The document provides information on common narrative themes, structures, character types, locations, mise-en-scene and camera work techniques seen in different film genres including horror, romance, thriller, and science fiction. For horror films, it discusses themes of good vs evil and the supernatural. It also describes common character archetypes like the final girl. For romance, it outlines a typical narrative of two people meeting and overcoming obstacles to be together. Thriller and sci-fi genres are also summarized in less than 3 sentences.

1. Genre research

2. Horror

3. Narrative themes...
• Good versus evil
• Religion
• Revenge
• Supernatural
• Science gone wrong
• Nightmares
• Insanity
• Lust
• Envy
• Childhood issues
• Depression
• Making you question what is real and what is not

4. Narrative structure...
• Like most films, not just horror, the films normally start in a
state of equilibrium, then go into a state of disequilibrium
and then end in a newly made state of new equilibrium.
• Most horror films do follow these conventions however,
some horror films are starting to break the normal
structure and could start in disequilibrium or some films
are now beginning to end with no new equilibrium being
restored (Eden Lake, The Descent) these films are more
shocking to a audience that is expecting the normal horror
structure.
• Scenes that normally occur in horror films are chase
scenes, stalking scenes, abandonment, searching for the
‘noise’ and venturing into the unknown.

5. Character types...
• Main antagonist, normally a monstrous other,(mutated
human, alien, monster, serial killer)
• Main protagonist (normally a ‘heroic’ male)
• Final girl (normally the weakest most maternal female who will end
up as a prize for the heroic male)
• Teenagers (normally ‘stupid’, drunk or ‘sexually promiscuous’
• Creepy children (normally with mutated power)
• Police officers (can be both good and bad)
• Supernatural presence (ghosts)
• Stalker
• Vampires, clowns, werewolves, cheerleaders, ‘loner’ or psychopath

6. Locations...
• Horror films are often set in isolated areas such
as villages or small towns
• They are often set in places representing isolation
and loneliness such as abandoned houses or
places with a ‘dark’ background such as old
hospitals or mental asylums.
• A main theme in horror films is taking people
from a civilized urban environment and taking
them into a rural environment that there not
used to and having the disequilibrium begin
there.

7. Mise-en-scene...
• Horror films all often carry the same repertoire of elements such as
often having the colours red and black as signifiers of danger and
death, all other dark colours present throughout
• Lighting is often low key and dark, and helps to make any abnormal
shadows and shapes stand out
• Lighting in films often comes from dangerous sources such as fire (
candles, fireplaces, bonfires)
• Characters are often in normal basic clothing to make them more
relatable, which makes it scarier for the audience, often protagonist
character and potential victims are wearing white to represent
there innocence in comparison to the antagonists who will often
wear dark colours representing danger.
• In horror films there are a number of props often used such as,
religious symbols, symbols of the supernatural, masks, weapons(
guns, knives, chainsaws)

8. Camera work...
• In horror films camera work places a big part in create the horror, suspense and drama
portrayed in horror films.
• Horror uses alot of extreme high and low angles to represent characters being more
dominant then others.
• Horror also uses alot of shot-reverse-shot so you can see how the character react to
one another such as when the protagonists and antagonists meet.
• Extreme close ups are often used as they help build up anticipation, such as a close up a
gun before someone pulls the trigger.
• Handheld camera shots are used to make the film seem more realistic and it makes it
difficult for the audience to work out what is happening, films such as Cloverfield and
the Blair Witch Project do this as it makes it seem as if the audience is watching
something which someone has filmed and actually happened, making it all the more
scary.
• Point of view shots are often used to see things from a characters prospective to really
immerse the audience into the film, POV shots are mainly used when either the
antagonist is chasing its victim or when the protagonist is looking around
• Depth of field is valuable in horror films as the focus can be shifted so that the
background around the victim is blurred so you cant really see what's going on behind
them so that its more shocking when the antagonist appears.

9. Romance

10. Narrative
themes...
• Boys meets girl
• Two people who aren't allowed to be together
fall in love (Romeo and Juliet)
• Genre is often spliced with other genres (rom-
com)
• Normally realistic
• Normally quite predictable
• Traditional ‘happy ever after’

11. Narrative
structure... who
• Romantic films often start with two people
don't know each other being somehow forced
together (forced roommates, stranded together,
forced to work together)
• The two will then begin to disagree with each
other but start to fall in love
• A big argument will occur and throw the couple
into a state of disequilibrium
• The two will reunite, live happily ever after, new
equilibrium restored.

12. Character
types... or poor
• A male ( usually either a gentlemen,
with not much to offer)
• A female (normally thought to be either to
good or not good enough for the man)
• Some one who tried to come between them
(the female character may be being forced to
marry someone else)

13. Locations...
• True romantic films with very little splicing
from other genres are often periodic films set
in the past in big mansions and houses
• Modern romantic films are often set in normal
everyday surroundings to make the more
realistic and simplistic and so that the
locations don't overpower the love story.

14. Mise-en-scene
• Colours used in romance films are often reds and pinks
associated with lust and love, brighter colours are
normally used however in the drama of the films
colours seem to darken.
• Lighting in film is normally realistic and your everyday
light sources (sun, lights) however in more romantic
parts of the film light sources can come from candles
or fireplaces (again red to symbolise love)
• The characters are normally dressed as the point of
romantic films is to keep them realistic and relatable to
provoke a reaction from the audience.

15. Camera work...
• Camera work in romance films is more realistic
and not to complex and the whole part of
romantic films is making them seem realistic and
relatable and this will make the audience (largely
female) emphasise with the situation and this will
have the most effect on the audience.
• Low and high angles may be used to show the
characters being more dominant then each other

16. THRILLER

17. NARRATIVE THEMES...
• CHASE SCENE
• SUSPENSE
• ANTICIPATION
• DARKNESS
• FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN
• MONSTEROUS OTHER
• CRIME
• DEATH
• STALKING

18. NARRATIVE STRUCTURE...
• Thriller films usually offer the same narrative structure
as horror films and also share similar conventions and
similar a similar repertoire of elements.
• They usually start off in a state of equilibrium and the
audience will be aligned with a character who they will
be made to emphasise with for the entirety of the film,
usually the main protagonist or a final girl.
• The film will then be thrown into a state of
disequilibrium due to a series of unfortunate events
such as a death or some form of mystery.
• The film will then end in a new state of equilibrium
with order being restored.

19. CHARACTER TYPES...
• MAIN ANTAGONIST (in a thriller it is more likely that
the antagonist will be a realistic antagonist compared
to a monstrous other that may feature in a horror film)
• MAIN PROTAGONIST (normally a male or female, with
final girl qualities, that we will be made to align with
from the start of the film)
• VICTEMS normally unimportant characters with who
we don't really get to know or care about to much, but
there deaths would be necessary for the film
• Stalkers, police, private detectives, people with mental
illness’s, loners

20. LOCATIONS...
• The locations of thriller films are similar to those of horror
films as the two genres are often spliced together as they
are so similar in their conventions and narratives, thrillers
however tend to be slightly more realistic as this adds to
the ‘thrill’ of the film and makes it all the more scary.
• Locations are normally busy places such as big towns and
cities as there is lots going on and can be shown as a
stressful environment.
• The disequilibrium in thrillers would normally occur in a
dark location at night such as a alley way, or a someone's
home were it is unexpected as this is more shocking and
unexpected.

21. MISE-EN-SCENE
• Usually consists of dark harsh colours such as red and black,
in comparison to a romance film which would use more
bright pastel colours such as pink.
• Like horrors the antagonists would wear dark clothing such
as black to represent danger, where as the antagonist
would wear a light colour such as white to represent their
innocence in comparison.
• Lighting is low key and dim, lighting would be used to
create shadows which are used alot in thriller films in
sequences such as chase scenes to show someone being
followed.
• Props used are normally religious symbols, symbols of the
supernatural, weapons.

22. CAMERA WORK...
• In thriller films camera work plays a big part in create the horror, suspense and drama
portrayed in thriller films.
• Thriller uses alot of extreme high and low angles to represent characters being more
dominant then others.
• Thriller also uses alot of shot-reverse-shot so you can see how the character react to
one another such as when the protagonists and antagonists meet.
• Extreme close ups are often used as they help build up anticipation, such as a close up a
gun before someone pulls the trigger.
• Point of view shots are often used to see things from a characters prospective to really
immerse the audience into the film, POV shots are mainly used when either the
antagonist is chasing its victim or when the protagonist is looking around.
• Depth of field is valuable in thriller films as the focus can be shifted so that the
background around the victim is blurred so you cant really see what's going on behind
them so that its more shocking when the antagonist appears.

23. Sci-fi
(Science-fiction)

24. Narrative themes...
• Science
• Social concerns
• Technology
• Politics
• Ideology
• Human vs. science
• The future

25. Narrative structure...
• Sci-fi films normally start showcasing normal
every day life in a state of equilibrium
• Then disequilibrium will occur, such as a science
experiment goes wrong or there's a alien/mutant
invasion and man kind is threatened.
• A state of new equilibrium is usually restored
when man kind defeats science either throw
ridding earth of the monstrous others
(aliens/mutants) or fixing the failed experiment.

26. Character types...
• Like all other genres sci-fi films normally consists of a
main protagonist, victims and a antagonist.
• In sci-fi films however it isn't always just one main
antagonist but could be instead a group of antagonists,
such as a alien invasion.
• Sci-fi films normally consists of character types such as
scientists, people craving recognition for their work
which normally backfires, police and then a loner or
‘geek’ whose scientific knowledge helps save man kind.
• There is also sometimes a female character who us
used as a ‘prize’ for the protagonist for saving man
kind.

27. Locations...
• Locations in sci-fi films are usually earth, a
other planet (where the monstrous others
come from).
• Big buildings and warehouses are normally
featured as places where man kind go to get
away from the monstrous other.
• Science labs are often featured or science
convections which is usually where a science
experiment goes wrong.

28. Mise-en-scene...
• Colours are usually dark such as black and grey, colours can
also be ‘earth like’ such as greens and blues.
• There are usually lots of scientific props featured such as
science experiments and science equipment.
• Lots of technology is featured in sci-fi films as sci-fi films
tend to focus on the future, especially the future of
mankind and technology is thought to be a big part of that.
• Vehicles are often used in sci-fi films, especially lots of hi-
tech expensive vehicles.
• Weapons are also features as a way to fight off whatever is
threatening man kind, weapons sometimes aren't the norm
however such as light sabers in star wars in comparison to a
knife being used in a horror film.

29. Camera work...
• Camera work in sci-fi is similar to that of horror
and thriller and camera work is often used to
shock and scare the audience.
• Popular camera shots would be a long shot of a
abandoned room(such as a science lab) and than
a close up on a monstrous other being in the
room that the protagonist is unaware of creating
dramatic irony.
• Some sci-fi films, such as clover field, use hand
held camera shots as it makes it more realistic
and frightening to the audience.