Genre Analysis - Horror

Target Audience

Horror films are generally targeted at a target audience for teens to young adults. Ages around 15 – 26. Horrors are more likely to be aimed at the male audience as they prefer watching movies that are scary and thrilling. Females on the other hand prefer to watch movies containing less violence and gore, and would rather watch movies with love and drama in it.

Horror Movie Analysis

The Woman in Black

Jaws

Dawn of the Dead

Django Unchained

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcEfbTUAP0E

The very first shot in Django Unchained is an establishing shot of a hot and rocky desert which could suggest that the film is like a western film with a lot of adventure. After around 10 seconds of showing the establishing shot, the camera slowly pans to the right as the camera pedestals downwards until it displays several African Americans chained together, wearing minimal clothing and walking in a line – suggesting that slavery is a key part of this film. The panning and pedestal of the camera then slowly come to a stop to focus on the scars on the slaves backs. The scars on their backs connote violence, fighting and tragedy. 

This scene is set in a bright environment to make it look sunny and hot. During the start, the non-diegetic music playing in the background kept repeating the name ‘Django’ indication to the audience that Django is the main character. 

The next shot shows close up shots of the entire slaved people as they walk past the camera. The camera focuses on each man for less that a second but the camera stays focused at one particular person – Django. This first shot we see of him shows the audience what he looks like and the tough situation he is in. In this close-up we can see that Django is tired and worn out - making the audience feel sorry for him. The very next shot is a close up shot of the side of Djangos face as he’s walking along. This short scene had been edited so that Djangos face is blurred when the credits are onscreen and not blurred when the credits are off screen. This is effective as subconsciously shows us where to look because we would naturally look at areas that are the least blurry.

The next shot is of an extreme long shot of the desert. The camera slowly pans to the right followed by a sudden zoom to a long shot of group of slaves and their two owners. The lighting in this scene is considerably less brighter than the scenes before, suggesting that they have been walking to a long period of time. Then in the next scene it is evident it is during the night as the background is pitch black and the slaves are shivering in the cold.

Analysis Key Focus Considerations

Analyse opening two minutes by considering some of the following areas of focus:
What do we find out about the characters?
What do we find out about the story?
How are titles used? 
How is music used to create mood?
What camera shots or uses of camera stand out for you and why?
Is the editing fast paced or slow paced and why?
What can be said about location, props and costumes? 
Make sure you use some key media terminology and show your enthusiasm for a range of genres in  your writing.

Genres and Conventions

Genre	Conventions	Film Titles
Action	Fighting, violence, car chases, hero, villain, shooting, fast paced, explosions, destruction, weapons, missions	Mission Impossible
		Fast and Furious
		Die Hard
		The Avengers
		Taken
		Jurassic World
Science - Fiction	Unusual creatures, UFO, set in the future, futuristic technology, exotic location, good and evil, robots	Star Wars
		Star Trek
		Avatar
		The Terminator
		District 9
		I, Robot
Comedy	Slap stick, Stereotypes, Laughter, people getting hurt, people being unusual/silly, failures, funny plot	Step Brothers
		Anchorman
		The Hangover
		Dumb and Dumber
		Pixels
		Borat
Animation	For children, young characters, bright, creative, fun, toys, cartoons, exotic locations, non-human things talking	Cars
		The Incredible
		Frozen
		Up
		Finding Nemo
		Wall - E
Horror	Dark, screaming, blood, ghosts, spirits, death, injuries, abandoned locations, low key lighting, supernatural	Insidious
		The Cabin in the Woods
		Alien
		The Conjuring
		Saw

About Me

What is your favourite film and why?

Personally my favourite film is ‘Spider-Man 2’ because it was a film which I used to watch all the time as a young kid and I also used to spend hours playing the game on PS2.

Who is your favourite director and why?

There are many great directors suck as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Michael Bay but my favourite is director is Peter Jackson. This is because he has created some of the greatest movie such as 'The Lord of the Rings' series, 'The Hobbit' Series and 'District 9'. In my opinion, his movies contain some of the best visual effects in the world by using CGI and practical effects which adds to the realism of his movies and makes his movies stand out.

Do you have a favourite genre?

My favourite genre is adventure. I love being able to immerse yourself in the film as it takes you to places beyond your imagination.

What film releases are you most anticipating?

The films I'm most anticipating are 'The 5th Wave' and 'The Martian'.

What was the last film you saw and what did you think about it?

The last film I saw was 'Fantastic Four' (2015). At first glance, it looks like your average action adventure, Si-Fi movie - containing plenty of fighting scenes, set in different weird and exotic locations while including futuristic gadgets, tech and extra terrestrial life. However! I was very disappointing by the lack of action and their creativity. It felt almost like a remake the 2005 version of Fantastic Four.

Opening Analysis Guidance

Consider the following key questions about mise-en-scène and camera composition to analyse film openings:

What costume do characters wear and what are the key connotations?
What body language is used by characters and to what effect?
What are we shown by proxemics (how far apart characters are) and what is communicated to the audience?
How is lighting used and what effect does it have?
What settings are there and how are they established?
What is said and how does it make the audience think or feel?
What key shots are used and to what effect?

Aim to analyse three film openings using key terms and concepts learned in your G321 and G322 studies.

The Journey Begins...

Congratulations on starting your journey towards becoming a creative and reflective film producer! Start your journey by commenting on your favourite genres and your reasons for being a fan - aim to explore conventions of genre and profile a notable director!