Horror
A horror film normally contains many obvious and typical generic conventions which help set the mood of the film and help the audience understand the plot better, and these conventions are normally used to strike fear into the audience. Sound is used normally to make people jump and add empathises to the situation that is happening in the scene, normally a soundtrack is used throughout which sets and holds the mood of the film, but also extra sound effects such as screams and bang will be used to make people jump and create fear. Also titles and credits are normally in black are red as these are dark colours which are associated with horror and fear. Another conventions which is almost always present is death, especially if it is near the beginning of the film, if a death occurs near the beginning of the film, especially in a gory way it is most likely a horror film. The lighting in the film will usually be dark throughout, it will normally be set in an isolated dark area such as a forest at night, for example The Blair Witch Project, or in an isolated building or house like in the Saw Movies.
Insidious (2010)
Insidious is a horror film and you can tell that from the very beginning of the title sequence due to many generic conventions found in the clip which are typical of this genre. From the very beginning you can hear very uneasy, scary and unnerving music which sets the mood of the film and the opening, this is typical of the genre horror as it helps the audience understand the mood of the film and the scene. Also throughout the opening the titles and credits are in red and the effects used on them show are similar to blood, this is typical of the genre horror and also hints at what may happen later on in the film. The lighting throughout the opening is also very dark, this is also due to the fact it is in black and white aside from the titles, this gives the opening an air of mystery and adds fear.
Romantic Comedy
A romantic comedy usually has many obvious generic conventions, you can normally tell from the very beginning of a film if it is a romantic comedy or not, this is due to many things. A romantic comedy normally features a couple, and features the narratives of 'True Love' and 'The Perfect Couple' normally it presents to the audience a perfect and also unrealistic portrayal of love in the modern day. Normally modern upbeat pop songs are used along with small clips of music to reflect the mood of the character and help the audience understand how that particular character is feeling. Another theme in a Romantic Comedy is usually overcoming an obstacle, it is rare for a Romantic Comedy with the male and female already being romantically involved with each other, usually they have to overcome an obstacle to be together and essentially 'live happily ever after'. In a film opening of a Romantic Comedy the two main characters which are going to feature are normally shown going about their everyday lives, and normally how they met is shown as well. The film Friends With Benefits shows how the couple have to overcome the fact they don't think they are meant to be together.
Knocked Up (2007)
Knocked up is a Romantic Comedy and the opening credits of this film feature many stereotypical generic conventions that a Romantic Comedy would typically have. For example in the background there is a non-diegetic piece of music playing setting the upbeat tones of the opening and of the film. The titles used in this film opening are very basic and are the colour white, this shows that the audience should be focusing more n the people in the opening as opposed to the titles, also the colour may hint at a wedding in the future of the film. The storyline so far shows the male which will be featuring throughout the film, the opening it used to introduce his character and personality, this is something a lot of Romantic Comedy's tend to do. Also the lighting in this opening is very bright showing how the storyline may be upbeat.
Action
An action film typically has very obvious and straight forward generic conventions, which show the audience that the film is of that genre from the very start of the film in the opening sequence. Normally an action film has a very sinister, tense piece of orchestral music during the opening sequence to accompany the titles of the film, this adds tension and suspending to the beginning of the film, capturing the audience from the very beginning and keep them interested and anticipated for what is going to happen next. Typically an Action film has an antagonist and a protagonist, they are the normally the central story line and the film documents their fight or mission to overcome each other. Typically action films are set in cities, as the hustle and bustle of a city setting usual makes the film more interesting and dramatic, they tend to involve large skyscrapers and car chases. Usually an action film has a 'Damsle in destress' character who is sometimes the centre or interest of both the protagonist and antagonist. Also this female character and the protagonist may have a romantic relationship, this will broaden the type of audience he film will get as more women will be likely to come and see it if there is an under lying romantic storyline.
Batman (1989)
Batman is an action film and is a perfect example of the generic conventions of this genre as it presents a stereo typical action film storyline. The opening of this film is very simple but also very effective as it sets the mood of the film, and gets the audience engaged and interested but also doesn't give much of the rest or the plot of the film away. The opening is a very high and long shot filmed from a helicopter, it is showing the audience the city at night, while the titles of the film appear over the top in a yellow/gol colour, the font of the titles are very plain and original which is rare for an action film as they tend to have very modern, edgy titles, but because this film is slightly older it has more basic titles. The music used in this opening is very dramatic, which helps build tension and is very common for a film opening of this genre, the music builds and peaks when the title of the film appears so the audience are aware.
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