Codes and Conventions of a Horror film

     
The typical conventions of a horror film is that there are clear binary oppositions. We are conforming to this convention because in our trailer we make it clear that there our victims and villains. We also conform to the dominant representation of gender. For example, we have a male villain and a female victim. We also use a range of shots including high angle,  low angle, and close up shots to also represent dominance. For example when the villain is shown we use low angle shots to make him seem more dominant and powerful and when we show the victim we use high angle shots to portray her as weak and vulnerable. This is a typical convention of a horror film. We have also conformed to the convention of teenage characters. The point in this is that is that the audience will be more scared for the victims as they are only young. Also the teenage audience will be able to relate to the film and to the characters as they will be more scared for the characters as they are the same age as them. We also use a hand held camera for parts of the trailer. The point in this is that we can see what the characters are experiencing from their point of view. This may make the audience feel more like a part of the film as they can see exactly what the characters can see. Another convention we adhere to is the usual associations with a horror film. For example we adhere to one of the typical locations of a horror film. The setting for our film is an isolated house. This is effective because it makes the film more sinister and creates a scary atmosphere for the film. The target audience for a typical horror film is usually ages from 15-25. So, as we have included characters ranging in between those ages we are aiming at our target audience. Also, as we have included a female victim we will be attracting a large male audience because they will be attracted to the female victim.