Conventional shots of the Horror Genre

Close up shows very little background and concentrates on either the face or the detail of mise-en-scene.  It magnifies the importance of the face and makes the audience feel close to the character. In a horror movie it can be used to get in to the characters mind set, or perhaps use it to introduce the antagonist (standing behind the character) and scare the audience, as the character wouldn't be aware or anyone's presence behind.

 

 

 

Extreme long shot  can be taken from a very far distance and is generally used to establish a location. Usually used in Horror to show figures hiding in the shadows far away - there is enough detail used to hint that there is someone there but not enough to  show the identity of the figure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reaction shot shows a person’s face listening or reacting to something, in Horror it is typically used after eg. the antagonist jumps out and scares the character. It is very close to the face - being this close to such raw emotion gives the audience a sense of being part of the story. Also, because the viewer doesn't see what the character does, the reaction shot gives the audience an idea of how they should feel - whether to be frightened or whether to laugh.

 

 

 

Extreme close up could be intimate and mysterious. It makes the audience feel very uncomfortable because of the short distance between the camera and the character. This type of shot is very good to use in Horrors as it allows the audience to see how the character feels and focuses on specific facial expressions or eye movement when something that might frighten the character is about to happen.This allows the audience to see the persons eyes moving in certain directions eg. if a person is in a quiet place and they hear a sound, their eyes detect and reveal where the sound is coming from.