Monday, 22 September 2014

Research into cinematography - Miss Miller

Case 39 

In this post I will be discussing the cinematography used in case 39. I chose this particular clip in the film as at this point in the film the parents are believed to be the antagonists,  however upon focusing on the cinematography used we can see the girl is the real antagonist. This is confirmed as the film goes on. Cinematography is the different camera angles and shots used within thrillers to create tension, it also helps the representation of the characters.

At the start of the clip we see a shallow focus. We see this we when the girl is getting dragged into the over by her parents. The young girl is in focus and everything else is blurred. The emphasis on the girl shows something is going to happen to her. This makes the audience feel sympathetic towards the girl and anger towards the parents as they are trying to harm a young girl. Young girls portay inccoence and vunrability which increases the anxiety for her to be saved and the parents to be stopped. You can still clearly see the parents dragging her but there is a focus on the pain and suffering of her. This makes the parents seem inhumane almost as the are ignoring the cries from there own daughter and still trying to put her into the over. From this the audience will create a relationship with the girl as she is being portray as a victim, therefore they would want her to survive.   This creates suspense as at this point we are unaware there is someone coming to save her therefore it makes the viewers feel tense. This is conventional to a thriller as the antagonists are clearly stronger and unsympathetic, where as the protagonist displays vunrability.



There is an establishing shot and slight panning. We can see this as the camera is pointed at the house so we can see it all and then pans around the rest of the road. From this we can see the house in not situated in a nice neighbourhood. Also there are bars on the window which symbolise a prision. This could suggest someone in the house feels trapped. At first people think its the girl that is trapped in the house, and this makes the audience feel sympathetic for the girl and creates suspense and its not known what the parents are going to do to her. The house is very dark in the scene, all lights are offs in the house and you can't see in.  This implies that the people inside the house and not known and that its not known what is really happening inside the house. This creates intensity and suspense as we don't no what is going to happen to the girl or her parents.

Furthermore, there is a high angle and zooming in. This happens when the parents are pushing the girl into the over. This makes the whole family appear vulnerable even though the parents are in control of the current situation. The fact that both parents are against one little girl it conveys the girl is more powerful then thought at first, the creates curiosity and increases tension. This is because the viewers are unaware of why its taking two people to hold a little girl. The audience will automatically associate the girl as the victim and will build an emotional relationship with the girl as she is being targeted by her parents. This sense enigma is conventional in thrillers and helps to create suspense within thrillers

There is also another high angle used when the girls dads is trying to push her into the oven, it is also a mid shot as we can see from his shoulders up. This allows us to feel more involved in the film as we can see the raw emption shown by the dad and the strain in his face. However you can also see the girls hand hanging out of the oven in this shot which creates suspense and the dad would easily be able to over power a little girl, so there is suspense in what is going to happen next. Her hand hanging out also represents the girl as a  strong character, which would make the audience feel happy because they want her to escape. This type of scene the audience would be on the "edge of their seats" due to the fear of the unknown which is conventional in thrillers.

An extream close up is used when the couple turn on the oven with the girl in it. This shows the seriousness of the parents. It also their ruthlessness and hatred for the daughter, this unusual hate creates suspense within the audience. The intensity of the scene rises as the flame spreads round the oven, which lets the audience feel more involved with the little girl as they can see the flames getting closer to her. Which creates tension as we don't no if she will get out or not.

A two shot is used when the couple are looking into the oven at the little girl, you can see the girls hand pressed up against the oven glass and part of her body. Both parents come across as heartless and like the antagonists of the film.  They are both looking straight at the little girl without any emotion on there faces. The man is more in this frame which could suggest he is the dominating parent. This will cause the audience to feel resentment towards him. The audience would feel suspense as they want the girl to get out but the mans dominating nature makes us questions this. The parents are trying to show their authoritative however we know they are vunrable.

This research into cinematography within case 39 has shown me how to make my characters appear vulnerable or dominating. Different shots and angles help to show different characters representations, this helps me to build up the tension within my thriller. I want to use an extrema close up in my opening sequence as I think it helps to show the characters emotions and the seriousness of the scene, which helps the audience to feel more involved. I also would want to use a high angle shot of the victim to show the vulnerability of them. I will try to include most of these shots as they are all effective in sustaining the audiences attention and maintaining tension through out. This will help me to create a conventional thriller sequence as it will help me to show the vulnerability of my victim and over powering/dominating nature of my antagonist.
















3 comments:

  1. You have provided a good analysis of the various camera techniques identified, explaining what they create and the relationship that can be built to an extent.

    You need to:
    1) Make sure you elaborate on all points made, explaining what the technique helps to create and how a relationship is formed with the audience and the characters involved.
    2) Include a conclusion to explain how this research will help you plan what you will include within your own sequence and whether the cinematography used helped to create a conventional thriller sequence
    3) Double check spelling and grammar etc.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Include a definition of cinematography in your intro

    ReplyDelete
  3. You have included a brief introduction and conclusion explaining how this research has benefited you, as well as mentioning how techniques used are conventional of the genre; however, you still need to explain how a relationship is formed with the audience and the characters involved.

    ReplyDelete