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Semantics and syntactics

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Jonathan Driver
Jonathan Driver

This document summarizes key elements of the horror genre from both a semantic and syntactic perspective. Semantically, it identifies common costumes, props, colors, characters, and sounds used in horror films. Syntactically, it provides examples of common narrative structures, such as a woman becoming possessed or a group of teenagers being killed one by one on a camping trip. Overall, the document discusses conventions and relationships that create expectations for the audience when watching trailers and films in the horror genre.

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Genre Research: Horror Semantic and Syntactic
Semantic The conventions of the genre that communicate with the audience. • Costume - Dark/ washed-out, worn out, plain. • Props: Weapons – knives, chainsaws, baseball bats, guns. Candles, religious items. • Colours – Blacks, whites, pale/washed-out, reds. • Characters – Antagonist, Protagonist. • Sounds – High pitched screeches, eerie music, screams.
Syntactic The relations between the elements and the structure of narratives in genres. A woman goes from being to perfectly well to feeling slightly ill. She then gets worse over a rapid period of time and starts to act differently until others around her realise she is possessed. A group of teenagers go on a camping trip in the woods and then a murderer comes for them one by one.
When an audience watches a trailer they expect to see something scary and be able to understand the narrative. When they go to see the film they expect it to be scary and be more than the trailer, but understand the entire narrative. Each genre has a repertoire. These are aspects of a genre that everyone expects to see in the movie. All trailers aim to create an Enigma, which is a sense of mystery, so the trailer needs to give enough information to entice an audience, without revealing the twists in the plot.

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Semantics and syntactics

  • 1. Genre Research: Horror Semantic and Syntactic
  • 2. Semantic The conventions of the genre that communicate with the audience. • Costume - Dark/ washed-out, worn out, plain. • Props: Weapons – knives, chainsaws, baseball bats, guns. Candles, religious items. • Colours – Blacks, whites, pale/washed-out, reds. • Characters – Antagonist, Protagonist. • Sounds – High pitched screeches, eerie music, screams.
  • 3. Syntactic The relations between the elements and the structure of narratives in genres. A woman goes from being to perfectly well to feeling slightly ill. She then gets worse over a rapid period of time and starts to act differently until others around her realise she is possessed. A group of teenagers go on a camping trip in the woods and then a murderer comes for them one by one.
  • 4. When an audience watches a trailer they expect to see something scary and be able to understand the narrative. When they go to see the film they expect it to be scary and be more than the trailer, but understand the entire narrative. Each genre has a repertoire. These are aspects of a genre that everyone expects to see in the movie. All trailers aim to create an Enigma, which is a sense of mystery, so the trailer needs to give enough information to entice an audience, without revealing the twists in the plot.