Horror films By Navin Wijesiri

Scenario Energise Media, based in Hertfordshire, is looking to expand its current portfolio of work and branch out into feature film production. You have been asked to look at how to get the audience to best respond to any films your company decides to make. You will be looking at how films target their audiences and how they use effective marketing campaigns in order to raise the profile of their film.

Conventions Settings Technical codes Iconography Narrative structure Character types Horror themes

Settings of a horror film settings of a horror film includes small communities or isolated places. Such as urban environments or abandoned homes The location is normally isolated from casual life in the city, therefore the location may be in a haunted forest also known as Ghost towns The locations may be true stories as a result have a true dark history to the locations. This may include famous locations such as Alcatraz.

Technical codes Technical codes include the use of specific camera angles such as POV (Point Of View) shots. This shot is used to create a sense of terror, horror and the mystery of the unknown. POV shots also allow the audience to see the world from the monster’s eye, which also gives the sense of horror and terror.

Iconography The iconography includes the various visual style such as dark colours like red and black(links to evil, blood and danger) the lighting used is expressive and not natural. Giving low key features which can help to create a dark shadows and figures, lighting can be motivated in the world of films. Props such as knifes, machetes, chainsaws,etc all create a sense of further iconic horror in a film. Other methods of increasing the horror factor is by using common objects such as weapons, icons of the supernatural and even religious icons. The iconography of the monsters help to predict the extreme fear, the disgust and terror: werewolves, demons and even humans that are being taken over by the devil or a satanic source of power.

Narrative structure The narrative structure is mainly made applicable to the horror genre but it can be placed into closure or maybe a sequel and thus enable a franchise such as Friday the 13 th or Nightmare on Elm street. There is most certainly a presence of a protagonist or a hero

The main character is idolised to be a victim or a hero. The villain is often a monster, a mutant a serial killer or even a supernatural figure of a true story or a paranormal individual such as a ghost. The surrounding of the main character is that the immoral character is always killed, there are always blood splatters in certain rooms that the character choses to go into. The main character always comes face to face with the villain who is either a ghost, demon, psychopath or just a person with a very strange personality. Character types

Horror themes Many themes that are included in the horror film genre include: Good versus evil Supernatural A story that include the seven sins Zombie apocalypse Revenge Religion Nightmares Childhood issues Depression Self-consciousness

Targeting the audience Producers target the audience by the setting. The setting creates a sense of suspense and mystery. The fact that the word horror gives the audience a brief imagination of the setting as the are set in horrific areas such as a haunted house or a psychiatric centre even a ghost towns. The audience is also targeted by the technical codes such as camera angles like the Point Of View (POV) camera shot as it allow the audience to feel how the character may feel in the certain event. This effect creates emotions of which both the audience and character feels, whether its horror, shock or even death. The iconographic content such as the lighting sectors create suspense and even dramatic excitement. The narrative structure targets the audience as they may know films such as Friday the 13 th which is well known to be very scary so its ideal to be a horror film. As all horror film entices the audience, they are excited to see other types of horror films. Character types are probably the most important as this is the first area of which the audience will be targeted by, as a result the characters are essential so a ghost which is a paranormal villain entices and excites the audience as the story may be true and factual which creates more mystery and suspense. The more horrific the villain the better the film. The themes of which the horror film presents is also another way of attracting the audience as they are attracted to the storyline whether it is a way of showing good vs bad or even religious views through horror storied, they may also feel interested by the impossible and the familiarity of a zombie apocalypse which allows them to experience the story of the unjustly dead rising from their graves.