Research Essay : Codes And Conventions In Existing Horror Films Aimed At A Teenage Audience

Codes are systems which create meaning both symbolic and technical, Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used in media, such as camera usage in a film, the way in which it is edited and how sound is used. Symbolic codes are usually seen through miss-en-scene. such as a character's actions show you the characters feelings and emotions, a character's costume can show what type of person they are such as how much flesh is on show, props have suggestions or connotations which can be assumed by an audience. Some codes fit both categories –  music for example, is both technical and symbolic. Conventions are the ways in which doing something. general conventions in any medium, such as the use of interviewee quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific. common conventions in horror films are, secluded locations- where they are miles away from any help or anyone to hear their scream of danger, safety always being really close for the victim- such as them tripping at the last hurdle of getting to a safe area and a vehicle, a small group or two people- often a boy and girl which are separated from each other giving a strong sense of danger, a person often quite young always dies within the first five starting minutes of the film, the victim falls over all of a sudden and then struggles and does not return to their feet to evade the killer, no signal- the victim cannot seem to get connection to their phones or radios.

Wrong turn: The film opens with two friends rock climbing, when all of a sudden they are both killed by a vicious and mysterious unknown force. Six friends then find themselves trapped in the woods of West Virginia, hunted down by cannibalistic mountain men grossly disfigured through generations of in-breeding. the use of the camera in the wrong turn intro show lots of mid shots and long shots showing the people on the mountain and how high up they are yet never seem to show what's over the top of the mountain this gives a sense of fear as the viewers cannot see or tell what is at the top of the mountain waiting for them. when she is then being chased by the killer there is a big use of close ups to show the fear and emotion that the girl is feeling. the editing is smooth and provides the intro with match on action and is linear. the music builds tension throughout the intro it comes to a halt as the male reaches the top of the clip and then picks up again as he hits the floor after being attacked.  the mise-en scene show the girl having limited clothes on and revealing a lot of flesh which is common in horror films as well as the climbing gear and the razor wire showing what dangers there is to her and also her only escape from the killer and how close it is. the conventions featured in this into are very common such as they are stranded in an abandoned area 50 miles from anywhere and help for them what so ever also the fact that there safety car is so close to the girl but yet trips right at the last moment before reaching safety.

Dead Mary: Kim and her boyfriend Matt have just broken up, but they travel together to a cottage nearby a lake to spend the weekend with their friends Eve, Dash and his wife Amber and Baker and his new girlfriend Lily. The atmosphere becomes heavy with the situation between Kim and Matt, and one of them suggests them to play "Dead Mary". Matt, Eve and Dash summon the evil witch repeating her name three times in front of a mirror with a candle. the use of the camera in this intro shows a series of extreme close ups of chains and wood which later reveal to be a sign as well as the establishing shot in order to set the scene of where the intro is based, it then goes on to reveal the car in which is out of car and is used by the couple to arrive in this secluded area. there is then a tracking shot going through the trees showing the evil that is lurking within the wood that their car has broken down in as well as a high angle shot showing how vulnerable she is. there is a series of metallic sounds to show tension and small movements of the chains and the sign as well as music picking up drastically when it switches to the wood to show the predator with in the wood waiting for them. there is also radio signals to show how secluded they are. the editing is clean and provides match on action. mise-en scene again shows the girl is wearing revealing clothes showing a lot of flesh to show how vulnerable she is there is also a car to use possibly for getaway or to be their source of breakdown. there is multiple conventions within the intro such as the fact that the car wont start as its got no petrol as well as the female having no signal on the mobile phone.

Dead Wood:  Four friends leave the city for a relaxing camping weekend in the woods. Once they get settled, a strange young woman enters their campsite looking for her lost boyfriend. One of the four himself goes missing and the rest are pitted against mysterious forces in a fight for their very survival. use of the camera: there is an establishing shot to set the scene in the woods which then pans down into a mid shot of the stream. then there is a series of fast paced tracking/crabbing shot of the main character supplying you with a sense of danger and that the main character is being chased it then moves to a long shot/two shot to show how vulnerable he is standing over the ditch it then moves into close ups showing the characters panicking and stress the characters facing from the jump of the ditch. it then shows a panning out shot at high angle of the girl stranded in the woods by herself and how vulnerable she is. the editing shows a clear fade into the scene at the beginning of the intro as well as the clear linear editing. it then goes to slow motion as the male character attempts to clear the ditch with a leap of faith. the music at the start of the intro has a slow tempo when establishing the scene however when the male character is being chased the music changes to fast paced music showing a chase, the music then stops as the character comes to a halt to show the fear and how tense the moment is for the male character. mise-en scene shows the character wearing a Hawaiian shirt showing he is the type of foolish character, also the blood on the character face showed he has already been involved in an incident and has sustained some injuries. the conventions used in this are that the character trips over while running through the woodland area, as well as the fact they are stranded in the middle of nowhere and that you cant see what's chasing him.


use of camera:












use of sound:
editing: mise-en scene:
conventions: