Genre Research

By Jake Williams

Horror

Location • Many different location can be used for horror films!

However, a classic, stereotypical horror movie would most likely be set somewhere like an old church, ruins, a cave, graveyards and usually somewhere dark and hard to navigate around.

Location• Most of these locations are very dark and do not reveal a lot to the viewer

which as intended, makes the viewer more edgy and nervous as what will happen and/or appear next as they are less ‘in the know’ as what they are used to in other films. This can also help the viewer relate to what may be going through the characters mind as there is no doubt many people have been scared when walking through a dark graveyard alone or being paranoid about something/someone.

• It is very common for horrors to feature of lot of dark locations more than anything. Depending on the storyline however, they can take place almost anywhere which allows a lot of flexibility! A ghost story for example, would best suit a lot of dark locations, on the other hand, a story about zombies/murder etc would easily make sense in many open, lighted locations.

Lighting and Colours• The two main colours associated with horror films are Black and Red. The

black usually resembles shadows and a characters lack of knowledge as of what may be ahead. The Red is related to blood and gore thus is used a lot in horror films to show death etc.

• The lighting in many horror films would be very low key and most likely only a small amount of un-natural light is used. This creates an eerie, mystical affect as the audience can not, for example, see what is ahead/behind etc which then creates tension causing the audience to become scared and edgy.

SoundsIn horror films, it is typical to hear many small yet obvious things, such as

bangs, screams, cries. In the horror film Paranormal Activity for example, there is a lot of silence and within which, the audience will hear slight noises yet see nothing, this immediately puts the audience on the edge of their seat as they know something is going to happen, but what and when? This is one of the most important elements of a successful horror film, if the noises in the film or too much, it becomes cheesy, if there is not enough, it’s not all that scary.

A very famous piece of music associated with horrors is one of The themes from the film ‘Psycho’ This is a face paced piece audibly showing someone getting attacked while in the shower. It is clearly Obvious when the victim is struck- This adds a great affect to this particular horror scene

Paranormal Activity 2Paranormal Activity is a really good example of a simple horror film.

This horror in particular has several characters, with 3 main characters where a lot of attention is focused on them. A lot of shots in the film take place in a house, mainly in the dark where the audience can see what's going on thanks to the ‘Night-Vision’ cameras. The characters are fairly unsuspecting characters who are unaware of what’s going to and is happening until later in the film.

A lot of the sound in this horror film is simple dialogue between the characters, but there are other sounds which add a dramatic affect, for example, when something is going to happen,

there is a very faint bass note ascending the scale, causing tensions as the audience anticipate something about to happen

Rom-COM

Character Type• Usually, there are two main characters in a Rom-Com, there’s the Main male

and the Main female who ‘fall in love’ after a long, strenuous storyline which tests both of the characters. In Bridget Jones, the main character is a clumsy, single woman who is in search for a boyfriend and ends up in an awkward yet

Hilarious situation involving two other men. This is a very Classic rom-com and features many of the typical character types of a romantic comedy.It is typical for characters in rom-coms to seem very suitedFor each other which makes the audience recognise their]relationship and when the relationship fails, it makes the Audience feel more empathy and upset for the break upWhich encourages them to want the relationship to start andWork again.

Music and soundsA lot of the music in Rom Coms reflect what is happening in the scene so in

many cases, it would be lovely songs, usually acoustic songs, a good example would be James Blunt- Your Beautiful, Whitney Houston etc

These songs help set the scene and exaggerate the feelings that are being expressed in the scene by the characters and the surrounding atmosphere.

Working with the more physical characters, There are commonly also sounds that go withThe characters, whether is be cheesy themeTunes, or sounds which emphasize their actions/vocals and whatever is happening on stage.

Costumes and props The costumes and props used in Rom-Coms, and most comedy sub genre

movies are very simple, day to day style things. There is no need for over the top shadows, lighting etc, the storyline is more realistic and easy to follow to that of a horror allowing there to be a lot more flexibility when it comes to the costumes and props.

This would prove a huge advantage to us as we have a very limited budget and the fact we could use this simple, day to day style costume and prop design means we could get clothes from the charity shop and even use our own clothes if we wanted, as well as use props which most of which could be found around the house or in the pound shop

Action

CharactersIn every action film, there is the hero of the film, to villain and either

someone who needs saving or something need to be stopped from being done. Example: Terrorist attack. A great example of a very popular selection of action films is the Die Hard collection. The main character in all of these films is the hero and has some scenario to overcome whilst tackling many opponents, full force explosions, death defying stunts and many villains.

The bad guys usually have knowledge of the good guy andHave a personal grudge against them, a lot of action filmsHave the bad guys kidnapping either the family or friendsOf the good guy in return of a large amount of money.

PropsMost action films have at least one huge explosion in them so this is a key

prop to any decent action film! There are also, in lots of cases, weapons, such as guns, knives, explosives etc.

Also, a lot of vehicles are used, whether they be for physical action or transportation for the characters, there are many vehicles involved which usually end up getting blown up and destroyed.

I think in this case, this would be very hard for us to pull off, especially on such a low budget as we have. We do not have access to more than one vehicle (other than public transport which would not be very reliable) Other than that, a lot of the costumes and props are very simple and match day to day things, of course without bring blown up!

Location• There are many locations which are used in action films. Like the costumes

and props, a lot of locations used in more realistic action films are based pretty much anywhere the director desires. Whether they are in city centers or empty fields, they always match what is happening in the story line and enhance the experience.

• I think it would be relatively easy to find a suitable lot of locations we could shoot in, but getting to them would be quite a problem, especially with our very little budget.

COMEDY

Props and Costume• In comedy films, the narratives usually follow peoples everyday lives with

maybe a few unrealistic twists, but not always. Therefore, pretty much any costume would suit the film, depending on the characters situation. For example, if they were a office worker, they would wear a suit which would be fine!

• The same applies to props, any prop can be used, whether it’s a very realistic film or an over the top dramatized film. As long as it matches what’s happening on screen and isn't completely irrelevant, it does not really matter.

Location• As with costumes and props, there are many locations that suit this genre,

depending on the story line. It would be possible to shoot many shots pretty much anywhere we liked depending on the narrative that we use for our trailer. This would make it a lot easier for us to make out trailer as we could pretty much any location we liked, as long as it suits the narrative to a certain extent and is relevant.

Characters• The characters in comedies are usually ‘in our face’ and sometimes over

the top. This is to help add to the comedic affect of the film and it’s genre. This also helps the audience get to know the characters a lot better as they are more open about themselves.

• This again would be very easy to create as, I am a drama student, I know a lot of aspiring actors who would happily help me out in a comedy trailer.