Outline of my media

Media as my a'level

AS:
EXAM
-Study of TV dramas
-Study of the music industry
COURSEWORK
-Made front cover and contents page for a school magazine (Prelim)
-Produced final music magazine, cover, contents page and double page spread (Final)
-Made music video in the summer

A2: (in progress)
EXAM
-Theories surrounding horror
-The representation of teens (starting in March)
COURSEWORK
-Made remake of the Scream opening clip (Prelim)
-Currently filming footage for my own horror trailer
-Will make a horror poster and magazine cover for my horror film

A great deal of planning went into each part of the coursework and all of the completed work has been put onto my blog. There are two separate blogs for AS and A2. Below are the links for both of the sites should you wish to see more of my work work. The A2 blog is always being updated and so there will be more posts uploaded as I proceed in my A2 to view throughout the year.

AS: http://janaanjanasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/ (Blue Velvet-Music blog)
A2: http://janaanjana2media.blogspot.co.uk/ (Into The Darkness- Horror blog)
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8FYbVSRETkc4CPAEWECnwA (both AS and A2 work)

There is a lot more work on my blogs including more video analysis, production work, analysis of theories and applying theories all using a variety of programmes and technology. So, please feel free to have a look through my blogs and Youtube Channel.
Please ensure you click on the 'older posts' link at the bottom of the page to reach the other posts.
I am also taking on EPQ this year and have decided to write my dissertation on 'Why do we watch horror movies?' due to my love for film. Though I have not yet written it I have put a small chunk of the literature/ research review into a post.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy!
Janaan Jan
All the models shown in the videos have signed model consent forms and are aware that they can been see on the internet

What do I already know how to use?

Online programmes
-Prezi
-Glogster
-Slidely
-Slideshare
-Animato
-Soundcloud
-Emaze
-Youtube
-Blogger
-Survey monkey

Programmes
-Premier pro
-Photoshop
-Serif
-Quicktime
-imovie

Technology/ equipment
-Camera (Panasonic and Canon)
-Lights
-Scanner
-Tripod
-Laser cutter
-Microphones
-Steady cameras
-Mac

Reaction video

As part of my research into horror movies I got three students to watch a variety of clips that I picked to see how they would react.
The video was edited on Preimer Pro CC. To make this clip I set up two cameras to get two points of views. The first camera was on the mac, this would record all the facial expressions as the clips were playing. The second camera was set up in the corner of the room to film how their bodies would react when scared e.g. lifting feet off the ground and huddling together. In the editing process I switched between these two shots to show a variety of reactions. I inserted the horror clips in the bottom left hand corner of the screen to allow the viewers to see the moments that caused the reactions. I had to change the lighting in some of the shots as the girls' faces were not clear enough. This process is shown in the images below.

(All models have given in model consent forms)

AS exam paper- TV dramas and the music industry

Here is my exam paper from the summer of 2014. I achieved an A in this paper and it is now used as a teaching resource for the younger years at my school.
The exam was split into two parts. The first was based on a clip from a British TV drama. My question was on ethnicity, therefore my response below is talking about how this particular clip represents ethnicity.
The second part of the exam was on the music industry. Here I spoke about the main issues and concepts that surround the music industry and I used up to date examples and statistics to back up my points.

Introduction to Literature review

Here is the introduction to my literature review based on 'why do we watch horror films?'
Later in the review I go on to talk about what research I have collected and what I have learnt from it. This will help me when writing the essay response to my question.

Introduction to horror and fear:

Horror movies have advanced a great deal since the very first horror- the 1896 Georges Melies - Le Manoir du Diable house (the devils house). We have experienced unprecedented leap in the number of big budget horror movies released over the last decade. Time has presented the beauty of conventions, where directors have successfully identified what it is that scares us and therefore, will play on our fears. Many theories and published research works have come to the surface due to the very existence of conventions. Despite its ‘predictability’ it will often be the very thing that will determine how good a movie is in terms of its shock factor. Since it’s inception over a hundred years ago, the horror genre, has played on the fears, terror, and dread of the unknown. More recently there has been an increase in experimenting with subversions in the horror context, revisiting the ‘fear of the unknown’ leaving us wondering what could possibly happen next. Though this would take some getting use to it has often proven just as effective as using conventions.

As we delve into an age where conventions and subversions are played on more and more the list of elements that scare us increases, however with that comes the ultimate price of immunity to things such as, gore, violence, brutality and torture in a cinematic event. We are allowed to experience such things in confidence due to our placing in the safety of the spectators’ seat.

Horror and Fear research

As part of my research into horror films I made a video about what horror and fear is to different people. This would help me with deciding what to put into my trailer and what the story line should contain.


All models have handed in model consent forms

The Monsterous Feminine

Below is my analysis of the 'Monsterous Feminine'.

The Monsterous Feminine

Horror and the monstrous feminine: An imaginary objection
The idea generated from classic mythology that there were ‘genderous monsters’, many of whom were female. Medusa was the prime example of this. The irony held within her power was that turning men to stone meant making them ‘stiff’. This also means to give a man an erection, therefore even in death a man still has possession over his penis.We are then able to question whether horror can invoke a similar reaction. They already scare us, make us feel sick and creep us out which are all intimate feeling that we share.

Abject= without dignity

Abjection= the state of dark depression

Within a biblical context the corpse is a form of waste and is the opposite of the spiritual and religious symbol. Worshipers of the soulless body are therefore prominent representation of inimical religions or evil. ‘Bodies without souls’ are typically the root behind our classic horrors e.g. vampires, zombies and witches. This is because of their decaying appearances and the idea that they are not religious beings and are made of evil. The werewolf  as an example signifies the collapse of boundaries between the human and animal form. Representing the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde theory of the 'beast within man'.  The introduction of werewolf’s as a new horror opened people’s eyes again to the possibility of there being a person who appears just like another but has the capability to perform acts so evil that they are not associated with normal human behaviour, rather a beast. This plays into Cohens theory of moral panics. Abjection will also occur due to the fall of society where individuals no longer respect the law and where there is hypocrisy, liars and traitors who hold a lot of power and control. E.g. bad triumphs over good, allowing Props' 8 character type’s theory to come into play where we get the idea that the villain has a stronger chance of success than the hero. This again links to Cohen’s ‘moral panics’ theory where we create horror from an event that may cause us distress or give us reason for concern. ‘Thus abject things are those which highlight the fragility of the law’
One example that came to mind was the suffragettes and how they could have been seen as unholy and soulless beings, again highlighting the monstrous feminine as they fail to respect the law and are expected to just follow blindly to what they are told to do.

Abjection is a desire, a drive and a mad yearning. However perverse the please is we confront it. Viewing horrific images and being filled with a sense of terror is something that we have grown to desire. It is safe for us to do as we sit from the safety of the spectator’s seat and calmly watch the horror unfold as we eat our popcorn. This new state of relaxation has allowed humans to test their boundaries when watching something horrific from a safe position making us more likely to try it out and become hooked on it. It becomes an obsession and a new found way to prove bravery and strength.
Horror will most of the time play on the borders that we psychologically place e.g. man/beast, natural/supernatural, the idea of the ‘proper gender’, good/evil, normal/ abnormal sexual desire. All of these borders we place represent a state of order and the with it the belief that these two dimensions will be worlds apart from each other. However, horror will play on these boundaries and make us question if they really are worlds apart from each other or, if they are in actual fact closer than we think as they slowly become merged and the borders become blurred. As an example the natural and supernatural borders will test how strong we are with religion and how far it can help use before we become vulnerable to the evil. We see in horror films that the natural and supernatural borders are easily merged as the weak human form allows them to become merged and let supernatural triumph. 

Kristeva argues that the relationship between mother and child is one of much conflict. This could be where the child tries to break away and be free but the mother will do everything she can to hold them close. This unhealthy state of a relationship usually leaves the child resenting the mother and wanting to leave even more. The child will as a result of this look for some kind of escapism e.g. drugs, relationships, alcohol, possessing new powers/playing with evil to rebel. A good example of this is Carrie. In this case the mother is presented as the ‘Monsterous feminine’. One way in which the mother holds onto Carrie is through teaching hermoral values and about religion.  Throughout the film we see Carries mother place strict rules and restrictions on her which are heavily influenced by religion. We know that she over exaggerates most things making Carrie hate her more. The fact that Carries mother isn’t like others angers her more and in this case makes her out to be a victim of bullying as a result of her lack of knowledge on life due to her mothers absence of teaching. This ends with Carrie killing her. This is also seen in Psycho where the mother teaches her son about women being impure and horrid creatures. We can see here that religion is used as a way to purify and cleanse the soul.
Kristeve argues that there are 2 practises of our rituals of defilement.Excremental looks at someone’s identity from the outside. Therefore excremental and its equivalents (decay, infection, disease, corpses etc) will look at the threat to society. Menstrual is something that threatens from within. These are the dangers presented with identity (social/ sexual) e.g. relationship between sexes, internalisation, identity of each sex.
Kristeve argues that women live in a world of with no shame and men live in a world of shame, Modern horror films will play a lot with the audience when it comes to blood and gore to explore this idea. The movie Carrie had a really good example of this where the pigs blood represents menstrual blood, making women out to be pigs. This makes fun of the fact that women live with no shame as in this scene Carrie is made to look like a fool and has been shamed as the fact that she is now a woman is known to the whole school. The mother speaks for the religious symbol here as she identifies a woman’s sexuality as the root of all evil, and therefore menstruation is a sign of sin.