2. Audiences develop an understanding that certain expectations may be fulfilled and
they find pleasure in predicting what will happen next. Different genres have a
certain repertoire which is things the audience will expect to happen.
Every genre has expected aspects which is known as iconography. For horror films
this is isolated, open spaces for locations; dark makeup and props like weapons
and blood. Film trailers need to intrigue the audience into going to watch the film
which is the enigma of the trailer.
We will need to use conventions in our trailer so that the audience knows the
narrative of the film straight away., we need to use a certain amount of immediate
communication with the audience. We need the narrative to be easily
comprehensible, using key components that are easily recognisable are important
– these key components are know as semantic and syntactic which I will discuss in
the next few slides.
3. Semantic - This is the particular conventions of a certain genre
that communicate to the audience such as characters, locations,
props, music, shooting style and other signifiers.
Syntactic - This is the relationship between these conventions
and the structure of the narratives in genres. E.g. In horror
movies we expect the villain to kill the innocent character. There
are then a series of meeting/problems which prolong or stop
this from happening
Not just semantic factors
(makeup, props, costumes,
locations) signify a
particular genre it also has
to have syntactic factors
such as generic situations.
4. Semantic conventions in horror films are:
•Location – open, isolated spaces.
•Costume – dark, worn out
•Weapons - weapons such as knifes and
chainsaws
•Props – blood, religious icons.
•Characters – agnostic, protagonist.
•Sounds – high pitched screeches, eerie
music, sound effects such as screams.
Syntactic –
Story lines and plots are very similar in
every horror film. A common plot is an
innocent person or group of people in an
isolated place, like a forest or in a derelict
house then they realise they are not alone
and a murderer is introduced into the film.
Another common plot is someone
becoming possessed. The character will be
again an innocent character then become
possessed and turn against people –
usually there family.
