Genre Research: Horror

 Recently, I've been studying the different genres that I can base my movie on. A genre is a type of movie defined by its tone, atmosphere, and subject material. Examples of genres are action movies and westerns. Once I started, I was quickly reminded of a project I had worked on before where I did exactly that. In this powerpoint, I go over common film techniques and tropes I like and dislike from the horror genre. I won't go over anything in the powerpoint except the the elements that I think will actually assist me in the creation of my video. 

Common Camera Angles

Common angles in the horror genre are the close-up and the point-of-view shot. Horror as a genre exists to instill fear into the audience. The close-up is so important because it allows characters to visually express the emotional impact of a scene. Often during close-ups, the character's face is distorted in shock and terror. Since the audience is experiencing these events through the characters, how the character responds provides the necessary emotional framework that allows for the audience to get scared. Then there is the equally important point-of-view shot, which usually comes right before or after the close-up. If the close-up contextualizes the impact an event has, the point-of-view provides the event. These scenes form an action-reaction relationship, and any scene that features an action must feature an appropriate reaction and vice-versa. These angles are important because they can be used to establish a myriad of emotions besides fear, and thus can be used in genres that aren't horror.

Common Lighting

A common lighting technique in horror is low-key lighting: a type of lighting where the light-source is below the character's head. This gives a veil of shady around the eyes of a character and makes them more intimidating and less trustworthy. This lighting technique creates unease and distrust in the audience, and like the previously discussed camera angles, are important because they can be used to set atmosphere and tone in genres outside horror.

Dislikeable Elements

Elements of horror that I dislike are jumpscares. I dislike this element because the more it devalues any movie its placed in. While having something pop on screen accompanied with a loud noise might be startling, it does not create a lasting sense of fear. When a movie relies on jumpscares to create fear, it ultimately kills any longevity the movie could have along with devaluing any future use of it. This doesn't just apply to jumpscares but any cliche. This shows the importace of avoiding predictable tropes or overused cliches.