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The Quest Plot

The protagonist searches for a specific person, place or thing, tangible or intangible, for something that the character hopes will significantly change their life. This search is not for an object (like the Ark in Raiders of the Lost Ark); the object of the quest is wisdom, when the hero returns at the end of the story he or she is wiser and has gone through a meaningful change. The plot will include a motivating incident (inciting incident or catalytic event), which launches the character’s journey.  The plot is character driven; it is a plot of the mind. Example: Don Quixote, The Grapes of Wrath, Seven Years in Tibet

The Adventure Plot

Here, the focus from beginning to end is the character making a journey; it is the story of a character going out into the world in search of adventure, new and strange places and events, and fortune. The character doesn’t necessarily go through a meaningful change. It often includes romance and the character is motivated by someone or something. Example: Robinson Crusoe, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, The Time Machine, Raiders of the Lost ark

The Pursuit Plot

It involves the literary version of hide-and-seek; once character chases another. It is a physical plot where the chase is more important than the characters. There is a real danger of the pursued being caught. The race starts with the motivating incident. Example: Jaws, The French Connection, The Terminator, Alien, Romancing the Stone, Halloween.

The Rescue Plot

The character will go into the world, in search for someone of something, and will chase the antagonist. The plot depends on action; it is a physical plot. It relies strongly on a triangle: the protagonist, the victim and a great antagonist or antagonistic force. The hero wants to rescue the victim from the antagonist (or villain); the antagonist will interfere with the hero’s progress. The victim is usually the weakest of the three characters. Example: The Magnificent Seven, The Golden Child.

The Escape Plot

It is a physical plot; it concentrates its energy on the mechanics of capture and escape. The protagonist is confined against the character’s will and wants to escape. The antagonist has control of the hero during the first and second act of the story; the hero gains control during the resolution of the story. Example: The Prisoner of Zena, Papillon, Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The Revenge Plot

The dominant motive for this plot is loud and clear: retaliation by the protagonist against the antagonist for real or imagined injury. The first rule of revenge is that the punishment must equal the crime; it is the concept of “getting even”.  The hero’s justice is ‘wild’, vigilante justice that usually goes outside the limits of the law. It manipulates the feelings of its audience by avenging the injustices of the world by a man or woman of action who is forced to act by events when the institution that normally deals with these problems prove inadequate. The hero should have moral justification for vengeance, and the vengeance may be equal but may not exceed the offence perpetrated against the hero. Example: Hamlet, Four Brothers,

The Riddle Plot

The core of the riddle should be cleverness and the tension of the riddle should come from the conflict between what happens as opposed to what seems to have happened. This plot often involves conspiracies and mysteries that need to be resolved. The riddle challenges the viewer to solve it before the protagonist does. The answer to the riddle should always be in plain view without being obvious. Example: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Chinatown

The Rivalry Plot

A rival is a person who competes for the same object or goal as another. Two people may have the same goal – whether it is to win the hand of another or to conquer each other’s armies or to win a chess game – and each has its own motivations. The rival is a person who disputes the prominence or superiority of another. The nature of the rivalry should be the struggle for power between the protagonist and the antagonist. Example: the Odd Couple, Mutiny on the Bounty, Ben-Hur.

The Underdog Plot

The protagonist is at a disadvantage and is faced with overwhelming odds. In some ways this plot is predictable, the underdog usually succeeds usually (but not always) overcomes his opposition. Example: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Joan of Arc, Cinderella.

The Temptation Plot

To be tempted is to be induced or persuaded to do something that is unwise, wrong or immoral. The story of temptation started in the Garden of Eden; it is the story of the frailty of human nature. The plot examines the motives, needs and impulses of human character. The plot depends largely on morality and the effect of giving in to temptation; by the end of the story, the character should have moved from a lower moral plane (in which the character gives in to temptation) to a higher moral plane as a result of learning sometimes harsh lessons of giving in to temptation. The protagonist will often rationalise decisions to yield to temptation and may go through a period of denial after yielding to the temptation. The plot often ends with atonement, reconciliation and forgiveness. Example: Bedazzled.

The Metamorphosis Plot

The plot is about change; it’s as much physical as it is emotional. The metamorphosis is usually the result of a curse and the cure for the curse is generally love (parent for a child, people for each other, the love of God). The metamorph is usually the protagonist, and the plot usually shows thr process of transformation. It is a character driven plot, we care more about the nature of the protagonist than his actions. The audience learn reasons for the curse and its root cause.  Example: The Wolfman, Dracula, Beauty and the Beast

The Transformation Plot

The plot deals with the process of change in the protagonist as the character journeys through one of the many stages of life. The plot isolates a portion of the protagonist’s life that represents the period of change, moving from one significant character state to another. One of the tests of character plots in general is the change the main character makes in his or her personality as a result of the action. The person is usually a different person at the end of the story than at the start of it. The plot examines the process of life and its effect on people. Example: Ordinary People, Pygmalion (My Fair Lady)

The Maturation Plot

The plot is about growing up; there are lessons to learn, and those lessons may be difficult, but at the end the character becomes (or will become) a better person for it. Whereas the transformation plot focuses on adults who are in the process of changing, the maturation plot focuses on children who are in the process of becoming adults.  In this ‘coming-of-age-story’ the protagonist is usually a sympathetic young person whose goals are either confused or not yet quite formed. Example: The Killers, Great Expectations, Huckleberry Finn, Stand by Me

The Love Plot

The lovers are usually ill-suited in some way, they may come from different social classes or they may be physical unequal (blindness or handicapped). Love stories don’t need to have happy endings. Emotion is an important element in writing about love; a full range of feelings should be developed (fear’ loathing, attraction, disappointment, consummation, rejection, etc). The lovers should be taken through the full ordeal of love and should be tested (individually and collectively) and finally deserve the love they seek. Examples: The African Queen, Love Story, La Boheme, La Traviata, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

The Forbidden Love Plot

In this plot the love affair violates some social taboo, such as race, incest, adultery, and homosexual love. It is love that goes against the conventions of society; there is usually either an explicit or implicit force exerted against the lovers. The lovers ignore social conventions and pursue their hearts, usually with disastrous results. Example: Guess who’s coming to dinner; Lolita, Harold and Maude, L.I.E

The Sacrifice Plot

In this plot characters sacrifice themselves for an ideal. They subscribe to the belief that the needs of many outweigh the needs of the individual. The sacrifice should come at a great personal cost; the protagonist plays for high stakes, either physical or mental. The protagonist should undergo a major transformation during the course of the story, moving from a lower moral state to a higher one. Example: Norma Rae, High Noon.

The Discovery Plot

This plot dedicates itself to the pursuit of learning about the self rather than uncovering an assassination conspiracy or figuring out a mystery. It is a character driven plot, about people and their quest to understand who they are.  Example: Portrait of a Lady

The Wretched Excess Plot

The plot deals with the psychological decline of a character. The decline is usually based on a character flaw. Characters are pushed to the extremes. The battleground can be alcoholism, greed, ambition, war, or any number of difficulties. Example: Requiem for a Dream, Leaving Las Vegas, Wall Street

Ascension And Descension Plot

These two plots occupy different positions in the same cycle of success and failure; the one deals with the rise of the protagonist, and the other deals with the fall of the protagonist. It is character driven, where a strong protagonist carries the entire story from beginning to end. Apocalypse Now is about a man’s journey into the blackness that is central to the heart and soul. , The Elephant Man is about the rise and fall of John Merrick. At the heart of the story is a moral dilemma; this dilemma tests the character of the protagonist/ antagonist, and it is the foundation for the catalyst of change in the character.

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The fundamentals of Genre and Genre Plots

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The fundamentals of Genre and Genre Plots

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Conventional settings: In the crime genre the setting of the murder will have its particular characteristics.

Conventional events: In the crime genre there must be a crime.

Conventional roles:  In the crime genre there will be a detective character that discovers clues and suspects; in the horror film the character is the victim; the main character in the action film or Western is often the hero.

The nature of the protagonist: The main character and the character’s goal are the primary focus of the story in any genre. While the main character in the Western is heroic and tends to be romanticised and the main character in the horror film is a victim, the main characters in war films tend to be far more realistic. In the musical, main characters tend to be presented energetically, while in film noir they are typically constricted and desperate. The qualities of the main character within a particular genre tend to be consistent, which makes the shorthand dimensions of that character readily available to the writer.

The nature of the antagonist: The importance of the antagonist is constant throughout genres, but the nature of the antagonist depends on the level of realism associated within particular genres. Where the presentation of the main character exclusive of realism is heroic (the Adventure film of the Western), the antagonist becomes more evil, more powerful, and sometimes more than human. When the genre is nightmarish (the Horror genre or Film Noir), the antagonist is equally extreme. Only in the realistic genres (War films, melodrama, gangster films) does the antagonist take on more human rather than superhuman qualities. In these genres, the goal of the main character is more understandable, more realistic; consequently, the antagonist, although still important, takes on a more human dimension.

The shape of the dramatic action: Gangster stories tend to be shaped around the rise and fall of a gangster; crime and police stories are shaped around the perpetration of a crime, its investigation, and its successful resolution. All genre films have a very particular dramatic shape. And all begin with the expected opening: a soldier is inducted into the army to fight in a foreign war; a cowboy dreams of acquiring land and a cattle herd; a poor boy from the Midwest wants to improve his life in the industrial Northeast. In the course of the dramatic action, we will find out if the soldier survives, what personal sacrifices is necessary for the cowboy to improve himself, and what transgressions are necessary for the young Midwesterner to get ahead. In each case, the fate of the character will differ in accordance with genre conventions, and in each case, the characters’ attempts to fulfil their goals will dictate the shape of the dramatic action.

Catalytic event: Stolen cattle, a friend’s death, the end of the Civil War, and Indian raid – all are catalytic events in different Westerns. Each propels the main character to find and resolve the consequences of the flow of action resulting from the catalytic event. Every genre has its own kind of catalytic event: a crime is the catalytic event of the police story; in a horror film, a young family moves into a reputedly haunted house.. The catalytic event should occur quickly or the dramatic vitality of the genre is dissipated. The audience expects a quick start.

The Resolution: Dramatic action leads to the resolution. But not every genre leads us to the same kind of resolution. Although the fate of our Midwesterner in the melodrama tends towards the tragic, this is not the case in the classic Western or in the War film. In the Western, although the main character pays a price for his ambition, he does tend to succeed and become a hero in the effort. That effort requires a ritualised demonstration of heroism – the climactic gunfight. In the war film, although there is a climactic battle, the character’s fate is not determined by his individual actions, but by the superior forces of the protagonist’s side; the resolution may come through superior air power, or through a simple, arbitrary act that allows the character to survive the battle. Whatever the reason, resolution does not come from the individual action of the main character; consequently, the sense of the main character as the hero is less apparent than in the Western, where individual action is central to the resolution.

Narrative Style: Every genre has a particular narrative style that the audience expects and enjoys. Westerns, for example, tend to be punctuated by gunfights, deployment of weaponry, expertise in horsemanship, and survival skills in what is essentially a rural, primitive wilderness. Violence and violent resolution to conflict characterise the genre. This is not the case in the melodrama, where relationships, their evolution and their outcome are central, although there may be a tragic outcome in melodrama, the violence is emotional rather than physical.

Narrative shape: Different genres exhibit different shapes. Time is critical in action, adventure and thriller films; it is far less important in the situation comedy and the war film. The primary consideration here is the level of intensity the genre requires to be in tune with the goals of the main character. In film noir, the main character is desperate, trying to survive his tragic fate. In the adventure film, the level of threat to the main character has to be constant so that the audience stays interested in the plot. In the Western and the situation comedy, the relationship with the main character is relatively more relaxed; thus, the narrative shape is also more relaxed.

Tone: Tone can range from the fantastic in the adventure film and the musical, to the realistic in the war film and the melodrama. Tone also ranges from the ironic in the screwball comedy and the satire, to the engrossing in the thriller and the horror film.

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three types of stylistic conventions in particular that horror films used

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three types of stylistic conventions in particular that horror films used

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SOUND/MUSIC:

1. The music/sounds in horror films and in this clip specifically creates suspense. Audiences know when they hear these particular sounds that something is going to happen. These sounds signify something that is "scary." "Watch a horror movie without music and it's not frightening, though it may be gruesome. But add the music and you add tension" (Hübinette, John). I completely agree with John, if you were to turn the music down on this clip it would take away the "scary" effect. The notion of films being scary because of music has been created due to its repeated use. It has been authored throughout the history of horror films for so long. These repeated patterns have become the way in which horror films are authored. They help define its genre.

LIGHTING: Lighting is also a stylistic convention used in horror films, specifically low key lighting. “Low key lighting allows for an effective contrast of bright light and deep darkness, creating rich shadows that serve to establish an effective form of mood. Through this shadowy imagery, horror and noir both mastered the art of making the dark come alive on screen” (Hantke, Steffen). Steffen talks about this effective mood that the lighting creates, I believe it is one of suspense and anxiety. This stylistic convention in particular causes audiences to be scared of dark places and low-key lighting whenever they see it in a film because it has been associated with something that is “scary." The audience is not able to clearly see what is going on and where someone will come from. This type of lighting foreshadows that something is about to happen just as music/sound does within horror films.

CAMERA WORK:

1. Horror films also use certain camera work, which has become a stylistic convention. Audiences will often see the use of canted angles to convey something. They will also see the use of extreme close ups, point of view shots, and hand held shots which tend to build tension within the audience.This example is either a slow zoom or a dolly movement with follow focus. This slow movement makes the audience think something is going to occur, it builds suspense, along with the music that is playing underneath. Through this convention of camera movements, audiences are able to read the story in a more distinctive way. Sometimes the camera movements can allow you to see what is going to happen next. Horror films are predictable due to the consistent use of stylistic conventions as I stated above. These conventions are markers that let the audience know what to expect next. When these stylistic conventions, which create meaning, are disrupted, so are the audience’s expectations. It can sometimes create a problem for the viewer, because they can no longer tell what is going to happen next. Genres are meant to be predictable because it is a set pattern that audiences like and identify with. They enjoy watching the same types of films and the stylistic conventions that are associated with that particular genre.

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Conventions & Audience Expectation in Horror Films

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Conventions & Audience Expectation in Horror Films

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common generic elements include subject matter, theme, character types, plots, iconography, narrative and stylistic conventions. In any art form or medium, conventions are frequently used stylistic techniques or narrative devices typical of (but not necessarily unique to) particular generic traditions. Bits of dialogue, musical figures, or styles and patterns of mise-en-scène are all aspects of movies that, repeated from film to film within a genre, become established as genre conventions. Conventions function as an implied agreement between makers and consumers as for what to expect in each genre.the horror genre can be described as "unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films effectively center on the dark side of life, the forbidden, and strange and alarming events. They deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsions, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment" (Dirks, Tim).

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1. Slapstick -  this form of comedy uses physical movement and gestures often influence by clowning.

2. Dark humour -  this deals with disturbing subjects such as death, drugs and war.

3. wit/wordplay -  this form of comedy focus on the more subtle manipulation of language.

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layout of a DVD Cover

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setting :A bright place with a social occasion used.

populated places such as cities
locations are known for social events.
typical character: will be the character that emphasis the the stupidity also shows the contrast of the their personalities.
comedic values often contain characters that lack social skills sarcasm usually used in contrast with intelligent people.

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themes that could be includes are:

good vs evil

apocalypse

religion

sanity/insanity

revenge

supernatural

monster

afterlife

greed

envy

suicide

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Image - an interesting image with an actor that catches the attention of the audience through eyes contact or even dress of code.

production credits - it informs who was involved and also highlights people that are known by the audience and may persuade  them to watch it.

star rating- this lets the audience that it has a good reputation making them aware of the quality that it may have.

blurb- This gives a brief description of the film to the audience, it allows them to know more.


rating - the age rating it tells the viewer the age the are legally required to be to watch the movie.

special features-  this tells the audience what more it includes thats is different to other movies.

barcode- this makes sure that it can be purchase also lets them know that its original because its a convection that its expected to be on a DVD cover.

terms and conditions-  this lets people know more about what its expected.

DVD logo - this makes sure that the disk inside the cover is a DVD.

BBFC classification logo - this lets the audience know that perhaps it has British aspects, its well know for many people so they know it contains quality.

Tagline- to create a memorable phrase almost dramatic to sum up what the movie will be about.

title - the font and choice of the title can make the audience judge the film by the genre and theme.

quotes and reviews-  the reviews can persuade the audience to watch it, someone else stating that is good makes you interested in purchasing it.

website- this is to inform further the audience about the movie, it also promotes the film more persuading the viewer.

time running- this makes sure that the audience know how long it will take to watch it.

pictures from the film at the back- helps to explain to the audience what the film is going to be about makes the audience think of what it consist this can potentially play with their imagination.

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Typical Characters in a Comedy Horror Genre Film

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Typical Characters in a Comedy Horror Genre Film

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To support the horror part of the film there would most likely be a fictional monster, this may include: Infected People, The Undead, Vampires, Mummies, Werewolves, Mutants, demons and other fictional figures.

And finally, in the majority of all movies there is a love-interest for the main character, this is to allow for a wider target audience that would contain couples. The love interest is admired by any of the characters in the film but would most like be the main character. The love interest can lead to a subplot that supports the narrative. In Shaun of the Dead, this would be the character of Liz.

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Character’s Behaviour and Attitude

As the above convention that support the horror of a film, this convention strongly supports the comedy of the film, as the comedy is created by how the character’s used act and behave. It’s the character that says the unexpected lines which makes the audience laugh, and also its the actions they take on which adds to it. In a usual zombie horror film, characters usually run and find shelter but if its a comedy horror film we might see characters attempt to stop the zombies and attacks them, this is comedic because the character is facing a fictional monster and trying to stop it, and to link these convention with the second point it adds more comedy as it is not something you would expect and/or see.

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A  Source of Fear

This Code/ Convention links in with the unexpected situation and are often represented as the characters that arrive from it. This is what the character(s) will be confronted with throughout the film and is also the thing that the character(s) will overcome towards the end. It is a very important aspect as it acts as a symbol for the horror side of the hybrid genre.

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Ordinary Character’s

The majority of Comedy Horror films revolve around a character or group of characters that are seen as an average person. Someone who has a day-to-day job, lives in a small environment and is forced into heroism due to the situation.  The character(s) is often interrupted by the unexpected situation and is forced to take action in-order to complete a personal goal (survive, love, wealth etc). The character will do certain actions and behaviour in ways that the audience would deem funny.

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Unexpected Situation

This is very important to the narrative of the film as it is what it is centred on. Most stories have this code/ convention as every film needs a situation. For this research the Unexpected Situation is mainly going to involve character(s) that are carrying on with a normal day when an event takes place which see them out of their routine. It can support the horror side by including monsters or, in popular films, the rising dead coming into characters lives, and on the other side it can show comedic aspects by showing different character types acting unexpectedly to it.

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Typical Characters in a Comedy Horror Genre Film

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Typical Characters in a Comedy Horror Genre Film

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In a Comedy Horror film the main focus is on the character’s behaviour and actions in an unexpected situation.  The audience often expect to see an average day-to-day person as the main character because it adds more comedy to see a person who has no experience in a horror situation trying to deal with it. Most films under this genre don’t usually include just one main character as there is most likely a group of different character types to make sure there is a variety of point of view and allows different audiences to relate.

The main character is most like to be a Reluctant Hero because this is the type of character that is shown as an ordinary character who is forced into extraordinary circumstances which requires him to become the film’s hero. In the film of Shaun of the Dead, the character Shaun is the main character who takes on the role of the Reluctant Hero.

Another type of character that is often used in most Comedy Horror films is the Buffoon;this is the type of stock character that is used to provide amusement through inappropriate appearance/ behaviour. Using Shaun of the Dead as an example this would be the character of Ed.