Hello, my name is Karisma Khuttan. I am an A2 Media Studies student at the Douay Martyrs School. My portfolio is on horror films. Presented on this blog you will see my promotional package (including magazine front cover, poster and film trailer) for the horror film i will create, in addition to this there will be research and planning.

Original Brief

We have been set a task /challenge of creating a promotional campaign to publicize a new film. The promotional package must include three pieces of media, these being a promotional trailer, a film poster and magazine front cover. To maintain professionalism and effectiveness all three pieces must share a symbiotic link, sharing a common feel and look. ( much like the Insidious promotional package through the use of colour and font).

The promotional package will advertise a film within the horror genre. We have chosen this genre for a number of key reasons. Firstly, it is a leading genre within the film industry and we find it interesting as there are many different elements to this popular genre. Secondly there is a major effect that horror films have on their audiences, one huge effect is sticking in the target audience’s minds and we would like to achieve this through this experience. We will appeal to our audience by producing three pieces that follow and stick by the conventions of the horror genre including their respective form however we will add our own touch of originality. A thorough analysis of existing media texts will allow us to become familiar with all of the conventions that repeatedly appear, this will potentially enable us to make our pieces grow and change with the on going knowledge we shall gain with this genre. We are looking forward to working together on this project to produce an unforgettable, professional and effective promotional package. The following individuals will be working in our group: Shani, Priscilla, and I Karisma.

HISTORY OF HORROR

INTRODUCTION TO MAIN SUB-GENRES

OUR SUB GENRE

Which film sub genre do we belong to?

We belong to the supernatural sub genre which takes the theme of possession. This particular theme seems to be a favourite with our target audience. The editing and actual technical elements such as music and camera shots can be carried out in a way that will present our final piece as a sophisticated moving image. Although possession is a popular theme within horrors, many of the films fail to appeal to their audience as terrifying such as ‘The Possession’ (TP). Although ‘TP’ is a supernatural horror with jumpy and gruesome elements, it does not succeed as a film that sticks into the audience’s mind, due to the storyline being unrealistic in addition to the production not standing out as flawless. For example the trailer itself, gives the audience every detail about the narrative without them going to see the movie. The disruption is portrayed clearly, with the equilibrium not displayed but however not hard to work out, leaving nothing to the imagination and destroying all the expectations the audience had. Our aim is to reach these expectations, to produce a trailer that takes the form of a supernatural/ possession whilst accomplishing the smooth production expected from our target audience. 

CONVENTIONS OF SUPERNATURAL HORRORS

OUR TARGET AUDIENCE RESEARCH CARRIED OUT

Target Audience research which we shall carry out  will be a questionnaire. This will be with the variation of open and closed questions, allowing us to get a real insight into what the audience will find scary and what they do not. The results of the questionnaire will determine specific features we will include within our own horror. Another target audience research we shall carry out is a focus group, this will include both male and females and provide us with sufficient information in order to get to know the audience more. In addition to this it will show us the real reactions of the audience, allowing us to further our insight into the fears of the audience.

ANALYSIS OF TARGET AUDIENCE RESEARCH

Our target audience allowed us to get a better understanding of our audience, which we then adapted our narrative to.

Our answers from the questionnaire is below:    Key: 'Funny :2' = two people described themselves as funny.

Male:11
Female:13

Describe your personality in 3 words.
Fun: 6
Funny:6
Bubbly:2
Enthusiastic: 2
Caring: 5
Lovable: 2
Charming: 1
Amazing: 2
Sociable: 2 
Fierce: 1
Friendly: 1
Weird: 1
Patient: 1
Sweet: 1
Creative: 1
Hardworking: 1
Wonderful: 1
Nice: 1
Elegant: 1
Respectful: 1
Calm: 1

List three of your favorite hobbies.
Sport: 13
Reading: 2
Going Out: 2
Shopping: 1
Eating: 3
Acting: 1
Raving: 2
Walking: 1
Music: 10
PS3/Gaming: 2
Instruments: 1
Shisha: 2
Watching Films: 4
Drawing: 1
Travelling: 1
Photography: 1
Cars: 1
T.V: 1
Dancing: 3

Do you have a busy social life:
Yes: 18
No: 6

How often do you go to the cinema:
Once a month: 8
Twice a month:3
Three times a month:2
Once a week: 2
Not often: 5
Once in 2-3 months: 2
Once every 5 months: 1
Every 6 months: 1

ANALYSIS OF TARGET AUDIENCE RESEARCH

Our target audience research gave us a greater insight into our audience as a whole. It also proved to us that our narrative would be successful as many of them brought our ideas as their fears, reinforcing just how frightful the unknown is. In addition to this, the research helped us when creating ideas for our narrative, furthermore reassuring us as a group that our narrative is perfect for our target audience. Many of the results that we formed from our questionnaire allowed us to understand the audience from a far better perspective. For example many of them described themselves 'fun, funny and caring', which made us think if our audience were to watch our film would they care about the bullying that's going on. Or would they find the humour too dry and then become worried. The results we gathered were from sixth form students who also thought that an interesting setting for a horror would be at a school, an aspect that is apparent within the trailer therefore fitting their needs as viewers. Our results also suggested that our audience have a busy social life, which implies that they have many friends, so the groups that are portrayed within our trailer could apply to their own social status, which would allow the audience to see the narrative as somewhat truthful and fear for themselves if they have ever been near the situations which occur. Finally, the main influence that appears within our trailer is death, which every member of our target audience feared, by incorporating this aspect as well as the death of a social group in our trailer the audience will feel even more frightful, allowing us to fulfil our overall aim to scare our audience.

FOCUS GROUPS

   We used a focus group in order to gain insight into our target audience, as well as getting their valuable opinions on various movie trailers. The purpose of this is to allow us as a group to get a better understanding on what our target audience like and dislike, which will hopefully be reflected in our work in addition to the interpretation of our final product. We were able to further develop our narrative based on the answers received from the below focus groups. Thus allowing our creativity to flow, and form a redeveloped narrative that applies to the needs and wants of our target audience.

 

f   Focus Groups:

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE

Our target audience are both male and females aged between 16 and 35. Both sexes are well educated and have pursued higher education to study subjects such as Business studies and psychology. When going to pursue their education even further by going to university they had studied creative based subjects which would allow them to use their imagination like English or Media. The females within this category work in a profession that will allow her to use her imagination such as marketing, and the males wish to pursue their own dreams of owning their own business or being a creative director. Either way both members of our audience are working on a scale that will generate high income, with a bonus of job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is important to both sexes as they need to be motivated and can not only be in a job for the money as this would contradict what they believe in. Through subjects such as marketing and being a creative director both sexes feel that they are part of something that can in fact change the world in a positive way whether through making a product more popular or making their own business ideas and creations well known.

Our female audience is known for being popular, charming, and intelligent. She is extremely likeable and always has something relevant and witty to say. Unsociable is something she most defiantly is not, she is able to fit her education and time for going out around her busy lifestyle but makes it work, and is praised for it. She is extremely down to earth and doesn’t feel she is above anyone or anything, although physically getting her hands dirty is not something she wishes to do on a daily basis. Although she is not in a serious relationship, she has got a lot of advice and primary experience to offer to tips or suggestions to anyone who would like some, which is helped by the fact she loves a good gossip with her girlfriends, but doesn’t let this take time away from her family. Although she is a very popular being she loves to take weekends out to be with her family and make sure everyone is happy, lifting people’s moods is something she prides herself on.  Our male audience are charming, clever, and flirty making him irresistible to almost anyone. He is very attractive and always has a joke on hand to win around the females. He is not always out and about but when he is everyone notices him due to him being into the latest fashion trends and always getting to them before anyone else, creates the image of a prestigious male who is what every girl wants. In spite of this image he is down to earth and does not put himself on a high pedestal, he is willing to converse with anyone who shows an interest in him. He has a large group of friends who are both male and female, and is always on call if anyone needs him but keeps his personal life personal and doesn’t feel the need to share his love life with anyone. He is very family orientated and if there is something planned for him to do with his family and a party has just popped up under no circumstances would he cancel his family plans to go ahead to his friend’s party, his priorities are straight and he is not worried if people dislike him for this, which just adds to the image he has created for himself.

Relationships are important to both him and her, as they are not willing to settle for just anyone who shows them interest. She has a clear image of a man she would like to marry and is not willing to put this aside, whereas he is more easygoing and would like to get married but believes when he meets the right woman he will just know and has not planned her out. She shares a two bedroom flat with her friend, who is messy and she wants to move out to get her own place because she is sick and tired of cleaning up after her unorganised flat mate. The main reason why she wants to move out and buy a flat is so that she can be independent. He on the other hand already has his own flat which he does not rent, showing signs of maturity and independence. Although his family come by often if it’s not his parents then it will be his cousins or siblings who want to spend time and just relax.

When he is not at work, he enjoys staying at home and inviting friends round more than anything, but occasionally does go to clubs but this is not a weekly occurrence. He also enjoys time spent in the gym, as he feels his image is very important to him and he does a lot to maintain it. Shopping is also a major hobby for both genders as they find it a valuable way to express themselves through vintage one offs that they will not see on other people when walking down the street.  He also finds relaxation through looking through magazines such as Total Film and Men’s health, whereas she finds relaxation through a deep read, with books such as The Colour Purple and A Streetcar Named Desire on her favourites.

She likes to eat out at sophisticated bars and restaurants, the low-key type that not everyone she knows would go to on just a regular night out. This preference is due to her desire for an educated man, and thrives on a good conversation which she feels she can only properly engage in, in a quiet bar or restaurant where she can really get to know the opposing sex. Although my male audience enjoys eating out, and meeting new people he would much rather host an intimate or casual dinner around his house where they can get take out and relax, this stems from his down to earth attitude and laid back personality.

Both members of Our audience enjoy taking the time out to watch a good film and see it as a luxury. A range of different film themes appeal to them, although the females are more willing to watch a romantic comedy like 'The Notebook', where as the males would prefer to watch an action based film such as 'Pain and Gain'. However both of my target audience enjoy horror films such as 'The Possession', and 'The Exorcist' as it feeds on their fears and gives them a unique adrenaline rush unlike no other genre. The thrill that she seeks from these particular films enable her to address her horrific preferences. These horrors are known as her favourites because of that reason as well as her enjoying the unique pleasure of momentarily being frightened out of her skin for half a minute. Although they prefer not to watch these films alone as then they have company who can share their fear and understand what emotions each other are going through whilst watching. The preferred setting for watching a horror either at home or in the cinema which they both are willing to see at least once a month.  

CONVENTIONS OF POSTERS, MAGAZINES AND TRAILERS.

 
 

⃝ The image dominates the frame.

⃝ Dark, dismal colours are used with hints of brighter colours to present a fight between pure and evil.

⃝ A tag line is placed at the top of the frame, to reel in the audience.

⃝ The strap line is placed underneath the title, to add the edge after the title has been digested by the audience.

⃝Institutional information is placed at the bottom of the page as this is the least important.

⃝ Release date is the very last thing on the page.

⃝ Versatile shots are used, such as Close up, Long shot and medium shot.

⃝ Anchorage is present.

⃝Low lighting to keep the victim’s identity slightly hidden, or high angle lighting in order to display the protagonist as less superior to the evil force.

⃝ The stock location is not always present.

 

 

 

 

⃝ A medium/close up shot so the audience are able to see the antagonist.

⃝ The image dominates the page, with the character being placed in the second third of the page.

⃝ The name of the magazine stars in the primary optical area, allowing the audience to have knowledge of the well known magazine.

⃝ There are rarely sell lines, with the insidious cover being the exception due to these ones are correlated to horrors.

⃝ The magazine’s tagline appears above the title.

⃝ The colours are mainly dark which promises the audience that the genre is specifically horror.

⃝ The setting is rarely shown in the background

 

 

 

Horror Trailer Conventions:

⃝ Dark lighting (ambient) , and shadows often caused by back lighting, or underlighting.

⃝ Contrapuntal sound (sound that doesn't fit in with what's on screen) for example in the Insidious 2 trailer, a baby nursery rhyme is playing whilst the baby bouncer is being possessed and moved forward.

 

⃝ Screams

⃝ Intensified diegetic sound

⃝Suburban setting as the stock location, Insidious, The conjuring, The Amityville Horror etc.

⃝ Jumpy moments, The sting at the end of The Conjuring trailer where Elena is looking through a small jewellery box she then lowers this from her sight and a ghost like possessed figure appears in front of the screen to fright the audience.

⃝ Horrific imagery, again in The Conjuring trailer Elena is talking to her ghost hunter companion, and behind him there is a decomposing corpse hanging from the tree, and the audience are only able to see the corpse's rotten feet.

 

⃝ Innocent Objects that are transformed into objects of evil and terror, The Woman In Black has a number of children's dolls that's faces look devious and possessed.

 

FILM POSTER OVERVIEW

 

The six posters have been designed to successfully promote movies within the supernatural sub-genre. Through carrying out an investigation of them and then comparing them to each other, it is possible to identify shared features within them and to then go further and establish repeated patterns.

Typical poster conventions are featured within all six of these film posters. We as an audience expect the general conventions to appear such as the title in the largest font across the main image and therefore dominate the frame through the significant large text. By doing this, it is implied to the audience that there is something intriguing in the films narrative, which is helped by the choice of typography. A slogan can also add to suspense building within the target audience, each of these six posters have used this technique to their advantage and have included a slogan,  working  in their favour to build to a successful supernatural film. Therefore fulfilling the genre's iconography by portraying all horror film features.

In addition to this we see other repeated patterns. In fact 4/6 of the above posters include a female main character, who is generally suffering from some kid of evil torment or force, and is under threat in some way. In 'The Possession' the mise en scene reveals to the audience a young child who is in no control of her own body, is under the spell of an evil force as there is a demonic hand forcing itself out of her body through her mouth leaving her with no control. The posture of this young child is displayed as vulnerable as her hair is down and the decomposing hand is in clear control of the face as her neck is pushed back through the demonic force. This character representation is further reinforced as innocent as the narrative that appears on the poster alongside the main image 'darkness lives within' applies directly to the narrative, as the young girl is overcome by an ancient spirit who is visibly trying to take her soul, hence the hand forcing itself out. The font used for this particular tag line is slightly sophisticated which is ironic, due to the main image being far from. By using this font an image of the overall family has been formed, as the audience would automatically assume that the family of this victim are sophisticated. Making the disruption even more painful.

 Similarly in 'The Conjuring' we see a long shot of another young child who is clearly a victim of an evil force, which is proven through the use of the doll as a prop, who is giving the audience direct address confirming that she is the one in control. Suggesting that perhaps the child is possessed and unable to turn around at this moment in time whilst also leaving us guessing as to what she looks like, leaving the audience wondering 'is she definitely a child?, and what could she be possessed by?'. The implication is that the narrative of these films focus on the female protagonist on a journey of trying to get away from the evil, or demonic presence that has faced her within the film. She does not however follow the characteristics of the females within the slasher horror films who tend to be killed off as 'bimbo's' as the females within the supernatural sub genre have the intelligence to attempt to fight or escape from the dangerous threat. The use of children within this sub genre is common due to the fact that children themselves connoting innocence, and purity but this being challenged every time within horrors creates thoughts of terror and is in essence timelessly frightening. The young child within the 'Insidious' poster has evidently got some sort of possession which is visible through the eyes, leaving the audience weary of how far they should look within his eyes. destroying the idea of innocence and replacing it with the fear of nobody being safe.

This same idea is reconfirmed within 'The Devil Inside' poster, which again plays upon usual conventions within supernatural films and that is to involve some form of religious imagery. Which is a feature which appears in most of the six horror films. This is effective as a nun is someone who connotes purity, and everlasting safety by being a strict believer of God. So by a nun being possessed created the idea within our minds  that if a nun, the most purest individual is not safe no one will be. It also plays on the fears of the audience as a nun is someone who is there to offer help, but if an evil force has over taken them then there is no sign of help or reassurance.

The images presented in the eight posters are horrific and designed to scare as well as clearly signal that these films are belonging to the horror genre. For example, in the poster for 'Carrie' we see a female protagonist in a long red dress (indicating that an unspeakable event had happened on an evening that had great importance to the victim) the red also connotes images of danger, fear and feistiness' all characteristics we aim to see within the main character. A stock location is not present within this film poster, allowing the audience to let their imagination run and guess where the film takes place. However the fact that the background is pure black examines the idea that there is in fact no escape. Although this poster is the only one that involves one of the most significant horror film convention of blood. But each poster is equally as disturbing by a clear fight between pure and evil, significantly displayed correctly for the audience.

There is a consistent patterns which regards to colour too, depending mainly of the storyline. Four of the six posters include warm colours, particularly red and blacks which are used to help create a devious and tormented mood. In the case of the posters for 'The Devil Inside' and 'Carrie' the protagonist is also surrounded by such as dark and devious colour, implying they are unable to escape, or that there will be a big fight between the victim and unwanted force. Thus proving that their whole existence is in fact revolving around the battle that they must fight defining and characterising themselves. This in fact is a convention of the genre, as well as many other features that i have covered such as religious imagery, institutional information and the composition each poster takes. These conventions are present for the main reason to appeal to the target audience. They are also present as they signal to the audience what genre these films belong to.

In each poster, the title of the film is placed in a deliberate position, as expected and is the largest text on the page. On all six posters the title is placed on the bottom of the poster with the idea that once the audience are enticed by the film poster they will then want to know the name and this will be the last thing that sticks with them. Due to this being carried out within each film poster suggests it is a layout convention. Upper case is chosen for each poster, with a font that is bold yet simple indicating that the narrative of the movie is not a joking matter. Text effects are not an extreme common feature, only one of the six film posters convey this, 'The Possession' includes the religious cross symbol behind the title itself, again playing on the religious fears of the target audience, adapting to film well whilst giving the audience a tiny hint of what may be involved within the narrative.

Five of the six posters introduce institutional information positioned at the base of the poster, but all six of these six posters feature a tagline which aids some sort of reinforcement of the meaning and reason for the main image. 'The Possession' poster reveals that 'Darkness lives within' which complements the main image of the decomposing hand revealing itself from the young child's mouth. Other film posters include the tagline 'Based on a true story' to plainly draw the audience in, and leave them with the impression that if something demonic and un natural has occurred in someone else's lives, why can it not happen to theirs . This text is clear, and in a medium sized font of sans serif, allowing it to not be eye catching for the audience but still worrying once it has caught their eye.

All the poster in the selection are effective. Simplicity is a common feature as minimal text can give the poster that natural and non edited effect. Whilst the bold image being the dominant feature and creating most of the fright for us the audience which is exclusively prominent within The Possession poster, as the minimalism is what creates the effectiveness for the target audience. If these elements were not apparent within this poster then it would not come across as well within the supernatural genre, for example if the main image was not as terrifying then the typography would not complement the graphic image which all collaborate together in order to fulfil the objective of persuading the target audience into watching the film.

FILM POSTER ANALYSES

 

 

The poster to the right promotes the film ‘The Conjuring’ that is within the supernatural. When watching our horror film, audiences will see characters of a similar age to the ones that feature in ‘The Conjuring’. As media practitioners this effective supernatural horror has subtly influenced us, through the clean cuts and sophisticating editing. With this in mind I felt it appropriate to analyse this poster.

This poster includes the main conventions of its form: the image itself dominates the frame and displays to the audience a visual clue as to what the film’s narrative may be about. The protagonist and antagonist are portrayed to the audience, as well as the text based conventions such as the film’s title, institutional information and a small tagline (‘FROM THE DIRECTOR OF SAW AND INSIDIOUS... BASED ON THE TRUE CASE FILES OF THE WARRENS’). These particular taglines are small in order for them to be the last thing for the audience to notice, in order to give them one final fright into persuading them to go and watch the film. The actors within this horror are not named, to convey a sense of realism.   

The conjuring has clear iconography throughout its poster, from the textual evidence to the main image. Firstly the main image dominates the whole page however the actors within are centred directly in the second third of the poster. The actors do not fill out the whole page, although the audience’s eyes are instantly drawn to them and then led to scan the mise-en-scene after. The audience are unable to see the actors face which can add to the fear factor element, as all that is visible is that the actor is a female and that she looks like a child due to the prop of a rocking chair in addition to the doll in her lap, this is iconography of horror due to the doll looking demonic thanks to the appeal of direct address.  

The posters mise-en-scene is one that is significant. Both characters dominate the frame even through the use of a long shot, which for this particular poster is to create a an impression of evil as the stock location shown has main colours of black and grey, there are small sections of white to display how evil has taken over purity. Tiny specs of red are dotted around the image to represent blood, or these red dots could be scattered to portray a marking of territory especially as these dots form a circle around the main actor and devious doll. Chosen colours: grey, black and red are iconic for horror. The location displayed gives the impression to the audience that is  somewhere abandoned, due to the concrete floors and the theory that this demonic doll may have lured the little girl here, is now the perceived plot. There is obviously some irony, as one of the main props used is a rocking chair which is associated with warmth, whilst having the connotations of rocking a baby to sleep or relaxing. This is played upon as the little child takes centre frame with a doll on her lap perhaps mocking the convention, robbing the comfort from this idea. The colours dominating the frame indicate that there is no hope as all lighting is kept minimal to give the impression of no escape.  As the lighting is dark and dismal it reflects how sombre the situation of the characters may be enhancing the fear of terror. There is a tiny display of under lighting which is directed to the doll, to show that she is the dominant within the frame, whilst confirming its evil and darkness. This particular lighting is used widely throughout the horror genre keeping to a convention. Another effective factor of why this technique has been used is because it now affirms all of the audience’s thoughts of the child being overpowered by terror and wickedness. Maybe, suggesting that the light of her life if in fact within the demonic dolls hands.

Compositionally speaking, the characters dominate the frame although literally they do not, which makes the attention towards them much more effective. The idea that we cannot see the victims face can suggest that they mean nothing to the demonic force. In addition as the character is faceless it leaves it to the audience’s imagination as to what her face may look like, leaving unanswered questions: is she possessed? Further persuading the audience to go and watch the movie in order for these to be answered.

Although the face of the victim is hidden, the body language is used to give the audience some indication of their predicament. The body of the victim is sat straight with her back slightly slouched on the chair, suggesting that she is imprisoned and unlikely to escape from the hold of the demonic doll. Within the protagonist’s hand is a hair brush which is assumed to brush the doll’s hair, bringing back the childlike behaviour and innocence of this victim that has been stolen from her, by this demonic doll creating more sympathy from the audience.

The costume which the character is wearing looks like pyjamas, which is playing on the audience's fears as it is assumed that something had happened to the character at night time when going to sleep making the intrusion much more personal and vulnerable. Just by choosing this particular garment automatically will play within the audience's mind as this image may replay to them when going to sleep or thinking about bed by unconsciously connecting the image and sleep through the costume alone. The actors body language is extremely stern, and set displaying her as in some sort of trance, intriguing the audience into finding out why this has happened which is further reinforced as the doll in her lap is making direct address with the audience creating wonder within the audience's mind as they try to figure out a story line for the particular poster. From what the audience can see the girl is wearing a nightgown, which suggests that this demonic doll had disturbed late at night or even in the middle of the night. The nightgown itself has ruffles at the bottom of the dress signifying that this character is feminine, carrying out another convention of horrors as the female being a victim. The colour of this dress is pale pink, but has no flesh exposed indicating that the female character is a closed person who doesn’t like to give much away, this being ironic as she is being controlled by the demonic doll.  Conjuring means to perform tricks that appear to defy natural laws, which links directly with the image, as the female character looks to be possessed by the doll. Obviously defying laws is the possession which occurs within the film, creating a standard by the audience as they as devoted horror watchers.

 The title is presented in Upper case, to reflect how significant this demonic force is on the female’s everyday life. The sans serif font is appropriate as conveying a mature tone which can directly be linked to other aspects of the movie such as the house. This typography emphasizes that this demonic force is serious and not something to joke about. This is all reinstated through the additional information formed to lure in the audience across the top of the poster and towards the bottom, adding suspense as the audience had found saw and insidious effective and therefore automatically assume that The Conjuring will be on the same level on both of those horrors. Also as the audience are now aware that this movie was based on a true story is therefore instantly reinforcing the serious tone due to the basis being truthful. The font used is sans serif to again create a more mature appeal, the typography is also upper case to portray how serious the film is, and confirm that it is not a joking matter.

 

The poster above promotes ‘The Devil Inside’, a horror film that is placed within the supernatural/possession sub genre. When watching out horror film the audience will see elements of possession, of a demonic force lurking ‘inside’ of a character, so ‘The Devil Inside’ has been something of an inspiration to us as media practitioners. With this in mind, I felt it appropriate to analyse this poster.

Content wise this poster includes all the main conventions of its form, in addition to the clear iconography throughout from the colours, to text and image chosen.  Firstly the image is again within the second third of the poster directing the audience's attention almost instantly. It also dominates the frame, and presents to the audience a visual clue of what the narrative may be about. The character displayed is not yet conveyed whether or not she is the antagonist of protagonist. However the image itself is of a nun, therefore playing on religious beliefs that the audience may have, as well as contradicting the regular connotations of a nun being pure hearted and kind so for a nun to be victimised and targeted within a movie just proves to the audience that the worst can happen to anyone. Text based conventions are also featured, such as the tagline (‘NO SOUL IS SAFE’). But there is no institutional information which breaks the conventions. The actors are also not mentioned but this is typical as horror films tend to let their narrative take centre stage.

The poster’s mise en scene presents to the audience no stock location, allowing the character to dominate the frame. The background is a sole colour black, which connotes thoughts of darkness, mystery and the end. This colour being ironic because nuns are a sign of peace and purity, completely contrasting with what the background implies. By the image of the nun being placed over the background can suggest to the audience that the nun may be trying to overcome the evil, but in fact does not work as we can see through her eyes she has been possessed. Towards the right third of the poster is highlighted with red, to emphasize the possession that is or is going to occur. The overshadowing of red indicates that it this evil force will always be present. There is also some scratching on the poster, to inform the audience that this force is in fact scratching away at her soul, as implied by the tagline. Further intriguing us, to make s wonder exactly what has happened.

The lighting used within the frame is dark and dismal to reflect how deep and somber the movie will be, whilst intensifying the strong feeling of terror. Under lighting is made us of as it highlights the white on the nun’s costume therefore making it gleam, reinforcing the sense of purity. As a result of this the audience’s attention again drawn to the nun not only because she dominates the frame but because the use of under lighting leads the audience’s eyes towards her. The under lighting makes the character’s face look much more frightening, disturbed and full of terror.

Compositionally speaking the character of the nun dominates the whole frame. The audience is presented with a medium shot, of the nun directly. We  are drawn directly to the nun's eyes that are clearly possessed by a UN natural force, because of it being a nun proves that no one is safe from this force not even the purest of people. This is later reinforced through the strap line ‘no soul is safe’ further confirming the ideas the audience had thought from the outset.  Although direct address is used, the nun is not in control of the force taking over here, showing the audience who is directly in control within this situation. By using this medium shot the audience are able to analyse every visible of the nun, for example on her neck there is some sort of intruder pushing out of her skin allowing the audience to realise that there is an abnormality with the character’s neck, there seems to be some sort of force trying to escape which in face correlates with the title. Once again allowing the reader’s imagination to fulfil its potential and wonder what may happen in the film then leading them to go and see it, which correlates with the title (‘THE DEVIL INSIDE’) leaving the audience to assume that there is a force inside of her physically trying to break out, intriguing the audience further.

Through the face of the antagonist/protagonist the audience are given some indication to their predicament, thoughts and feelings. The character’s face has turned directly to the audience, whereas her body stays in the same position. This can make the audience feel on edge, as it can be taken that the nun has seen the audience looking at her and turned her head to look back but in essence this is the possessive force that forced her to do this. Further reinforcing that she is not in control of her own body.

The costume of the character is also important. From what is visible it is clear that the main character is a nun, suggesting that the purest hearted are not safe. Leading to the possession being much more unforgettable and frightful. The state of the nun's clothing is crisp and clean, creating the impression of a professional and well organised character. The audience with this in mind, will find this even more unusual that she has become the antagonist/protagonist. It can be said that the costume reminds the audience of peace, safety and innocent referencing once again, just how horrifying the thought of possession is.

The title of the film has a backwards 'D', connoting that the film will involve something that is either not supposed to be there or however somewhere something has gone wrong, promising the audience that there will be an irregular occurrence within the narrative. The very mention of the word 'devil' will not sit well with the audience, as horrific thoughts of possession is something that is not lightly taken. The title itself is presented in upper case sans serif. Through the use of upper case, indicates that the film's narrative is of a serious and terrifying nature.  The sans serif font is appropriate as it masks seriousness of the situation. As the colour of the title is white, it once again reinforces the idea of purity.

 The additional information across the top of the poster announces to the audience that the film is based/ inspired by true events, once again pushing the element of fear as they are now not untouchable, because they will feel if it has happened once before there is nothing to stop it happening again. The colour of this font is red to give it an extreme effect. Red also connotes blood in addition to fear, relaying to the audience what may be likely to occur, as well as displaying that the evil will overcome the pure.

 

The insidious poster once again follows the convention of having the main character within the second third of the page, allowing the attention to be drawn to the actor. This particular poster may not be the scariest of the six but the most intriguing due to the stock location being a suburban household automatically unveiling to the audience that even when you believe you are in a safe environment you are not. The mise en scene also reinforces the suburban setting through the front garden and pathway setting a calm vibe. This is also further reinstated as the young boy actor is in his pyjamas which are associated with comfort and bed time once again a time when the audience are vulnerable. As the audience indulge further into the main image they come across the young boys eyes, which display some sort of paranormal image indicating what sub genre the film belongs to. The purpose of using a medium shot is to allow the audience to view the stock location, giving them the idea of what may occur and where the main part of the film will be set. Much like other horror posters by using this particular shot has enabled the audience to try and piece together what could happen. It is clear that the lights are on in the household, and the curtains are drawn which is a sign of safety and even a routine. However because of the little boy who looks possessed contradicts such thoughts, displaying that you are never safe no matter what sort of routine you have, evil can occur at any point so such actions such as closing the curtains may symbolise shutting out even but that won’t help if it’s the boy that is haunted which is what is presumed through the strap. Pathetic fallacy is portrayed throughout this film poster, due to the storm brewing on top of the suburban household, giving the idea that something misfortunate, and disturbing is going to occur. The main colours used are a mixture of white, black, grey and red. These colours are iconic for horrors, as they all symbolise different aspects of the narrative. There are slight glimpses of white coming from the household, this connotes that the family are pure without the boy, but there are slight pigments of grey stating that other members of the family are not as pure as seems. The red and blue pyjamas that the boy is wearing are overshadowed with a dark gradient around the title. The letters ‘SI’ are shown in red, allowing the audience to see the title in two ways, one of which is breaking down the word and at a quick glimpse to show ‘inside’ this is where the haunted force is according to the poster, so the audience then feel that they have found out what the disruption is caused by. The other taking of the title is just the whole word insidious, which means to cause harm in a way that is gradual or not physically easy to notice, subtly giving the hint of what the film may entail.   Within the young boys eyes the words ‘ insidious ‘ and ‘is’ are displayed within his eyeballs, indicating that evil force is in fact within him and that here is no question about it, it just ‘is’. The rule of thirds is extremely relevant on this poster; the first third shows a shadow in the window, of some sort of creature making the audience assume this must be one of the evil forces within the film. The second third then shows a possessed child which is clear through his eyes that he will most likely feature in a large section of the film as he takes up most of the page. But then the third third, displays the dark clouds going away, and the house as back to normal, indicating the there is a solution and everything is resolved however the top right hand corner has the darkest black cloud out of the whole page which then just contradicts the last third as there is a sign that the worst is still to come.