I am going to compare Sorority Row with Paranormal Activity three and Saw three through using the techniques like Genre, Narrative, Unique Selling Point, Target Audience, Music, Shot types/ Camera angles, Pace Dialogue, Voiceover, Special effects and Credit and intertitles.
The genre in Saw and Sorority Row is horror; however Paranormal Activity is supernatural horror. Sorority Row is a horror film, because there is killing and screaming and it puts apprehension into the audience and leaves them clueless when watching the film, also Saw is the same because the villain has a blood thirst of humans and leaving people scared for they lives. On the other hand, Paranormal Activity has a villain which is not shown (invisible) but it is still causing havoc towards the victims where the humans are flying around without seeing what is hitting them this creates a sense of suspense and inability to read what’s going to happen next.
The narrative in Saw and Sorority Row is not really that similar. In Sorority Row a group of sorority sisters try to cover up the death of their house-sister after a prank gone wrong, only to be stalked by a serial killer. In addition, Saw: follows Jeff after his son is hit and killed by a car; he is put in a series of tests by Jigsaw in order try and let go of his vengeance on the man that killed him. Meanwhile a bed-ridden John Kramer has ordered his apprentice Amanda Young to kidnap a doctor named Lynn, in order to keep him alive for one final test before he dies of cancer. Furthermore in Paranormal Activity the film is based in 1988, young sisters Katie and Kristi encounter an invisible entity haunting their home. Although it appears friendly, it turns hostile, tormenting the young girls and their family. In my opinion, Sorority Row and Saw has a huge difference from Paranormal Activity because Sorority Row and Saw is using Levi Strauss theory (conflict and fear) and Paranormal Activity is using Todorov theory (suspense and havoc), so this show the genre are different even though it is similar at the same time because of it is horror.
The unique selling point in Sorority Row is that they made up a fabricated story that the girl was dead, however, the boy decided to kill the girl who was only pretending to be dead. This creates a huge bombshell because no one ever thought he would do that. In contrast, Saw is a story where vengeance is a key factor in this film because he is livid with his son death that he goes through a series of tests just to find his son killer by a grotesque monster. In addition, Paranormal activity is where young sisters encounter an invisible monster haunting their home. I believe that all three of these film have its own unique selling point however, what they have in common is that the villain has unfinished business with the victims and yearns to terrorise the victims life and make it hell. Also these trailers are very riveting because its eye openers; because you will be flabbergasted with what goes on and it engrosses you to make you go and watch the film.
The target audience in all of these films are young adults 15-24 year old market is consistently believed to be attracted to violence, action, shock (as opposed to suspense). Sex and excess in everything: the perfect audience. The reason why the target audience is not for the young children because they might be mentally immature so they may get indoctrinated and decide to do what they see on television in the real world, where this will be a huge matter which will lead to solidarity confinement. Furthermore, it will not appeal to the 24 years old plus because they are not young not more so they may not find these films interest.
The music is Paranormal Activity is not that much really only at the end where it has a loud sound just like the other two. I conjecture that the writer may be giving a sense of mystery and trying to raise your heart beat so if any slight movement or noise and you will get scared. However, in Sorority Row the music starts upbeat; because it setting the scene that its students that are still in education; then, just like Saw the music is low, slow and dull these creates that action is going to occur or something significance in the film is going to happen. The scratching music at the end in Paranormal Activity enlightens the audience on a disfunctional film full of drama and grotesque imagery.
In addition, the pace of all these horror films is slow and quiet like a caesura is happening. This highlights it’s a horror film also it enlightens the audience that something nefarious is going to happen that they should be ready. Subliminally I think that all the writers of horror films perpetually want you to believe that you’re in the film as well, so you can see where the characters are coming from; also what they are feeling and why fear plays a huge part. Also I think that the writers use dramatic irony; to portray to the audience that fallibility plays a huge part in why a character dies so suddenly (there is a door and the villain is waiting for the victim to come in). This leaves the audience in anxiety because they are screening through the voices to the character not to open that door like for instance: in Sorority Row where the girl goes into a room by herself.
The shot types and camera angles in all of these films are close up so the audience can see what the character is doing and thinking at that time (Fear), this creates a sense of sympathy from the audience because they know they are in trouble and they cannot do anything. Also there are medium shots to shows the audience the character’s body language and the props around them; this could inform the audience that a prop is going to be significant in the scene. Additionally, they were wipes this could tell the audience they is danger as we see in Paranormal Activity and Saw, it could also inform audiences that a death has occur as we see in Sorority Row. I believe that the editing techniques was used effectively because it drew the audience in and it left them thinking what’s going to happen next.
There is no really no dialogue in these films, however the voiceover in Sorority Row has irony because the teacher tells them you have matriculated and grown up. So ‘I hope you will always do the right thing’, but instead they are playing a prank about someone death because a boy cheated on their friend. Also another irony comes along when one of the girls says ‘ How long we going to keep this up’, then suddenly the boy stabs the girl, the voiceover plays a big part because it takes the audience through what action is going to happen next. However, in Paranormal Activity it is a retrospective voiceover of the character trying to remember what happened to them when there was young. This is alienated by a villain deep voice taking the audience through the childhood of the sisters and what it done to them, this draws the audience in and makes them interested in the film which makes them go and watch the full film. In comparison, Saw voiceover is a villain voice all throughout this makes the audience engrossed in the story because it informing them why the villain decided to terrorise the victim’s life; and it’s a change from the normal films because it’s from the villain sides.
There is not that much special effects in these film only in Paranormal Activity where the Children and flying because something is throwing them. This creates a sense of an invisible monster with strength, power and subjugating control over the children life. It helps set the tone of the film because they cannot see what happening to them but they are being hurt, this shows that Paranormal Activity is a supernatural horror film because these things do not happen in real life!
Furthermore, the credits and intertitles do not occur in these films only in Paranormal Activity where at the end the title of the film is being scratched and shaking this could show the audience that this film is abnormal and they is a lot of wired and disfunctional events happening in this film.
The reason why my group chose Sorority Row as the film to take key events and put it into our trailer because it has a good twist, where you may think it’s about university students then it just switches to killing and mystery death. So we thought that is not how a normal horror film will go and we wanted to be different; and the best way to get the best grade is to show a unique piece of work. Personally I have never seen a horror film start like that so that drew me in and even made me go and watch the film! So I hope our trailer could be as effective and interesting as Sorority Row.
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