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Detailed analysis of similar product

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DarcyB16

This document analyzes the cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing, sound, and other technical elements used in a horror film trailer. It discusses how shots are framed and composed to establish mood, build tension, and elicit fear in viewers. Specific techniques highlighted include high angles to make characters seem small and vulnerable, empty space left in shots to suggest something may enter, harsh lighting used on a character's face, period costumes that connote death, matched cuts between disturbing images, and diegetic screams to indicate terror. The analysis shows an understanding of effective horror conventions and how they excite audiences.

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Detailed Analysis of Similar product Camerawork The purpose of my analysisistoidentifyeffectivemise-en-scene,camerawork,soundandediting.In identifyingthese differentelementsIshouldbe able toimplementthemintomyownhorrortrailer. Thisestablishingshotshowsthe imposingnature of the house,withinthe same shotthiscausesthe protagonist(Daniel Radcliffe)toseeminsignificantandweak. Soimmediatelywe see apower structure,the house beingthe more powerfulpresence inthisshotbecause of itsphysical size.The house itself isdilapidatedandrundown,forexample the collapsedirongates. Furthermore this connotesthatthe house is isolatedandabandoned.These factorsaddtothe mysterious,unnerving nature of the house.The compositionof thisshotalsohelpsdisplayconventionof the horrorgenre. The mistyovercastweatherhelpspromote the eerie atmospheresthatsurround the locationsinso manyhorror films. Thishighwide angle hasplacedRadcliffe inthe farleftthirdof the shot;thishelpsthe audience see the directionof the footsteps,addingtothisithelpsshow thatthe protagonistsisbackedupintoa wall whichemphasisesasense of claustrophobiaandperil.The highangle itself alsodisplays Radcliffe asweakandvulnerable.The positionof Radcliffe inthe leftthirdleavesemptyspace tothe rightof the screen.Thisemptyspace leadsthe audience tobelievethatsomethingmayjumpoutat any time,thishasan exhilaratingeffectonthe audience andiscommoninhorror films.
Thisis a screenshotof a canted,lowangle mid-shot.The shotof the protagonistlookingbackwards givesthe impressionthatsomebodyishuntinghim.The veryconceptof thisiscommonfor a horror filmbecause thisinstallsfear incharacterand therefore the audience.The cantedlowerangle mid- shotconnotesa firstpersonviewpointof the attacker,thistype of shotis sure to thrill the audience because itbuildssuspense astowhetherthisattackerwill claimitsvictimorwhetherthe victimwill escape.Thisperspectivealsoallowsthe audiencetosee the fearonthe protagonistsface.All of these aspectshelpthe filmbecomeamore exhilaratingexperience. Mise-en-scene (Setting) Thisis an extreme wideshot;ithelpsdisplaythe isolationof the settingandthe vast,openbeach like plains.Ithasbecome clearthatthe protagonistisfromLondon this suggeststhatthissparsely populated,rural environmentiswell beyondhiscomfortzone of the city. The greyandblack colours of the landscape create ableak and unsettlingfeeltothe location. Thistype settingisconventional inhorror films.Thisshothasalso beenpositionedsothe audience cansee the woodlandareainthe distance,because thisseemstobe the onlyfeature onthe landscape itcausesthisobjecttoseem veryominous.The viewfrombehindthe caralso emphasisesthe long,windingroadtheyare
travelingon.Once again,thisdisplayshow isolatedthe destinationisandhow farit isaway from civilisation.Thisaddstothe terrifyingconceptof thisfilm. Mise-en-scene (Props) The props featuredinthisshotare axe and a candle.These objectsimplyseveral things.Tobegin withthe candle indicatesthe kindof erathisfilmisbasedin,one thatmay be Victorianor Edwardian.Candlesare acommon propin stereotypical horrors,theyhave gothicsinister connotations,addingtothistensioncanbe builteasilyif the candle isextinguishedandthe victimis suddenly putindarkness.The axe alsohasconnotationsof goryviolence,oftenassociatedwith horror. These sortsof bluntforce weaponsveryconventional forthe genre.Furthermore they indicate thatthe protagonistisobviouslyscaredandhastryingto defend himself againstthis unnatural force. Mise-en-scene (Lighting) Thismid-shotfeatures veryharsh,highkeywhitelightiscastoverthe majorityof Radcliffe’sface. Thisharsh lightwashesoutthe rightside of hisfeatures,whileatthe same time the leftside of each feature isputin shadow.Asa whole thiscreatesa“deercaught inheadlights”effect,becausethe lightingexposes hisfrightenedexpressiontothe audience.Thishigh-keylightingisof greatcontrast
to the low-keylightingthatisusedformostof the trailer,sobecause of thisitmakesthe audience wantto knowwhat iscastingthislight;thiscreatessuspense. Mise-en-scene (costume) The costume wornby Radcliffe once againreflectthe archaic,perhapsVictorianerawithinwhich thisisset.The dark,black coat and the majorityof hisattire isin fact black.Thiscolourof clothing has connotationsof a funeral ordeath.Asa resultof thisit tiesineffectivelywiththe negative and horrificeventsthatthischaracteris subjectedto.Thisdarkcolourisveryconventional forthe genre because of the explainedconnotationsthatitcarries. The audience mayinterpretdifferentconnotationsfromthe white gownswornbythese children. White hasimplicationsof purityand peace,sothiscan be contrastedwiththe blackcostume worn by Radcliffe.Havingsaidthisthe vacantunnervingexpressionsonthe facesof the three children suggestthattheyare sinisterinsome way,orantagonists.The blankexpressionsandwhite gowns
conflictwitheachotherbecause the costumescreate aninnocentlookingcharacterhoweverthe expressionsdisplaythattheyare evil. Editing The cut fromthisshotof a crude grave to Radcliffe face impliessome aspectsaboutthe character and plot.The firstcut of the grave is verystereotypical forthisgenre because gravesand monumentsof similarpurposeare oftenkeytoestablishingachillingatmosphere thatiscommonin horror. The fact that thisshothas beenusedinthe trailersuggeststhatthe grave itself maybe pivotal tothe narrative of the film.Thisalsosuggeststhatthe protagonistisheadingintoa place of great danger.Furthermore thisalsoindicatesanobviousrepresentationof deathinthe trailer. The secondcut to the concernedexpressionof Radcliffe ashe seesthe crossshowsthat he may be regrettingwhere he isheadingtobecause of the verynegativedenotationsthatagrave has. Adding to thisit alsosetsup the conceptthat the destinationhe isheadingtomayalso be verydangerous.
The shallowfocusalsohelpsussee Radcliffe’sexpression. Addingtothisthe cut fromthese shotsis veryslow;thisallowsthe audience totake inthe setting.Thistechnique alsobuildstension. The firstshot isa midshotof Radcliffe lightingamatch,the cameralingersonthe lightingof the match. Thisisverytense because the audience isalmostlulledintoa sense of ease throughthe simple action of lightingamatchhoweverajumpscare isachievedwhenaveryfastcut to the over the shouldershotof the deadchildcoveredinmud.The suddencut to thisfrighteningcharacteris whatmakesthe audience jump.This effectivetechnique isalmostalwaysemployedinhorror.Italso makesfora more excitingexperience.The lightfromthe matchalsohelpsshadow andlightupthe boy’sface,makinghimseemevenmore terrifying.
The nexttwo cutsdemonstrate the powerof the three girlsinthe secondcut.The firstcut however isa close upof one of the childrensteppingonadoll.Thisveryoddbecause youwouldnotexpecta childto stepontheirownpossessions.Havingsaidthis,fromthisshotthe audiencecandeduce that these three charactersare not whotheyseemto be and that theyare sinister.Itisnotuncommon for childrentofeature asantagonistsina horrorfilm.Theyare oftenusedas evil charactersbecause childrenare consideredtobe innocentandkind;usingthem asevil beingsbreaksthisconvention and thisiswhyit’seffective. Sound
Duringthese two scenesof thistrailera harp isplayinggentlyinthe background,the harphelpsto emphasise the mysterioushouse anditssetting,the establishingshot throughthe treesalsoshows thishouse ina mysteriouslight.Thismusicisslow andbecomesmore complex asthe trailer progresses.Thisprogressionbuildstensionsandanticipationforthe restof the trailer. Once Radcliffe entersthe house the harpstopsanda deeperviolinbeginsplaying.Thishelpsto signifythatat thispointinthe trailerthe,the settinghastakena darkerturn. Thismusicstops completelyasRadcliffe spinsthe zoetrope,onlythismachine’sclickingcanbe heard.Thisuse of silence isextremelycommoninhorrorfilms,becauseitisoftenusedjustbefore ajumpscare or to justbuildtension.
Thismid-shotof three people usesasoundthat isone of the mostconventional diegeticsoundsin horror, a scream.Thissoundsignifiesthatsomethingterrifyinghashappenedora distressingevent has happened.A screampunctuateseventsinthe trailerandhelpsthe audienceconnectwiththe emotional distressof the charactersinvolved. Thisconnectionwiththe audience iswhatmakes it effective.

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Detailed analysis of similar product

  • 1. Detailed Analysis of Similar product Camerawork The purpose of my analysisistoidentifyeffectivemise-en-scene,camerawork,soundandediting.In identifyingthese differentelementsIshouldbe able toimplementthemintomyownhorrortrailer. Thisestablishingshotshowsthe imposingnature of the house,withinthe same shotthiscausesthe protagonist(Daniel Radcliffe)toseeminsignificantandweak. Soimmediatelywe see apower structure,the house beingthe more powerfulpresence inthisshotbecause of itsphysical size.The house itself isdilapidatedandrundown,forexample the collapsedirongates. Furthermore this connotesthatthe house is isolatedandabandoned.These factorsaddtothe mysterious,unnerving nature of the house.The compositionof thisshotalsohelpsdisplayconventionof the horrorgenre. The mistyovercastweatherhelpspromote the eerie atmospheresthatsurround the locationsinso manyhorror films. Thishighwide angle hasplacedRadcliffe inthe farleftthirdof the shot;thishelpsthe audience see the directionof the footsteps,addingtothisithelpsshow thatthe protagonistsisbackedupintoa wall whichemphasisesasense of claustrophobiaandperil.The highangle itself alsodisplays Radcliffe asweakandvulnerable.The positionof Radcliffe inthe leftthirdleavesemptyspace tothe rightof the screen.Thisemptyspace leadsthe audience tobelievethatsomethingmayjumpoutat any time,thishasan exhilaratingeffectonthe audience andiscommoninhorror films.
  • 2. Thisis a screenshotof a canted,lowangle mid-shot.The shotof the protagonistlookingbackwards givesthe impressionthatsomebodyishuntinghim.The veryconceptof thisiscommonfor a horror filmbecause thisinstallsfear incharacterand therefore the audience.The cantedlowerangle mid- shotconnotesa firstpersonviewpointof the attacker,thistype of shotis sure to thrill the audience because itbuildssuspense astowhetherthisattackerwill claimitsvictimorwhetherthe victimwill escape.Thisperspectivealsoallowsthe audiencetosee the fearonthe protagonistsface.All of these aspectshelpthe filmbecomeamore exhilaratingexperience. Mise-en-scene (Setting) Thisis an extreme wideshot;ithelpsdisplaythe isolationof the settingandthe vast,openbeach like plains.Ithasbecome clearthatthe protagonistisfromLondon this suggeststhatthissparsely populated,rural environmentiswell beyondhiscomfortzone of the city. The greyandblack colours of the landscape create ableak and unsettlingfeeltothe location. Thistype settingisconventional inhorror films.Thisshothasalso beenpositionedsothe audience cansee the woodlandareainthe distance,because thisseemstobe the onlyfeature onthe landscape itcausesthisobjecttoseem veryominous.The viewfrombehindthe caralso emphasisesthe long,windingroadtheyare
  • 3. travelingon.Once again,thisdisplayshow isolatedthe destinationisandhow farit isaway from civilisation.Thisaddstothe terrifyingconceptof thisfilm. Mise-en-scene (Props) The props featuredinthisshotare axe and a candle.These objectsimplyseveral things.Tobegin withthe candle indicatesthe kindof erathisfilmisbasedin,one thatmay be Victorianor Edwardian.Candlesare acommon propin stereotypical horrors,theyhave gothicsinister connotations,addingtothistensioncanbe builteasilyif the candle isextinguishedandthe victimis suddenly putindarkness.The axe alsohasconnotationsof goryviolence,oftenassociatedwith horror. These sortsof bluntforce weaponsveryconventional forthe genre.Furthermore they indicate thatthe protagonistisobviouslyscaredandhastryingto defend himself againstthis unnatural force. Mise-en-scene (Lighting) Thismid-shotfeatures veryharsh,highkeywhitelightiscastoverthe majorityof Radcliffe’sface. Thisharsh lightwashesoutthe rightside of hisfeatures,whileatthe same time the leftside of each feature isputin shadow.Asa whole thiscreatesa“deercaught inheadlights”effect,becausethe lightingexposes hisfrightenedexpressiontothe audience.Thishigh-keylightingisof greatcontrast
  • 4. to the low-keylightingthatisusedformostof the trailer,sobecause of thisitmakesthe audience wantto knowwhat iscastingthislight;thiscreatessuspense. Mise-en-scene (costume) The costume wornby Radcliffe once againreflectthe archaic,perhapsVictorianerawithinwhich thisisset.The dark,black coat and the majorityof hisattire isin fact black.Thiscolourof clothing has connotationsof a funeral ordeath.Asa resultof thisit tiesineffectivelywiththe negative and horrificeventsthatthischaracteris subjectedto.Thisdarkcolourisveryconventional forthe genre because of the explainedconnotationsthatitcarries. The audience mayinterpretdifferentconnotationsfromthe white gownswornbythese children. White hasimplicationsof purityand peace,sothiscan be contrastedwiththe blackcostume worn by Radcliffe.Havingsaidthisthe vacantunnervingexpressionsonthe facesof the three children suggestthattheyare sinisterinsome way,orantagonists.The blankexpressionsandwhite gowns
  • 5. conflictwitheachotherbecause the costumescreate aninnocentlookingcharacterhoweverthe expressionsdisplaythattheyare evil. Editing The cut fromthisshotof a crude grave to Radcliffe face impliessome aspectsaboutthe character and plot.The firstcut of the grave is verystereotypical forthisgenre because gravesand monumentsof similarpurposeare oftenkeytoestablishingachillingatmosphere thatiscommonin horror. The fact that thisshothas beenusedinthe trailersuggeststhatthe grave itself maybe pivotal tothe narrative of the film.Thisalsosuggeststhatthe protagonistisheadingintoa place of great danger.Furthermore thisalsoindicatesanobviousrepresentationof deathinthe trailer. The secondcut to the concernedexpressionof Radcliffe ashe seesthe crossshowsthat he may be regrettingwhere he isheadingtobecause of the verynegativedenotationsthatagrave has. Adding to thisit alsosetsup the conceptthat the destinationhe isheadingtomayalso be verydangerous.
  • 6. The shallowfocusalsohelpsussee Radcliffe’sexpression. Addingtothisthe cut fromthese shotsis veryslow;thisallowsthe audience totake inthe setting.Thistechnique alsobuildstension. The firstshot isa midshotof Radcliffe lightingamatch,the cameralingersonthe lightingof the match. Thisisverytense because the audience isalmostlulledintoa sense of ease throughthe simple action of lightingamatchhoweverajumpscare isachievedwhenaveryfastcut to the over the shouldershotof the deadchildcoveredinmud.The suddencut to thisfrighteningcharacteris whatmakesthe audience jump.This effectivetechnique isalmostalwaysemployedinhorror.Italso makesfora more excitingexperience.The lightfromthe matchalsohelpsshadow andlightupthe boy’sface,makinghimseemevenmore terrifying.
  • 7. The nexttwo cutsdemonstrate the powerof the three girlsinthe secondcut.The firstcut however isa close upof one of the childrensteppingonadoll.Thisveryoddbecause youwouldnotexpecta childto stepontheirownpossessions.Havingsaidthis,fromthisshotthe audiencecandeduce that these three charactersare not whotheyseemto be and that theyare sinister.Itisnotuncommon for childrentofeature asantagonistsina horrorfilm.Theyare oftenusedas evil charactersbecause childrenare consideredtobe innocentandkind;usingthem asevil beingsbreaksthisconvention and thisiswhyit’seffective. Sound
  • 8. Duringthese two scenesof thistrailera harp isplayinggentlyinthe background,the harphelpsto emphasise the mysterioushouse anditssetting,the establishingshot throughthe treesalsoshows thishouse ina mysteriouslight.Thismusicisslow andbecomesmore complex asthe trailer progresses.Thisprogressionbuildstensionsandanticipationforthe restof the trailer. Once Radcliffe entersthe house the harpstopsanda deeperviolinbeginsplaying.Thishelpsto signifythatat thispointinthe trailerthe,the settinghastakena darkerturn. Thismusicstops completelyasRadcliffe spinsthe zoetrope,onlythismachine’sclickingcanbe heard.Thisuse of silence isextremelycommoninhorrorfilms,becauseitisoftenusedjustbefore ajumpscare or to justbuildtension.
  • 9. Thismid-shotof three people usesasoundthat isone of the mostconventional diegeticsoundsin horror, a scream.Thissoundsignifiesthatsomethingterrifyinghashappenedora distressingevent has happened.A screampunctuateseventsinthe trailerandhelpsthe audienceconnectwiththe emotional distressof the charactersinvolved. Thisconnectionwiththe audience iswhatmakes it effective.