Cinematography And Camera Angles Of ‘The Haunting in Connecticut”

Cinematography And Camera Angles Of  ‘The Haunting in Connecticut”

Camera angles vary greatly over the coarse of any film and are designed to make the most of a plot and to draw in the audience with great effect. They set the mood and atmosphere of the scene and add extra detail to an already developing plot. This is particularly important in thriller films as cinematography can demystify plot twist and help make the audience understand what’s going on and which objects ect. are vital to the film.

In the film clip I analysed I noticed many cinematography techniques but 3 stood out in particular:

Low Angle

When the character was searching for the box the camera was positioned below the object this made the object look bigger and the man look smaller. This realistically is not the case, by it highlights for the audience how important this mysterious box is and the frantic expression we see on the man’s face is highlighted with his hand movements as they fumble around trying to search for the box.

This camera angle also makes the audience feel empathy for the man as we can clearly see the detail of the box as the camera is zoomed right in, and for the man not to grab it perceives him to us as helpless, vulnerable and desperate as he can not complete the simple task of picking up a box.
Low angles give the audience a sense of foreboding and it makes tension build so they think something is going to happen.

Zooming In:

I noticed this camera shot at a clear moment in the clip, without the zooming in technique this scene wouldn’t have made much sense. Its used when the young man is suddenly covered with cuts from a supernatural source. The camera zooms in and out rapidly making it clear to the audience that cuts have suddenly appeared all over the mans body, this creates fear as the cuts suddenly appear in gruesome detail. Without the zooming in cinematography technique we would not be able to see the cuts in such a horrific way, which is obviously the aim of any thriller film to shock and scare the audience. Zooming in can also focus on emotion and show characteristics. This lets the audience get closer to the characters and feel better connected to them.

Point Of View:

This angle was the hardest of the 3 to spot and took a lot of time to put in the right category. Towards the end of the séance scene, the camera flashes back in time; this is shown to the audience by the sudden change of colours to a darker sinister sepia colour. The camera angle is situated so the audience feels like a member of the circle witnessing the event. This engages the audience more and makes them feel like an eyewitness. The camera then becomes shakier showing some handheld qualities, as a young boy is suddenly possessed. This is shocking to the audience as we can clearly see the members of the family distressed and the cameras cinematography makes the audience feels like a member of the family.

The zooms in this clip are detailed as the camera position highlights how this demon is effecting the boy in making him have a fit and shake we are left in suspense as the boy just lays there and the camera once again switches to modern day. This transition is made smooth and clear by the camera and the audience can tell exactly what’s going on.
This gave me ideas on how i would like to put my own techniques into my thriller film. I think zooming in is a key point. Its simple but can focus an entire audience onto one point and also reveal vital characteristics of a chosen character.

Sound

  Analysis of Sound In ‘The Strangers’

Sound In any thriller film is a key part in exploiting peoples emotions and reactions by playing scary and tension building music. In this clip the music was particularly important as the audience is hooked by the climax of the film, and wondering what the outcome will be.

In my clip the first sound heard is a non-diegetic sound, meaning a sound that is not part of the film world. The purpose of this sound is to establish the scene as dramatic and tense, this creates a mysterious feel to the scene and creates an atmosphere in which the audience knows something bad is going to happen and puts them on the edge of there seats. The music soundtrack played is slow and dramatic which is gradually building up, it almost sounds like the female characters breathing, which is speeding up as the music does. This makes the audience feel adrenaline and gripped by what is going to happen when this sound reaches its climax. This is a typical convention of a thriller film and is commonly used to set scenes and get the audience interested and enticed by with what’s going on.

The next Sound heard was a diegetic sound this is played at the climax of the scene later on after the non-diegetic soundtrack played to entice the audience. Gradually the tension in the scene has been building up and up then suddenly a blood-curdling scream that kills the non-diegetic build up of sound. This shocks and scares the audience as they have been in suspense for so long now the quiet music has without warning been replaced with a human scream. This causes the audience to jump as the scene unfolds fully and we know exactly what’s going on, this is a classic convention of a thriller film, and is both scary and effective for any audience watching.

The non digentic sound features all through the clip and manipulates the audience to feel anxious and intrigued. the parallel sounds help build bonds with the characters in the film and make us wonder where and what the killer is about to do thus fitting in with enigma of the scene.

Parallel sound is also featured in this clip, when the non diegetic sounds cease the killer comes at the woman with a knife, at the same time as this the music begins to play louder and faster as the woman is unsure whether she will be killed or not. This conventional device is used to inform the audience how to feel almost, and translate what is happening to the viewer. The woman looks scared and frustrated with what is going on and the killer cold and indifferent to her sobs and distress, this makes the audience feel for the woman screaming and this technique manipulates the audiences emotions which is a classic convention of thriller films. The emotions from this technique are fear and empathy for the victims. The technique used gives a bigger impact on the audience and makes them jump, this follows the conventions of a thriller film as the thrill given off makes any audience jump and cower from the scream in fear.

The final sound I analysed was right near the very end and was harder to categorise. The woman at this point is desperate and in need of medical care the phone rings and is her only chance to get help that will save her life. This sound is an on screen sound because we know where it is coming from. In some ways it makes the audience feel empathy for the girl as we just want her to answer the phone and get help. The sound is also a diegetic sound as the ringing of the phone is what’s expected. This is a final tension builder to the audience, which is more subtly building adrenaline and apprehension as to what will happen next. This is fitting for a thriller film as this convention is used at all points of the film to constantly grab our attention then scare us then grab our attention once more.

The hidden meaning behind non diegetic sound is custom made to manipulate the audiences thoughts, feelings and ultimately there response. Slow eerie music would build tension and make the audience have a sense of foreboding. This gives the impression that something bad is going to happen and that the audience should be feeling scared and cautious of the mise- en-scene.
In this scene the iconography's diegetic sound gives a more real fear of what is going to happen. The audience feel more scared because there is a lot more tension and the event of a death is so close it keeps the viewer on the very edge of there seats.

In conclusion, the Sound in this clip built tension and illustrated with graphic realism, the twisted ways in which the killers were inflicting pain on there victims. The sound of the victim’s screams and the stranger’s gunshots give a great yet horrific insight on what is going on and what will happen. The sound makes the audience feel empathy for the victims and as if they’re really in the scene watching and being just as terrified as the victims being tortured on screen.

The Clip Used: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btEQ0cqcaeI

            

Editing

Strangers Analysis - Editing

Strangers is a phycological thriller that follows both the scary conventions of a thriller and adds suspense which plays with the audiences mind. This is shown in various scenes at the concluding part of the film when the characters identity is hidden. There terrifying masks hide peoples identity. This would scare any audience and the enigma is who are these people? and what is there true identity? Editing is a key role in any thriller film as it creates suspense and shows teases the audience with what frightening event could be around the corner. Editing builds suspense and tension and thrills the audience as the story unfolds, this makes the film more gripping and enjoyable to watch as it grabs audience and hooks them to watch more.

Watching this clip of Strangers, the first editing technique I noticed was the reaction shot. This occurred when the woman reacts to a strange knock on the door and checks to see if the person has left her door step. This creates suspense and answers the audiences questions as they follow the story-line of the film, the sound featured was a non diegetic sound and could be seen loudly coming from the door which was the focus point of the scene.

This particular shot also creates fear and foreboding as the audience prepare to see the stranger for the first time, and are expected to be shocked and scared but the anticipation of waiting for this reaction builds tension and creates massive suspense.

The next technique used was the linking shot, the evidence for this was a sequence of shots that link to previous events. (the event being the knocking on the door and her being terrified of the strangers presence around her house) This builds a lot of tension and yet more suspense as the audience is coming up with there own conclusions as to where the stranger is and what its purpose of being there is. The audience is pulled in my the story line as it unfolds and is building up tension to the climax which still all relates back to the original door shot.

The third technique in this clip is the jump cut. This occurs when the smoke alarm drops to the floor and a loud noise is simultaneously heard by the audience. This editing technique is identified when the film suddenly focuses on something. this draws the audience in a sort of a false climax as something ordinary like the fire alarm dropping, is suddenly over shadowed by the loud noise heard in response. This creates the illusion that ordinary objects are scary and that the victim involved along side the audience is almost expecting to hear something or be scared.

Overall the editing effects in this clip are advanced and 'make' the film more clever and gripping. Without such edits the scenes would become long and boring and not nearly as tension building. The conventions of  thriller film is to have editing playing a key role in any film. Which effects the viewing experience by making it more intense and scary to watch.I have learned the how important editing is in thriller films. Without these subtle edits, the audience would have a harder time engaging in the films they would not know when to feel tense and scared and control the overall impact the film has an audience.

Link Used:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWslT_EqKrc