Nina Onungwa Advanced Portfolio

Conventions of a short film A short horror film will typically be 3-20 minutes long however it may be longer or even shorter depending on the film. The storylines of a short film are commonly kept simple making it easier for the audience to follow, the narrative is a lot less in depth than a normal film with limited dialogue. Due to the length of the narrative, typically only 1-3 main characters will be introduced within the film as there is not enough time to develop all the characters. This makes it easier for the audience to stay engaged and not get confused with all the different characters being introduced. Another common convention in a short film is having some form of a twist as the short story has a more interesting plot which also adds in enigma. Conventionally the budget for a short film is is very low, as they are not likely to make a lot of money when distributing the film so this effects how much is spent. It is conventional for a short film to have a niche audi...

After watching ‘The Others’ I was able to conduct a detailed analysis into what the conventions of a horror film are. The horror genre is identified through common visual and aural characteristics where the different iconographies/codes and conventions are then identifiable and recognisable to the audience in which their expectation is framed already. These iconographies that are easily recognised to the audience is of the modernist idea of the horror genre, as the approach is the modern side of horror which is generic and seen in many horror films. The conventional audience expectation of a horror film is to evoke fright panic whilst we see characters go through our hidden worse fears as the suspensful narrative unravels, which is the modernist approach. However some horror films have a sense of post-modernism where the horror offers more than just the simple pleasure of feelings scared for example physical effects (adrenaline), Empathy, a sense of enigma (intrigue, mystery, pr...

For my research I will be watching 3 classic horror films and review them. The Blair Witch Project (1999) Horror films that reach into our instinctive fears that have been hard-wired into us, make watching a film like 'The Blair Watch Project' that much suspenseful . Within this film, we go along with the characters yet instead of them being filmed by an ordinary studio camera the whole time there are snippets of footage as we watch their experience  in the forest, making it that more realistic.  This film did not use special effects or digital supernatural creatures, it showed characters getting lost within the woods. This is a convention of a horror film which would be recognisable to the audience watching. However, instead of just a guy in a ski mask following the characters around we see them get lost and undergo a series of suspicious noises in the night and frightening figures hanging from the trees. As they start to lose their minds while their imaginatio...

Horror is a genre with recognisable patterns that happen again and again in which cycles occur with a constant remix of sub-genres, remaking old firms and the increase in filming technology. Down below is an overview of The History of Horror. Gothic Horror - In the late 1700's literature got the horror genre started. Developed by writers both within England and America. The term 'Gothic' came from the midevel buildings that the story took place, these locations which are presently conventional consist of dungeons, old castle, gloomy forests and secret passage ways. The famous writers of the Gothic horror genre consisted of Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and Edgar Allen Poe. Horror in the Silent Era - It was from gothic literature where horror films took inspiration, it was popular both in books and theatres at the time. Until 1930's where films could actually be made there were snippets such as 'Spook Tale' by Lumiere Brothers in 1895. In 1896 the first horror f...