Reading Films

Reading Horror Films 

By definition; polysemy is the coexistence of many possible meanings for - so in media it can be used to define the many possible readings for film, whether they be ambigious or open to lots of readings.

Due to the large number of films available across the world, there will be many different readings of the texts depending upon the reader. 

Mise en scene can have an impact on the reading of films. For example, the representation of space can do this. Depth, proximity, size and proportions of the places and objets in a film can be mainupilated through camera placement and lenses, lighting, set design, effectively determing mood or relationships between elements in the story world. 

Cultural theorist Stuart Hall looked at the role of audience positioning in the interpretation of mass media texts by different social groups. He suggested 4 ways in which they can be read;

• Dominant/Preferred - this is when the reader full accepts what the producer intended to portray, and so is consequently what most people come away with after viewing a film. In relation to horror - what most creators want is the audience to be scared and to feel fear, therefore this is the general result. 
• Negotiated - this is when the reader's social position may put them outside the text's specific target audience, and so may be more active in questioning the representations in the text. Therefore, they tend to work out reading for themseleves and generally accept the preferred reading, but still challenge a few aspects. In relation to horror, apocalyptic films often challenge people values - as they can have underlying social messages. For this reason, they can be interpreted differently.
• Oppositional - this is when the reader's values and attitudes are different with the target audience, so as a result, they disagree with the ideology and interpret a different meaning. In regards to horror, many independent films may come up against oppositional readings. This is because the justifications given by the film producers may still not satisfy the audience - as some horror films have the potential to be sickening to many, and so are too disgusted by the idea of the film.
• Aberrant - this is when the reader has a complete misunderstanding of the film, and therefore takes nothing from it. 

The difference between what is encoded (intention of the producer) and what is decoded (meaning made by the reader) is described as the margin of understanding. Therefore, films vary in margins, because some meanings may be more open than others.