The Blair Witch Project
The use of the handheld camera in this clip creates realism and makes the events seem more realistic and would therefore frighten the audience and make them believe that this could actually happen, due to the characters appearing as everyday, normal people. This provides the film with a sort of documentary style and also creates the illusion of reality.
Furthermore, the handheld camera produces quite a shaky image and keeps the audience on edge, due to the camera moving with the character; by doing this the audience would therefore feel as though they are going on a journey with this character and identify with the characters and the events that are taking place around them. The shaky camera also foreshadows the tension and the upcoming events as we are fully aware that the genre of this film is a horror, due to the film adopting the typical conventions such as the high-key lighting. In addition to the movement, the actual camera image transitions from monochrome to colour, which clearly identifies the two cameras that are being used as the monochrome one belongs to one character and the colour one belongs to the other. By having this, it establishes the different locations and scenes inside the house and also doesn't create confusion with the viewer as we are fully aware that there are two people with two different cameras. Also, because the film has been edited to show the two characters' view points, it almost adds to the tension as we are able to follow more than just one person. It also helps us to envision the whole location much better as we are able to see both characters that are filming, so we see both their faces and can identify with each of them, instead of just one.
Axiomatically, the monochrome camera adds rawness to the film, it strips back all colour and almost 'happiness' you could say as it forces the audience to focus purely on the events and not get distracted by any bright colours or bold visions; it makes the clip seem essentially naked from all life and this could foreshadow this characters' inevitable death. It could also represent the characters' demeanour as being quite black and white, perhaps quite a traditional character, who likes to see events in their most raw form and may be quite myopic. On the other hand, there is the colour camera, which could represent the opposite, perhaps this character views everything in a broader and more realistic way, taking into account everything that his eyes can see. The use of this camera makes the clip seem more realistic as we are able to imagine the location.
When the camera drops to the floor and is sort of malfunctioning we are forced to just listen to the sounds as we cannot see anything; this is particularly powerful as enigma codes are created and the audience have so many unanswered questions within the moment, due to the amount of tension created simply from dropping the camera.
The use of the handheld camera builds a sense of suspicion and apprehension as the audience identify with the characters and experience realism as the events could potentially occur.
'The Blair Witch Project' is a horror film and would appeal to more of a male target audience as the conventional male would like violence and thrilling scenes. Also the characters in this film are quite young therefore this would appeal to a younger demographic as they are able to identify with their emotions and create a sort of attachment with the characters.
The Falling
The use of the handheld camera in this clip creates realism and makes the events seem more realistic and would therefore frighten the audience and make them believe that this could actually happen, due to the characters appearing as everyday, normal people. This provides the film with a sort of documentary style and also creates the illusion of reality.
Furthermore, the handheld camera produces quite a shaky image and keeps the audience on edge, due to the camera moving with the character; by doing this the audience would therefore feel as though they are going on a journey with this character and identify with the characters and the events that are taking place around them. The shaky camera also foreshadows the tension and the upcoming events as we are fully aware that the genre of this film is a horror, due to the film adopting the typical conventions such as the high-key lighting. In addition to the movement, the actual camera image transitions from monochrome to colour, which clearly identifies the two cameras that are being used as the monochrome one belongs to one character and the colour one belongs to the other. By having this, it establishes the different locations and scenes inside the house and also doesn't create confusion with the viewer as we are fully aware that there are two people with two different cameras. Also, because the film has been edited to show the two characters' view points, it almost adds to the tension as we are able to follow more than just one person. It also helps us to envision the whole location much better as we are able to see both characters that are filming, so we see both their faces and can identify with each of them, instead of just one.
Axiomatically, the monochrome camera adds rawness to the film, it strips back all colour and almost 'happiness' you could say as it forces the audience to focus purely on the events and not get distracted by any bright colours or bold visions; it makes the clip seem essentially naked from all life and this could foreshadow this characters' inevitable death. It could also represent the characters' demeanour as being quite black and white, perhaps quite a traditional character, who likes to see events in their most raw form and may be quite myopic. On the other hand, there is the colour camera, which could represent the opposite, perhaps this character views everything in a broader and more realistic way, taking into account everything that his eyes can see. The use of this camera makes the clip seem more realistic as we are able to imagine the location.
When the camera drops to the floor and is sort of malfunctioning we are forced to just listen to the sounds as we cannot see anything; this is particularly powerful as enigma codes are created and the audience have so many unanswered questions within the moment, due to the amount of tension created simply from dropping the camera.
The use of the handheld camera builds a sense of suspicion and apprehension as the audience identify with the characters and experience realism as the events could potentially occur.
'The Blair Witch Project' is a horror film and would appeal to more of a male target audience as the conventional male would like violence and thrilling scenes. Also the characters in this film are quite young therefore this would appeal to a younger demographic as they are able to identify with their emotions and create a sort of attachment with the characters.
The Falling
Tension and suspense are created through the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound; the voice over at the beginning of the clip sets the scene and establishes the protagonist, causing the audience to identify with her. The use of the non-diegetic voice over and the diegetic sound of the hairspray being sprayed and the bell ringing, highlights just how the protagonist is living in the moment and how the voice over is what she is thinking right now. Her thoughts in her mind are being reflected and shown visually simultaneously. The use of the voice over portrays the protagonist as quite a reflective character and we can infer from the sound that she is within her thoughts and immersed within.
The use of the montage of events and the editing being very fast paced and dramatic builds up tension and suspense. In addition to this, the sort of blink transition at the end of the montage may show the lead up to reality and the present moment. The fantasy sort of non-diegetic sound being played over the montage adds a sort of chilling feel to it as there's that kind of humming futuristic sound, which adds tension. Furthermore the use of the sound bridge from the bell and then we see the bell ringing, immediately stops that montage, which is really effective. It suggests that the protagonist may be awoken from the moment and suddenly halted from her thoughts. This may therefore foreshadow an upcoming event as she may suddenly experience something that she does not want to experience.
The editing then becomes very slow paced after that increasingly fast paced montage, the whole atmosphere created after is quite slow yet very effective as we are intrigued by what has just happened; the sound then becomes diegetic and the chatters of the children talking and playing creates the setting as quite a standardised school setting. This makes the whole scene feel more natural, therefore the audience are able to identify with the norm and conform with the conventions.
The editing then becomes very slow paced after that increasingly fast paced montage, the whole atmosphere created after is quite slow yet very effective as we are intrigued by what has just happened; the sound then becomes diegetic and the chatters of the children talking and playing creates the setting as quite a standardised school setting. This makes the whole scene feel more natural, therefore the audience are able to identify with the norm and conform with the conventions.
We can tell that the target audience would be 15 and older due to the sexual scene portrayed at the beginning of the clip. Due to the representation of most of the characters being female, I would argue that this film would appeal more to females rather than males, we can especially gather this through the mise-en-scene; the school setting and uniform. This would appeal to a younger demographic rather than elder. The genre of mystery is definitely portrayed through this clip as there is a very tense and intriguing atmosphere created within the clip, especially through the use of sound.
Monsters
The mise-en-scene creates a very tense atmosphere within this clip. The darkness around them adds a sinister atmosphere, however it doesn't look low-key as it seems quite natural. The environment creates an emotion, it makes it appear chilling as we cannot see what is occurring in depth and clearly. The minimal, artificial lighting, so the little light bulb appearing in the corner of the scene, at the beginning, foreshadows the tragedy to soon follow. The fact that there is just this one simplistic light bulb, without a shade or cover, highlights the nakedness and the strength of that light; connoting that the truth is all to be revealed here and there is no shade from the occurring events. In addition to this, the fact that the light is artificial, highlights how there is no natural purity within the room, simply darkness and 'fake light,' which, again, foreshadows the tragic events and the calamity which is about to emerge. The use of light within the whole clip is interesting; we see the characters sitting around the natural source of the fire, one of the 4 elements, something which is pure, however they all run away from this purity and find safety in artificial headlights; the car. The characters run towards this blinding light, which foreshadows just how there is no hope for them. To reinforce this idea, one of the headlights is broken and only the left one is seen lit (left as seen on screen); due to the genre of this film being horror, the idea of the left light may refer to sin, evil and more generically, the Devil. Referring to superstitions, the left is always wrong, there's always some sort of evil clairvoyance or inexplicable occurring associated with the left, which foreshadows the sinister events which will follow.
Furthermore, the prop of the gas mask creates that mysterious feeling as we believe they may be getting gassed and may be attacked as they are left helplessly and vulnerably in the truck. The combination of gas masks and guns reveal violence and the action code of putting the mask on, highlights that there may be something poisonous or harmful within the atmosphere. The use of this mise-en-scene reveals a thrilling atmosphere and environment and we are forced to identify with the characters due to their facial expressions.
The film genre is sci-fi, thriller and drama, so these genres would potentially appeal to a male demographic more so, rather than a female. The sci-fi genre would appeal to a wide range of audiences, from younger people to even elder people. Also due to the tension created in this clip and the action heard, this would again reinforce the idea of the film appealing to a more male demographic.
Monsters
The mise-en-scene creates a very tense atmosphere within this clip. The darkness around them adds a sinister atmosphere, however it doesn't look low-key as it seems quite natural. The environment creates an emotion, it makes it appear chilling as we cannot see what is occurring in depth and clearly. The minimal, artificial lighting, so the little light bulb appearing in the corner of the scene, at the beginning, foreshadows the tragedy to soon follow. The fact that there is just this one simplistic light bulb, without a shade or cover, highlights the nakedness and the strength of that light; connoting that the truth is all to be revealed here and there is no shade from the occurring events. In addition to this, the fact that the light is artificial, highlights how there is no natural purity within the room, simply darkness and 'fake light,' which, again, foreshadows the tragic events and the calamity which is about to emerge. The use of light within the whole clip is interesting; we see the characters sitting around the natural source of the fire, one of the 4 elements, something which is pure, however they all run away from this purity and find safety in artificial headlights; the car. The characters run towards this blinding light, which foreshadows just how there is no hope for them. To reinforce this idea, one of the headlights is broken and only the left one is seen lit (left as seen on screen); due to the genre of this film being horror, the idea of the left light may refer to sin, evil and more generically, the Devil. Referring to superstitions, the left is always wrong, there's always some sort of evil clairvoyance or inexplicable occurring associated with the left, which foreshadows the sinister events which will follow.
Furthermore, the prop of the gas mask creates that mysterious feeling as we believe they may be getting gassed and may be attacked as they are left helplessly and vulnerably in the truck. The combination of gas masks and guns reveal violence and the action code of putting the mask on, highlights that there may be something poisonous or harmful within the atmosphere. The use of this mise-en-scene reveals a thrilling atmosphere and environment and we are forced to identify with the characters due to their facial expressions.
The film genre is sci-fi, thriller and drama, so these genres would potentially appeal to a male demographic more so, rather than a female. The sci-fi genre would appeal to a wide range of audiences, from younger people to even elder people. Also due to the tension created in this clip and the action heard, this would again reinforce the idea of the film appealing to a more male demographic.
It Follows
This clip is increasingly tense due to it's initial slow paced editing. The use of the camera movement is particularly interesting as there is a hand held camera following the male character as he runs, this produces a very shaky image and makes it much more tense as we feel like we are following him to the place. This is quite a conventional camera movement associated with horror films as it creates realism and therefore will make the audience question their own reality as they may believe that this could also happen to them. Within the clip, it adds to the suspense and really emphasises the identification to the characters. There is also a moment where there is a slow paced camera movement, it's a POV of the protagonist crawling up to the broken door; the camera moves increasingly slowly and the audience are tense as we are aware that we are going to see something and we're almost bracing ourselves for something to scare us. As soon as the little boy gets up to the camera the non-diegetic sound increases to frighten the audience and to create that jumpy atmosphere. Due to the camera moving increasingly slow paced, it increases the tension to a crawl, the build up becomes so slow and we prepare ourself for the climactic moment.
We are also forced to identify with the protagonist due to the use of close ups and medium close-ups of her emotional face, therefore an emotional connection is created between the main protagonist and the audience. The use of the camera being at the rear window of the car shows the distance of this protagonist and her fear; how it is increasing. Also the positioning of the camera almost foreshadows that something terrible is going to happen and that she can't run away from it. The fact that she has distanced herself from all her companionship portrays her isolation and the camera positioned at the rear window of the car highlights this exactly.
The camera work in the car again is very interesting as it is filmed from the back seat, which almost makes the audience feel as though they are in the back seat watching the protagonist go through her escape. Furthermore, when the protagonist looks back, there is no POV shot, instead the camera remains in the same place and reveals the hazard ahead, showing the audience what is going to happen before the character within the film is aware. This impacts the audience and makes them identify with the character and it is instinctive that the audience wants to help them and stop the danger from occurring. The impact of the camera work emphasises the identification with characters.
The target audience of this film would most probably be fairly balanced in terms of gender as there are mostly female characters, however the idea of Mulvey's 'male gaze' may be apparent here and may attract the male demographic. The horror genre also appeals to the male demographic more predominantly as the stereotypical boy is considered a thrill seeker and would be a fan of violence and gore. Also, due to the characters being quite young, I think the target audience would be youths as the characters are also quite young, but also the idea of horror films appealing to young people due to them being more willing to experiment with new films and want to seek some thrill and excitement.
Antichrist
This clip is really interesting and intriguing in terms of sound and editing. The non-diegetic sound of the voice over creates this really tense atmosphere and her voice is almost at a whisper, it seems soft yet still quite chilling and thrilling as we hear her speak as she kind of guides herself through this place. Simultaneously, her voice seems hoarse like it's breaking and fading, which may foreshadow her subsequent fading into the grass at the end of this clip. In addition to this, there is another character who talks to her after a while through the clip, which creates the impression that perhaps this is her imagination and she may be with some sort of psychiatrist. This man speaks more confidently and bold like he is the dominant one, giving her orders. The two voices are in contrast with each other as the female voice fades and the male voice rises higher. Simply from their voices, the audience are able to infer their demeanour as being quite opposite. We would expect the female character to be the protagonist and it is as though she is reliving a moment within her imagination or her own world. In addition to this non-diegetic sound, there is another sound, which almost does not sound real, therefore I would argue that this is also non-diegetic. The sound is very chilling as it sounds like a calm yet sinister tone, one that is sort of unexplainable. The fact that this is constant and plays throughout the clip may highlight the fact that this is all a false reality, perhaps a figment of her imagination and this could be further supported by the editing as the use of the slow motion and the reduced frames per minute creates the illusion of fantasy rather than reality. The use of this also draws all of the viewers attention on the voice over and not the events and it is as though the image is simply a visual aid to help us imagine what she is thinking. The fact that she is in control of her thoughts is interesting and the fact that we are told what she is going to do before she does it makes it all the more intriguing and anticipating as we are interested in this character and who she is.
The editing overall is extremely slow paced and we would conventionally consider such a slow paced scene as being quite boring and uninteresting, however the use of the slow sounding voice over and the slow paced movement simultaneously with the slow editing, creates this wonderful thing and we are so intrigued by what's happening as her voice is almost entrancing. The slow motion also allows us to not be distracted by anything, which again reinforces the idea of the audience being captivated by this speaker and her words.
We can tell that the genre of this film is a horror due to the sinister atmosphere created in terms of mise-en-scene but also the voice over is quite a chilling and tense sound and her voice complements this marvellously and creates this anticipating scene filled with mesmerizing tension in such a peculiar and unconventional way. We would typically expect a horror film to be quite fast paced in terms of editing and transitions in order to keep us on edge and then followed by very slow camera movement at the most climactic moment to prepare the audience for the big fright. However, 'Antichrist' does not follow these conventions, in this clip, instead it subverts the stereotype and capturers the horror genre in a compelling yet unique way. The target audience for this film would maybe be a little older as you would have to focus on the film more so than the others, therefore I think it would appeal predominantly to a female demographic as they are stereotypically more interested in dramatic films and films with good story lines rather than males, who may just want to seek some thrill from the horror genre.
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