EVALUATION NINE: How have you established genre across these products?

Genre is a French term referring to the ‘type’ or ‘classes of a production. Genre is often used by audiences to make viewing choices and discrimination's. Issues of taste, preference, identity and pleasure are associated with particular kinds of films by individuals. As a result, genre is also a concern of producers, who take into account these issues in order to make their product appealing to an audience.

Regarding film genre, the most popular genres between 1995-2017 is adventure (44.65), Comedy (42.76) and Action (36.29). However, specific genres are very compatible with the target audience that the film is aimed at. For example, a ten year old girl wouldn’t prefer to watch a horror film over a comedy or rom com. This suggests that the audience can play a significant role in the making of a film. Audiences read genres in a number of ways: They may create and recreate genres, thus, through audience responses new genres are created. Our genre for our production is a horror, and therefore we aimed our target audience between the age ratings of 15-25. Through audience member research, we were able to identify what individuals of this age are into, such as hobbies, clothing, and most popular TV shows. This research helped to give us an indication as to what our film should be aimed at. Deborah Knight (1995) noted that satisfaction is guaranteed with genre, the deferral of the inevitable provides the additional pleasure and prolonged anticipation. This adheres to our genre and audience. As our audience are stereo typically seen to enjoy horror films, the horror genre allows them to expect the film to have specific conventions that are associated with a horror film. An example of this would be the editing used in our production. We used an ‘additive dissolve’ to make the clown fade from one shot to another, leaving part of the previous shot still in the frame. The effect of this made the trailer have an eerie and paranormal effect which helps to conform to the stereotypical expectations of a horror film.  Furthermore, the clown is tilting its head to the side in the first clip and not in the second, this depicts the idea of a glitch or a malfunction, giving the film a surreal and sinister atmosphere.

In our trailer, we have also encoded other specific aspects that help to convey our genre. This can be interpreted through the antagonist used in the trailer. We used a clown in our film as we feel that this can add a modern, creepy effect to our trailer. Successful clown films include, Stephen King’s ‘IT’ and Tobe Hooper’s ‘The Poltergeist’. Historically, clowns were seen to be a product of entertainment and amusement for young children at fun fairs and circus’s. To a contemporary day approach, clowns are seen to be creepy and disturbing and have an eerie presence in films.  Allister Fowler (1989) noted that readers learn genres gradually, usually through unconscious familiarisation.  For example, in a clown horror, audiences unconsciously expect to see jump cuts and harsh editing as this is a popular convention. Fowler also adds that genre makes possible the communication of content.In our production, we have also subverted some conventions which can be seen through the MES of one of the locations used. In our trailer, we shot some scenes in children’s park. Parks are a place of entertainment and playing for children, so why include this in a 15-25 year old clown horror film? Stereotypically, horror films are shot in creepy, old houses or in the woods. Park’s connote the idea of having fun, playing games and children enjoying themselves, we wanted to play on this idea, and make an amusing and pleasant location become completely juxtaposed to become deathly and sinister. René Wellek and Austin Warren commented that the totally familiarised and repetitive patterns is boring, the totally novel form will be unintelligible. This explains that expectations are acceptable to be subverted to, to allow a diverse approach, as well as a unique edge. We feel that incorporating a park in our trailer displays this well.

Concerning the semantic approach to our trailer (Rick Altman), there are aspects that conform to a horror film. This can be seen through the characters (protagonists) in our trailer. We used three teenage girls as the protagonists in the film. This is a popular convention, as three young girls communicate the idea of innocence and vulnerability, therefore making our audience feel on edge and as If they were in the girl’s shoes, thus, making them feel scared, but also fixated on the elements shown on the screen.  The syntactical structure of our trailer is conventional, whereby the girls get followed home by a clown from school, and then ultimately haunts the house that the girls are staying at. This can link to successful horror films such as: ‘Ouija’ (2016), ‘Cape Fear’ (1991) and ‘He knows you’re alone’ (1980) whereby a similar concept of the antagonist following the girls is used.