MS2 Media Production Process

By Tradena Hunt

Coursework

• I have chosen to do a film based coursework of a Horror film trailer

Intertexts

The Hills Have Eyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76m3kpgPTQ

This is the Trailer for The Hills Have Eyes. The film was released theatrically in the United States and United Kingdom on March 10,

2006. It earned $15.5 million in its opening weekend in the U.S., were it was originally rated NC-17 for strong gruesome violence, but was

later edited down to an R-rating. An unrated DVD version was released on June 20, 2006.

Plot

• Alexandre Aja directs this remake of Wes Craven's film The Hills Have Eyes. In this update, a family is taking a cross-country road trip when their trailer breaks down, leaving them stranded in the desert of New Mexico. There, they find themselves under attack by the savage "hill people," who were deformed by radiation during nuclear testing

Characters • Aaron Stanford as Doug Bukowski• Kathleen Quinlan as Ethel Carter• Vinessa Shaw as Lynn Carter-Bukowski• Emilie de Ravin as Brenda Carter• Dan Byrd as Bobby Carter• Maisie Camilleri Preziosi as Baby Catherine• Ted Levine as "Big" Bob Carter

Visual Codes

• Uses graphic and iconic images, bombs, explosions etc real life events etc. Shock the audience.

• Set in a desert- conventional on genre as shows they are alone and venerable and also isolated.

• Set in day and night. Day = unconventional of genre as people are afraid of the unknown.

Night – Conventional of genre as add mystery and suspense to the scene.

Dress Codes• Casual Day wear, Jeans, T-shirts, Shirts etc, plain colours like

Green, blue etc. Wear the same thing throughout the film just get dirtier and bloodier

• Hero, Baby and youngest girl wear white, to show innocence and purity and status.

• Later scenes of the film the clothes are bloody, ripped and dirty, conventional of the horror genre.

• The villains are dressed in dark clothing and mutated face and body so audience cannot connect with them and feel repulsed.

Audio CodesDiagetic • Voices of Characters, car engine, screams etc.• Explosion – Matches image on screen • Sound of tape reel malfunction

Non Diagetic • Siren at start of Advert• Then the song “California Dreamin” by Mamas and Papas• Sound of a Hawk • Engaged phone sound • Wind sounds • Chimes, and Keyboard sound • Heart Beat • Laughing • Heavy Breathing

Action Codes • Driving into a isolated place = conventional of genre

builds suspense, audience knows what's going to happen.

• Car Breaks down, shows vulnerability and that they are trapped.

• Makes the audience Jump, builds anticipation. • Use of Weapons is conventional of genre as makes it

realistic also adds violence which is conventional of a horror.

Technical Codes • Text describing the events that cause the mutation therefore

helping to explain to the audience the film• Flashing images of real life mutated people and explosions,

shock the audience • Use black and white to suggest to the audience the Date of the

Bombing, then colour to represent present Day • Long shot of Desert to set the scene • Close up of Characters in the Film, help the audience connect

with the characters • Over the shoulder shot to Gas attendant to show who he is

talking to. • Close up of Crash. • Red Lighting to suggest someone watching – Red connotes

Danger• Flashing in an out of action, builds suspense for the audience • Zooming in on characters faces builds suspense • Point of View Shot helps audience connect with the character

and feel what they are feeling. • Close up on Hero face in the dark suggest danger and builds the

suspence for the audience. • Light from the door creates a silluett creating an eary

atmososphere in the film

Narrative Codes (Film)

Prop • Hero - Doug Bukowski• Dispatcher – Gas Station Attendant • Helper - Bobby Carter, Brenda Carter• Villain – The Cannibalistic Mutants • Princess – Baby Catherine• Donor - Ruby the Mutant Todorov • Equilibrium – Happy Family Driving through desert. • Disruption –Car Crash leaves the isolated and trapped • Recognition – mutants try to kill, take baby, • Attempt to Repair Disruption – Hero tries to save baby, • Reinstatement – hero saves baby and some family members are safe.

Both convention of Genre as easy for the audience to follow.