Neha Ashok Raj AS Level

Propp’s Character Theory Vladimir Propp studied classic folk tales and noticed that no matter what the story was about, the characters often played similar roles. It wasn’t about who they were as individuals but what part they played in the story —like whether they caused problems, helped the hero, or were the hero themselves. He identified 8 common roles that tend to show up in most stories: How We Used It  When we first wrote the film opening, we didn’t sit down with Propp’s theory in mind—we just focused on what felt natural for the story. But after learning about his character roles, we realized… we actually followed his structure without meaning to! Here’s how our characters match his theory: Jay is clearly the hero— he gets the dare and enters the creepy room. Sabari , the friend who dares him, acts as the dispatcher— starting the chain of events. But later in scene 3, that same friend reappears in a mysterious, eerie way—which makes him feel more like a false hero or maybe ...

Todorov’s Narrative Theory Tzvetan Todorov believed that most stories follow a simple structure made up of five stages. This sequence helps create a full, satisfying narrative arc—from normal life to conflict and finally to some kind of resolution. Here’s a breakdown of the five steps: How We Used It  Since we only created a short film opening, we couldn’t show the full five stages—but we still used the first three to build tension and curiosity. And About the Voiceover… The voiceover in our film shares Ethan’s story from the past. It sets a dark, mysterious tone and provides some backstory—but it doesn’t represent the “normal life” part of Jay’s story, so it doesn’t count as the equilibrium.

Hall’s Reception Theory Stuart Hall’s reception theory is all about how people understand media in their own unique way. He believed that the meaning of a film or show isn’t just decided by the creators—it also depends on how the audience interprets it, based on their own life experiences, beliefs, and background. Hall identified three main types of audience reactions: How We Used It  When we showed our opening scene to a small group of viewers, their reactions were surprisingly varied. Everyone watched the same clip, but their interpretations didn’t always match ours: A few people had a preferred reading . They totally got the vibe we were going for—how peer pressure and fear of the unknown were central themes. They understood that the haunted room wasn’t just creepy but symbolized deeper emotional tension. Others gave us a negotiated reading . They liked the concept but didn’t take the ghost literally. Some thought it represented Jay’s own mental state, like anxiety or imaginatio...

  Understanding Binary Opposition Theory Claude Lévi-Strauss came up with the idea that stories often revolve around clear-cut opposites—called binary oppositions . These contrasting elements help drive the plot and deepen emotional impact. In horror especially, these oppositions can amplify tension and engage the audience more powerfully. Some common binary opposites you’ll find in stories include: Light vs Dark Good vs Evil Safe vs Dangerous These contrasts don’t just show what’s happening—they make you feel it. The shift between opposites is what keeps the story gripping, particularly in horror films. How We Applied It in The Whispering Nightmare Right from the beginning stages of our planning, we used opposing ideas to build the structure of our story and create suspense. Here are a few key examples:

Reading Between the Frames: Roland Barthes’ Theory in The Whispering Nightmare Roland Barthes believed that media texts don’t have just one fixed meaning. Instead, each audience member interprets what they see in different ways, depending on their culture , experiences , and point of view . In other words, what one person sees as just an object or moment could feel completely different to someone else. Barthes introduced two key ideas: According to Barthes, signs like setting, sound, facial expression, or even lighting can suggest hidden emotions or themes. These interpretations shift from person to person, making every viewer’s experience a little different. How We Used Barthes’ Theory in The Whispering Nightmare We kept this theory in mind when creating our scenes. Here’s how some simple visuals and sounds in our film opening carried deeper meaning:

Genre with Steve Neale’s Theory— The Whispering Nightmare By combining comedy and horror themes, we wanted to establish a unique mood in the opening of our film, The Whispering Nightmare. Even though the story is only getting started, we wanted to let the viewers know right away what genre it is so they can be entertained We used Steve Neale's genre theory, which argues that while genres depend on recurring elements that viewers are accustomed to, they also need change to keep viewers interested. To put it another way, originality is essential to maintaining the experience's novelty value, even though certain conventions should be followed. Things We Recited (Well-Known Horror-Comedy Tropes) An eerie backstory and a ghostly location (Ethan Graves) Teens playing Truth or Dare together, which turns into a scary game Usually found in horror-comedy openings, humorous dialogue and light-hearted situations An eerie, silent conclusion that suddenly fades to black is a common horror cl...

 We got positive feedback and comments and were satisfied with our work and thankful for the people who watched it and participated in it.