RESEARCHING HORROR SEQUENCES – CODES AND

CONVENTIONSANDRE

CODES• CODES ARE SYSTEMS OF SIGN WHICH CREATE MEANING.

CODES CAN GO INTO TWO CATEGORIES – TECHNICAL AND SYMBOLIC.

• TECHNICAL CODES ARE THE WAYS IN WHICH EQUIPMENT IS USED TO TELL THE STORY IN A MEDIA TEXT, FOR EXAMPLE THE CAMERA WORK IN A FILM.

• SYMBOLIC CODES SHOW WHAT IS BENEATH THE SURFACE OF WHAT WE SEE. FOR EXAMPLE, A CHARACTER’S ACTIONS SHOW YOU HOW THE CHARACTER IS FEELING.

• SOME CODES WITH BOTH CATEGORIES SUCH A MUSIC.

CONVENTIONS

• CONVENTIONS ARE THE GENERALLY ACCEPTED WAYS OF DOING SOMETHING.

• ALL GENRES OF FILMS HAVE CONVENTIONS. THESE ARE SOMETIMES BROKEN BY DIRECTORS BUT MOST FILMS IN THE SAME GENRE FOLLOW THE SAME CONVENTIONS.

CONVENTIONS IN HORROR FILMS

CHARACTERS MAKING BAD DECISIONS

• MOST CHARACTERS IN HORROR MOVIES MAKE BAD DECISIONS. THIS CREATES TENSIONS FOR THE VIEWER. THE VIEWER ALSO ANTICIPATES THAT SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN BUT THEY DON’T KNOW WHEN.

• ONE OF THE MOST COMMON CONVENTIONS IS INVESTIGATING A STRANGE NOISE. THE CHARACTER IS USUALLY ALONE AND DOESN’T KNOW WHAT IT’S UP AGAINST.

DARK STORMY NIGHT• THIS ALSO ADDS A SCARY EFFECT BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE

ARE SCARED OF DARK STORMY NIGHTS. THE POWER MAY EVEN CUT OUT SO THE CHARACTER IS NOT ABLE TO CALL FOR HELP AND IT ALSO REDUCES THE LIGHTING.

COMMON STEREOTYPES

• THERE IS USUALLY A CHARACTER THAT DIES IN THE FIRST FEW MINUTES. MOST OF THE TIME IT’S A GIRL MAKING BAD DECISIONS WHILE HOME ALONE

• ANOTHER COMMON STEREOTYPE IS A COUPLE THAT KEEPS KISSING AND THEY’RE ALWAYS TOGETHER. THIS OFTEN GETS THEM KILLED.

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

• USUALLY THERE IS A GROUP OF CHARACTERS TRYING TO SURVIVE SOMETHING. MOST CHARACTERS DIE BUT THERE MOST FILMS KEEP 1 OR 2 SURVIVORS THAT SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

• ALSO THE REASON FOR THE PROBLEM IS USUALLY A GROUP OF TEENAGERS AGAINST SOMEONE FROM THEIR CHILDHOOD OR SOMEONE ELSE THEY KNOW THAT WANTS TO KILL THEM.