Research into Cinematography - Miss Miller

In my blog I will be discussing the cinematography through a clip specific to the thriller genre.

 Cinematography is the use camera angles and shots used within a film. The clip that I have chosen to use is from The Uninvited. I have chosen this film because it fits under the thriller genre and because it has various different scenes that are fast paced and use a variety of camera angles/shots like point of view, close up, handheld, high shot, long shot. This is my clip for the film below.

Point of View

The Point of View shot is the first shot used in the clip. It is of the female victim as she is walking into the room very slowly trying not to alert someone or something. The point of view shot is used to show the audience the same image as the character within the film. Its effective in relation to the thriller genre because it shows all the feelings and movements they are doing and it creates tension and suspense as the audience does not know the characters next move. The audience creates a connection with the character as it is from the characters perspective and therefore they feel the movements and the emotions of the character for themselves. This is on a first hands basis as they will feel  main senses that the character experiences when this shot is in use. As the audience I can tell that from the characters slow movements she is worried that she will be seen and she does not wan to be detected by something that is unknown. Also I can interpret her body language as her movements are reflected in this angle. This camera angle is mostly used in thrillers to create tension on the build up to an event or person such as the antagonist.


Close Up

The Close Up angle is used at the end of the clip to show the immediate facial expressions of the character after she meets her friend. It is also of the female victim and is a close up of her face as she is reacting to her friends injury. The Close Up angle shows a smaller part of the scene to emphases on the characters face mainly will some of the background showing in the distance as it fills all or most of the shot. It effective in relation to the thriller genre as it shows reactions and feelings of the character victim or killer as it creates shock. The audience creates a connection with the character as they are looking into their face and collecting all information from it as if they are part of the characters life and they can feel for them as they maybe going through a series of events in the film that are damaging to the character like running away from a killer, after she has been confronted which is what is happening in the clip. The close up is effective in the way that the audience is drawn to a specific area of the scene, the face of a character, rather than the whole of the setting not focusing on a specific area, making the audience able to relate even further as the reactions of the character should match theirs as they receive the feeling of empathy for that particular character. This angle is more commonly used in thrillers in the way that it makes the audience more engaged in the film so it makes it a more tense and a more effective atmosphere for them.

Handheld

The Handheld angle is used in the middle of the seen as the victim and the killer are fighting. The Handheld angle is used to create jerky and an unsteady image to produce a sense of urgency or chaos for the audience this is as they are not viewing a still image alike other camera angles, so in addition it is also used to engage the audience as well. Its effective in relation to the thriller genre because it slow a fight or a scene of importance to the film taking place, this is how the audience creates a connection with the characters because of the fast paced images. The reason for this as it may come to surprise to the audience that the fight starts and because the want the victim to win  because they may have already created a connection with the character due to the scene or previous camera angles/shots. The audience through the use of this shot feel as if they are part of the scene because of the unsteady images they are seeing. The handheld angle creates tension and shock in this scene as it goes into a straight cut into this angle as suddenly a fight breaks out and then as the fight progresses and gets more violent, tension increases as it is unknown to the audience how the fight is going to end.

High Angle

The High Angle is a camera placed above the character or an object to make look smaller or more vulnerable/weak. It is used in the scene as the character is running away from the killer. Its effective in relation to the thriller genre as it shows the characters vulnerability to something usually the killer usually the character will already be seen as weak by the audience, but this angle increase the audiences understanding of the character even further alike in this seen as she is running away from the antagonist after the fight seen that she was nearly killed in. This creates a connection to the audience as they feel they have been placed in a better position than the character as they have been placed above them giving them more power than them creating the feeling for the character as they are given the sense they out of reach of helping them. The high angle is very effective in the way that it makes the audience feel as if they are being watched as the camera angle is similar to the like of cctv. The angle is effective in the way that it creates suspense as the audience are left wondering what is going to happen to the character in the future as the audience now knows the character is vulnerable by the use of this specific angle.     

Long Shot

The Long Shot is used in the scene as the victim is backing away from the killer and towards the door in a dead end. It is used to show all of the larger objects (actor) and a large amount of the background, it give the audience also a sense of the surroundings so it can show how powerful or vulnerable the character so how much control they have in that particular situation. By using this shot various times throughout the scene the audience will have a better and clearer understanding of the setting and also the situation which is a important role events forthcoming. By multiple characters being used in this shot it will give the audience time to understand the scene and become more engaged therefore creating more tension. In this scene it also makes the protagonist look small in relation to the antagonist which clearly displays to the audience the balance of power between the two characters.It shows how big the setting is and objects and escape routes that can be used in the scene, for example the door in the clip behind the victim, this creates suspense as the audience are wondering what the character is going to do next or what is going to happen next. This creates a connection with the audience as they are distant from the victim and alike the High Angle are out of range of helping the victim. This angle creates suspense as the background can be seen by  the audience and not the character so the audience knows that the character is walking backwards into a dead end very slowly with possibly no escape route.

Evaluation
These shots have been used to create an effective thriller scene and also create a connection with the audience. Each shot has a specific purpose, to create a certain experience and feeling to the audience and draw them closer to the character within the film. Certain shots are used to create suspense and tension meanwhile others are used to create shock and surprise. Point of view is used to create suspense because of the slow movements, close up is used to create surprise as it reflects the characters mood, handheld is used to create shock as the characters suddenly start to fight, high angle is used to create suspense as the characters future is unknown and finally long shot is used to create suspense because the audience can see the characters surroundings as she is looking towards the killer and only the audience can see her escape route. They are all relevant to the thriller genre as all of them create one aspect of the 3 key parts of a thriller genre Shock, Surprise and Suspense. If I were to change some of the clip that I have analysis I would make the high angle higher because it would create a further distance from the character to the audience, making them feel more distant also I would focus the close up more on the victims face and not show the background as it would concentrate the audience on the facial expressions more and increase their connection to the character. The clip and research has made me consider how important camera angles are and how they make the audience feel in relation to the thriller genre. When making my thriller scene I will carefully plan out what camera angles I will use considering my story line and how I want them to effect my audience.