A Vulnerable Victim and A Masked Killer

Through research, and mainly common knowledge, it is clear that most, if not all, good horror movies have a vulnerbale victim, led to their downfall through stupid, idiotic mistakes that the audience can most clearly see, and yet remain glued to their seat nonetheless.
We've tried to portray this type of victim, or in our case vicitms, through the use of dialogue, setting, and the storyline of our movie. Attempting to highlight the mistakes made by the characters through obvious downfalls in their characters and in their actions.

By filming in a dark forest for our setting, we have created the suspense typically associated with a horror movie due to the dark, scary background that the trees create when merged with the darkness in our clip,  hopefully creating a scene something similar to the picture on the right (although don't get your hopes up).

In using scenes similar to this, we tend to see the Villain come into their element, capitalising on the vulnerable victims obvious mistakes, creating the illusion that they seemed to have lured the victim in, when in actual fact this could have been easily avoided. Yet, this seems to be a repetitive feature in horror films, and still creates suspense for the audience because although they know the vicitms are destined for their doom, no one quite knows just when this will happen, more often than not cathching the viewers by surprise and maintaining the thrill of watching the movie, something we hope to emulate in the making of our film.

Also, in our film, we have gained inspiration from films such as 'Halloween' in which the killers identity is never revealed as they wear a trademark mask when carrying out their killings, leaving the audience with a clear idea of the plot of the killings as they can identify who the killer looks like wihtout actually knowing there true identity, leaving them thinking if they will ever be caught, or if the killer is also playing another character in the film, leaving them guessing on who the man behind the mask is.

Creating tension through imagery

As well as actions, we need to create tension and suspense through the use of imagery. By illustrating a pattern of setting it symbolizes a routine, that the Villain frequently performs these action and he times them perfectly so he can carry on killing the vulnerable. The illustration paints suspense towards the auidence because the edginess performed by the auidence is contained mostly when the setting is Dark because it makes it more realistic, also the illusion that every dark woods contains a villain.

Also, the pattern of setting represents the path to the woods and how it starts off a pleasant idea, and then from there the characters regret the path they took, and start questioning whether it is safe.
A perfect example of setting creating suspense is when you can see the characters are continuously under psychological pressure. They cannot maintain mental strength and crumble under pressure, so therefore they are vulnerable. We can apply this to the last part of our opening clip to our film because it represents the routine of the villain, which gives our film the ability for it to carry on. This also gives the auidence the thrill factor that it starts pleasant then goes on to get more scary, then by the end of the scene you will be on the edge of your seat, which links to the classical literature convention of tragedy that possibility becomes probable then becomes inevitable.

We will start with this "dusk" imagery as it is not to pleasant but yet not spooky. This gives the chance to introduce the characters properly because we gain better effects in the light as our camera is not the greatest quality. This represents the possibility of the murder.

This is where the characters start to reconsider if going through the woods was a good idea, but yet the dim light signifies hope. This is where there is hope because the imagery still contains some source of light which makes the auidence try and guess the outcome. Then as the characters become satisfied the imagery has become more sinister to create the tension.

Finally the inevitable appears when the characters cannot see anything, they become vulnerable and stupidly the characters split into pieces and disintegrate for there own safety but ironically become more present and vulnerable for the villain. With this scenery it is easier to promote a murder because the auidence cannot see the escape for the victim as the auidence lose that light (the sense of hope), then finally the villain strikes.

Darkness in our filming

As you can see from this clip, it is unable to see well the footage and therfore we are limited in the effects we wished to portray. So for next time of filming we will bring a torch and shine it on the person in filming as then you can gain the full effect of the facial expressions whilst performing a "close up" or "head shot" but also we will be able to get a perfect "mid shot" as then we can gain great definition of the persons hesitation, backed up by the spooky dark woods so it creates a bittersweet image.
As our film genre is horror we need there to be tension rolling from the beggining of the film so that we can create suspense and tension, but do not introduce, or make it obvious, who the victims and villain are from the begging so that it is not too obvious what will happen, leaving the audience uninterested. Whereas if you introduce them differently, then start fitting in pieces for the auidence to try and work it out themselves, it will keep the auidence interested and also on the edge of their seats as they know there will be many times to expect the unexpected.

Appleby Street- New script!!!

In the beginning Ben and Jacob go to Aimee’s house and knock on her door. The next time the camera is turned on they are walking to toward the fields discussing the party which will be at the bunker. The camera is turned on again and they are walking through the fields talking more about the party. Jacob then stops to pee while Aimee and Ben walk on. Jacob looks around with the camera still, hearing weird rustling noises, and then he hears Aimee scream. He then jogs in that direction and keeps looking behind. He then discovers Ben dead on the floor, he then hears Aimee scream again and carries on running, he trips over and hurts his ankle and then discovered that it was actually Aimee he tripped over, and she too is also dead. He then gets up and hobbles towards the bunker hoping there will be people there. Jacob then trips again and so the camera is on its side, then we see a mysterious figure walking towards the Jacob, the camera keeps turning itself on and off so each time the figure is closer and closer until it kneels down, Jacob is stabbed then we see the mysterious figure walk off, and carry the dead bodies with police sirens in the background.

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This was our initial storyline, but due to the problems we occured with the camera shot/angles,we have chnaged this to suit our new roles with me as camerman.

New Plot:
Ben and Aimee meet and are on their way to a party but are running late. After various clips of them on their journey, and displaying that it is getting darker and later, they decide that they should take a shortcut in order to get to the party quicker to avoid being late.
They cut through a field (the short-cut) but Aimee stops to take a phonecall whilst Ben walks on. It is here where they get into trouble as Aimee hears a scream and discovers Ben dead. As she runs on she stumbles over and is unable to move, it is whilst she is on the floor that the Killer kills her also, before walking off as the camera follows him sideways on.

Development of Appleby Street

Development of appleby street

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Inspiration: Hammer Films

Hammer films

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Bloopers

Our final script

Appleby street final script

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Our youtube account view it

This is our you tube account, have a look and leave comments. http://www.youtube.com/user/benamaamama

shots of setting

The first shot of our film is a shot of the Appleby Street road sign, because it highlights the name of the film but also symbolizes that Appleby will be a main setting of the film. What we have done to create effect for the opening scene "Bad film" effect on Final Cut Pro. In terms of cinematography the problems we initially had were that we could not keep the camera still, so it looked like a point of view shot. But "bad film" stop that problem from frequently occurring.

This is the next shot in the scene, where my character will be waiting on the hill. This gives us the chance to introduce the characters, in this shot we introduced my character with text edited into the image on Final Cut Pro. But also we want to use the effect of mood progression and the use of pathetic phallacy which we can apply both to this shot as the lighting is reasonably light and also is not a sinister looking shot.The problem in terms of cinematography was to not get any continuity errors because the first day we filmed there, their was a giant skip behind the pole so we had to assure that was always there when we filmed there. 

This shot is where we introduce the character of "Aimee Bracebridge", we also used "text" on final cut pro to converge into first shot of Aimee to show that we will be the main characters in the film. With this shot it is uphill to represent that from know on the journey will get significantly more sinister, which helps us apply the mood progression and is also symobilized by how fast the lighting of the sequence is darkened. In terms of cinematography we had to make sure their was no random people in the background and that the cars stayed in the same place when we filmed.

This is the following shot after we have introduced the two characters, This shot applies poetic phallacy because tension is starting to rise which is reflected by the dim sky. Aimee and Ben will be walking down this road approaching the alley. This shot also represents the journey which we are going to apply video transitions in so it looks like time is passing. In terms of cinematography we had to make sure that me and Aimee were always on the same side when filming so there where no continuity errors.

This is a shot of the alley way which, we are going going to use for a shot reverse shot from the characters point of view, so the expressions on their faces are summed up by their view of the sinister alleyway. It also shows that so far the film has been tension building to create the inevitability that something will go wrong. We had to make sure that me and Aimee were always on the same side down the alley so we didn't have no cinematography errors.

This is a further shot down the alley, we created this scene so we can involve some quick reaction shots so that it reflects the characters moods and emotions and that the alley is a very sinister setting and will be involved highly after the opening 3 minutes of our film. In terms of cinematography we had to make  sure that the two characters clearly in the picture applying the rule of thirds, so that we can reveal their emotions through their expressions.

This is the end of part of the alley, we used this shot to represent the characters downfall because they have an option to take the roads instead of going down the alley which leads them to the field but they continue to go down the alley on to the next alley to represent that their is no turning back and the inevitability is deeming to become more and more present to the viewer. We had to make sure it was clear that we was going to go from one alley to the other

This is a shot to show the characters option for an attempt of survival because it can either lead them down the horrid path or they can take the safe option and go down the road in the light with the public which would leave them in a path which would lessen the probability of them meeting the villain. We created this shot because in all the horrors in which we studied the victim will always be left with an option for example leave the house instead of walking up the stairs but they always neglect the opportunity and walk in the villains path. In terms of cinematography we had to assure that you could see the faces of the two as they would express the emotions and moods.

This shot is to show that they have continued to take the horrid path to the party other than the safe option, which gives us the opportunity to use shots such as close up so that the characters emotions are revealed to the auidence but also the opportunity to create tension. We had to show that the alley was straight on to symbolize a journey and we had to assure that we were on the correct sides so we did not face any continuity errors.

This is the end of the alley, and we applied this shot so the auidence can see how the journey of the alleyway was, which will be revealed from the charcters expressions we could make them adjetated etc. In terms of cinematography we had to make sure we applied a mid shot to show the motion in what we are moving.

This is the start of the field, this shot represents the vulnerability of the characters and that when they enter the field it is inevitable that something horrific will happen, but we also applied this shot because when they approach the field they are together and that if they disintegrate (which they do) they will stand no chance.

This is a shot to show that its the begging of the end and once they have gone past the gate their is no way back and its start to come clear through their expressions that they unfortunately know it as well for example the close up reveals the scared look upon her face,

This is just a shot of the field to show that this is where the killing takes place, but also that this is the villains lair and that it will be a significant part in the whole film if the film would have carried on. But it also represents the fact that teenagers are vulnerable in every day situation because although it looks safe their could be any one anywhere hiding and if you cannot see then you are in an unfortunate position, In terms of cinematography we had to assure that we could see the character through the rule of thirds so that the auidence could see the characters not just the surroundings.

Health and safety

As we are film was a horror there was some health and safety issues which arose, i will take you through them an  describe how will dealt with them. As we did not see the attack on my character,  we avoided the most significant health and safety issue which would have been physical contact. Most of the health and safety issues took place on the shots which we didn't use.

Villains accessories- The villain had a knife in the ending shot, which you could unfortunately not see. But we had to make sure it was a fake plastic knife because otherwise we could have been stopped by the police with possession of a violent weapon. Also that when holding it as i am prone to the odd mistake, Ben could have misplaced it somewhere and could have deeply hurt someone in the process, So I bought a fake knife so none of theese issues arose.

Down the Alley- As it was very dark we had to make sure the torch was on at all times, because there could have been all sorts on the floor such as glass and if we slipped we could of been hurt severely. Also we could have been vulnerable to any old stranger on the street, we checked the floor mainly for dog poo with the torch so we didn't hurt ourselves.

Walking around- As Ben looked like a hitch hiker with a camera, torch and two bags on my back, we had to be careful in case we got attacked by anyone on the streets as it was dark and we was in Cheshunt it wouldn't seem unusual if that happened, so we made sure we stuck together so we had less chance of being attacked.

The ending- As it was very dark and we was on a massive field with one torch between 3 of us, we were extremely vulnerable to any one who felt free to attack us, but also if we slipped their could of been any forms of danger on the floor so we made sure we thoroughly checked the ground on which w

Vacancy inspiration

 How Camera angles have been used to create an engaging opening / develop the narrative / position the viewer; 


To make the audience jump, the camera angles were severely varied so that the audience could gain a perspective of everything around them. This worked to an effect because once the audience have realized the surroundings they can start then making casual links and they are on the edge of their sitting in anxiety to whats going to happen next.


What camera angle and movements have been used; 

Body shot

Overhead shot

Close up

Medium shot
Shot reverse shot

Extreme close up

What the prominent or main focus of the opening is; 

The main focus are the two characters of the man and women, they have introduced the characters with an argument so that when the plot starts to occur it is unexpected. Also the main focus it the motel and how disturbing it is which was shown on the video in the room.

How editing has been used to create an engaging opening / develop the narrative / position the viewer;
Their are several quick cuts between shots which creates suspense, especially at the petrol station where it was completely unexpected (I nearly fell of my chair but that's besides the point), also the sequence was full of short clips which creates suspense as the audience are constantly peeled to the screen because they don't want to miss anythhing because its happening all to fast and then when suspense is created they put in a jumpy bit.

What transitions have been used and why (such as wipe / fade /dissolve / rapid cutting etc); 

There isn't much transitions what have been used in this because they don't want to slow down the flow of the sequence which promotes anxiety. They do use fade in fade out, for the titles etc.

How mise-en-scene has been used to create an engaging opening / develop the narrative / position the viewer;

The mise en scene creates an engaging opening by the use of the clothing, as the clothes which from all the people involved in the film are normal clothes and are is no hint that the people of the motel where involved in such a cruel at. So when the casual links start occuring in the viewers head it is even more unexpected as no one would have expected any of theese.

What happens in the opening;
The two characters run out of petrol, the car then breaks down. So they go to a motel and then they go into one of the rooms and turn on the telly. Where they view a horrible video of a girl being assaulted and then put the links together and realize the room in which they are in is where the assault took place.

How the titles and studio idents have been presented - think about font, colour, position in the shot, length of appearance; 

The titles came up in the end of the opening 2 minutes, the font colour for them all was orange, to show that it stands out. The position of the shot was central to show the "Vacancy" is a key feature for the rest of the film. It was only in the shot for a short period of time.

Why this is an effective opening:

Because they auidence are continuously peeled to the screen, so they we will want to watch on further. The film promotes tremendous amounts of anxiety because of the way have used editing and cinematography to use a varied of shot clips, continuously after the other. The narrative is clearly established which will makes the genre horror portrayed as the narrative is clearly the horrid motel.

Make up video diary

Villains accesories

Appleby development

Video diary alleyway

This is our Storybord

Initial Audience

Initial film idea:

It is only 2-3 minutes long and so we had to leave it where the story could be carried on, the handheld camera is showing the event from his point of view. In the beginning Ben and Jacob go to Aimee’s house and knock on her door. The next time the camera is turned on they are walking to toward the fields discussing the party which will be at the bunker. The camera is turned on again and they are walking through the fields talking more about the party. Jacob then stops to pee while Aimee and Ben walk on. Jacob looks around with the camera still, hearing weird rustling noises, and then he hears Aimee scream. He then jogs in that direction and keeps looking behind. He then discovers Ben dead on the floor, he then hears Aimee scream again and carries on running, he trips over and hurts his ankle and then discovered that it was actually Aimee he tripped over, and she too is also dead. He then gets up and hobbles towards the bunker hoping there will be people there. Jacob then trips again and so the camera is on its side, then we see a mysterious figure walking towards the Jacob, the camera keeps turning itself on and off so each time the figure is closer and closer until it kneels down, Jacob is stabbed then we see the mysterious figure walk off, and carry the dead bodies with police sirens in the background.

Audience:The initial audience for our film is possible aimed at those aged 15 and above, as the plot is desgined to be quite violent and gory. The target audience reflects the plot of the film due to its violent nature and planned scenes.
With the target audinece being aimed at this age group, this could give us an advantage due to our own age being similar to our target audience. This could perhaps help us in our plot as we may have a better idea of what these age groups would be most attracted to watching.

Preliminary Task

Rloes: Camera man: Me, Acting: Boy: Ben Girl: Aimee

Camera angles, shots and composition
In our preliminary tasks, we used several shot types to try to display our knowledge of camera angles and shots as well as trying to get different views and angles to highlight characters emotions. An example of this can be seen in the close ups on Ben and Aimee's faces when meeting to display the tension between the two and the uncomfortable feeling created during the conversation.
Other shots displayed in the task which can be seen by the viewer are; the point of view shot as Ben walks into the room and sees Aimee, highlighting Aimee's facial expression and Ben's nervousness. A shot reverse shot is also used to highlight both characters contrasting facial expressions, in doing so, showing which of the two characters hold the power, which is Aimee due to the prop she possess which Ben needs. Another effect used by us was the use of the 180 degree rule. This was applied during the filming as a way of showing the tension in the meeting and the formal, business like atmosphere that was created in the scene.

Editing
To edit our preliminary task we used Final Cut Pro to help put the bits and pieces of our recordings together to get the best effect we could have. Final Cut Pro allows us to edit, cut and link together our different filming clips, helping us put our sequence of videos together to get one video clip. We used the cutter on some of our clips to get the best effect as some of our clips were perhapds too long and so by cutting them shorter we could get the best effect of cutting from scene to scene in a better way. An example of this can be seen in the footage of Ben opening the door to eneter the room, cutting the clip enabled us to get the effect showing Ben from two different camera angles from approaching the door to opening the door. Another eaxmple of editing is seen during the shot reverse shot, as we had to film seperate clips of both Ben and Aimee before cutting them shorter and putting them together to get the effect of the shot at its best.

Sound
The sound quality in the footage is not very good due to sound levels and perhaps us not speaking clearly enough, as well as the camera not gathering in the sounds too well. An advantage of this however is that thanks to this preliminary task, we now know what we need to be doing in our proper film to get the best sound levels we can, which will help us when it comes to filming.
Despite this, the souds that we did use were Diagetic sounds, such as the dialogue, and also in the clip of Aimee smacking her hand down onto the table before storming off to make the sounds loud and clear, aswell as creating the mood that the scene had ended. There were no non-diagetic sounds used in our footage though due to the fact that it was only our preliminary task and the footage was only short.

Mise-en-scene
The contrast in clothing of the two characters can be seen and is used effectively to highlight the balance in power and authority of the two characters. Aimee is seen to be wearing a dress with smartly dressed, colour co-ordinated clothing, in comparsion to Ben's clothing of a brown jacket and a pink shirt, highlighting Aimee's authority in the meeting. Other than this clothing contrast, which was admittedly absolute rubbish and just coincidence, Mise-en-scene hasn't really been taken intoconsideration in the footage, perhaps because it was our preliminary task. The only prop used in the footage was the stapeler, whcih can be seen by the side of Aimee during the meeting, however the prop was never touched or moved. Mise-en-scene is something we will definitely have to take into consideration when it comes to our filming.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British romantic drama directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. Based in India, the film is based on the story of eighteen year old Jamal Malik, a former street child, who appears on the Indian question of 'Who wants to be a millionaire?' With each question asked by the host, we see a look back in time of Jamal's life as a child and how he grew up into the man he is now. With these past events we see how he comes to know each answer, leading him onto the final question before the show is cut, to be continued the next day. 

With the producers amazed that he has made it so far still in with a chance of winning the million, he is accused of cheating and sent to prison over night as they try to get a confession out of him.

Through his life, we see clips of his relationship with his brother, and childhood sweetheart, who he later meets again in the film.

The end of the film involves him winning the show, and in turn winning the prize money. He then meets Latika, his childhood sweetheart, and they kiss as the film ends.

Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for 10 Academy awards in 2009 and won eight, the most for any film of 2008, including Best picture, Best director, and best adapted screenplay. It also won seven BAFTA Awards (including Best Film), five Critic's Choice Awards, and four Golden Globes.

The film was projected to cost US$15 million, so Celador sought a U.S. distributor to share costs. Fox Searchlight Pictures made an initial offer that was reportedly in the $2 million range, but Warner Independent Pictures made a $5 million offer to win rights to the picture.

Its budget was 15 million dollars. 

Digital screen network

The average Hollywood blockbuster opens on 300-plus screens across the UK; most independent films, restored classics, documentaries and foreign language films still struggle to reach over ten per cent of those screens.

Digital screening cuts the cost of releasing films (a digital copy costs around one tenth of a 35mm print). That's why UK Film Council (now BFI) and the Arts Council England created the Digital Screen Network – a £12 million investment to equip 240 screens in 210 cinemas across the UK with digital projection technology to give UK audiences much greater choice.
Cinemas in the network have already screened non-mainstream films including Control, This is England, Good Night and Good Luck and the Oscar®-winning The Lives of Others, as well as classics like Meet me in St Loius, The Wizard of Oz and Casablanca.
Digital Screen Network cinemas hosted the UK Film Council and BBC Two's Summer of British Films season - a sell out tour running from July to September 2007 featuring British classics such as Goldfinger, Brief Encounter, Billy Liar, Henry V, The Wicker Man, The Dam Busters and Withnail and I.

Revision Guide

Cinematography
Shot reverse shot, mid shot, long shot, close up, extreme close up, zolly, snoricam, zooming, steadicam, location context, over shoulder shot, full shot, birds eye view, crane, weather shot, oblique ange, low angle, two shot, eye level shot, tilt, medium close up, panning, wide shot, point of view, hand held, focus, shot framing, position.

Editing
Rapid cutting, pace, jump cuts, tension intercutting, final shot, eyeline match, action match, rule of thirds, dissolve,fade, cut away, 180 degree rule.

Sound
Diagetic, non-diagetic, dialogue, volume, pace, instrumentation.

Mise-en-scene
Costume, lighting, make up, colour, dominant colour, symbolism, props, proxemics, setting, production, body movement, actors.

Inbetweeners presentation

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My Collage

Collage:

In my collage I have included various images which I feel represents me as a person.

One of the images which I have included is of 'The old pond' in Cheshunt. This is included in my collage as I have lived in Cheshunt ever since I was born, also included in my collage is a picture of Cheshunt school which I have attended for 6 years now.

In my collage there are a lot of football based pictures. Football plays a big part in my life as I have played for a local football team called 'East Herts' since the age of 7, I have had a season ticket at Tottenham Hotspur FC since I was 10 and I went to watch my first game when I was about 6 or 7.

I have also added photo's of my 2 favourite films; The Inbetweeners movie, and The Hangover. 

The background colour of my collage is also significant as the blue and red are the colours of which my football team, East Herts, play in.

Our Film

Appleby Street

Location

The location is set near a forest on Appleby Street. There are a lot of fields and there is a bunker which is a perfect location for our genre which is horror.

Plot

It is only 2-3 minutes long and so we had to leave it where the story could be carried on, the handheld camera is showing the event from his point of view. In the beginning Ben and Jacob go to Aimee’s house and knock on her door. The next time the camera is turned on they are walking to toward the fields discussing the party which will be at the bunker. The camera is turned on again and they are walking through the fields talking more about the party. Jacob then stops to pee while Aimee and Ben walk on. Jacob looks around with the camera still, hearing weird rustling noises, and then he hears Aimee scream. He then jogs in that direction and keeps looking behind. He then discovers Ben dead on the floor, he then hears Aimee scream again and carries on running, he trips over and hurts his ankle and then discovered that it was actually Aimee he tripped over, and she too is also dead. He then gets up and hobbles towards the bunker hoping there will be people there. Jacob then trips again and so the camera is on its side, then we see a mysterious figure walking towards the Jacob, the camera keeps turning itself on and off so each time the figure is closer and closer until it kneels down, Jacob is stabbed then we see the mysterious figure walk off, and carry the dead bodies with police sirens in the background.

Costume

Obviously the clothes are likely to get ruined so we are going to be wearing things we don’t mind throwing away. We will also be wearing lightly coloured clothes to see where we are injured.

Lighting

We will be only using torches for light as it looks as realistic as possible.

Sound

We will not be using music over the top because then it wouldn’t be as realistic.

Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky is an American linguistic, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an institute professor in the department of linguistics & philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years.

Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992) is a documentary film that explores the political life and ideas of Noam Chomsky. It expands on the ideas of Chomsky's earlier book , Manufacturing consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media, which he wrote along with Edward S. Herman.

The film presents and illustrates Chomsky's and Herman's thesis that corporate media, as a profit-driven institution, tend to serve and further the agendas of the interests of dominant, elite groups in the society. A centerpiece of the film is a long examination of the history of the New York Times' coverage of the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, which Chomsky says exemplifies the media's unwillingness to criticise an ally of the elite.

Chomsky's response to the film was mixed; in a published conversation  with Achbar and several activists, he stated that the film simply doesn't communicate his message, leading people to believe that he is the leader of some movement that they should join. In the same conversation though, he criticises the New York Times' review of the film, which mistakes his message for being a call for voter organising rather than media critique.

Roland Barthes: Mythologies

Roland Gérard Barthes was a French literary theorist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. Barthes' ideas explored a diverse range of fields and he influenced the development of schools of theory including structuralism, semiotics, existentialism, social theory, Marxism, anthropology and post-structuralism.

Barthes's many monthly contributions that were collected in his Mythologies frequently interrogated specific cultural materials in order to expose how society asserted its values through them. For example, the portrayal of wine in French society as a robust and healthy habit is an ideal that is contradicted by certain realities (i.e., that wine can be unhealthy). He found semiotics, the study of signs, useful in these interrogations. Barthes explained that these cultural myths were "second-order signs," or "connotations". A picture of a full, dark bottle is a signifier that relates to a specific signified: a fermented, alcoholic beverage. However, it can also be related to a new signified: the idea of healthy, robust, relaxing experience. Motivations for such manipulations vary, from a desire to sell products to a simple desire to maintain the status quo. These insights brought Barthes in line with similar Marxist theory.