Favourite Genres and their Conventions

My First favourite Genre would be Action. There are many reasons for this but most are due to the conventions linked to this genre. The main conventions for me is the fact that in every action film a mission or objective of some sort has to be completed. This then gives me excitement and hope that by the end of the film it will be complete.

Another convention would be of course the wide variations of weapons. From Guns,RPGs and Grenades, to Blades, Baseball bats or even Spears this keeps action films full of explosions and creates the usual conflict between two sides being the good and the bad.

One of the most common conventions in action films would be the outbursts in settings. Sudden outbreaks through doors, windows and walls keep me awake and ready for anything to happen. This is why action is one of my favourite Genre's.

Some of my favourite Action films are: Kick-ass,Avatar and The Dark Knight.

My next favourite genre is comedy. A convention in this genre would be the lighting. Lighting in comedy films are usually very bright and of different colours to show happiness. This goes the same for the setting so we see what's going on and to create a realistic environment.

Another conventions is the use of diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound. Diegetic sound refers to the sound in film and dialogue between characters. This will need to be loud and clear as the dialogue is one of the most important features of a comedy film in making people laugh. Non-diegetic sound refers to any sound effects that might be added i.e (the whistle type sound when someone is falling from somewhere high). This is added to put an emphasis on certain scenes in the film.

Some of my favourite comedy films are: Superbad, Napoleon Dynamite & House Party.


Another one of my favourite genres is Horror which has many conventions commonly used across all films. The main convention is the setting. They are usually set in small communities or isolated places, urban environments such as large cities,places with dark histories such as haunted houses or an insane asylum.

Their camera work is often very unnatural as it's shot from high and low angles to create fear and unease. POV shots are also used quite often to allow the audience to see through the eyes of a character fearing for their life. It allows the audience to experience what the character is going through. They may also use extreme close ups of the persons's face to express their emotion.

They use low-key lighting and shadows along with the colours black and red to create a dark,evil atmosphere. The use of props is a very common convention as well in terms of weapons. Chainsaws,machetes or axes are the usual props that give the audience an idea of how brutal the death of a character will be. Also the use of masks and the idea of a hidden face creates a sense of fear as the characters don't know who and what they are up against

Some of my favourite horror films are: Insidious, Sinister and Cabin in the woods