RESEARCHING GENRE

DEFINITION OF GENREDescending from the French word “sort”. Genre is the style or category of any artistic, musical or literary composition; for example Horror, Comedy, Rock and Pop. Genres are formed from conventions that change and evolve over time, creating newer more modern genre that fits around the era.

MY CHOSEN GENRE - HORRORI have decided to choose horror as my chosen genre. Horror genre is used to create elicit, negative emotions to the watching viewer

Key aspects of HORROR: In most horror films to compose fear and a scary atmosphere directors use sound and lighting to contrast the atmosphere and wide shots, low and high angle shots and finally panning shots to highlight the setting, contrasting minor yet significant details such as blood and silhouettes. For example take the scene from 1980 horror “the birds” (Alfred Hitchcock) in which the use of sound and cinematography is used http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwLiH8bWFdM

STOCK CHARACTERS • In any film there has to be people you can relate to and view realistically for example the

Emotional Goth who usually are the smart, intellectual ones, the Jock who everyone hates, but in Horror films tend to be the leader of the group. The crazed, sadistic antagonists who wishes to violently murder all for example the murderer Ghostface from 1996 Horror film Scream http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM39LABHEDc

PLOTS/SITUATIONS• In all films the plots and situations have to perfectly fit the genre criteria, for example in

most common ‘Slasher’ horror films the plot is more focused around uncovering the murderer and beating the antagonist. In common Horror films the situations have an strange tense atmosphere and usually consist of the murderer breaking and entering the victim’s home in which said victim is either cowering in cover or completely unknowing of what is going on curiously creeping around the lost comfort of her home. Take for example

LOCATION Location is one possibly one of the most vital convention used in Horror ranging from Cabins in the woods to creepy indoors of a derelict house. The Location tends to differ but still resembles the same isolated, uncomfortable scenery we all love or hate. For example Texas Chainsaw Massacre the location of a isolated, enigmatic old house causes the audiences to jump out of the comfort zone for example the cabin in the woods from Evil Dead http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtsK7skqk9U

PROPS AND SIGNIFIERS• In Horror films they mainly tend to focus around background and props for example

blood, knives and silhouettes. Horror films pay attention to detail to contrast the enigmatic mystery or even foreshadowment.

MUSIC AND SOUND• Horror films sounds typically stay quite until vital chase scene or creeping, hunting

scenes. Horror films try to heighten the diegtic noises such as footsteps and the draw of knives to shock the viewers. The use of non-diegetic noises such as sharp discordant strings, the use of high-pitched pianos create the atmosphere of most common horrors.

GENERIC CONVENTIONS• The generic conventions we expect to see in most Horror films is predictable teenage

characters, mysterious plot situations, abandoned and isolated locations, the excessive use of blood and finally painfully irritating, tense sound and music. All of these codes and conventions are used to signify the audience that they are watching a Horror.

REPRESENTATION