BREAKDOWN OF A MEDIA TEXT
SHOT START
# DENOTATION
TIME
14 0.57 All 4 characters in long shot
Mise-en-scene: tent, location in the
background
Sound: dialogue “hey”
Handing 2 beers “beer?”
15 1.00 Straight cut to medium OTS shot of the
characters taking the beers
Sound: dialogue “cheers”
16 1.01 Straight cut back to long shot of all
characters sat around the tent
Mise-en-scene: more location scenery
Sound: diegetic birds chirping
17 1.02 Medium close up of female ‘scream-
queen’ character
Sound: dialogue: “is anyone else kinda
cold?”
18 1.04 Straight cut – shot/reverse/shot
Sound: dialogue – characters response to
question “put some more clothes on”
Scream queen response “shut up George!”
19 1.07 Straight cut to long shot of group again
Character goes to stand
Sound: dialogue “right I’m off..”
20 1.08 Continuation of same action from
different angle, medium close up.
Dialogue: “..for a slash”
Character walks of the edge of the screen
Transition fade out to black
21 1.10 Fade back in to close up of knocked over
beer bottles
Sound: diegetic birds chirping
22 1.14 Straight cut to medium two shot of couple
Breakdown of a Media Text Media Studies @ IGS
CONNOTATION/NOTES
Location is desolate, signifies that the group
are alone and vulnerable. Props such as tent
and beer help to achieve verisimilitude, beer
also connotes that the group are typical
teenagers partaking in underage drinking.
This is also illegal which suggests they are
immoral and therefore are likely to be killed
off throughout the film.
The informal idiolect of ‘cheers’ instead of
thank-you portrays a more realistic image of
the teenagers, and helps therefore to relate
with the target audience.
Added shot for a variety of shot angles.
Close up of her clothing, a revealing top,
and her face and body to attract a male gaze.
The dialogue further anchors that she is
wearing very little.
Shot reverse shot used to signify she is
having a conversation with the other group
members. Dialogue’s aim is to be humorous
for the teenage target audience, though
could also be found amusing by both older
and younger age groups.
Long shot is used to show the groups
activity.
The cut has been used to make use of a
variety of shot angles and also portray
editing talents. The closer in shots of the
female faces show their eyes following the
male character off screen, this could connote
sexual desire.
The fading cut has been used to signify the
passing of time. The close up of the beer
bottles spilling out portrays the teenagers in
a stereotypical way, as destructive, reckless
and vandals.
The two shot, and the physical contact
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 holding hands further signifies a relationship between the
two characters. It is also a different
Sound: dialogue “maybe we should get a
perspective to film a conversation from the
fire going”
previous shot reverse shot we used.
“yeah shall we go get some fire wood?”
The dialogue anchors the idea in the
“Okay yeah I’ll catch you later” audiences’ mind that the ‘scream queen’ is
slight zoom about to walk off on the desolate moor
alone, this foreshadows a possible attack
Both characters walk off screen in from whoever is watching them, if the had
opposite directions. audience picked up on the preferred reading
of the point of view shots used earlier.
23 1.20 Straight cut to long POV shot The blue filter is used as it is a common
convention of horror film to signify an
Shaky camera work
oncoming attack. The shaky camera again is
Blue filter used as a point of view shot to signify the
Mise-en-scene: scream queen character characters are being watched by someone.
walking down path alone The trees across the shot are used to signify
Trees cut across the shot that whoever is watching is also hiding and
doesn’t want to be spotted.
Non-diegetic sound of music
The music has begun at this point also to
signify an attack is imminent and to affect
the audiences’ heart beat, to make them on
edge.
24 1.26 Straight cut to similar shot of character The shot change is used to signify that
moving closer whoever is watching her is continuing to
follow her as she goes off alone to find fire
Shaky camera work
wood.
Blue filter
Trees cut across the shot
Non-diegetic sound of music
25 1.30 Straight cut to a medium long shot of The shot change is used here to show that
character from behind the follower is much closer now, and the
audience can expect some sort of jump very
Shaky camera work
soon. Though the length of this take is used
Blue filter to build up more and more tension.
Long take The diegetic sound of footsteps is used to
Zoomed in closer towards the end of the create verisimilitude, as they stop when she
take drops the beer and therefore stops walking.

Camera pans down as character drops her
bottle
Non-diegetic sound of music
Diegetic sound of footsteps
26 1.39 Straight cut to close-up shot of characters
face as she is pulled back by a hand
Breakdown of a Media Text Media Studies @ IGS
The zoom signifies the follower is close
enough to make his move now and the pan
down at the end continues to help the
audience interpret a point of view shot. The
dropping of the beer also provides the
stopping point, perfect for an attack to
begin.
The close up is used to show the characters
emotion. The scream adds to the emotion
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 Man in black hoody and also will signify scream queen to the
audience.
Blue filter
The killer dressed in black with a hooded or
Non-diegetic sound of music
disguised face is a common convention of
Diegetic sounds of screaming horror and therefore suggests to the
audience that this is a violent attack. The
hoody also disguises the killer and he
remains anonymous which again is a
common convention, as there is often a big
reveal of the killer at the end of the film and
sometimes it is an unexpected twist such as
in the movie ‘Scream’.
27 1.40 Straight cut to same shot from over the Change of angle and perspective of the
shoulder angle attack.
Blue filter
Non-diegetic sound of music
Diegetic sounds of screaming
28 1.41 Straight cut to same shot from the front The kitchen knife is a basic tool for murder,
angle but none the less it does signify that the
scream queen is about to be killed.
Prop – large kitchen knife
Blue filter
Non-diegetic sound of music
Diegetic sounds of screaming
29 1.42 Straight cut to a shot from behing Having the girl out of frame meant that we
could hint at violent stabbing without
Girl is out of frame
actually having to show any knife piercing
large kitchen knife the characters skin and use special effects.
Blue filter
Diegetic sounds of screaming
30 1.42 Straight cut to close-up of knife drawn The zoom was used to gain clear focus on
back out the fake blood on the knife to emphasise the
blood and gore in the film in order to fit
fake blood on knife
with the conventions of slasher horror genre
Blue filter which is renowned for the violence and
Diegetic sounds of screaming gore.

31 1.44 Straight cut to close up of tree This was used as a cut-away shot, an idea
we saw in a Friday 13th film where there was
Fake blood on tree
a cut-away to a bed sheet and the blood
Blue filter splattered across it. We were unable to
Diegetic sounds of screaming from off achieve the affect of blood splattering, so
camera, then stops instead we filmed the spot on which the
blood splattered after it was thrown.
Diegetic sound of birds chirping is heard
again The stopping of the scream is to signify that
the scream queen is no longer either
Breakdown of a Media Text Media Studies @ IGS 3
 conscious or alive.
32 1.46 Straight cut to medium shot of body being This shot is used to signify that the character
dragged across the frame till out of shot is now dead. Dragging her body off screen
creates narrative enigma as the audience
Top covered in fake blood
don’t know what the killer intends to do
Blue filter with the body next. This would help to hook
Diegetic sound of birds chirping is heard the audience, now that they, as fans of the
again horror genre, have witnessed the first killing
they will hopefully want to watch on to see
what happens next.

Breakdown of a Media Text Media Studies @ IGS 4