Horror/ thriller/ romantic comedy genre research

Horror

Horror films are always unsettling with the primary purpose to bring out the worst hidden fears out of the viewers but this helps to captivate them into the experience that they enjoying at the same time; with plots frequently including themes such as death and mental illness in order to exploit the responsiveness of our emotional side to the disturbing events which we would not experience in every-day life. The majority of horror films follow a similar pattern when relating to the theme of death. Through certain points in the film a member from a group of people (they may already know each other or they meet each other as the film progresses) have their deaths imminently approaching without them knowing it. This person tends to be the one who is most vulnerable and sensitive to fear. Some horror films combine other elements from different genres into one film to maintain variation in delivering a thrilling experience that allows viewers to explore the extent of depth in the number of different ways to which horror films can scare us. Examples of this include science fiction, fantasy, thriller and even black comedy.
In science fiction, the purpose of of the genre is to explore the consequences of such differences in the settings which may include the future or another generation of species on a different planet. Thrillers combine fast-pacing in situations, frequent action and heroes to produce a innovative, fresh and momentous experience that delivers from start to finish for the viewers. Fantasy involves magic and other supernatural forms and black comedy has light humour on the subjects of serious matter such as murder and disease.

The characters are sometimes already friends before the film even begins. Each member of the group are distinctive in different ways; for example one person may be mature and decisive whilst another is arrogant and determined to do anything. Our inital thoughts are that these two types of characters would argue first because the arrogance of one person may lead to a disagreement with the other who attempts to the make decision. This is due to the differences in their personalities which may lead to future confrontations between one another. The characters are put under situations of continuous stress and pressure which tests their bravery and themselves as a person. In response to how they decide to deal with a certain situation of fear and disbelief, their personality becomes exposed which allows the audience to analyse the depth of vulnerability to which the characters are feeling. Reactions to certain situations vary with some characters losing control over how they should cope with the pressure that they are under and what they should do about it. There are other characters that are more disciplined and mature than others and can therefore restrain their emotions within a situation to which they may have never experienced before. Most horror films have no more than one main villain although sometimes there are two. Villains are ‘evil’ characters and are usually known as antagonists as they have a negative effect on other characters around them.

Locations and environments are often expected to be dark and gritty in horror films to place characters in a position of discomfort and fear. Key locations are places where a killer may have committed murder or where previous crime incidents have happened. They give us an insight into the history of the violence that has been going on at certain places over a period of time. At whichever part, the film links one major incident to same place where something terrifying has happened then this helps to unsettle the audience and shows a precursor to how events may fold out as the film progresses through the steady maintenance of tension and suspense.



The weather in most horror films tend to have aspects that link to negativity.
This helps to enhance the spirit of a true horror film and echo the disturbance in the characters’ thoughts (that are in their minds) to the viewers. The weather also sets the mood for the surroundings in a location and affects the character's perceptions of what they are about to embark on/ also it is influential over the character's mood (of how he/she feels) and affects them through the atmosphere the weather has created.



In this image, the dark and old-fashioned choice of colours for the font of the sign ‘Silent Hill’ suits perfectly to the background to give a sense of uneasiness and age to the location.



Thriller

Thrillers consist of features which give the genre depth and content in action, suspense, pacing and twists in plots that often have a devastating effect on the outcome of the film and the audience's expectations. There are numerous sub genres such as psychological, religious, action and drama thrillers. They are well suited to the type of audience who are willing to have the action delivered to them on a consistent basis. With the addition of fast pacing it helps to drive the ambition on the purpose of the brutal reality the protagonist has to confront in the atmospheric experience that he/she goes through. Violent confrontations to prevent acts of terrorism, assassinations or mass murders are common plot elements. Most times, the hero must prevent the plans of an enemy or to uncover a crime that has already happened. The protagonists in this kind of genre have been traditionally males, but female main characters have increasingly become more common. Villains always present the protagonist obstacles to overcome and and each one increases in difficulty to test the skills they learn or have already inherited (it came as natural to them) through the progression of the film. Most protagonists are seen as flexible, incredibly athletic and fit with sharp awareness of their surroundings and the intelligence to think and act smartly and sensibly in quick-time events.

Locations in most thrillers are set in luxurious environments such as islands and landmarks from cities across the world. This offers greater variation in the openness of the environments and the grander of scale of exploration that is allowed for the character to embark upon. Casino Royale is an excellent example of demonstrating the extensive scale of one character's choice to freely explore. The locations vary from countries across South America and Africa.

Casino Royale: film locations

Romantic comedy

Romantic comedy films are light-hearted with humorous storylines. It is a sub-genre of comedy films that have concepts which evolve around the theme of true love being able to overcome obstacles in a relationship. The sub-genre involves two protagonists, usually a man and a woman, meet due to an argument but they eventually reunite after. Sometimes the two protagonists are hesitant to becoming romantically involved with one another because either of them already have partners. This makes it increasingly unlikely that the two characters will meet again. However, the screenwriters leave clues to the audience that suggest the two people would be compatible with each other but yet they are unaware this may be the case as their relationship develops over the course of the film.
The ending to romantic comedy films are not always going to 'end happily ever after' when two lovers commit themselves to one another. They could both part their own ways after living or marrying, but the main importance of this genre is to highlight the primary purpose of love in the two protagonists' lives and to experience their emotional responses to each other on their progression to know one another.

Locations include public establishments from across cities with cinemas and restaurants being surrounded in pleasant environments. This helps to enhance the level of spirit invested into presenting the conventions of the genre.