A2 Media Coursework Brief

Planning & Research

My Set Brief:  You will produce:

1) A media portfolio, comprising of a main and ancillary texts.

 2)A presentation of your research, planning and evaluation in electronic format(s).

Brief 2

}  A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the following three options:

}  A film magazine front cover, featuring the film

}  A poster for the film

Firstly, to inform myself more than anything, I have decided to do some research on my chosen Genre.

Genre:  After much deliberation, I have decided that my chosen film genre will be horror. I have chosen this genre as I wanted to choose a genre that would challenge me and be out of my comfort zone; as normally I prefer to watch romantic comedy and action films.

Firstly I searched for the dictionary definition of a horror film:

Horror film: - definition

1.   a film that is intended to frighten people, especially one about murders, frightening creatures, or evil people

The horror film genre aims to provoke a negative response from the audience by incorporating the audiences fears of things such as insects or death. Most often, horror movies feature scenes that shock the viewer as they have strong parallels with the supernatural.  Furthermore, the horror genre frequently overlaps with thriller films as both employ shock tactics.

“The term "horror movie" first appears in the writings of critics and film industry commentators in response to the release of Universal's Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931) but has since been applied in retrospect to similar films from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.” – Source: Wikipedia.

"If movies are the dreams of the mass culture... horror movies are the nightmares"- Source: Stephen King, Danse Macabre

Horror Films: Why We Like To Watch?

Horror movies have long served both purposes. They deliver thrills by the hearseload, as well as telling us stories of the dark, forbidden side of life (and death) - cautionary tales for grown ups. They also provide a revealing mirror image of the anxieties of their time. Nosferatu (1922) is not simply a tale of vampirism, but offers heart-rending images of a town beleaguered by premature and random deaths, echoes of the Great War and the Great Flu Epidemic fatalities. At the other end of the century Blade (1998) is not just a tale of vampirism either, but reflects a fear of the powerful yet irresponsible elements in society, echoes down the corridor indeed of the seemingly impunitive behaviour of those at the top.­-Source: www.horrorfilmhistory.com/