This document discusses conventions for opening scenes and sequences in films, particularly for the psychological horror genre. It notes that openings typically include the distribution and production company logos, aim to intrigue audiences without revealing too much, and use techniques like sound, lighting, and gradual credits to build suspense and tension. For psychological horror specifically, conventions include isolated settings, low-key lighting, and handheld camera work. The document also discusses structural conventions for independent productions, like disrupting expectations and concluding without resolving the central conflict.

2. After much research into opening scenes
we found that the following are
conventions:
 First comes the Distribution Company logo
 Next is the Production Company logo
 It is important to not give away the
disequilibrium but at the same time create
an enigma by giving slight clues as to what
might happen later on to the audience.
The start of the film must be gripping as it
makes the audience want to continue


3. Sound and lighting must play a part in
building suspense and tension. They sets
the atmosphere for the whole film.
 Credits must appear gradually on the
screen with a fade in and a fade out
and conventionally should include the
name of the production company, the
director, the producer, the executive
producer and the top billing actors
 The film title must feature somewhere in
the first two minutes


4. As our opening scene had a sub-genre
of psychological we had to bear in mind
which of the horror conventions wouldn’t
fit with our production, for example, a
chainsaw may be fitting for a slasher film
but would clash with the psychological
genre and therefore wouldn’t be
suitable.
 Conventions of the psychological-horror
genre:
 Isolated places
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5. 
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Dark streets
Alleyways
Abandoned houses
Doctors waiting rooms
Hospital Wards
Psychiatric units
Woodlands
Technical conventions of psychological
horrors contrast with just average horror film
conventions, for example we would usually
see very low key lighting to create shadows
and foreshadow an eerie event

6. However with the psychological genre
the lighting is lots more high key to
represent what we would expect of
hospital wards.
 High and low angle shots
 Handheld camera
 Ambient sounds
 Extreme close ups
 JUMP CUTS
 Knives
 Scalpels
 Syringes


7. Main protagonist
 Villain
 Creepy children
 Immoral Teen
 Police
 Doctors


8. Structure is reliant on institution:
 We made the decision for our film to be
produced by an independent
production company as this sort of
institution was more likely to focus on the
sub genre of psychological whereas big
conglomerates tend to cover the
stereotypical slasher film.
 Conventionally, independent films don’t
follow Todorov’s Equilibrium theory by
ending their films without resolution.


9. Our intentions were for Tommy, to end
up killing all of the family members
leaving no survivors. This de-familiarises
the normality and therefore connotes
the uncanny by only following what is
conventional for independent
productions by not concluding with a
new equilibrium.
 Another convention of Independent
productions which we follow is to disrupt
the mythic ideologies and binary
oppositions which maintain the status
quo for example good must triumph over
evil. We do this by concluding with no
survivors
