1. Film / Artist: Saw series
Web Address: http://www.officialsaw.com
Genre/ Subgenre: Slasher/ Psychological

2. Brief Plot Synopsis: Two men wake up in a room chained to a
pipe, and realise that they are part of an elaborate game
conducted by a serial killer going under the name ‘Jigsaw’.

3. Briefly describe the content of the homepage / first
impressions
The homepage consists of a circular blade with navigational buttons placed around
each ridge of the blade – this seems to fit the conventions of the film and is very
pleasing to the eye.

4. Describe the home page in detail using the
following sections:
Was the site easy to navigate? Describe the
navigation tools used e.g. drop down
menus/banners etc.
The site is easy to use as the navigational buttons are all clear to see
as they form around the circular blade and are categorised
appropriately.

5. What colours were used principally on the homepage?
How many colours were used in the palette?
There is a very limited colour palette – black, white and red, which are the
stereotypical colours that connote horror and bloodshed etc.

6. Was there a specific site style e.g. layout / typography i.e.
a common look for the page? Describe it?
The theme/layout for the page is the use of the circular blade as a murder
weapon, so even if you have not seen the film it is clear from the homepage
that the film contains slasher/psychotic elements.

7. How many and what images did the page
contain? What was the purpose of the images?
Technical construction e.g. close up/low angle etc?
The only images on the homepage are that of the circular wheel,
pictures of ‘Jigsaw’ in the updates section on the homepage (so the
audience is familiar with the villain) and logos affiliated with the film
itself (such as Lionsgate, Twisted Pictures, Dolby Digital etc) for legal
purposes. There is also a rating ® showing that the website is of
American origin.

8. What was the tone of the copy – i.e. style of language
_formal/humorous etc. What could you find out about
the film/artist from reading the text?
The text on the homepage is simple and directional in order not to confuse
the audience. The text is also promotional and intertextual with updates on
the homepage regarding a Saw auction on Ebay and an official Saw Store.

9. How many pages did the homepage link to? What were
these pages? How did the links operate? Where were the
links positioned?
The homepage linked to 8 other pages, which consisted of a page for each of the 5
Saw films, a Store, a fan section, and ‘House of Jigsaw’ which takes you into the
world of the villain, his weapons and his victims etc., gaining a broadened insight
into his mind-set.

10. Does the website promote a CD release/showcase
the film poster – where were these located within
the site? How were they promoted? Style/layout
etc.
The posters are not shown; however there are links from each film
section to buy the soundtrack to each film, and to buy each DVD also.

11. Were there any examples of Interactivity/Flash/Video
Streaming or Real Audio? How were these used? What
did they add to the homepage?
The website has clearly been made from Flash as there are very good effects
from the circular blade and each button blurring or turning red when you
hover over it. There is a video streaming of ‘Jigsaw’ when you first visit the
website, which you can skip by pressing the ‘skip intro’ button. There is also
fast paced music fitting the theme of the film, and you are given the choice to
switch the sound off with a navigational bar at the top of the page.

12. Could you tell by the style of the site which genre the
film/artist belonged to? How?
Yes, as the circular blade/colours used/the fast paced music all connote a horror
film and paint a horrific picture.

13. Write down anything you think worked particularly well
on the home page?
I think the circular blade for the use of navigation was a great idea as it
represented the conventions of the film and a murder weapon used.

14. Anything you didn’t think worked?
I thought that the sound used could be rather annoying, although there was an option
to turn it off (however the button was small and could not be found immediately) and
the opening video, although impressive and fitting to the film, could be seen as
somewhat of an annoyance, however again there was an option to skip it.