ESSAY PLAN...

June 03 (a)
Account for the popularity of one genre of your choice. Illustrate your answer with examples.

Slasher films have consistently been one of the most successful genres in film history, due to its female victims, gorry killings etc, this essay will further analyse the genres popularity by exploring the genres most formidable releases, Psycho (1960), Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974) Friday 13th(1980) and Scream (1997).

Look at the repetoire of elements and conventions of the slasher genre, track the repetition and variation comparing the films through various decades.
Talk about the various pleasures the films offer.
Talk about the films moral standings etc.
Talk about the type of audience that goes to watch these films and why they watch the films.
Look at sequels, prequels and remakes.
Also look at the franchise and slasher films as a business..toys etc.
Why they are good for producers and audiences, mention Altman before and after.

June 05 (a)
"The audience may know what to expect, but are still excited by genre texts." To what extent is this true?

Although 'genre is dynamic', as stated by Maltby, slasher films have consistently been one of the most successful genres in film history. This essay will analyse whether audiences can stil be captured by the slasher genre despite being fully aware of its conventions, by reffering to Wes Craven's landmark films Scream(1997), Nightmare On Elm Street(1984) and the original and remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Discuss the repertoire of elements by Neale and the regular conventions of the slasher genre.
Talk about Carol Clovers Final girl.
Scream as a post modern texts highlights the conventions during the film yet fails to spoil it for the audience.
Talk about 'the rules' in Scream. The irony and enjoyment of this being mentioned.
Talk about the conventions of slasher e.g. ineffective authority figures, teenage victims killed off one by one, the setting of a remote forest type area or more recently a house in the suburbs (white flight).
Mention set pieces and binary oppositions like ‘final girl’ Vs the killer in Nightmare On Elm Street.
Talk about the success of the films in the genre, look at sequels(Scream) and remakes(Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and talk about how the over running of the sequels led to the decline of the genre.
Mention how audiences werent shocked at or excited by slasher films anymore(desensitized)
Use the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to show how the fims have used variation to become more gorry and show more violence than the original. Visceral and sadistic pleasures instead of the narrative pleasure offered by the earlier films. Rick Altman’s (1999)

Jan 06 (b)
Recent developments in genre have included the emergence of parody, pastiche and hybrid forms. Show how such developments have influenced the nature of media texts.

The immense success of both Scream (1997) and Scary Movie (2000), lead to numerous sequels and demonstrated the recent developments in film genre of parody where certain elements from a film or genre are mocked, pastiche where various elements from a film are borrowed and hybrid where a collection of genres are being used within one text.

Look at both films in detail discussing their similarities and differences.
Highlight there post modern elements.
Highlight the aspects of parody, pastiche and hybrid.
Talk about New Nightmare (Wes Craven) how the developments started.