Summer Research

The Conventions Of Horror

In most horror films there is a death in the first five minutes of the film and horror films should be scary otherwise the audience would feel cheated in the industry these rules are known as conventions. There are a series of conventions in different horror films which I will now explain

Firstly i will talk about the camera angles and movement. There are a series of camera angles used in the films such as low angle shots, extreme closes up extreme long shots, point of view shot which is all used for different reasons some could be to show the bloody action that happens in a horror film from a close view or from a point of view.

Secondly I will talk about the lighting the lighting mostly used in horror films are low key lighting as most of the action happens in the dark.

Thirdly the sound which plays an important aspect to the horror film Eerie/Scary music, stabs, ambient, contrapuntal, demonic laughs, nursery rhymes, incidental music, sinister music these are all the types of sound that are used in a horror film to build up tension.

Fourthly editing, there is mostly long takes to build up fear and suspense, and sharp cuts are also used.

Examples of conventions in the film scream are

You may not survive the movie if you have sex
You may not survive the movie if you drink or do drugs
You may not survive the movie if you say “I’ll be right back”
You may not survive the movie if you go out to investigate a strange noise.

A Horror Film Director

James Wan born on the 27th of February 1997, he is Malaysian born Australian producer and also a screenwriter. Wan Is widely known from directing the horror film saw and he directed insidious.


Wan was born in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia of Chinese ethnicity. He was raised in Perth which is in Australia from a young age. He went on to study at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, completing his Bachelor of Arts degree

He met his future business partner Leigh Whannell while he was studying at RMIT University he then went on to co- create and direct the 2003 horror film and franchise Saw. With the help of Whannell, who wrote the script. Wan and Whannell made a short version of the film to showcase the script. Whannell played the role of David in the short film, and the leading role of Adam in the feature film.
The three producers who saw the short film and read Whannell's screenplay agreed to produce the film. Saw was to become a surprise record breaking theatrical horror franchise, earning Wan and Whannell much more than they had originally predicted


Three Different Horror Films

Halloween

Director- John Carpenter
Genre- Slasher

The year 1963 the night of Halloween the police are called to 43 limpkins ln. only to discover that a 17 year old Judith Myers has been stabbed to death by her 6 year old brother. After being institutionalized for 15years. Myers breaks out the day before Halloween. Myers physiatrist dr Loomis knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it will be too late.

Scream

Director – Wes Craven
Genre – slasher

On year after the death of Sidney Prescott’s mother, two students turn up gutted when a serial killer appears, Sidney begins to suspect whether her mother’s death and the two new deaths are related. No one is safe, as the killer begins to pick everyone off one bye one. Everyone is a suspect in this case

The Crazies

Director- Breck Eisner
Genre- Zombie

As a toxin turns the residents of Ogden marsh into violent psychopaths Sherriff David Dutton tries to make sense of the situation while he, his wife, and two other unaffected townspeople band together in a fight for survival.


Horror Film Teaser Trailer

Fast and quick imagery which are used to empathise tension and suspense of the teaser. I have noticed that with teaser trailers very little story line and plot is given away, to prevent too much of the main action being revealed. The teaser trailers aim to scare and entice the viewers. During a teaser trailer snippets of infliction or pain are introduced to attract and ensire that the horror representation is implied. Very short and quick glimpses of these elements are revealed so that it prevents too much of the action and shock to be shown