ANALYSING SUPERNATURAL/HORROR THRILLER

Today in class I analysed how the micro-elements in "Insidious" are used to create a tense mood/atmosphere. I did this in order to understand the conventions of this type of thriller further in order to make any small adjustments to each shot before filming this Sunday. For this film I analysed the first 5 minutes.




SOUND

The movie begins with the the name of the production company and the credits. When the credits appear we hear this creepy sound effect. The creepy sound effect used here sets an eerie atmosphere and straight away tells the audience that this is a horror film.




In this scene we hear the slow ticking sound of the metronome. This slow repetitive ticking sound is used to start the build up of tension before other sound effects are used. By using the sound effects from a metronome instead of a scary soundtrack allows the audience to feel safe before the climax is reached and the ghost is revealed. This is what helps create the jump scare because audiences are unaware of the danger that is to come.

CAMERA

The film begins with an establishing shot of the setting. From this shot we can see that the house is isolated as its surroundings are dark. Because of this isolation the audience will feel a sense of hopelessness for the characters as they believe that the character's will be alone without help. In addition this low angle shot makes the house look scary and intimidating because of its large scale and height.

A close up shot is used to focus on the character's facial expression to show his fears and worries. This is used to build up tension and raise questions by the viewers about what is making the character feel this much amount of fear. It also shows the details of the character's features and we are able to learn a few things about the character's personality. For example in this shot we learn that the character doesn't take care of himself much as he doesn't shave. This may indicate that he's spending his time taking care of other matters, like for example the fact that his son is about to be possessed.


MIS-EN-SCENE

A photograph is used in this scene to reveal the ghost. In this photograph we see and innocent kid who is wearing a white shirt, while the ghost is wearing black. The white shirt symbolises youth and innocence while the black symbolises danger and death. From this the audiences are able to identify who's the protagonist and who's the antagonist. In addition, the fact that the antagonist is behind the protagonist and the character is not aware of the danger makes the audience feel scared and worried for the character.

In this shot we see the interior design of the house. The green wallpaper used along with the brown wood makes the house look old fashioned. This could mean that the house is old and that there has been other families that have lived here before this family moved in. Therefore the fact that there is history in this house makes the house seem scary and mysterious as audiences along with the characters are unaware of what may have happened in this house. In addition, the dim lighting used symbolises the small amount of hope the characters have.

EDITING

Editing is used here to create the smoke effect when the character walks past the credits. The smoke effect creates a spooky atmosphere and is used to represent "ghost". Straight away the audience is informed that there is paranormal activity in the house. The smoke/ fade effect may also be used to symbolise death and how life fades when there is a disturbance.


In this shot we see the boy from the perspective of the camera. The fact that the boy is in the middle of the box reminds the audience that he's the main focus of the plot of the movie and that everything that happens evolves around him. Also, the black and white effect makes the boy appear lifeless. This makes the character seem vulnerable and makes the audience feel worried for him.