Research Essay: Codes And Conventions Of Existing Horror Films

In media products, in this case films, there are codes and conventions that are used to represent information and portray this to the audience. There are two different types of codes, technical and symbolic.

Technical codes are methods of using equipment, such as the camera. Different technical methods are things such as the camera shots, angles and movements which are used in films to represent and give the audience different messages about the film’s setting and characters. Also, the use of editing and sound, whether that be diegetic or non-diegetic, can also be used as technical codes to inform the audience of a feeling or other element of the film. Symbolic codes are things such as clothing, props, lighting and makeup; these can all come under the bracket of Mise-En-Scene. These code are used to show different facts and other pieces of information and inform the audience of this, without the use of words. For example, the clothing that a character wears can tell the audience about the person’s personality, interests and age.

Conventions are the ‘norms’ found in a piece of media, for example, in horror films one convention that is regularly present is that there is not phone signal where the people/person is. These are used in media to let the audience know of the genre or style the media is in. For example, putting a couple in a town centre full of shoppers being followed by a mystery person or animal would not be as effective as the couple being in a forest or other secluded location.

One of the technical methods used in Wrong Turn is the types of camera shots used in the 2 minute opening. To start the film there is an establishing shot of the woodland around the couple. This helps so show that they are in a secluded location away from other people. This also sets the scene of where the couple are and helps start the story of their adventure in the woodlands. They have also used a lot of close up shots in this 2 minute opening. For example, there is a close up of the man’s hands being dragged away as he lay lifeless over the edge of the cliff. This was to show something/someone else was up there and had killed him.  It also means that the audience are able to tell there is a person of danger up on the cliff top and can easily tell the man’s body is being dragged away without having to see the whole body. There is also another close up of the woman putting her hand over her mouth as she sees her dead boyfriend’s boy sprawled on the floor and covered in blood. This close up show the audience her facial expressions, feelings and emotions that this character feels at this point in time. This is very powerful as this is a key moment in the opening and triggers the woman to do something and try to make her escape. The use of camera angles are also another technical code used in the opening two minutes of Wrong Turn. A high angle is used to shown vulnerability. For example, when the woman is hanging alone and has just seen her boyfriend dead hanging over the side of the cliff, there is a high angle shot of the woman hanging from the rocks by herself. This is to show her vulnerability as she is now alone in the middle of a forest and hanging fir a cliff alone.

The symbolic codes use in wrong turn are things like the costumes both the male and female are wearing. The clothing that they are both wearing help suggest the age of characters. For example, the female is wearing very tight clothing and is showing off her stomach and legs. This help the audience think of her age and the type of person that she may be. Another symbolic code used was the lighting. When the female was running through the forest away from the ‘danger’, the lighting was very dark to suggest to the audience the mood and suspense of this scene. Then they showed the car, the escape method, in a very light and bright setting of lighting. This was to show that there really was a ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ and that this was her way out of the horrible situation.

The main convention used in Wrong turn were running through trees, someone trips up, the pair get spit up, they are in the middle of nowhere, never see the ‘danger’, the woman is vulnerable and you see the way to escape.

In Dead Wood, a technical codes used was the tracking shot. For example, the tracking shot was used when the man was running through the woods. This helped to show the location of the couple as well as the danger of the situation. Another type of camera shot use was a low angle shot of the man. This was before the man went to jump across the ditch to get away from the ‘danger’ that was coming up behind him. This was used to show the height of the jump he would have to make and how the vulnerability of him. It also showed his deliberation in making the jump and how he was put in danger. One camera movement was a crane. Once the man had been dragged down the ditch, the woman was left alone in the woods. As she was getting out of the tent and looking around to find the man, calling his name, the camera shot craned up and out of the woods. This made the audience see the woman’s vulnerability and how she was alone in the middle of the forest.

One of the symbolic codes used in the opening two minutes of Dead Wood was the lighting. When the man was in the wood, the lighting was very dark and dull. This was to show that this was part of the ‘danger zone’ and is unsafe for the man to be there. However the lighting on the tent is quite bright. This was to show that this was his ‘safety area’ and one way out to get away from the ‘danger’. Another symbolic code used was costume. Another symbolic code used in the opening two minutes was the use of costumes. For example, the woman was wearing shorts and a low cut top and the man was wearing a bright coloured shirt. This meant that the audience could look at the characters and assess their personalities and age. They may have looked at the male character and said that he was a young and outgoing and bubbly sort of person.

The conventions used in the first two minutes of Dead Wood were that someone trips up, someone runs through some trees, they are in the middle of nowhere, the pair get split up and that they don’t see the ‘danger’.

One of the technical codes used in the opening two minutes of the film ‘Dead Mary’ was the use of close ups. For example, a number of close ups were used to open the movie. These close ups were used to tell the audience some extra information about the character and the scene. This film opens with a close-up of the sign for the petrol station. This give the audience information as on the sign the writing says ‘the last station for 1000 miles’. This lets the audience know some important information about the scene and setting that they then might need to know for later on in the film. Close ups are also used when we are first introduced to the woman. There are close ups of parts of her body, for example, hand and feet. This slowly introduced the person into the film and helps make the feeling of mystery and suspense. There is also music used as a technical code. This is used when the ‘danger’ is looking through the trees and when the female id in the car by herself. This is there to build tensions and suspense as the audience cannot see what the ‘danger’ is but they know that the ‘danger’ is watch the woman and something is going to happen soon.

One of the symbolic codes used in Dead Mary was the clothes that the pair were wearing. For example, the woman was wearing shorts and a low cut top. This give the audience information about the female’s personality and age. They are able to gather the basic information about the female with the characters having to even say anything. Another symbolic code used was props, the woman had a phone in the car with her. The audience can then have an education guess at her age as, at the time, there were less teenagers with phones. The phone also had no signal where they were, this tell the audience about the location that she it at. It tells then that they are in a secluded location as they don’t get phone signal, and it tells the audience this without the characters talking or having writing to tell them.  So the use of props can help determine the type of location and the age of the character.

The conventions used in the first two minutes of Dead Mary are a couple are split up, there is no signal on their phone, they’re in the  middle of nowhere, someone is looking through trees, they don’t see the ‘danger’ and they run out of fuel.