Conventions;
Isolated location/Isolation in general
Jump scare
Character dying in opening scene
Characters falling over
Nearby to escape
Technical Codes:
Ambience
Sharp, jumpy music
Shaky camera
Slow motion
POV shots
Close up
Birds-eye shot near river
Long shadows
Dark lighting
Symbolic Codes:
Woods (isolated, alone)
Blood (Death, injury, been running for a while = being hunted)
Colours (Red shirt, dark green background. Red for blood, green because it's a forest)
Red shirt, Hawaiian, may be an attempt at character development (chill guy)
The opening scene of the film 'Dead Wood' relies on the utilisation of conventions in order to set the tone/scene for the rest of the film. For starters, the entire film seems to be set in a forest (inferred from the film's title and the opening); this plays into the trope, or convention, of horror films being set in isolated locations. This is a common convention in horror films; through isolating the characters, they are typically unable to receive help, rendering them helpless and generating the same feeling in the audience.
The scene begins with some background ambiance (general forest noises, set the scene and increases realism), which is slowly overshadowed by some raising tones. The camera pans down to a puddle as the tones peak, and someone runs through the puddle. An example of a convention in this part is the jumpscare. Jumpscares are conventionally used in horror films in order to quickly scare the audience, keeping them on the edge of their seat. This jumpscare was rather ineffective as a scare, as there was no atmosphere leading up to it; as such, it is possible that it was used in an attempt to both catch the audience of guard, and to segue into the main part of the opening (chase scene).
An example of a symbolic code in the opening to Dead Wood is the blood on the character's face. This is important to note as it shows the audience that the main character has already been running for a while, and has sustained injury (from either his pursuer or the environment). The implication that he has been fleeing for an indefinite amount of time gives the audience the idea that he cannot run for much longer, and that he will inevitably be caught. In addition, the lack of clarification on the origin of the blood can also scare the audience. This is also complimented by the fact that the opening scene does not show the pursuer to the audience. They are left to imagine who/what is pursuing the man; the ambiguity causes the audience to assume 'the worst' and, as such, become potentially more scared than if the pursuer was outright revealed.
The opening scene of Dead Mary is unique in it's execution, for a horror film. As opposed to following many conventions of horror films, it is much more subtle and focuses on developing two of the main characters as opposed to the antagonist. It focuses on a woman in a car. There is an element of the isolation trope here; the two characters are on a secluded road, and one of them collected fuel from an abandoned petrol station. The most notable thing here is some of the shots of the female protagonist. In what is possibly a PoV shot, the camera shifts to within the forest at the side of the road, and focuses directly upon the character. This creates the idea that she is being watched/stalked, possibly setting up the antagonist later in the film.
In addition, the female lead can be seen holding her phone up to the sky; showing that she has no signal. This plays into the isolation trope, and may be directly linked to it - it is portraying the character as alone and helpless, as she cannot contact anyone who is not directly near her (and as such, probably in danger).
Finally, the opening scene to Wrong Turn is, in many ways, the most conventional out of all those looked at so far. It opens with an establishing shot; setting the location as a forest. This, again, plays into the isolated location convention. Two characters are shown rock climbing, and one reaches the top; he is killed offscreen (another convention; character dying in the first 5 minutes). The other character feels his blood drip onto her face, and begins being pulled up the mountain; she cuts her rope and falls. After getting up, she runs through the forest (POV shots, shaky camera), and sees her car in the distance (convention, gives the audience false hope and snatches it away). Right as she gets to it, she trips over (convention, gives antagonist chance to catch up and increases sense of urgency) some barbed wire presumably set up by the antagonist, and is dragged off and, again, killed off screen. The ambiguity as to who/what is killing the characters in the opening scene is in itself a convention; this once subtle and clever technique has been adapted and rehashed in many films by now, as people fear the unknown. It allows the individual audience members to invent their own idea of what the antagonist may be, or how the people were killed; typically, the one that the individual would find the most unsettling.
Upon the climax of the opening being reached, the camera shots become wild and frantic; at one point, there are 6 different cuts within about 1 second. This increases the speed of the film itself, making the audience experience the sense of urgency conveyed within the female character.
In addition, the female character wears rather revealing clothing (notably unsuitable for rock-climbing). This is possibly to add sex appeal. However, another interpretation is that her clothes convey how vulnerable she is. Through how much skin she is showing, she is portrayed as weak and unprotected.
Overall I think this essay could have gone better. I feel as if I struggled to focus at some parts while writing this; as such, I could have been more coherent at points (particularly the first and second paragraphs). I feel as if I could have wrote more about Dead Mary if I went into detail about the foreshadowing (flare gun) and the attention to detail (for example, the gas station sign tying in to the isolation), and the possible symbolism of the chain at the beginning (chains, trapped, etc). In addition, I should have put more effort into noting the similarities between the films, outside of the isolation convention. It feels like this essay could have been a higher quality, had I wrote it at a more appropriate time where I would be able to focus. However, I believe that what points I did develop, I developed in detail; for example, the effects/reasons of an isolated location. If I developed other conventions to the same extent that I developed this one, I feel that the essay would have been a higher quality overall, and that it would have paved the way for me to be more concise and avoid repeating myself. In addition, I should have used more detailed terminology with regards to camera shots/movements. In conclusion, this essay was not done to a particularly high standard, and I think that with correct time management/mindset I can do better.
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