In the film ‘The Others’ cinematic effects have been used to enhance and create the

atmosphere keeping the audience in suspense at all times. There are three main
sections in Cinematography; Camera work, sound and lighting. These three aspects
assist to plant the photographic impression of the directors’ vision into the audiences
mind.

There was use of non-diagetic sounds and made the scene very nerve-racking. Act 3
begins with Grace stumbling upon the photo of the dead servants; it is also the part
where the climax begins to build up. As Grace spotted the edge of the photo hiding
beneath the mattress, there was an eerie hollow kind of sound which grew into a
crescendo. This had the effect of making the audience feel uneasy and also bringing
their curiosity up about what the photo was of. As Grace turned the photo over, the
sound deepened and the camera moved into an extreme close up of the photo, allowing
the audience to see the picture of the dead servants clearly. During that another layer of
deep percussion sound was heard. It almost seemed to be echoing Grace’s heart sinking
when she realized the repulsive truth. This also led the audience to feel the wave of
shock that ran through Grace herself.

The camera angles and shots really let the audience to feel the emotion of the
characters. For example, when the camera took a close up of Grace’s face as she saw
what was the in the photo. We saw the immense shock and horror which reflected what
all the audience felt. This was nicely complimented with the extreme close up on Anne’s
face when she was looking at the grave. The details of her facials were clearly seen, it
was quite obvious she was quite traumatized. This immediately had a great impact on
the audience, as Anne’s facial expression had already explained what she saw on the
graves.

The lighting was very limited to emphasize the ghostly atmosphere. It makes everything
seem more daunting and creepy. The part where Nicholas is confused and does not
know whether to believe his sister or not, behind him where the servants are coming
from is relatively darker than the side his sister is on. This has the effect of making the
audience think that the servants are not good, as they are on the ‘dark’ side. This also
leads them to get more and more anxious as they proceed closer towards Nicholas.

Cinematography really plays a great part in a good film. It creates and changes the
entire mood of the room. It has a very strong affect on the audience; it keeps them in
suspense and locks their full attention into the film itself only. Cinematography is like
opening a door to another world at a whole new level.

Vanessa Yeung 10GUB