This document discusses how various shots from a student horror film follow common horror film conventions to look professional and create tension. It analyzes shots of an isolated rural house, ominous titles with dramatic music, high and low camera angles to represent power and vulnerability, a character in dark clothing contrasting with the setting, an antagonist lurking in the shadows unaware to the protagonist, revealing the antagonist in dark lighting, and a high angle shot of the antagonist approaching the vulnerable protagonist in a sparse, gothic house. The goal is to both conform to and challenge horror genre conventions to engage an urban audience.

2. Thisshot followsthe commonconventionsof a
real horror filmasit isusedas an establishing
shot.It isusedto show the audience where the
filmwill take place,settingascene intheirmind.
The fact that the house islarge inan isolatedarea
againfollowsthe commonconventionsof areal
horror filmasmost are set inrural areas.
I pickedthisshotto show the propsand mise-en-
scene usedinour film.Thisshotnotonlyfollows
the commonconventionsof areal horror filmby
usingauthenticmise-en-scene andpropsbutit
alsocreatesa sense of mystery.The audience are
leftwonderingwhoishurt/deadandwhathas
happenedtothem.The mise-en-sceneof leaves
looksauthenticandhelps tomake the shotlook
real,therefore creatingaprofessional image.
I chose thisshotto representhow the title of our
filmfollowsthe commonconventionsof areal
mediaproduct.The use of gothicfontpairedwith
dauntingmusicanda flashinganimationhelpsto
create an eerie atmosphere.The factthat itis
presentedinthe largestfontthroughout the
sequence helpstoshow itsimportance.Inmost
filmsthe title of the filmisalwayspresentedusing
large fontand loudmusic.We made the titles
appearafterthe creditsasit createssuspense and
it isthe last thingthatpeople see,somany
institutionsdothisaspeople are more likelyto
rememberit.
I chose thisshot as ithelpstorepresenthow we
conformedtoa real horror filmusingcamera
angles.We tookthisshot at a highangle as if
someone was‘lookingdown’onthe protagonist.
The highangle is alsousedtomake the
protagonistlookvulnerable andsmall.This
createsa dauntingandeerie atmosphere asthe
audience getthe impressionthatsomeone is
lurkinginside.Horrorfilmsgenerallycontainalot
of highandlow anglesas theyare useful to
representpowerandvulnerability

3. Thisshot isusedto representthe protagonist.We
useda low angle to representthe vastnessof the
rural propertycomparedtothe small,lonelyperson.
Our character iswearingdarkcolours,thisslightly
challengesthe conventionsof horrorfilmsas
characters are usuallydressedbrightlyin contrastto
the setting.We didthisso the urban audience were
able to relate more towardsthe charactersin our
filmasher clothingisunique andnew.
The presentationof the antagonistslightlyoutof
sight,stoodstaringat the protagonist iscommonin
the horror genre.The fact that the antagonistis
unaware of the protagonist’spresence createsa
chillinganddangerousatmosphere.Thisis
commonlypairedwiththe dauntingmusic,
somethingwe alsodidinourfilmopening.
Thisshot istypical of a horrorfilmas itslightly
revealsthe antagonist,althoughthe protagonistis
unaware.Thiscreatesa sense of impendingdoom,
keepingthe audience onthe edge of theirseats.The
dark lightingapartfromthe outside light
highlightingthe figure createsadarkand eerie
atmosphere.Manyhorrorfilmsuse darklightingas
people view the darkasbeingscarydue to their
visionbeingreducedandpeople are vulnerable at
night.
Thisshot showsthe rural locationof the film.Thisfitswith
the commonconventionsof ahorror filmas itcreatesan
isolatedfeel,manyinstitutionsdothisasitmakesthe
audience uneasyasif there isanytrouble there isnobodyto
helpthem.The factthat the antagonistispresentedinthe
corner holdingaweapon,thismakesthe audiencefearful of
whatwill happennext.We includedthe blackandwhite
colourto create a more gothicscene,thisislesscommonin
modernhorrorfilmstherefore slightlychallengesthe
conventionsof amodernhorrorfilm.
The use of a highangle revealingthe antagonist
walkingintowhere the protagonistmakesthe
audience fearforthe protagonist.The highangle
makesthe surroundingappearlarge anddaunting,
and the protagonistlookssmallerandmore
vulnerable thanthe still figure of the antagonist.The
highangle alsoshowsthe mise-en-scene,the lackof
decorationandunpaintedwallsof the house helps
to create an isolatedatmosphere,manylocationsin
horror filmsare gothicand of longdisuse .Therefore
thisdécorfitswiththisconvention.