In what ways does you media product use,

develop or challenge forms and conventions of

real media product?
I have used and incorporated a range of different theories into my media
project. A key example of how I have gone against the conventions of
horror film and horror genre is that I have made the female character in
my media piece the main character/main villain. I believe that
stereotypically are shown the weaker gender, are always distress and
have to be saved by a male character. By doing this I have gone against
the normal conventions of horror film genre and have also gone against
the Male Gaze theory by Laura Mulvey. I am challenging this as the Male
Gaze theory being one of the leading stereotypes in the world. In my film
project I have made sure that Amelia will not be a typical damsel in
distress. In my media project I am hoping to show that women can be
more powerful than men.
I am appealing the Propps theory in my film. Propps theory appeals that
narrative structure can be determined by role, where character roles help
the audience understand the constructed nature of the narrative. In the
theory there are character roles;

The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The

Villain
Hero
Dispatcher
False Hero
Donor
Helper
Princess
Father

Propps theory helps us understand that each character role has a purpose
within the narrative and audience identification. I have used this because I
have appealed some of his theory into my media work, I have
incorporated some parts of the theory but have gone against most as my
villain in my horror film is being played by a female actor, and how Propps
says that there has to be the Princess who only exists as a goal or
reward and often recognises and marries the hero and/or punishes villain.
When researching into this I went against all that and used how the main
character is the villain in my film. Making her to be very powerful over all
the men characters presented on the scene.
Another reason why my film challenges horror genre is that my
protagonist is a female who goes against the norms and values of horror
films. She is seen to be weak at the beginning but vastly becomes very
unstable and dangerous through the film. This is made clear to the
audience through my advertising methods I have used to promote this

film. When researching into this I found out that not a lot of horror films
make go against conventions as they like to play save with the audience
and follow the norms and values of horror genre. I found out that when
going against conventions some films make the female character unstable
and very dangerous when making them the villain and I wanted to present
them differently but throughout the production of the House Guest I
followed the path as the other films when creating the main character and
villain to be played by a female. Many films show female characters are
unable to look after their self and are expected to be saved by a strong,
resilient male to help them out of their predicament. In horror films
female characters are portrayed as the victims and this is a convention
that I am not following. I have made it clear that female in this horror film
will not be taken advantage of and will show their more manly side.
Other theory that I have appealed to my media trailer is the Feminist and
Male Gaze theory. In many films women will be represented how men
want them to be seen on T.V. the Male Gaze theory says three main
points;

How women look at themselves

How men look at women
How women look at other women

These are the three main points in the Male Gaze theory, if you put them
in sub-headings, these are the three topics you will get from the theory. In
The House Guest I showed how the female will have more power over the
male characters and they will be dominating throughout the film. Amelia
in The House Guest presents on scene how unequal power relationship
can be when the table have been turned around. I show the audience how
different and unique a film can be when conventions are not followed in a
horror film. Where Laura Muley says, she believes that in film the
audience have to view characters from the perspective of a heterosexual
male. Often a female character has no real importance herself, it is how
she makes the male feel or act that is the importance. In my film I have
shown how the woman doesnt have to be objectified by the male viewers
and how a female character is very important in the film plot. Making sure
that they take the woman serious to understand the film.
The Male Gaze theory leads to the Hegemonic ideologies within our
society. Hegemonic = dominant or ruling in a social context or political.
From the beginning this theory shows that women in our society are just
objects to men, and I wanted to show how much power a women can have
over men in the horror genre. I believe that horror conventions make
female characters act very stupid and are very unequal to men in films.
Like they dont always have to be saved by a male character trying to be
the hero in the film. Other reasons are that an erotic object for the
characters within the narrative to view and secondly an erotic object for

the spectators within the cinema to view the characters. In many of the
scenes from The House Guest, you will see how the female has more
dominant than male characters and I have shown how she shows more
power to the aude9icne and will tell the audience that women are very
powerful.
Onwards another theory I have appealed to The House Guest is Stuart Hall
and the theory of Encoding and Decoding. I have encoded that two male
characters living together in the house are best friends and I have made it
clear that the female character has more power over the two male
characters. But some audience may decode it as the two male characters
are gay, and may think that I have represented the gay men to be weak
and less powerful because them being gay together. The audience can
decode the film trailer like this but I want to make it clear that I am
showing the female character very powerful and not following the norms
and values of horror genre. The two male characters are best friends in
the trailer and that is why they live together, not because they are gay
nor are they represented very weak over the female character because
they can be decoded as being gay together.