Horror Genre Analyisis

•       Sound:

•       Sound is very important within a Horror Films to help set the tone mood and atmosphere.

•       Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events such as the opening credits

•       Diegetic sound is used when the man at the start of the film is breathing really heavily and there is also banging sounds from when he is making his steel fingers this gives a scary feel to the scene which shows that it is a horror film.

•      Camera Angles:

•      A close-up shot is used when the camera is on the girl with a white background this shows she is scared also it is used to show the audience the character.

•      An establishing shot is used of the dark corridor this establishes where the narrative is going to take place.

•      A two shot is used of a man and a women kissing towards the end of the opening scene.

•      A tracking shot is used when he girl is running down the narrow corridor which helps build suspense 

•      Characters:

•      The main characters are introduced in the opening scene when the girl is introduced in the dark corridor also the main villain is also introduced right at the start but you do not see his face until near the end of the opening scene.The audience recognises that they are the main characters through the use of the dialogue/camera shots/events that they are involved in.

•      Narrative Events:

•      The opening scene features narrative events through the whole of the opening scene explain her thought though the scene.

•      Enigma codes:

•      Enigma codes are used to tease the audience and engage them in the narrative so they carry on watching the film. Certain enigmas are included in the opening such as puzzles about how she met him or knew about him or how she fell in love with him,questions are left unanswered about how they will get together or will they get together

•      Symbolic codes are shown in the mise-en-scene:

•      In the opening the audience would identify symbols in the genre such as the dark settings and quick shots to build up suspense these could make the audience feel/think that there is going to be scary parts within the film. 

•      Props/ costumes:

•      The audience can see that the main villain is making steel fingers which he will obviously use as a weapon of some sort this shows that there may be murders in the film which is typical of the genre because its scenes where murders occur are usually scary and that is the aim of a horror film, to scare you 

•      Clichés:

•      Noticeable clichés are used in the opening scene such as when she suddenly wakes up from having a bad dream, This engages the audience as they recognise these features and can predict what is going to happen in the narrative.

Drag Me To Hell

Released:	29th May 2009
Genre:	Horror, Thriller
Price:	D
Estimated box office:	£1,500,000
Director:	Sam Raimi
Film cast:	Flor De Maria Chahua, Justin Long, Alison Lohman, Jessica Lucas
Certificate:	15
Distributor:	Lionsgate Films
The Story:	An unsuspecting young woman (Lohman) becomes the recipient of a supernatural curse cast upon her by an older Eastern European woman who was defied and humiliated by others. •       Sound: •       Sound is very important within a horror film to help set the tone mood and atmosphere. •       Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events such as when the floor opens opens up. •       Diegetic sound is used in the dialogue between the characters when the boy is scared and he is telling his family what he saw. it reveals he is scared which  this shows that the genre is Horror •      Camera Angles: •      A close-up shot is used to show the boy wrapped up in a blanket looking very scared •      An establishing shot is used of the setting of the huge house this establishes where the narrative is going to take place. •      A two shot is used of the characters talking to each other to show their relationship being close as they start hugging •      A tracking shot follows the boy running out of the room into the landing where he looks down this reveals to the audience he is scared because of his facial expressions and he is running like he would for his life this engages the audience  because they will want to watch on to see what happens •      Characters: •      The main characters are introduced in the opening scene when they all gather round in front of the big house.  The audience recognises that they are the main characters through the use of the dialogue/camera shots/events that they are involved in. •      Narrative Events: •      The opening scene features certain narrative events such as screaming, shouting and talking these conform to the genre as other openings such as a nightmare on elm street feature similar events. •      Enigma codes: •      Enigma codes are used to tease the audience and engage them in the narrative so they carry on watching the film. Certain enigmas are included in the opening such as puzzles about how the boy will get out questions are left unanswered about why the floor opened up •      The audience want to know what will happen to the character who got dragged into hell •      Symbolic codes are shown in the mise-en-scene: •      In the opening the audience would identify symbols such as scared characters these could make the audience feel scared as well and on the edge of the seat. •      Props/ costumes: •      The audience can see that the characters are wearing old cloths this shows that it could be set in the past. •      Props are featured such as cars and blankets •      Clichés: •      Noticeable clichés are used in the opening scene such as someone disappears and they have to find him. This engages the audience as they recognise these features and can predict what is going to happen in the narrative.

First Film

The strengths of our video was that we had good ideas and we were good in our role of what we were doing. A target which i think we need to do is work on the filming and making it look professional also we should of edited it more to make it look better and give it a better feel overall

Peer Assesment

James achieved a level 3 because he included a range of genre conventions and codes and used key terminology such as cliches, camera angles, characters etc

James's targets are making links between different films from the same genre

Analysing Romance Genre

The Holiday

Released:	8 December 2006
Genre:	Comedy

•       Sound:

•       Sound is very important within a Romance Film to help set the tone mood and atmosphere.

•       Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events such as the kissing scene in the opening scene of the film also the narrator through out the opening few minutes. 

•       Diegetic sound is used in the dialogue between the characters when the man on the computer and the women start talking it reveals that there is a spark between them, this shows that the genre is Romance.

•      Camera Angles:

•      A close-up shot is used to show the characters kissing

•      An establishing shot is used of the setting of the trees and the lake in the background this establishes where the narrative is going to take place.

•      A two shot is used of the characters kissing to show their relationship 

•      A tracking shot of a man holding a pint of beer follows the action  to reveal to the audience that he is probably going to be one of the main characters in the film.

•      Characters:

•      The main characters are introduced in the opening scene when they are at a party and the women is staring at the man and saying how she loves him but he doesn't even know who she is .the audience recognises that they are the main characters through the use of the dialogue/camera shots/events that they are involved in.

•      Narrative Events:

•      The opening scene features narrative events through the whole of the opening scene explain her thought though the scene.

•      Enigma codes:

•      Enigma codes are used to tease the audience and engage them in the narrative so they carry on watching the film. Certain enigmas are included in the opening such as puzzles about how she met him or knew about him or how she fell in love with him,questions are left unanswered about how they will get together or will they get together

•    

•      Symbolic codes are shown in the mise-en-scene:

•      In the opening the audience would identify symbols such as multiple love interests these could make the audience feel/think that there is going to be a lot of relationships within the film 

•      Props/ costumes:

•      The audience can see that the character is wearing a wedding dressthis shows that they have just got married this is typical of the genre because its a romance and wedding have a high level of romance in them.

•      Clichés:

•      Noticeable clichés are used in the opening scene such as a women who loves someone and the man does not love her back, this engages the audience as they recognise these features and can predict what is going to happen in the narrative

vThe Notebook

Released:	25th June 2004
Genre:	Drama
Price:	D
Estimated box office:	£2,500,000
Director:	Nick Cassavetes
Film cast:	Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Sam Shepard
Certificate:	12A
Distributor:	Entertainment
The Story:	Based on the bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks, this drama tells of a nursing home resident whose notebook contains the details of a 1940s North Carolina love triangle (depicted in flashback) in which two men vied for her affections. Ryan ("MURDER BY NUMBERS") Gosling and Rachel ("MEAN GIRLS") McAdams are featured as the young star-crossed lovers, with James ("X2: X-MEN UNITED") Marsden as the other suitor in the love triangle. Nick ("JOHN Q.") Cassavetes directs. •       Sound: •       Sound is very important within a Romance Film to help set the tone mood and atmosphere. •       Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events such as when the person is rowing in the lake this gives off a real peaceful feel which is typical of the romance genre. •       Diegetic sound is used in the dialogue between two characters when a women tells a older lady to go and get ready for bed, this is also a cliche of the genre because it is showing that the women cares for the older women so this shows that the genre is Romance. •      Camera Angles: •      A close-up shot is used to show the old women looking out the window •      An establishing shot is used of the setting of the huge, beautiful lake with an amazing sunset, this establishes where the narrative is going to take place. •      A two shot is used when the women is telling the older women to go to bed this is effective because it shows both people so you really get a feel of the surroundings and there relationship.  •      A tracking shot of a man holding a pint of beer follows the action  to reveal to the audience that he is probably going to be one of the main characters in the film. •      Characters: •      The main characters are not introduced in the opening scene. this is because in the opening scene it is really just showing the audience the surroundings and where the film is going to be based   .the audience recognises that they are the main characters through the use of the dialogue/camera shots/events that they are involved in. •      Narrative Events: •      The opening scene features narrative events through the whole of the opening scene explain her thought though the scene. •      Enigma codes: •      Enigma codes are used to tease the audience and engage them in the narrative so they carry on watching the film. Certain enigmas are included in the opening such as puzzles about why there is a women rowing down the river by herself ,questions are left unanswered about who the main characters are in the film.      •      Symbolic codes are shown in the mise-en-scene: •      In the opening the audience would identify symbols such as the girl rowing in the boat by herself this could shows she's single and may be lonely and further through the film she may fall in love, or may already be in love. •      Props/ costumes: •     There is no props used in the opening of the film because it is only showing the surroundings and getting the audience to know where the film is set. The costumes seem to be quit old fashioned which could mean the film could be set in the past or because one of the characters is old that could be the reason they were dressing like that  •      Clichés: •      Noticeable clichés are used in the opening scene such as a women who looks lonley and is obviously single this engages the audience as they recognise these features and can predict what is going to happen in the narrative also this may make them want to watch on. •       Sound: •       Sound is very important within a romance film to help set the tone mood and atmosphere. •       Non-diegetic music is used to reflect the narrative events such as when she is walking around the shops •       There is no diegetic sound in the opening •      Camera Angles: •      A close-up shot is used to show the women looking into the shop window. •      An establishing shot is used of the setting of a long street in the middle of an American city this establishes where the narrative is going to take place. •      A two shot is used of the characters when a man is sat in a car and the woman is running across the street. •      A tracking shot follows the action of when the women is running across the road to her flat/apartment this reveals to the audience that she is in a hurry this engages them because they will want to find out what happens next. •      Characters: •      The main character is introduced in the opening scene when she gets out the taxi, the audience recognises that she is the main character through the use of the camera shots and events that they are involved in throughout the opening scene. •      Enigma codes: •      Enigma codes are used to tease the audience and engage them in the narrative so they carry on watching the film. Certain enigmas are included in the opening such as puzzles about why she was running as fast as she could across a street questions are left unanswered about who she is and what will happen to her through the film. •      The audience want to know what will happen to the women in the film and the role she has to play Symbolic codes are shown in the mise-en-scene: •      In the opening the audience would identify symbols such as she is really well dressed up these could make the audience feel/think that because she is dressed up so well she could be trying to impress someone which is typical of the romance genre •      Props/ costumes: •      The audience can see that the character is wearing very posh and expensive clothes this shows that she is rich and she could be trying to impress a male. This is typical of the genre because the romance genre is about love. •      Props are featured such as her drink and her pastry which she is eating. •      Clichés: •      Noticeable clichés are used in the opening scene such as a dressed up women this engages the audience as they recognise these features and can predict what is going to happen in the narrative.

Target Audience For Romance Films

Most Romantic films are targeted at females and usually have a certificate of 12 or 15 meaning that the target audience age generally ranges from Teenagers to young adults. This is mainly due to the light hearted nature of the films that are produced in this genre. The predominant market for Romance films are first world citizens such as teenage girls from America or Britain. 

Romance Cliches And Codes And Conventions

Codes And Conventions

1.Audience: Aimed at female audience or couples

2.12 – 15 certificate to maximise the audience

3.A typical romance genre would include sexuality, status, gender and relationships.

4.Narrative: falling in love, dating, kissing

5.Often a voiceover is used to introduce the love theme

6.Main characters are introduced – attractive female and male

7.Setting: they are normally set in an urban environment, a beach, a school etc, places where a chance encounter would happen.

8.When a romance film opens, it is likely that much of the setting will be shown to the audience from the use of establishing shots and wide shots showing characters and much of the setting and area behind them. 

•Almost every romantic movie follows a similar structure: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl again. This is a successfully proven formula that attracts audiences of both male and female demographics.

• The lead, unlike action movies, is often vulnerable, shy or socially inept, often just having broken up with a lover. He or she is attracted to someone who seems unattainable, and there is some sort of social divide that is stopping their love.

•A love triangle is a theme that is found in many romantic movies, with the object of affection engaged to someone they don't love, or an ex-lover wanting revenge on the lead.

•Romantic movies can be divided into many sub-genres, the romantic comedy being the most popular, with an  almost universal audience.

•Teen romances have distinct cliches, such as the jock and cheerleader characters, and many romances are set around a particular situation, such as a wedding or a party.

•Other romances can span years, such as The Notebook.

Cliches

cliches associated with the genre include the bride or groom suddenly getting ditched at the altar

Romantic films frequently feature the pushy but lovable mother, the harried, befuddled father, the fat, mouthy but highly supportive girlfriend who wears glasses and has never had a date, and the gay neighbour or co-worker who knows what you're going through because he's had his heart broken so many times himself. In a number of contemporary romances, the male lead has a best friend who is a lovable slob.

Teen romances have their own separate cliches. Actually, they have one separate cliche: teens from out of town find it hard to fit in so they start hanging around with social misfits or goths or beatniks or vampires suffering from social anxiety disorders. In teen romances, the jocks are invariably portrayed as cruel, self-absorbed idiots. 

Over the years, dance has become a crucial element in romantic films.

Teen romances often contain the scene where the rich white kid is exposed to vibrant inner-city culture, often through dance. Without hip-hop, the various races might never meet. That, presumably, would be sad.
Kissing in the rain
Boy meets girl
Characters are very attractive usually a wedding
Protective father 
She has friends who gossips