Genre
What is a Horror film -
A horror film is a type of genre that is meant to be unsettling and made to bring the emotions of fear out of the audience. This can consist of things like jump scares, blood and gore.
The History of Horror -
The genre that I am doing is horror, horror has been around for a long time, for over 100 years. One of the first horror films was 'The Haunted Castle' which was a George Melies silent film in 1896. The difference between horror films in the 1890's and 2014 is that horror is now more realistic, as before it was a bit silly and more comedy than horror, an example of this is 'When Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'. Also, the quality of the picture has increased massively and so has the sound in movies, the picture is now in colour, unlike in 1896, when there was no colour and no sound. Also, movies can be made in 3D now, unlike in 1896.
There are many genres of horror, the genre of horror that I am doing is psychological horror however others include: zombie horror, science fiction horror, slasher horror, gothic horror, action horror, body horror and comedy horror.
What is genre?
A genre is basically the type of film, the different aspects of the film decides which genre the film is. Some films can fall into multiple categories, for example 'Love Actually' which is a rom com, which is a romantic comedy. When two genres mix into one film, it is called a hybrid genre. Another example of a hybrid genre is 'The Purge', this consists of both a horror and a thriller.
DISTINCT
D - Don’t
I - Ignore
S - Setting
T - Technical
code
I - Iconography
N - Narrative
C - Characterisation
T - Themes
Setting - The setting of a film is the location of which the film is set, for horror films this can consist of locations like abandoned houses or 'haunted houses'. Also horror films are usually set at night, this is to build up the tension and have a scarier feel to the film. Examples of films with good horror locations are Ghost Ship, which is set on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Also 'A Cabin In The Woods' is a good location, as it is set in the middle of the woods, this is also a typically scary location for horror films.
Technical code - Technical code is the different camera angles used and the different types of camera shots. Using unique camera angles in horror films is very popular, for example they use extreme close ups and point of view shots to express fear and to build up tension. For example, in 'Silence of the Lambs' there are a lot of over the shoulder shots and shots from behind, this is to make it look like someone is chasing the girl in the opening scene.
Iconography - Iconography is things that signify the genre of horror, for example a lot of knifes or sharp blades, guns or blood are shown to make it look scary and like a horror film. Also, at the beginning of the film or on posters of the film, the text and background is a lot of the time red and black, this is to show fear. The red is supposed to represent blood and the black is supposed to represent darkness and fear.
Narrative Structure - The narrative structure is basically how the story is told, for example in horror films, a lot of the time there is cliff hangers at the end of the film, this is so the audience want to know what happens next so they end up going to watch the sequel. An example of a film that always uses cliff hangers is 'Saw'.
Character Types - Character types are just the different characters played in the horror film, these characters make up the film. The different types of characters are:
•The Protagonist: This
is often a female role, they are usually the most morally standing and smartest
of the group, they almost always survive in order to pave way for a sequel
•The Sex appeal: This
role is often filled by a
promiscuous blonde women,
they are often the first to be killed and are the first to exposes their body
•The Irritating guy:
This role is often partnered with the “sex appeal” they to are often the first
to go and due to their behaviour the audience is usually happy when they are
killed off.
•The Token Black guy:
Almost every horror film now days has at least one black guy, they are often
the one to sacrifice them selves to save others or to act as the muscle of the
group but can sometimes also take the role of “The Irritating guy”
•The one who gets his
comeuppance: This role is sometimes
a side kick of the “antagonist” they are only interested in their own well
being but they are always killed off before the end.
•The unlikely hero:
This character is usually the one the audience suspects to be the antagonist
due to their behaviour and/or appearance but they are often the one to save the
day
•The antagonist: The
“Bad Guy” of the film, it’s not always clear why there are doing what they are
doing but they are rarely killed off all together at the end, they are often
just wounded to allow “the protagonist” to escape but still leave room for a sequel
Theme - Finally, the theme is the recurring element within the films plot, for example the theme in some films would be revenge or religious belief.
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