Codes and Conventions in our opening two minutes

Throughout our movie, we have used various codes and conventions to ensure that our film fits as a horror genre.

Isolation - For our setting, we used a forest like area as the ‘Detainee’ is telling the story to the detectives that explains how he got into his position. Isolation is a common theme inside of horror movies because it allows the characters to seem vulnerable to predators and it allows the section of the movie to be based around how helpless the characters are.

Age - Age is a common factor inside of any horror movie because it can affect the realism and other areas of the plot; young people or teenagers are seen as energetic or mischievous which can be used to initiate the issue in the movie which then leads to the introduction or motive for the antagonist to carry their intentions. Elderly people are seen as less energetic people and this means that they are more vulnerable which can lead to a much shorter storyline than teenagers.

Dark Theme - We used a dark theme throughout the movie to keep a dark and creepy atmosphere for the audience. We did this by using low lit settings, demonic effects and sounds, a theme of decay in the forest, and minimalistic colours. This adds to the tension of the movie because the dark theme acts a catalyst for tension; dark colours normally resemble an evil and creepy plot line but light colours can be used to encourage the audience to feel relaxed or calm in during the movie which is the opposite effect that we intended to have.

Music - Another important area of any movie is the non-diegetic sound or sounds that are used to help create an eerie effect for the audience. We did this by having parallel sounds to help the anchorage of the scene; the quiet music playing in the background of the first scene is angelic which relates to heaven, this is effective because it juxtaposes the theme of demons which is the main motif of the movie.

Sound - We used different sounds and noises in our film such as dialogue and sound effects. Our main sound effect was the demonic scream at the end of the second scene. This was effective because it was scary to the audience since they weren’t expecting it and the sound was unique to everyday noises so it added to the eeriness of the scene.

Enigma Codes - At the end of our film, we ended it with a sharp finish that leaves the audience wanting to know what happened after. This is effective because it allows the audience to feel curious for the rest of the film.