1. Assignment5:film study &convention
in a film (partner task)
Person 1 (Helen)
Person 2 (Fatou)

2. Target :
 Colour choice : yellow
The things we have to do are :
 Exploration
 Film of choice and reasoning
 Genre
 Subgenre
 Hybrid
 Stam‟s theory
 Mittel‟s theory
 Semantics
 Syntax
 Conventions list of genre in relation to all films
 Conventions analysis
 Dominant ideology
 Audience
 Audience theory

3. Exploration of film

4. Choice of Film and reason
 We chose the movie, „The Unborn‟
because it has a good amount of sub
genres and hybrids within it. The fact that
its horror added with different elements
that emphasises the horrific and brutality
that is included in the movie.

5. 
Genre
The main genre for this film is
horror.
 Evidence to show this, is that
throughout the movie there
were graphic imagery, that
were quite horrifying to set your
eyes on. Also there were
scenes that could leave you
feeling disgusted and scarred,
because of such deep context.
For example in the unborn,
there is a scene where the
grandmother is running away
from one old man who is
possessed with an evil spirit
trying to kill her.

6. Subgenre of the
unborn
 Psychological horror is subgenere of the unborn film because relies on the character fears, guilt,
beliefs, sound effects, relevant music and emotional instability to build tension .
You can see here how really scared she is by her facial
expression and her body language .
 Supernatural is subgenre in the film of the unborn because it combine element of religion into plot.
Common themes in supernatural horror film in the unborn are devil ,ghosts and demons.
This is an orderly person however in side this
person‟s body there is and demon that why
this person is being un orderly.
 Teen is one of the subgenre of the unborn that revolves completely around a teenager or a group of
teenagers. Mostly have a hero or heroine, however the main girl in the film of the unborn is a heroine
.
The laptop is more associated with teenager
therefore she is a teenager.
Her body language tell that she is a teenager .

7. Hybrid
 Hybrid
Mystery - the unborn has an element
of mystery because during the movie
there are parts that very mysterious
and keeps you questioning yourself
on what it is that's lurking about or
disturbing the peace, to the
audience and also to the characters
in the film.
Thriller - the unborn also has an
element of thriller, because during
the course of the film, there are such
fast pace parts that keep your eyes
on screen, not wanting to remove
them. The thrill keeps you anticipated
and on the edge of your seat,
making you want to see more and
more.

8. Stam theory
 Stam‟s theory says that genre is not so easily defined under the „main genres‟ but can be
classified in other ways such as budget .Ethnicity focus or performer based.
In the film of the unborn there are more then one of the main genres. There is a pure horror
with in the film however there are other subgenres like the Psychological, supernatural
and teenage horror which they come together which create there own conventions and
code in the film therefore the audience would like it because it is not too predictable.
Another way which to classify the unborn as romance as it have love relationship in the
film .Gothic which involves psychological terror in historically ,romance setting ,there is
mysteries ghost ,madness . Thriller there are such fast pace parts that keep your eyes on
the screen, not wanting to remove them.
Romance mysteries Thriller

9. Mittel theory
 Mittel’s theory argues that industries use
genre to sell products to audiences. This
relates to the genre in ways such as
selling books, selling films/DVD’s and
sometimes for the audience in gets turned
into a theatre. Also they can sell such
products like toys, clothes etc.. That are fit
for the genre

11. Semantics of the unborn
Semantics How these are evident in the film (in
a relation to its
genre/subgenre/hybrid
Characters Lead/main character,
victim(survivor), villain,demon,family
and friends .The creepy child .
Locations Country roads-associated with
creepy looking animals and trees.
Story traits For the girl to be free to kill the
demon that is hunting her down and
her loved ones.
Costumes The ghost inside the little boy was
wearing old clothes which are dirty
however the other character with in
the film were dressed normally .
Props Religious symbols and symbols of

12. Syntax the unborn
 The syntax of the unborn film is to pleasures the audience watching the film as
they will associate the pure horror with in the film which would entertain them
.This happen in the movie when the girl is in the room by herself and she can
hear noise however as soon as she think it stopped she walked away. When
hear the noise again she went to check and she saw the demon .This
immediately grab the audience attentions .
When she hear the noise again She goes to check on it
she Turn around to see what it is. she see a little boy in the mirror.
 Usually we expect to see the potential happy family to move in a "murdered"
zoned house. Then whilst they get settled we see that the enigmas begin to
encounter, whether its a deranged killer back from the past, or a haunted past
coming back to victimise the new family. This all usually ends up tragically in
most of the people dying and maybe only one of them surviving. Most of the
time there are twists and turns to the usual plot.

13. Tone the picture, is quite gloomy and fairly dark but not too
The lighting in this
unborn
dark. This creates an eerily feel to it, the mood seems to be quite
mysterious and suspicious, making you feel as if something bad is
about to happen, the anticipation to know what happens next, the
lighting matches the mood. This reflects back to our genre because
When you find that something bad is about to happen, it's
frightening and usually gruesome, leaving you too feel disgusted
and sickened.
Fast pace music for tense scenes or action scenes when the main girl is
by herself the fast pace music start suggesting that something is going
to happen.

14. Convention list of that
genre/subgenre/hybrid
Conventions of Examples from range of real films
genre/sub/hybrid
Victims (cowers in front of a Scream
window or door)
Investigating(strange noise The ring
)
Build up of tensions The others
Isolated setting Saw
evil/ghost /demon The unborn
Violence The underworld
Vulnerable teenagers I know what you did last summer

15. Convention analysis
Conventions of genre Examples from your Comparison to other
/sub/hybrid film films in the same
genre/sub/hybrid
Point of view In the beginning she Paranormal Activity –
sees a glove and When the man films
changes to her point from his point of view
of view to see what it
is
Religion When she gets an The Exorcist – They also
exorcism performed perform an exorcism
Supernatural/Beyond The Twin Brother who The Ring – A girl
the Dead wasn‟t born, that watches a tapes and
comes back to haunt the phone rings
and kill informing her that shes
going to die in 7 days

16. Dominant ideology
Dominant ideology Example/evidence from film
Disgusting Creature Disgusting creatures an example
of this in the unborn film is when
the girl is in the toilet in there was
an small unknown creatures that
were trying to eat her and also
when the woman tune in to a
monster.
Danger /killer The killer is mostly to be a dangers
person and the fact they never
die for example the demon inside
the little boy‟s body.
Monster Monster in a horror film most
people expect to see a monster
in a every horror film its their
belief to be whit in the film .In the
unborn film there are people that
change into monsters

17. Audience
 The film “The Unborn” is for a mass
audience, because its mainstream and
would attract a lot of people to watch the
film; it also aims for what the audience
want to see. Its also familiar and
recognisable for a mass audience.

18. Audience
Details of audience Target audience Secondary audience Explanation of why
they would be
attracted watching the
film
Age 15-24 25-34 Because it offers
curiosity which is
accompanied with
real fear
Gender Male Female Horror offers extreme
violence and a bit of
sex
Ethnicity White, Black Asian, Latino, Indian, Because of ethnicity
roles that are played
Social Class Working and middle class Upper Class They want to see how
their class is portrayed
in the film
Social Group Religious People Goths Because of the
religious context in the
film
Sexual Orientation Straight Homosexual They want to see how
their sex is portrayed
Profession/Role Student Teachers Because of how much
it focuses on students

19. Audience theory (Mcquail )
Reasons why people watch the film Explanation
Entertainment People may watch the film „ the
unborn‟ to entertain them for
example when the character is in
pain might give them a creepy
feeling and put them at the edge of
their seat which people find exciting
and fun.
Information People can watch a film to inform
them what‟s happening it can be
different things ,however, in the film
of „the unborn‟ is mostly to inform
them about spiritual/religion world
how the demon come back and try
to live in another persons body and
kills everyone in that member of
family. From the film the main girl
grandmother said “they like our
family blood”.

20. Personal identity A film that is hard hitting
make you realise that as a
person or an individual you
can help that experience
severe poverty by watching
documentary . In the unborn
the girl never new her
grandmother this might
have a reflect on the
audience .