The horror genre has a very unique style partially due to its conventions. One first convention of the horror slasher genre is the low key lighting, the low key lighting is often made by one spot light which is usually dimmed and has no filler light as it creates more shadows. this allows for the audiences imagination to create visions which might not actually be there but also it just creates a cold and dark tone. This is prominent in the vast majority of horrors as it means the 'killer' can lurk and hide among the shadows. Finally, it also creates a unwanted mood that could make the audience un-comfortable as it looks cold, dark and a little hazy which gives off a bad atmosphere.
This is from the new Martyrs remake.
Saw IV opening.
extremely low key lighting used in paranormal activity.
the next convention that is frequently used in Horror is there is a lot of blood and gore often just to hint at danger or death but then sometimes lots of blood as it is off putting for a lot of people. it is also used to enhance the brutality of the killer and situation.
There is a lot of blood used in piranha to scare the audience.
Scream 4
You're Next
A lot of horrors are based in or around an eerie setting. This is because it automatically links to a creepy atmosphere which his off putting for the viewer. additionally, horror films often have relatable setting such as a house but it will be made creepy due to the openness of the house leaving lots of hiding spots or corners to turn. Additionally it allows for the audience to connect to the setting and relate situations back to them such as a clown at a theme park. Directors also like to have the setting isolated as it gives the sense of loneliness and helplessness.
The cabin in the woods is a classic example of an isolated setting.
Chernobyl Diaries shows a fully derelict and lifeless urban area.
A similar setting to cabin in the woods is where Before i wake is set in, a big house with 2 people living there in the middle of no where!
The characters that we follow through the whole film are also a convention of a horror film as there is often the first victim, the leader who stays alive until the end, the girlfriend who is either taken or is left the only one standing and these are used so that the audience has a clear understanding of the situation and can relate.
The Purge shows a vulnerable woman which is typical however even though she has a gun we are scared for her showing how weak she is.
Goodnight mommy shows vulnerable children.
Typical teenagers as the main protagonists.
How we used conventions in our opening sequence:
We have used conventions of an opening sequence to make it seem more realistic. At the beginning of the opening sequence establishing shots have been used to introduce the setting. The very first shot is the characters walking through the gates of the graveyard, this creates an eerie atmosphere because graveyards are associated with death and being creepy. When the audience first see the gates of the graveyard and the characters walking through them they are left to question why are the characters there? and what are they going to do?We have also used establishing shots throughout the opening sequence to create more of a tense atmosphere such as a pan of the graveyard in the middle, this creates a tense atmosphere because the audience have yet to find put why the characters are in the graveyard. The establishing shots of the gates and ones of the graves are used to introduce the steering to the audience.
Another convention we have used is the use of logos and titles, throughout the opening sequence titles appear on screen interrupting the opening sequence. The titles have been put in the correct order as you would usually see them in an opening sequence. This is to make it seem more professional and to make it more of a typical opening sequence. Even though we have used this convention we have also challenged it because the titles are bold and striking instead of being simple and small, we have done this because it fits well with our target audience which is young adults as it makes it more interesting. This is to make our opening sequence stand out and to show it isn't a mainstream horror.
We have also included the distribution and production company at the beginning which are a typical convention of an opening sequence. The distribution company is an independent company which shows the opening sequence won't be mainstream and a typical horror, this also links in with our titles because they are unique which goes with the company. The production company is a horror based company which shows how the opening sequence will be a horror and will be different to the others. This draws in the audience because they can tell it will be unique. Another convention we have challenged is the use of slow paced editing instead we have used fast paced editing. We have used a lot of jump cuts to cut between different shots, we have done this because it fits with our target audience as it draws their attention in. The use of jump cuts also creates suspense because we are jumping from different charters not yet knowing which one will be killed. We have also done this because it creates more suspense for the audience as they don't know when something is about to happen.
Furthermore, another convention we have used is the use of close ups, we have included these because it shows the audience how the characters are feeling. Towards the end of the opening sequence close ups have been used on the three characters who have lost their friend to show how scared they are and anxious about finding their friend. Close ups have also been used to introduce the characters and for the audience to get to know them. For example when there is a close up of the girls we can tell that they are slightly more on edge and when we see a close up of the boys we can tell that they are more laid back and carefree. Close ups are typical to an opening sequence because they introduce the characters and tell the audience more about them. 
Another convention we have used is introducing the mood. This is shown through the camera shots, when the three characters are walking into the shed a hand held shot is used to show the characters through the killers eyes which creates a creepy atmosphere because the audience can tell something is about to happen. Right at the beginning of the opening sequence a sombre mood is created because we are introduced to the graveyard which is associated with death and sadness. Another shot that helps set the mood is the shots behind the graves because we are focused on them instead of the characters because they give of an scary atmosphere. This moods helps set the overall mood of the opening sequence which is dangerous and scary because we know that a death may occur and the characters will be scared.
Examples of conventions that we used linked with our genre (horror):
The first convention we used to do with our genre is blood. We use blood near the end of our opening sequence, to create tension and allow the audience to want to carry on watching. Blood is typically used in horror films to create a sense of fear and to add more of an insight to the storyline. It also allows the audience to feel more involved by allowing them to create the rest of the story in their head, making them feel more connected to the characters and the storyline in general.
We also use eerie music such as, crow and a ringtone sound effect to create tension and to make the audience feel on the edge of their seat. The sound effects allow the audience to feel more involved as they can actually feel like their at the setting of the graveyard. Sound effects are typically used in horror movies to create a creepy feel to the storyline and add more suspense, because if the opening sequence was just quiet without any music, it would be boring and wouldn't have the same creepy effect as it does with sound effects added. The soundtrack we used throughout the whole opening sequence is quite simple but also consists of 'jumps' throughout the whole soundtrack, allowing our sequence to have more effect on the audience. Our opening sequence breaks continuity when the 'jumps' happen in the soundtrack, this allows our sequence and the soundtrack to fit well together, allowing everything to flow.
Low-key lighting is also used in our opening sequence to add shadows and create more of a dark, scary atmosphere. If our opening sequence was bright and happy, it wouldn't have the creepy effect of being a horror opening sequence, so adding shadows and dark lighting makes it more sinister and eerie. Most horror films use low-key lighting and shadows, to create a sense of death and an extreme morbid atmosphere. 
Our titles challenge the conventions of a horror, because normally the titles are very subtle and quick. Whereas, in our opening sequence our titles are very bold and they stand out. We decided to challenge this convention of a horror because we wanted our titles to look a lot more noticeable and have more of an edgy effect to them, as we feel like this linked to our whole opening sequence a lot better. We also feel like, using bolder, darker titles will connect with our youth, as our opening sequence is targeted at teenagers, and stereotypically teenagers who hang out in graveyards have quite a dark personality, so we feel like the titles and characters, within our opening sequence link better this way.
One convention to do with horror films that we did develop was the use of typical characters. Stereotypically in horror films, they use a group of friends, normally mixed (boys and girls), and then the girls normally go off, without the boys, get chased by a serial killer and killed. We develop this, as we use two boys and two girls in our sequences, instead of using all girls/all boys, because it would have less of a scary effect if we used all the characters as the same gender. However, we challenge this convention because normally in a slasher horror, the girl goes off on her own and gets murdered, but in our sequence Aaron goes off and none of us know what happens to him. We ended on a cliffhanger like this to create tension and to make the audience to want to carry on watching. We decided to challenge this by sending Aaron away, instead of one of the girls to make our opening sequence more interesting and different, so its not like all of the other horror opening sequences that have been created.
Lastly, we developed the use of an eerie setting by filming in a graveyard. Normally horror films are set in a dark place to create suspense and with our genre being horror, we wanted to also communicate this when creating our opening sequence. Using a creepy setting such as a graveyard portrays the theme of death, which also links in with our storyline. Our setting also links in with our titles, music and characters allowing our whole opening sequence to flow together nicely.
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