Kayleigh Didwell

ANALYSIS OF 5 SIMILAR FILMS

• The conjuring

• Insidious

• Paranormal activity 4

• The Possession

• ouija

Analysis of 5 similar films.

This must include:

how character, narrative, setting and enigma are set up.

how generic conventions are used – adhered to or subverted

how titles are used.

across all 5 there must be mention of all technical elements – camera work, editing, mise-en-scene and sound.

THE CONJURING • The film starts with the introduction to the companies associated with the film begin with ‘Warner Bros Pictures’

logo emerging from dark clouds slowing zooming close to the camera almost out of view, the pieces of the logo rotating into the ‘Newline cinema’ logo. The use of the logo creeping from behind a dark cloud suggests the type of film this is. Dark and creepy. It instantly implies the genre being horror.

• In the opening scene we are introduced to the two main characters, Ed and Lorraine Warren. We learn the qualities of the two in the opening as 3 other characters explain their story of a creepy doll moving around the house mysteriously and leaving chilling notes such as ‘miss me’. We are not introduced to the faces of the two characters until we know who Ed and Lorraine are – paranormal investigators of some sort. Also the information they give tells the audience that they are people who investigate paranormal cases. The 3 characters at the beginning aren’t very relevant to the rest of the storyline other than helping the audience identify who Ed and Lorraine are and their significance to the story.

• Also in the opening we are introduced a doll which looks demonic and evil with the slashed eye, blue skin colour and creepy looking smile. This sets the tone of the film. Many people have a phobia of dolls such as the one used in the extreme close up kicking off the beginning of the film. Using objects which are commonly known as scary to begin the film sets the idea of the horror genre – scaring the audience or causing discomfort.

• The film begins with a voice-over which is a piece of diegetic audio – accompanied by the extreme close up of the scary looking doll. This tells the audience that what the character is saying is linked to this specific object. The doll being the first thing we see in the movie shows it’s importance to this scene.

THE CONJURING• The next scene where we are about to be introduced to the other main characters begins in a completely dark room

with one creepy window visible. The empty looking, dark setting makes the audience feel unsettled as nothing is visible to them other than the window. The use of the darkness and lack of visibility as a viewer creates a feeling of unease as the human mind feels uncomfortable with the unknown.

• The film cleverly uses a family dog who upon arrival refuses to enter the new house. It is has been said and some believe that dogs are able to see, hear or sense ghosts. This idea is used to tell the audience that there is something bad in the house. From this moment on the audience become somewhat concerned about what might happen next.

THE CONJURING• The camera shot in this specific scene creates a discomfort and confusion for the audience. The child is having a

conversation with someone however they are hidden from the viewer by the door.

• This shot has a lot of negative space. It is used to build tension because as a viewer we expect that something is going to appear behind her as she is looking in the mirror – this has happened repeatedly in horror films and it creates a build up of tension.

THE CONJURING - EDITING• The scene when Ed and Lorraine first enter the house is later shown again with a different filter to create the idea of a flash

back. Also edited into the shot now is a moving shadow which wasn’t there in the original shot. This is supposed to be the ‘entity’ that is latched on to the family.

• Another scene when Roger opens the door to take them down to the basement. He opens the door blackening our view and then it fades in to Lorraine down in the basement. A fade can indicate that time has been omitted.

THE CONJURING – MISE EN SCENE• Setting: We are shown the first shot from the outside of the family’s new home and there don’t seem to be any surrounding houses

and it seems to be very isolated. It is also surrounded by a forest which is another commonly used setting in horror because it creates the idea that there is no escape and no help.

• Lighting:

• Costumes: The costumes worn set the time period of the film.

They also show the personalities of the characters. For example, the difference in outfits worn by Roger and Ed Warren. Roger wears basic checked shirts and jeans, casual wear. Showing that he isn’t very sophisticated. Whereas Ed wears suits, which tells us that he is a sophisticated character and suggests that he is wealthy and better educated than Roger.

The costumes also tell us more about the character. For example, Ed and Lorraine are shown to be very religious characters.

• Props: The music box used to see the ghost of Rory which plays an unsettling tune as it implies innocenceThe clocks which stop at exactly the same timeCrackling tv Voice recorderThe necklace of Lorraine’s daughterCrucifix Torch

THE CONJURING

The end credits consist of creepy old looking photos and old articles about what happened at the house – the use of the old photo effects backs up the time period the movie is set in.

They fade in and out at first, then they flip as if looking through old photographs and then a magnify effect is used as if someone has put on their glasses to read the newspaper. This sets the idea of the film being a true story using everyday things we look at and do.

INSIDIOUS• The titles at the beginning introduce the creators. The colour of the titles is red, which can be associated with the devil and

blood setting the tone of the movie from the beginning. The titles then smoke out which makes it seem more ghostly.

• The first scene we are shown is a young boy sleeping in bed and the camera then takes us through the house to look at a window with a shadow of an old lady. As we see the shadow, the music becomes dramatic, loud and high pitched which is alarming. This instantly tells the audience that this character is dangerous.

• After we are shown the woman, it fades out to black. Then the title of the film unexpectedly appears with the same scary piece of music used to introduce the woman. This is a jump scare but with a title rather than a character. The gentle fade out from the scary scene makes the audience think everything is going to be calm again.

• After the introduction scene, we are given the titles of the actors etc. The font is the same as the titles right at the beginning, however they are now overlaying shots of the house in black and whitewhich flicker, which is what typically happens in ghost films (lights flickering etc)

• The shots in the background of the opening titles are in black and white. The coloursused in the title sequence are colours associated with death. The red for blood or the deviland black for evil/darkness.

• The genre is made clear by the music and the slow edits in the film opening. The music is eerie and unsettling which sits with the horror genre.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4• At the beginning we are introduced to Katie, the character from the first Paranormal

activity. The first scene we see her happy and healthy. After this we cut to titles ‘on October 9, 2006 Hunter Rey was abducted’. The next scene shows the mother upstairs with her baby then cuts to downstairs where Katie, in blood stained pyjamas is standing over a mangled male on the sofa. We are then shown upstairs again, then a shot of the stairs, then upstairs again. The sequence of these shots shows that Katie is getting closer and closer. This tells us that something is about to happen.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4• The whole film is handheld footage showing you everything from the character filming’s

perspective – this gives the audience a feeling of being more involved in the action. It gives them more ability to place themselves in the position of the actor and feel as if it is happening to them.

• Some wide shots are used when the camera has been placed on a stand. These are often used when there are more than 2 characters involved in the scene or when something is about to happen to a character.

• Also in some parts of the film webcam footage is used when Alex and Ben are having a conversation through Skype. This is a new thing shown in films, for example the new horror being released soon, Unfriended. This indicates that this horror is modern and updated as it uses new technologies.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4• All the sound in the film is diegetic sound, which the characters involved will hear. Due to

the film being footage which has been discovered, there is no sound which indicates that the footage has been edited before it’s discovery as the characters are all killed at the end and would not have been able to edit the footage and would’ve had no intention of it’s release as a movie.

• Generic conventions;The setting of the film is different to other horrors as the family are simply living in a nice house in a nice looking neighbourhood. It’s when their new neighbours move in the problems occur.

THE POSSESSION• The beginning of the film introduces us to an old woman and shows us the significance of

the box to the story and the fear the old woman has for it. This shows us that it is dangerous, we learn this simply from her facial expressions before the box even causes her any harm. We also learn that the box cannot be destroyed and how it ends up in the young girls hands.

THE POSSESSION• The costumes worn are casual which sets the idea that it is just a normal family on a

normal day. One costume that the young possessed girl wears is the stero-typical white night dress which symbolises purity and innocence. Later on in the film she is wearing a grey dress which can representsome of the strength and mystery of black. It is seenas suppressive, this creates the idea that whilstthe demon is taking over the young girl’s thoughtsfeelings and actions are all being suppressed.

• Also the Jewish male conducts a religious séancewhich is commonly used in horror films. There isalways a religious icon who gets rid of the demonpossessing a character.

THE POSSESSION• The use of the swing and children in horror films is common as it shows their harmless child like

characteristics which contrasts with their malevolent personalities.

• The wide shot is used so that the reflection in the mirroris not obvious but once the audience identify that reflectionis not the character’s it shows that bad things are going to happen.

• Also the camera constantly slowly zooms in to charactersfaces and objects which creates a build up of tension. The closer the camera gets to the object or the character thecuts between shots increase.

THE POSSESSION• The over shoulder shot in a mirror is commonly used

in horror as it shows what is behind the characterthis is often used to create mystery by showing an object behind the character or creates theopportunity for a jump scare.

OUIJA • The first thing we are shown it a close up of a Ouija board, the camera then spins out to a

birds eye shot of two young girls. The shot at the beginning shows that the two young girls are significant to the storyline.

• The sequence of which there is a close up shot is close up on young Debbie’s face and then fades into a shot of an older looking blonde female

• The costumes worn by Debbie and – are casual clothing that everyday teenagers wear.The younger sister is given a more gothic/rocker look – biker jacket, dark hair, dark clothing. This makes her being younger and more immature a lot more obvious as younger teens go through this ‘phase’

OUIJA• We learn the importance of the Ouija board due to the number of shots the prop is

included in.

• Also the characters appear to use the lights on the back of their smartphone as opposed to torches which gives the film a more modern feel.

• Generic conventions are adhered to. Whenever something bad happens it’s always in a dark isolated setting. For example the first time bad things begin to happen to the group searching for Debbie is in the dark empty house she died in.