Research: Genre

Research into my genre.

My group and I have decided to create a film opening in the genre of horror. Here is my research into the codes and conventions that are used used in the openings of texts from this genre. 

Typical conventions: 

Films from this genre usually include unsettling settings, such as abandoned buildings, cemeteries, attics, asylums, etc. Aside from the villain characters that are typically included in these films, like murderers, monsters, and witches, there are also curious and reckless characters. Red, black and white are the most common colors used in this genre because they represent danger, death, eerie, purity and innocence. As for makeup, hair, costumes and props, special effects makeup and face paint is often used, as well as weapons, masks, or mysterious dangerous items. 

Mise-en-scene, sounds, camera, edits.

Sound

A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984

Sound is a very important aspect in horror films because this is the convention that amplifies tension and evokes fear in the audience. During intense scenes, filmmakers often use eerie and unsettling music or sharp and sudden instruments to really manipulate that uneasy feeling in their viewers. This draws the audience in because you get a sense of adrenaline from watching these films. From hearing instruments to watching a completely silent scene, hearing every creaking floorboard and distant whispers. It all raises the perfect anxious feeling before a jump scare.

The clip above is a classic horror movie that utilizes sound all throughout the film, there are silent pauses, haunting sound effects, jump scares, dissonant music and ambient noises played during most of the scenes. 

Camera

The Blair Witch Project, 1999

What makes found footage horror films so interesting and unique is that the camera work is handheld. This technique helps the audience experience a realistic feel while watching, because it's typically very shaky, giving it that sense of authenticity. The way a found footage movie is filmed is from a first person perspective, so the audience is viewing exactly how a character from the film is viewing it. It makes them feel as if they were there and that they're part of the story. 

Editing

Hereditary, 2018

The way a film is edited is one of the most important conventions because it shapes the whole narrative of the movie. You can have lots of good different conventions but the editing is what connects it all together and determines the emotional impact of your film. 'Hereditary is a popular film that has great editing conventions, it includes jump cuts, cross cutting, slow reveals and non linear narrative. By manipulating the order and timing of clips and arranging scenes, you have the power to create lots of emotional and shocking twists throughout the film. You can edit it to show growth in characters and provide more depth to the storyline.

Narrative

In horror films, the narrative can change everything. A strong narrative can give films a very complex theme, it can shift the viewers perspective on characters and their storylines. It shapes how we feel when we watch these movies and in some cases, it can help us emotionally connect with the characters. The way a story is told and how it unfolds can influence how we perceive it and how memorable it is for us. As for found footage films, the narrative is only told through the perspective of a character, because once again, it's handheld. This creates more fear and suspense because there is so much unknown and it feels more personal and engaging. 

Further research into movies:

1. The shining, 1980

Produced by: Warner Bros Pictures & Grave Productions

Distributed by: Warner Bros Pictures

Genre/Sub genre: Supernatural horror

Conventions it conforms to: 

The film is located in a haunting setting, at the 'Overlook hotel'. It's filled with unsettling decoration, creepy interiors and low lighting, which creates feelings of claustrophobia and isolation. The location of the hotel was surrounded by mountains and snow, suggesting that it was in the middle of nowhere. This creates a sense of entrapment and gives the audience the idea that they had nowhere to go, and that they were stuck. The filmmakers used "cold colors" and undertones such as gray, white, blue, and green to match or give people that unsettling and disorientated feeling and vibe. As for the more intense scenes, bright and dark red was used for blood, as well as more harsh lighting. These elements helped create more violent and and impactful scenes, because they signal to the viewers that something bad is about to or is happening and shows intensity.

Jack Torrance is the main character of this film, he's seen as a kind and loving character from the beginning. He's even sort of portrayed as a hero to his family. Although as the story goes on, towards the end he turns into the villain of the story. This shows how easily his character was able to be manipulated and how fragile he really was. Jack's family members, Wendy and Danny, were both very innocent and vulnerable characters. Danny was a key figure in the movie because he was the one that could connect with the supernatural world, so he was very important in saving them. Unfortunately, that also made him a target to the spirits. Wendy is Jack's spouse, she was the character that had done nothing wrong and was sort of dragged into this mess. She had to endure all of Jacks abuse and aggression, as well as defending her son. There are three other characters that play quite an important role in the film, the hotel cook, who tries to help Danny understand why he was the way he was and how to use his abilities, the twins, ghosts that appear to show Danny the hotels past and it's dark history, and lastly the mysterious woman in room 237, who lures Jack in and is basically the evil figure of the hotel. 

The costumes in the shining represent the late 1970's, which is when the film came out. Jack's clothing slowly changes throughout the film, and it correlates to his mental health. He starts off with casual and rather neat outfits, but as his mental health starts to go downhill, his clothes start to look messy and rumpled. Wendy on the other hand always looked practical and neat, showing us that she's ready to be a caretaker and she's very stable with her mental health. As for Danny, his style was very childlike and innocent. This made it more upsetting and and scary for the audience because when his character had to go through scary moments, it made us feel more bad for him because he's seen as such a young and sweet person. 

There are a number of props used throughout the film such as an axe, a typewriter, a tricycle and blood. They were very important because they all represented something crucial in the movie. Jack's typewriter showed us that he struggles with his creative side and he's a bit of a workaholic. The axe shown is a symbol of the family bonds that were being broken and how violent it actually was. Danny's tricycle resembled his innocence and youth, and how it was all in danger. Finally, the blood. When humans see blood they automatically see danger and warnings, our brains signal bad when we see blood, so this was very important in showing the audience when intense moments of the movie were. 

The use of makeup in the film can be seen in in their pale faces and dark undereye bags. We can really see the exhaustion and distress in the characters faces, and where they are with their mental states. The blood effects also add to the intensity of the situations during most scenes. 

Sound is one of the most important conventions in this film, there are a lot of silent moments during the film, making you feel uneasy. You can hear every creak of a door, every echo and breath, it all makes it very haunting. Many different instruments were also used to create eerie music, such as synthesizers, percussion, piano and strings. They all heightened the moments of fear. 

Conventions it subverts to:

Further research into media text:

Here are some texts that I will look at a little more broadly to see how they appeal to audiences and how they can inspire me.

1. Paranormal activity, 2007

Here is a video that has helped me and my group start our introduction. 

This video was helpful because it gave us examples on how we can catch the audiences eye even as early on as an opening scene. It gave me and my team ideas on how we may choose to open our film.

Reflection:

Doing this part of the project was very hard for me, I wasn't here last year so it was all new and a lot to learn. I think it was just very time consuming and took a lot of effort, but it wasn't all unenjoyable. I had fun looking into different movies.