Shropshire Star Analysis

The Shropshire Star is a regional newspaper published 6 days a week (Monday - Saturday) with a cover price, currently 42p. The Shropshire Star is sold at newsagents, garages, supermarkets and other convenience stores - it can also be delivered as part of a deal with newsagents. The date of the newspaper The newspaper edition I am analysing is Friday 24th February's County edition. In the UK, there are over 1,200 regional and local newspaper and associated with the papers are 1,600 websites. Local press is one of the most popular forms of news, read by over 33 million people a week, with around 42 million unique users reading and relying upon their local newspaper websites a month. On average, 6,000 newspapers are purchased per minute. The Shropshire Star has been a pioneer of many new techniques and technologies in the past, pioneering colour, being one of the first local newspapers to go online, and the first newspapers to publish a colour photograph that was taken on the same day. With a boom in the advance of online technology in the past year, The Shropshire Star has spread online with digital formats of the newspaper, releasing a new version of it's websites and branching out into social networking with pages on Facebook and Twitter. The Shropshire Star also runs podcasts.

The owners of Shropshire Star are MNA (Midlands News Association), who also publish several other newspapers and have branched out into other media. MNA used to own local radios; Telford FM, The Severn and The Wyre until they were purchased by UTV as part of a cost cutting drive. These stations have been merged together with The Wolf, already owned by UTV, to form a new network of radio stations across the West Midlands known as "Signal 107", an extension of their Signal brand for South Cheshire. In total, MNA own 21 other newspapers across the country, including Market Drayton Advertiser, North Shropshire Chronicle and Telford Journal.

The Shropshire Star currently has a circulation of over 55 thousand, with the hotspots for sales in Telford (over 17000 daily), Shrewsbury (over 8000 daily) and Oswestry (over 3000 daily). Some areas have a higher household penetration (readership to household ratio) than other areas, for example, 30% of Shrewsbury Rural read The Shropshire Star, whereas only 20.59% of the households read the paper in Oswestry, depsite more sales.

The paper is slightly larger than a tabloid format, for example, The Sun, but substantially less than a broadsheet, such as The Guardian. It has a layout similar to that of a tabloid with Sans Serif fonts for headlines and titles. The majority of the paper is also printed in colour, which is something that may appeal when it comes to sales and advertising. The paper's format follos typical conventions of tabloid papers with plugs to entice readers to view more in the paper, advertising competitions, etc. and using columns for text. The text is also aligned to be justified, making the paper look slightly neater and less relaxed.

In terms of content for news, I would say that an advertisement to news ratio currently stands at 60% news, 40% advertising. The paper features full page spreads and classifieds which, in some editions, take a substantial amount of spread on the newspaper. As there are more county editions now, there is less local news to each area, so I would guess that out of the 60% news, 20% is international news, with another 20% of that national, and 60% local news. Typically, the local news is advertisements of events and occurrences that have happened in Shropshire. Photographs are usually used in The Shropshire Star as a means of advertising local news and events too and are taken by staff of the paper, whereas photographs for more national sections of the newspaper are usually purchased from outside companies, such as The Press Association. Unlike tabloids, pictures are not used as a means of insulting or demeaning celebrities or national figures, but instead used to back up honest and trustworthy news which is something The Shropshire Star is renowned for.

Content that excludes news in The Shropshire Star relies heavily upon local interest to. A feature known as 'Pictures from the Past' features a picture of a local area or event from the past often sent in by readers to enforce the symbiotic relationship between the paper and the editor. Another local feature of the paper is the radio listings for the local and national stations that broadcast in that area for stations such as Beacon/Free, BRMB, BBC Shropshire, Radio 1, and the stations the parent company used to own, The Severn & The Wyre. By promoting locality once more, it supports the unique selling point of the paper.

The content of The Shropshire Star is local rich, with advertisements primarily of local companies, schools, colleges, charities and events. The news tends to be light hearted, and what's considered 'good news', representing it's demographic and area in a positive light. Local media is considered to be important not only in MNA but to companies across the UK as a unique selling point. Over 30,000 people are employed in local media and 10,000 of those people are journalists. The Shropshire Star until recently had eight editions, which included North Shropshire, South Shropshire, late and early editions, etc. which helped to keep the paper local and true to it's area. Due to cost cutting drives, MNA axed many editions and as a result only has three. Local media (especially newspapers), is one of the most trusted mediums in the UK as the content typically supports the community it's targeting as a unique selling point, especially for the Shropshire Star. By having the values of the local community at heart helps to support the idea that The Shropshire Star is to be trusted. If it lost it's local values and bought in more national news and took political sides, it's likely that The Shropshire Star would loose audience and readership figures.

Photographs are usually used in The Shropshire Star to promote local events, news and competitions and are usually taken by in-house photographers for MNA media, however, when reporting on the national news, pap-shots purchased from the UK Press Association are usually included. This process is widely used not only in local media, but online media for sites such as Digital Spy, who employ freelance photographers and journalists. The Shropshire Star has heavily influenced national press and media through their use of photographs, being the first newspaper to publish a colour picture taken on the same day - a technique that is used without thought in the industry today.

The Shropshire Star uses a friendly mode of address that is direct and appealing to readers, especially for a local paper. The paper uses phrases such as "call your paper" and "here to help" to reinforce the idea of the locality behind the publication. The paper addresses content using simple syntax and vocabulary so that the publication can be read by a wider demographic, with an audience from different classes, ages and reading skills. Whilst having such simple language, the paper excels going into detail with such simple vocabulary, allowing readers to grasp the whole context around a feature. This once again backs up the local idea and the 'nice' feel of the paper, almost as if it's 'looking out for you'. The wide audience is reflected again in the number of supplements and features for different audiences. The Shropshire Star contains features and pull-outs for cars, schools, educations and properties, etc. so that the appeal to a wide demographic is maintained. The Shropshire Star uses language and content from the audience to represent the voice of the reader and community - such content includes local letters, classifieds, announcements (deaths, birthdays, anniversaries), and stories from the readership to once again back up the idea that the paper is looking out for the audience. Language is manipulated to make the community it's targeting seem caring and as if it's a pleasant environment. To show off the point that the publication is caring and looks out for it's community, The Shropshire Star contains a high percentage of light hearted, and often good, news - represented through it's use of language too. The paper is seen as pro-animal and child-centred, a likely appeal to mothers and children alike. The paper cleverly structures it's syntax and vocabulary in articles to seem independent of political bias - by taking sides with the mass community ideas, it once again supports the unique selling point that The Shropshire Star has to offer; locality. The Shropshire Star represents social groups such as ethnic minorities and the elderly in a positive light with news segments that congratulate couples on reaching 100 or victory over racial abuse.

The Shropshire Star is in competition with several different types of media in the Midlands area. It's challenged with the network of Midlands radio stations, Free Radio (previously Beacon, BRMB, Wyvern and Mercia), the stations it sold to UTV Media, The Severn & The Wyre (now Signal 107), local television such as BBC Midlands Today and ITV's Central Tonight, websites for the area (including their own as it's one of the fastest growing in the UK), other print media such as local papers (Market Drayton Advertiser), and national media, including print (Independant, The Sun), terrestrial and digital television and audio (podcasts, Radio 1, etc). The Shropshire Star appears to promote it's rivals with television and radio schedules in the paper, almost a sign of independence of the paper and how it doesn't care for it's competition - by appearing uncompetitive with it's rivals, the reputation of the paper is kept in tact.

The Shropshire Star has a website where limited version of their paper content are available. The majority of content is locally based, but the national stories are often cut down due to the sheer fact it can be found elsewhere. In terms of online access, The Shropshire Star also produces an interactive edition in an application for iPod, iPad and iPhone. Content is also published on their Twitter and Facebook page, suggesting that they're connecting with a younger audience.

Newspapers

Newspaper Analysis
Below is the news paper front cover and my annotations, labeling common features on a front cover of a news paper in general.

There are a number of different formats and types of newspapers, for example:

Regional (Shropshire Star)

• Regional (Shropshire Star)
• Local (Market Drayton Advertiser, North Shropshire Chronicle, Herald)
• Tabloid (The Sun, The Mail, Daily Star)
• Broadsheet (Old Telegraph)
• Berliner (Guardian)
• Compact (The I)

Newspapers often come in other formats, for example in digital forms such as apps and online version, which are usually in a PDF format which can be viewed inside an internet browser. Newspapers generally have websites and publish a number of articles, and sometimes summary articles.

Legal & Ethical

Unlike broadcast news, which has to be balanced, print press may be bias - although it is bias, it has to be accurate. Print press is regulated by the PCC (Press Complaints Committee) but does not have as strict guidelines as broadcasting due to the fact live broadcasts are a more trusted medium due to the fact it has motion picture. Other than the PCC, newspapers are otherwise self regulated.

Newspapers are forbidden to conduct contempt of court, to go against the official secrets act and conduct defamation (damaging someone's character), although there is often loopholes for press to hint at something they're not allowed to say, for example, when a celebrity or someone well known takes out a super injunction, as seen recently, they will report on the person who's taken out the injunction.

The Ring (2002)

"The Ring" (2002), is an American Psychological Horror starring Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller and Martin Henderson as Noah Clay. The film is based on the Japanese 1998 adaptation, "Ring", of the novel by Koji Suzuki also titled "Ring". "The Ring" is a picture by Dreamworks with a budget of $45 million, however, managed to take almost $250 million at box office. Through the use of psychological games played on spectators, it is highly likely that the film helped to push the genre forward, in conjunction with the technological advancements that the beginning of the 21st century would bring - a new wave of 3D, digital projection as an alternative to film projection in cinemas.

"The Ring" follows the story of Rachel Keller and her fight to save her own and her son's life after watching a cursed video tape. Anyone who watches the tape dies in seven days. The films events start after Rachel's neice, Katie is killed by a spirit, Samara who supposedly created the cursed tape. After deciding to investigate the death, Rachel stumbles upon the tape, watches it, and takes it home after receiving a call stating "seven days". Her son also watches the tape, as does her friend, Noah Clay. Rachel eventually finds out how to stop the deaths, but it becomes to late and she looses her friend Noah to Samara as she murders him.

There is a strong meaning in "The Ring" that death is just around the corner, and that it is always watching. Colour and lighting plays an important part in conveying the meaning of something dark around the corner, for example, in the weather - the dull skies and the rain. The use of dull colours makes us as an audience wonder what could be lurking in the dark and further wonder what could be out there to get us. Colour and lighting in the film also reflect the colour and graininess of cursed tape. In terms of costume and make-up, the outfits characters wear are neither glamorous or expensive and give the idea that Rachel Keller and her son are just 'normal' citizens caught up in a mess. Backing up the idea that something could be out there to get us, sound also plays an important role. In scenes where suspense is being built and action is about to commence orchestral, sinister sounds are built up to add to the deathly and gloomy mood of the film. The idea of death coming for you is demonstrated through special effects at the end of the film when Samara comes through the television screen for Noah, killing him in the process. I think this resembles the idea well. The idea of fate still being feared globally is evident in the film through the narrative of the film. Several characters tempt fate with their lives by watching the film, unable to control their curiosity. Stars are used in a way to convey meaning too, with Naomi Watts, who plays Rachel Keller has been typically cast as a family woman in thrillers and horrors in both television and film, for example, in "Dream House", (2011), Kellers plays a family woman who gets trapped in a series of unfortunate and supernatural events. The use of fast cuts at the more dramatic scenes and slower cuts at the less dramatic scenes enforce the idea that death can creep up at anyone at any time. 

I think the cinematography plays a large part in creating meaning in the film, for example in the scene leading up to and including Katie's Death. She suddenly becomes alone in the house and supernatural events begin to happen such as the television turning on and the fridge opening and closing on it's own accord. As Katie is exploring the house, moving to and from the activity (shutting the fridge door, turning the television back off again), the camera becomes still and makes use of wide shots to capture a large proportion of action. The motionless shots help to build tension as it allows a number of things to take place in the back and fore ground. These kind of shots help to enforce my original idea that something is just around the corner.

Sound also plays an important role in creating suspense in this film. Due to the advances in technology compared to the two previous films, "Frankenstein" (1931) and "The Devil Rides Out" (1968), it's likely that the soundtrack to "The Ring" contains a wild track, meaning that the shoot is totally silent apart from the voices and noises produced physically by the actors with a sound of the room and sounds of props in the room overdubbed in post-production.

In terms of representation of people, there are many establishing shots of the neighborhood where the lead female character, Rachel Keller, lives. Rachel Keller is a single mum who works and relies upon home childcare whilst she is at work. In conjunction with the establishing shots, it represents Keller as not just the only one who is always busy trying to make ends meet, but one of many. This, with the idea that she is a family woman represent Keller as a strong protagonist who, we, as spectators begin to like and gain respect for as we watch the film. As an audience we respect that Keller is working as hard as she can for her money and the lengths she would go to so that she can protect her family. The film helps to deal with issues of working mothers and the negative light shed upon them globally by portraying the lead female in a positive and strong light. There is a stereotype in the beginning of the film that Rachel is a rushed person and has no time for quality time with her son, but soon is turned around, as said previously, by becoming strong and fighting for her family. It could be said that Rachel is to be seen as a positive role model, but it's likely, that due to the nature and target age of the film that it wouldn't be for a child. It's likely that her role model status would be for working or single mothers. The representation of the genre could also be seen as negative through the 'copycat' approach to the genre. The film makes use of typical codes and conventions of the genre with the use of mirrors, dreary weather and playing with common fears; water, the dark, etc.

"The Ring" is distributed and produced by DreamWorks, a subsidiary of the Reliance ADA Group, an Indian Company that specialises in health, telicom and entertainment. It's unusual that "The Ring" is associated with such a company as DreamWorks usually deals with dramas, family orientated comedies, such as "Shrek" and "Saving Private Ryan". The budget of the film was $45million and grossed nearly $250million through it's migration to other continents and it's success in cinema across the world, therefore making the film multinational. The fact the film grossed so well proves that the film was financially viable, bringing in a profit for the companies involved in the production. The second film in the franchise, "The Ring 2" grossed significantly less amid mixed reviews from critics. There will be a third edition in the franchise, with the working title (as it's still in production) called "The Ring 3D". The fact that the characters can translate across the globe (family woman, and the representation of working mothers) also help to make the film multinational and help the franchise to become globalised. In terms of cross media, the film had a website (http://www.thering-themovie.com) to help promote the sales and the globalisation of the film (using a .com domain). Since the films release, the website now just promotes the second film in the franchise, "The Ring 2", and the DVD release of the original. The website is minimalist, probably due to the technology at the time it was created.

As said before, the film was distributed by DreamWorks who not only took charge of distributing the film to cinemas, but to television networks and retail outlets (for DVD and Blueray releases) following lengthy cross media advertising campaigns. DreamWorks released several cinematic and television trailers for the film (can be seen above), but I found it difficult to track down a radio trailer. It's likely at the time leading up to and throughout it's release that "The Ring" would have been self-promoted on it's website and the production company's website. By having such an extensive advertising campaign, the film would reach out to potential customers and spectators who may not have travelled to see the film based on word of mouth. Through the developments of technology, it now allows to the film to be broadcast, even if illegally, through the internet. It's a fairly modern film so it's likely that this film would be found somewhere on a popular file sharing site. UIP (United International Pictures) were responsible for the distribution of the films in cinemas in 7 non-English speaking, European companies, for example: Germany, Argentina, Switzerland, Finland, Greece, Italy, Netherlands and one English speaking country, Ireland. "The Ring's" television debut was on ABC (the American Broadcasting Corporation).

In terms of legalities and ethics, the film is mainly produced by DreamWorks, but two other smaller production companies, such as, MacDonald/Parkes Productions and Bender Spinks so a large proportion of profits would be directed at these companies. The film doesn't rely on being borderline blasphemous and gore unlike horror films of the past, such as, "The Devil Rides Out", therefore regulatory bodies would be likely to find little offensive content and material. Similarly, with the representation of characters and social groups, there is little offensive with the representation, so therefore, regulatory bodies would also find little wrong with the representation. If the film were to be shown on UK television, it is highly likely that Ofcom would rule that the film is shown post-watershed with few sections of content removed, due to the fact there is little gore and that the film really relies upon mind games and jumps.

In conclusion, I think that "The Ring" allowed the development of the horror genre to continue through it's use of mind games, luring a spectator into a false sense of security and through suspense via music and noise. Whilst typically following conventions of the genre, I think by basing the script on Japanese folklore and on an original Japanese film, the producers were able to explore a world that would be unfamiliar in English-speaking horror. Whilst containing plot holes and little special effects, I think meaning is created very well through sounds, mise-en-scene and colour.

The Devil Rides Out (1968)

Set in the south of England in the 1930s, "The Devil Rides Out" follows the story of Duc de Richleau, played by Christopher Lee, investigating the strange behaviour of a friend's son, Simon, who he believes is in the Occult. Richleau and a friend, Rex van Ryn, played by Leone Greene, hold up a devil worship ceremony and rescue their friend, Simon Aron, played by Patrick Mower, and his associate, Tanith Carlisle, played by Nike Arrighi. In the rescue attempt, Satan appears. They manage to escape to the Eatons' house, who are friends of Duc de Richleau and Rex van Ryn, and are then followed by the Occult's leader, Mocata who has a phsycic connection to Rex and Tanith. Throughout the night at the Eatons' house, Mocata attacks the group with black magic attacks, forcing the group to defend themselves. The group at the Eatons' house successfully defeat Mocata, which results in Mocata loosing his life and being sent to eternal damnation. The movie was released in 1968 by Hammer Film Productions and was directed by Terrence Fisher and written by Richard Matheson. The film follows a typically linear narrative with no anaphoric references, unlike Frankenstein, with a narrative that stars a lot of time prior to the start of the film.

There is a clear meaning of religion and Satinism throughout the movie, and the producers have used a number of different techniques to create that meaning. First of all, would be the use of the cleverly designed Mise-en-Scene, although not spectacular, there is a use of certain religious props and prints that create the sense of religion. For example, in the house the Occult are worshipping in, there are a number of strange markings and the sign of the Pentagram with a Ram in the centre marked on the floor. As part of props, dead chickens were found in a cupboard as sacrifices, which adds to the whole meaning of religion and Satanism. To enhance the sinister motives within the film, for example, the sacrificing of a child, dramatic, orchestral music is used to build tension and to heighten the intensity of the dramatic shots, for example, when Satan appears in the room Duc de Richleau and his associates are defending themselves against black magic attacks at night. At this point also, there are a lot of fast cuts and close ups to get the reaction of the characters, and to show the 'anger' of the horse jumping up and down. In some of the fast cutting shots, slow motion is used to create some sort of 'over powering' from the 'Angel of Death'.

Christopher Lee became renowned for his characterisation of Dracula in the Hammer Horror franchise, and it seems that Horror and Thriller is a genre he hasn't left, therefore, as he was iconic, he was used in this Hammer Horror. It helped the show to enhance it's sinister meaning by contracting someone who's normally associated with the style of film.

A number of special effects were used in the film, for example when the 'Angel of Death' appears, it's possible that green screen effects were used as the angel appears to 'fade in' from 100% opacity. Another example of special effects is the 'ceremony scene', when a religious cross is thrown at the "Goat of Mendes"and the satanic figure bursts into a flame and implodes. It could be considered that this special effect is advanced for the time.

The connotation that 'evil is just a round the corner' is evident in this film through the use of special FX, dark lighting, reflected in the mise-en-scene (settings), and especially the costume. Dark, rich robes create the feel of belonging to some kind of elite group, which helps to make the satanic cult seem more evil. The quick cutting helps to emphasise the evil point, by things occurring so quickly in the film - for example in the ceremony scene and the scene in which Richleau and his associates are fighting against black magic. Also in these scenes, objects fade in and out, which resembles 'evil' in reality. Being ever present, and can creep up at any time.

At the time of production, the supremacy of religion was beginning to fall, and this was reflected in the media, and especially film as a means of 'venting' what was occurring in the swinging sixties. These issues in the film were reflected by having a group of Satan worshippers going against God. The film puts forward the idea that people who don't believe in God, believe and worship Satan - as there are no skeptic characters in the film. This also represents how widespread religion was at the time of production and publish, and that minority groups who worshipped otherwise were 'outsiders'.

There is still a strong sense that women are represented as being the inferior gender, as the lead protagonist is male and the lead antagonist is also male. The female is still portrayed as the classic 'damsel in distress'. This is shown, for example, when Marie Eaton is taken over by a spirit in the defence against black magic scene, it is a female who is corrupted. Again, when Mocata corrupts and hypnotises another character to an evil deed, it is Tanith Carlisle, another female.

The majority of characters in the film are upper-middle class, set in rural areas in large houses and settings. In the film, we don't know the background of other characters, but by them socialising in such a high class setting, we can assume through their portrayal in the film that they too are upper-middle or high class. Class is also reflected upon through the idea of religion and 'belonging', as it's also the higher class characters that are a part of the Satanic cult. There is only one black person in the film, which resembles the ground-breaking movement throughout the late 50s and 60s where minority group characters and actors were 'allowed' to become involved in the production. The fact that there are so few black characters in cinema in general at the time of production reflects that the bending of rules is only at the beginning (collapse of studio system, actors becoming independent, cinema beginning to collapse). The character in question in the film is on the side of the antagonist, so it's still fair to say, at the time of production, black people were portrayed in a negative light, for example, associating with the devil. It's very much like the white people are portrayed as the positive and good role models, whereas anyone who isn't considered a social 'norm', is portrayed as a negative role model, who people shouldn't aspire to. The film was released at the height of the 'swinging sixties', so rules and regulations regarding film and stereotypes were much more relaxed.

Hammer Films were an independent company, and they took care of the production, distribution and promotion of the films that they created, and "The Devil Rides Out" was no exception. Today, Hammer Films is owned by, and referred to as a subsidiary of "Exclusive Media Group". Hammer stopped producing films, and was considered in 'hibernation' since the 1980s, until funding in the late 2000s allowed them to begin producing films again. Hammer is known for it's horror production, therefore, it's a film that would be expected for the production company, and this resembles the 'ownership' that Hammer had over it's films. The newest release for Hammer Films is "The Woman in Black" (2012), which is also a horror film, continuing the company's legacy. Whilst Hammer is primarily a UK company, it's films have done considerably well in the hardest film market, America, with sequels to the franchises such as "Frankenstein" and "Dracula'. In recent times, Hammer relies on cross media to promote it's media for example, the recent Facebook competition for "The Woman in Black". Relying on social media and the internet allows the company to reach a younger audience, something that was reflected in the marketing campaign for "The Devil Rides Out". Whilst technology wasn't as advanced, it did use different mediums to advertise the film - the trailer can be seen below and the promotional poster at the top of this entry. Whilst the film was a Hammer Production, in the USA it was distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Frankenstein (1931)

For a film released in 1931, "Frankenstein" is advanced in terms of it's use of technology, and especially special effects. "Frankenstein" is a Universal Pictures production and pioneers many techniques which would influences not only the horror genre but cinema in years to come.

The film follows the story of Dr. Henry Frankenstein, played by Colin Clive, and his assistant, Fritz, played by Dwight Frye, creating a life using parts of different dead bodies he's taken from a grave yard. After coming to life, the creation is named the 'Monster'. The story is told through a narrative that would influence cinema to come, and uses special effects, sound and mise-en-scene that would also influence future cinema.

"Frankenstein" makes an extensive use of sounds to create a mood and feel at certain sections of the film. For example, in the opening scene of the film (after the introduction by a 'narrator'), a haunting and dramatic use of orchestral music creates a feeling of unease and tenseness. The effect of music and soundtrack is repeated in a number of occasions throughout the film, for example, in the death scene of Frankenstein's Monster, where a mix of dramatic strings with the chilling screams as the Monster burns in the fire create an uncomfortable viewing for an audience. Sound had only come into films in 1927, so previous to this, majority of films were either silent or had a piano accompaniment. Within four years, "Frankenstein" had the developed technology to include speech and soundtracks, so in that sense the sound of the film could be considered highly advanced for an early 20th Century movie.

Special FX in "Frankenstein" are considered to be technologically advanced for the age of the film. One scene that also makes use of setting, sound and Mise-en-scene to create an astonishing effect for the time, was when the Monster was brought to life by lightening after he was raised up on a medical table to the roof of the building on a chain mechanism, with a whole in the roof for the table to go through. This was almost groundbreaking for cinema in general, as films at the time commonly shared sets, so by having such a custom built set for the special effect added to the spectacle of the film. In conjunction with the sound FX and soundtrack, the effect is almost over the top, but reflects the feelings of Frankenstein at this particular moment - driven to the brink of insanity after he feels he is at the same level as god. Special FX throughout the film are used in a way to 'overpower' the audience or viewer, for example, in The Monster's death scene, when the windmill he is in is set alight, the roar from the crowd who hunted him, and the overwhelming, white flames.

Lighting is used effectively in "Frankenstein", which allowed the director, James Whale, to play with emotions throughout the film. Lighting played a predominant role in the composition of the film. To reflect a dark and mysterious mood, shadows were introduced to make an audience wonder what's in the dark. It creates an air of uncertainty. Something that goes against the typical lighting of the film however, is the scene where Frankenstein's Monster throws a farmer's young daughter into the river. The light is bright and it's a sunny day time, and the girl and the Monster are throwing flowers into the river as they float. The lighting and action in the scene made the girl seem highly innocent, therefore intensifying the murder of the girl as it's something an audience, especially of the time, would not have expected.

"Frankenstein" follows a simple narrative, although at the beginning of the movie, it's similar to play, where there's a scene with a narrator appearing on a stage, appearing to warn the audience of what's to come, before introducing the story. The way it's structured suggests that the film has occurred in the past, and that this scene cuts to something prior to those recorded events. The narrative is already half way through at the beginning of the film, as we miss the story building up to why Frankenstein wanted to create life, why he decided to do what he wanted to do. The story of the movie starts at the beginning, however, the narrative is already towards the end of Frankenstein's tale.

There is a strong sense of humanity being almost animalistic throughout the film, and this meaning is created in a number of different ways. One particular scene that I felt represented humanity in such manner was when the crowd of men were gathered before chasing after the Monster, trying to rescue Frankenstein. The long shot at the beginning of the scene looked busy and overpowering, and to an audience at the time of release, it would have come across as intimidating. Subsequent to this, the shots that followed (a variety of mid and long shots), continued to look busy and intimidating. The scene, aided by the loud noises of men's cheering and chanting seems to back up this point. The mise-en-scene of the woods and outdoors in which they were gathered looked muddy and torn apart which gave the connotation of man being destroyers, the hard workers, where as the women stay at home. This scene also represents gender stereotypes of the time. Boris Karloff was chosen to play the Monster over the Bela Lugosi, and in the scene where he is running through the crowd, it could be suggested that he is something to be sympathised with, that it was in fact humanity that had made him this way.

Another meaning I feel was created in the film was the denotation of 'insanity'. For example, in the scene where the Monster is brought to life, Frankenstein appears to suffer a breakdown as he successfully creates life. In conjunction with low angle shots to make Frankenstein look powerful, and mechanical sound effects, and an industrial and medical setting, costumes that are torn and ripped, and low level lighting, apart from the sparks really help to convey that meaning. It could be said that Colin Clive, who plays Frankenstein, shouldn't be looked up to as a role model as he states that he 'can play God' in the film, and at the time would have been extremely blasphemous to an audience, and could indeed offend.

Representation of stereotypes, as said before, are true to the time of the films release. Released just after the feminist revolution, there's still the idea that females have a lesser role in society, for example, at the section of the film where they have to stay behind to 'take care' of Elizabeth, suggesting that they are weak and inferior compared to men, who have the strength to take on the Monster. Locations and how they're represented play a big part in the mood of the film, for example, the castle in which Frankenstein is masterminding his creation is dark and creepy, creating an air of mystery in the film. This is reflected upon in the scene where Frankenstein brings the monster to life, the dark, creepy surroundings suggest that something sinister is going on. There's a feeling that the film represents humans as a murderous race, and that an audience at this time should feel the same as the characters in the film towards the Monster. Furthermore, as a modern cinema audience, we now see the Monster as something to be empathised with. There is obviously some negative effects on the audience with offensive behaviour, grave-robbing, and blasphemous speech from Frankenstein.

"Frankenstein" was produced and published by Universal studios, who are renowned for critically acclaimed thriller and horror movies. At the time the movie was released, the studio system was at it's beginning, where actors were signed up to studios under contracts as appose to being under contract to film. As the studio system wasn't at it's peak, actors still had some say in what films they wanted to take part in, hence Bela Lugosi's rejection. This influenced the whole dynamic of "Frankenstein" and other horror films produced under the studios. The studio system not only involved actors, but also production crew, publicists and also allowed their equipment and staff to be hired out should the studio not be using it themselves. "Frankenstein" was produced by one of the biggest production studios at the time, therefore, the film was financially stable and big budget due to the way in which the studio production worked. It allowed the sets to be advanced for their time. Through the studio system, actors would be associated with certain genres as the production companies would use them in similar roles, for example Barbara Steele was considered the 'Queen of Horror' after making a number of gruesome appearances. Boris Karloff was selected to play the Monster through his 'haunting' eyes, and subsequently played the role of the Monster for the two sequels that followed the original. By reusing sets through their films, it allowed the studios to spend more money on make-up and costume to make the film visibly more scarier, something that "Frankenstein" could be considered renowned for. Another example of money-saving by the studio is the use of low lighting. Whilst it was used for stylistic reasons to create a certain mood, it also allowed studios to save money by not spending ridiculous amounts of money on lighting sets. Similarly at this time, production company, Warner Brothers, used low lighting for stylistic reasons in their gangster films. Universal studios was, and still is an independent company, so therefore took care of the production, promotion and distribution of the films.

Universal studios also took care of the distribution, advertising and promotion of their films, and "Frankenstein" was no exception. Trailers were a 'unique' concept introduced in 1913 by Nils Granlund who was a marketing manager for the US Marcus Loew cinema chain. They often captured an important scene and then played it to an audience with a narration to invite people to watch the screenings.

Examining the changes of the Horror genre in the past 100 years

Horror as a genre has morphed and changed many times since it's birth in the early days of cinema. Advances in technology, changes in culture and economy were reflected by the film makers in the films they produced to push the genre forward. In film, "horror" is designed to toy with people's minds with their worst nightmares and fears.

1925 was the year the first horror was considered to be made in. The film in question was the silent and original "Phantom of the Opera", which starred Lon Chainy as the Phantom. Whilst Chainy was praised by critics for his performance in the film, it was his use of make-up that made his name in the film industry. His use of make-up was ground breaking as he chose to do all of his own make-up, aiding him with 'getting into character'. It was said that Chainy went through pain to develop his make-up.

In 1927, the first commercial film with audio was released which pushed the genre on once more. This allowed film makers to take advantage of using audio to create pace throughout the films, whilst also using it to enhance the scarier moments of the film. The first 'horror' films that use sound are Universal Studio's "Dracula" and "Frankenstein", both released in 1931. From just those two films, Universal became renowned (and still is today) for producing Horror movies. "Dracula" starred Bela Lugosi as "The Count", a role which he became typecast for, starring in several re-makes and sequels, becoming the 'iconography' for horror films of the early film era and was directed by Tod Browning, whilst "Frankenstein" was directed by James Whale and starred Colin Clive as "Frankenstein" and Boris Carloff as "The Monster". Lugosi was due to play "The Monster", but later changed his mind. Lugosi struggled for work due to his accent and many productions not requiring a Hungarian accent. "Dracula" marked a development in the horror as it was the first film that featured dialogue all the way through. The original "Frankenstein" film had a clip in which the monster threw a little girl into the sea, however, it was deemed to violent to be displayed in cinema at the time of release, therefore, was removed. The very fact film makers began to attempt to add gore or twisted scenes into their films pushed the genre forward as viewers became susceptible to what originally frightened them. Whilst Lugosi was recognised universally for his performance in the horror genre, it was James Whale who's considered the first auteur of horror.

By the 30s, early technicolour had been introduced into film and cinema, which allowed film makers to experiment with colour to create moods and convey feelings throughout their story's. Due to a quota set by government, there was a flood of British films in production throughout the 30s which allowed British film makers to experiment and push more boundaries with horror as it was almost certain that there film would be shown due to the quota. Such British films included, "The Ghoul" (1933), which also starred Boris Karloff. Ironically, "Werewolf of London" (1935) was an American film, but also spawned a new genre of film, 'Werewolf', introducing a sub-genre of horror film. Sub-genres of horror didn't universally come around until the 40s. In 1931, and 1932, two films, "Freaks" and "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" were produced by "MGM" and "Paramount", and began to push boundaries once more. "Freaks" featured dwarves, amputees, conjoined twins and a bearded ladies and explored the lives and romances of the characters - something which was deemed 'horrifying' to audiences at the time. What made the film more controversial is the fact that these characters suffered with what they do in real life. "Freaks" was negatively received by audiences. "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", however, was generally received more positive due to the fact it was more 'normal'. The popularity of controversial films waned quickly, therefore, film production studios found that the most economical way to produce films from the Horror genre was to create sequels, causing the format of 'horrors' to become tired.

By the 1940s, the popularity of horrors was definitely declining, and one film that seemed to push that further was 1942 film, "Cat People", produced by Val Luton and RKO Pictures. Critics felt that the purpose "Cat People" was to just "induce shock", and although audiences weren't 100% comfortable with this, the film itself became renowned for one technique, known as the "Luton Bus", which references a scene in the film where a bus comes out of no-where and creates a loud noise - however, this is not the surprise we were expecting. This is seen in modern horrors such as "The Unborn" (2009), where there is an establishing shot and all of a sudden a train rushes past. The sudden noise and action appearing on screen shocks an audience, just like Luton intended in "Cat People". In 1952, RKO produced a sequel to the film as it was the style of Hollywood Horror at the this time. The film wasn't considered a commercial success. By the mid 50s, "Horror" became 'extinct' as sequels grew to be humorous parodies of what they once were. A "Dracula" remake in this period starred Bela Lugosi in the role that made his name, "The Count", however critics felt that the writers made the character a joke of what it once was.

The 1960s saw a wave of a new breed of horror, "The American Scream". Sparking the wave of new horror was individual film, "Phsyco" (1960), directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The story was loosely based on serial killer and grave robber, Ed Gein. This film broke the 'convention' that horror films must have a hero/heroine by opting for protagonists who may not necessarily be 'good', but equally defeat the opposing side that the audience/film is fighting. By breaking the general conventions that 'horror' typically followed, it allowed to genre to be refreshed and move forward once more.

1968 saw another refresh in the horror genre as "Night of the Living Dead" was released, directed by George A Romero and starring Duane Jones. "Night of the Living Dead" wasn't a studio production so, therefore, did not have a higher authority saying 'no' to their ideas and content. As such, 'obscene' things for the time were allowed to be shot, it pushed the genre forward and allowed for a wider goal posts on the type of things allowed to be scene in a movie. The film also contained the first news report on television as part of the story, one convention that is widely used in television and film production in recent times. The intention of the film was for it not to be a supernatural film, but something very much human and portraying the undead 'zombies' as humans who are just living the only life they know, possibly reflecting political worries at the time? "NOTLD" also proved that low budget films could profit, and in recent times, this theory has been proved correct with the success of 2007 horror, "Paranormal Activity" - with a budget of $15,000, it grossed over $193million at Box Office worldwide. "Night of the Living Dead" also broke boundaries by featuring a black actor, Duane Jones as the main character, "Ben". At the time of release, this could have potentially been controversial as a film had never featured a black actor in a lead role before. The director and producers simply put it down to his audition being the best. 1968 was also the year of another horrific release, "Rosemary's Baby", directed by Roman Polanski. This film allowed to horror genre to move forward once more due to the almost blasphemous topics covered in the film - a cult of Satan worshipers who sacrificed a baby's pair of eyes.

"Rosemary's Baby" is one of three films in the 60s and 70s that featured a demon child - the other two, "The Omen" and "The Excorcist", which continued an almost blasphemous theme, a theme that is still present in modern horror. The 70s also introduced new themes that we still see associated with modern horror, the introduction of Halloween as a convention, enforcing a notion that 'evil is ever-present'. In 1978, George Romero directed "Dawn of the Dead", and once more, the horror genre was used to represent reality, as in the film, love and romance is shown between the dead.

The 80s, 90s and 2000s saw the introduction of psychological thrillers, such as "Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984), where the antagonist of the film was able to access the minds of it's victims. In recent times, in films such as George Romero's 1985 hit, "Day of the Dead", filmed suicides, gore and decapitated bodies were becoming acceptable, and the boundaries that the horror pioneers had tried to push became a world apart from what they used to be. The foundations which had been laid by Chainy's make-up, directors such as, Romero, Luton, Whale and icons such as Lugosi and Carloff are now reflected in modern cinema and horror.

Horrors, in the silent movie age used to be melodramatic and hint at grotesque imagery as appose to showing it, however, as we, as an audience became susceptible to the "same-old" events in each film, slowly, over time, the introduction of displaying grotesque imagery as appose to just hinting or suggesting it. This has changed not only the horror genre but cinema in general, as films in modern times contain much more gritty and realistic action. It could be considered that horror was highly influential on not only it's modern form of genre, but the whole of the film world. Possibly being the most realistic genre in the film industry.

Technology and facilities gradually improved as cinema improved, which allowed film pioneers to really explore the boundaries and possibilities of the horror genre as it was the most extreme. In terms of shots, the practicalities of shooting much more dynamic shots such as the "Steadicam shot", invented in 1975, allowed horror directors to build suspense. Not only this, but it allowed horror auteurs to blend certain shots with iconic features, such as the "Luton Bus".

Up to the 60s, there was a harsh ruling against sexual imagery, gorey imagery and strong content in films, which prevented horror from truly shocking it's audience. So, naturally, the films relied upon suggestion of shots and Mise-en-Scene to convey it's meaning. A typical convention of horror that still stands today is the lighting. In the most tense and dramatic scenes, horrors tend to have low, almost uncomfortable lighting. This gives off the impression of being 'cut off' from the outside world, and through lighting alone, it emphasises the feeling and relays it onto an audience watching it in a presumably low-lit cinema.

In the early days of horror, films were shot back to back and some settings were often used across multiple films. This allowed studios to produce numerous amounts of quality horror films but at a much cheaper budget. As horrors typically rely upon their settings, it was crucial that the sets the studios were doubling up could be customised depending on the film. Many horrors, up until the 80s were reliant upon supernatural 'monsters' or 'characters', whilst in modern horror, it's more about what we can't see. As such, over-the-top sets such as castles were common in early horror. This marks a major change in the genre over the past 100 years. Another reason for such cheap props and sets was due to the budgets each film received. Especially independent films. Independent films rarely peaked $15,000 for a budget in the early days of horror (20s-60s), therefore had to be extremely cautious on costs for settings and props, not to mention costs of promotion and production in general.

Representation of characters and people within horror has changes substantially since the birth of horror. Traditionally, horror contained stereotypes for their lead characters - a strong male as the 'hero' who saves the day, a beautiful and fashionable woman who serves as the 'damsel in distress', with a group of characters, a mix of both "average-looking" males and females in supporting roles, who eventually die in the film. The reason for the less beautiful supporting characters dying was to allow the torture or death of a beautiful main character to seem much more shocking and to make the character more cared-for and important in the film.