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

Codes are systems of signs, which create meaning. Codes can be divided into two categories, technical and symbolic. Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text, for example the camera work in a film. Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see. For example, a character's actions show you how the character is feeling. Some codes fit both categories, music for example is both technical and symbolic. Conventions are the are actions that you see consistently throughout a specific genre, for example in a horror film a convention would be that the characters trips up when being chased by the predator, another example would be that the 2 main characters get split up and this is when the troubles occur or when they become endangered, this separation is normally between a girl and a boy as this gives the user a strong sense of danger. Codes can also mean other things, For example, the technical code of lighting is used in some way in all film genres. It is a convention of the horror genre that side and back lighting is used to create mystery and suspense, an integral part of any horror movie. This would give you the audience to begin to have a good understanding of what the movie is going to be about and what the genre is.

The film Wrong Turn is a film about two hikers that are on the edge of a cliff, the male character gets to the top of the mountain and is then killed by a mysterious predator, shortly after this had happened the body from the male had been thrown off the top of the mountain and the predator then began to pull up the female character by tugging on her hiking gear. she then cuts herself free and but fall of the cliff face. as she runs away she is then tripped up and then killed. Throughout this scene many Technical codes where used for example at the start of the scene an establishing shot was used to develop the audience a good understanding of the scenery, Also this then shows the audience ho succeeded the area around them is. Many long shot and mid shot shortly followed after this to show what the actors where doing and to also show how much more they had to climb to reach the top of the mountain. The editing throughout the opening scene was put together using good match on action, this is where the clip flows and goes in sequence with each other. Mise-en scene again shows the girl is wearing revealing clothes showing a lot of flesh to show how vulnerable she is, also there is hiking equipment that also needs to be considered in this part swell. as she runs away a van appears in her sight this is her outcome of escape to show the audience. throughout the Opening scene many convention were used, For example the couple become split up, one of the characters is killed leaving one more alive, they are also in a succeeded place (abandoned), When the male is killed the woman asks of help but she gets no reply, she trips over and takes to long to get back up and finally safety is in sight.

The film Dead Mary it shows a young venerable girl being under the sense of danger, as her boyfriend  goes to get fuel for their car, leaving her exposed to the predator that is lurking in the shadows, this is because you are put under the feeling that someone is watching her from the bushes. At the start of the film there a sequence of extreme close-ups, these were used to se the scene before the film even started. This is because the extreme close up that was use to show that they were going into abandoned territory as on the sigh it said next petrol stop for 100 miles. AS the film opening progresses a crabbing shot is then used to put you under the sense that there is a predator in the woods, this was also shown a point of view shot as well. When the boyfriend returns a longshot is then used to show him  appearing in the distance. The editing throughout the film is clean and also achieve match on action very well. Mise-en scene is also used in this film opening as it shows the girl is wearing revealing clothes showing a lot of flesh to show how vulnerable she is, also there is car used in the opening as well which was the cause of the pull up as they had ran out of fuel. also throughout the short opening there were many conventions used, for example there was a boy and a girl that had split up, also there was no signal on the radio when she tried finding a radio channel, this also shows that they are abandoned as there is no signal. also the car wont start when they need it most, and finally they are in a secluded place.

In the film Dead Wood starts off as a young male running through a forested area, he then falls over but soon gets up, after this he is faced with an obstacle, this obstacle was a large ditch. he takes the run up and then jumps it, he grabs on for dear life but is then pulled in by a mysterious creature that we do not see. many technical codes were used at the start, for example establishing shot is used at the very start to set the scene, this then pans down to a small puddle. crabbing is used then to show the venerable male running through the trees. a high angle is then used to show the sheer size of the ditch, and a low angle is then used to show that he didn't make the jump and that he was endangered. Another high angle is then used to show the venerable girl in the sense of danger all around her. Editing then used to slow motion the jump over the ditch to make it seem bigger than it really was. Mise-en scene I then used to show the character Hawaiian shorts, this gives the impression to the audience hat the character is a idiot. Also he has blood on the character face showed he has already been involved in an incident and has sustained some injuries. conventions were used throughout, for example the character trips over, also her was in a deserted area, he was then running through forested areas and finally you cant see the predator that is chasing them.