Task 2:Research into Existing Products and Codes and Conventions

Codes and Conventions

All genres have specific conventions that are used when intoducing a film to the audience during the starting credits. This is done to allow the audience to recognise the genre of the film quickly, allowing them to then be able to concentrate fully on the plot and and dialogue knowing where the film is genrally leading them. These conventions can usually be related to the tone of the film and so the audience is aware from the very start of what they are in for.

Horror
Horror films usually start by setting the scene, whether that be in the middle of suburbia, the desert, country lanes or in the city. They then go on to start to introduce either a previous victim and situation for the killer, showing thier power and what they are prepared to do, or the main character for this story. The film is set in either one place with the victim trying to survive the night or a certain period of time or it is a hunting game of the killer chasing the victim or victims in pursuit of killing them specifically.

Thriller
Thriller films usually start with the crime being committed or the victim being in their final state whether that be in prison or hospital, then the scene starts with the story of how this came about and why it ended in this way. The most common thriller films are police officer based or have some police/goverment involvment, with crime or murder being a large element in the plot. Someone usually loses their life and the crime is not always solved without and casualties .

Romantic Comedy
A romantic comedy usually starts with the male and female either in the middle of their normal lives before they meet and how they are not very happy with what they are doing or them at the end of their relationship, with the story explaining what happened and revealing how they get back together. Romantic comedy also always certain scenes and moments within them that are recognisable to the audicence. The male always gets the female in the end, their is usually a fight for the female whether that is with another male or having to over come something in order for them to be able to be together.

Scream

For example in the Horror movie 'Scream', the film starts of by firstly introducing the name of the film before anything else is shown. This is done in keeping with the genre; the word scream appears in white against a black background adding contrast and making it stand out , a knife being swing is heard non diegetically then followed by a female scream, as the word quickly flashes to red, indecating death and murder. By this being the first visual given to the audience the genre and outlineing plot of the film has be stated. The next scene then quickly gets into the film, as female is then seen alone in a kitchen of what looks like a respectable, suburban home. The phone then rings and she happyily answers it. The voice on the other end can clearly be heard by the audience allowing them to feel as though they are being spoken to and are part of this converstaion, this technique adds to the feeling of you being in the scene and you being spoken to by this person, doing exactly what a horror film aims to do and that is to mentally put you in that situation and scare you through this tactic. The voice of the person on the other end has also been carfully chosen to fit the tone of the film. It is realistic and belivable but also creepy and wierd, fitting the role of this normal human who is planning a muder for thier own pleasure, as he asks who he is speaking to as though this was a specific call to the female of his choice but he is still unsure of who she is and how she will react. The repitition of this phone ringing then turns into a sign of danger as the scene continues with the conversation turning more aggressive and threatening from the man towards the female in the house, this sign of danger within the scene also works with the popcorn slowly burning and popping more loudly and repetitivly as the conversation evolves into more of a negative. The camera movement in this scene is also very general of horror films as there are alot of lingering shots looking out of the french doors or out of windows into the darkness after the dialogue or action within the scene has ended. This tricks the audience into expecting something and not getting it making it more of a shock when they are given a fright that was unexpected as these scary moments are not placed in the more general timing slots, although these lingering, expecting shots are now more widely used in horror films. Another camera technique used in this scene is the camera looking from outside of the house in, as though looking in from the view point of the killer, wathcing the victim become more flustered and scared as he scares her down the phone, by saying that the can see her. This makes the audience feel as though they can see where the killer is and want to portect and warn the victim of her future killers whereabouts. All of these conventions are warning the audience about what to expect from this film and are also introducing them to the tone that will follow throughout the piece.