Genre research

1. The Doll House - research
The conventions of a genre:
The genre of the film is what appeals to the audience as it gives the audience a hint
on what the film will be like and what the film will feature. The genre will show the
audience the stereotypical features and as a result the audience will decide whether
they will enjoy those characteristics of the genre or not. The genre of a film makes it
more marketable for institutions, as the institutions will base their marketing on the
genre and produce a successful campaign/marketing based on that. Furthermore,
the institution of the film will prepare the film based on the audience they want to
market the film for.
The audience enjoy to make a prediction of the film based on the genre, they
recognise and become familiar with genres which enables them to predict what will
happen in the film,
Every genre varies based on their conventions, however every genre has 3 main
characteristics including: the characters, the narrative and the location and the mise-
en-scene, these change from genre to genre as every genre has its own traits.
Horror genre and the elements
- Narrative: Group of people
- The location is often in a rural area, or an isolated location, abandoned.
- Characters: the villains, the heroes.
Research and planning:
Research:
1. The Conjuring:
I have chosen to research and analyse The Conjuring as it contains features and
aspects and conventions of a horror genre. Analysing the trailer of The Conjuring will
help me gain ideas on what needs to go into a horror trailer, the reason for choosing
this particular trailer is because The Conjuring is popular and taking ideas from it will

2. help me when creating my own teaser trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k10ETZ41q5o
Genre: The genre is horror. This is shown through the conventions that horror
movies contain. We can see that this trailer/film is of a horror genre because we
witness screams, darkness (lowkey lighting), whispers, dull colours, and a slow pace
which are features of a horror genre. Horror movies are usually set in an abandoned
house…
Narrative: The trailer follows the two main characters, who are captured trying to
find a solution for their problem, we see them being challenged.
The trailer creates a chilling feeling and a feeling of fright, this is through the main
characters at the beginning of the trailer; Patrick Wilson (Ed Warren) goes into the
basement and speaks to the spirit/demon asking it “give us a sign that you want to
communicate with us.”. Here the trailer entices the audience by revealing a bit of the
plot. The plot being, the Perrons and their daughters moving into a farmhouse,
where supernatural events and presence makes itself known. The Perrons
eventually discover the houses history.
Audience: This film would clearly appeal to people who enjoy horror films. The film
is rated 15 showing it is aimed at 15+ audience, and young adults, which shows that
it is clearly more appealing to them.
Sound:

3. Diegetic sound: At the beginning of the trailer, just as the institution's logo fades onto
the screen, we are introduced to one of the main characters Patrick Wilson (Ed
Warren) who is standing in front of a door, with earphones on and a torch of light lit
onto him. His voice sounds steady yet worried, he is reporting back to the camera
stating “It is 9:18 we are heading down into the cellar where the door just opened on
its own”. Already the audience is aware of paranormal activities that is going on in
the scene which unsettles the viewer, making them feel uneasy for the reporter who
may later get in touch with a spirit/demon.
Followed on by the first scene, we witness a cracking old radio sound while Ed
Warren is reporting back in the cellar. The crackling radio noise has a big effect on
the scene as it sounds as if something will pop up and further adds to the viewers
excitement. There is a piano which plays and a child who giggles which makes the
viewer extremely anxious.
Soundtrack: The song Hurdy Gurdy man by Donovan starts to play in the trailer
which first gives the viewer a sense of calmness. However seconds later a woman
states “There’s something terrible happening in my house” while she is speaking the
viewer hears a clock ticking which adds to the viewers heart beat making them feel
tense.
Non-diegetic sound: Later on in the trailer an anonymous spirit whispers “Look what
she made me do” then there ambient sounds of screams which make the audience
feel on edge for what will be happening next. The sound in the film play a big part,
not only does it add to the genre but it also plays a massive part in it. The trailer has
no voice over which makes it appear to be more realistic and draws in the audience
further with this special aspect. The non-diegetic background music has a slow pace
at first but gradually speeds up to add to the tension in the film to scare the
audience. Furthermore, other non-diegetic sound are banging sounds, which also
relates to the camera as the camera changes angles while these banging sounds
occur, this is very effective and adds to the ongoing tension and unease. Moreover,
50 seconds into the trailer, we come across a staircase full of photo frames falling
off, here there is diegetic sound of screaming and glass frames shattering, this
connotes the a daunting incident has occured. Moreover, the smashing of the glass
can also connote to the audience that peace in that house is over, and this
foreshadows that they are about to deal with supernatural beings.
Editing:
The editing in this highly effective in this trailer, they have greatly emphasized the
horror genre through their continuous editing throughout the trailer. Continuity editing
is done through cutting to emphasise the transition of space and time, for example in

4. the trailer the audience is shown Ed Warren And Lorraine Warren as paranormal
researchers, and old images are revealed of the Warren’s, which shows
transitioning, as they are now leacturing. This kind of editing shows the audience that
time has passed in an indirect way without actually telling them directly. In the
Conjuring there are a variety of long and short length shots, all used for a purpose
and effect. For example near the end of the trailer there is a variety of loads of short
shots, revealing short snips of actions, which is used in order for the audience to be
on edge while watching it, and this also makes them want to know what is going to
happen in the actual film. Moreover, 50 seconds into the trailer, there is a short shot
of the frames collapsing, along with short screams, the scene cuts into the next very
quickly, the editing was deliberately made very fast and pasty to match the reaction
of the characters and to suggest the uncontrollable presence of the supernatural. In
the scene 1:08 there is an impressive use of eyeline match which reveals to the
audience what the character Lorraine is seeing, and here it is revealed to the
audience that Lorraine is gifted to see the supernatural, this would excite the
audience as they know what the actual film will be based on. Two minutes into the
trailer (the end of the trailer) there is an over the shoulder shot, this scene is a long
take shot before the final scare, which makes the audience anxious as they know
something is going to pop up. Also, the fact that the end scene had a slow pace, also
foreshadowed the sudden action that would occur.
Camera work:
At the opening of the trailer, we witness a hand held camera this alone shows the
audience that the genre of this film is horror, as in most paranormal movies the
camera work is often handheld, to create a sense of realism and immediacy. During
the hand held filming, the audience witnesses a home filmed video with no crew,
foreshadowing evil events that will occur further in the trailer/film. The fact that there
is no crew and the camera is hand held scares the audience more, and puts them on
edge as it looks more realistic for the audience. Later in the trailer there is a wide
shot of the stage, followed by a long shot of the audience which the camera slightly
zooms into when the main actors which are on the stage mention that they are
‘Ghost hunters’ and ‘paranormal researchers’, this further gives the audience a clue
which relate to what will be happening in the film, the movement of the camera (bird
eye view shots, worms eye view mid-shots, close up shots) , and the slight zoom
gives the audience an insight in what is going on in that scene which is highly
effective because they get to emphasise what the characters are feeling.
Furthermore, in the trailer (2:15) there is an over the shoulder shot, this suggests to
the audience that there is an intense event going on, this scene also suggests that
Lorraine is a mother figure to the children, and she is protecting them from a
supernatural being, this is effective in the trailer and further highlights the
supernatural presence.

5. Mise-en-scene:
Lighting: At the beginning of the trailer, a hand held light is used, this created
highlights, particularly highlighting the main character Ed Warren, indicating that he
is going to react to something supernatural. The rest of the trailer is made of dull
colours, low-key lighting which is clearly used to create a gloomy atmosphere for the
audience. Particularly 1:11 of the trailer, has a combination of shadows and
highlights which give the audience mix ideas, foreshadowing that something is about
to happen.
Location: The trailer shows 3 different locations. One being the house, and the
rooms within the house, suggesting that in the real world supernatural things can
occur anywhere.
Costume: The characters are dressed in old fashion, most being dressed country
style, this is mainly because the film is set in America in the years of 1971. This is
highly effective because most paranormal activities were based in that time period.
Makeup: The characters all have neutral makeup on in the trailer, connoting
innocence, this foreshadows the innocence being taken by an evil source. However,
when the character of Carolyn gets possessed makeup is used to make her look
frightening.
2. Annabelle

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa
Genre: Annabelle is a horror film. The traits of a horror film are shown throughout the
trailer, with the use of dolls, lowkey lighting and sound effects. Dolls create fear in
people in horror films, and in this trailer the doll is used to make the audience feel on
edge. The diegetic sound in this trailer creates a heart racing feeling on the
audience, also causing jump scares.
Narrative: This film is about a doll who is evil and is possessed by a demon.The doll
is called Annabelle. The father/husband buys this doll for his unborn baby, however
little does he know that this doll murders people and is possessed by an evil spirit.
The theory Vladimir Propp applies to this movie. The characters fit in with this theory,
as Annabelle is the Villain, Mia Gordon being the victim, John Gordon being a hero
and Father Perez being the helper. Annabelle is the villain because she creates the
chaos in the trailer. Mia is seen as the victim as she is the one Annabelle is attacking
constantly in the trailer. Furthermore, John could be seen as the hero in the trailer as
11 seconds into the film he tells Mia to ‘go back inside’ trying to protect her. Lastly
Father Perez could be seen as the donor as he is giving advice to the couple in the
trailer.
Audience: The target audience would be those aged from 16-30. I believe this
because this film would appeal to a younger audience as well as younger adults. The
use of the doll further highlights that the film targets a younger audience, as dolls
typically please a younger audience. The trailer has successfully targeted their
audience in my opinion, as they have managed to edit their trailer so that it keeps
their audiences on edge and plays with their emotions, meaning the audiences will
be engaging with the film.

7. Sound: The trailer starts with no music or sound effects, however after 2 seconds we
hear diegetic sound, the audience is introduced to Mia’s voice, telling her husband to
‘wake up’. Here the audience is immediately aware that a bad event is about to occur
as it is late at night and the couple have been disturbed by what Mia describes as a
‘scream’, which also warns the audience that something will be popping up later on
in the trailer. 12 seconds into the trailer, non-diegetic sound is introduced, a bass
appears as John comes out of the house covered in blood, and dialogue is formed
John demands his wife to ‘Go back inside and call the ambulance’ which builds a
tension further highlighting the the audience that something is about to occur. Once
that scene is over the sound is cut off and the viewers are left face to face with a
woman who is not clearly visible, holding a doll almost looking back at the audience.
The music cutting off at this point gives the audience a fright as what they are left
with on the scene puts them on edge, and the silence works well with this. 19
seconds into the trailer, we hear dialogue, a woman whispers with an eerie voice ‘I
like your dolls’, this quote especially has a huge impact on the audience, as it sends
shivers down their spine, making them curious on what will be occurring next. 36
seconds into the trailer, positive non-diegetic music is being played, to create a
different mood on the audience, however, this creates juxtaposition, as the audience
already knows something evil and supernatural will be occurring very soon. The
diegetic sound of the sewing machine slowly builds the pace within the trailer, also
slowly building up to the scene where the stove bursts into flames and finally Mia
cuts her finger, which highlights to the audience that the evil event is close by and
everything is going wrong. A non-diegetic sound slowly builds up, in the form of what
sounds like a static energy which foreshadows to the audience that there is
paranormal activity involved, which puts the audience on edge. This scene then
slowly fades into silence which leads to a crash occurring with Annabelle falling into
the frame taking the audience by surprise. Moreover, in the trailer the audience is
introduced to a non-diegetic sound of a child’s jewellery box/music box, the use of
this suggests and foreshadows that something will be happening to the child later on
in the film, or an event will occur that involves the child. The thought of this makes
the audience feel uncomfortable and anxious. Towards the end of the trailer, the
pace of the music gets quieter as the shots race past until there is a stop in the pace,
and there is an end scare with diegetic sound of a woman screaming which makes
the audience jump and creates a heart racing effect.
Editing: The trailer begins with a slow pace, which sets the scene and location, also
establishing the equilibrium. Throughout the trailer, there is continuous use of fades
and blackouts as a way of showing that time is passing. To show a change of pace
in the trailer quickly moving shots are used, which also creates a on edge feeling on
the audience. The use of blurring and flashing has also been used in this trailer. The
use of flashing is effective on the audience as it makes the audience feel curious,
and also the quick flashes leaves a long lasting imagine in the viewers mind.

8. Camera work: The first shot in the trailer is an establishing shot, which sets the
location of the film, which is where the couple live and were the action will be taking
place. Horror films typically start with an establishing shot to create a mood on the
audience, making them feel curious. Medium shots have been used in the trailer,
such as the one of the lady holding Annabelle in the dark 17 seconds into the trailer.
This shot is effective as the darkness allows the doorframe to create a frame around
the lady, highlighting the room she is in, which is covered in dolls, connoting that the
film would be about dolls and dolls in horror movies connote paranormal activities.
This is another medium shot used in the trailer, this shot is important as it sets a
warm feeling of the family being in the comfort of their home, however Annabelle is
introduced to the characters, foreshadowing to the audience that evil events are
close.
This is an extreme close shot, with the purpose of revealing to the audience the
details of Annabelle. In this extreme close up shot, the audience can see a blood
tear dropping out of Annabelle’s eye as she is smiling, which makes the audience
feel uneasy. In this shot Annabelle is looking at something or someone behind the
camera, suggesting she is making eye contact with an evil spirit and something
paranormal is occuring, which further makes the audience feel anxious.

9. Mise-en-scene: The beginning of the trailer is set with a establishing shot of a dark
house, which show the audience that this is a horror movie. The director has choose
a location where the viewers would agree is somewhere we all call ‘safe’, which is a
home. The idea of a safe home contrasts with paranormal activity as the family living
in that house is no longer safe. The house is portrayed as a cold and dark place, and
this is down through lowkey lighting. This has an effect on the audience as they feel
unwelcome and on edge throughout the trailer.
3. Babadook (2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5WQZzDRVtw

10. Genre: This film meets the conventions of a horror genre, through its use of sound
effects, editing, and jump-scare shots. All of these elements adapt to a horror genre,
therefore this film is of a horror genre.
Narrative: The trailer begins with the establishment of the two main characters, the
mother and the son. The film is about a single mother who is left heartbroken
because of the death of her husband, she battles with her son’s fear of monsters
lurking inside of their home. However, once she reads her son the pop-up book she
discovers a sinister presence inside of her home.
Audience: This film would be targeted at young adults and teenagers.
Camera angles: The babadook trailer uses a various camera shots to enhance the
conventions of a horror genre. It does this through close ups, extreme close ups, and
mid-shots. The trailer begins with a extreme close up of a red book, which is the
babadook book, this shot almost shows of the title of the film. The book is red, which
connotes death and danger, the extreme close up foreshadows and highlights to the
audience that this red book will be causing chaos later on in the film. In this extreme
close up we can also see the small feet of the little boy, just behind the book. The
book is the main focus, but the boys toes can still be seen. This connotes that this
little boy is going to be the victim of this book, and his feet being small, and the boy
being a child makes the audience feel sorry for him, and feel on edge for what is
about to happen to him. This shot is also very dark, with low-key lighting, with the
only highlights being on the book, and the boys skin, this shows that the book and
the boy are going to be the main focus within the film.
This is a close up shot used in the trailer. This is used to show the audience the
emotion of the character. The boy looks scared. Half of his face has shadows falling
down, which almost hides his emotion yet highlights the darkness within the film. The
boy is almost covering his face, which shows he is scared of something, and also
foreshadows to the audience that something paranormal will be happening. This

11. closeup shot is effective as it creates a mood on the audience making them feel
uneasy for the little boy.
This is a mid-shot used in the trailer, the darkness is making a frame around the
mother and son. The fact the darkness is forming a frame around the two characters
connotes that the darkness will be filling their lives, and they will eventually be lost in
it, this further foreshadows the supernatural events that will occur.
In the trailer the boy is pulled up the stairs by a supernatural being, and this shot is
taken at a low angle, showing that the supernatural being is more powerful than the
boy and he has the control. The camera work used in the trailer work well with the
genre, as the trailer continuously uses close up shots to show emotion and cause
tension on the audience by not revealing the full image but rather zooming in on the
characters. Moreover, there is point of view shots, which shows the audience that
the characters have lost the power and they are not in control of what is going to be
occuring, this is effective as the audience get to see what is happening from the
characters perspective.

12. Sound: The sound in the trailer was effectively used. Non-diegetic sound is
continuously used in the trailer, there is a soundtrack that smoothly stays playing in
the background adding tension and unease to the trailer and the mood of the
audience. Dialogue is important in the trailer as it sets the narrative of the film.
Sound bridge is used in the dialogue “the boy has behavioural problems”, as the
scene changes as the person says this quote which creates a voice over in another
scene. This speech is important as it makes the audience aware that this book is
making the little boy fear monsters and the supernatural even more. Asynchronous
sound is used in the trailer, when there is knocking noise on the bedroom door. The
knock is repeated 3 times which makes it effective, this is because it links to the
book when she states “three sharp knocks” and the little boy reads on “baba-ba dook
dook dook”. This makes the audience feel on edge and it conveys tension. The
sound in this trailer has been effectively used to create a nerve racking feeling on the
viewer, the sound plays out well throughout the trailer giving the audience an insight
on what will be occuring in the film. Furthermore the music works very well with the
slow pacing shots, the slight sense of innocence in the non-diegetic soundtrack links
with the fact that this book is a child’s story book monster and it contrasts with the
mood of the film as the viewers are exposed to a lot of darkness and eerie shots.
Editing: The editing of this trailer works very well with its theme and genre. There has
been an ongoing low-key lighting in the trailer, which smoothly runs throughout it.
The low-key lighting works well with the mood of the film. Also there are highlights in
shots allowing the audience to see what the director wishes them to see, for example
at the beginning of the trailer the red book is highlighted which points it out to the
audience. There is eye line matches used in the trailer, for example when the mother
is looking at the book burning, the audience also gets to see what she is seeing and
experiencing, this lets the trailer engage with the audience and draw them in.
Overall, the editing has been done in a way that attracts the audience and grabs
their attention as it runs smoothly letting the audience experience the events slowly.
Mise-en-scene:
The trailer is creative in the ways it uses Mise-en-scene, and through this it portrays
the conventions of a horror film. In the trailer the characters are dressed in light
clothing, for example the little boy wears white. White connotes innocence, this
foreshadows that this boys innocence will be abused. Furthermore, in the trailer
props such as crossbows are shown, and crossbows are a symbol of violence and
this further highlights the horror genre. Low-key lighting was constantly used in this
trailer to enhance darkness and mystery, to keep the audience guessing on what is
behind the shadows and what will be occurring next. This trailer follows a
victim/villain structure, enhancing the Propp’s character Functions theory. Overall,
this trailer successfully portrays traits of a horror genre.