Consolidation

Genre iconography

From what I have learnt in my research, the conventional elements of genre iconography in slasher films are strongly based around the archetypes (females being weak, men are strong/powerful, etc). The conventional elements have taught me that the antagonist in slasher films are typically male. The conventional elements also told me that characters in the opening of horror films are often first to die, or tagged as the antagonist that is targeted by the serial killer. In this case, the characters introduced in the first five minutes are typically females as, in terms of archetypes, they are seen as more weak and vulnerable than males.

Film opening conventions

My research has taught me what to expect with film opening conventions. In terms of narrative, I now know all about the fixed elements in horror as well as the repertoire of elements in slasher. The fixed elements of a horror film would be that unexpected bad events lead to the death of someone or a group of people to create atmosphere and to set up a narrative, but the repertoire elements of a slasher film would be that a killer is after a victim and the victim gets killed or nearly gets killed, which sets up a narrative to tell the audience about the antagonist. 

Another factor I've learned from my research about film openings is the music/sound effects used. I have learned that instead of a soundtrack, incidental music is used to create an atmosphere to build up to the attack. The incidental music tends to be quieter when the serial killer is about to attack the victim, and gets quieter and quieter until the killer attacks, in which the incidental music gets suddenly louder to scare the audience. Common sound effects used in slasher films which I noticed was used frequently in my research includes heavy breathing, loud footsteps and screaming.

A final factor I've learned from my research about film openings was camera shots. One technique I picked up during my research was first person perspective, so as if it was from the point of view of the killer. The effect this has makes the audience feel like they are the killer also gets to see clear details during the killing. For this effect, there wasn't any shot cuts and the footage was shaky and "amateurish", so it would make it appear as if the person was travelling with the camera. 

A common camera shot I picked up in my research were close ups. They were commonly used on the face of the characters that the antagonists were after so that the audience could see that they were scared. The close ups were also used for the antagonist, so that the camera would focus on certain areas on the antagonists costume but not on their face so it would build up the tension and set atmosphere. Another common shot used were long shots, in which the audience can see everything within the mise en scene, which usually include the victim being chased by the antagonist, or running away. Long shots allow the audience to establish the location and the people within it to set up a narrative and atmosphere.

Title and credit information

In my research, one thing I learned about title and credit information is that the antagonist is usually established before the title screen. This is because the film title is usually based on or named after the antagonist, so then the audience get an idea about who the film is about before the title is introduced. Another thing I learnt was that the title typography was based on the conventions of the film. The colour and style of the typography would be designed according to the typical conventions of a slasher film e.g. it would be coloured red because red is associated with blood, which then fitted in with the sub-genre conventions

Style

In my research, what I learnt about style was that low key lighting was always used. This is so that it setted an atmosphere and created tension, and this worked well along side the incidental music. Another thing I learned was that the serial killer usually used masks rather than makeup. This is so that their identity would be hidden, which is seen as "mysterious" and unsettling for the target audience.