representation in our horror

What actually is a Horror? typical conventions

The horror genre is one of the most popular film genres, typically restricted by age certificate 15/18 and has the direct intentions to frighten, scare or to haunt the audience by including  graphic, mythical, Gothic, disturbing or chilling scenes which are portrayed in a believable way to enable the audience to feel as if they are watching something genuine. Horror films often have fast-paced progressive story-lines and action to build up tension and again, to keep the audience on edge. There are many stereotypes and representations you would expect in a Horror which are shown below, however we wanted our movie to subvert to typical conventions and bring audiences something which isn't so typical- for example the idea that we actually want audiences to sympathize and relate to our main antagonist. Unlike the drama genre for example which has many sub categorizations and each drama movie can be entirely different- usually conventions of horror are relatively similar meaning plots can almost be expected or predictable. 

Clothing (mis-en-scene)

the costume was the main thing to consider for both characters when considering representations and stereotypes especially relevant for us as we include no dialogue in our movie opening- and so we need clear symbolism and connotations expressed through our costume choice for the characters.  appearance has a large impact on the way your character is perceived throughout the film, whether this appearance changes during the movie, or whether the appearance is sustainable and stays the same to signal the particular importance of a character.  For Robyn (the young girl), we wanted her to have that look of innocence and purity relating to her childlike nature. For this reason, we chose to dress her in an old fashioned dress/nightie, which could represent childhood and a historical theme-bringing in contextual themes like the different historical periods where nightdresses like these were common.  the color too could symbolize innocence, purity and goodness-white is a parituclar color with clear connotations because of its links to angelic themes, biblical themes and as prior mentioned- innocence and purity. Most horror movies have typical conventions of going against god- themes involving hell and an opposing force or power and this color choice could bring in biblical links to our movie and how the dress is completely destroyed and blood stained could represent the contrast between purity and destroyal/pain. The stark red blood stained contrast is particularly prominent in our movie opening because the audience will be directly drawn into the deep contrasting colors. The white colored gown connoting purity could also assist towards our film twist where we attempt to make the audience think positively and sympasise with the girl- meaning later on in the film it will come as a shock/scare that she rises from the dead. 

However, the representation of our second character is dramatically different as we want the audience to believe that he is the villain. For this reason, the clothing we decided on was tracksuit bottoms with a work-style jacket and top, alongside with a hat. The hat, in fact, was used to make the character more discreet as we did not want to reveal his identity. Stereotypically, you would assume that the character is off the lower/working class with the work gear he was dressed in. We also focused on his over grown stubble in close up shots to suggest his lower class as he looked almost unclean and incapable. 

Editing

In horror films you would expect to see a lot of jump cuts to show uncertainty in scenes and to partially scare the audience by cutting quickly from one place to another; jump cuts can often be done at different angles to show a specific feature or area. Jump cuts also limit the prolonging of scenes, so that the action happens at an effective pace. This often makes the audience more engaged as they are awaiting a climax point to be revealed, where they can see something clearly rather than seconds of it. Jump cuts can have a negative representation on a character as for example, they could be shown at different angles and the fast-paced camera movement could signify many things such as urgency and panic which could suggest that something bad has been done.Another editing technique that you may see in a horror film would be cross-cutting, where the camera cuts between two situations that are happening simultaneously. This builds up tension as you would, again, stereo typically expect a tipping point where something bad happens. This is significant as it engages the audience and makes them want to watch on. To the right is a video editorial tutorial on jump cuts that i found useful because of the example jump cuts it used to portray the technique.

Additional Conventions

- Fast-paced camera movement

- Jump Cuts

- Villain 

- Deaths

- Blood (gore)

- Eerie music/sound track

- Dramatic endings

Sound

Sound is significant in horror films as you would often expect non-diegetic sound as it builds up tension and makes it more scary for the audience. Rather than soundtracks, jingles and common music sound in horror movies is often warped and child-mobile sounds are often common as well as repetitive sound effects like bangs and crashes. Although you would often expect to hear the eerie diegetic sounds, for example of a door creaking or someone screaming and these kind of sounds are important as they make the situation more realistic.

Location

Stereotypically, you would expect the location to be derelict, possibly in dark streets and narrow alleyways. These kind of areas have the representation of danger and characters often go there at their own risk. In many horror films you would see the typical abandoned house location or alternatively they would be in a completely isolated area where nobody knew about.