Genre Essay | Media Diaries

Hotel Transylvania

The film Hotel Transylvania is part of the fantasy/comedy genre it uses many features to make this film loveable and humorous. The film is about a hotel made by Count Dracula who is the owner of the 'Hotel Transylvania'. The hotel was built for all monsters to be 'safe'. It shows how Dracula wants to keep his daughter 'Mavis' safe as he beliefs that the humans are dangerous. While he thinks that this hotel will protect his daughter she ends up with questions and curiosity of what is it like outside the hotel. Dracula encounters a problem when a human finds the hotel and is worried about what the other monsters would do if they seen him and especially what would happen if his daughter and him met. He tries to disguise the human as a monster to prevent them from seeing him. However, throughout the trailer we see that he is falling in love with his daughter. Dracula comes to realise that his daughter is old enough to make her own decisions and has to let her go.

The films has a few iconic people doing the voice overs for the characters such as, Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez. Using someone like Adam Sandler reinforces the comedy side of the film as we know as an audience watching he has been in many hilarious films such as, grown ups and Jack and Jill. He is seen as a trusted, well known actor this will ensure the audience that the film is good and worth the money. As well as, Selena Gomez being in the film this shows how they have chosen someone who has worked on family films and programs before which shows the film is well thought out. The characters in the film don't just show the meanings presented in the film they show different aspects of life that the audiences can relate to. For example, Dracula is seen as a scary vampire in the film however, he shows different connotations of himself. As this is a family film its meant to appeal to most ages so if parents are watching they could may well relate the character of Dracula because of being too protective or they might find it hard to accept the fact that there children are growing into adults it may reinforce there view that maybe they should trust there children more to make there own decisions and choices. 'Mavis' Draculas daughter shows aspects of adventure and exploring which I feel like most teenagers seek they want to see what is out there and travel. However, it also shows how sometimes relationships with parents is hard and even though, they seem super protective they are only looking out for what is best for there children and I feel like children watching this especially teens can take that away with them after they have finished watching the film.

The music in the trailer is a diegetic song which is sang by Dracula to his daughter this song reinforces the theme of protection and uses the binary opposition of childhood Vs adulthood. The diegetic sound signifies that she will always be "daddy's girl" however, she does have to grow up. Non diegetic sounds are used when a voice over is used throughout the trailer when Dracula talks us through the plot. As well as, fast pacing music playing in the dramatic parts of the trailer for example when Mavis and the human meet. Other enigma codes are used in this trailer as there is an example of Family Vs Future which shows how she will have to pick between her father and her life and her love for exploring. I also see a battle of Good Vs Evil in this trailer because Dracula is mostly presented as being the bad in most things he is presented in despite the fact that, in this film we know that he wants to protect Mavis but is being violent and bad the best option to go for, or is accepting the human and realising that they are not all bad. Different camera shots used in this trailer when Mavis and the human are together it tends to use shot reverse shot which shows the connection of the two of them. Close ups are also used when they find out that there is a human in the hotel this  holds tension and makes question as readers what is going to happen. Moreover, in the trailer we begin may well begin to ask engima codes such as, "Will Dracula let his daughter go?" Or " Will Mavis and the boy/human end up together?"