THEORIES RELATING TO MY MEDIA

COURSEWORK.

TODOROV – Narrative theory• EQUILIBRIUM: All is well and 16 year old Zachary Copson is visiting his grandfather’s at the local church. • DISRUPTION: Whilst at St Andrews Church in Countesthorpe, Zachary hears some strange noises which

alert him to the presence of a supernatural antagonist who swiftly kills Zachary before he has a chance to escape or run for help.

• RECOGNITION OF DISRUPTION: The trailer cuts to a school environment where, Sam, Jamie and Brad, friends of Zachary, are reading a newspaper reporting on his death before another school friend, Tom Stafford, informs them of a legendary antagonist that supposedly haunts the church where Zachary was murdered.

• ATTEMPT TO REPAIR: The trailer then cross cuts again, back to the church, where the three main protagonists attempt to investigate the murder and find out if there is any truth behind the rumours of this supernatural antagonists. •

• NEW EQUILIBRIUM: Eventually the trio come face-to-face with the antagonist, who goes by the name of Solebat (Latin for nightmare.) The creature then inflicts a curse on each of the trio that will see them have to battle against their worst fears and nightmares. This new equilibrium will provide the back bone of the film’s plot.

Propp – Character theory• HEROES: = The main heroes in this film are Sam, Jamie and Brad, the plot

revolves around them going to investigate the murder of their murdered friend Zachary Copson. They discover he was murdered by a supernatural antagonist who curses the trio and forces them to overcome their deepest fears and most petrifying fears. • VILLAINS: = Solebat, is the film’s main antagonist and haunts the local church,

cursing people by forcing them to experience their worst nightmares. • DISPATCHER: = The film’s dispatcher is Tom Stafford who provides the

protagonists with information about Solebat which is what sets them off on their investigation.

Uses and gratifications – Audience theory• Personal Identity: My chosen demographic incudes the teenage bracket and I have included

teenage actors within my production, thus making the film more relatable and allowing the audience to picture themselves within the film.

• Inform: Being a fictional horror film, the production’s main purpose is not to inform and educate and audience. However, there are subtle aspects in my film which do inform an audience about certain things. For example, the religious element in my film, the use of a church setting and Latin language, informs the audience about certain religious concepts. Additionally, the idea of scaring an audience is informative about the human phycology of being scared, it informs doctors and psychologists what is scary and what is not, so they can learn more about how people’s brains function.

• Entertain/Escape: The audience for my film would be entertained by the jump scares and the uneasy tension throughout. It is a demographic group that enjoys the thrill of the being scared as well as an engaging plot.

• Social Interaction: One of the films main themes is fears and nightmares, so this film could prove a catalyst for groups of friends to discuss what they’re afraid.

Inoculation – Audience theory• This theory states that long term exposure to a media text can make an audience immune to its

effects. This theory can easily be related to my production due to its form as a horror film. I utilised a lot of jump scares in my production, many of them at unpredictable moments, the more the audience watch the production, the more familiar they become with what the scares entail and when they will occur. This therefore reduces the impact of the scare and eventually makes it less effective as it becomes more predictable and less scary.

• Additionally, traditional horror film connotations can make audiences immune to jump scares in new horror films. It is a common cliché in a horror film that whenever a protagonist goes into an isolated location like an abandoned house or forest there will be some king of jump scare. Moreover, this is the same when one protagonist is one their own and the sound goes quiet. Audiences have become accustomed to horror film clichés, therefore when they occur in new films they are less effective. This also links in with the inoculation theory.

Mastow’s hierarchy of needs – Audience theory.• Mastow’s hierarchy of needs is an audience theory that defines what an audience

member will gain from exposure to the media. For my production, I feel the main thing audiences will receive from within the hierarchy is hierarchy. This is mainly due to the similarity in age between actors in screen and the audience. The audience see the actors on screen in a position of inferiority and this subsequently makes them feel more superior and dominant to the characters they can relate to on screen. Furthermore, the film might also encourage safety as the film is designed to scare the audience and make them feel vulnerable. The very act of doing this could increase the audience’s desire to remain safe and protected.