1. MS2 Media Production Process
By Tradena Hunt

2. Coursework
• I have chosen to do a film based coursework
of a Horror film trailer

3. Intertexts

4. The Hills Have Eyes

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76m3kpgPTQ
This is the Trailer for The Hills Have Eyes. The film was released
theatrically in the United States and United Kingdom on March
10, 2006. It earned $15.5 million in its opening weekend in the
U.S., were it was originally rated NC-17 for strong gruesome
violence, but was later edited down to an R-rating. An unrated DVD
version was released on June 20, 2006.

6. Plot
• Alexandre Aja directs this remake of
Wes Craven's film The Hills Have
Eyes. In this update, a family is
taking a cross-country road trip
when their trailer breaks
down, leaving them stranded in the
desert of New Mexico. There, they
find themselves under attack by the
savage "hill people," who were
deformed by radiation during
nuclear testing

7. Characters
• Aaron Stanford as Doug Bukowski
• Kathleen Quinlan as Ethel Carter
• Vinessa Shaw as Lynn Carter-Bukowski
• Emilie de Ravin as Brenda Carter
• Dan Byrd as Bobby Carter
• Maisie Camilleri Preziosi as Baby Catherine
• Ted Levine as "Big" Bob Carter

8. Visual Codes
• Uses graphic and iconic
images, bombs, explosions etc real life events etc.
Shock the audience.
• Set in a desert- conventional on genre as shows
they are alone and venerable and also isolated.
• Set in day and night. Day = unconventional of
genre as people are afraid of the unknown.
Night – Conventional of genre as add mystery and
suspense to the scene.

9. Dress Codes
• Casual Day wear, Jeans, T-shirts, Shirts etc, plain colours like
Green, blue etc. Wear the same thing throughout the film just
get dirtier and bloodier
• Hero, Baby and youngest girl wear white, to show innocence
and purity and status.
• Later scenes of the film the clothes are bloody, ripped and
dirty, conventional of the horror genre.
• The villains are dressed in dark clothing and mutated face and
body so audience cannot connect with them and feel
repulsed.

10. Audio Codes
Diagetic
• Voices of Characters, car engine, screams etc.
• Explosion – Matches image on screen
• Sound of tape reel malfunction
Non Diagetic
• Siren at start of Advert
• Then the song “California Dreamin” by Mamas and Papas
• Sound of a Hawk
• Engaged phone sound
• Wind sounds
• Chimes, and Keyboard sound
• Heart Beat
• Laughing
• Heavy Breathing

11. Action Codes
• Driving into a isolated place = conventional of genre
builds suspense, audience knows what's going to
happen.
• Car Breaks down, shows vulnerability and that they are
trapped.
• Makes the audience Jump, builds anticipation.
• Use of Weapons is conventional of genre as makes it
realistic also adds violence which is conventional of a
horror.

12. Technical Codes
• Text describing the events that cause the mutation
therefore helping to explain to the audience the film
• Flashing images of real life mutated people and
explosions, shock the audience
• Use black and white to suggest to the audience the Date of
the Bombing, then colour to represent present Day
• Long shot of Desert to set the scene
• Close up of Characters in the Film, help the audience
connect with the characters
• Over the shoulder shot to Gas attendant to show who he is
talking to.
• Close up of Crash.
• Red Lighting to suggest someone watching – Red connotes
Danger
• Flashing in an out of action, builds suspense for the
audience
• Zooming in on characters faces builds suspense
• Point of View Shot helps audience connect with the
character and feel what they are feeling.
• Close up on Hero face in the dark suggest danger and
builds the suspence for the audience.
• Light from the door creates a silluett creating an eary
atmososphere in the film

13. Narrative Codes (Film)
Prop
• Hero - Doug Bukowski
• Dispatcher – Gas Station Attendant
• Helper - Bobby Carter, Brenda Carter
• Villain – The Cannibalistic Mutants
• Princess – Baby Catherine
• Donor - Ruby the Mutant
Todorov
• Equilibrium – Happy Family Driving through desert.
• Disruption –Car Crash leaves the isolated and trapped
• Recognition – mutants try to kill, take baby,
• Attempt to Repair Disruption – Hero tries to save baby,
• Reinstatement – hero saves baby and some family members are safe.
Both convention of Genre as easy for the audience to follow.