STALKER/SLASHER

Genre Conventions

Iconography:

Lighting Low key ambient lighting - night time Silhouette - mostly used on the antagonist low/high key chiaroscuro.

Setting House Underground stations/ empty platforms Dark alley ways Dark basement Outside the club.

Costume Dark clothing – killer/victim Mask - killer Hoodies - killer Bright clothing - victims

Props Knife – killer/victim wrist watch - killer Cameras - killer

Narrative Time Frame

5 – 20 years Linearity

Non-linear – may contain flash backs of the antagonist’s past Plot

Stalker gets bullied then comes back a few years later to seek revenge

Characterisation Stock types -

The victim "final girl“ - a lot films in this genre usually have only one survivor. The survivor is generally a female. She’s portrayed as a good girl, whereas other victims usually get involved with things they shouldn’t.

The antagonist - usually a male. His identity is often anonymous. This is achieved using a mask or by never showing close ups of his face. He is also often quiet which produces his mysterious character. He is frequently very big and strong making it almost impossible for anyone to attack him. On the other hand, when he was younger he was the complete opposite and often got bullied by his victims

The protagonist – Usually a friend of one of the victims who is first to take notice of their absence.

The police are often involved with the activities that occur in a horror and especially slasher films. They are either extremely unreliable/unhelpful, and get killed, or turn up at the end of the movie when it’s too late to save any of the victims.

Stereotypes - Teenagers

Sporty - The brave one who is not afraid to step up and face anything. Cheerleaders – exaggeratedly vain Nerds - the quiet one who hardly interacts with others and is usually the nervous

or most suspicious character

Sound Non-Diegetic sounds –

Sound effects such as loud bangs, instruments and noises/whispers to either relate to different moods of the trailer or to be in sync with the cuts within the trailer.

Music is also used to express the mood of different scenes of the trailer. Diegetic sounds -

Dialogue of conversations often over the phone – killer calling victim Silence is used a lot in stalker/slasher movies and also in horror movies to create a

sense of foreboding.

Cinematography Shots -

Close ups – used to highlight emotions Two shots – used to show two people in a frame, usually in conversation Long shots – used to see characters full costumes Mid shots – used to show a person from the head to their waist. This shot allows the

audience to analyse their costume at the same time viewing of the persons facial expression and body language.

Over the shoulder shots – used to either show someone being followed or someone following someone else.

Tracking shots – used in order to follow the movement of a subject on a fixed track Panning shots are similar to tracking shots however they move from left to right

without a fixed track. Establishing shots – used at the start of a film or a scene to highlight the location High angle shots – used to provide a view looking down which makes a person or an

object appear smaller in the frame. This is often used to add a sense of weakness. Low angle shots – used to provide a view looking up which makes a person or an

object appear bigger in the frame. This is often used to add a sense of power and dominance.

Editing Hollywood continuity - straight cuts. Invisible editing, made to look real Most horror, slasher/stalker movies are fast paced in order to build up tension to a

climate. Flash backs are sometimes used to show a moment in a film in which the audience is

shown an event that occurred in the past which could have affected the present. Slow/fast fades are mostly the only transitions used to make the film look more realistic