Component 1: Section A - Media Language and Representation - Kiss of the Vampire

Question 1

Who was Kiss of the Vampire produced by?

Answer 1

• Hammer Film productions.

Question 2

Which bodies distributed Kiss of the Vampire?

Give two examples.

Answer 2

At least two from:

• Universal
• J. Arthur Rank

Question 3

Who is the typical audience for this product?

Answer 3

• 1960s audience who are familiar with the codes and conventions of ‘monster movie’ film posters.

Question 4

What does the use of the serif font do to the product, and how does it do this?

Answer 4

• Create connotations linked to the vampire film genre by using ‘wooden’ fonts and the blood dripping from the ‘V’s fang.

Question 5

What does the gloomy, black, grey and brown colour palette do?

Answer 5

• Reinforce the films dark and scary conventions.

Question 6

What does the use of the colour red on the poster do?

Answer 6

• Draws attention to the attacking bats, the vampire and the blood - which are all conventions of the genre.

Question 7

How is suspense created by the product?

Answer 7

• Through the hermeneutic codes (enigma’s) used surrounding the connoted relationship between the male and female vampires.

Question 8

Where could Barthes’ semantic code be applied to the product?

Answer 8

• To the images of the bats and their conventional association with vampirism and horror.

Question 9

Where can Barthes’ symbolic code be applied to the product?

Answer 9

• Symbolic codes of horror, darkness and fear are more widely reinforced through signifiers such as the moon and the male’s ‘submissive sacrifice’ gesture code.

Question 10

How could the idea of binary opposites be applied to the product?
Give at least two examples.

Answer 10

• Through the opposing representations of the vampires and their victims and the romantic connotations of ‘kiss’ opposed in the films title to the stereotypical ‘vampire’ monster.
• One woman is wearing heels and one is barefoot - this shows the contrast between the powerful and timid side of women. The fact that one is barefoot suggests that she is not needing support and not being kept in her place by men.
• Traditional idea of the man holding the woman v.s non-traditional with the woman holding the man.

Question 11

What happened during the 1960s that can be used as context for this product?

Answer 11

• The introduction of the contraceptive pill.
• More women entering the paid workforce.
• Feminists campaigned for equal pay, an end to sexual harassment, and more equality between men and women in wider society.

Question 12

What elements of wider 1960s context could be encoded in the poster?

Answer 12

• Older stereotypes of women as passive victims of men - More modern ‘male fears’ of women challenging male dominance.

Question 13

How are representations constructed in this product?

Give at least two examples.

Answer 13

At least two from:

• Both women wear pale dresses made of light materials and these dress codes reinforce femininity by highlighting curves in their bodies and revealing flesh.
• The gesture code of the woman on the left is that of the stereotypical passive victim of the ‘monster’.
• The ‘monster’s power is highlighted by the fact that he is holding her just by one arm.
• Baring her teeth and with her arm raised almost fist-like as if she has been bitten by the bat, the second woman’s gesture code is more aggressive, and the submissive pose of her male ‘victim’ represent her in a non-stereotypically dominant way.
• The vampire himself seems uncharacteristically fearful in his gesture codes with his arm thrown across his body in a defensive gesture, perhaps protecting himself from the female vampire.

Question 14

How can HALL’S theory of representation be applied to the product?

Answer 14

• The images of the castle, bats, the vampire’s cape and dripping blood, form part of the meaning given to the poster.
• The audience is actively encouraged to decode familiar generic iconography.

Question 15

How could GAUNTLETT’S theory of identity be applied to the product?

Answer 15

• The female vampire can act as a role model for women struggling against male oppression or desperate to be equal to men.

Question 16

How can VAN ZOONEN’S feminist theory be applied to the product?

Answer 16

• By assuming the role of the co-antagonist, the female vampire is perhaps contributing to social change by representing women in non-traditional roles.
• The passive female victim reinforces traditional ideas about women.

Question 17

What is the title ‘Kiss of the Vampire’ an example of?

Answer 17

• Juxtaposition - you are not usually kissed by a vampire which creates a binary opposition between kiss and the vampire.

Question 18

What does the ‘V’ with the blood on it connote?

Answer 18

• A tooth (fang)

Question 19

What does the use of the serif font connote?

Answer 19

• Seriousness

Question 20

What does the fact that the title is positioned slightly to the side suggest?

Answer 20

• That something is not quite right.

Question 21

What is suggested by the image of the female victim and the way she is shown on the poster?

Answer 21

• She is dead and not the one in control.
• The heels make her sexualised.
• The man has a grip around her body which shows that he is in control.
• The fact that her hourglass figure is shown makes her sexualised.

Question 22

What is symbolised by the red colour of the powerful male vampire’s coat?

Answer 22

• Blood

Question 23

What is suggested by the fact that the powerful male vampire is moving away from the powerful female vampire?

Answer 23

• The dominant female vampire is a potential threat to the powerful male vampire and is overall of a more powerful character.

Question 24

What do the gestures of the powerful female vampire suggest?

Answer 24

• That she may potentially attack the stronger male vampire - this links to 1960s context as women started to become more powerful.

Question 25

What does the fact that the weaker male character is positioned underneath the more dominant female vampire do?

Answer 25

• Challenge stereotypes by suggesting that the more vulnerable male character is loosing grip on his patriarchy.

Question 26

What does the dominant female vampire do?

Answer 26

• Intimidate the traditional male vampire.

Question 27

What can be said about the list of actors on the poster?

Answer 27

• The poster draws attention to the good actors.

- The female actors are further down the list than the male actors - could suggest that the women have less control.

Question 28

What does the ‘A Universal Release’ stamp suggest?

Answer 28

• That they are a trusted company and potential opinion leader.

Question 29

When was the product released?

Answer 29

• 1963

Question 30

Give at least one example of the context of the world in which the poster was released.

Answer 30

At least one from:

• Sexual liberation for women.
• Introduction of the contraceptive pill.
• Shifts in gender roles.