Download to read offline
More Related Content
Similar to Genre conventions cover work
Genre conventions cover work
- 1.
- 2. Genre Conventions: Horror CinematographyConventions • Hand held camera • Close up shots are used to capture emotions e.g. fear • Low angles are used to create the feeling of superiority of certain characters this may be used on the antagonist. • High angles are used to create the opposite to illustrate that a certain character is inferior • Eye level shots portray unity between two characters that may be fighting an antagonist together. • Zoom in is used to build tension, this may focus on a certain object or person to demonstrate their significance.
- 3. Genre Conventions: Horror Costume •Fake blood • Ripped clothing • Make up (masks, zombie flesh) Lighting • Dark, gloomy lighting • Flashes of lightening • Low Key lighting Mise En Scene Props • Weapons: Knives, guns, Chainsaws • Mobile phones • Limbs and flesh Setting • Rain, thunder and lightening • Abandoned, derelict place Thunder and lightening can raise tension as you may only be able to see what’s on screen when the lightning flashes. Also, pathetic fallacy is used to foreshadow awful events. Abandoned buildings are often used as no one really knows what happened in there over a long period of time and ghosts are likely to haunt them. Weapons connote violence, death and pain all of which are things included in horror films. Mobile phones are also commonly used prop as they can be used to communicate a sinister message from an antagonist. Limbs and flesh contribute to the gory, grotesque element of horror. Low key lighting is used to create a feeling of suspicion and tension. As well as this the less the audience know about a character, setting or narrative the scarier the film becomes. In addition, darkness is used to illustrate the darkness a character may have within them that makes them inhumane and able to willingly kill or harm others Clothing is used in horror films to emphasise the grotesque nature a certain character may have which sets them apart from the other character and makes them a clearly distinguishable antagonist. Fake blood can be used to show pain, death or harm and could imply to the audience just how evil the antagonist is.
- 4. Conventional location/setting Location • Abandoned/Derelict building •Forest • House • Warehouse Setting • Stormy weather • Eerie • Darkness • Remote landscape Genre Conventions: Horror
- 5. Genre Conventions: Horror EditingConventions • Slow start to build tension and suspense Enlightens the audience to the fact that the genre of the film is horror • Animated horror antagonists Can add to the supernatural element of some villains adding to the fear they produce amongst the audience as it adds an aspect of unpredictability. • Jump cuts (Jump Scares) Jump cuts can be used to make the audience jump as they fear what is to come next. • Eye line Match An eye line match editing technique can be used in a horror film to give the audience and insight to the types of emotions caused by seeing an object, character or setting. • Long Shot Long shots can be used to connote the relentlessness of the fear and pain caused by the antagonist or the length of time and effort it takes to catch the antagonist. • Short Shots Short shots are used in a similar way to jump cuts; they can make the audience jump or create a feeling of urgency.
- 6. Genre Conventions: Horror SoundConventions • Screams • Wolves howling • Wailing • Thunder and lightening • Foot steps • Crying • Tension building music • Chainsaws • Banging • Drums • Heavy Breathing • Heart beat
- 7. Genre Conventions: Horror ConventionalCharacters • A psychotic antagonist • A main protagonist (who is usually one of the only ones left alive). This character maybe male or female who is usually left alive with their love interest. • The stupid character who will ultimately die • The wise old man/woman • The strong man who takes authority of the group • The brains, the person that will usually get the group out of a difficult situation
- 8. Genre Conventions: Horror ConventionalCharacters: Gender representation Female representation • The damsel in distress – stereotypically killed for ‘injustices’. • Unlikely to be the villain as females arguably lack physical power over men • Can be the antagonist in ghostly or psychological horror films as they are stereotypically seen as having the power of manipulation over both genders. Male Representation • Often the main protagonist as they are often portrayed as being masculine, brave and heroic. • Also often the main antagonist this may occur because men are seen to have more physical power than women. • The man is often accompanied by a female accomplice of whom becomes his love interest, these are usually among the last alive.
- 9. Genre Convention: Horror •At the beginning of a horror life is seemingly calm and happy. • The first victim is then claimed or attacked, which is when the antagonist first appears. • In response to this, the various other characters must find the killer and destroy them. • There is normally many deaths and obstacles before they eventually find the unforgiving villain. Conventional Narrative
- 10. 1700 2000 In the1700’s artists began painting dark paintings such as devils, demons and evil things In 1815, Mary Shelley wrote the first ever world-famous gothic horror novel 'Frankenstein‘. This influenced other writers to create similar novels. 1815 The Gothic Horror Dracula was written by Bram Stoker, to this date it is still famous. At the same time that this novel was published, many ghost stories were published this is due to the Victorian publics fascination with life after death and the macabre. 1897 Sci-fi and psychological, horror movies started to become popular in 1950. This was when the war had ended & development of space technology sparked an interest for the public in space. 1950 The famous movie Psycho was written and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. This film set new standards for horror films and introduced the ‘Slasher' subgenre as well as focussing on the psychological genre. 1960 1970 In the 1970s began the demonic themed movies that focussed on demons, possessions, devils and evil spirits such as The Exorcist. The subgenre of Teen Slasher Horror was created in 1978 when 'Halloween' was released; it was written in Hitchcock's Slasher style of horror, looking for a teenage demographic. 1978 Mid 1990s was when Scream was produced, this film made viewers look at horror in a different way whilst meeting all the general genre conventions of a Slasher film. 1990 Parodies such as Scary Movie came about after the popular Teen Slasher movie period in the 1990's. Films such as 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' were incredibly popular at that moment in time. In recent years, demonic horror has began once again, with film makers bringing out remakes of famous movies such as, Carrie and The Exorcist. Films such as, Insidious and Annabelle are new films which represent this satanic genre. TODAY Development of Horror Genre Timeline
- 11. Sub-genre Conventions SLASHER • Slasher film- Often revolves around a serial killer who systematically murders people through violent means. Examples include: Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Black Christmas, A Nightmare on Elm Street, You're Next and Scream.
- 12. Reflection: What genre conventionsare you going to employ for your film opening? • For Mise En Scene I would definitely consider using a derelict or abandoned setting in a remote area as it has less noise pollution. • As for sound I would also consider using footsteps and a heart beat to build suspense along with screams to connote pain and suffering. • Thinking about editing techniques I think the most appealing one is jump cuts and short shots to make the audience jump and increase the feeling of fear they have. • For Cinematography I think that a hand held camera technique could aid the realism that is produced by my film which would also aid the fear of the audience as they begin to empathise with the protagonist.