Rachel Bethell G321 Media: Traditional Film Conventions

Traditional Film Conventions in general

Key areas for analysing film conventions:

Social groups
Editing - effects/speed/cuts
Mise en scene/ set
Camera shots/angles/movement
Music/ sound effects
Diagetic and non diegetic sound
Lighting
Props/Make up/Costume

Film genres, people, adjectives, the process:

Traditional Horror Film Conventions

Types of Horors:

Setting

'A picture paints a thousand words' is a phrase commonly used to describe paintings; however, I believe that it also encapsulates the ideas behind film settings. The Setting is a key aspect of any film, as it depicts the style and genre. In horror films the setting is an especially important tool, as it can portray the elements of gore, terror and the underlying theme of death that all horror films seem to include.

Horror films are usually set in locations that symbolise; isolation and loneliness, mystery or a paranormal presence. These areas are usually dark and spooky, as they have very little visible light, this is why many horror films are set at night. The dark theme symbolises the power of 'evil' and there after the vulnerability of the characters involved.

Examples of locations are:

In isolated places; such as small abandoned communities:
These areas are usually abandoned due to a previous disaster, therefore they are perfect locations for creating mystery and portraying the idea of a paranormal existence.

The example that I have shown to the left is the location of 'The Chernobyl Diaries'

Sewers and underground locations:
Underground areas create the idea of danger, mystery and tension. This location is usually used to make the characters involved appear vulnerable, and so the audience will form an attachment with the with them, routing for them to survive whatever terror they are faced with.

The example that I have shown to the right is the tunnel used in 'Creep'

Mental asylums:
These buildings are usually inhabited by supernatural or deformed beings. They are the perfect locations for creating a suspicious environment for the characters to investigate, as it will be clear from the off set that something terrifying will happen to them.

The example that I have used to the left is from 'The Ring'

Haunted Houses
These houses usually have a hidden secret that draw the characters. Shadows, cobwebs and aptly placed sheets can be used on set to continue the heart racing, frightening theme. The basement of these haunted mansions/ houses are always used to uncover the secret or to represent that once the villain traps the victim in the basement there is no escape.

The example that I have used is the basement scene from 'Don't be afraid of the dark'

Stereotypical Characters

The intelligent one

This character can be either gender and is portrayed as innocent. The other characters will generally bully the intellectual one and will usually tear down any ideas that are posed by them; however, due to their intelligent nature this specific character will usually be killed last or may even survive.

More often than not, the intelligent character is the villain.

The example shown on the left is Jigsaw from 'Saw'

The Jock/The dumb one
Teenagers are nearly always at the heart of horror movies, this includes; the jock, who is arrogant, self obsessed and surprisingly naive. He is usually involved with another female character and will be one of the first to die.

The example to the left is from 'The cabin in the woods'

The couple
These are usually extremely young and 'in love', they find inappropriate moments to be passionate and therefore are easy targets for the villain.

The example to the right is from 'Eden Lake'

The hysterical woman
This character over reacts to every situation and often breaks down into hysterics, therefore leading to the characters isolation and eventual death. The audience will be impacted by her hysterical tendencies and helps to build suspense.

The villain and victim
In every horror film there is either one or numerous villains and victims, creating a clear split between who is good and evil and therefore who the audience should route for.

The example to the right is from 'The shining'

The creepy child
Children are used in horror films to shock the audience, innocent children should not be associated with something so scary, thus horrifying the audience. These characters are usually found in abandoned areas, such as woods, and appear possessed, an evil force that must be stopped.

Costumes

Costumes are used to make films more realistic and in the case of the horror genre it is used to further the terror; by create frightening villains and innocent looking victims. Villains costumes are typically inspired by people's fears, an example of this would be clowns.

Make up

Nowadays, make up artists can really be creative and with the use of make up and face paints they are able to produce scary characters. The style is usually bold and exaggerated to really scare the audience.

An example of make up that has been used effectively to create an impact is the joker from 'Batman'

Fake blood

This can be used alongside the make up to create extremely gruesome characters and show how injured a character is, the blood is used to further the spooky and gruesome theme. There are also ethical reasons for why fake blood is used; the directors would not be able to actually hurt the actors/actresses, therefore a substitute is used to still create the gore, but in a safe way.

The example to the right is a zombie from the 'walking dead'

Props

Props are used to give the audience clues as to the characters personalities or in some villains cases what type of killer they are. They can take a variety of forms; from weapons (i.e. Chainsaws, Machetes, knifes, guns etc.) to masks, cloaks, gloves and even the stereotypical cat on the 'baddies' lap.

Clothes

The majority of villains and monsters wear dark clothes are very simple and plain, these characters are mostly mysterious and hide away, only being seen for very short bursts of time. Black and grey clothes are worn to loosely symbolise evil

The example that I have used to the left is from 'Scream'

Victims; however, usually wear vibrant clothes or pastel colours and will wear ordinary clothes that will of been worn in that era. The light colours are worn to loosely represent innocence.

In some cases the villains and victims wear clothes that are coloured unusually to shock the audience. The example that I have used to the left is the girl from 'The Ring'

Masks

These hide people's true identities and thus create an air of mystery, who is the villain? Due to the neutral facial expression of the mask the audience and characters involved will be unable to tell the villains expressions, creating tension and an unknowing of what their intentions are.

Music

Music can really make or break a horror film, as it sets the atmosphere and suggests the mood; if the music is in the major key then the audience knows that the scene will be happy; however, if it is in a minor key then the music will be gloomy and suggest to the audience that the scene will be negative. Sound effects help for fright films that aim to make the audience jump. Examples of these are; creaking doors, footsteps and short sharp notes on the violin.

Please click here to hear an example of music and sound effects that are stereotypically used in Horror Films