This document provides information about the 2008 monster film Cloverfield, directed by Matt Reeves. It discusses various postmodern aspects of the film, including how it references other disaster films through its blending of genres, point-of-view camera shots that involve the audience, and unconventional teaser trailer that generated curiosity without revealing the film's title or genre. The document also examines how some female characters in Cloverfield subvert or play into stereotypes.

1. Postmodernism

2. ¡ Director
–
Matt
Reeves
¡ Produced
by
–
J.J
Abrams,
Bryan
Burk
(2008)
¡ Writer
–
Drew
Goddard
¡ Stars
–
Mike
Vogel,
Jessica
Lucas,
Lizzy
Caplan
¡ Synopsis
–
A
group
of
New
Yorkers
enjoy
and
going
away
party,
little
do
they
know
they
will
endure
the
most
terrifying
night
of
their
lives.
A
creature
the
size
of
a
sky
scraper
descends
upon
the
city,
leaving
behind
death
and
destruction
in
its
trail.
Using
a
hand
held
camera
the
friends
record
their
struggle
to
survive
as
New
York
crumbles
around
them.
IMDB
rating-­‐

3. ¡ Intertexuality
–
Cloverfield
is
a
film
that
belongs
to
the
age
of
‘terror’
;
it
was
produced
at
a
time
where
the
world
had
became
obsessed
with
the
idea
of
terror
and
terrorism
.
The
film
references
events
such
as
the
9/11
that
took
place
in
2001
through
its
use
of
visual
effects
and
imagery.
¡ A
lot
of
diegetic
sound
was
used
in
Cloverfield
such
as
people
running
around
shouting
and
screaming,
glass
smashing,
buildings
collapsing,
heavy
breathing
because
they
are
scared
and
out
of
breath
from
running,
explosions.
TV
news
report
of
an
attack
in
New
York
reminds
the
audience
of
9/11
with
buildings
falling.
The
Director
shows
the
audience
of
what
it
would
be
like
if
you
were
in
a
situation
like
this
trying
to
survive

4. Throughout
the
film
there
are
numerous
references
made
to
other
films
of
the
same
genre
such
as
‘The
Day
After
Tomorrow’
,
‘World
of
Wars’
,
‘Independence
Day’
and
‘Godzilla’.
The
producers
are
making
the
assumption
that
the
audience
is
active
and
not
passive
therefore
they
will
understand
the
intertextual
references.
All
of
the
above
movies
mentioned
are
big
disaster
movies
that
fall
into
hybrid
genres
like
Cloverfield
consisting
of
horror,
action
and
sci-­‐fi.
Modernist
film
usually
only
stick
to
one
genre
whereas
postmodern
films
like
to
blend
genres
together
which
adds
to
the
idea
that
they
are
expecting
to
have
an
active
audience.
The
blurring
of
genres
does
not
provide
the
audience
with
an
comfort
or
ready
made
assumptions
–
something
that
modernist
film
steer
away
from
because
they
are
catering
for
a
passive
audience.
Therefore,
in
this
instance
Cloverfield
can
be
considered
postmodern.
Many
of
these
disaster
films
carry
a
similar
narrative
–
the
monster/aliens
came
to
attack
and
humanity
have
to
survive.
However,
though
Cloverfield
has
a
similar
narrative
the
audience
is
forced
to
look
at
of
from
the
a
different
perspective
(POV)
point
of
view
shots
makes
the
audience
feel
like
they
are
in
the
actual
film,
interacting
with
the
characters
an.
This
makes
the
film
seem
more
fresh
and
original
and
different
from
the
films
referenced.
Due
to
this
we
could
consider
Cloverfield
post
modern.

5. A
teaser
trailer
of
the
film
was
shown
before
the
2007
summer
blockbuster
Transformers.
The
trailer
did
not
name
the
film
and
only
gave
a
release
date
after
showing
glimpses
of
apparently
home-­‐made
video
of
NY
being
attacked
by
something,
culminating
a
shocking
image
of
the
head
of
the
statue
of
liberty
crashing
through
a
NY
street.
This
created
audience
curiosity
and
generated
interest
into
the
media
text.
Those
who
had
saw
the
trailer
were
left
wondering
what
they
had
seen
and
what
genre
was
the
film,
why
had
they
just
been
shown
a
home
movie
rather
than
a
slick
Hollywood
movie?
–
could
this
marketing
technique
be
considered
POMO?
The
trailer’s
placement
gives
an
indication
to
the
target
audience,
one
which
is
a
difficult
market
for
advertisers
at
the
moment;
teens
and
young
adults.
These
groups
are
becoming
hard
to
reach
for
advertisers
who
rely
on
conventional
methods.

6. ¡ Merlena
–
Is
a
particularly
strong
female
character
who
save
Hud
from
the
spiders.
We
are
stereotypically
used
to
the
male
characters
protecting
female
characters.
Here
Cloverfield
is
going
against
this
idea,
subverting
the
‘norm’
representations
made
of
characters.
¡ Beth
on
the
other
hand
is
the
stereotypical
damsel
in
distress
who
constantly
needs
help.
She
is
even
rescued
from
the
top
of
a
tower.
The
audience
is
familiar/used
to
this
‘type’
of
character
as
we
commonly
see
them
in
media
texts
therefore,
in
this
sense
Cloverfield
isn’t
being
very
POMO.

7. ¡ Rob
and
Hud
are
men
of
action,
however
Rob
is
clearly
the
leader
between
the
two,
Hud
being
more
of
a
sidekick.
¡ Rob
is
seeking
for
his
love
Beth
(the
damsel
in
distress).
Here
Cloverfield
is
again
following
a
very
simple
narrative
‘guy
gets
girl’
making
it
in
this
sense
not
overly
POMO.
¡ Many
people
have
argued
that
the
monster
is
female
as
is
spawns
young
spiders.
If
so
this
suggests
a
monstrous
female
and
therefore
female
are
represented
as
destroyers
and
alien.
It
could
be
argued
that
the
female
monster
is
bringing
destruction
to
an
easily
peaceful,
young
society
and
it
is
the
men
in
the
film
who
lead
the
action
against
its
rampage.
¡ The
monster
is
effective
because
we
never
really
see
it,
it
remains
in
our
peripheral
vision
and
seems
to
be
mutating
and
changing.
It
embeds
the
notion
of
terrorism
as
it
is
a
weapon
of
mass
destruction
–
it
is
irrational,
without
meaning,
murderous
and
incomprehensible.
Like
the
terrorist
is
neither
can
or
should
be
understood
–
again
intertextualy
referencing
terror
attacks.

8. ¡ Equilibrium
–
Characters
introduced
at
normal
flat
party
¡ Disruption
–
Ground
and
buildings
start
to
shake
disrupting
the
party,
an
unknown
monster
invades
New
York
¡ Resolution
–
Rob
rescues
Beth
and
then
they
attempt
to
make
their
way
out
of
the
city.
The
army
bomb
New
York.
¡ New
equilibrium
–
it
is
not
known
whether
Rob
and
Beth
make
it
out
of
the
city
alive
or
if
the
monster
is
defeated.
It
seems
New
York
no
longer
exists.

9. ¡ Hero
=
Rob
–
he
is
portrayed
as
rational
and
is
driven
by
emotional
need
¡ Villain
=
The
Monster
¡ Donor
=
there
is
no
definite
donor.
The
police
provide
helicopters
to
get
everyone
out
of
NY
however
other
than
that
there
isn’t
a
specific
person
who
provides
Rob
an
object
to
help
him.
¡ Helper
=
stays
with
Rob
to
help
save
Beth,
and
is
thought
to
be
the
only
survivor.
Rob
and
Marlena
help
until
their
deaths.
¡ Princess
=
Beth
–
is
portrayed
as
the
damsel
in
distress
trapped
at
the
top
of
the
tower.
She
is
rescued
by
the
hero.
¡ Father
=
there
isn’t
a
father
figure
towards
the
hero,
Rob’s
reward
is
Beth.
¡ Dispatcher
–
Rob
is
essentially
the
dispatcher
as
he
sends
himself
to
save
Beth
¡ False
Hero
=
Hud
–
he
presents
his
documentation
of
the
event
as
heroic
however
he
is
really
more
of
a
hindrance
to
others.

10. ¡ Camera
–
The
camera
work
used
in
'Cloverfield'
is
again
shot
from
the
point
of
view
perspective,
so
therefore
it
would
be
handheld
and
very
shaky.
The
camera
is
very
fast
moving
at
certain
points
of
the
film
like
when
the
earthquake,
explosion
happens
they
are
in
fear
and
they
show
it
because
you
can
hear
the
actors
heavy
breathing.
Camera
is
dropped,
rolled,
thrown
around
to
give
it
a
sense
of
realism.
Low
angles
are
used
like
when
the
army
come
and
the
camera
is
pointing
up
towards
them
showing
that
their
in
control
and
have
the
power,
but
clearly
the
low
angle
is
on
the
monster
all
the
time
because
it
is
huge
and
in
control,
demolishing
New
York.
High
angles
are
used
when
standing
on
top
of
the
building
looking
down
at
all
the
destruction.
Tilted
shots
are
used
like
when
the
camera
is
dropped
and
you
can
see
the
actors
running
around.
The
reason
why
the
handheld
camera
is
used,
because
to
show
realism
and
as
if,
if
someone
has
just
picked
up
a
camera
unexpectedly
and
documenting
his
life
of
him
and
his
friends
whilst
the
monster
destroys
everything.
¡ Sound
-­‐
A
lot
of
diegetic
sound
was
used
in
Cloverfield
such
as
people
running
around
shouting
and
screaming,
glass
smashing,
buildings
collapsing,
heavy
breathing
because
they
are
scared
and
out
of
breath
from
running,
explosions.
¡ Editing
-­‐The
type
of
editing
used,
is
a
nice
pacing
and
well
flowing
series
of
clips
together,
because
it
is
suppose
to
be
very
realistic
(this
is
not
considered
POMO
as
it
is
following
a
modernist
approach
of
creating
an
idea
of
truth)
with
camera,
the
scenes
can
jump
like
when
they
are
first
in
the
apartment
and
running
down
the
stairs
the
camera
blinks
on
and
off,
and
showing
different
goings
on
at
the
time.
The
editing
has
been
done
to
make
it
look
realistic,
there
is
use
of
flashbacks
which
is
meant
to
be
on
the
camera
from
what
Rob
had
recorded
earlier
of
him
and
his
girlfriend.
This
shows
some
emotion
because
how
the
tape
goes
back
and
shows
how
it
use
to
be,
nice
and
peaceful
back
then,
cuts
straight
to
the
monster
destroying
Manhattan,
the
flashbacks
create
confusion
of
time
and
space
and
also
draws
attention
to
the
constructed
nature
therefore
in
this
case
Cloverfield
could
be
considered
POMO.

11. ¡ Mise
–
en
–
scene
-­‐
The
Mise-­‐en-­‐scene
used
in
'Cloverfield'
is
the
guns,
tanks,
mobile
phones,
clothes,
TV's,
setting
on
the
streets
of
Manhattan,
in
a
modern
apartment,
dark,
natural
lighting.
The
reason
why
these
are
used
within
'Cloverfield'
is
because
it
is
mainly
the
code
and
conventions,
if
an
alien/monster
came
to
attack
earth
then
straight
away
the
army
would
be
called
in,
equip
and
tanks
everywhere.
The
reality
of
the
'Cloverfield'
with
people
on
the
mobile
phones
trying
to
contact
loved
ones
and
in
the
film
you
notice
that
when
they
are
in
the
apartment
partying
smart
clothing,
through
the
film
you
see
them
get
dirty,
teared,
blood
stained,
this
shows
the
realism
within
the
film
and
because
its
POV,
it
makes
you
believe
that
it
is
real
or
this
is
what
would
happen
if
something
like
this
in
the
real
world
happened.
Dark
natural
lighting
is
used
to
give
the
effect
as
if
it
was
at
night
and
is
scary
because
their
view
is
limited
because
of
the
dark
itself.
¡ Special
Effects
-­‐
Cloverfield'is
full
of
special
effects,
when
watching
the
behind
the
scenes
it
shows
a
green
screen
in
pretty
much
every
scene
to
come.
The
Special
effects
used
within
this
film
are
stuff
like
CGI,
the
monster
itself,
and
when
the
head
of
the
statue
of
liberty
comes
flying
towards
the
group.
Buildings
collapsing,
explosions
everywhere.
Muzzle
flashes
off
the
guns,
tank
rocket
shots,
bridge
getting
demolished
by
the
monster.
The
special
effects
draws
the
audiences
attention
again
to
how
it
is
a
constructed
text.

12. ¡ In
many
aspects
Cloverfield
can
be
considered
POMO;
they
use
intertexuality
to
reference
other
media
texts
and
historical
events
throughout
therefore
the
producers
assume
that
they
have
an
active
audience
that
have
further
knowledge
of
media
texts
and
not
a
passive
‘simple’
audience
that
modernists
typically
cater
towards.
The
way
in
which
Cloverfield
was
marketed
was
very
POMO,
by
creating
an
‘anonymous’
trailer
the
audience
has
to
actively
find
out
what
it
was
about.
As
well
as
this
the
use
of
special
effects
draw
the
audiences
attention
to
how
it
is
a
constructed
text.
¡ However,
in
many
other
ways
Cloverfield
could
be
seen
as
very
ordinary
and
modernist
with
its
conventional
characters
(the
damsel
in
distress),
its
camera
angels
(low
angel
shots
to
make
the
monster
seem
more
powerful)
and
editing
used
to
make
the
events
seem
‘realistic’.