Research- Basic Conventions

For my film opening, I researched three different genres: Horror, Romance and Comedy. 

Horror

Brief history

Athendorus and the Chained Ghost

This genre is mainly focused on evoking an emotion of fear and disturbance out of the audience. This genre has ancient origins, rooted on folklore, death, and evil presences. European horror fiction came from the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans. Even common things like haunted houses and zombies can be traced back before the 1000's.

 A man named Pliny the Younger, who lived from the year 61 to 113 wrote the tale of Athenodorus Cananites, who bought a haunted house in Athens that contained a ghost bound in chains. The horror genre usually has a central villain that represents fears of society in that time. As a result of this, horror genre has changed a lot over the years depending on culture and beliefs. 

Romance

The second genre I decided to research was romance. The romance genre isn't just focusing on provoking one feeling from the viewers but an abundance of different ones. This could be empathy, happiness, sadness, hope and even anger. This genre generally focuses on how the characters meet, grow closer, face obstacles, and, often, find a way to be together. 

Of the many scenes in a romance movie, one of the most popular and necessary is the meet-cute. This is the scene in which the two main characters meet. This is usually in a funny, cute, or unexpected way. This will- most of the time- set who the main characters are in the story/ who the story will be set upon.

The three most successful movies under the romance genre are, The Titanic, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. These movies have different subgenres but all do the same thing; evoke an abundance of emotions from the audience as the story progresses. 

The Titanic, a historical romance, takes you on a emotional ride following a 17-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater boards the Titanic in Southampton with her wealthy fiancé, Cal Hockley, and her mother, Ruth. Rose is unhappy in the loveless engagement, but Ruth stresses that the marriage will resolve their financial problems. Rose contemplates suicide by jumping from the ship's stern, but is stopped by Jack Dawson, a poor nomadic artist. Jack and Rose form a friendship, and Jack confesses his feelings for her. Though initially resistant, Rose realizes she has fallen in love with Jack, despite Cal's and Ruth's disapproval.

Comedy

The third genre I researched was comedy. The main reason I chose this as one of my options was that it seemed like it would be fun to write the script for a film like this. Common conventions that I found with this genre were vibrant backgrounds and costume colors. Also, comedy films habitually use very quick jumps in between shots and use close-ups and mid shots to show characters reaction to things and each other.

The setting usually takes place in common places like workplaces, suburban neighborhoods, schools, or social events. Also, characters are usually introduced in ways that portray their personality. This may be shown in the "clumsy/whimsical" character tripping and falling, or the "trickster/schemer" playing a prank on someone. Characters usually play directly into their stereotypes, making it easy for the audience to decipher their traits. 

 Sources:

Horror

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_fiction

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Younger

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-horror-definition/

Romance

https://itisalreadyhere.wordpress.com/2016/02/27/genre-conventions-romance/

https://www.movietimetoday.com/archives/2375

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_(1997_film)

Comedy

https://rhaydar.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/codes-and-conventions-of-comedy-films/

https://prezi.com/78sxrmdozwh-/conventions-of-the-comedy-drama-genre/