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

Codes are an arrangement of signs which generate a denotation of what is being represented. These codes can be separated into two categories, technical and symbolic. Technical codes are all the methods of which equipment is used to tell a story in a media text, for example the camera movements, shots and angles, the editing and the use of sound (diegetic and non-diegetic) in the clip. Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see and is not as evident and technical codes. These codes are usually seen through the aspects of mise en scene, for example, a characters decisions or actions will show you what the character is like and how they are feeling, their clothing and how much they wear can be decoded to help us better understand what type of person they are and certain props have suggestions or connotations which can have a common meaning interpreted by the audience. Some codes fit both categories, non-diegetic music for example, is both technical and symbolic.

Conventions are generally accepted ways of doing something. There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use interviewee quotes in print article, but conventions are also suited to specific genres. For example an action movie convention would be a large explosion. A few examples of conventions in horror movies are a secluded location, someone inexplicably falling over and having a small group of people.

. The ag the woods of  location gWrong Turn starts off with two characters, one being male and the other female rock climbing in a secluded location that are soon killed by a ferocious cannibalistic man lurking the woods of west Virginia. Beginning with the technical codes; the use of camera in this film was limited to a lot of high angle shots of the characters and location which gives a sense of power looking up towards the other character, establishing shots of the scenery to give the viewers a good idea of the location and distance from safety and extreme close ups of facial expressions and objects when struggle or danger occurs. In the editing there was a fade transition between the opening titles and the climbing site which gives a sense of how far it was. The diegetic sound used in this movie was simply things like the sound of the wire moving or clasping a hook, although the non-diegetic sound really gave the film a sense a danger as the tempo of the music picked up rapidly and increased in volume. Moving onto the symbolic codes; in terms of mise en scene the costume used shows the female being slightly underdressed which will make the audience relate a bit more, blood on the body to show it was a vicious attack and a vehicle being used as a prop to show the safety. The main conventions found in this is a secluded location and a person running through trees and ends up falling over.

Dead Wood begins with a male character running for his life through a bunch of bushes and trees that ends up being faced with a jump he cannot make and dies by the creature chasing him, then cuts to his friend shouting his name. Starting off with the technical codes; the use of camera In this film included a lot of close ups to show facial expressions when the intensity kicked in, tracking in mid shot to show the struggle of him trying to escape from his point of view and crane long shot to show how alone the other character was. The editing involved several quick cuts in between the chase to build suspense and slow-motion of the male character leaping across the ditch. The diegetic sounds used in this movie were the branches snapping, leaves rustling and possibly the bird’s tweeting which gave the audience the sense of nature which could be interpreted as danger or safety. The non-diegetic sounds use in this were the eerie piano notes which symbolised imminent jeopardy and a long deep cello note in the background which made it sound like someone had already died. The tempo also increased when the chase began. Next with the symbolic codes; for mise en scene the costume . The ag the woods of  location g. The ag the woods of  location g. The ag the woods of  location gused showed the male wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt which can be interpreted to show him as a bit of an idiot, the female wore tight clothing which kept the idea of the female character dressing slightly inappropriate, the props that were used was blood on the males face to show he has been in grave danger and the tent to show the source of safety that the male could not reach. The main conventions found in this is a very secluded location, no signal and a small group of people.

Dead Mary begins with a blonde girl trying to receive signal on her phone, trying to start the car and trying to get a radio signal while she waits for the other character to return with something useful, although between all of these minor events there is someone or something stalking the two victims from a fair distance and gradually gets closer to the two characters, yet they do not suspect a thing. First of all the technical codes; the use of camera in this film includes a lot of mid shots of the character, extreme close ups of items in the vehicle that did not necessarily work and a long shot towards the end of the opening of the other character reaching the vehicle. The editing in this film involved a lot of focusing shots that would start off very blurry and various cuts in the vehicle showing each specific item. The diegetic sounds were simply the sounds of nature and sound effects of what she was doing this gave the effect of her almost being stranded and extremely far away from anyone, the non-diegetic sounds was a deep note that played throughout the scene of seeing the stalkers point of view. Moving on to symbolic codes; in terms of mise en scene the costume used shows the female yet again dressed with very little clothing to show she is a teenage girl, the props such as radio’s static noise and the phones empty signal really showed how distant they were and the car not starting up told us they were stranded for the time being. The main conventions used in this film is secluded location, small group of people and no connection with other people.