Analysis of Jennifer's Bodyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCSzYioSeT0

Abbi Allen

USPThis films has two USP’s I think. The first being the villain is an attractive young female (Megan Fox). This isn’t common for horror films, the villain is usually a man or demon type of thing. This would attract both male and female attention for the film. The other USP being that the villain is Megan Fox who at the time of the film had starred in films such as Transformers, which in itself had gathered a lot of male attention, as she tends to attract. Casting her as the villain would gather a lot of attention from both genders.

SoundMusic starts (the soundtrack) strokes of swimming, Jennifer says to Anita “you and me are going out tonight, wear something cute okay?” Chip to Anita “you always do what Jennifer tells you to do” Anita replies“its just that I like the same things that she likes” from this we can tell that Jennifer is the controlling type of friend that everyone realises except Anita.“hey jennifer you look really pretty” black haired boy from school. Jennifer later asks him to go to her house and Anita realises this isn’t normal for Jennifer.She attacks the black haired boy and we hear teeth and a roar and screamingAnita “Jennifers evil” Chip “I know” Anita “no I mean she’s actually evil. Not high school evil”ExplosionAnita “you’re killing people” Jennifer “no I’m killing boys” – we see that she’s turned evil and has begun killing people.Anita “I thought you only kill boys” Jennifer “I go both ways” – this would attract typical male attention.ScreamAnita “I will finish you if I have to” Jennifer “okay you can barely finish gym class” – adds an element of humour to a somewhat serious trailer/film.

EditingSlow paced editing and transitions at the beginning of the trailer, followed by some slow motion shots of Jennifer walking through the school corridor. At 0:45 the atmosphere of the film changes and so does the pace, everything becomes faster as the action develops.

Credits and IntertitlesFirst intertitle shows that the trailer is appropriate for all ages but the film is restricted.

20th century fox is a large institutional company and audiences will assume that this is a good film.

Based in a school.

Credits and Intertitles

These two link to the previous intertitle that Jennifer is the main character and she’s a person of interest in this school.

Then these two lead to the more sinister side of the story.

Credits and Intertitles

The date that the film comes out, shown in the middle of the trailer which is different to other trailers of this genre.

The star of the film. The villain and point of male interest. A famous actress.

Another good famous actress.

Credits and Intertitles

The title of the film shown at the end of the film so that the audience will remember for when it comes out.

Another feature not seen much in other films of this genre. But seeing as teenagers are the target audience and a common interest is music this could appeal to them.

Credit to institutions involved in the film and actors/actresses that star in it.

Credits and Intertitles

More credits.

The date again to put it into the audiences mind. And a website.

The certificate of the film written again.

Institutional reference20th Century FoxA Dubieck/Novick/Reitman Production

Shot types/camera angles and movement

Establishing shots and wide shots are used a lot in this trailer.

Establishing shot shows a large dark lake, which is immediately creepy. Suggesting the genre.

First image of Megan Fox in the lake, suggesting danger.

Megan in the corridor at school. Shes in colour and everyone else is sort of dull. Centre of attention and shes in the middle of the mid shot.

Mise-en-sceneLighting:The lighting used from the beginning is dull with a slight greeny tinge. This creates an atmosphere and portrays the genre well.Costume:Megans costumes are sexier than Anitas she wears low cut tops, tight jeans, etc. Anita is more geeky and covers up a lot more with layers and baggier clothing.Props:A variety of props are used to create verisimilitude. Like the school, beds, school books etc. Location: A small quiet American town, all American school, dingy areas of the town are used later on, and the big lake at the beginning. The location is key because in horror films, the small American towns are always the ones where things happen.Make up:Natural looking make up for all of the characters, Anita looks as if she has none on and Jennifer wears more. But when she becomes a demon she wears a lot less and looks worn out/drained when she hasn’t fed.Hair:Anitas is natural and wavy where as Jennifers has got volume and bounce when she is healthy, not so much when she’s drained.

(Target) audience

The genre of the film is horror, this is made clear through the codes and conventions that can be seen throughout the trailer such as: the small American town, the all American schoolgirl who turns into a demon etc. All of these aspects go together to create an obvious genre.

Genre

The film certificate is a 15 which I think is appropriate because it has some scenes that younger viewers would find disturbing. The target audience I think could be 14/15-19 because those are the ages of the people that go to school and that this film would appeal to.

NarrativeTodorovs theory of equilibrium applies to this trailer. The beginning we see two teenage school girls that are friends that are going to go out which is normal and they’re enjoying their school lives. Then something happens that the audience don’t find out about until they watch the film and that disturbs the equilibrium. Then at the end the girls seem friendly again, equilibrium restored. This may not be the narrative of the film but it is the narrative of the trailer.

RepresentationThe male gaze theory is featured in this trailer. Megan Fox is represented as an object of lust that all the boys want. She is the girl next door. Her friend Anita is represented as the typical best friend of a girl next door, she’s dull dressing and typically less attractive through males eyes. Megan Fox literally turns into a man eater in the film/trailer and this goes against the representation of being an object of lust, she gets her own back on boys.