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.

FILM REVIEW: Paranormal Activity 2

Title: Paranormal Activity 2

Main actors: Sprague Graysden, Brain Boland.

Year of production: 2010.

Company: Paramount Pictures.

Directed by: Tod Williams.

Paranormal Activity is a supernatural horror film about a family who are tormented by a demon who wants to take their baby boy away due to a supposed agreement made by the great grandmother with the demon.

The narrative structure of the film is Linear with an open structure. The film has a clear beginning with the birth of the baby boy followed by small events that set the scene for the rest of the film signalling the start of the action. For example the whole house being destroyed which led to the surveillance cameras being installed, which is a key aspect of the film since the whole movie is filmed using the found footage from these cameras and the handheld cameras of the characters. Another detail highlighted at the start is a water puddle at the bottom of the basement staircase which brings attention to that area of the house foreshadowing the importance it has to the rest of the film. This is because later on we as an audience find out that that is where the demon stays, so the puddle could have been some sort of gateway.

This then leads to the numerous events in the middle of the films which start of calm and infrequent but eventually builds up the tension and anxiety amongst the audience as the film hits its climax. For example at the beginning the only weird and strange things taking place was the pool cleaner leaving the pool every night, but that was only seen as a technical thing by the husband. There were also the many incidents when the baby toys turn on and off when nobody was looking and door closing and opening as well. There is also a significant focus on the baby’s room where the door is in, where there are weird grumbling and banging noises and the camera capturing the baby communicating with something in the room while the dog stares and barks at the same direction. This events all help the audience to concluded that the main target here is the baby rather than the rest of the family members. This is further suggested when the older sister tries to communicate with the spirit thinking that it might be her mother trying to make contact, after joking around she fails to notice that the spirit is halfway through spelling the babies name but we as an audience are well aware of that. The film has an open structure because despite the text on the screen informing us that the older sister find her father and stepmother's dead bodies, we still don’t know what happened to the baby who was taken by his aunty who was possessed by the demon, this provides space for the a sequel and causes the audience to anticipate what this will lead to.

The film’s climax hits the highest point right before the ending when the man tries to exercise the demon out of his wife’s body. This scene is particularly well done, unlike the previous scene it makes use of CGI special effects to show the change in the woman’s facial features in order to highlight the fact that she is possessed and the demon is not happy with the husbands attempt to transfer him to somebody else. In my opinion the film producers chose the right moment to use the special effects without taking away the aspect of the film being made to look like it’s homemade. This last scene also successfully shows the anger of the demon by making use of the horror film convention of the lights turning off, the camera then switches to night vision where we see and hear furniture being knocked over. Later on when the man confronts the demon and begins to remove him from his wife’s body we can see the floor shaking and hear loud grumbling sounds which are further highlighted by the broken glass pieces on the floor.

One of the horror film conventions this film conforms to is the use of shaky handheld cameras especially in the last scenes we as an audience have a hard time keep up with what’s going on because the camera fails to focus on one thing for too long, the scene overall is too hectic. Another conventional use of the handheld camera is when the older sister leaves the camera facing the baby radio before leaving the room, in this scene we hear whispering in the baby’s room which informs us that there is something or someone there, it allows us to feel more involved with the film since we know something the character doesn’t.

Another convention this horror film conforms to is the use of dark low key lighting during the night, which prevents the audience from seeing  the house clearly, causing them to concentrate more in order to not miss anything strange and as a result when something does happen they end up more shocked due to focusing more on the scene.

The main male character conforms to the stereotype that men are brave because he doesn’t hesitate to confront the demon in order to save his wife and son which shows that men are emotional and caring. He is also seen as the breadwinner since he is the only one who works in the household. The main female character conforms to the stereotype that women are caring and hold primary responsibility for childcare as she spends most of her time playing and taking care of the baby.

I believe this film was rated 15 because of the strong language used, since the characters repeat swear words various times especially when they are freaked out. The film also contains scenes of violence but they don’t focus on the infliction of pain and injury like Saw, and they are not very detailed, for example when the demon breaks the man’s neck we hear the sound of his neck breaking but we only see the action from afar, it is short without too much detail.

FILM REVIEW: The Diary (Short film)

Genre: Horror

Written by: Nathaniel M. Kirkland

Directed by: Nathaniel M. Kirkland

Lead Actor: Brynn Steblay, Chang Voon

A teenage girl begins suffering from nightmares and hallucinations, before finally uncovering the truth behind the death of the one who haunts her.

The movie begins with the main girl having a nightmare of someone standing in the graveyard (Ghost) and also screams. She is woken up by her roommate who was worried about her mumbling in her sleep. The main girl then makes her way into the toilet where she tries to compose herself by washing her face, as she bends down to wash her face the ghost girl appears once again. At that moment the main girl has the illusion of blood coming out of her mouth but she soon realizes that it wasn't real. She goes back to sleep but is once again haunted by voices causing her to sit up on her bed, she them  realises that there is a mysterious figure wearing white clothing rocking back and forth  at the bottom of her bed, as she gets closer to the figure she is grabbed by the ghost, but later wakes up and realises that she was just dreaming. However when she is grabbed the memories of the ghost transfer to her so she finds out that the ghost killed herself. She then finds the diary and is grabbed from behind after that the film ends.

Overall the settings chosen for the film fit well with the conventions of a horror film since they are dark as a result of poor lighting with the addition of the movie being filmed during night time. They also use the cemetery for the first appearance of the ghost so that we as an audience are aware that she is indeed dead, the fact that this scene is in black and white also emphasis the idea of death as it is lifeless without colour.

Non-diegetic sound is used effectively at the begining when the screen is black and all we can hear is the voice of a girl echoing. This gives of the impression that the woman is disturbed or that what we are hearing is actually a memory since it's echoing, so she's probably not entirely sane.Non diegetic sound is also used for the background music which has a repeated pattern played over and over again to match the heart beat of the female characters or to represent the story which is being relived through the flash backs.

At the start of the film there is a constant use of fade in and fade out as well as sudden cuts from different scenes that have not been seen yet in the movie and some zooms into certain objects, most importsntly a diary.This gives off the effect of someone having constant flashbacks from an event and the image of the diary shows the importance that object has to the movie and it's title. However it can also be used to intrigue the audience, since the constant change in images causes the audience to wonder how they are connected together and what is the story behind it all.

In addition the effect of making the camera shake at the end of the intro to the story gives of an uneasy and disturbing effect which could be used to illustrate the inner emotions of the fmale characters.
The effect that they use to make the image of the girl sitting on the bed bounce around and not focus on only one figure helps to show how the girl is not able to see clearly since she has just woken up. It also helps to reenforce the idea that the girl is a ghost so she is not something that is solid or real.
A lot of side and low key lighting is used which contributes to the dark and mysterious atmosphere of the film and genre.The fact that the film is filmed at night also conforms to the conventions of a horror film. 

Overall I would rate this movie as PG because the frightening content present is short and mild.

MOVIE REVIEW: Ninja Assassin

Genre: Action, Crime thriller 

Directed by: James McTeigue 

Produced by: Joel Silver, Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski 

Written by: Matthew Sand (screenplay), J. Michael Straczynski (screenplay). 

Lead actor: Rain (Jung Jihoon), Naomi Harris 

This movie is about a young ninja named Raizo who decides to betray the Ozuno ninja clan that has raised him, causing a confrontation to break out as a result of both side’s mutual desire for revenge.

The narrative structure of the movie is Linear with a closed structure. The film begins with an action scene which clearly shows the audience what type of movie this is and straight away engages the viewer by creating expectations on what the film will carry later on.

The movie begins with the story of Raizo who has been an orphan since he was a child and is taken in by the Ozuno clan and trained using brutal and severe methods in order for him to become the most lethal assassin and future successor of the clan. Through the years as a trainee young Raizo became close with young girl Kiriko, who like him was also training to become an assassin. They begin to develop a romantic bond, however after becoming teenagers Kiriko decides she no longer wants to be part of Ozuno clan and wishes to abandon it for freedom. On a rainy night Kiriko decides to escape from the Ozuno clan and encourages Raizon to escape along with her, however he refuses causing her to leave on her on. Kiriko is later captured by the ninjas and brought back to the clan where she is killed by her ninja brother Takeshi in front of Raizo as a punishment for betrayal; this caused the resentment and disapproval that Raizo had towards the Ozuno to grow. During Raizo's first mission outside the Ozuno walls  he is faced with the order given by Lord Ozuno to execute another young ninja who like Kiriko attempted to leave the Ozuno clan, however Raizo becomes outraged at the thought of doing the same thing Takeshi did to Kiriko a few years ago, and decides to rebel against lord ozuno and cuts his face with the kyoketsu-shoge in his hand. After this Raizo spends years running away from the numerous attempts of the Ozuno clan to kill him. 
Meanwhile an Europol agent Mika finds out about the Ozuno clan and meets Raizo who she convinces to meet her superior Maslow for protection and to serve as evidence against the Ozuno clan. However Raizo is instead captured by the Europol for questioning. The ninjas infiltrate the safehouse to kill Raizo but Mika manages to free him and they escape. Raizo is then  taken to a motel by Mika to recover from his serious injuries, she then leaves him with the tracking device and goes outside to wait for backup. However the ninjas arrive there before the agents and take him back to the clan. On the way their Raizo used his special ninja techniques to heal his injuries as much as possible. Europol Special Forces tracked Raizo and invaded the secret Ozuno layer where a battle takes place between the ninjas and the agents. Meanwhile Raizo engages in a sword fight with Lord Ozuno after killing Takeshi, however Mika is stabbed when she attempts to help Raizo. Raizo becomes enraged at the seemingly fatal injury she has suffered and uses his ‘shadow bending’ technique for the first time to defeat. Raizo soon finds out that luckily Mika’s heart is on the opposite side of her chest and that she will be fine and climbs over the same wall Kiriko to finally meet his freedom after the defeat of the Ozuno clan. 

The movie successfully incorporated the ninja theme into the choice of costumes and buildings for the Ozuno clan scenes. The buildings had the traditional Japanese architecture with the sliding doors and tatami flooring something we as an audience would expect from a ninja film. The clothing of the ninjas are dark (shinobi shozoko) which helps to illustrate their mysterious and secretive lifestyle, both of these things are something that we would associate with ninja movies since these are some of the conventions for this type of movie. The action scenes were believable, there weren't any moments in the film where it seemed as if one of the characters didn't get hit during a fighting sequence, since the actions scenes were very graphic which allowed the audience to clearly see the blade cutting off limbs and penetrating the body.
One the other hand the special effects applied to the blood wasn't very realistic since the amount of blood present in the scenes was quite exaggerated and the colour and texture of the blood looked unrealistic.

Making a background for my blog

Like my previous AS blog, I decided to create my own background with the intention of making my blog more personal. I chose to used images related to the theme of cinemas and film in order to reflect the media product I will be making for my coursework this year, which is what I did last year except the them then was radio.