Analysis

Reflective Analysis

The micro elements that I will be analysing from my storyboard are cinematography, editing, sound and mise-en-scene.

The first element I will be analysing is cinematography. Shot 1 shows a high angle shot of the living room door, this shot was made high-angle and filmed from the top of the stairs to create the illusion that the antagonist is secretly watching the protagonist who is sitting in the living room. The first shot would also be in low key lighting as this would immediately create the eerie atmosphere and would set the atmosphere for the whole film. In shot number 6 a pan shot is used to show a point of view of the protagonist looking from left to right to check there is nothing in the hallway. This is done to put the audience in the position of the protagonist and helps to build tension and fear. Shot 9 and 10 show the protagonist walking up the stairs, I chose to change from a long shot of the protagonist walking up half of the stairs to a point of view shot walking the rest of the way up the stairs as it puts the audience back into the perspective of the protagonists and the protagonist gradually gets closer and closer to the antagonist.

The first shot is faded in and out, this is done to begin with a slow pace and to help in creating the eerie, spooky atmosphere. Because shot 1 fades out, shot 2 fades in however it cuts out. Cutting is then used to bring each shot in and out until the end. I decided to use cutting for the shots to keep a fast pace so that the audience feel the suspense and are constantly on edge. Fading out is then used in the last shot to give the audience longer to take in what has happened after the death of the protagonist. It will also make the audience leave the cinema in shock as the fade out will give them more time to come to realisation and the long duration of the shot will help them to remember the shot as they leave the cinema.

The beginning of my storyboard uses soft flute music at a low volume and a slow tempo to set the creepy atmosphere, which makes the audience start to feel uncomfortable straight away. The flute music then comes to a sudden stop at 00:05 when the non-diegetic banging noise is heard, this shows a sense of panic as the calmness of the atmosphere becomes non-existent. Music is introduced again in shot 3 however comes to a sudden halt again in shot 6 when the second non-diegetic bang is heard from upstairs. The repetition of this sudden stop in music would put the audience on edge as they would be waiting for it to happen again and to hear another bang which creates tension. The music does not continue again until after 9 after the non-diegetic bang being heard for a third time in shot 8. This time the music is more based on horror and has a very fast pace, this builds suspense and panic and tells the audience that the attack is getting closer. Furthermore, in making the music fast pace it helps to speed up the pace of the film. As the protagonist is walking up the stairs, the sound effect of stairs creaking comes in during shot 10 which makes the audience worry as they are currently watching from the protagonist’s point of view and it makes the audience feel as if the protagonist is about to get caught as they are making sound whilst they walk up the stairs.

The last element I have chosen to analyse from my storyboard is mise-en-scene. In shot 5, mise-en-scene has been used to make the door opposite the protagonist slightly open, I did this to make the audience feel unnerved as they would think that there might be something behind the door and it would build tension as the audience would be afraid of the antagonist quickly jumping out and making an appearance from behind the slightly open door. In shot 6 it is obvious that it is night time as the lamp is switched on in the hallway and it is dark in the windows of the front door; I chose to take the photographs for my storyboard during the night as this is when most horror films are filmed therefore it meets audience expectations and makes them more scared.