Exam Essay 1B

I am going to analyse my advanced portfolio, which consisted of a teaser trailer, a poster and a magazine front cover based upon the comedy/horror genre. My media product is based upon a virus outbreak due to animal testing gone wrong which leads to an outbreak in humans which results in them becoming ‘zombie’ like. I will analyse them in terms of language which is how it is constructed with regards to cinematography and the structural theory which is the meaning behind it with regards to the bigger picture; what influenced it, how it is influential on the audience.

The key concepts I am going to apply to my work are in relation to the cinematography which includes lighting, camera angles, camera shots, composition, mise en scene which is the props, costumes, and make up used within the media product. Sound and editing is also included in media language. The theory I am going to look at is Barthes theory from; the structural approach, of semiotics and enigma codes. Semiotics refers to the denotation (what you can see) and connotations (what you think it represents) Enigma codes refers to the creation of a series of mystery or questions raised within the text, which intrigues the audience and makes them want to view more.

With regards to cinematography I have used various camera angles I have used a medium close up in order to show props as well as what is happening in the scene when the surgeon is testing on the experiment, another medium shot is used to show the surgeon fall, which then goes into a close up in order to show the bite wound also a tilt facing down is used to show the zombie attack in the pharmacy. Various props were used to suggest certain locations and situations for example the surgeon’s costume shows that they are the surgeon who is testing on the experiment this is shown by the use of a scalpel used on a wound on the experiments arm. The use of the needle sharps box, bloody swabs, tablets, surgical tools, white sheets, pot of blood all suggest that this is some kind of clinical environment, the use of a biohazard bag suggests that there is some kind of virus or infection present in the situation. The use of the ripped clothing, pale skin, bite wounds, missing bits of skin suggest that these people are infected with something which is making them zombie like.

 In editing I used a static effect in order to achieve a hand held camera effect as it looks as if the recorded footage has been tampered with. I used a Marilyn Manson song for the sound as this created a creepy aura around the trailer.

Barthes enigma codes can be applied to my product as my trailer raises a lot of the questions with the audience as they want to know how and why the humans have been infected and whether this issue can be resolved or if this outbreak will continue to cause chaos, this intrigues the audience and makes them want to watch the movie in order to resolve the questions they have. With regards to semiotics the audience can see that there is some form of infection present but they are able to make connotations on what they think has happened in order to cause this out break. Levi Strauss’s binary oppositions is implied in my trailer as animals vs. humans is portrayed as the plot of the movie is based upon animal testing gone wrong which has repercussions for humans