Investigate how far the trailer for Dark Shadows conforms

to genre conventions

Melissa Shearer Candidate number: 2157

Explore the nature of the Horror genre and the pleasures it offers the audience. Why is

it so popular?

The nature of the horror genre is generally to evoke feelings of dread, disgust and fear in the mind of the audience. Some people find great pleasure in horror films, whereas others find it distasteful or upsetting.

Pleasures that the horror genre offers: • Diversion – horror texts are often so different to normal life that they provide the audience

with an escape from their day-to-day lives. This can release stress in the audience and make them feel more relaxed.

• The audience can also acknowledge a side of them that enjoys and appreciates the creativeness of the killing, as these horror films often stimulating the imagination.

The pleasures that the audience get from watching horror films are often things that some people do not like to experience, such as fear. This is why the horror genre can also be very unpopular among people who like to feel safe in their environment, as a key aspect of horror is manipulating the normal aspects of day to day life, and distorting them. This is effective because people feel they can relate to the day to day aspect represented, but the horror aspects added to it gives them a sense of adrenaline. Horror is also a very popular genre because the tension and fear builds the adrenaline of the reader, and gives them an enjoyable rush of excitement.

Conventions of horror genre• Darkness• Shadows• Coffins• Symbols of death – crows etc.• Isolation• Skulls• Fog/mist• Blood• Supernatural • Jump cuts• Candles•Madness

• Old houses• The moon•Murder• Crime• Ravens• Entrapment• Strange adaptations of day-to-day or ‘normal’ situations• Flickering lights• Silhouettes• Bodies

The image of vampires in the media is one that has changed greatly over time, Originally, vampires (such as Count Dracula, the main character in Dracula) was seen as a monster, as portrayed by the extended fangs, odd skin colour and expression. They were also seen as being a large threat to a normal society, particularly to women, as they were portrayed as preying on innocent young women to drink their blood. The modern image of vampires is very different. They are often portrayed today as being very similar to humans visually, and so are often shown as blending in to normal society and living a controlled life with humans. This is shown in films such as Twilight, where the main vampires do not reveal themselves to be vampires to any humans. They are portrayed as much less dangerous in the modern media, and seen as being mainly human, as opposed to a monster.These changes could be because of the modern audience’s acceptance of things that in the 1950s, would have been seen as unacceptably horrible, however the increase in the popularity of the horror genre has made people more comfortable with supernatural concepts. Technological developments have also allowed the image of vampires to become more normal, as the special effects developments have allowed filmmakers to make vampires seem human, but provide supernatural aspects that could not be achieved as well with the makeup that was around in the 1950s, when vampires first started to be a feature of films.

Representation of vampires in the media

Movie trailersWhat are film trailers?Films trailers are an important part of a film’s marketing campaign, designed to inform potential audiences about a film to encourage them to pay money to see it at a cinema.

Why are they made?Trailers are made to attract the potential audience of a film and make them want to go and see the whole of the film in the cinema.

How do they work? They work by showing the Unique Selling Point that a film has, such as a popular celebrity actor/actress, an interesting plot or extravagant special effects.

Who are they for?Film trailers are aimed at the same audience as the film they advertise. This way, the audience knows that if they like the trailer they will most likely enjoy the rest of the film.

Where do we see them?Cinemas, on TV, online and promoted by poster and radio campaigns. They are usually released as the film is being edited, so that people get excited for the release but not too early that they forget about the film before its release.

Analysis of Dark Shadows trailer

(slides 7-13)

Large house, old, often associated with the horror/gothic genre due to creaking and darkness

View from slightly below – makes the house and the main character in front of it seem larger and more important to the audience

Shadows – foreboding, make the house seem creepy and as if something is being hidden – also links to the title of the film

Bright, daytime scene contrasts the typical time of day that you’d expect to see a gothic castle

Music is old-fashioned and gives the audience an idea of the time period that the film is set in

Warm, sunny tones of colour – reds and golds signify wealth and romance

Over the shoulder conversation shot

Clothes signify the time period – 1700s

Outside in the natural light, sunny and bright

Balcony suggests romance and grandeur

Pathetic Fallacy – the sunny and pleasant weather reflects the happy emotions of the characters

Johnny Depp is a well know actor, very popular and very liked – something that the audience can recognise and might go and see the film because of him

Also can give an idea of genre, as Johnny Depp often appears in films which are gothic or comedic

Early introduction suggests that these are the two main characters

Cauldrons associated with the gothic genre – witchcraft

Clothes are those particularly associated with witches due to the time period when they were most common

Night is the time when (stereotypically) most dark and foreboding things happen in the gothic genre, as they can be easily hidden – the darkness of the scene suggests that they do not want to be seen

Bubbling and brewing suggests some form of curse or evil potion, which is normally what witches are shown as making in the gothic genre

Also hides what is actually being brewed from the viewer – makes them wonder what the purpose of it is

Stereotypical image of a witch in the gothic/supernatural genre – young, beautiful woman

Coffins are a feature of the gothic genre, signifying death

Chains contradict the idea of death provided by the coffin – suggest that there is something alive in there

Dangerous, needs to be held in with chains – makes the audience wonder what is inside and want to know

Takes place at night as most things do in the gothic genre, implies that there is something to hide

Not knowing who or what is inside provides an aura of mystery, makes the audience of the trailer want to buy a ticket to see the film so that they can know what is inside that requires so much protection

Comedy aspect – playing on the traditional idea in the gothic genre that vampires do not have reflections

Bright, modern plastic toothbrush juxtaposes the old fashioned appearance of the person using it

Gives the audience an idea of the type of comedy that they can expect from the film, so that they know whether or not they will enjoy the film

Intended to make the viewer laugh, making them want to see the rest of the film

Bright colours of the mirror gives the idea that the film was set in the 70s

Scene is meant to be romantic due to the positioning of the people on top of each other

Elements normally associated with the supernatural genre providing a comedy vibe to the scene

Blonde women often associated with beauty and lust in the romantic genre, but stereotypically can be seen as dangerous because of this

Shows a range of genres (romance, comedy, gothic horror) at once by involving aspects of each, appeals to a larger audience

Lying on the floor suggests desperation

Slower scene in the middle of a fast-paced trailer and music stops – tells us about the relationship between the characters, and also makes us laugh enough to want to go and see the film in the cinema

Tongue is meant to be used in a romantic way, but makes the scene seem more comedic due to the length and shape of the tongue being so unnatural

Shot from underneath – makes her seem smaller and weaker than others, gives the audience a feeling of having power over her

Straightjacket suggests that she is dangerous, despite the angle making her look weak – gives the audience a mixed impression of her

Staring right at the camera makes the audience feel uncomfortable and guilty

Also makes her seem evil, her eyes stand out as the lightest thing in the frame

Dark room suggests that she is being hidden from normal people, could imply that she is in some way dangerous or different, as this is generally what gothic films are based around

Madness and entrapment are often part of the gothic genre

Analysis of TWILIGHT trailer

(slides 15-18)

Vampires are appearing as normal people

Acting casually, blending in with the humans around them – makes them seem more human, so the audience feel that they can connect with them

Normal, everyday setting – makes the audience feel a sense of recognition and comfort Angled from below – the three vampires

seem powerful

Supernatural elements starting to be introduced – seems normal, but has powers that cannot be human, but are not unusual or strange enough to make the audience feel uncomfortable

Forest can be quite a creepy setting in vampire films (especially at night). This scene in the day is quite normal, but the fact that it is in the forest far away from any people makes the audience think that something could happen

Unusual representation of vampires – usually they do not use physical strength to fight, as they usually have the upper hand – audience feels as if the characters are brought down to their level, as if they can relate

Normally vampires are very solitary and do not know of or are associated with any other vampires – the gathering of two together is unusual but can make the audience more familiar with the situation

Analysis of dark shadows poster

• Set in a castle – convention of the gothic genre,• Creepy slogan – word ‘demons’ can mean a personal thing to the audience but is also associated with strange/unusual creatures • Font is sharp, dark and serif – the same text as would be used on a gothic genre poster• Colours are largely dark, splashes of bright colours represent the comedy aspects of the film, as these are the characters which are intended to amuse the audience.

• Vampires (as shown in the classic way here) are a convention of the supernatural genre• Red often signifies danger or lust – gives a clue as to the personality of the character wearing it• Unconventional roles – female villain, male hero, usually other way round• Gothic/archaic architecture, feature of the gothic genre• Shadows/mist make things seem hidden, more difficult to see things and builds suspense• Main character is played by Johnny Depp – shown at the front because he is a well recognised actor who many people would pay to see

The trailer for Dark Shadows conforms more to the classical image of a vampire film; the main character has a very similar image to that of Dracula, and the actions of the vampire show that they have been living for a long time, for example the way that they speak and their inability to use modern technology. This gives the audience the pleasure of intensity; they feel as if they get a lot out of the short amount of time they spend watching. As well as this, it also offers a diversion from their normal, monotonous lives.

The fast-paced action of the trailer also his is very different to the trailer for Twilight, as the Twilight trailer makes vampires seem as if they are more similar to humans. They look almost the same, they act the same, and they can only be told apart by a few minor differences. They have also changed their behaviours to fit with the modern times. This makes the audience feel as if they can relate to the characters more, and feel as if they understand the situation even if they don’t.

This could be a reflection of the target audience of each of the films. The humour and the scenes shown in the Dark Shadows trailer attract an audience around the age of 15-25, as these are the people who like this kind of humour and are the main viewers of gothic/comedy films. However, the trailer for Twilight appeals to a much younger audience, as it has no humour or scenes which younger children would not understand, and also gives a sense of aspiration for some young people.

Due to the conventions it expresses, the trailer for Twilight is much more fitting in the Horror/Romance sub-genre, as it does not contain very much violence or other conventions of horror, but it does have some supernatural elements mixed with romance from the main characters.

This is a contrast to the trailer for Dark Shadows, which is much more centralised around the Horror/Comedy sub-genre. We are told this from the humour used throughout the trailer, and the significance of the main character in trying (to the amusement of the audience) to fit in to a more modern society.

Comparison of the two trailers