Researching into horror

The overall aim of horror films is to depict the worst fears and emotions of the audience


Typical settings

• Big abandoned buildings 
• Narrow dark alleys
• Dark woods
• Basements
• Mental asylums
• Run down areas

Technical codes - camera angles, sounds and editing

• High and low angles create fear and tension
• Hand-held shaky camera makes it more realistic and scary
• Dark sounds like thumping and piano noises are very important - ambient diagetic sounds like footsteps and non-diagetic sounds like heartbeats
• Long takes - jump scare 
• Short takes to create pace and go through time quicker

Props

• Dark colours like black relating to evil
• Dark lighting to create shadows and create mystery
• Violent props eg; dangerous weapons
• Old fashioned 

Typical themes

• Good vs Evil
• Paranormal
• Science gone bad
• Zombies
• Insanity
• Apocalypse 
• Thriller

These are the general conventions of the horror genre, I will need to both conform and go against these conventions to make sure that my production is seen as a horror but doesn't just simply copy all other productions so that it is unique. Understanding these conventions clearly allows me to get a rough picture of some ideas for my trailer, as I now know what the audience will want.