Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Monday, 5 April 2010
'YouTube' links
http://www.youtube.com/user/RJPWA2#p/u/2/FzTAV1oTu0Y
http://fs6.formsite.com/PaulSzebesta/form395034094/index.html
http://fs6.formsite.com/PaulSzebesta/form393521439/index.html
http://fs6.formsite.com/PaulSzebesta/form395967871/index.html
Social networking site inclusion
To offer greater marketing for our film we decided that we would produce a viral marketing campaign through the creation of pages and groups on both ‘facebook’ and ‘twitter’. Both websites are global social networking sites used by a mass audience, which includes those in our target audience. Using online social networking sites like ‘facebook’ or ‘twitter’ to advertise and promote productions is a conventional and popular option in the film industry because of its low cost and huge potential to attract audiences. It only takes a simple click to progress the users interest from looking at the internet page to them wanting to find out information. Also with the ability to subscribe to the groups or account, potential audience members can be updated regularly on the status of the film.
The viral marketing campaign has proved to be a huge success in Hollywood blockbusters such as "The Dark Knight". In this instance, users had to enter details to reveal a pixel of an image. For other pixels to be revealed, others had to sign into the website and enter details until the whole of the image could be seen. Recently "The Fourth Kind" made use of the internet to create false news stories to attract attention to their film.
The groups can be found at the below addresses;
Saturday, 3 April 2010
Monday, 8 March 2010
Analysis of 'Surveillance' trailer
The representation of women in 'Surveillance' fails to comply with stereotypes. The audience see a woman occupying a high authority position in the FBI, she is used to interview the criminals. In contrast to this, a second female character is portrayed as a criminal dealing in drugs. This also fails to comply with the stereotypical representation of female characters as women are conventionally portrayed as victims in films of the horror genre.
However, the little girl is portrayed in a more conventional manner. Similar to ‘Room 1408’, the girl seems to be supernaturally possessed; she has knowledge of the evil and dark activities. Interestingly, the male characters are also represented in an unconventional manner. Although males are used as Police Officers- which is stereotypical as this is a highly authoritative position for male characters, it is usually male characters which take up the dominant positions in society- they are portrayed as unprofessional and represented negatively; this can be illustrated when they are interviewed in relation to the crime. In contrast to this, a male character is depicted more conventionally as he takes up a highly authoritative position in the FBI. The continued contrasts intentionally comply to and break conventions in order to ensure that ‘Surveillance’ is a unique representation of the horror genre and thus make the film memorable.
A flashback is used in the narrative to return to events that the character has already lived but the audience have yet to experience. The use of a flashback is conventional as it allows the audience to understand the narrative and the characters motive behind a certain decision. The flashback returns to the interviewing of the criminals. The camera switches between various events in the film to keep the audience guessing the conclusion of the narrative and the events of the plot. This editing is stereotypical of the horror genre.
Concerning mise en scene, the choice of costume is stereotypical as the Police Officers wear uniforms and the FBI agents wear suits. This not only complies with conventions but also provides a social ladder which the audience can understand as the ‘good guys’ are professional and at the top of the ladder but continue to be undone by the villains, making them seem superior. The villains are depicted negatively through the wearing of black clothing which connotes evil, darkness and ultimately death, this is highly stereotypical for the horror genre. The audience are able to understand the narrative better as a result of the clothing of the characters and their respective positions on the social ladder.
Camerawork used in the teaser trailer is conventional to the horror genre. During the slower parts of the film, the camera pans to follow the action and create tension. The action is also shown through the use of mid shots which is a conventional shot for horrors as it shows most, but not all, of the body. To increase the intensity of the action and heighten tension, close up shots of the characters faces are used show their expressions and illustrate their fear; this is translated to the audience. Low angle shots of the villains are used to highlight their dominance. This is a stereotypical shot in horror films and one that the audience will be familiar with as the villains are seen as the ones with power; the switch of power often changes the course of the narrative.
Fast-paced cuts and jumps are used in ‘Surveillance’ to intensify the situation and create a sense of anxiety for the audience which will ensure that they remain fixed to the action. Insert shots are used in a fast-paced montage showing various pieces of tense action; this is conventional as it attracts the viewer to the film and makes them want to find out the conclusion of the narrative. Various focus pulls are used to switch from one shot to the second and create suspense. An example of this would be when the camera is filming from behind the furniture and almost hiding from the action, this establishes a sense of secrecy, heightening tension and suspense.
The sound used in the trailer is largely non diegetic sound that rises to a climax. The music and instruments were intentionally chosen to increases anxiety and heighten tensions while intensifying the feeling from the audience. The sound is conventional to the horror genre as it is used to scare the viewer. Constant dialogue is also used to create verisimilitude.
Analysis of ‘Red Room’ Poster
As with all posters, the viewer analyses the ‘Red Room’ film poster through the rule of thirds and line of the eye. The reader’s eye begins in the terminal area in the top left-hand of the page with the main actor’s name, ‘Will Piper’. The eye then moves across the line to the name of the supporting actress in the alternative terminal area, ‘Naomi Murphy’, before heading downwards through the tagline of ‘There is no escape...’ This sentence establishes a sense of horror and provides an insight into what the trailer holds in store for the viewer. The use of an ellipsis at the end of the sentence suggests that events have not yet been concluded and the viewer will have to watch the film in order to resolve the plot. This layout is similar to that on the poster of ‘Panic Room’ as the viewer follows a similar line along the name of the main character from one terminal area across to the alternative before heading downwards.
The eye continues down along the line of the edge of the newspaper and finishes in the bottom left-hand terminal area. The colours of light vs dark are binary oppositions, as suggested by Levi-Strauss, contrast to gain effect. This contrast connotes good vs evil, life vs death or heaven vs hell. Furthermore, the bright white colours of the newspaper connote heaven. These colours were intentionally chosen to convey to the psychological horror genre and create a desired effect on the audience, making them want to discover what happens in ‘Red Room’ and why ‘there is no escape...’ Psychological horrors conventionally use lots of dull, dark colours to scare the viewer; we opted to use similar dark colours to comply with conventions but we intentionally lit the centre of the page to provide contrast and highlight the title of the film. The lighting and colours chosen for our own poster was similar to those used on the ‘Panic Room’ film poster.
The final movement of the eye is across the title of the film which uses a red vs white contrast to connote blood and death. They eye finishes in the terminal area in the bottom right-hand corner of the page where the age restriction is conventionally placed. The last thing that the reader views on the page is the titles which mentions the cast, director and production company. This is conventionally placed underneath the title of the film.
Analysis of 'Reel' Magazine
We decided that we would place the masthead mostly in the top left-hand terminal area and allow it to cross into the middle. This design is similar to that used on ‘Sight and Sound’ and was done intentionally as the reader begins viewing the magazine from the top left-hand terminal area before travelling across the masthead through the conventionally placed date and issue number, along the top of the main image and into the second terminal area. The top right-hand terminal area shows a selection of articles, interviews and reviews that are featured inside the magazine. This is conventional as magazines often display inside features on the cover, however we broke conventions through our positioning of the text as stereotypically the text is placed on the left, dominant side of the page as the eye focuses mainly on the left-hand side of the page as demonstrated on the covers of both ‘Sight and Sound’ and ‘Empire’.
We broke conventions in order to gain a desired effect and make our own magazine cover unique. The text itself is conventional of magazine covers, yellow colouring of the sub-heading separates the text and attracts the reader’s attention while the white colours were intentionally chosen as ‘Red Room’ is a psychological horror and in this genre white is a stereotypical colour as it connotes heaven and thus death. The masthead stands out off the page to attract the reader’s attention. It is coloured red and white as they are contrasting colours and ones that relate to all genres of film. As this is a film magazine cover, not just a psychological horror film magazine cover, the colours were intentionally chosen as red may connote romance, love and emotion as well as action, danger and blood. Furthermore, white may connote innocence or purity as well as heaven or emergency. The strip of film was an additional feature to the cover as we felt it created more verisimilitude for the buyer and tied in cleverly with the title of the magazine.
From the top right-hand terminal area, the line of vision takes the eye down through the first hot spot, which in this instance is the edge of the forehead of the character and into the Primary Optical Area (POA). The POA is intentionally lit more heavily than the rest of the magazine cover as this is the spot what the viewer spends the majority of their time looking at. This is also the area which most often will attract the attention of a potential buyer before they begin reading the page. In the POA is the face of the main character of the film, ‘Red Room’. He is conventionally looking away from the camera as he refuses to be objectified and demonstrates his masculinity. This relates to Dyer’s theory of objectification. The face is coloured almost white, this is not only used to provide contrast to the dark background but also to give an insight into the film. As previously mentioned, white lighting connoted heaven and ultimately death. The four hotspots border the characters face and draw the reader’s attention to the POA. The expression of the main character suggests he is scared, the dark background and long path leading away illustrate that he is alone, both conventional devices of the psychological horror genre. The eye is the main focal point of the cover. The eye is the “window to the soul”, often in films of this genre the soul of the innocent is captured by another person or being. This shot is conventional of the genre. Shadows are used on the face to add mystery.
The eye of the reader moves along the line through the hotspot and to the beginning of the title of the main article on the cover, ‘Red Room’. On the dominant side of the page is a feature, the second most important feature of the cover as it is an ‘exclusive interview’. Often ‘exclusive interviews’ are big attractions to readers because of the exclusivity of the interview and possibility of secrets being publicised. The white text of the article separates itself from the yellow of the sub-heading. The eye moves across the film title and the tagline, ‘Piper has no escape’. This is conventional as it provides an insight into the film which taglines are stereotypically used for. The attire of the main character carries over into the film to illustrate continuity. Lastly, at the bottom of the page, the last thing the viewer reads is the additional features section. This gives an insight into the stories and articles inside the magazine, it is conventionally placed as demonstrated on all three of our analysed magazine covers, ‘Empire’, ‘Sight and Sound’ and ‘Total Film’. The eye finishes in the dead area in the bottom right-hand corner of the page with the barcode.
Saturday, 27 February 2010
'Red Room' green screen
Friday, 26 February 2010
Magazine Questionnaire Results
- How old are you?
10-16 (3) 17-25 (7) 36-45 (5) 46-60 (1) 61+ (1)
- What gender are you?
Male (10) Female (10)
- How many times a month, on average, do you read film magazines?
0-1 (5) 2-3 (8) 4-5 (4) 6+ (2)
- What are the names of the film magazines that you read?
(The most common film magazines that our target audience read are ‘Total Film’, ‘Empire’ and ‘Sight and Sound’)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
- What colours do you usually associate with film magazines?
(Our target audience found that the most conventional colours for magazine covers are reds, blacks and whites while other colours such as orange, yellow, silver and greys are also used)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
- What genre do you feel should be advertised more on film magazine covers?
(Our target audience felt that genres such as psychological horrors, horrors and thrillers should be more heavily advertised on the front of film magazines. Other genres were action, fantasy and romance.)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
- Do you think it is conventional to have an image of the films main character as the main focus of the magazine cover?
Yes (13) No (7)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
- What type of stories do you expect to be advertised on the front cover of a film magazine?
(Our target audience felt that interviews and articles containing celebrity or movie gossip should feature on the front cover of film magazines more often. Other ideas such as additional information or dates and times of movies etc could also feature.)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Magazine Questionnaire
- How old are you?
10-16 17-25 36-45 46-60 61+
- What gender are you?
Male Female
- How many times a month, on average, do you read film magazines?
0-1 2-3 4-5 6+
- What are the names of the film magazines that you read?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
- What colours do you usually associate with film magazines?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
- What genre do you feel should be advertised more on film magazine covers?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
- Do you think it is conventional to have an image of the films main character as the main focus of the magazine cover?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
- What type of stories do you expect to be advertised on the front cover of a film magazine?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
‘Red Room’ Script
(Camera cuts to POV shot of main character driving, soothing non-diegetic music sets a calm, causal tone for the scene)
(Camera fades to white as scene changes- flashback. Fade from white shows main character in lawyer’s office. Scene opens with close-up of main character.)
Lawyer-
“Let’s get straight to it. I have bad news; your mother has passed away. I know that you haven’t visited her in a long time, despite her illnesses, so I assume you will be unaware of the state of the house?”
Main character-
(Look of embarrassment and guilt)
Lawyer-
“Yeah, that’s what I thought... The carer who looked after your mother is renovating the house for re-sale. As her son it is only appropriate that you collect any items of possession that your mother has left to you.”
(Pause)
“I have been told to inform you that most of your things have been stored in the ‘Red Room’.”
“When you lose someone close to you, the pain can be too much… There is no escape…”
(Fade to white and back to coloured action.)
(Scene changes to main character climbing stairs exploring the house. Look of confusion and fear on characters face. Main character finds photo album, look of misery and distress cross his face. He is scared.)
(Slow, tense music builds suspense and heightens tension. SFX such as the door slamming, wind whistling and heartbeat can all be heard to set the scene and add effect.)
(Sink scene shows low-key and chiaroscuro lighting to add the element of fear to the narrative. Hands appear round main characters throat unexpectedly, introduces supernatural action. Flashing of lights emphasises supernatural activity, scene is accompanied by a sudden change in pace of music to fast-paced action music indicating that something is about to happen and thus heightening tension.)
(Car scene. Main character is seeking help, he stops a car to ask for help.)
Driver-
“There is no escape…”
(Pace of music builds following this as the action enters a montage of various shots that interchange using fast-paced cuts and jumps. This builds suspense.)
(Music dies down as trailer draws to a close. Final shot has slow music with heavy bass to add to the supernatural, creepy element and re-install fear into the viewer. The newspaper falls from the door and reveals the words ‘Red Room’.)
(Trailer concludes.)
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Analysis of Panic Room film
The first shot of the sequence is a fade to black which immediately indicates terror and peril. A jump cut into a close-up of the girl’s face emphasises the terror as we witness the woman’s reaction. The sound effect of a drill is conventional to the psychological horror genre as it connotes horror; it is used to scare the mother and daughter. A fast zoom away from a close-up of the daughter indicates the panic on the faces of both characters. The male villains wear stereotypically dark clothes, long coats, gloves, hats and bandanas to connote a villain. The daughter wears pyjamas to illustrate her innocence and youth and also to suggest that it is night- it is conventional for action in psychological horrors to take place in the dark. The mother- Jodie Foster- wears evening clothes but also wears a low-cut top to highlight her breasts and indicate sexual objectification. This is conventional as the woman is objectified to the camera and to the male gaze; men look at her as a sex object. This is further emphasised by her wearing an earring- this relates to Laura Mulvey’s media theory of visual pleasure.
The room is shown in ‘false colours’ and low-key lighting to indicate danger. There is a storm outside which is a stereotypical setting for the psychological horror genre, it provides a base for the rest of the film to be built on. The weather is miserable and lightning is menacing; this theme continues into the film. A wide shot shows the prop of the daughter’s medicine. This indicates that she is ill and needs treatment, the fear of men in her home cannot be good for her. The audience begin to ask questions, “Why are the men in the house?”, “What are they after?”, “How will the mother and daughter escape?”, “Will the daughter be able to cope with the stress?” These questions are elements of the (Barthes) enigma code, one of his 5 narrative codes theory. A wide shot shows that glass has been smashed which indicates violence, fear and peril. The house is littered with cameras which film the ongoing action, the cameras are linked to the panic room. They are used to give the mother and her daughter ‘eyes’ to witness what is happening in their home. It is unconventional of the psychological horror genre for the victim to know what the villain is doing.
There is a running theme of good vs evil, male vs female and light vs dark through the film; this is a binary opposition as suggested by Levi-Strauss. The daughter is represented as being innocent, victimised and very scared. The mother has to act as the guardian, the hero. Richard Dyer suggested that they way that a character was represented suggests how they would be treated in the narrative. The daughter is innocent and frightened and is therefore treated as the victim throughout the narrative. The mother is loving and brave and is therefore represented as the hero. This complies with Propp’s theory of 8 character traits existing in a narrative; the daughter is depicted as the victimised princess with the mother being portrayed as the hero.
The room is being gassed by the villains. An Extreme Close-Up (ECU) zooms in on the hose, the camera tracks the movement of the gas inside the hose as it moves towards the room, this builds tension. The camera then moves inside the hose as the music becomes fast-paced to suggest a heightening of tensions. The camera shows the shadow of the air vent projected onto the floor, the image looks like prison bars. This is done intentionally to suggest that the mother and daughter are trapped. Shadows are conventional to the psychological horror genre as they demonstrate mystery and a build in suspense. A two-shot shows the mother higher in the frame than the daughter to demonstrate her dominance and that she is in control. An over-the-shoulder shot shows a gas fireball as the top of the picture. This is an indication of fear and peril, the bright colours are not usually associated with psychological horrors but victims fighting back is conventional of the genre. Smoke and rubble fill the room as a result of the attack; it is the calm after the action which is also conventional to the genre. There are further examples of binary oppositions here, light vs dark, good vs evil and male vs female are all emphasised further.
A two-shot close-up shows the mother and daughter embracing indicating their togetherness but also that they are both terrified at what is happening. A fade to black followed by a fade from black into an establishing shot demonstrates the heavy, stormy weather conditions outside. The rain pours down on the building to emphasise misery, the audience hear it hitting the metal piping to illustrate loneliness. The camera then moves inside the pipe and we see the daughters face and a close-up of her hand. The flickering lights emphasises anguish fear and peril. The mother sits clutching her head to indicate fear, the roles are reversed as now the daughter is acting as the hero trying to find possible escape routes. The daughter uses a torch as a tool to signal for an SOS. There is a binary opposition of light and dark, the SOS indicates that the females are in danger and need help in this case from the man across the street in order to escape. It is conventional for a female to want the help of a male as men are usually portrayed as the heroes. The SOS is a stereotypical, recognised as a sign for help, however, the call for help fails and the characters are forced to battle on their own. This is conventional of the psychological horror genre.
The villains are gathered for a meeting at the foot of the stairs, the mother escapes from the room and heads towards the phone. The sounds of action, movement and dialogue vanish and are instead replaced with the slow-paced sound effect of the wind whistling, this has ghost-like connotations. The action is also edited in slow-motion. This demonstrates an increase in the mother’s heartbeat as both she and the audience fear for her, we know this is a dangerous move but her love for her daughter drives her into pursuing the idea. The audience ask questions, “Will she make it back to safety?” This complies with Barthes theory. The mother grabs the phone but knocks over the light in the process causing the villains to hear her movement. This raises tensions as the mother has to race back to the safety of the room, the music becomes fast-paced as a result. The door shuts and hegemonic sounds of dialogue and movement return. Barthes action code and cultural code help the audience understand the plot better. The mother gains access to the phone and is able to call for help, however, as expected in the plot of a psychological horror, the mother is unable to finish her conversation with the recipient of the phone call as the phone line is cut. A two-shot close-up shows the grief on the faces of both the mother and daughter.
The daughter is diabetic; she has dropped below her level of blood-sugar. This is dangerous as it can kill her as demonstrated with an over-the-shoulder shot of the daughter’s expression. This further heightens tension and adds to the plot as there is now another way that the family can perish, the audience ask “Will she survive?” (Barthes) The prop of a gun strikes fear in all the characters. Guns are conventional in psychological horrors as they are recognised as tools of death. Altman suggested that genre can control an audience’s reaction as it is predictable and has connotations, for example horror demonstrates fear. Props such as guns can emphasise this reaction. A mid-shot shows the mother and daughter embracing once more to illustrate a sense of family and love. The mother lets out a scream of anguish, it is conventional for emotions to be released through sound in psychological horrors. The daughter has a diabetic fit; an ECU of her toes scrunched up and of her tense face indicate that she is struggling. The beeping of her watch- which is a prop used to show her blood-sugar levels- emphasises the state of panic and fear that both mother and daughter are in. The audience once again ask questions as to whether the daughter will survive, the dialogue from the mother saying “strong girl, strong girl” further emphasises the panic of both characters and also the situation they are in. The composition of camerawork positions the mother higher in the frame than the daughter to suggest the mother’s dominance. The fit ends as breathing slows, an ECU of the toes uncurling indicates the end. The mother has to leave the room to collect the daughter’s medicine. An ECU of the medicine is paired with the music beginning to quicken as time begins to run out, instruments are played in low-key to further connote horror. The medicine is a macguffin (plot device) as it moves the plot along. The audience again ask questions, “Will the mother get back in time?” “Will she get caught?” (Barthes).
A close-up of the girls face shows that she is pale and sweating heavily. This indicates her illness which is further emphasised by her heavy breathing. The camera moves into a two-shot to show the man higher in the frame than the girl to suggest male dominance. One of the villains is forced to give the daughter a shot to keep her alive, he is the dispatcher as he is moving away from the conventional villainous mindset as suggested by Propp. It is conventional to the psychological horror genre for a ‘bad’ guy to ‘come good’. The black villain’s voice becomes distorted as the camera moves into a point-of-view shot (POV) of the daughter. This is done intentionally to further emphasise her illness and to also indicate that she is running out of time. The man stares down the camera which is unconventional as he should not be objectified to the gaze of the camera. A mid-shot of the mother moving away creates a shadow on the wall which adds mystery and builds suspense. The mother has a gun but has clearly never used one before, it is conventional for the hero to act in fear rather than strategically in psychological horrors.
A POV shot from the mother looking through the spy hole in the door shows two police officers; the officers are figures of authority and are therefore superior in society. Railings on either side of the shot look like a gateway to safety, however, the mother knows that she cannot escape and leave the daughter. The lights of the police car provide a binary opposition between light and dark. The white of the police car illustrates a sense of safety, by reaching it a hegemonic society can be restored once more. The red lights of the police car indicate danger. It is conventional of psychological horrors for the hero to reject outside help for whatever reason. Heavy breathing and slow-paced organ music implement a sense of horror and terror. Organ music is conventional to psychological horrors as it connotes fear.
A mid-shot shows the father sitting in a chair. He is holding a gun and a lamp as protection. There are binary oppositions of light vs dark and good vs evil. The lighting makes the father look almost ghost-like as if he has appeared from the dead, this is emphasised through his blood-spattered clothing and blood running from his cuts and nose etc. Suddenly he is in control; he is the dominant character which is a role-reversal of before. A CU of the mothers lower body and the tracking of her movement show that she is carrying a weapon. The music begins to speed up as the mother moves closer to the villain, this heightens tension, before organ music is used to signify the mother hitting the villain with the weapon. The organ music is intentional as it suggests that the villain is dead as the music is similar to funeral music. The sound effect of a window smashing is conventional to the psychological horror genre, it illustrates panic and the need for movement. The sound of a police siren emphasises terror and suggests that help will arrive soon. A CU of the black villain’s feet slipping on the slippery wall indicate his struggle to leave. A CU of his face shows that he has heard the gun shots inside the house, he goes back in to save the family as he is the dispatcher, the hero as suggested by Propp. The swirling wind blows the leafs around to illustrate the confusion and panic. Tracking is used to show the villain using the hammer as crutches to ‘worm’ his way across the floor towards the helpless mother. The sound of the hammer hitting the wooden floor indicates the mother’s raising heartbeat which is emphasised by fast-paced organ music which is conventional to the psychological horror genre.
Shot-reverse-shot editing into CU illustrates the struggle between the mother and the villain. The male villain is on top of the female victim, this is conventional as males are dominant over females and he is therefore higher in the frame. This also has sexual connotations of rape etc which is emphasises the males role as the villain. One light illuminates the room to indicate terror and the fact that the mother is fighting for her life. The audience ask “Will she survive?” “Will she escape from the villain?” There are also binary oppositions of light vs dark, man vs woman and good vs evil. The fact that the villain’s face is hidden by his hair further emphasises his position as the villain. Tension is heightened as the music builds pace, a mid-shot shows the mother being slammed to the ground before the daughter tries to rescue the mother but fails. The roles are reversed as the daughter becomes the hero (Propp). Shadows are used to suggest mystery, “What is going to happen?” (Barthes). A low-angled POV shot shows the villain with the hammer preparing to kill the mother before the black man kills the fellow villain. The black man emphasises his position as the dispatcher- Propp- this is demonstrated through his dialogue “You’ll be safe now.” The black man is positioned lower in the frame than the white man to suggest he is subordinate. A low-angled shot shows the villain getting shot through the back of the head, blood spews from him- this is conventional to the psychological horror genre- as he falls to the floor. The music slows to silence to demonstrate a significant point in the film and also to indicate the end of the villain’s life. Low-key lighting adds to the atmosphere, the danger has now gone. The SWAT Team enter the building after the conclusion of the attack, it is conventional for help to arrive after the conclusion of the action.
An over-the-shoulder shot shows the black man on his knees after being caught by the SWAT Team. There is a binary opposition of light vs dark. The black man is lower in the frame than the authority figures to illustrate he is subordinate. He is told to open his hands and as a result he releases the $20 million that he has just collected into the air. A low-angle shot shows the black man looking dominant but also under pressure as the light beams down on his face. The money swirls around him in the storm to anguish him and illustrate his loss, it mocks him. He is arrested even though he is the dispatcher and the hero- it is conventional of psychological horrors to implement a ‘no rewards’ ending for those that do ‘come good’. A fade to black indicates horror, the music fades to silence to further emphasise this, the audience ask “What is going to happen to everyone?” (Barthes). A long shot of the daughter lying on the mother’s lap at the end of the film demonstrates that they have recovered and their relationship is stronger than ever before. The daughter is the most precious thing in the mother’s life, a sense of family and life exists as they are restored to a hegemonic society.
Perkins indicated that stereotypes reinforce peoples places in society. Stereotypically, women are subordinate or inferior characters to males. ‘Panic Room’ emphasises this as for the majority of the film the male villains dominate over the female victims. However, the conclusion of the film is conventional as the victims are saved but it is also unconventional as the gender roles change and the female victims dominate over the male villains. Furthermore, the ultimate hero is the male dispatcher who comes good at the end to save the family, as indicated by Propp. Throughout the film there are running binary oppositions of light vs dark, good vs evil and male vs female as indicated by Levi-Strauss.
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Use of Lighting in ‘Red Room’
Chiaroscuro lighting is used to add terror and fear to the action. We see half of the characters face in light and half in darkness; this adds a sinister element to the main character as the audience begin to ask “who he is?” Shadows further add to the mystery, “is he being watched?” (Barthes). A focus pull is used as the character’s face disappears from the shot leaving just a solitary beam of light. The use of extreme shadow adds to the effect, the beam of light highlights the book as a prop which moves the narrative along (macguffin). The beam of light can be described as the main characters only chance of survival as he plunged deeper into the unknown.
A close-up of the sink shows running water. The lighting is tinted blue which is a conventional colour for psychological horrors as it represents coldness and chill. The colour also represents supernatural activity and a sense of creepiness, something is not quite right. The torch flashes around the sink in a fast-paced manner to demonstrate that the main character needs to turn the taps off to resist flooding. The lighting heightens tension and adds to the suspense. A silhouette of the main character demonstrates his isolation. A single light lights the room creating a natural, ambient atmosphere, the light flickers on and off to diminish the previously established atmosphere and add terror and fear to the scene. A low-angled close-up of the main characters face in the mirror is lit by a bright white light shone on the main characters face, this connotes heaven and innocence. As his face rises the main character looks into the mirror, the light begins to move away and the darkness begins to spread. This indicates that the darkness is coming and that something evil is about to happen. The fact that it is chiaroscuro lighting adds terror and fear to the scene, shadows add mystery and the contrast between light and dark demonstrates a cross-over of the main character from good to evil. The light turns to black as the hands are wrapped around the neck. A fast-paced flash of light changes the pace of the scene, tension is heightened as the supernatural activity occurs.
The car park scene uses natural lighting to establish a setting. The car lights shine bright against the dark background to contrast. Low-key lighting adds suspense and shadows add mystery to the action. High key lighting lights the face if the main character to show his expression and reactions. High key lighting is unconventional for psychological horrors; we opted to break the conventions to gain added effect. At the stair scene low-key lighting heightens tension which is emphasised by the main character running, an obvious sign of panic and distress. Shadows add mystery to the scene while the bright white colours of the shirt contrast to the darkness and thus portray innocence, or worse, heaven and moreover death. Natural ambient lighting is used in the outdoor running scene to restore a sense of normality but also emphasise the panic and fear in the scene.
A wide shot shows natural, ambient lighting as the main character assesses the book he has found. On the right-hand side of the frame the television switches itself on. The bright white colours of the television connote heaven and add to the running theme of bright white light contrasting to the dark atmosphere to illustrate death. The static of the television is conventional for psychological horrors. The driving scene shows a light flashing in the distance. The flashing light is an SOS call for help which indicates panic, fear and distress. The ambient lighting helps establish a calming scene before the main character is seen escaping from the bushes. The final shot uses a flickering light to add suspense. The main character walks past the camera to darken the scene- black connotes death- before the white colour of the newspaper (portraying innocence) falls and reveals the words ‘Red Room’.
A variety of colours were used for our lighting as we wanted to heighten tension from a very ordinary and natural setting. Initially the white colours as seen in the establishing shot of the snow etc portrays innocence, but as the narrative progresses the white colours represent heaven and therefore death. The orange or yellow colours initially used in the ‘Red Room’ signify warmth and comfort, the room appears natural and leads the actor into a false sense of security until the music changes, the lights flicker and tension is heightened as events become more supernatural. The grey colours are used to signify change, the events of the narrative change from normality to the supernatural and the main character changes from an average man to the hero/ villain. Finally, the blue colours represent the supernatural activity and are associated with masculinity.
Mise-en-scene in ‘Red Room’
· Main Character (Will)-
o Office worker, shirt and tie, formal trousers, smart leather shoes and black formal jacket demonstrate his professionalism. He is a hard worker but fails to succeed in his job and finds opportunities difficult to come by. The use of hair gel as make-up illustrates the fact that he is still a youthful character and slightly rebellious. The contrast of dark and light colours in his attire indicates his personality i.e. he is innocent but villainous.
· Lawyer (Mr Stratford)-
o Wears conventional professional clothing i.e. a suit consisting of a shirt and tie as well as black shoes. He is a professional and successful man who has worked his way to the top, his attitude is therefore slightly arrogant because of his accomplishments. The use of hair products illustrates the character as being slightly ‘cheesy’, a conventional trait for a lawyer.
· Carer (Naomi)-
o Wears a long, dark coat with tied back hair to illustrate that she is a professional woman who cares for her job. The carer wears dark clothes as later in the narrative we learn that she has been supernaturally possessed, this allows the narrative to progress.
Props;
· Car (Will)-
o Low-budget vehicle demonstrates that he has not been as successful as he may have hoped, despite his professional attitude and attire.
· Torch-
o Allows the narrative to progress as without the torch the main character is unable to explore the house. The torch is the main characters only aid in the trailer, it is his last hope.
· Light switch-
o The switch fails to turn on and off when the main character presses it, this indicates that there has been a power cut which is conventional to the psychological horror genre. It builds tension and suspense as a result.
· Book-
o The book is a macguffin as it moves the narrative along. The audience are unaware of its purpose but the main character assesses it before concluding that it is a photo album consisting of photos of the main character and his dead mother; however his face has been scratched out in every picture.
· Sink-
o Running water is a conventional sound for psychological horrors which was emphasised by the use of blue tinted lighting to suggest supernatural activity.
· Car (Naomi)-
o Small car demonstrates that the carer has an average job earning an average income.
· Television-
o TV turns itself on to show a bright white light which connoted heaven and thus death. The static is also conventional for the psychological horror genre.
· Photographs-
o Faces on the photographs are scratched out, therefore photos are a macguffin that progresses the narrative. The relationship between the main character and his dead mother is explained to some degree.
· Newspaper-
o Taped up across the door to indicate that the room has been left in some state for a long time. The white colour of the newspaper illustrates innocence, when it falls the words ‘Red Room’ are revealed.
· Mirror-
o The mirror is used to get the necessary effect for the specific shot. The lighting, camerawork and acting come together to show the main character from a different perspective.
Setting;
Various filming locations were used in our film to gain the necessary effect and convene to the stereotypes in psychological horrors. The camera was placed at the roadside for an establishing shot to watch the approaching car. The shot showing the inside of the car establishes a sense of normality and establishes a natural setting. The staircase scene shows the main character climbing the stairs, almost as if he is moving towards his own fate- this is conventional as the main character is unaware of what is happening. The bathroom setting was chosen intentionally as we could use stereotypical props to convene to the psychological horror genre and gain an effect i.e. the faulty light switch and sink with running water. The long hallway is also conventional to the psychological horror genre as it emphasises a sense of isolation, loneliness and movement into the unknown. The car park is a normal everyday scenario which establishes verisimilitude and calms the supernatural build-up. The ‘Red Room’ seems innocent at first, nothing scary despite the heightened tension and built up suspense. The room is filled with conventional, everyday objects such as the phone, chair, bookshelf or television etc. The house was chosen as its outlook portrays a normal upper class house and thus a normal, everyday setting. It appears innocent on first view, however, as the narrative progresses inside the house the audience discover that the house is infact the setting for supernatural activity. Our choice of settings ensured that verisimilitude was created throughout the narrative and was allowed to develop as a result of the props, actors and lighting that were chosen to further enhance the spectacle all the time convening to the psychological horror genre.
Actors;
· Main character (Will)-
o Will was chosen as we wanted to use a tall character to focus the action on. He is a youthful actor who was able to cope with the fast-paced, heavy action. Furthermore, Will has previous acting experience and did alot of research on psychological horrors focusing in particular on the reactions of characters and how to portray fear and distress to the camera.
· Lawyer (Mr Stratford)-
o Initially we used a younger actor as the lawyer as we felt it was the right way to go. However, after we watched the recorded footage back we decided that the younger actor had not worked and we would need to use an older, more professional looking character. The narrative tells that the lawyer is a successful individual who has an air of arrogance about him, therefore we opted to go for a professional looking adult, dressed in a suit who had the air of arrogance about him that we needed to portray the lawyer in the ‘cheesy’, selfish manner that is conventional of lawyers.
· Carer (Naomi)-
o Naomi was chosen as we needed a youthful actress to play the part of the inexperienced carer who strives to succeed but only has limited success. Furthermore, her innocent outlook was perfect for the part as she appears to be an average citizen before the narrative demonstrates that she is supernaturally controlled.
‘Red Room’ shot list
Scene switches to the main character climbing the stairs. A high-angle mid-shot is used to show his confusion as he searches for his answers. Scene then cuts to a mid-shot of the main character attempting to turn the lights on, using a mid-shot allows the camera to view the actions of the actor. The main character then picks up a book; the camera is positioned at a low-angle and tilts up as the book is raised from the floor. The camera then tracks the movement of the book before jumping into a close-up of main character assessing the book. A focus pull is then used to lead into the next shot; a high-angle shot of a sink which is showing running water. There is a close-up of the sink as the main character turns the taps off before the camera cuts to a long-shot of main character looking around a room. The actor moves further away from the camera so the shot changes to an extreme long-shot. The camera then cuts into an over-the-shoulder shot of the main character sitting in an armchair staring at pictures of him and his dead mother however his face has been scratched out. A mid-shot shows the main character discovering the hidden pictures on the wall. The camera cuts to a close-up point-of-view shot of the main character looking in a mirror. The shot is seen at a low-angle as the main character is shown to be dominant over the camera.
The camera cuts to a mid-shot which tracks the main characters movements around the car. A point-of-view shot shows a secondary character talking to the main character and giving him a warning. There is a close-up on the secondary character to show her facial expression as she delivers her warning. The camera switches to a wide-shot; we see a close-up of the main character’s expression as he tears photographs of him and his mother from the wall but also see the door slam shut in the background to add effect to the gloomy atmosphere. The camera moves into a long-shot of the main character kicking the door trying to break in. Fast-paced editing is accompanied by handheld camera action to add suspense and heighten tension. The fast-paced montage continues with a long-shot of the main character moving into an extreme close-up before moving into a point-of-view shot and then a mid-shot once more before the main character jumps down the stairs. The camera quickly cuts to a low-angle shot as we view the action from an alternative viewpoint; this is known as match on action.
An extreme long-shot shows the main character running, the camera is tracking his movement. Handheld camerawork is used to demonstrate a sense of urgency and fear. The camera cuts back to the previous mid-shot of the main character discovering the hidden pictures on the wall, this is an example of non-continuity editing. The narrative returns to the running scene, a close-up of the main character illustrates his desire to escape the proximity. Handheld camerawork is used once more to further demonstrate the main character’s urgency. The camera then becomes still as the main character finally escapes it; the camera is almost acting as the evil that the main character is running from. The camera moves from a point-of-view shot from the main character looking at the wall into an extreme close-up of him ripping the photographs down from the wall, this illustrates his anger and pain.
A long-shot shows a carer coming towards the main character who is in the foreground of the shot. The camera switches to a mid-shot when we see more of the main character before it becomes a two-shot when the two characters interact for the first time. The male character is conventionally higher in the frame than the female character to demonstrate male dominance and superiority. A low-angle extreme long-shot shows the main character struggling to escape from the room. The shot is conventional and the fact that it has been shot at an angle suggests that something is not quite right. A low-angle mid-shot shows the main character looking at his childhood memories. He is intentionally filmed on the left-hand side of the frame while on the right-hand side of the frame the television switches itself on, this further adds to the unusual atmosphere that has been established throughout the trailer and tension is heightened as a result.
The camera switches to a point-of-view shot of the driver inside the car. The camera shows the main character emerging from the bushes to indicate panic and fear. The final shot is an extreme close-up showing the main character walking past the door. As he moves past the door a piece of newspaper falls from it and reveals the words, ‘Red Room’. The scene fades to black as the letters of ‘Red Room’ turn to a bright, blood-like red and take up the centre position of the screen.