There are many different genres of film which include horror, science fiction, comedy, romance, teen, action and crime.
Horror films are made to cause the audience to feel frightened and scared and to evoke their hidden worst fears. These films are meant to be captivating and entertaining while still creating suspense and dread. They often have a character(s) which cause all of the mysterious happenings to occur and are the reason that bad things happen in the movie. These films are often targeted for teenagers and older people as they contain images that are disturbing for younger children. They are also created to purposely frighten people which teenagers and older people generally find entertaining.
One example of a horror film is Insidious. In the opening scene the first thing you see is a pink light shade which comes on the screen with some credits appearing over the top of this. These titles and credits appear in a striking blood red colour which most horror films generally seem to do as well as using different fonts and effects to give the audience an idea of what type of film this will be in the first few seconds of the opening. This colour is also used as a warning as most people associate the colour red with danger and so know from the very beginning that this is going to be a horror. The camera angle then change so the light shade is seen as the right way up an not upside down. You then see the rest of the room as the camera angle changes so it is now looking down which is where you see a young boy sleeping in a bed in a plain room with a bed side table to the left of him with a nightlight on and a few other things around it. The camera is at a high angle here which shows how vulnerable and powerless the little boy is in his room. You can tell he is going to be the main protagonist for the film as he is the first character shown on screen. The camera then moves down before panning away from the young child where you see a little more of his room before it goes into a different room which is when a sinister soundtrack suddenly starts playing. Playing creepy music is another generic thing that horror films tend to do as it sets the right atmosphere for the audience that this is a horror and establishes the genera to them. In a window that is directly opposite the viewer you see the shadow of a person which suddenly moves away with the camera to another room which is where you see the face of a mysterious woman illuminated by a candle light. This shot is done at eye level so the audience are face to face with the woman and that makes it seem like she is directly at you. Horror films often give you an idea of who the supernatural or possessed person will be in the movie. This then gives them an idea of who will be causing the terror in the film and an insight of how they might act. The camera moves closer and closer to the woman until there is not much distance between you and her which is when the screen goes black and quiet when suddenly in big red letters the title comes up with sinister music to accompany it. The use of having no dialogue in the opening makes the film seem more sinister and creepy as all you can here is the soundtrack which is playing in the background, this is deliberately creepy to give of a sinister atmosphere in the opening. Also the use of different angles like the high angle shows how helpless the young boy is to all the supernatural things going on in the house and shows how later on in the film he will be powerless against these things. Seeing the woman towards the end of the opening gives the audience a sense of who the supernatural being is that will be causing all the trouble to this little boy and his family and gives a sense of what the film will be like.
Science fiction films are designed with fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science for example extra-terrestrial life forms, alien worlds and time travel. These types of film tend to interest a wide range of audiences as it is aimed towards both genders and a varied age range.
An example of a science fiction film is Gravity. At the beginning of the opening you see the company logo come up before some text comes up on the screen. In science fiction films it is often hard to tell what is going on as the equipment used is meant to be things from the future which we as the audience wont recognise, so the use of text of dialogue helps us get a sense of what is happening. Dramatic music is played along with the text before the title appears on the screen. The music then goes as you see a long shot of the earth, this is typical of a science fiction film is the use of a long shot to create an establishment of where the film is talking place. In this case you see it used to show Earth the audience know that this film is taking place in space and not on a planet. You can also see from the use of this shot a space ship which tells the audience that the film will be to do with astronauts. When the spaceship comes into view you hear dialogue which helps the audience to understand what is going on. Another shot that is often used in science fiction films is the close up. This is used so the audience can see all the different bits of technology that aren't recognisable to them but help them to understand the different futuristic pieces of equipment. In the opening to Gravity you see a close up of one of the astronauts which gives a sense of the sought of technology is in this film. You also a little later on see a close up of the space ship which again gives the audience a sense that this is a science fiction film and that the technology is from the future.
Comedy films are created to make people laugh and feel happy and the main emphasis in this sort of film is humour. This is done by making the audience laugh through amusement and they often exaggerates the characters for humorous effect. These types of films are often directed towards families and teenagers as they are amusing and cause people to laugh. Younger children tend to love these films as they find them entertaining and families often do as well. 
An example of a comedy film is Run Fatboy Run. In the opening you see him dressed up smartly in a room looking very panicked which is when another man comes in to try and settle his nervous but only makes it worse. He leaves Dennis for a few minuets and when he returns Dennis is gone and he is seen running away down the street. You then see his family and his pregnant fiancée on the street calling after him to come back but he doesn't listen and just keeps running. This is an example of a comical situation which is something comedies tend to use a lot in film openings. The fact that it is him running away out of nerves and not his fiancee is seen as funny as it is often the woman who is seen having cold feet and not the man. The way it is filmed as well with the light cheerful music in the background and the expression on his face also heightens the sense that this is a comedy to the audience. This then transitions into a shot of his feet running and the title appears on the screen. The camera then moves up and you realise that this is him 5 years later and he is a security guard chasing down a woman that has stolen from the shop that he works at. Another convection of a comedy film is using bright public spaces for filming. This is so if something occurs to a character it is seen as more embarrassing to them which causes the incident to be funny to the audience than if it had happened at home where no one else would have witnessed it. You then see him tackle the woman down to the floor and retrieve the items the woman has stolen before returning back to the shop. Another aspect of comedy films is that they are filmed in a naturalistic way so no character is seen as more important that another. You see this when he is tackling the woman, although he is a security guard and is more important than the woman they are both filmed at the same angle so neither looks more important than the other. While Denis is chasing the woman down you can hear in the background up beat music being played. This is often used in comedies especially where something comical is occurring as it emphasises the humour of the scene to the audience and makes it more funny to watch.
Romance films are about two people that want to be/are in a relationship. These types of films tend to focus on passion and emotion and the romantic involvement of the main characters. It tends to show their journey to find true love and how their love is strong and pure. These types of films are generally aimed at girls aged 13 upwards as they tend to find these types of films captivating and sweet, while guys tend to find them boring and mushy.
Action films are films in which the protagonist ends up in a series of challenges that often involve violence, combat and frantic chases. These films are often aimed at older people as young children often find them disturbing with all the violence involved in them. Teenage boys especially like these films as they include violence and are exciting which is what draws them too the film.
An example of an action film is Pirates of the Caribbean-Dead Man's Chest. At the beginning of the film you have a shot of some calm water with helps to indicate to the audience that this film is going to mainly be at sea. The title then appears over the top in golden letters before the screen goes black and you see a close shot of some crockery getting soaked in the rain. You see various close shots of things getting soaked by the rain like the sheet music on the music stand before you see a young girl kneeling down in the rain holding a bouquet of flowers. She is obviously wearing a wedding dress and the way all of these shots are calmly down it gives the audience a suspense that something major is about to occur. This scene then cuts to one with many soldiers on boats sailing towards shore and you can hear fast paced music playing in the background. The music used in these films are often fast paced as it tells the audience that something exciting is happening which gets them anxious for the action. You then see a long shot which shows all the boats sailing in and gives an idea to the audience where this film is taking place. As the soldiers brake shore you see them rapidly getting out of the boats and running across the beach. This is demonstrated in fast paced shots with a lot of movement going on which is another typical feature of an action film. It shows all the action going on and shows the audience the chaos which is occurring on screen. You then see all the soldiers matching in uniform towards the girl and being lined up on shore. You then cut to seeing them searching through houses before one bring out some shackles. You finally return to the girl who you see run towards the chained up man before she asks 'Why is this happening?'.
Some of the things film companies tend to do to attract audience to watch a film is the through the use of film trailers. These are created to give people an idea of what the film will be about and give them enough footage to captivate them and make them want to go and see the film without giving to much of the plot away. These also help make awareness to people about what films are coming and give them the opportunity to go and see them. Another thing they tend to do is create posters which you often find advertised on busses, billboards and other places around cities to attract peoples attention and show to them what films are coming out soon. These advertisements often appear on social media and across the Internet as well considering the vast majority of people they are aimed at will see them there.
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