Thursday, 20 October 2016

Opening Scene Genre Deconstruction 'Captive- AS Media'



Genre

The genre of this opening scene is very clear from the start of the scene, where the 'victim' has their hands tied up and covered in blood, conforming to common conventions of 'Slasher Horror' films. 






The audience can also identify the 'Slasher' genre from the pool of blood around the feet of the victim, also supporting conventions of the chosen genre. The audience can immediately assume that this film will contain lots of gore and some violence. 











Also supporting to the common conventions of 'Slasher' films is the 'middle-of-nowhere' location. 











Mise-En-Scene

In this opening scene, the props, location and 'effects' used largely support the genre. 

When we are faced with the beginning of the scene, the first prop we see is bloodied rope tied around the victims hands. This implies that they have been there for some time, as there is a lot of blood, (both dry and fresh) supporting that they have bled for some time and that the blood has fully dried, showing the length of their imprisonment. 
   











The blood on the victims face and around their feet also supports the sub-genre that they have chosen to focus on.



















The use of the security camera implies that the prisoner is being watched all of the time and that the 'watcher' is anonymous. This creates an eerie effect, as the 'watcher' could be anyone and could be anywhere.










The scene that the group have used conforms to the common conventions of the genre as this opening has been used in an abandoned location. The audience can clearly see that the building is no longer in use due to the graffiti on the walls and the nature growing into the space. This shows that the building is un-cared for and that no one goes there anymore. Due to this, a creepy and tense effect has been created as the audience don't know what will happen to the victim and if he will survive or escape.










Again, the use of the security cameras and the different camera angles of them shows that the victim is constantly being watched and has no chance of escaping because the 'watcher' has a full view of the area.











When the security camera screen breaks up, this implies that something is about to happen which creates tension and suspense. This also gives evidence of a deserted area as there is not enough signal to display the images on the screen.











The use of the danger sign also shows that the area is dangerous and should be avoided. Due to the character ignoring this sign, foreshadows the future events and makes the audience question why the character chose to ignore the sign, intriguing the audience and making them want to watch more of the film.










In the flashback, we get another glimpse at the setting, which is in the woods. Again this is in a 'middle-of-nowhere' location, which conforms to the common conventions of 'Slasher-Horror'.










The use of the dolls makes the opening scene seem creepy. Dolls are common props used in a lot of horror films. This is due to the illusion that they are watching you and that they can become 'alive'.











Sound

At the start of the scene, we hear faint diegetic dripping sounds which could indicate the victims blood dripping. This conforms to the common conventions of the genre by implying that blood and violence has been used. Due to the audience only being able to hear this sound faintly and that this is the only sound that we can hear also shows that the area in the scene is abandoned and is in 'the-middle-of-nowhere'.
The next sound we hear is synthetic, diegetic computer/camera sounds. This makes the camera appear to be calculating/videoing the character. This makes the character look as if he is being observed and creates tension and suspense.
Next we hear synthetic, non-diegetic screeching sounds. Although these are faint is creates an eerie atmosphere and implies that something is about to happen. After a moment of silence, where suspense is created, we hear another synthetic, non-diegetic sound. This time it is more of a crashing sound and is louder. This again raises the adrenaline levels of the audience, as before they were probably quite low. By gradually raising and lowering the adrenaline levels creates suspense and the audience don't know when something unexpected and scary is about to happen. At the same time as the crash, we hear the diegetic sound of the victim spitting out the blood. This emphasizes the amount o blood that he has lost due to the violence that he has been through. This sound is parallel to the genre.
The non-diegetic fast paced string sounds that appear after the crash are heard for some time to elongate the dramatic effect of the crashing sound. The scene then goes quiet for a moment, when we hear some more non-diegetic string sounds however, this time they are more high pitched and are at a slower pace. This again builds up adrenaline and tension for the audience and signals that something else is about to happen.
Next we hear the character breathing, which shows that he is panicking and scared of the situation. We also hear him splashing his feet in the pool of blood around his feet. This again emphasizes the gore and violence. The audience can then hear diegetic dialogue of the character saying something inaudible, showing the confusion and unease of the character. Soon after this, the audience hears the diegetic sound of the camera breaking signal and the buzzing of the screen. This is louder than the dialogue and comes unexpectedly, again raising the adrenaline of the audience.
We then hear the diegetic dialogue "Help!" from the character. The character yells this to make the scene seem dramatic. This dialogue is repeated by the victim constantly. Due to no one coming to rescue him, also shows that the area that he is in is deserted and abandoned. All whilst the dialogue is going on, the high pitched string sounds are increasing in pitch and pace, which increases tension and suspense. All of a sudden, the sound stops to indicate that something is about to happen and then the scene ends.          


Typography

The font used throughout the scene is consistent. This adds a high quality and professional finish to the clip.










The font used is bold and easy to see. Although the text itself isn't straight, it is in uniform and looks neat. This contrasts with the genre as we'd expect the text to be messy and appear to be written in blood to show the genre. However the font used loos professional. When the text appear on the screen, it flickers and moves position. This reflects the broken TV image from the security cameras and makes the text look uneasy and jittery. This also implies that there will be unexpected things happening and nothing is going to flow or be simple and easy in the rest of the film.











The film title is displayed at the end of the scene so that the audience can remember it and so that it stands out more. The font is the same as the other text however it is much larger so that it stands out as this is a more important piece of text and needs to appear more dramatic.     


Camera Angles

The close up of the victim's hands, feet and face empathizes the fact that he is unable to move and is trapped. It also highlights the blood so that the audience knows that this film genre is a 'Slasher-Horror'.




















The close up of the camera also highlights that he is being watched.










The different camera angles of the area imply that the 'watcher' can see everything and has full control over the situation. It also shows that they have more power as there are low angles of the victim, making him look small and weak.











The canted, POV angle used shows the victims disorientation and confusion of the situation. It also implies that he has been unconscious, showing that he has been thorough violence, therefore conforming to common conventions of the genre.










The extreme close-up shot of the character's ear and cheek shows off the injuries that he has obtained, therefore conforming to common conventions of the genre.










The POV shot of the 'killer' watching the man makes his look vulnerable as he does not know that he is being watched. It also makes the scene seem creepy as the killer could be anyone and could do anything at any time.






















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