Image Analysis

Image Analysis

- One character in foreground centre, suggests he is central to the story and is the main character in the story and is the most important, tells the audience who to look out for and who to emotionally invest in as he is the main character in shot which implies he is the main in the film

- Character holding a knife, suggests he has to use it and is important to his survival as it's the only noticeable thing he has, giving it a meaning of protection towards him. Gives audience feeling that he will use this weapon a lot as it is featured with the character

- The lighting is dark, which suggests the time of day that the film will take place and also could suggest the overall tone of the film. The audience can figure out what type of genre the film is as the dark lighting is very negative and ominous, implying the film is a horror or thriller genre.

- The setting is in a cabin, which is a typical setting for a horror film, especially of the slasher genre.

- The costume is typical clothing and the colour of the clothing is dark, this could be an indicator of the tone of the film as it's quite dark, suggesting the that the film is dark.

Slasher/ psychological Horror codes & conventions.

A slasher film is a sub genre of the horror film genre. Featured elements of a slasher film are...

- A psychotic killer killing a group of people, usually teenagers or young adults.
- Away from parent or mature adult supervision, usually up to no good.
- Carnage ensues until final person, usually the 'virgin' girl prevails and destroys the killer.

However the killer often comes back in the sequels afterwards.

The Killer is usually an ordinary person who suffers great trauma, abuse, or injustice in their life and goes about killing to get revenge and satisfaction for these events, such as Friday the 13th. The victims are almost always linked to the killers past. The killer is always masked, until the final scene when unmasked, if they're not, it leaves more room for sequels. The killer appears to be indestructible/immortal and super strength, this is so the character is more dangerous and done so they can come back in numerous sequels and reign terror again. An example of this type of  character is Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th.

The usual narrative of a slasher film is a group of teenagers or young adults go to a place isolated to have fun or party, or general things that are appealing to this age group. At the location, there is usually one monster, however they can be in a group, that's sole purpose is to kill of these teenagers/young adults, By the end of the film, the final girl usually kills of the main monster, but is usually brought back for a sequel, or all the characters are killed off, and the monster lives on to kill again in more sequels.

The music in slasher films is generally the soundtrack, a typical code is that the music cuts out just before a scare happens, then a sting is played to make the jump scare more frightening
 for the audience. Here's an example from Friday the 13th.

The Iconography is mainly in the weapon's that are used in the film weapon of choice is usually a handheld sharp object, for example a hatchet, chainsaw, machete, knife, this is where the 'slash' comes from and it to make the killer more gruesome as he doesn't mind all the blood when slicing, cutting and stabbing the victims.

Setting can be anywhere, but is usually at a cabin, summer camp, creepy house, woods or even college.

General staple characters of this genre are

- The Virgin girl
- The Jock
- The Nerd
- The Cheerleader/bimbo
- The Popular girl
- The Nice Guy
- The Nerd
- The Unhelpful law enforcement character

A Psychological horror aims to create discomfort by applying real life situations and adding a paranormal or horror twist to it, thus scaring the viewer. Psychological horror tends to focus on everyday life, meaning there is a chance that these events could happen in reality, making the audience more cautious. 'Based on a true story' or 'inspired by true events' is normally used as they are based on real life occurrences, hinting that it could happen to the audience, the horror is therefore created in the viewers mind, such examples include the Amityville horror and the strangers.

Here's an example of this technique from the trailer of The Strangers.

The aim for these films is to expose the evil that hides behind a characters normality, such as the orphan, but contains elements of the paranormal genre, which an audience cannot relate to.


Usually in a psychological horror, the killer look normal and there are usually no physical signs that they are a killer, however there are exceptions (The Ring, The Grudge). The weapons used are not physical weapons, but usually the murderer will manipulate the victim and feed off their fear. Visions and jump scares are used instead of knives and guns as they are built off of tension. Here's an example of a jump scare from the film Insidious.

Common settings for a psychological film can be big houses, woodland locations, schools and hospitals. These are used to again create a sense of realism and so the audience could relate and create the horror in their mind. Another typical convention is the use of flashbacks, which are used to show how the killer has reached the state of evil and insanity that they are at in the film.

Media Coursework: Video task summary

The brief task that I have chosen to do is the video brief. On the task, I will be working with 3 other people, Brandon, Ben and James.

Our preliminary idea is a meet up between a gang leader and a hit man.

Our Main idea is an opening for a horror. The opening will start with a girl walking through some woods, she looks at her phone and gets knocked out, but the murderer. The girl is found tied up with tape over her mouth, the killer walks from the forest getting close to her and eventually killing her. Shot cuts to two policemen inspecting the body, the have a brief conversation and go their separate ways, scene ends with policeman on the phone. Opening credits will be with the girl walking.The murder will be in a dark colour/shade to show something bad will happen. Also, to make the murder more gruesome and unsettling, this could also be achieved with tilted camera angle or a P.O.V shot. The murder section of the opening will be shot in reverse, so our murderer will have to go through his motions backwards,  so ultimately when the footage is reversed, his actions will seem uneven and wrong, to give a the murderer a 'inhuman' quality.

Characters: Policemen, murderer, victim.

Location: wooded area of Bitterne Park Secondary School.

Camera Movements.

Tracking shot: used to follow a subject within a frame.

Pan shot: Follows subject but in a horizontal rotation.(skip to 2:28 for pan)

Tilt shot: Stationary, rotates on a vertical plane.

Crane shot: to view action or subject from above.

Zoom shot: a camera effect that undermimes normal viewing.

Camera Shots.

Extreme close up: to show specific detail of a persons face, too close to show emotion or general reactions.

Close up: To show detail in a persons face or to amplify the emotion in a character's face.

Medium close up: To show characters face, but have more of the background and body on show.

Medium shot: Used to see facial expressions and body language.

Medium Long Shot: Same as other medium type shots but almost shows full frame of character.

Long shot: A shot showing just about all the character, used to show the full figure and some background as well/

Extreme long shot: Used to show setting, usually at the start of a film, also known as an establishing shot.

2 shot: Where the shot encompasses the view of two people.

High angle: Makes the person in shot seem vulnerable or powerless, as if we're looking down on them.

Low angle: Makes characters look menacing, dominant, in charge, looking down on the viewer.

Over the shoulder shot: Puts the audience in person who is being talked too's perspective, usually used in a discussion. 

Canted/Tilted angle shot: used to express uneasiness, disorientation, or tension with an off centre shot at an angle.

POV Shot: Used to show characters perspective, made to feel we are the character.