EVEN MORE CODES AND CONVENTIONS (MAINLY SHOTS AND EDITING)

By Archie McCarthy

QUICK CUTS/MONTAGE

• Quick cut montage - This editing technique involves using a succession of quick

shots in a ‘mini montage’ which features all types of shots from the trailer, not in a

chronological order but aims to increase the heart, fear and tension of a trailer to

attract the audience. To do this technique effectively individuals would usually

combine the shots with emphasised diegetic sound or a faster paced soundtrack to

increase the audience's heart rate with loud bangs and screeches.

CAMERA SHOTS – HIGH ANGLE

• High angle shots are used above characters to show that there is a dominance or

another imposing threat above them that something is over their shoulder making

viewers feel like the protagonist is small, vulnerable and exposed and therefore

unsettles the audience as they put themselves in their position.

CAMERA SHOTS – LOW ANGLE SHOTS• There are also low angle shots of the antagonist to make them seem

much more threatening as if they are above the protagonist, in terms

of power and strength, belittling the protagonist and imposing the

further sense of threat. This can sometimes be combined with the

Point Of View element to get the better sense of the antagonists threat

and power by putting audiences in the shoes of the protagonist.

Alternatively they would do an over the shoulder shot but keep it at a

low angle.

• Low angle shots of buildings are also used to give them an imposing

feel, even more so if its titled at a quirky angle to disorientate the

individual and make the building stand out even more and its

significance (obviously helps if the building is slightly sinister) and

this may be used as an establishing shot of a scene and may typically

be used at the very start of the trailer.

CAMERA SHOTS – LOW ANGLE SHOTS

‘AMYTIVILLE HORROR’ & THE UNINVITED’

CAMERA SHOTS – AERIAL SHOTS

• Aerial shots are also used as establishing shots, like in "Devil Inside", to show which

will shot the city or entire town. They purposely do an aerial shot as they can adjust

what is seen, or how far the buildings are away from the camera lens making the

town seem very small and isolated, almost as if there is no escape. There are also

low angle shots of the protagonist to make them seem small and vulnerable and

contrasting high angle shots of the antagonist to make them seem threatening.

CUT/QUICK FADE TO BLACK

• Cut to black - This is used generally in tandem with a stab/harsh amount of sound

to shock the audience, for example someone being dragged away with the sound and

cut being played as they enter darkness, or alternatively the cut and bang being

placed when the door slams behind them.

CONTRAPUNTAL SOUND

• Contrapuntal sound - This convention is when a usually innocent sound, such as

children laughing, a lullaby, chimes etc is placed over a scary or even sinister scene

to create horror out of innocence and ultimately remove the safety that is usually

connoted with it making the audience not entirely feel safe, feel crept out and feel

the horror of the trailer.

DISRUPTION/PROPS

• Disruption – There is usually some type of disruption which generally comes in the

form of an object/prop in horror films, especially of the supernatural and paranormal

genre. This object can be small (picture, ring, necklace) or it can be a house, which

usually has an evil presence with a bad history which causes the haunting. For

example, in "The Possession", the DISRUPTION is the purchasing of the Dibbuk

Box, whereas “The Conjuring"'s disruption is moving into a cursed and haunted

house with a horrible history.

ICONOGRAPGHY

• Iconography involves the film using a lot of visual things to establish the film and

make it well known, this could be to help connote the genre, create a house style, or

simply to improve the look of the film. This can involve using a lot of horror themed

props like hatchets, axes, satanic possessions etc. or having a coloured theme

throughout your whole film. If you look below all of these films have created a blue

tint which is purposely done with digital colour correction to get this look and feel

throughout the whole film.

• The Ring • Saw • Nightmare on Elm Street