Case 39 Deconstruction

Opening Deconstruction: Case 39

Mise en Scene (and Lighting):

The very first thing which the audience sees is the location of an townhouse situated in a wooded and isolated area, which is shown within the setting of low key lighting which immediately enforces the eerie atmosphere in supernatural horror films.

As well as this, the low key lighting throughout this first scene enables this mysterious atmosphere to be sustained.

 The dark clothing of the man and woman going up the stairs also adds mystery to the scene as both are wearing dark clothing (black shoes and grey or black trousers).

Furthermore, when the door is opened, the limited lighting is shun directly on the little girl which allows the audience to see the floral purple and white bed sheets as well as the floral pink nightdress which she is wearing which shows her portrayal as innocent whilst emphasising a common antagonist which the supernatural genre where an innocent girl is shown to contrast the audiences initial portrayal. As well as this, her innocents is also presented through the harsh top lighting of the girls face, framed within a mid shot, which makes her look angelic.

Camera Angles: 

After the establishing shot showing the sinister location of the house, the camera zooms in on the house whilst the lights which can be seen through the windows, begin to be turned off, highlighting the mysterious atmosphere.As well as this, there are several close up shots of a feet walking up the stairs as well as a close up shot of hands opening the door and a mans eye face looking at the little girl, which creates suspense as the audience are unaware as to why he is doing this.

Sound: 

Within the opening scene, the diegetic sound of dogs barking within the distance re-enforce the idea that the house is isolated. As well as this, the diegetic sound of creaking floorboards and doors also emphasises the sinister ambiance which is being created alongside the low key lighting.

 Furthermore, the non diegetic sounds in the first scene also emphasises this as the eerie and continual sounds of wind instruments adds suspense to the scene. Also, there are three different sounds which are being played on top of one another. Although all sounds are continual, they range in their pitches and instuments (for example, on has a deep drum sound whilst the other has incorperated strings).

The dialogue of "I can see you" also adds to the sinister opening as many of the audience may be aware of the well known phrase "I see dead people" from Sixth Sense (1999) which they may relate to this as they are so similarly phrased in order to reinforce the ghostly conventions within this genre.

Psycho Deconstruction

Genre: Thriller, Slasher, Horror, Mystery 

Camera Angles, Sound and Editing

The sequence opens with a mid shot of the female character which cuts into a close up shot of her getting into the shower. There is then a mid shot of her in the shower, which occasionally cuts to a point of view or close up of the shower head. There are the on-screen diegetic sounds of the door opening, getting in the shower and closing the shower curtain as these are all common sounds. The on-screen diegetic sound of the shower running continues throughout the whole sequence. This all builds a realistic scene that everyone can relate to, making the events that happen occur even more distressing. The scene begins to build tension and add suspense as it continues. 

The long shot of the shower allows the audience to see the approaching shadow through the curtain. The sudden drawing back of the curtain to reveal the murderer along with the non-diegetic high-pitch violin screeching is a frightening reveal to the audience, and links to the thriller and horror genre.

There is a close up shot as the girl screams (on-screen diegetic) which cuts to an extreme close up of her mouth. The are various straight cuts that build and get faster as the intensity of the scene begins to increase. The non-diegetic high pitch violin music increases throughout. There is a mid shot of the murderer with a knife which cuts to a high angle shot of her getting stabbed. This shot is blurred due to the fact that the certificate is a 15. The closeups of her face, the murderer and body parts along with the high angle of the blood in the water portrays the scene to the audience in a less obvious way, allowing the audience to use their imagination more, which is a common convention of the horror genre. There is the on-screen diegetic sound of the girl struggling and screaming as the non-diegetic music continues.

The mid shot of the back of the murder leaving the room keeps their identity concealed, which is a typical convention of horror movies, in which the villain is either revealed at the end (or sometimes never completely revealed.)

The extreme close up of the hand grabbing the bathroom wall combined with the mid shot of her sliding down it gives the 'deed is done' impression to the audience, who have just witnessed the vicious and distressing attack on the victim. Eventually the non-diegetic music deepens, which makes it sound much more sinister, adding to the disturbing mood and linking to the horror and thriller genre.

 

 

 

There is an extreme close up of the victim grabbing the shower curtain, which jump cuts to a high angle shot of her crippled and injured in the bath before returning to the shower curtain as it breaks when she tries to pull herself up. 

There is then a close up of her laying dead over the side of the bath. As the girl falls out of the bath the music slows down and gets quieter until it fades out, with just the diegetic shower and plug sound being heard as it has been the whole way through. 

A close up shot of her feet reveal blood being washed away in the water before there is a tilt shot to the plug hole. From there the camera begins to zoom into the plug hole, before a transitioning into the victims eye as the camera begins to zoom out again. 

The camera continues to zoom out until the dead girl is revealed, with only the diegetic sound of the shower being heard. There is then a panning shot to the door, and the sequence finishes.

Camera Angles

Images that capture different camera angles-

Establishing shot- Sets the scene. Provides the audience with information as to where the scene will take place.

High angle shot- Makes the subject look smaller (taken from above.) Generally to depict weakness or vulnerability.

Mid-shot- Shows more detail of the subject, from roughly the waist upwards.

Point of view- The view from the subject of another subject, an object or their surroundings.

Close up- Shows much more detail of the subject or an object. For example the subjects face, or a mug on a dining room table.

Long shot- A wide frame, capturing all the subjects and most of the surroundings.

Extreme close up- A close up of a specific part of the subject or an object. For example, their mouth, nose or the leaf of a plant.

Over the shoulder shot- Taken from behind the shoulder of one subject, usually capturing the reaction and emotions of the opposite person.

Low angle shot- Makes the subject look bigger (taken from below.) Genuinely depicts power or dominance.

Initial Storyboard

 The following images are our initial storyboard which we based on a young girl walking home when she feels she is being watched so she decides to run. Throughout, she has flashbacks(with each flashback increasing in extremity) of an exorcism which she has witnessed .





     









As the victim will be under the impression that she is being followed, as well as using research from other opening scenes, we could film some of the shots behind tree branches, as the leaves in the frame will emphasize this impression of being watched/followed. This links in with the first flashback as it will be an over-the-shoulder shot of a priest watching as she walks away.

As from the survey, most of our target audience said that they found the location of a family home the most frightening,  we have tried to incorporate this into our opening as we have decided to end the opening with our victim reaching her home, which is also where the antagonist will be. As a lot of our audience also said that they found woody areas the most frightening, the majority of our opening will be based in woody as well as other isolated areas.

Also when there is a flashback of the victim being tied down to a chair/bed, a high angle shot will be taken of this to emphasize their vulnerability. As we want to leave our audience scared, due to the genre, we have decided to end our opening scene with the antagonist jumping in the camera with the camera zooming into their eye until the title appears.      

Furthermore the extreme close up shot of a religious cross symbol will be to emphasize the religious aspect of possession.

Opening Scene Deconstruction-Paranormal Activity 2

Realism 

 At the very beginning of the opening scene, we see this statement which adds realism to the film as the audience are likely to think that this is real if the families of the deceased, as well as police are being addressed. This is also achieved through the formality of the font in which the text had been written in. Also, the shifty camera movements reinforce the idea that this is a home movie in order to create realism.

"Paramount Pictures would like to thank the families of the deceased and the Carlsbad police department"

Innocence

Babies are usually portrayed as innocent as well as vulnerable, therefore to have a possessed baby strongly challenges this stereotype, which may cause the audience to be even more shocked when this is revealed, however, in the beginning scene, there are elements of innocence through the white furniture in the house, as well as the tidiness of most of the rooms within the house.

Camera Shots

As well as this, we see a number of establishing shots which introduce the audience to the family as well as the main location, the house. The characters are completely exposed to the audience as we are shown a main element of their private life.

This low angle shot highlights the idea that this film is being centered around the baby as he takes up most of the shot. It also higlights that this is meant to look like a homefilm, therefore this further adds realism.





In addition to this, the excited reaction shots of the family alongside the cheerful diegetic sounds of the lady, due to the baby's arrival, are ironic as though the baby is giving them joy now, this will be the same baby which leaves them all frightened and horrified later on. Also, the joyous atmosphere is juxtaposed with the tense and mysterious atmosphere later on in the film.

Mise en Scene

Hudson's sister's room, is the only one which is shown as untidy when the audience is given a tour of the house, which juxtaposes the rest of the house, which is portrayed as white and clean.

There is also a juxtaposition when the house had been made to look burgled. The house has been turned upside-down, with table and chairs tipped over, as well as cracks in the TV. The only room which hasn't been touched is the baby's room, which may cause the audience to have suspicions, as they would be expecting someone to be possessed due to the genre.  Also, the mid shot of the cracked TV highlights the destructive nature of the demon, which makes it even more horrific when the audience find out that the baby had been possessed by this evil spirit. 

Practical-Camera Angles for a Chase Scene

When doing my practical for a chase scene, I wanted the time to be just before dark so that I could still get across a mysterious atmosphere which is common in horror films, as well as still be able to easily see what I was filming. I also wanted to show a variety of camera angles which could be used if we decided to do a chase scene.

Point of View

To do this, my brother held my camera facing forwards, whilst running, which is why the camera is so shifty. A point of view shot is good to use in supernatural horror films as we are able to change whose point of view the shot is from. (It could be from the antagonist or the protagonist). From the victim's point of view, this creates a panicky atmosphere as the shifty movements make it unclear as to where the victim is going. From the antagonist's point of view, it also emphasizes their unstable mental state (if they were being possessed)   As well as this, POV shots also heightens the tension as the audience follow whether or not victim is caught.

Low Angle

Most low angle shots in supernatural films are used to put emphasis on the vulnerability of the victim. An alternative to this, is to emphasis the powerlessness of the audience as if the victim were to be caught, the audience may feel sympathy towards them, however, still wouldn't be able to do anything. I lay my phone on the ground, with the camera facing up, as my brother jumped over my phone to create this shot. This shot also gives the effect that the person may actually be jumping, for example, over a wall.

Panning Shot

As well as this, I also tried to film a panning shot of my brother (the victim) running, as I felt that this would also be an effective type of camera movement when trying to build suspense during a chase scene. To film this, I recorded my brother running for across the road as I felt this would allow me to have more space to film. 

Mid Shot

In addition to this, I also thought it would be useful to do a mid shot of my brother running, as mid shots are very common in horror films. If we decided to use mid shots, it would be useful to include something significant within the frame to highlight the panicky atmosphere.

High Angle Shot

I also wanted to do a high angled shot which could also be taken from the victim's point of view as it highlights their vulnerability. To have the running feet in the shot further heightens tension. To film this shot, I ran alongside my brother, whilst facing the camera towards his feet.



The following is a final clip showing all the different shots put together.

Evaluation

Although I was able to get a wide variety of shots which we could use in our opening scene, I think that I filmed too closely to dawn, which meant that some shots couldn't be used as nothing could be seen. As well as this, I could have experimented with other camera movements, such as, tilting and zooming, as these are also commonly used in supernatural horror films, in order to give an even wider variety of camera angles as well as movements.

 

Deconstruction of The Possession

Opening Credits

The opening credits at the beginning of the film appeal to the target audience as well as the genre, as the sudden loud non-diegetic 'whooshing' sound along with the skeleton figure (which seems to be peering though a keyhole) may startle the audience as though they are expecting to be scared, they may not be expecting this to happen so early on in the film.
 As well as this, at the beginning of the opening credits, the following statement came up: "The following is based on a true story". Though the audience cannot be completely sure of this, the statement add realism to the film as therefore, may frighten viewers as they believe that this actually happened.

The setting

The 'possessed' box is a key figure in the film so the audience are introduced to it from the very beginning scene. The box is centered in this mid shot which could be to highlight its supernatural powers as well as its significance throughout the film. When the old lady is seen to be possessed, audience are suspicious of the box as her attack seems to be after trying
 Furthermore, from the overhead shot of a typical suburban neighborhood, we are also introduced to a typical family which is a common convention in supernatural horror films as an ordinary family aren't expected to be effected by such extraordinary events. This further appeals to the genre as it further makes the audience scared as they may notice similarities in their own lives.

Emily

Initially, Emily is presented as harmless to the audience as we first see her doing her homework, as well as helping to save animals and the environment (which is highlighted when we see her getting upset after the death of the moth). Furthermore, her bright room as well as the top lighting further presents innocence.

As well as this, when we see Emily and her dad, the childlike game emphasizes this innocence as from this mid shot, framed with her and her father, we see her as a 'daddy's girl'.  Also, in this mid shot, the white hat, symbolizing purity, is juxtaposed with this box, as we know that the box is possessed.





This innocence is in contrast to Emily's darker clothing as well as the low key lighting after her interaction with the box. The close up shot of Emily's ring,  symbolizes that her
innocence has now been tarnished and she is no longer the harmless little girl she was at the beginning of the film. In terms of mise en scene, this is also shown when we see her messy hair in contrast to her neatly combed hair at the beginning of the film.

Supernatural

 There are several points where Emily seems to be possessed after purchasing the box. One of these points is when she is having breakfast with her family. The increase in pace as we hear the diegetic sound of Emily smashing her fork onto her plate as well as her sister talking in the background (and dad shouting), with the addition of a non-diegetic high pitched string sound, all lead up to her odd outburst as she stabs her father with the fork; at the same time, the high pitched, non-diegetic sound reach its peak. When Emily's teacher is left possessed, this startles the audience as well. The blood as well as scratches on her body may scare the audience as it highlights the supernatural powers of the box.