Section A Practice

Evaluate how the two trailers use the narrative technique of enigma to encourage the target audience to watch the films.

By applying Barthes character theory I can identify enigma codes have employed several times throughout the extract. Enigma codes are usually utilised in trailers to engage and encourage viewers to actually go see the movie. An example of this is from the Twilight trailer when we see the boy turning into a vampire. This example provides us with many enigma codes such as Is he going to be powerful? What will happen? What will happen to Bella? These enigma codes are effective as they intrigue and interest the audience to go watch the film. There are also quite a few action codes relating to tension in the film. This suggests to the audience that the climax to the film will include death and destruction. Moreover, for the film 'Let the right one in' enigma codes exist in the form of editing. This is because fast cuts make the film uneasy to read and in a non-linear sequence suspense is created and the audience begins to question what is going on and this entices them to watch the film.

Question 2 linked to Identity, New/Digital Media or media debates - 12 marks - 15 minutes

Why are media products that represent outsiders, such as vampire films so popular? You may also refer to other media products to support your answer.

The first reason why vampire films such as Twilight are so popular is due to their character and the depiction of the character. This is the case as they are seen to be charming; elegant. People are interested in the psychology of their character such as Robert Patterson’s character in Twilight. There are diverse stereotypes for people that don't fit in one of which the theorist Perkins spoke about justifying how these stereotypes are in fact a positive outlook. This creates an audience appeal and hence why vampire films are possibly so popular. This also ties in the fact that famous actors such as Kristen Stewart and Robert Patterson who are huge artists in the film industry feature in these type of films encourage the audience to watch the films. In addition, as the Twilight was book based it already has a huge fan base which creating word-of-mouth entices more people to watch the film. The outsider character in the vampire genre has been so much so popular in recent years, so due to this producers remake them due to there being a less of a risk than something completely new. Producers capitalise on an already popular and profitable genres and representations. This links to Marxist ideas of exploiting audience for profit.

Question 3 linked to Identity, New/Digital Media or media debates - 12 marks - 15 minutes

Do you think that official and unofficial websites contribute to a films box office success? You should refer to other media products in your answer.

Some will agree and argue with the fact that official websites contribute to a film's box office success, as it gives the audience an insight of the film. For instance, the official website for the IMDB includes a variety of features such as, the trailer, downloadable photos, an online store and a community link to social networking sites. I believe that they do contribute to the success of the films box office as it provides another form of positive promotion for the film. The websites might have  inks to social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. This would be fundamentally important in promoting the film further to the audience globally, as individuals can be actively involved with the film through following the cast on Twitter or posting messages virally to their friends, which encourages more people to watch it. According to Pluralists, this establishes that the audience are no longer passive consumers of texts, but are now distributors as well through the development of technology.