Binary oppositions are pairs of concepts that are opposite in meaning, such as good/bad, weak/strong, and security/insecurity. In a narrative, binary oppositions help establish relationships between characters, such as who is good or bad. They also help define concepts by their opposition to another - we understand "weak" by its contrast to "strong." Horror films commonly use binary oppositions like good/evil, sane/insane, and human/supernatural to drive their plots. Harry Potter relies on the opposition of Harry as the good guy and Voldemort as the bad guy wanted him dead. Pictures can represent binary oppositions to audiences clearly, such as good versus bad.

1. Binary Oppositions
A binary opposition (also binary system) is a pair of
related terms or concepts that are opposite in
meaning. Binary opposition is the system by
which, in language and thought, two theoretical
opposites are strictly defined and set off against
one another. For example:
 Good VS Bad
 Insecurity VS Security
 West VS East
 Women VS Men
In my thriller opening there isn’t really a specific
binary opposition however ‘weak VS strong’ could
be used to show how the group of teenagers in the
woods are vulnerable and then because one
character is killed by someone who is ‘unknown’ in
the start, it shows the killer as the stronger
character.
The binary oppositions work in a narrative to
establish who the good and bad characters are or
in this case the weak and strong. We cannot
conceive the concept of ‘weak’ without the presence
of ‘strong’ with which to compare it to and
therefore define it against one another.
Examples
Usually the typical horror film will use binary
oppositions in their plots, particularly good and
evil, sane and insane, rational and irrational and
human and supernatural.
Harry Potter – Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Harry is constantly seen as the ‘good’ guy
throughout the harry potter series and is wanted
dead by the ‘bad’ guy, Voldemort.
Pictures can be used to represent the binary
oppositions in films. This photo expresses the
binary opposition of good and bad clearly to the
audience