Task 2: Research into Existing Products

Conventions of Film Genres

Rom Com Conventions
In a rom com the storyline or plot will always be:

• Boy meets girl
• Boy either loses girl or can't be with her
• Boy gets girl

The audience is able to understand that a particular type of film is of the rom com genre due to the above storyline conventions, and also due to how the opening sequence is structured. In British rom coms in particular, the characters are introduced one by one showing a variety of plots to the audience that will happen throughout the film e.g Love Actually.
Also there are multiple characters which are usually relatable to the audience, and in the genre rom com there is a narrator that will tell the story the whole way through the film.

Thriller Conventions
Within the genre thriller there can be many different sub-genres. These include:

• Action Thriller- Where the film contains a plot such as the characters racing against the clock, large amounts of violence, guns and explosions. e.g. James Bond, The Transporter.
• Conspiracy Thriller- Where the hero confronts a group of enemies, and the protagonist is the only one to realise their true colours. e.g. The Chancellor Manuscript, Three Days of the Condor, Capricorn One, JFK.
• Crime Thriller- Gives the audience a suspensful account of either successful or failed crimes. This sub-genre focuses on the criminal rather than the police, and often central topics include murder, robberies, chases or shoot-outs. e.g The Killing, Seven, The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, Inside Man, The Asphalt Jungle.
• Disaster Thriller- The main conflict is due to a natural or articficial disaster such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes or a nuclear disaster. e.g Stormy Weather, Tremor, Earthquake.
• Psychological Thriller- The conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional as opposed to physical. e.g Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, Strangers on a Train, Blue Velvet, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Good Son.

Most thrillers are formed with a combination of the above sub-genres and other elements such as horror, conspiracy and psychological tricks. These elements are mainly used to heighten suspense and tension for the audience.

Horror Conventions
A horror film uses specific conventions to enable the audience to distinguish the genre easily. These particular conventions includes:

• Over-lapping sub-genres
• Dutch tilt camera angle- mainly used in horror films to create disorientation
• Chase sequences- demonstarted by the use of high octane action and fast editing.
• Blood
• Death
• Victims
• Isolated settings
• Gore
• Violence

Horror films are unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience.