Deconstruction of Martha Marcy May Marlene Website

Martha Marcy May Marlene is a 2011 Thriller/drama directed by Sean Durkin. Before entering the site, an image of the protagonist appears, within the letter M. Representing all the alias' she portrays in the film. Below the image the names of the main cast are listed, This is used so the audience can see who is in the film. We want to include this within our website. On top of the image, reviews flash up, giving the audience a hint of what the film is about, and what critics think of it. This will persuade the audience to go and see the film. We are planning to use this for our film website.

As you enter the site, the background changes to black, which creates a sense of mystery and suspense, conforming to the Psychological Thriller genre. The white stars on the black background, move into pictures of the Antagonist, further connoting a sense of suspense to the audience.  The white stars also spell out the themes explored within the film, such as "Possession" giving the audience an idea of what happens in the film.



The user is able to click on certain parts of the image, which leads them to another picture, which was likely used in the film. The image is shown to be slightly distorted, conforming to the Psychological Thriller genre, as the audience is not given all the information of the plot.  At the top of the page, the website has a sidebar, linking to two social media websites,  Facebook, and Twitter, therefore appealing to a wide range of audiences.

Website Construction

This is the homepage of our website for our movie. We decided to put the title at the bottom of the screen, to subvert the convention of always having it at the top. We used the same typography as the one used in our trailer, and it is white to stand out against the bright colours of our background.

The images in the background are the main focus of the website and some are shots from our trailer while others have been filmed separately.

The theme of drugs and a wild lifestyle is prevalent in the background and gives clues to what the film's storyline is, without giving the entire plot away. The main colour is red, but we also have one shot from the party scene, which is lighted all different colours due to the strobe lighting.

The ratings and comments on the film appear one by one in the corner of the page, next to the title. We also considered putting them all up at the same time, but we felt it would take up too much space and we wanted the audience to focus on the footage. We have included links to social media sites and also other pages of the website but these are also quite minimally designed for the same reason. 

In order to have enough space to include the trailer, the title, the ratings and other features, we framed the shots for the background predominantly on the left. The title and the video are on the right and take up quite a lot of space.

For the ratings, we have used gold text but the same font as the title. We wanted a colour different to the title but would still stand out, and gold connotes success and achievement. 

Deconstruction of Gone Girl Website

This is the website for Gone Girl, the 2014 Psychological Thriller directed by David Fincher.
The media plays a big part in the plot of the film thus it is incorporated into the website design, as it is made to look like a news announcement on a television screen. The photos in the background are the audience's main focus, and this is an idea we might use for our own website. The photos change often, to show another shot from the film, giving the audience hints about the plot but never giving away the plot twist.

 As the focus is on the photographs, the rest of the website is quite minimal- to prevent the audience getting distracted by anything else. The typography of the buttons at the top of the website are the same as the title on the poster- that specific typography is associated with the Gone Girl franchise. The word 'gone' is always written in the same typography, it is used as a trademark of the film.

The release date of the film is made to look like the date on the TV screen, to once again fit in with the theme of the media. It is underlined in yellow, to make it stand out. The majority of the photographs have quite low key lighting, and often blue tones, so the subtle use of red and yellow especially at the bottom of the screen, is effective.

 The links to the other social media pages for the film are included in the top right corner, in white which stands out against all of the photos in the slideshow. Other links such as to the trailers, and the synopsis are disguised as part of the Breaking News bar at the bottom but still accessible. The website also has quiet non-diegetic music playing in the background, from the soundtrack of the film.

For the film, a second website was also made called findamazingamy.com. This was made as part of the franchise, as the film centres around Amy, who goes missing. Her parents set up a website for anyone to leave information and to spread the word.

Once again the photos are the main focus, and match the photo used in the main poster. The words 'Gone Girl' don't need to be used on either the website or the poster, because people already know the film from the large amount of promotion.

Under the Skin Website Deconstruction

Under the Skin Website

Under the Skin is a 2013 Science Fiction-Horror film directed by Jonathan Glazer. The darkness and psychological disruption of this film was a prominent inspiration for our teaser trailer. 

Within the narrative of this film one of the most important aspects is the ambiguity and mystery behind the protagonist, mystery is a common convention within Psychological Thrillers, therefore it can be argued that Under the Skin has elements of a Psychological Thriller, along side Science Fiction-Thriller. We took inspiration from this ambiguity for our teaser trailer.

This website is very minimal, with only part of Scarlett Johansson's face showing, as you scroll down the website the typography moves and changes, but the picture remains still. The colour lit onto the protagonist's face slowly shifts through several bright colours, such as red, pink, and blue - these colours are very bright and are the most prominent feature of the website. The stars in the background are very slowly, almost unnoticeably moving. Due to the film's Science Fiction side it can be suggested that the protagonist's face is presented in the middle of the dark night's sky in order to suggest the vast expanse of the universe, which leads to the idea of extraterrestrial life. 

However, although the dark sky indicates the infinite nature of the universe, the pivotal aspect of the website is the protagonist's face, due to its central framing and large scale, demonstrating that she is the most significant aspect of the film. However her face is partially shadowed, suggesting a duplicitous nature. Additionally, the vividity of the red lighting on Johannson's face contrasts the stark black sky behind her, this connotes danger, and causes her to stand out against the mundane nature of humanity. 

When on the website, once the audience has scrolled down, there are very clear media links to purchase the product. This is explicit advertisement, and allows easy access for the audience.

There is a common typography seen throughout the website, this is a very clear and easy to read font. It can be suggested that this font contrasts the abstract nature of the film.

The pastel blue colour scheme of the typography contrasts the black background, making it stand out.

Once the audience scrolls down further, reviews are presented on-screen. Unlike the media links, these take up the majority of the page, becoming the central focus, additionally, use of contrasting colours of the green typography against the red light on the protagonist's face makes the reviews stand out further.

This follows the conventions of a website, as its aim is to entice and persuade the audience, so by displaying all of the positive reviews and feedback across the whole of the screen, this reiterates to the reader just how good the film is, persuading them to watch it themselves.