Kiss of The Vampire Intro

What are Codes and Conventions?
- Conventions: Expected elements or aspects typical of a genre/sub-genre.
- Codes: How conventions are conveyed through audio/visual elements, e.g., sound, imagery, editing.
- Genre: Broad category of films categorized by themes and conventions.
- Sub-genre: More specific category within a genre (e.g., horror films can have slasher, vampire, psychological sub-genres).

Year of Release: 1963
Production: Hammer Film Productions and distributed by J. Arthur Rank and Universal.
Context: Intended to be a sequel to 1958's Dracula but does not reference the original character.
Cultural Context: 1963 was marked by significant events (e.g., Beatlemania, Kennedy's assassination, space exploration).
Poster Art: Hand-painted posters, indicative of the pre-digital era, aimed to capture viewer attention and create a cinematic experience.

Eastman Colour:
- Introduced in the 1960s, it was marketed as a unique selling point (USP) for films, enhancing their visual appeal.
- Compared to earlier methods where films were predominantly in black and white or hand-painted.

Title Location: Conventionally situated in the upper third of posters, easily noticeable.
Main Image: Key visual signifier is intended to encapsulate the film's essence.
Unique Selling Point (USP): Highlights specific aspects that might intrigue viewers.
Billing/Credit Block: Essential information like actors' names, directors, institutional details to attract the audience.
Institutional Identifiers: Logos or branding that signifies the production company.
Mark of Quality: Stars or directors that denote a film’s credibility.
Genre Indicators: Specific copy and imagery indicating the film’s genre (e.g., horror imagery).

Iconography in Horror:
- Expected visual symbols like castles, bats, and blood.
- Specific item representations, like the vampire's fangs or dark settings.
Mise-en-scène: Arrangement of visual elements that create meaning, e.g., lighting styles, settings, and props signify genre traits.

Propp’s Character Types:
- Hero: Central character sought out to resolve conflicts.
- Villain: Disrupts the normal/hero’s journey.
- Princess, Donor, Helper, Dispatcher, False Hero: Other roles assisting in narrative development.
Horror Trope Variations:
- Final Girl: Survives due to moral superiority and gains confrontational ending with villain.
- The Jock and Cheerleader: Typically embodies stereotypes and fulfill certain narrative functions often leading to their demise.

Hermeneutic Code (Enigma Code): Sets up mysteries for audience engagement.
Semantic Codes: Connotations and meanings attached to film elements.
Symbolic Codes: Influence on themes and motifs.
Proairetic Codes: Suggestive of actions and outcomes impending.
Cultural Codes: How socio-cultural contexts affect audience interpretation of texts.

Concept of Structuralism: Understanding complex themes by breaking down into binary oppositions (e.g., hero vs. villain).

Visual Style and Genre:
- Genre Indicators: Dark colour palettes, Gothic fonts, horror iconography (vampires, bats, blood).
- Textual Signifiers: Colour denotes quality, imagery depicts themes of horror.
Intertextuality:
- Relation to earlier horror movies (e.g., Dracula adaptations) and visual motifs influences audience expectation.
Audience Reception: Background cues or knowledge influence the perception and decoding of horror elements.

Practical Application: When examining the KOTV poster, consider how various codes and conventions work together to create meaning and engage the audience. Apply theories from Barthes and Lévi-Strauss to deepen analysis of genre in promotional materials.
Prepared Response Structure (PETER):
Point, Evidence, Theory, Explanation, Reference should guide your analysis of film posters and their impact on audience perception.

Note

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