1. CODES AND CONVENTIONS
STEPHEN KING’S ‘IT CLOWN’

2. TASK
• Access the internet, select one horror film which
interests you try to ensure it is a sub-genre you are
interested in pursuing for your portfolio
• Be mindful that eventually you will need to provide
evidence of comparison with another text in your
research and planning work.
• Analyse its codes and conventions in detail using the
following headings, write down your findings.

3. • FILM TITLE – ‘IT’
• RELEASED – 1990
• GENRE – HORROR
• SUBGENRE - SLASHER

4. BRIEF PLOT SYNOPSIS
In 1960, a group of social outcasts who are
bullied by a gang lead by Henry Bowers are also
tormented by an evil demon that can shape shift
into a clown and feed on children's fears and kill
them. After defeating the demonic clown as
kids, it resurfaces 30 years later and they must
finish it off as adults once again.
(Sourced from IMDB)

5. AVERAGE SHOT LENGTH
• Average shot length (Use this to estimate
home many shots you will need in a trailer)
• Time in seconds of the whole trailer = 83
seconds
• Count the number of shots = 63 shots
• Sequence time in seconds/ Number of shots =
ASL
• 83/63= 1.3 seconds

6. Describe the settings and range of
locations – exterior/exterior?
• Exterior shots of garden location
• Exterior shot of park
• Exterior shot of street, raining, children putting hand in
grid
• Interior shot of house, someone running with knife
• Exterior shot of someone in car looking at graveyard
• Interior shot of clown coming in bathroom through
plug hole
• Interior shot of blood splat on wall tiles spelling ‘IT’

7. Describe the Star/s and characters (include
dress/look/mode of address/stance etc.) Are there
typical horror character spheres?
Typical character sphere of a
villain – clown costume, wig,
make up, balloons, pointing,
smiling, white gloves
Victim – small girl,
hair tied back,
holding a doll

8. Were there any props significant to the
trailer?
Knife – character
attacking someone

9. How would you describe the camera work?
Did it use particular types of shot?
Close up of
clowns face

10. The editing? Thing about pace, type of
transitions e.g. cut/fade etc. How was it
cut to the music?
Fade

11. How was titling used on the trailer, how many title
slides were there? Where did they appear in the
trailer? What information did they provide.
• Based on Stephen
Kings novel
• Title ‘IT’
• Appeared at the
end of the trailer