4. Conventions of the vampire subgenre:
Low key lighting- vampires are afraid of the sunlight therefore there is going to be a dark
setting and normally based at night. For instance, in all the examples above, the main terror
comes at night as the vampires will not be burned by light.
Blood- there is a lot of blood references in vampire films. For example, in Fright night and
Blade there are graphic references to blood, especially when the vampire bites its victims.
Teeth- in every vampire film they have the iconic teeth which is what the audience expect.
We see this in all of the vampire films because it signifies vampires.
Religious aspect- there is normally a reference to religion in the vampire genre. In particular,
holy water is used to battle against vampires.
Costume- originally, vampires were associated to wear their traditional costumes like capes.
However, this convention has now changed as we now see vampires wearing modern clothes.
For example, in Twilight they do not wear the traditional clothing that some audiences
associate with vampires.
Setting- usually a gothic setting, such as graveyards and churches. They are normally dark
and damp locations. This is because it sets a dark and serious mood which is essential for this
genre. For instance, Dracula Untold is based in quite a gothic and dark setting.
5. What will happen:
The first shot will be a close up on the sun.
There will be two teenagers walking down a street on their phones.
They see a house with the door wide open. They then hear a scream from the house.
They run into the house.
They see blood everywhere, on the floor and walls.
They walk around the house finding all sort of items including the cross of Christianity
They see that the windows are covered with blankets, blocking the light.
They see that there is a blood trail on the stairs, they walk up it.
They go in to a room and see a vampire eating something.
They run down the stairs but see the vampire in front of them, blocking their exit.
There is a slight pause, then the vampire jumps at the camera (POV shot)
The sequence ends.
6. How I am meeting the conventions:
There are large references to blood which is something the audience expect
of this genre.
It will present a quite dark setting, the sheets covering the windows
reinforces this.
There is a reference to religion, for example the cross of Christianity
therefore meeting the convention with religion.
There will be a clear denotation of the fangs which is essential to this genre
as it signifies vampires.
The costume will be quite modern which is now a custom of this genre in the
modern day.
There is a significant use of low key lighting which is crucial for this genre in
creating tension and connoting a vampire.
7. How it is unique:
The idea itself is quite unique. This is because there are few who even do this
genre and it is rarely seen by examiners as it is considered as more
challenging therefore many people do not do it. So this will make it
distinctive as it is not a genre often attempted.
Combined with the idea, the setting itself is unique. This is because it is a
house with a lot of blood around which is difficult therefore not attempted by
many. Also the costume adds to this as I will make sure the fangs are clearly
shown.
8. Narrative enigmas:
They will question why there is so much blood everywhere and what
happened.
They don’t know exactly who the vampire is because he covers his face
therefore the audience will be interested in finding out who he is as it might
have a significance in the future.
The audience will question why the windows are covered with blankets (until
they see the vampire) and why the person living in the house likes the dark.
The audience may question why there is religious items in the house
considering how much blood there is.
The audience may question what does the vampire plan to do and what
exactly does it do at night.
9. Main targets to make it effective:
The score music has to be at a very good standard in order to set the overall
mood of the sequence and create tension.
The mise-en-scene, particularly the costume and make up is very important in
this sequence. This is because we have to make it look realistic otherwise it
will not be effective, especially how there is a lot of blood in it. Also, the
fangs is essential to this genre as it signifies vampires.
To control the pace of the cuts. This is because it will change during the
sequence, for instance, it will be slow initially, but fast near the end.
