DESCRIPTION - These types of films usually inflict fear to the audience through unsettling on-screen action which startle the viewers.

PROPS -  Often in horror film props that are used are usually threatening weapons that could be used to harm someone for example saws, knives, hammers, chainsaws and other weapons which are harmful and inflict pain. The more harmful the weapon is, the more shock or anxiety it will build within the audience. Also fake blood is heavily featured  in horror films to look real which is a very effective way of  building suspense and worry for the audience.

LOCATION - Dark and isolated , which again helps create suspense. Usually woods, graveyard, empty house etc.

CHARACTERS - Horror films feature an antagonist which their aim is to cause harm and fear to the protagonists.

EDITING - Pace is generally fast, jumping from various shots to another very quickly which builds tension and helps to make the audience jump. 

SOUND - Music plays a vital role in horror films it is usually mainly quiet throughout but becomes louder to encourage suspense as the antagonist most likely makes their move. Sound effects help bring the action alive and makes the film more realistic.

CAMERA ANGLES -

Extreme Long Shot – In horror films, this establishing shot normally is portrayed with grey skies or darkness in the background to create a form of pathetic fallacy to set a hyperbole to give an idea that bad things happen in this location.                                                                                              

Long Shot – This kind of shot is generally used when showing the exact location of a murder, sometimes also containing either the murderer or the victim.    

Mid shot – This gives a more precise view of the character from the waist up, generally only containing no more than two/three characters to narrow down the focus and imply the significance these characters have. This shot is also known as a social shot due to the fact that it easily portrays there characters interactions with each other as well as the environment surrounding them.

Close-up – This shot contains the focus on one character to portray their emotions, generally depicted by the amount of focus shown on the background behind them. This is used to create a sense of empathy and pity for the character – normally used to show the most influential characters within the film.

Extreme close-up – containing one part of this characters face, body or other object normally in a horror film showing an injury, thus adding a sense of sympathy towards the character. The object that this shot focuses on is normally of huge significance to the film, thus allowing it to stick in the audiences mind. This type of shot creates an intense mood and provides interaction between the audience and the viewer. 

LIGHTING - Low key lighting is often used a lot in horror as it makes it more suspicious and tension building as we are unable to see exactly what is happening, making the audience feel uneasy and on the edge.

MY OPINION - I believe that creating a horror short film would work particularly well as the locations are easily accessible for example local woodsl.  However, I made a horror opening last year which looking back on was not as great as i would have liked. We found it difficult to actually build suspense and make it actally scary, without it being awkward or cheesy to watch. Also it is difficul to film in the dark becase you have to ave a special light that will enable the camera to pick up the actors withouth it making it look like there is a light being used, these light are not accessible through my school, unlike the camera and the tripod. This means we would have to prchase this ourelves. I also thought it woud be a good idea to explore a different genre because we did it last year and that it may be a good chance to explore different genres.