This document discusses genre conventions in horror film promotion. It analyzes how the group's promotional materials for their film "The Chosen One" effectively used conventions like slow pacing, ominous colors, and stock family home locations. Examples from films like "Insidious," "The Conjuring," "Mama," and "The Orphan" informed their trailer, poster, and magazine cover design to appeal to audiences familiar with possession horror conventions. Key conventions included demonic children antagonists, disruption of domestic normalcy, and a symbiotic linking of visual elements across promotional pieces.

1. Every genre needs codes and conventions, without them the audiences would be unable to identify
what genre each promotional piece would belong to. Media Practitioners need them for other
reasons, e.g. to help them predict what the audience will expect and deliver it to them, to give them
a starting point and a guide to help them create the piece of media, etc.I have mastered these
conventions and have done so by continuously assessing the effect of them. By using these common
codes and conventions we have therefore allowed our final products to appeal to our target
audience, as well as creating professionalism. An example of us doing so is within our trailer when
following the typical codes and conventions of any supernatural/possession narrative structure.
Similarly to the possession film Insidious we started off with the use of a slow pace start to our
trailer; firstly showing the family in their happy home and surroundings until the trailer gradually
picks up pace until finally ending with a sting a final fright for them.
This allows the audience to gain an insight
into the narrative, the differentiation of the shots ranging from close ups to long shots used allow
the audience to engage with the characters thoughts and feelings through the use of their emotions
and facial expressions through the use of mise en scene. As well as the fast montage which gives
them hints and clues to certain key parts and elements within the narrative; and to also provide for
one final fright, therefore persuading them to come and watch the film e.g. they will crave more of
the same fright, seeing the film as exciting and scary, as well as associating the film with the kind of
adrenaline rush that the sting inspires,which proves the effectiveness of this convention.
Another common convention throughout the genre of horror is the typical use of common colours
such as Red, Black and White this is because each colour connotes a particular meaning throughout
horror, such as the colour black connoting the evil and antagonistic behaviour throughout the
narrative which is what we as a group wanted to achieve when researching these elements. Many
film posters such as ‘The Devil Inside’ as well as ‘Drag Me To Hell’ typically use these colours also
which gave me inspiration when carrying out my own individual research when building upon the
three promotional package elements.

2. The red is also another demonic colour as well as connoting blood but we as a group when studying
colours felt that we did not want the red to connote blood as this was not a common convention
within a possession film, as well as the colour white that connotes innocence and purity which
highlights the childlike innocence of Madeleine and Elle although Elle is no innocent child, which
allows us as a group to play around with the audiences mind. Another colour that may not be seen
as a predominant horror colour was the use of Blue the reasoning for this choice was because we
felt that it was a dominant colour over the reds, whites and blacks and Elle herself is a very
domineering character within the play; we wanted a colour that would stay within the audiences
minds and would remember right the way through. Through the use of these colours throughout all
three pieces of our promotional package; our trailer, poster and magazine front cover, we have
therefore been able to create a symbiotic link right through our work. We have reinforced the
iconography of the supernatural genre as well as the subgenre of possession, this can be seen
through the use of our poster as typical conventions such as the dark shadows, and possessed eyes
follow the typical conventions of any possession horror film. The use of turning an innocent object
evil such as our blue ribbon, we wanted to use this as it toyed with our audience’s minds creating
confusion of not knowing whether Elle is good or evil as they assume she is an innocent child from
this innocent object. Which can then be linked back to the poster from ‘Insidious’ or ‘Mama’ as both
of these posters also use this recurring iconography.
Our magazine front cover includes several different codes and conventions, such as the use of strap
lines, and the use of the main image dominating the frame. I feel these are very important to
include, this way the audience gets an even bigger insight into the film giving them extra snippets of
information. The way the image is positioned and the mise en scene within the frame is vital for the
audience as their facial expressions explain to the audience the character they are portraying but not
entirely explaining the character leading the audience into wanting more.

3. The effect of a strap proves that this particular convention is a vital marketing technique, which
entices the audience further as it gives clues and hints to the narrative of the film. Straps are much
more vital within the trailer itself thoughas a strap provides anchorage, enabling the audience to get
a better understanding of the visuals on screen.Such as the use of ‘Based on a True Story’ a strap
that is not only in our trailer but in many other trailers also as the film becomes more personal;
knowing these things are true allows the audience to believe that they could happen to anyone
including themselves.
These conventions can be applied to each and every genre of horror such as slasher, supernatural
and gothic etc. Although each genre has their own emphasis to their own particular codes and
conventions to set the right tone for their specific sub-genre. For example within the genre of gothic
horrors, there would typically be big castles and abandoned mansions, as well as mythological
beings rather than the eerie and spine chilling evil spirits we would normally see within possession
films that show how normality has been disrupted as spirits are not real and are connoted to the
dead which shows they should not be seen, heard or felt by humans.
We have developed continuously by using and expanding with typical conventions within the
supernatural/possession genre and this can be show on first hand to our horror magazine front
cover.
Our final piece has incorporated the true potential that we were aiming to achieve; this was
achieved by the use of common codes and conventions of the supernatural genre. It is clear that we
have challenged some conventions as we have chosen to use other colours to dominate both our
magazine front cover and our poster such as blue which has a subtle move away from the typical
colours used; the blue was a running theme throughout our narrative and we also used this as a way
to carry on the symbiotic link through all three pieces of our promotional package. Another typical
use of a convention is the use of the stock location that typically features in the trailer of a horror
film, in the same way we have also focused heavily on the stock location throughout our trailer as it

4. opens with a pan of the family home which is the predominant stock location used throughout our
narrative.
As media practitioners we have followed
these conventions to get the profession quality and feel to our work; the use of the stock location
within the trailer of a horror film allows the audience to become familiar with the settings and
recognise things throughout the narrative structure of the film. We were inspired by ‘The Conjuring’
as the stock location helps build upon the narrative is also allows the build-up of tension as the
invasion of the family home is what scares the public most at the moment, as they should feel safe
in their own homes but they have lost their self-sense of security.
Other horror films that have inspired us are films such as ‘Mama’ and ‘The Orphan’ as these films
both use children as the antagonists; demonic children are a typical convention of Horror possession
films. Which after some research within our group we found were another really effective way of
scaring the audience, as typically children connote innocence and purity. Esther from ‘The Orphan’
was adopted by the family, similarly Elle from our horror film ‘The Chosen One’ was also adopted
which we found was a good way to engage the audiences interests, it brings an outsider into the
family home but she is not all that is made out to be
The film ‘Mama’ features two young girls who have lost their parents, we liked the idea of using two
children as the audience become more enwrapped with the narrative of our film, but in a different
way we have chosen to feature one child who is adopted and one child who is the couples own
daughter and the audience then find out that one child (Elle) is the antagonist and the other
(Madeline) is the protagonist. Elle features throughout our whole promotional package, as the
dominant character as well as the main image within our poster and magazine front cover. Madeline
features on our magazine front cover also as her importance is only revealed at the ending of our

5. film.The inspiration came from the way it had engaged the audience. Using children gets right to the
hearts of the audience especially parents, it would persuade them to watch the film as they want to
know whether or not the children will be okay; the audience can then picture themselves in the
position of the parents of the children.