AH: Genre research

Task

• Research the conventions of horror and thriller genre.
• Research a horror opening and one thriller opening.
• List the conventions that are present within both of the film openings.

Horror conventions-

Location:

• Small communities    
• Asylums
• Tunnels
• Countryside
• Isolated places
• Dark woods/alleyways
• Haunted/abandoned houses
• hotels

Technical codes:

• POV shots to show things from others perspective E.G a monster or someone watching them secretely
• Expressive camerawork as opposed to natural
• Disturbing sounds E.G Ambient digetic sounds such as footsteps or non-digetic such as a heartbeat
• Use of edditing to either faced pace- showing panic, or slow paced in order to build up to something jumping out at you
• Handheld camera shots are evident in order to show things from an individuals account

Iconography:

• Dark colours such as black and red. Red can therefore connote things such as danger or blood
• Expressive lighting that is non-naturalistic. Often low key to create a dark effect in order to create aspects such as dark shadows
• Props to identify certain characters. For example: chainsaws, masks, religious icons

Dark colours create non-naturalistic perspective. Dark figures also create eeriness with faces covered

Themes:

• Good vs evil
• Supernatural
• Religious
• Revenge
• Nightmares
• Insanity

Thriller conventions:

Sub genres:

• Mystery
• Crime
• Psychological

Plot:

• Society shown in a dark/dangerous way
• Majority have a happy ending where the antagonist looses (either killed or arrested)
• Have plot twists and cliff hangers
• Plot builds towards a climax

Characters:

• Criminals (murderers)
• assassins
• Stalkers
• Someone on the run

Themes:

• Terorism
• Political conspiracy
• Persuit

Locations:

• Ordinary suburbs
• Cities

Technical codes:

• Variations within camera shots in terms of angles and shot sizes
• Use of incidental music
• Use of aspects such as mirrors and stairs
• Low key lighting in order to create shadows

Example-
The Ward (Carpenter, 2010)

Techniques:

• Begins with a camera panning down the ward which uses low-key lighting, accompanied by a sountrack which sounds like someone is whistling to create an eerie effect on the audience
• Use of opening credits along side images which get shattered. Use of special effects in order to do this.
• Images used within the opening credits help to connote horror, as they depict people being tortured.
• Non digetic sound of shattering used in order to show destruction.
• Transition used in order to create continuity and move into the next scene.