Cinematography: The first shot used in this film is an establishing shot which is used to set the scene, and tell the audience where the events of the film are going to take place. It is night-time which is a common theme throughout horror movies. The camera then very slowly zooms in on the old, rickety house showing that it is eerie and indicates that something bad is going to happen. Next, a mid-shot is used which establishes the characters and shows that they are watching TV. Many two shots and shot-reverse-shots are used throughout the opening which shows the conversation between the two girls and their relationship to each other, it also immerses the audience within the scene as they feel like they are really there and are involved with the two girls. A shallow depth of field is used when the phone is ringing, this suggests it is an important prop in the film as it is the only thing in focus and allows the audience to concentrate on it. Immediately after, a deep depth of field is used so that the audience focus on the characters and are able to see their worry and anxiousness to the phone ringing. As soon as the girl realizes her television has turned back on by itself, a zoom is used which allows the audience to see her sudden confusion and worry towards the situation. A high angle is used with the camera looking down the stairs which portrays the character as weak, inferior and vulnerable and could suggest that a supernatural force is dominating her, which may mean something dangerous is going to happen. A low level angle is used when she is walking through the hallway and steps into a puddle, this is effective as it creates suspense by not enabling the audience to see all of the scene; causing them to feel as if something bad is going to happen. A closeup is used when the character is reaching for the door handle which adds suspense and tension because nobody knows what is going to be behind the door. Many tracking shots are used to follow the two characters around the house which allows the audience to follow the story line clearly and may introduce anxiety among the viewers as they wonder what is going to happen next.
Mise-en-scene: The whole opening of the film is set in an isolated house, which is a typical stereotype of paranormal horror movies. The colors throughout the opening are very dull and gloomy, the lighting is very low-key which creates a creepy and eerie ambiance and sends chills down the viewers spine because they feel as if something is going to happen. The audience are able to see the scenery outside through the uncovered windows, meaning they can see the gloomy and morbid weather outside which adds to the ominous atmosphere. During the first scene, we can see that the two characters are dressed in school uniforms which tells us that they are teenagers and are students. Their uniforms’ are grey which and black which links in with the muted lighting. They are both positioned in simple places, with one sat on the floor and one lying on the bed this could demonstrate their straightforward and basic lives. One of the props with high significance in the opening was the TV; which is what the film is based around. This was the first weird occurrence in the film as it was turning on by itself, this stirs anxiety within the audience because it is meant to be an inanimate object. The TV is the last thing seen in the opening sequence which shows its significance due to it being the cliffhanger for the rest of the movie.
Editing: Slow paced editing is used mostly throughout the opening sequence. This is done to create suspense and make the audience question what kind of events are going to happen next. It allows the audience to understand the story as the scenes are not moving too fast which would just end up confusing them and it also allows them to become more engaged in the narrative. It turns to fast paced editing at the end of the opening where one of the characters is about to get killed. This increases adrenaline within the audience, and makes the scene more thrilling and climatic. There is a fade used at the end of the opening to show the passing of time from the opening to the main part of the film, it is also used as a smooth transition from a startling event to present day The storyline is set in a linear narrative which means the events happen in chronological order. This helps the audience to understand the storyline better as it is not cutting back and forth from past to present day.
Sound: The diegetic sound of rain is used in the first few sequences of the opening. This indicates that there is bad weather and that it is dark and gloomy outside. Horror films are stereo-typically set during some sort of storm which shows that this is a horror movie. The horrible weather could foreshadow further events by suggesting that horrible things are going to happen throughout the opening. Diegetic sound is used when the phone rings which makes the audience feel anxiety as the phone should not be ringing and it also conveys danger as it is said that the person who watches the video will get a mysterious call; the phone call suggests that the myth is real. The diegetic static of the TV creates a thick cloud of tension as that is not the sound we focus with TV’s that are functioning, we could suggest the TV has been sabotaged with. The eerie sound effects such as the water droplets and other tension building sounds are used to fill the audience with anticipation and anxiety.
2020 Film Blog 