Consideration Of Representation In Your Film And Stereotyping

When looking at horror films, there are certain stereotypes that we expect to see when watching them.

One stereotype that we expect to see is for the antagonist to have their identity hidden and are normally shown as an old woman who can sometimes be linked to a witch / curse to enforce power between the characters. Within my film their aren't many stereotypes within my film that our audience would expect to see. However, there are some stereotypes that we would expect to see within a film.

I have used a young character as the protagonist so that i can show them to be vulnerable within the setting they are in. I have shown this through the clothes he is wearing (his school clothes) which tell us that he is still at school and is a teenager. I am also going to show him to be quite timid by sharp and sudden movements to show that he is frightened.

Another stereotype of a horror film is that we expect it to be set in a home or a mansion. This therefore allows the audience to relate to the scenario and involves them more within the scene. Having my film set in an ordinary home will make the scenarios within the setting seem paranormal and unusual to allow the audience to relate to the environment that the film is set in, therefore making the film more scary.

I have chosen to film my film at dusk. This is a stereotype of a horror film as we normally link the idea of the night to the idea of seeing ghosts and this is when the audience is more likely to watch the film so they are more freaked out by what they are watching. Filming it at dusk will also mean that it is not too dark that the lighting is terrible and we cannot see clearly the scenery and what is happening within the scene. However, filming at dusk means that we can see the setting and we also get the affect that it is getting towards the evening.