Media Language
Cinematography - Within the trailer, there are many different shots that are used to emphasize and illustrate aspects of the slasher trailers setting, characters and themes. As a result, camera shots are significantly important in shaping the meaning & narrative of the trailer.
- Long shot - 4 seconds into the trailer, there is a long shot used to establish the location & setting of the motel, within the shot, the weather consists of night time rain, this type of climate is quite misty but also obscure, this could possibly suggest the theme of no escape, furthermore foreshadowing that something bad is bound to happen. The darkness and dim lighting of the long shot also sets a daunting tone for the rest of the trailer, emphasizing that the trailer is abiding by typical horror conventions.
- Low Angle Shot - At 51 seconds in the trailer, you can see a low angle shot of a man( The Killer ) who is dragging his victim. Due to the shot being low angle, this could accentuate the dominant status of the antagonist as he is above the victim. During the shot , the camera also uses a backwards tracking shot which was most likely done through the use of a handheld camera. This technique of camera work enables the trailer to maintain action at a constant distance but also keeps the subject on screen within the frame.
- Close Up Shot - At 1:21 , there is a very quick shot of a knife. The knife not only abides by codes and conventions of horror films but its use as a prop in the mise en scene emphasizes the films sub genre to be a slasher/horror. The knife furthermore could be a semiotic symbol of danger but also murder, it furthermore signifies severance and slaughter.
Editing - By definition, film editing is the art, technique and practice of assembling shots into a coherent sequence. Editing also describes the relationship between shots and the process by which they are combined. The relationship between shots may be graphic,spatial and/or temporal.
- Transitions - From 26 - 34 seconds, there is a succession of fade out transitions used from shot to shot. These transitions could be used to help viewers structure the narrative. Within the shot, props include an envelope supposedly of money and also a suitcase being packed, the transitions could therefore imply or suggest that the women is going to travel because of what might be in the envelope. The transition therefore shows an important part of the narrative and shows viewers the reason as to why the women is moving out in the first place.
- Quick Cuts - From 1:19 - 1:24, there are lots of consecutive shots for a brief duration. These cuts could have been used to convey lots of information to viewers,for instance, quick cuts provides more structure to the narrative of the trailer without revealing the resolution. These quick cuts also portray lots of energy an chaos within the trailer which could imply that there is a lot of action. The pace of the quick cuts can also build up tension and anticipation to a point of climax. This part of editing can also compile a short montage showing the best bits of the film which abides by the typical narrative structure of horror trailers.
Institution
Production - Although Psycho was an iconic film made by Alfred Hitchcock in the 60s, it was only produced by one company which was Shamley Productions. Shamley Productions was an American production company, set up by Alfred Hitchcock himself. The company oversaw the production of Psycho altogether which includes pre production , production and post production stages. By having the film produced by a production company owned by Alfred Hitchcock, effectively allowed him to produce the film in a way that would suit his ideas and preferences, as a result of his historical legacy, Alfred Hitchcock was able to produce Psycho in a way that would show audiences a new genre of film which was horror in the form of a slasher thriller.
Distribution - In contrast to the one production company of the film, distribution of the film was done on a much large scale with at least 25 different companies distributing Psycho on a global scale. The most recognizable distribution companies would be Paramount and Universal along with its international subsidiary's which helped to attract wider audiences internationally. As Psycho was released in 1960, the film couldn't take advantage of digital distribution as the internet wasn't even invented back then. However, Psycho was released and showcased in worldwide theaters which enabled it to gain a box office of 50 million.
Genre
Genre/Sub Genre - Although the film falls into the genre of horror , the sub genre of Psycho is an horror/slasher, this is because the trailer consists of a killer who murders the protagonist with a knife. There are many codes and conventions shown in the trailer that shows this is a horror but also a slasher. These conventions consist of :
- Prop of the knife - The weapon is typically used by the antagonist of slasher films, the villain within the trailer also remains unidentified which also creates a sense of mystery, an enigma of horror films.
- Beautiful women as the victim - This is now the norm of horror movies, the woman in Psycho is the victim because she is portrayed as weak in comparison to males such as the police officer who stops her, she is also illustrated as vulnerable but also innocent in some aspect which is why her role as a victim is emphasized as unjustified.
- Killer/Murderer - The killers identity within the trailer is unknown, this therefore keeps the audience on edge but also amplifies the enigma of the film, building tension is imperative in slasher films to ensure the audience are shocked at climactic points of the film which is accentuated within the trailer.
- Location - The location of the setting within the trailer is a motel, however this motel is in a quiet suburban town to create an element of isolation and vulnerability for the victim within the trailer. As the location is far from civilization, this could introduce an aspect of panic but also fear.Within the trailer, rain also occurs at the location which is also used as a method of creating an spine chilling atmosphere.
- Lighting - Although the trailer is in dark & white, throughout the trailer there is a lot of dim lighting that can be noticed. For instance, the beginning consists of a shadow figure holding a knife. This also adds to the enigma of the film which essentially abides by Roland Barthes theory. The connotations of shadows are also one of the most conventions of slasher films because it helps to keep the killers identity unknown, furthermore building upon anticipation.
- Sound - High pitched tense music starts at the beginning of the trailer, the eerie hard on the ears music is another code of horror films. This piece of non diegetic sound makes the audience feel very apprehensive as it creates a sinister feeling of suspense with its crescendo chords. The music is used constantly throughout horror movies as it triggers an ingrained response in the minds of viewers making them feel quite anxious and disturbed.
Representation
Firstly, representation is the way aspects of society such as gender, age or ethnicity are presented to audiences. Characters within the psycho trailer are portrayed in many different ways.
Woman( Protagonist)- Firstly, the main woman of the trailer is represented in several ways however they are negative. During the trailer, the woman is always wearing a nice dress or clothes which supports the stereotype of women being obsessed with appearance. It could also imply that women place importance upon wealth which is accentuated by the quality of clothes worn by the woman. Within the trailer, there are also many facial expressions created by the woman that suggests fear and shock. This can therefore imply that the woman is feeble, her feminine status is also constructed as very submissive. This is a negative representation because it abides by stereotypes of women being the weaker gender which has been and still is one of the main stereotypes in society.
Man (Antagonist)- Within the trailer, the status of men are shown as much more authoritative than women. This can be emphasized through the low angle shot at 52 seconds. The fact that there is a women beneath a man definitely suggests that the man is more dominant in terms of status. This also abides by stereotypes of men taking the main role of movies however as this man is actually the villain, this exemplifies the depth of his status even more because even as a antagonist, he is able to have a higher status than the woman character of the trailer. Women are therefore shown as subjective to men which is negative representation as it supports the concept of gender inequality. The man of the trailer is also very tall which can amplify his status further to be superior to the woman.
Overall, within the trailer, men are portrayed as superior to women which is represented through the mise en scene and camerawork , these representations also abide by typical stereotypes however female stereotypes are negative where masculine stereotypes are positive.
Audience
Psycho is rated as R which means people under the age of 17 need parental assistance. The rating of the film is evident within the trailer as it contains very graphic themes of the slasher sub genre, also, during the 1960s these types of films were very new and never seen before, this means even adults may have found the content within the film to be very disturbing. Judging by the trailer, i believe the target audience is people from the age of 18-35. People just over 18 would want to watch this film because it contains a lot of tense moments, young people are usually thriller seekers therefore they feed off the anticipation of horror films such as this. Anyone over the age 35 wouldn't want to watch the film because they may feel its a waste of time but also a wrong and unrealistic representation of reality.I think the trailer doesn't target any specific ethnicities , ages or genders as it consists of both men and women. The uses and gratifications theory can be applied to this film. For example, audiences may watch this film for entertainment such as enjoyment and passing the time however if people watch films like Psycho too often, they may start to think that these films are actually depictions of reality which supports the cultivation theory. More often, in terms of the uses and gratifications theory, more people are likely to watch this film because of integration and social interaction. This is where people may watch the film to emphasize or sympathize with characters. In this case, audiences may have sympathy for the woman of the trailer who is eventually killed, therefore the trailer can provide them a way of emphasizing with the feelings of characters shown in the films trailer such as the feeling of being alone and scared. The uses and gratifications was also created by Bulmer and Katz in 1974. People may also watch the film as a way of escaping the reality, for instance, some people may find bore within their daily lives, watching psycho might therefore inject some sort of action or energy into there lives.
Narrative
I believe the narrative of this trailer is actually non linear as its quite hard to guess which segments of the film are in order or not. This juxtaposes Todorovs theory of equilibrium as the trailers narrative doesn't follow a three part structure. The trailers narrative could also be open because it includes many different characters and the ending is quite unclear. For example, the character of the police man is also shown once, however he could return as the killer, the narrative is therefore quite unpredictable. The narrative follows the theory of Binary Opposites by Claude Levi Strauss. The binary opposites within the trailer consist of good vs evil such as killer vs victim. This therefore provides more structure to the narrative as we know there are two types of characters against each other. This trailer definitely follows Roland Barthes theory of enigma which is the mystery of a film. Within the trailer, although we see many faces, we dont know who the actual killer is unless someone has previously watched the film, this therefore adds a sense of mystery to the narrative but also attracts viewers to watch the film, as they would want to found out who the killer is which also provides the trailer with an element of obscurity.
Babadook - Female Representation
Within the trailer, the representation of women is constructed in a way that shows females conforming to typical stereotypes. For instance, the story itself is about a woman and child who are haunted by the supernatural with no support system. The mother within the trailer is therefore showed as independent, however the question could be raised that she needs the assistance of a masculine figure in her life, her isolation and independence accentuates her need for a dominant male to protect her. Women therefore could be subliminally showed as submissive to men. This is even further exaggerated within the trailer. For example, within the trailer there are many scenes where the helpless mother looks for assistance , these scenes show her talking to different men for advice such as a male police officer. The theory of the male gaze can therefore implemented within this representation as parts of the trailer shows the scene from a male perspective, furthermore accentuating the superiority of the male gender.
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