Friday the thirteenth analysis
Friday the Thirteenth opening scene
Camera angles and movement
The establishing shot is of the dark night sky, which is typical of the horror genre and helps to create a sense of fear. The camera pans across to the lake, hinting to the audience that something may have happened there or foreshadowing something sinister is about to happen. The technique of a first person view is used when the unknown villain is entering the camp house and this is very effective because it creates an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. At the camp, shot reverse shot is used during the song to show attraction between two characters, which gives a positive feel to the scene - the audience then learns that they are the victims and are not innocent, which links to the final girl theory of victims being 'unpure'.
We then return to a first person view, and hence return to a more sinister feel. When the female victim is stabbed, a close up shot is used to show the fear and horror in her face, which adds to the shock for the audience. The editing technique of slow motion is used during the female's murder, which enhances the slasher genre because the scene focuses on the killing.
Sound
Sound is used from the very outset of the scene, with the off screen diegetic birds chirping harshly in the establishing shot. This contrasts to the on and off screen diegetic sound of people singing campfire songs can be heard and this lures the audience into a false sense of security. This directs the audience to feel that the darkness is bad and the light is a much more harmless place, with singing and happy upbeat characters. When the antagonist enters the camp house, we hear both of these sounds together, which makes the singing seem much more sinister. The door creaks upon entry and non-diegetic 'shock' music plays on the piano to help build suspense while we explore the room through first person view.
As the killer approaches the victims, male off screen diegetic cries can be heard signifying that the male has been killed. After this, his female counterpart screams and pleads, which is a convention of the horror genre. The music becomes much more frantic and is at its peak when the female is stabbed. Using the theory of the final girl we know that these people must die because the girl is sexually active and this is a typical convention of slasher movies that the characters who are not innocent must die.
Mise en Scene
A typical summer camp setting is used for this scene but the fact that the action takes place in darkness implies all is not what it seems and creates fear among the audience. The camp fire is the only source of light for the young students singing and seems quite sinister in contrast to the darkness outside. The campers wear bright yellow t-shirts, making them appear innocent and modest but when 2 characters leave the campfire, it is implied they are not perfect and innocent.
Camera angles and movement
The establishing shot is of the dark night sky, which is typical of the horror genre and helps to create a sense of fear. The camera pans across to the lake, hinting to the audience that something may have happened there or foreshadowing something sinister is about to happen. The technique of a first person view is used when the unknown villain is entering the camp house and this is very effective because it creates an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. At the camp, shot reverse shot is used during the song to show attraction between two characters, which gives a positive feel to the scene - the audience then learns that they are the victims and are not innocent, which links to the final girl theory of victims being 'unpure'.
We then return to a first person view, and hence return to a more sinister feel. When the female victim is stabbed, a close up shot is used to show the fear and horror in her face, which adds to the shock for the audience. The editing technique of slow motion is used during the female's murder, which enhances the slasher genre because the scene focuses on the killing.
Sound
Sound is used from the very outset of the scene, with the off screen diegetic birds chirping harshly in the establishing shot. This contrasts to the on and off screen diegetic sound of people singing campfire songs can be heard and this lures the audience into a false sense of security. This directs the audience to feel that the darkness is bad and the light is a much more harmless place, with singing and happy upbeat characters. When the antagonist enters the camp house, we hear both of these sounds together, which makes the singing seem much more sinister. The door creaks upon entry and non-diegetic 'shock' music plays on the piano to help build suspense while we explore the room through first person view.
As the killer approaches the victims, male off screen diegetic cries can be heard signifying that the male has been killed. After this, his female counterpart screams and pleads, which is a convention of the horror genre. The music becomes much more frantic and is at its peak when the female is stabbed. Using the theory of the final girl we know that these people must die because the girl is sexually active and this is a typical convention of slasher movies that the characters who are not innocent must die.
Mise en Scene
A typical summer camp setting is used for this scene but the fact that the action takes place in darkness implies all is not what it seems and creates fear among the audience. The camp fire is the only source of light for the young students singing and seems quite sinister in contrast to the darkness outside. The campers wear bright yellow t-shirts, making them appear innocent and modest but when 2 characters leave the campfire, it is implied they are not perfect and innocent.
Comments
Post a Comment