Research into Existing Products- Codes and Conventions of the genres.

To gain knowledge of audience expectations, I researched the generic codes & conventions of all the possible genres i could use: a) Romantic Comedy b) Horror, and c) Thriller.

Romantic Comedies are films with light-hearted and comical storylines that usually focus around the relationship of some couple romantically linked.
-Storyline conventions: Typical "Rom-coms" or Romantic comedies, usually follow the story of 2 protagonists who meet and are attracted to one another, but for some reason are split apart. The rest of the film follows their realisation that they are meant to be together and their efforts to reconcile. Although it is not always the case that they end up together, more often than not the films have a happy ending.
-Romantic comedies have been known to follow the Cinderella Story format. Like the fairytale, they tend to look at differences between class, aswell as 'true love'. This attracts the typical female viewer, who idealises the fairytale format of a prince charming who sweeps the girl off her feet.
-Lighting is an important element in recognising the genre of Romantic Comedy. Throughout, lighting is usually bright, and natural looking. This coincides with the light-hearted nature of the film.
-The Font in the opening credits is also a tell-tale sign. It could be fancy, or include decorations with the themese of love, or weddings.

Examples of Romantic Comedies include:

1. Notting Hill (1999)
   
2. Love, Actually (2003)
3. Pretty Woman (1990)
4. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
5. Along Came Polly (2004)

Horror films are designed to frighten and panic an audience, causing dread and alarm, invoking our hidden fears in order to captivate and entertain an audience. They often conclude in a terrifying shocking finale.
-Horrors tend to deal with our fears, such as:

• vunerability
  
• alienation
• revulsions
• terror of the unknown
• fear of death
• loss of identity
• fear of sexuality
• nightmares

-They often adopt a gothic style, using spooky settings such as old mansions or castles and can use 'unknown' supernatural or grotesque characters such as vampires, madmen or devils.
-Whereas in a romantic comedy, lighting tends to be more bright, horrors can use darker and more subdued lighting to give an air of mystery, or to build tension.
-Horror movies have a tendency to use symbolic images to frighten or scare. Some examples of these, used throughout the history of horror films include:

• haunted house
  
• symbols of death
  
• disfigured face/mask
  
• screaming victim
  
• phallic murder weapon e.g. knife, stake
  
• binary oppositions of good and evil
• dark places where the 'monster' lurks
• blood and bodily parts

Examples of horor films include:

1. The Ring (2002)
   
2. Gothika (2003)
   
3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
4. The Amityville Horror (1979)
5. Final Destination (2000)

Thrillers are the final possible genre choice, and the choice i've chosen to work with. A broad genre of film, Thrillers are characterized by fast paced, frequent action and can break off into a range of subgenres:

• Action Thriller e.g. James Bond
• Conspiracy Thriller e.g. The Chancellor Manuscript
• Crime Thriller e.g. Reservoir Dogs
• Disaster Thriller e.g The Day after Tomorrow
• Drama Thriller e.g. The Interpreter
• Erotic Thriller e.g. Fatal Attraction
• Legal Thriller e.g. A Time to Kill
• Medical Thriller
• Political Thriller e.g. The Manchurian Candidate
• Psychological Thriller e.g. Shadow of a Doubt
• Spy Thriller e.g. The Bourne Identity
• Religious Thriller e.g. The Da Vinci Code
• Techno Thriller

-Thrillers are intended to do what they say: promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension.

-The plot is designed to keep you on the edge of your seats, and build to a climax. The tension normally arises when the main character is put in a dangerous situation, or a plot goes wrong, and their life is consequently threatened. The remainder of the film invlolves the characters coming into conflict with each other, and outside forces.

-Characters in thrillers normally take the form of: convicts, criminals, stalkers, assassins, down-on-their-luck losers, innocent victims (often on the run), prison inmates, menaced women, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, terrorists, cops and escaped cons, fugitives, private eyes, drifters, duplicitious individuals, people involved in twisted relationships, world-weary men and women, psycho-fiends, and more.

-Themes include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder.