FILM REVIEW:The Body (Short film)

Title: The Body

Main actors: Emma Johnson, Blair Vaux-Nobes

Year of production: 2012

Company: Redland Pictures

Produced by: Kirk Redgate

This short film is about a young couple whose peace is disrupted when her husband suddenly loses his mind and becomes determined to end her life.

This film fits under the horror film category because it conforms to many conventions of horror films, for example there is a lot of emphasis placed on the fact that the girl is alone at home with her husband and there is nobody to help her. Diegetic sound is used to support this at the very start of the film when everything is silent and all we can hear is the clock ticking away, giving the impression that the main girl is alone at home and leaving the audience to wonder where her partner has gone or what might have happened to him. Isolation is a common element used in horror films to make the characters seem helpless and generate sympathy from the audience who hope that somebody might show up.

Another effective use of diegetic sound is during the fight scene, where we can hear the sound of the bottle breaking on his heard and her head banging on the door. In this scene its interesting how they chose not to use non diegetic sound to build up tension and instead left only the synchronous sounds. This was very effective since the sound of them fighting were quite loud and could be heard clearly, again showing the complete silence around them.

Another horror film convention present in the film is the asynchronous sound of a heavy rain storm outside the house. Stormy weather is very commonly used in horror films since lightening can be an effect use of lighting where the room is quickly lit up and we see where the threat is but the main character doesn’t. However in this film this convention has caused a continuity problem, this is because when the characters went outside, the garden wasn’t wet like it should have been.  

Mise-en scene also contributed to the scariness of the film by adding normal everyday objects we usually wouldn’t find scary and placing them in a different context such as the black cat circling the main character. Black cats are often seen as a symbol of bad look so this could have been a code indicating that something unfortunate was about to happen. There was also the use a Christmas tree where the villain was sitting under, usually we would associate a Christmas tree with colourful lights and gifts but the black and white effect made the treat look creepy by casting shadows, making it more suitable for a horror movie. The fact that the villain was under the tree where presents would usually be placed could symbolise the fact that the main girl will receive an unexpected gift which in this case is her husband’s sudden personality change.

Slated camera angles are effectively used to illustrate how disoriented the villain is. The scene where the camera is following him and imitating his movements as he wobbles towards her, gives the impression that he is not himself that something is causing him to act that way, possibly the omniscient  behind the camera. This is reinforced by the non-diegetic music that plays while he is walking which is repetitive and gives off the impression of being hypnotized.

The antagonist’s unnatural situation is further supported by a low angle shot which reveals his face for the first time to the audience and allows us to see that he seems to be in a trance as his eyes have become fully white.

Superimposing was also used appropriately to show a transition from one scene (her getting out of bed) to her another (her opening the door). It gave the impression of her coming out of her safety zone and entering the danger zone.

The narrative structure of this film is Linear with a close structure because it has a clear beginning where non-diegetic material is used which is a note introducing to the audience what the problem is and what has or will happen, the middle is a constant rise and fall of action where the victim escapes but then is suddenly cornered or caught by their attacker, at the end of the film it is clear to the audience that the  girl did not survive since at the start of the film the note stated that they both died.

The Body conforms to two theories. The first is Levi strauss’s binary opposites theory because there is a clear clash between two opposing forces in this film which is the women who is the victim trying to safe herself and the man who is the villain who is trying to kill the girl. The second theory is the The enigma code since in the beginning of the film the audience is presented with text which describes an event that has taken place, this hooks the audience because they become eager to find out what happens next or how the event took place.

The female lead supports the representation that women are weak and emotional. This is shown through the fact that she is the helpless female victim in the horror film, which again conforms to conventions. The cutaway used to show her  panicking and struggling to open the gate while he is calmly limping after her shows that women are emotional since she is letting her emotions get in the way of her successfully opening the gate.

The male lead conforms to the representation that man are aggressive. This is clearly supported by the fact that he is made the villain who is trying to kill the girl and does not hesitate to act violently towards her, for example the scene where he bangs her head on the wall. However depending on whether he was being controlled or was possessed by some kind of supernatural force could suggest that he was weak or vulnerable, which goes against the stereotype that man or powerful.

I believe that this film should be rated 12 because it contains moderate violence which isn’t shown in great detail. Despite giving references to easily accessible weapons the scenes do not show the characters using them against each other such as the hammer, wood block.

FILM REVIEW: Alone (short film)

Title: Alone

Main actors: Candice Wilson, Emil Pinnock

Year of production: 2010

Company: GrindWorks Pictures

Produced by: Spencer Longmore, Candice Wilson, Emil Pinnock

This short film is about a young woman who is left alone at home due to her boyfriend coming home late. As a result of this she becomes a victim of a masked killer.

This short film fits into the horror film category because it uses many conventions which are frequently present amongst horror films, for example the fact that she is trapped and alone is a prominent aspect of the film. It is well explored through the use of camera techniques at the start of the film such as the slow subtle zoom that occurs when she is on the phone with her boyfriend and the sudden change to a point of view shot which continues to zoom into the women giving off the impression that she is being watched, and that the person stalking her is getting closer to her, which is shown through the camera’s technique. Diegetic sound of the phone conversation is used in the scene to support the fact that she is alone and increase the vulnerable aspect of the character since we as an audience know from the conversation that the boyfriend will arrive later than usual and consequently, whoever is watching her also becomes aware of this.

 In addition to the previously used camera techniques the director also makes use of a point of view mid close-up shot of her face which has a quick and slight shake, indicating once again to the audience that she is not as alone as she thinks she is. Point of view shots are commonly used in horror films to show the point of view of the antagonist and shows the audience that the victim is being watched, which is how POV is being used in this film. In addition to this technique, asynchronous sound of the killing scene in the horror film she is watching helps to build up the horror film atmosphere and the audience’s anticipation for something to take place in the actual film. The fact that the film she is watching has the antagonist as a serial killer instead of a vampire or ghost helps to foreshadow that she will also be attacked by a serial killer as well.

The idea that she is trapped is further explored though the use of a panning point of view shot where the camera is placed outside of the window causing the bars of the window  resembles the bars of a cage in the shot. This gives of the impression that she is caged inside her own house, which makes her seem defenceless since her house which should protect her is actually being used as tool by the killer, this generates sympathy from the audience as they hope that her boyfriend will not be too late.

The film suddenly stops working and the TV noise amplifies blocking all the other sounds around the room. This idea of the TV invading our ability to hear what is going on around the house mirrors the idea that the person who was once outside now has invaded the house and has used the TV as a diversion. The same thing is done again when the TV sound is replaced with the sound of the water tap running heavily which is accompanied by quiet eerie non Diegetic music that sounds like long chords that are repeated again and again. This constant repetition of background music and of effects which distract the main girl conforms to the convention of serial killer movies where the antagonist plays with their victims diverting their attention to various different parts of the house before finally killing them.

The extreme close up of the main girl’s feet helps to show the audience that floor produces no sound when somebody walks, which could explain how the killer is able to move around the house teasing her without being noticed. This in a way goes against the horror film convention that the film is set in a house that is very noisy, with wood floors that make cracking noises for no reason, acting as a distraction to the main character. However this film still uses an exaggerated diegetic sound for the doors opening and closing especially in the kitchen scene where even the fridge door makes a noise that it normally wouldn’t make.

Non diegetic sound is used effectively throughout the film in order to build up the tension and create various jump scares for the audience. The first example of this is when the silence is sudden interrupted by a loud rough knock on the door which is accompanied by loud cymbals which fade away. This effectively shows how the main threat is not yet gone, and it is too late to relax and feel relieved, which was what the silence beforehand symbolized, calm before the storm. The cymbals and the knock on the door, was sudden and unexpected which is why it was a good example of a jump scare and served as a wake up call to the main girl and audience.

The second example non-diegetic music successfully building up the atmosphere and tension in the movie takes place after the threatening phone call, there is a repeated loud banging noise that goes on until she hides under the pool table. The non diegetic sound heard is a typical sound heard in horror films when the killer is coolly chasing after their victim while banging the weapon on the wall. This gives off the impression that the antagonist is getting closer and might soon take action, symbolising that the film has reached its climax. This banging sound reappears and gets louder as the main character approaches the car signalling that instead of moving way from danger she is getting closer to it. This allows the audience to predict that the killer is inside the car; this is because this is one of the conventions of horror films, where the main character tries to escape using a car but doesn’t check the backseat where the killer is hiding. This theory is further confirmed when the final bang is louder than the rest and synchronised with the closing of the car door giving of the impression of that she has reached the end of the line and causing the audience to anticipate when the attack will take place.

The lighting in the film also follows horror film conventions. This is especially the case when the main girl is in the kitchen; she is confronted by electrical problems when the lights begin to flash on and off before becoming stable, this type of electrical problem is often present in horror films such as paranormal activity.

Another way in which the lighting in the film conforms to convections is through the use of low key lighting which obscures the view of the house behind during the mid close up shot of her looking inside the kitchen. This prevents us as an audience from knowing if there is something or someone approaching from behind. Which makes it more mysterious and adds to the audiences’ anticipation.

The mise-en scene further explores this idea of obscuring the audiences view of what lies beyond, in the scene of the car where the car windows are extremely dusty preventing the audience from seeing if there is anybody inside the car waiting for her. This makes it a convenient place to hide as the main character is too scared and preoccupied with her phone to think of looking behind.

An additional aspect of the mise-en scene which helps to further develop the close similarities between this short film and ‘Scream”. Adding on to the fact that she has received a threatening phone call of somebody who has changed their voice, the killer is also wearing a mask just like the main antagonist in the film 'scream' and coincidently in the film 'Halloween' which she was also watching previously. This gives off the idea of real life mirroring fantasy, which is something I will be incorporating into my film.

The narrative structure of the film is Linear with an open structure the film has a clear beginning with the phone call, a clear middle where the climax takes place and the killer teases her by making her move around the house and at the end it is clear that she did not survive however the fact that we don’t know whether her boyfriend will die as well are if he has arrived and the killer is still in the room prevents the film from having a closed structure which is why it has an open structure instead.

Alone conforms to the Levi Strauss’s binary opposites theory, since there is a clear clash between two opposing forces in the film, the women who is trying to escape and find a safe place to stay by calling her boyfriend, the police and getting inside the car and the killer who has invaded her house and is trying to kill her.

The female lead subverts to the stereotype that women are weak. This is shown when she isn’t afraid to confront whatever is after her by going outside to check who knocked on the door with a knife for self-protection and when she decides to leave her hiding place to do something to help herself rather than staying there to wait for help.

I believe this film should be rated PG because there is limited detail to potentially dangerous behaviour that children can copy, for example when the bag is placed on her head the scene is very quick and short and doesn’t show her struggling or any other extra details of how that might kill someone.