Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory suggests that most films follow a five step structure where the beginning is an equilibrium, where everything is balanced.
The five stages are:
EQUILIBRIUM - This is when the film begins and everything seems to be normal
DISTRIBUTION OF EQUILIBRIUM - This is when the balance and normality is disrupted by a certain event
DIS-EQUALIBRIUM - When the characters have a realisation of the disruption
ATTEMPTS TO REPAIR DISRUPTION - When characters attempt to repair and restore the issue
REINSTATEMENT OF DISRUPTION - When the problem has been defeated and restored back to the new equilibrium
In opening credits, the main people involved in the film are listed. This could be the camera man/woman, actors or actresses, directors and writers which will be displayed on the screen at the very beginning. Then, the title of the film should appear. These generally have hidden connotations and use iconography for the audience in order to give them a sense of what type of genre or plot the film has. These connotations are usually showed though the use of colour and font. For example, the title of the film 'Saw'' is shown in a red, crooked font which connotes blood and gore. There is also a black background which can foreshadow death.
The type of film can also be portrayed through credits by sound. This has been shown in the title of scream as when the title appears, a girls loud, scream is heard at the same time.
As soon as the the film starts, you immediately know that it is a media res as it doesn't have a beginning. Two protagonists are shown in the car having a conversation and making use of the technique, shot-reverse-shot. By using this technique, the audience are able to see both of the characters faces and emotions. Furthermore, you can see that they are both portraying happy and flirty emotions.
However, by listening to the music and seeing the woman's facial expressions, the audience feels as though the woman is quite mysterious and sneaky. Also because she isn't telling the man where they are going. The music is fast and mysterious which can be seen as representation of a vampires characteristics and it gets the audience intrigued, keeping their attention.
The credits that have been added are in a font and colour that matches the genre. this is because the red font connotes blood, gore and anger. The clear, boldness of the writing represents horror and demonstrates that it is not a comedy or romance. By thinking about fonts and colours for credits is key iconography that plays a part in the making of the genre.
After this, the camera immediately films the woman leading the oblivious man through what looks like a butchers factory. However, the camera is filming from a side profile of the two characters instead of filming face on. This is so that the viewers can see more of the setting and what they are walking through. As a result of this, the audience is still finding the scene quite odd as they can see hundreds of dead animals hanging up. The mise-en-scene is appropriate for a horror as it is a weird setting, pale lighting and the music continues to be quite fast, building up the suspense. Non-diegetic sound of chain saws has been included which gives the audience an idea of what is happening to these animals.
By looking at this shot, this presents the characters personalities without the need of speech. It shows that the man is a stereotypical American who has no clue on where is, what he's doing or who he's with. It portrays that men can be thoughtless when in the presence of a female. The woman has red, vibrant hair, pale skin and shows no emotion, letting the audience realise that her mood in the car was fake. It guides people to thinking that she is going to do something bad to him or take him somewhere dangerous as she herself seems dangerous.
The camera angle then changes to show their faces. However, by this point, the mans attention has already been grabbed when a dozen transparent bodybags pass by showing dead human bodies inside. Its was at this moment where she began to start worrying. This part can be seen as foreshadowing what could happen to him, meaning he could end up being the one in a bodybag. The mysterious women is now shown to be wearing all black under her blue coat which could have been used as a disguise in order to look innocent. She seems to act like she is confident and knows what she is doing as well as coming across quite bored. This makes us think that this isn't the first time she has done this.
As she progresses closer to the door with the security guard, you hear the sound of club/party music playing making the audience wonder even more about what is on the other side of the door. She shouts out something to the guard in a different language which could be swedish or another language that vampires are known to speak. This confuses the man even more and as a result of his worrying, the woman suddenly kisses him. This stereotypically represents men as being able to be tamed by women by women doing the smallest of actions. The confusion of the audience continues as they wonder why there would even be a guard in a butchers. The guard then opens the door.
They walk through and are immediately introduced with the busy atmosphere of a club that has pounding, blaring and fast music with hundreds of dancing people. Within the filming of this, there are fast shots, slow motion shots, out of focus shots and close up shots. This then shows what the club atmospheres are like.
You also notice a close up of a hook hanging from the ceiling as the camera circles around it. This is shown to support the horror genre and makes you reflect back to when they characters were outside, walking in between dead animals and humans on HOOKS. It is difficult but some may notice a few people wearing bags.
The vibrant red head joins another girl in all white which connotes an angel. The blond American man then joins them but is roughly pushed back but the character in all white. The woman who the man came with is not fazed by this and now ignores the man.
I have also taken into consideration the way the people are acting with each other. most of them seem to be acting quite sexual with one another. This then links their promiscuous actions to vampires as vampires stereotypically have this characteristic.
After the man has been shoved into the middle of the crowd, he suddenly feels something drip on his hand. This drop is blood which is shown by using a close up, point of view shot of his hand. The camera gradually lowers, soon revealing the ceiling as the music starts to become faster. The shot then changes to the DJ as the lights behind him light up to reveal two disturbing words, 'Blood Bath'.
There is then a close up of sprinklers on the ceiling with suddenly release a red substance which the audience has no gathered that it is blood. The people then liven up even more as we have now gathered that the American man is surrounded by vampires. Close up shots of the vampires are taken as theystart to hiss and show their fangs at the man who is now terrified. These close up shots are used for effect. Non-diegetic sounds for the vampires have been added such as hisses which make the scene scarier.
Someone punches the man which is shown in a point of view shot which makes the audience feel as though they are getting punched. The man falls to the floor and the camera drops down to his level, catching him crawling out of the crowd. As he gets out, he is still crawling until he comes across a pair of black, leather boots and black trousers which do not have one drop of blood on them. as he looks up, the music lowers in volume greatly but is still playing faintly in the background. The sprinklers then stop as well as the music and the only music that is playing is faint, slow and suspenseful.
The camera angle is looking down on the American man as he looks up at the man in black who we are yet to know if he is good or bad. the camera then jumps onto the mans waist and travels upwards revealing that the man is wearing all black, leather clothes. The camera is now low and looking upwards which makes the audience feel as though the mysterious man is tall and powerful. All of the people have stopped dancing now and clear a walk way for him which gives us the idea that the man is there leader. We then see the mans full appearance.
Lionsgate
It is a small Canadian entertainment company. As of 2007, it was the most commercially successful independent film and television distribution company in North America. Most of the genres they base their films around are thriller, action and drama. However, they have made some horror films also. The best horror films Liongate have made are:
Saw 3D (distributed) - released in 2010 - Budget: $17 million
Saw 1,2,3,4, (distributed) - all released between 2004-2008 - Budget ranging between $1.2 - $10 million
The last exorcism (distributed)
My Bloody Valentine (produced and distributed)
The Eye (produced and distributed)
From the films I have researched, I have found that most of their horrors have been distributed and a small number have been distributed and produced. Ideally, my group wish for our film to work in synergy with a company with plenty of experience in both areas. Therefore, our group do not plan on working in synergy with this company.
Universal Pictures This conglomerate is one of the six major movie studios and is one of Americas oldest movie studios that are still in continuous production. It was founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmie. They create and distribute theatrical and non-theatrical filmed entertainment.
Some of the well-known horror films created and/or distributed by Universal pictures are:
- Drag me to hell (produced and distributed)
- The Strangers (distributed)
- Dead Silence (distributed)
- Dracula (produced)
However, in recent years, their profits have not been as high as they used to be which has resulted in there film budget being lower. Due to their fairly low budgets, we have gone against the idea of working with them as we believe that the success rate for their films in the horror genre have decreased due to the financial issues.
Miramax It is an American company which is known for being very good at producing and distributing many films and television shows of different genres. Its headquarters is in Santa Monica, California and was founded in 1979. It is now a subsidiary for the oligopoly, Filmyard Holdings. Well known horror films Miramax has produced and distributed is 'Scream' and 'Scary Movie' which were extremely successful with 'Scream' receiving $173 million and 'Scary Movie' earning $278,019,771.
Warner Bros Warner Brothers is a conglomerate and are a big and popular film studio that is based in California and New York. It is the global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of creative content. They create many films of different genres such as comedy, romance, action, horror and fantasy. Warner Bros have created a large number of films and have been in the production business for longer than 20th Century Fox. They have also produced and distributed a larger number of successful and well-known horror films than 20th Century Fox for a longer period of time. They are dedicated to producing films which will be liked by all different audiences. Some of the best horror films created by Warner Bros are: - Orphan (produced and distributed) - Friday the 13th (distributed) - One missed call (distributed) - Sweeny Todd (produced and distributed) - The Wicker Man (produced and distributed)
Even though this company has created many films in its time, their horror industry has not been the most successful genre as their are not any horror films that are found in the top 20 for Warner Bros. Therefore, they do not have great experience in the horror genre and my group have decided against the idea of working in synergy with them.
20th Century Fox They are one of the six major American film studios founded in 1935. The majority of their successful films are comedies and family genre films such as 'Night at the museum'.
Even though 20th Century Fox are known for their family comedies, they have also made horror films such as: - From Hell (distributed)
- Alien (produced)
- The Omen (produced)
- Jennifer's Body (distributed)
- Shutter (distributed)
- The Haunting of Molly Hartley (distributed)
An issue that my group faced with this institution was that their top grossing films are not from the horror genre. Therefore, drawing us away from the idea of working in synergy with them as they seem to not have a large amount of experience with this genre.
Hammer Films This institution is based in the UK, founded in 1934. They are best known for their gothic horror films which were produced between the mid 1950s until the 1970s. They based all of their films on the horror genre which make them unique and are one of the smaller institutions. Another difference between Hammer Films and other American film studios, are that they are better when producing independent films whereas American films produce mainstream films.
Some of their most successful work is:
- The Curse of Frankenstein
- Dracula
- The Mummy
- The Phantom of the Opera
At first, my group were deciding between Miramax and Hammer Films. However, Hammer Films did not grab my groups attention as it is a much smaller company with less money. Another reason is that their most successful work has been made during the 1900s and early 2000s which leads my group to believing that their recent horrors have not be successful due them possibly being 'old-fashioned' and also that the gothic horror genre has died out.
Therefore, after researching institutions that have made horror films, we have decided to work in synergy with Miramax for my own horror opening as they have more experience in the production and distribution of films. Also they have been running for a very long time, producing many successful films of a variety of genres including horror. Another aspects that draws me in towards Miramax is that it have produced and distributed many series films. This is beneficial as it keeps the audience intrigued as to what the next film will be like. Also, from my research, i have discovered that most of their horror films are for ages 18 and above. Therefore, as our film is certified as a 15, we thought we could introduce a wider range of ages which would provide a larger audience
What is an audience?
An audience is a group of people who watch/experience a product/text.
E.g. read an advert, watch a film etc.
There are two different aspects to an audience, demographic and psychographic.
Demographic - This is the physical difference between people. E.g. Gender, Age, Religion, Ethnicity, Beliefs etc.
Ideas: As a group we decided to aim our film for ages 15-18 as we wanted our film to attract teenagers and young adults. Fortunately, due to eighteen year olds being targeted, this can then attract people older also. By setting this age bracket, it means that our film can not include too much gore and sexual references. Therefore, we plan to focus more on suspense building and being scared of the unknown instead of visual, gory horror. Our film will be suitable for both male and female to increase the size of the market for our film.
Psychographic - This method puts people into categories based on their personality, interests, value, personal lifestyle, beliefs etc.
E.g. Vegetarian, outgoing etc.
Ideas: We aim for our film to be for people who are interested in horror and who enjoy being scared of the unknown. Preferably, our film would be most terrifying for those who have a fear of clowns, stalkers, the dark and any psychological fears.
This genre usually focus' mostly on psychological horror particularly concentrating on the paranormal and poltegeist aspect. These films are influenced by the ancient horror stories that have been pasted down through history. Japanese horror tends to be paranormal as, according to that traditional Japanese beliefs, all humans have a spirit or soul which leaves the body after death.
There have been many American remakes of these Japanese horror films such as the film 'The Ring'. It was released in 2002, two years after the Japanese version.
Action horror
This sub-genre follows the horror theme but also includes aspects from action films which can be frantic chases, guns, bombs, explosions etc. Supernatural characters that are usually found in action horror films can be vampires and zombies as these are still in the human body, meaning the protagonist can be chased and fight evil. An example of a action horror film is a vampire film called 'From dusk till dawn' which was released in 1996.
Body horror
A film has this sub-genre when there are the disturbing amputations of human limbs involved which could be when human body parts are used in the construction of a new monster. These films tend for follow three stages; equilibrium, disequilibrium and conclusion. They disturb viewers as scenes can be shown cutting limbs off. An example of a film of this sub-genre is called 'The invasion', released in 2007.
Comedy horror
This is the combined elements of humour and horror which is common to crosses over with black comedy also. The first comedy-horror film to be made was 'The legend of the sleepy hollow'. Another example is 'Shaun of the dead' which is a comedy version of 'Dawn of the dead'.
Gothic horror
Some of the earliest horror movies made were of this sub genre as it can consist of and be set in old places such as castles, dungeons. Romance can also be combined with it. Bram Stoker came up with the gothic horror film 'Dracula' which is said to be the most popular film of this type of horror genre.
Romance horror
There are many films of this genre. This can cross over with other sub genres as during the horror film, there can be a love story also occurring throughout. A modern romantic horror would be the 'Twilight' films. There are five films made and it is this a vampire film which tells a love story but also includes the gruesome characteristics vampires are given.
Natural horror
This normally excludes humans being the evil characters but makes animals, sea creatures, insects etc the killers. it can also overlap with science fiction and action films. An example of a film of this sub genre and is 'Jaws'. Steven Spielberg is one of the most well known directors to create films of this sub genre as he directed 'Jaws', released in 1975.
Psychological horror
This sub genre is based on tension and relies on the characters fears, beliefs and emotional instability. They can be based on a humans mental instability such as a character becoming possessed. 'The exorcist' and again, 'The ring' are example of this sub genre.
Supernatural horror
Renters around the supernatural elements, such as ghosts, gods, goddesses and miracles. They are known as being quite suspenseful as they emphasise the unknown and what could be real but you would never know. The afterlife and devils are known to be included as they are spiritual. This genre can cross over with others, creating hybrids such as a supernatural comedy. The film 'Ghost' is a popular example of a supernatural film.
Slasher horror
These films involve a lot of violence and murders who tend to me a psychopathic serial killer. This killer tends to carry a certain type of weapon making it significant to the killer. For example; if a hammer was found in the garden, the character would have frightening suspicions of it being the killer. Its tends to overlap with crime.
Sounds in horror films are the most important aspect as it creates a specific mood and atmosphere for certain scenes in the film. By making use of sound this adds more suspense to the scene and promotes even more emotions to the audience. There are two types of sound, diegetic and non-digestic. Diegetic -Any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world. Digetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. Non-diegetic - Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action. It is represented as coming from a source outside of the story space. It can be:
narrator's commentary
sound effects which is added for the dramatic effect
mood music
Some of the common types of sounds are: - Isolated instruments instead of a big orchestra are often used before an important event occurs to promote the vulnerability of the character and audience. - Long notes tend to create more suspense rather than short and sharp notes. This is because they portray the shock of characters. - The use of long notes that suddenly change has an impact on the viewers emotions as they will become tense and scared immediately. An example of fast, horror music:
Voices in horror films should reflect fear, tensions and panic. The voices are generally low and mysterious where as if the voices of the antagonist sounded friendly, the audience would not be very scared. Also, by using a deep voice, it portrays as sense of intimidation and power.
The sound effects used can be classic sounds which connote the horror genre such as owls, bats, crows, church bells etc. Echoed voices can also be used to give the audience a sense that a ghost or spirit is present. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHJZnvYtruM
Shot-reverse-shot - This is usually used when filming a conversation when one person talking is being filmed, and then it switches to the other person. Then returns back to the original person to film them talking or to capture their reactions and facial expressions. Transitions - This is when a scene fades into a black screen. This is used to convey mystery which is a key aspect to include when making a horror film. Match on action - This is an editing technique for continuity editing in which one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. Splicing - Fast shots which are edited together which creates a sense of fear and tension. Fast/slow pace shots - The certain speed can trigger fear amongst viewers. More fear tends to be due to fast pace shots whereas slow shots can be used to show the victims life flashing before their eyes. Filters - These can be used to portray a particular mood. This mood is usually dark due to the films being a horror genre. Cuts - There are a variety of cuts that are used. These can be:
Jump cuts - dramatic edits which happen when the camera suddenly jumps quickly to a dramatic point in the film to create tension within the audience.
Cross cut - the camera will cut away from one action to another action. It is often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time in two different locations.
Cutaway shot - the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else.
Continuity edits - Scenes which have been shown out of sequence however the narrative can still come across to the viewer and they do not seem out of sequence
Props: Props are important when filming a horror. These can vary from a weapon to a spiritual artefact. An example of making use of props can be in a slasher horror which would require a weapon such as a knife or sax. These props may not only be used to kill someone, but can be associated with the murderer. Other props such as crosses, spiritual artefacts and bibles can would be used in a film which includes someone becoming possessed.
Setting: A typical location where the horror is based would be in a forest, abandoned buildings, dark mansions, cabins in the woods etc. This is because it portrays the feeling of being isolated and these locations are usually not busy areas surrounded by people. If this were the case and the area was busy, this tends to make the audience feel safer and less scared. Any of these areas would be perfect for creating suspense atmosphere and fear amongst the audience. Also, filming in darkness in these places makes it more tense and scary due to limited vision.
Costume and makeup:
These are important aspects to include in the making of a horror film as it can determine whether the character is the protagonist or antagonist. The costumes can show a stereotypical version of a character. For example; a little girl would be dressed up in a pink dress, pig-tails, frilly socks etc in order to portray the typical innocence of this character. The antagonist can be spotted by the audience immediately according to their appearance. For example, in the film 'Scream', the murderer is dressed in all black with a scary mask.
Make-up can be used in different ways in a horror film. It can be used to make the antagonist scarier or used for 'battle scars' on the protagonist.
Lighting: The lighting is horror films is usually dark in order to create a scarier atmosphere and to create better common jump-scares. An example would be a character walking alone in the woods at night time and the villan jumps out at them from behind a tree. Firstly, people can have a common fear of just being in the dark. This can be because of the 'unknown' and not knowing who/what is there. If the scene would have been filmed in daylight, it would not have the same effect on the audience as it would at night or in the dark.
Facial expressions and body language: Having facial expressions and body language shows the fear of the character in the scene. This is important and it is the only way the audience is going to believe the character a truly terrified with what is occurring. Their body language and movement reflects their shock, fear and desperation.
Iconography:
These are things that represent the genre. For example, the colour red represents blood, gore and anger. The colour black represents death and evil. Props, costumes, settings and credits can all show iconography such as bloody knives. Visual effects:
These are used to scare the audience more by getting them to believe that its real and that it isn't just actors with fake blood and props. Digital effects are sometimes used when the effects could not be accomplished on screen without the use of some "smoke and mirrors". For example, in a slasher and gory film, body parts being cut and limbs being detached from the body will be shown. But to make it look realistic digital effects are used. The traditional visual effects will be used to such as fake blood is still used.
When filming the man opening the box over the shoulder we made good use of foreshadowing by seeing the ring at the beginning of the scene. However, it did not look very professional as viewers can see that the screen is shaking. To avoid this is the future, I would definitely use a tripod for all of the shots.
When the girl walks into the room, a good continuity was created by use of match on action. On the other hand, the filming from outside was slightly out of focus which is obvious to the audience.
Unfortunately, the sound of the conversation sounded quite muffely so in future a microphone should have been used. Another way to fix this problem would be to remove all background noises.
A problem I also noticed was after they greeted each other, we finished filming then and then it jumped to another shot when it should have been continuous.
Her and the boy greet each other with a hug. However, during this action, there is lots of dead space as the characters as not in the middle of the screen.
This issue occurs again when they both sit down. As you can see, all of the action is taking place in the bottom third of the frame.
A good use of the technique, shot-reverse-shot, but again, by using the tripod would have avoided the video from being quite shaky and looking unprofessional.
Also, the music we had added should sync with the climax and dialogue of the script as the music kicks in too soon.
When the girl gasps, there is good use of close up for effect. Also the man is in the centre of the screen when he is down on one knee meaning that that audiences full attention are on the scene.
The mise-en-scene and costumes were not appropriate for the narrative and the audience can see that it is set in a school class room.
What do romance genres consist of?
When someone mentions romance, the brain automatically thinks of hearts, flowers, jewellery, gifts, love letters etc and this is due to society. However, there is so many other aspects that link to create an emotion packed romance movie.
The main characters are normally a leading man and woman and the journey they share. Romance films also make finding love and the love story the main plot. In romance films the narratives are could be any love based scenarios such as love triangles. There are may different types of love that can be involved in romance. A very popular romance movie was called the 'Titanic' which was released on November 18th, 1997. At this time it was the most expensive film made coming to around $200 million.
The themes of love on this film from the list above are: -Love at first sight
-forbidden love
-sacrificial love
-tragic love
In most romance films, the directors have taken into consideration the mise-en-scene. Therefore, the setting should also be romantic. A romantic setting could be fancy restaurants, beaches, sunsets, Paris etc. The lighting can play a big part in this genre as it is normally soft, natural and dimming lighting. This can then create a tense romantic atmosphere between the two characters. Also, it can give the audience a sense of realism. There are not any particular props that must be included other than everyday items to make the film look realistic.
Plots in love stories can also have an antagonist which could be a horrible step dad/mum or a family member or friends opposing a marriage. Another very popular and traditional romance movie is 'Romeo and Juliet' which follows the idea of having an antagonist who in this case, is Tybalt who kills Mercutio.
The music is soft and non-diegetic to add to the natural, calming theme. However, the music is not playing continuously throughout the film. The soft music normally plays when the two people who are in love are together.
After this, the camera immediately films the woman leading the oblivious man through what looks like a butchers factory. However, the camera is filming from a side profile of the two characters instead of filming face on. This is so that the viewers can see more of the setting and what they are walking through. As a result of this, the audience is still finding the scene quite odd as they can see hundreds of dead animals hanging up. The mise-en-scene is appropriate for a horror as it is a weird setting, pale lighting and the music continues to be quite fast, building up the suspense. Non-diegetic sound of chain saws has been included which gives the audience an idea of what is happening to these animals.
They walk through and are immediately introduced with the busy atmosphere of a club that has pounding, blaring and fast music with hundreds of dancing people. Within the filming of this, there are fast shots, slow motion shots, out of focus shots and close up shots. This then shows what the club atmospheres are like. 
Lionsgate 
This conglomerate is one of the six major movie studios and is one of Americas oldest movie studios that are still in continuous production. It was founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmie. They create and distribute theatrical and non-theatrical filmed entertainment.
It is an American company which is known for being very good at producing and distributing many films and television shows of different genres. Its headquarters is in Santa Monica, California and was founded in 1979. It is now a subsidiary for the oligopoly, Filmyard Holdings. Well known horror films Miramax has produced and distributed is 'Scream' and 'Scary Movie' which were extremely successful with 'Scream' receiving $173 million and 'Scary Movie' earning $278,019,771.
Warner Brothers is a conglomerate and are a big and popular film studio that is based in California and New York. It is the global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of creative content. They create many films of different genres such as comedy, romance, action, horror and fantasy. 
They are one of the six major American film studios founded in 1935. The majority of their successful films are comedies and family genre films such as 'Night at the museum'.
This institution is based in the UK, founded in 1934. They are best known for their gothic horror films which were produced between the mid 1950s until the 1970s. They based all of their films on the horror genre which make them unique and are one of the smaller institutions. Another difference between Hammer Films and other American film studios, are that they are better when producing independent films whereas American films produce mainstream films. 
This genre usually focus' mostly on psychological horror particularly concentrating on the paranormal and poltegeist aspect. These films are influenced by the ancient horror stories that have been pasted down through history. Japanese horror tends to be paranormal as, according to that traditional Japanese beliefs, all humans have a spirit or soul which leaves the body after death.
This sub genre is based on tension and relies on the characters fears, beliefs and emotional instability. They can be based on a humans mental instability such as a character becoming possessed. 'The exorcist' and again, 'The ring' are example of this sub genre. 
Renters around the supernatural elements, such as ghosts, gods, goddesses and miracles. They are known as being quite suspenseful as they emphasise the unknown and what could be real but you would never know. The afterlife and devils are known to be included as they are spiritual. This genre can cross over with others, creating hybrids such as a supernatural comedy. The film 'Ghost' is a popular example of a supernatural film.
Props are important when filming a horror. These can vary from a weapon to a spiritual artefact. An example of making use of props can be in a slasher horror which would require a weapon such as a knife or sax. These props may not only be used to kill someone, but can be associated with the murderer. Other props such as crosses, spiritual artefacts and bibles can would be used in a film which includes someone becoming possessed.
A typical location where the horror is based would be in a forest, abandoned buildings, dark mansions, cabins in the woods etc. This is because it portrays the feeling of being isolated and these locations are usually not busy areas surrounded by people. If this were the case and the area was busy, this tends to make the audience feel safer and less scared. Any of these areas would be perfect for creating suspense atmosphere and fear amongst the audience. Also, filming in darkness in these places makes it more tense and scary due to limited vision.
These are important aspects to include in the making of a horror film as it can determine whether the character is the protagonist or antagonist. The costumes can show a stereotypical version of a character. For example; a little girl would be dressed up in a pink dress, pig-tails, frilly socks etc in order to portray the typical innocence of this character. The antagonist can be spotted by the audience immediately according to their appearance. For example, in the film 'Scream', the murderer is dressed in all black with a scary mask.
The lighting is horror films is usually dark in order to create a scarier atmosphere and to create better common jump-scares. An example would be a character walking alone in the woods at night time and the villan jumps out at them from behind a tree. Firstly, people can have a common fear of just being in the dark. This can be because of the 'unknown' and not knowing who/what is there. If the scene would have been filmed in daylight, it would not have the same effect on the audience as it would at night or in the dark.
Having facial expressions and body language shows the fear of the character in the scene. This is important and it is the only way the audience is going to believe the character a truly terrified with what is occurring. Their body language and movement reflects their shock, fear and desperation.
The main characters are normally a leading man and woman and the journey they share. Romance films also make finding love and the love story the main plot. In romance films the narratives are could be any love based scenarios such as love triangles. There are may different types of love that can be involved in romance. A very popular romance movie was called the 'Titanic' which was released on November 18th, 1997. At this time it was the most expensive film made coming to around $200 million.
-Love at first sight
In most romance films, the directors have taken into consideration the mise-en-scene. Therefore, the setting should also be romantic. A romantic setting could be fancy restaurants, beaches, sunsets, Paris etc. The lighting can play a big part in this genre as it is normally soft, natural and dimming lighting. This can then create a tense romantic atmosphere between the two characters. Also, it can give the audience a sense of realism. There are not any particular props that must be included other than everyday items to make the film look realistic.
Plots in love stories can also have an antagonist which could be a horrible step dad/mum or a family member or friends opposing a marriage. Another very popular and traditional romance movie is 'Romeo and Juliet' which follows the idea of having an antagonist who in this case, is Tybalt who kills Mercutio. 
