Research: Teen Horror

Research is vital to this unit as you need to understand the forms and conventions of teen horror BEFORE you can plan your own production. Definition of Teen Horror: horror can deal with the mundane or the supernatural, with the fantastic or the normal. It doesn't have to be full of ghosts, ghouls, and things to go bump in the night. Its only true requirement is that it elicits an emotional reaction that includes some aspect of fear or dread.

Can you name these teen horrors?

Conventions of Teen Horror: The final girl A villain A deed or wrong-doing which starts the chain of events A cautionary tale Fear Suspense Atmospheric music and sound effects Your blog must contain two research tasks as a bare minimum and these are outlined on the next two pages.

Research: Task 1 - Aspects of Teen Horror

Independently research 5 teen horror texts. You are required to have a minimum of 5 independently researched teen horror texts which you analyse for research purposes (see suggested reading list for help). These must be posted to your blog with additional graphics and video/audio where appropriate. In class we will analyse Scream. It is fine for this to count as one of your 5 texts as you will write an analytical essay on this as an introduction to the unit. Within this research you must include the following for every text you analyse: Institutional information: title, director, year, Production Company, company where made, box office return/ success (this can be gathered from IMDB). Explain how the analysis will inform the planning of your own production. Brief notes on the intended target audience (dont just write teens!) with information on audience reception (how successful was it with their target audience again this is available on IMDB). Identify the codes and conventions used, to demonstrate your understanding of the genre. It is advisable that you concentrate on one particular element of mise-en-scene within your analysis: Camera movement Camera angles Lighting Editing Costume Props

You could also choose to look specifically at narrative or the use of sound. An analysis does not have to be of the entire text, as youre making the opening sequence to a teen horror, some research into effective openings will be a good starting point. As your research progresses you may wish to look at texts in their entirety so you can learn how to engage your audience and make them want to watch beyond the opening sequence.

Avoid regurgitating the plot. Using too much description of what happens is a big no-no. Concentrate on the use of techniques for higher marks.