My research and planning for my main product has significantly
enhanced my understanding of media theory, genre conventions and the marketing
aspects of film.
The Final Girl theory, by Carol Glover, helped me understand
gender stereotypes, and that social and educational background impacts massively
on the characters outcome. The survival of a character is very much dependent
on the ideology at the time, and in most cases, has become a typical genre convention
that only one female survives. House of Wax is a prime example in reflecting
this theory, with the character focus being on education and non-promiscuous activities,
giving her survival. Others who partake in sexual acts, alcohol, drugs and
those with low class education are usually killed off, because of this stereotypical,
dominant ideology. Before hand, I had little understand of the segregation
between female and males, with the males holding more physical and educational
power, leading to their survival.
Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory is another component into a
horror films. The act of voyeurism and gazing upon a female from the male
perspective is a common trait and convention within horror films. The typical audience
for horror is 18-24 year old males, of which is a target audience to consider
for our final product. I learnt the true extent of this theory, simply by
watching horror films and trailers. The Crazies, Halloween, Wong Turn 2 and
House of Wax all includes aspects of sexual objectification and the male gaze. These
are usually achieved by POV shots and low-cut shots, to reflect areas of the
female figure, which deem, “sexually pleasing” to the male.
Jeremy Tunstall’s theory of women’s roles was one areas I haven’t
come across before. After learning and reading this theory, almost every horror
film classifies women into one of these 4 roles. Marital, Consumer, Sexual and
Domestic. These all emphasis women’s role and importance in society,
highlighting they are inferior and subordinate to men.
A typical convention of horror films is the inclusion of the
jump-scare. The jump-scare is usually a close-up shot in rapid succession with short
musical stings to create a sudden horror expression. These conventions were the
sole focus of horror within the films, because there unexpected, catching the
audience off guard. A jump-scare is certainly an aspect to include to my
trailer.
The History of Horror presentation helped me know and
understand the different sub-genres of horror, as well as how these have
changed throughout the years. From the start of German expressionism to the
Occult Horror Cycle, horror has evolved throughout the year, as well as the
technology accompanying it.
Overall, the research has made me learn the theories
necessary as well as the true meaning and history behind the horror genre.
No comments:
Post a Comment