the several key characters/ main protagonists faces showing different emotions such as fear and horror. Simple fast paced editing is used throughout, with editing and transitional techniques such as cutting, fading and blurring being used. Mid and long shots are also used to show key locations and to set the scene.

Diegetic sound such as the main protagonist narration/voice over seen to be set in a police interrogation setting, allows us to see the trailer as more of a story in the third person almost making use feel as if the person is telling us this story directly and that we are part of the trailer and story to. With other diegetic sounds such as screaming and the use of high pitched voices when the characters speaks adds more emphasis on the horror that these people are going through.
Non diegetic sounds create tension and suspense with the music increasing in both pitch and volume as the trailer reaches it climax at around 1.09 onwards, this allows us the audience to understand that this is seen as the best part of the trailer and that our attention is needed. This also signifies that events within the trailer are about to change usually for the worst within this genre. All if the characters within the trailer are represented as equal due to the circumstances that they are currently in even thought they are all originally from different backgrounds.

The trailer also uses codes of enigma by carefully leaving clues and questions by the characters in which the audience has to try and solve. This trailer such as disappearing bodies and the unknown question if how they are all linked is what grabs the audiences attention making them want to know more. Additionally slowly releasing the narrative and plot of the story into the audiences hands this is done through bold title statements made on screen which convey clues and messages to the audience about the narrative, characters and to warn audiences about whats to come.

The following codes and conventions are used:

• fast paced editing to create mystery and suspense.
• suspense through diegetic dialogue
• code of enigma 
•  a narrative established to the film
• suspense through non diegetic music
• titles making statements 
• unidentified threats to the lead characters, and problems that they must solve 
• sense of venerability 
• production company logos.  

Research: Audience Theories

Audience theory’s

With the creation of the Internet and sights such as You tube making it more accessible for audiences to find movie trailers and share, the trailers with other people across the world. Audiences increasingly seek out trailers, with them not passively consuming them but actively pursuing them trough sites such as You tube.

Audiences use trailers-                

• To make choices about seeing a film
• To prepare  them selves for the movie experience of the cinema and have some understanding of the narrative and genre of the film they are going to watch.
• As a stand alone form of entertainment or even a distraction from everyday life, that can be used as a pass time and also be used as a form of recreation.

 Two step Flow Theory- Paul Lazarsfeld

The two step flow theory suggests that ideas flow from mass media to opinion leaders, which them share these ideas widely increasingly through social media such as Twitter and Facebook to a wider population (eg the Share button on Facebook.) This theory can be applied to our own production as we used social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to gather Professional opinion from other people, and people who are indirectly affected by the trailer through those opinion leaders. Globalisation increase due to these sights allows people to instantly access that trailer from anywhere in the world at any given time.

Uses and Gratifications theory

This theory is primarily focused on the consumer, this suggests that the audience affects the media through their own interpretation of the media its self. Trailers have varying uses and gratifications which the audience activity seeks. Within our own production their a are key uses and gratifications that the audience activity seeks:

Diversion- as escape from everyday pressures such as work and school, and I chance to release those pressures through the media.  

Surveillance- audiences activity seeking information on current affairs and gather information on the world outside their own. Trailer convey messages through codes and conventions about current affairs, trends and what happening in the world around us. Our trailer fits within the theory as diversion is more commonly seek ed by our audience as a way of relaxing and escaping from life’s pressures for a moment. 

Personal relationships- using the media for emotional or other social interaction, such as substituting trailers or soap operas for real life. 

Personal Identity- using media to find and reflect yourself within the media text. And learning from these texts and changing your behaviour. 

Research: Narative theories

Vladimir Propp  


Vladamir Propp said  that all the characters could be resolved into 7 broad character functions in the 100 tales he analysed:

1. The villain — struggles against the hero.
2. The dispatcher — character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
3. The (magical) helper — helps the hero in their quest.
4. The princess or prize and her father — the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain.
5. The donor— prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
6. The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
7. The false hero  — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess

Lzetan Todorov

Todorov suggested that stories begin with an equilibrium or status quo where any potentially opposing forces are in balance, this is then disturbed by some event, setting a chain reaction of a series of events. Todorov suggested that conventional narratives are structured into five stages.

• A distribution of the equilibrium by some action
• A recognition that there has been a disruption
• An attempt to repair the disruption
• A reinstatement of equilibrium
• A state of equilibrium at the onset.

Roland Barthes  

Barthes said that texts are either open or closed, with the action of texts being influenced by five codes-

• The hermenuetic code
• The symbolic code 
• The cultural code 
• The semantic code 
• The enigma/ Proairetic code.  

Todorovs Narrtive Theory within Production

Many trailers and film follow Todorovs theory; we have also done the dame within our own production, through the theory of distribution and dis equilibrium within the narrative. Our distribution sources from the protagonist unknowingly undergoing facial surgery to have the face of the wanted criminal. The character then attempts to repair the equilibrium by seeking revenge and justice to have it reinstatement of equilibrium.

Barthes Narrative theory within Production.

This theory suggests the use of codes such as hermeneutic and proairetic questions, for example within our own production Hermeneutic codes such as who is the protagonist running from? And what danger is around the corner?  Proairetic codes included in are productions are, will he find justice? And will his struggle be in vein?  

Propps theory within Production

Using this theory within our own production we have chosen characters that are from Propps character functions, we have a villain (the criminal) who steals the identity of an Innocent man. The helper who guides the victim to find his true identity and find out who done this to him and we also have victim the Innocent person to which these horrible things have been done and the main actor in which the story is based around.

Research: Psychological Thriller Codes and Conventions Main Task

Codes and conventions of a psychological thriller

Psychological thriller is a sub-genre of thriller, and has a heavy focus on the character themselves this is predominantly through close up reaction shots of characters. It incorporates elements of mystery through low level lighting creating shadows, which in turn bring a sense of secrecy, additionally costume design such as dark covering clothing can also become a presentation of the characters inner darkness as well as traits of the thriller genre. Some conventions of the genre often overlap with those of the horror genre. Suspense is created through pace paced editing which is prominently black and white or of a darker nature and music that his of high tension, eerie, with long periods of silence during critical moments. Flash backs are conventions of the thriller genre, time disorientation linked to Todorovs theory of dis equilibrium is used to confuse the audience or to sow the past to give an insight into why the characters are the way they are. Within psychological thrillers there is often a first person narrative allowing the viewer to understand the characters story and psychological state or mind.

Elements of psychological thrillers

• Reality- Characters often try to determine what is true and what is not within the narrative through the use of flashbacks.
• Perception- The way they see the world around them, they often see the world around them as a dull place.
• Mind- The mind is often used as a location for narrative conflict, where characters battle their emotions to reach a new level of understanding. This is primarily done through the first person narrative.  
• Identity-characters often are confused about or doubt who they are and try to discover their true identity.  
• Death- characters often have a fear or fascination with death.
• Purpose- characters often try to discover what their purpose is in their lives, and the narrative conflict often is a way for characters to discover their purpose.
• Mystery
• Drama

Conventions of psychological thrillers

• Time disorientation- flashbacks, dreams

• Music a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, even music within some scenes of the trailer

• Fast paced edits

• Frequent changes of camera angle                     

  
  

Directors of thrillers.

• Alfred Hitchcock is known as the master of suspense, and uses code and conventions effectively, he is best known for films such as Psycho.
• David lynch- is known as a surrealist director, whose films create mystery, and puzzles within the films that audiences have to figure out, for example Mulholland Drive.
• Martin Scorsese- director of The Departed and Shutter Island, makes films have mystery through, using dis equilibrium to keep the audience watching right until the end when the plot behind the story is revealed.

Research: Target Audience and Focus Group

Primary Target Audience

Our customer demographics are specific to age and gender, we agreed upon a target audience of males aged between 18 and 45 years old. Our film being a psychological thriller, we want to target out product to a psychographic audience. Upon meeting with our focus group, and using an audience survey some of the key features of our production such as name, theme and character names. The purpose of the trailer is to sell the film, creating an insight to the production as a whole. Our promotion and distribution are not inclusive an d we intend to use mainly mass marketing on sites such as YouTube, posters, magazine advertisement, film reviews as well as direct marketing to intended target audience.  

Product advertisement

As our production is not just primarily aimed at our designated target audience, we have advertised on many platforms using synergy. Using modern technology such as social media, for example Facebook and YouTube, we have been able to engage with our audience and gain feedback and comment from them about the production so far. This advertisement method allows us to use globalisation to promote our product across the globe, many users can access these sites from anywhere in the world, creating maximum viewing of the product. 

Questionnaire/ poll- audience and focus group research for CTRL ALT DELETE Trailer

Age-

Gender-

Films interested in –

Tick the appropriate below.

Which of the following names do you like and would consider your favourite for a psychological thriller involving identity theft?

CTRL ALT DELETE

Retribution

What’s left behind?

The Wrong man

Criminal Identity

Identity

Rebate

The Poser

Have you watched any of the following films?

Eagle eye

Unknown

Taken

Face/off

Memento

Identity

Shutter Island

Black Swan

What’s the first word that comes into your head when you think of a psychological thriller film?

What’s the last thriller film you watched? And what did you like about it?

What are must haves in your opinion should be in a psychological thriller?

What characters do you associate with being in a psychological Thriller?

Which of the following character names do you prefer for the male lead role of a psychological thriller?   

Kyle Reed

Samuel Hill

Jason Edmun

Ethan Tate

Stephen Dakota

Samuel Reed 

Research Codes and Conventions Black Swan Trailer Analysis- Main Task

Black Swan is a 2010 American psychological thriller horror film directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel and Mila Kunis. The plot revolves around the production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake ballet by a New York company. The production requires the ballerina to play the innocent and fragile which committed dancer Nina (Portman) is a perfect fit, as well as he dark and sensual black swan which as qualities of new arrival Lily (Kunis). Nina is overwhelmed by the pressure and finds herself competing for the part, causing her to lose her tenuous grip on reality and descend into a living nightmare.

The first shot within the trailer shows a ballerina ( Nina) in a single spot light surrounded by darkness, this opening shot could signify how her innocence and purity is surrounded by darkness clouding her judgement and sucking her in she is seen as the victim in the first instance as Propp suggests. This opening shot as we later see has great significance to the storyline its self, as we see that she has both a light and dark sides to her. Additionally this shot of Nina in darkness fits with the genre of the films its self, the darkness of the shot creates mystery as you can only see her silhouette and none of her facial features, this signifier is linked to the codes and conventions of the genre it's self. 

The music at the start of the trailer starts mellow to reflect the personality of the lead role, sweet, soft and delicate. The lead role has voice over in this section reflecting on reality, almost as if shes reflecting on the past, it is said in soft and delicate voice to represent her in this stage within the storyline in which she is commenting. As the trailer progresses the music becomes deeper and darker as the lead role discovers her darker side of jealousy, lust and anger as she becomes paranoid that someone is after her lead role. Lily is seen to be the villain as suggested by Propp in the first instance and rermains to been see as this character throughout .  However Nina Fighting with her subconscious she discovers her personality is split, between her id, ego and super ego, and ultimately becomes the villain in her own mind. 

The shots have a sense of darkness from the start, the use of clothing colors such as black and white helps to signify this, through out these are the only clothing colors worn and gives codes that where firstly suggested by Barthes. The lead Nina wears white or light pink in the first part of the trailer to show her femininity and purity as she is the swan, something that is elegant, delicate, light and beautiful, this is also signified by the characters make up. The make up is either white face showing her facial features, or light make up that shows her natural beauty.  Lily wears black or dark colors to shoe shes the dark side of the story line, that she is mysterious and causes trouble. Her make up is dark and hides her face, creating mystery behind the character, perhaps suggesting shes has something to hide. Nina's make up becomes darker, and hides her face as the trailer progresses to signify her change in personality as the darker side takes over. From 1.20 the shots become darker with faster parallel editing, with most of the shots are consisting of close up shots of the lead roles faces are they are making the transition from the lighter side of her self to the darker. The shots them selves even though they are still dark, show more vibrant color also signifying this stage of transition from lighter shots to darker shots. As the editing becomes faster it creates a sense of false reality and dis equilibrium firstly suggested by Todorov, and fits in with the codes and conventions of the genre.     
      
  

Research Codes and Conventions Shutter Island Trailer Analysis- Main Task

Shutter Island

Shutter island is a 2010 psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese. The film is about a U.S Marshall called Edward Daniels played by Leonardo DiCaprio and his partner Chuck Aule played by Mark Ruffalo. They are investigating the disappearance of Rachel Solando, the patient of high security mental unit as the patient unexpectedly vanishes from a locked room within the institute, after she was bought to the unit for drowning her three children.

The trailer uses low key lighting through out to create a sense of darkness to fit the genre of the story. The codes of a psychological thriller include darkness created using low key lighting, a sense of suspense and disequilibrium is created by fast paced editing, for example in the Shutter Island trailer from a 1 minuet within the trailer the editing becomes fast paced to create tension and to build up to the ultimate plot of the trailer. This plot involves a sense that the lead role may have something to do with the story line that’s not the detective role in which we are initially introduced to him as, when another character within the storyline asks “ Where are you going?.”  Additionally the trailer also shows flash backs of what seems to be Edwards past life giving us a sense that there is more to this lead character. The quick cuts used during editing and music are parallel to one another, they only show the main shots of the film and not the connecting scenes of the film to portray a sense of mystery and disequilibrium linked to the codes and conventions of the genre. Parallel sound used within the trailer starts calm and slow as we are being introduced to the characters and the main location in which the story is set. From 1.53-2.04 the music becomes more rapid and violent as the trailer reaches its climax, the fast paced editing also increases to create a sense of suspense, allowing the audience to feel that something drastic is about to happen.

At the start of the trailer you are introduced to the main character, Marshall Teddy Daniels and the antagonist and protagonist. Shots such as ‘Restricted Area’ suggests to the audience that the location is controlled, dangerous and place you don’t want to enter, as you know there will be consequences. Additionally shots of boats suggest to the audience that the location is out of the way not know by many people, perhaps a hidden secret, which also draws the audience into the trailer and gets their attention as they want to be part of the secret. The shots of police officers also suggest that everyone on the island obeys the law and is controlled heavily also suggesting that the location is dangerous.  The main character ‘Teddy’ is wearing a long dull over coat suggesting to the audience that he may have something to hide.
His body language reflects his role as an investigator; he looks at people suspiciously and has his hands in his pockets throughout several scenes. This body language also suggests to the audience that he has something to hide. Throughout the trailer shots of weapons are shown this signifies to the audience that death could be a factor within the trailer, the movement of guns within the trailer creates suspense of how these are going to be used. Non diegetic sounds such as screaming and clocks ticking create suspense, suggest that something bad is coming and suggest that time is a factor within the trailer. Voice over from the Lead role is throughout the trailer and allows us to understand parts of the story from his point of view. Within the trailer signifies such as the extreme close up of ‘RUN’ suggests a twist in the plot, this creates mystery and grabs the audience’s attention. Shots of people being locked up fits in with the codes and conventions of the genre and suggest that these people are dangerous, not just to themselves but others. Within the trailer shots of weapons, blood, disequilibrium (flashbacks), rapid pace, high tension music are all used and link to the general codes and conventions of the genre. Codes and conventions are used to give an insight into the characters themselves and connotes to the audience that they may be mentally unstable, this also suggests to the audience that the main lead role is not the only character that is  hiding something.