1. Media Timeline
HISTORY OF FILM & THE
HORROR GENRE
Charlotte Page

2. History of Film
In 1878, The Horses in Motion by
Eadweard Muybridge was one of the
first films to be created. Muybridge
began making the film by placing a
series of cameras along a race track
which photographed a horse in fast
motion. Fast motion is when a film
frame is shot at a much slower speed
than it would be played at in which by
using this Muybridge’s imagery allows
details to be picked out which the
human eye cannot notice as a faster
speed.
The series of photos made a short film
strip which shows that all four hooves
do leave the ground at the same time.
This film today still remains as one of
the earliest forms of videography.

3. The Silent Era
The silent era ran from 1894 to 1929 in which instead of using diegetic sounds
such as dialogue, silent films relied heavily on exaggerated gestures or facial
expressions from the actors to tell the story. Incidental music also became an
essential for adding atmosphere to a silent film whilst also indicating what emotion
is being portrayed to an audience. Earlier silent films that were shown at public
venues usually had a live musician to improvise the music on a piano or organ.
The Great Train Robbery was
the first silent film to be
released in 1903. It’s release
introduced new editing
techniques to the rising film
industry by being the first to
employ parallel editing. This is
where the film cuts between
two different scenes that are
happening at the same time.
Video – The Great Train Robbery (1903)

4. BBC The Magic of
Movie Editing
 Early film makers simply took photos of what that interested them in which
they would turn these images into a film that would continuously play. For
example, The Life of an American Fireman tells a story from one continuous
narrative.
 Editing can have various effects on a film such as slowing down or speeding
up time which can create various audience reactions. This shows how length
of shots can change an audience’s response to a scene.
 Editor D.W Griffith was one of the first to employ the use of the close-up shot
as well as parallel editing and flashbacks in 1915.
 The editing process was known as the “invisible art” as editors tried to making
transitions so smooth that audiences would forget that a scene is changing.
Editing rules were originally quite strict, timings were very specific, scenes
would typically change through a dissolve and camera shots would often
change in a logical order. Breathless (1960) was first to break these strict
rules.
 Computer technology today allows editing to be a quicker process. By using
visual characters, editors can now directly change aspects on screen
changing the original image to something new.

5. First Feature Films
Produced by Warner Brothers, The Jazz
Singer (1927) was the first feature length
film to be released that combined music
and part dialogue following the silent era.
The film used a system called Vitaphone
which meant that when the film was
shown on a projector, the dialogue and
music could be played in sync with
actions of the characters on screen.
Some consider The Jazz Singer as a
musical due to it only having a few
minutes of dialogue however it holds a
significant place within film history
because it was the first “talkie” film to be
introduced to the industry.
In 1928, Warner Brothers released Lights
of New York which was the first all talking
feature film.

6. 1930’s
The 1930’s film industry has been labelled as
“the Golden Age of Hollywood.” The silent era
had ended after many silent actors decided not
to make the transition into talking films and film
genres such as horror, western, comedy,
musicals and gangster had the opportunity to
further develop.
Colour movies were also invented in the 30’s
with the first colour, short live-action film being
La Cucaracha (1934) and Becky Sharp (1935)
was the first full length feature film to use the
latest colour technology, Technicolor.
Walt Disney’s Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs
(1937) was the first feature length animation
film to use colour.
Other popular film of the 1930’s -
Wizard of Oz (1939) and Gone With The Wind
(1939).

7. 1940’s
Technology in the 1940’s began to advance.
The use of colour, sound recording, lighting
and special effects made films more
watchable as they appeared modern.
During the war years, many media
platforms used the war as a subject for their
products and so did the film industry. In
particular, British audiences wanted more
realistic films and as a result British studios
began producing documentaries and war
films, for example Casablanca in 1942.
A style called “Film Noir” became popular
during the 40’s. In French, “noir” translates
to black which reflects the series of dark
films which was created. This style was
typically used for crime dramas and
employed the use of low key black and
white lighting to produce strong shadows as
well as using tilted camera angles. This
created darker films not just visually but
reflected darker content and themes.

8. 1950’s
In the 1950’s, the introduction of television
became a threat to the film industry as
cinemas saw attendance rates begin to
drop because black and white television
was more affordable than going to the
cinema. In an attempt to gain their
audience back the film industry made
bigger and better films by ensuring they
were made in colour, shown on bigger
screens, showed pictures of a higher
quality and some in 3D.
Rock and roll became popular in cinemas
during the 50’s which introduced a new
teenage market to the film industry which
was disapproved by older audience who
had previously seen realistic war films.
Young audiences wanted to see exciting
new stars which included Marilyn Monroe
and James Dean.

9. 1960’s
Film audiences continued to decline as
television became more powerful and
dominant. As a result the film industry began
to struggle financially. After the introduction
of colour television in 1936, film companies
decided to expand their forms of
entertainment and reach their audiences by
creating records, TV films and programmes.
Rock and roll continued into the 1960’s with
the USA gaining interest in British
music, fashion and culture. The film industry
acted upon this by producing comedy
documentaries and musical films, the most
popular featured The Beatles.
Film technology continued to develop in the
60’s, the introduction of “liquid gate printing”
provided a brighter, clearer picture by filling in
any scratches on the film reel.

10. 1970’s
After financial difficulty in the 50’s and
60’s the industry started to release
summer blockbusters to increase profits.
Summer films such as Jaws (1975) and
Star Wars (1977) were successful for the
film industry as they appealed to mass
audiences and therefore increased
Jaws Trailer (1975)
income.
Films within the 70’s became more
creative due to restrictions on
language, violence, adult content and
sexuality becoming less strict.
VHS players in 1977 meant that films
could be bought and watched at
home, this had a positive impact on
independent film makers as through
marketing, their products could gain
attention. Alternatively, cinema
audiences would decline again due to
consumers staying at home.
Star Wars VHS (1977)

11. 1980’s
Blockbuster films became increasingly
popular in the 1980’s with the biggest films
being released either during the summer or
around the Christmas period. Through
successful marketing, blockbuster film’s made
a larger profit as bigger audiences attended
cinemas. Special effects had also
ET: The Extra Terrestrial (1982) progressed, the use of CGI was now available
to films in which this allowed the science-
fiction genre to gain more attention as exciting
characters could be created such as ET: The
Extra Terrestrial (1982) which was the top
grossing film of the decade.
Furthermore, sound tracks were of higher
quality meaning that more atmosphere could
be created in a film.
Cable TV, broadcasting satellites, and VHS
tapes allowed film distribution to become
more varied. This meant that films could reach
audiences at home as well as at the cinema.
Ghostbusters (1984)

12. 1990’s
In the 1990’s changes began to occur within
major film studios. Warner Communications
formed with Time to form Time Warner with
Warner Brothers making working in film and
television. Viacom bought film company
Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks was
formed in 1997 with their first feature film,
The Peacemaker. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Also in 1997, the first DVD’s were released
which not only had better picture and sound
quality but interactive features. This meant
that home viewing of films was still more
popular than attending cinema releases.
Summer and Christmas blockbusters
however were still popular in the 90’s. Films
such as Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Forrest
Gump (1994) and Titanic (1997) were
successful not only because of the quality of
the film but because of successful marketing
and merchandise raising awareness of their
releases. Sequel's became more common
too, with the most popular of the 90’s being
Toy Story 2 and Batman Returns.
Titanic (1997)

13. 2000’s
This decade is known as the era of
franchises as series of films became
extremely successful. Most franchise films
were based on existing products such as
novels, or comic books. Franchise films of
this decade include Spider Man, Harry
Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the
Rings and the Twilight Saga.
During this decade, films found a niche to
Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise market films online through social
networking (Twitter, Facebook…) Examples
include the final Harry Potter series
releasing exclusive posters on Twitter and
The Twilight Saga setting up its own
Facebook page.
In 2005, the latest 3D technology, RealD,
was introduced to cinemas which helped to
produce 3D images in brighter colours and
sharper details.
The film industry was dominated by 6 major
companies. These were Time Warner, 20th
Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Walt Disney
and Universal. This reflects how the film
industry is an example of an oligopoly as
Harry Potter Franchise several companies dominate the market.

14. History of…
THE HORROR GENRE
“An overwhelming painful feeling
caused by something frightful,
shocking, or terrifying.”

15. Mythology
Some of the earliest forms of horror began in
mythology. Stories from Greek mythology
created a sense of fear through the characters
that were created. For example, Medusa being
a character with snakes for hair, and would turn
people to stone created a sense of terror in
those who would hear the story.
The Romans also had myths based within the
horror genre in which some of their stories
about monsters have been made into novels.
For example, the first version of Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley was written in 1818 in which
this novel created a new style of writing for
rising authors and introduced wider audiences
to the horror genre.

16. Horror in Literature
The horror genre has early links within gothic
literature. People would read novels and plays of
the gothic genre for a sense of entertainment
though fear, horror and terror. The first author to
write a text within the gothic genre was Horace
Walpole in 1764 with his novel The Caste of
Otranto. The text involved the supernatural and
used female characters as victims which was
frightening to Victorian audiences.
Gothic Literature has allowed horror to develop
sub-genres, including :-
• Victorian Gothic – Enforces setting, supernatural, and has romantic sub-plot.
• Visceral Horror – Shows blood and gore as source of horror.
• Supernatural Horror – Involves zombies, vampires, ghosts…
• Clerical Horror – Associated with religion.
• Sci-Fi Horror – Uses science to explain source of horror.
• Lovecraftian Horror – Involves outer-space.
• Apocalyptic Horror – Uses end of the world as source of horror.
• Psychological Horror – Plays with the mind, beliefs and guilt.

17. Radio Horror
Radio was an early platform used to tell
horror stories. One of the most successful
radio horrors was The Witch’s Tale which ran
from 1931 to 1938. The series was hosted by
Old Nancy, a Salem witch, who would
introduce audiences to a new tale each
week. Sometimes the stories told would be
based on existing tales such as Frankenstein
or The Flying Dutchman. Topics covered in
radio shows varied from creating fantasy
monsters, ghosts, and looking at the darker
side to human behaviour.
Playing horror on the radio was popular
because it allowed audiences to use their
imagination and to picture themselves in the
story rather than seeing it on film. Using
powerful music, sound effects and having
good timing allowed radio horror to be
extremely successful.

18. Television Horror
The television wasn’t necessarily known as a
platform for playing programmes of the horror
genre. Due to the success of radio horror and
cinema releases, television horror struggled to
get air time as many programmes failed to
create the atmosphere that was need for a
successful horror on a small screen.
Despite this, the horror genre was able to
expand through the television with
programmes such as The Twilight Zone (1959
to 1964) and gothic television series, Dark
Shadows (1966 to 1971) introducing
supernatural elements to horror such as
vampires, werewolves, and aliens.
The Vampira Show is an early example of an
American television horror which was aired
late at night and took influences from radio
horror by having a host to introduce each
episode.

19. History of…
HORROR FILMS
“A film which unsettling, striking
an emotion of fear, disgust and
horror from an audience.”

20. Early Horror Films
Many of the early horror films were based upon
existing novels and have links within myths and
folklores. For example, 1922
film, Nosferatu, was based upon Dracula by
Bram Stoker and was the first vampire horror
film. Important features of the horror genre such
as shadows, and various lighting were often
difficult to capture in early horror films due to the
limited technology available.
Although some of the earlier horror films may not
seem as frightening to modern audiences as
The Golem (1920)
they once were, the codes and conventions
used are still relevant to modern horror films.
Furthermore, the role of incidental music in
these early films shows how these silent horrors
have been influential in making music one of the
most important conventions of the horror genre.
Nosferatu (1922)

21. Development of Horror Films
 Horror films of the 1930s’s to 1950’s were often low budget films, and
usually comical to try and entice the teenage audience. Even though these
films may not be considered as scary today, they were a form of escapism
for audiences who were living in difficult times.
 Films of the 50’s created their horror though science and technology with
fictional creatures and monsters being a source of fear for consumers.
 1960’s horror films became more controversial as many took risks by
displaying more graphic detail and violence. This style of film
foreshadowed the rise of slasher films in the 70’s. The theme of the
supernatural also gained attention in the 60’s as a series of ghost films
were released. These were popular because the black and white picture
and little special effects allowed audiences to be scared by their
imagination.
 The late 70’s and 80’s saw slasher films become increasingly popular with
films such as Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday 13th being extremely
successful.
 1990’s horror films were extremely varied, from psychological horrors to
more violent films. Ideas for new horrors in 90’s started to become limited
so filmmakers tried update previous classics by remaking films such as
Dracula and Frankenstein.

22. Modern Horror Films
By 2005,the horror genre was extremely
popular as audiences viewed films for a sense
of entertainment and escapism as modern
horror films today are so varied in terms of
their plot, characters and themes. The style of
films that have developed throughout the
decades such as slasher films and
psychological horrors, to plots that include
vampires, zombies, and the supernatural are
still continuing in today’s modern films. The
development of technology such as 3D
cameras, CGI, and green screens allow horror
films to be more creative and challenging with
their settings and characters.
Many use realistic settings and characters with
a darker twist for a sense of horror as the
realism of the film is something an audiences
can relate to.

23. Codes & Conventions
Camera Work Extreme Close –Up!
Point of View Shots
Point of view shots are usually used within the horror genre to reflect either the
villain or victims perspective. For an audience this makes them feel like their
playing the role of that character creating an uncomfortable or uneasy feel.
Oblique/Canted Angles
This is where the camera is titled rather than horizontal. This is popular within the
horror genre because it creates a feeling of being unstable and makes an
audience feel disorientated. This camera angle is often used with the point of
view shot to make it feel like the character as a hand-held camera and therefore
makes the audience feel more involved.
Close Ups & Extreme Close Ups
By employing these kinds of shot types, an audience is able to see the emotions
of the victim or villain. Extreme close-ups can make a consumer feel
uncomfortable because the image will feel the entire screen, creating an intense
and fearful atmosphere.

24. Creating Pace
Editing
Through fast editing and changing of camera shots can help to build tension
and suspense for a horror film. Typically within horror scene will begin with a
slow pace before suddenly building tension and making audiences jump
through the fear that has been created.
Combination of Shots
To create a disorientated feel, shots in horror films will sometimes be pieced
together in an illogical order to create a fast, tense pace.
Incidental Music
Music
Music is an important convention within the horror genre as it emphasises a
tense and eerie atmosphere and reflects how an audience should be feeling.
Audience emotions are usually reflected through a change in the music's
dynamics, starting quiet before suddenly getting louder as a sense becomes
more frightening.
Diegetic Sounds
Whilst creating a sense of verisimilitude, diegetic sounds help to create an
atmosphere. Typical sounds include footsteps, screams and creaks.

25. Mise-En-Scene
Dark Colours
Horror films will often use dark colours to help create a tense atmosphere. For
an audience dark colours can be associated with the unknown and feeling of
uncertainty therefore a sense of fear is created.
Low Lighting
To match the dark colours, horror films will typically use low key lighting to add
to the suspense as this style of lighting creates a contrast in light and dark and
as a result emphasises shadows.
Characters
In modern horror films, typically the role of the villain is played by someone
who appears normal to an audience as this makes it easier for a consumer to
imagine themselves in the film and therefore makes it more frightening.
Setting
Settings in horror films can vary. Stereotypical settings would be isolated
places such as haunted houses, forests, and castles however horror film’s of
today’s society can take place in settings that have a sense of normality. For
example, using a family home can be just as scary because it is something the
audience can relate to.

26. Representation of Women in Horror Films
Within the horror genre there is a
stereotypical image for the female male. She
is usually in some kind of distress, young,
with blonde hair and is physically attractive.
Men are often considered to play the role of
the hero in horror films, and females usually
play the role of the victim. This is often used
to reflect how rights between men and women
were previously unequal. It is thought that for
a female to survive in a horror film, she must
have masculine characteristics as males
typically play a more dominant, heroic role.
Despite this, from the 1970’s and onwards to
today’s modern society, female characters in
horror films have been taking a more
dominant role, displaying strength and
independence.

27. ANCILLARY TASKS
Film Poster & Magazine
Front Cover

28. FILM POSTERS
Film posters are used as part of the marketing
campaign for a film’s release. They are often
displayed on streets, in shops and at cinemas to
help raise awareness about a new film. Usually
the same picture or style used on the film’s poster
will be used for other advertisements relating to
the film such as for adverts
newspapers, magazines, DVD’s , and websites.
Conventions of a film poster include an image of a
main actor or scene as well as the title of the
film, cast names, release date and may also
include a quote from the film as a slogan to help
make the poster more memorable.
From looking at some existing film posters from
the horror genre, I have found that typical
conventions used are dark colours, bold texts and
the images can be quite ambiguous to create a
tense feeling. The style of the poster will help to
create the tone and emphasise the genre of the
film.

29. Magazine Front Covers
I have carried out some research into existing
magazine front covers which has allowed me to find
out about some film magazine conventions.
Firstly, the main image used on the front is usually of
an actor in the role of their character as this will allow
an audience to become familiar with the character
that they will see in the film and on adverts.
Sometimes the title of the magazine will adapt to the
style of the film which is being featured. For
example, on the Inception front cover, the title, Total
Film, has been designed to reflect how the film
involves technology. This is also shown through the
colours used as silver can also be associated with
technology so this reflects how colours are important
at portraying ideas to an audience.
Other conventions used on magazine front covers
are a masthead with the date, title, and price. Plus a
main coverline, smaller coverlines , an insert and a
strapline. These are all things that I can consider
when I create my film magazine front cover.

30. Influences
From creating this PowerPoint presentation I now have a clearer understanding
of the history of film and how it has developed to produce the films that we
have today. Furthermore, I also now have a more in-depth understanding of the
horror genre, from how it began to how its origins has impacted on modern
horror films. I have researched the conventions of horror through the micro
elements and have found that things such as dark colours, incidental music and
point of view shots will all help my trailer conform to the horror genre therefore I
will consider the conventions when I created my three media products . The
target audience of my trailer will be aged between 15 to 30 and aimed at both
genders. I’d like my trailer to focus on the idea of the supernatural perhaps
using toys or an object passed down generations and holding some kind of
history. This idea has been inspired by seeing the toys that feature in the
opening of the Woman in Black trailer. I want my trailer to encourage an
audience to use their imagination rather than seeing visually on screen. I have
been influenced to do this from researching radio horror and horror films of the
60’s as allowing an audience to use their imagination was extremely successful
and I feel that today there is a niche in the market for this kind of film as
modern horror is a lot more detailed and graphic than it used to be.
For my ancillary tasks of a poster and film magazine front cover I will make sure
that they link together in terms of style so that my products become consistent
and support the trailer. This will include using similar colours, text styles, and
ensuring that suitable images are used for the films genre.

31. Bibliography
• DiMello Carl, Hollywood Memories,
http://www.hollywoodmoviememories.com/articles
• Dirks Tim, 2012, The History of Film,
http://www.filmsite.org/
• Goldstein Jeffery, Why do People watch Horror?
http://accessscience.com/studycenter.aspx?main=18&questionID=5338
• Google Sites, What Makes Horror Scary?
https://sites.google.com/site/horrorhistory5123/
• Harris Mark, A Timeline History of Horror
Movies, http://horror.about.com/od/horrorthemelists/ss/horrortimeline_2.htm
• Hoffman Matt, 2011, History of Horror on the Television,
http://www.mania.com/history-horror-television_article_129603.html
• Leslie Mitchell, 2001, The Man Who Stopped
Time, http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2001/mayjun/features/muybridge.html
• Otrcat.Com, 1999, Horror & Mystery Old Time Radio Shows,
http://www.otrcat.com/horror-and-mystery-on-radio.html
• Psycho Horror, 2011, Representation of Women in Horror
Films, http://screampsychohorror.wordpress.com/representation-of-women-in-horror-films
• Rosenberg Jennifer, First Silent Movie – The Great Train
Robbery, http://history1900s.about.com/od/1900s/qt/trainrobbery.htm
• Rosenberg Jennifer, 2012, 1927 Jazz Singer,
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/jazzsinger.htm
• Serbinski Ted, 1999, Scene 1: Enter Future Filmmaker,
http://library.thinkquest.org/29285/history/
• Snider Eric, 2011, What’s the big deal? The Jazz Singer,
http://www.film.com/movies/whats-the-big-deal-the-jazz-singer-1927
• Westcombe Roger, 2003, Film Noir,
http://www.bighousefilm.com/noir_intro.htm
• Wikipedia, Film Posters,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_posters
• Woodford George, 2010, Horror Genre Conventions,
http://www.slideshare.net/marine18/horror-genre-conventions