Horror conventions

By looking at different openings for horror movies we can understand the genre conventions. Whilst the films are different they all have similar traits making them in the same genre.

It follows

In this scene in "It Follows" the audience can infer a range of things about the genre conventions. Firstly by looking at the lighting we can tell that the director has used natural lighting (from a window) to show the audience a sense of familiarity and make them understand that they could relate to this. They have paired this with somewhat dark lighting to give the viewer the feeling that something is wrong. This is paired up with sound and how music and effects are used. The film start off with the use of diegetic sound meaning that what is actually in the scene is used, in the case of It Follows it is the teacher speaking and the hum of a light or a aircon unit. This once again provides the audience with a sense of familiarity. Throughout the scene, we see a range of non diegetic sound used. We see this with the use of sound effects and music. These sound effects are high pitched and provide a form of tension building. These are non diegetic as they are not real sounds heard in the scene they have been added into the scene. The use of lighting and sound can also link to cinematography as they are all technical media codes. Cinematography in this scene is shown with a range of different shot types. We start off the scene with a pan shot moving around the classroom, proving the audience with a bit of knowledge on the context. a zoom in is also used to show what the character is looking at and how that might be an issue, in this scene it was the old lady. Mise-en-scene in this scene is shown by providing the audience with a setting, which is a classroom/school. We can also look at the use of costumes and props. The main character in the scene is a student so wears very average and normal clothes, where as the old lady wears a hospital gown and can show that she is potentially lost or has escaped from a hospital or home, but it leaves the audience asking questions, who this woman is, why is she following the main character and where has she come from. Props such as a school bag and note book are used to emphasis the setting and the age of the girl, showing that she may be young and extra scared as she might have not ever witnessed any supernatural situations.

Scream

The opening scene in Scream is arguably one of the most iconic scenes in horror film history and creates the energy for the whole film. A range of different shot types and camera movements is used in this opening scene. The director starts the film off with a tilt shot to show the ringing phone and it being picked up. Then a Dutch canted angle shot is used to show that there is not something in order and it is unpredictable of what's going to happen next, this is potentially as there is a dangerous character. A few shots later, as Casey is on the phone with ghost face, she pulls a knife out of the knife block, this foreshadows her death as she will be killed with a knife. A wide shot is used to show Caseys house with a swing in the foreground just gently swinging. This shows how she is alone, creating suspense. The lighting in the opening scene is kept very natural, using lighting from the lights and lamps within the house. We can tell it's late at night as it is dark outside and lowkey lighting is used, hense the fact they have used lights and lamps. As the scene progresses, the lighting darkens and has been colour corrected to be darker. This emphasizes the shift in mood and tension. We can tell that Casey is in a comfortable environment (her home) and was not expecting anything to happen as she is in comfy clothes. By looking at the sound, we can tell that the majority of the scene uses diegetic sound. For example, when Casey puts popcorn on, all the nose that has been made is heard, when the phone rings we hear the ring and when she puts the video tape down we hear it. The use of diegetic sound is used when Ghostface says when says he wants to know who he's looking at. This is used to grow tension and create more suspense.

It

By looking at the opening scene of "It" we can tell many things about the horror conventions. Firstly, the use of dark colour scheming shows that there is a sense of evil surrounding the scene. The choice of lighting also corresponds with the setting. In this moment of the scene it is raining heavily and is a very grey weather day. This could suggest to the audience a heavier feeling and darker tone. We hear the diegetic sound being used to start off with. The scene begins with the sound of rain being heard followed by the muffled sound of a walkie-talky and dialogue. We see the character of Georgie leave his house in his raincoat. A tilt shot is used as he comes out of the house, this shows the camera using a high-angle shot and moving down to follow Georgie. As the scene plays on we get a non-diegetic audio beginning, this starts to increase suspense and build tension, implying to the viewer that something is going to happen. The camera begins to follow Georgie, this is using track movement. The camera angles change and we end up with a dolly shot as the camera is moving further away from the subject and is revealing more about the location. The music continues and we move to a high-angle shot. This could imply to the audience the innocence that Georgie has and that he does not hold the power in the situation that he is about to find himself in. When Georgie's paper boat goes into the drain, he is met with Pennywise the clown. When Georgie first sees Pennywise, another non-diegetic sound is used. It is used as a jump scare. Whilst the jump scare itself is extremely tame, by adding the sound it adds extra tension and suspense. The lighting on Pennywise is extremely darkened to the point you can almost not see him. This contrasts with the lighting surrounding Georgie, suggesting that he is still innocent and does not correspond with the darkness of Pennywise. Whilst Pennywise and Georgie talk, a range of different camera angles and shots are used, these include low shot angles, high shot angles, and a over the shoulder shot. When the conversation begins to make Georgie feel uncomfortable and he expresses that he should leave, once again a non-diegetic sound is added to build tension more.