The setting of this filim is set in two main places, the families house and also the

Dollmakers basemeant. The basement certainly has some form of link to the horror
genre, this is because basements are considered to be spooky and scary. The fact
that the Dollmaker makes the dolls in the basement is ironic because basements are
also considered to be secretive, as demonstrated by this short film. The locatio o the
families house is not considered to be scary beause it is just a normal family house,
however, the fact that the doll is now in their house makes the audience feel
uncomfortable for the family because of the dangers that we are made aware of.
The overall setting of this film is unconventional althought there are small aspects of
it which make us believe that it ciould be conventional because of the atmosphere
that we get when there is a scene in the basement. The reason we feel this is
because of the darkness and minimal lighting of the basement and also the
quiteness of it which suggests to us that there is not much life around making the
audience feel on edge.

The editing in the film consists of both long and short takes
which help the audience understand the events that are
happening throughout. One main camera editing technique
that I have noticed within this film is when we see the
characters waking in and out of their house. This is first
shown when the female is holding the child and she goes
outside and back in. from the audiences point of view, we
see this from behind the doorframe. The camera follows the
character using a tracking shot but as they walk though the
door, the setting changes from being in the house to outside
and also shows how the doll changes when outside. Another
example of when editing has been used is when the
Dollmaker is talking about the importance of the timer. This
take involves the timer only but involves the editing
technique of a cross cut which shows the events that
happen if the timer runs out and the characters abuse the
time spent with doll. It shows the events that happen with a
montage included in the cross-cutting. This editing
technique allows us as an audience to understand what will
happen to the characters if they spend too much time with
the doll before any of the events have actually taken place.
This is therefore an example of foreshadowing in the film
which is likely to keep the audience interested in the film.
From this editing technique, we assume that the characters
will go against the rules that the Dollmaker has said, this is
because the film is of a horror genre which therefore implies
that the characters will do the opposite of what they are
told. This makes the audience feel anxious and frustrated for
the character because they know that they are goin got do
wrong and an event will take place which has an impact on
them later in the film.
In horror films, the music and sound is the most important aspect of making the
audience jump and feel scared throughout the film which is done though the use of
different sound, edited into the film and also sound that the camera picks up, an
example would be non-diegetic sound with the music and speech that is heard which
is not coming directly from the characters voices. Within this short film, there is a
large amount of non-diegetic sound used in this short film to make the audience stay
interested in the film and also to increase the tension within the film to make it
more unpredictable. An example of when non-diegetic sound is used is when the
Dollmaker is talking about the importance of the timer and the camera is focusing on
the timer while evets are taking place within it. When this clip is taking place, we
hear the Dollmaker’s voice over the top of it which then makes us fully understand
the consiquences of using the doll too much because we can hear it and also
visualise it. We hear the Dollmaker talking in a first person narrative which is said in
a creepy tone and therefore maks the audience feel on edge, contributing to the
genre of horror.

In conclusion, this short film ‘The Dollmaker’ does not fully tie in with Todorov’s
theory, as the points of the audiences interest is not in order and does not follow the
equilibrium. This short film is a cross between being conventional and
unconventional but sways towards being conventional. This is mainly because of the
different cinematography shots that are used and also the sound that is used
throughout the film. However, the reason it is slightly unconventional is because it
doesn’t fully fit in with Todorov’s theory of equilibrium and does not consist of the
kind of jump scares that a fully conventional horror film would have. Because of this,
I would suggest that the film is possibly more of a thriller film than a horror because
of the amount of tension that builds up throughout the film. Overall the film is a
conventional horror film but to a certain extent because of the order of equilibrium
throughout the film.

No Caller ID

No Caller ID is a short horror film about a women living on her own with her pet dog.
The woman in the film ‘Heather’ is up at 2am on Friday the 13th which is typically
known as a horrific date, strongly linked with halloween. While Heather is up during
the night, she is interupted by her television which is turned on with ‘no signal’ and
her dog parking at the television and the door as if something unusual is near. The
character that is considered ‘evil’ or ‘the villian’ wears a mask throughout the whole
of the film which is already conventional for a horror film as the ‘evil’ characters
identity is hidden. In most horror films there is usually a supernatural or evil
character that is trying to commit a crime of some sort, in this short film the evil
characters aim is to kill Heather.

The stages of equilibrium are in more of an order compared to the previous film that
I analyzed. However, it still does not follow it fully because the ending of the film has
no outcome and as the audience we don’t know what happens next therefore
leaving us on a cliff hanger. On the other hand, the stages of equilibrium are
followed in some other aspects of the film. For example, at the beginning of the film
we are intriuged by the film. This is because we see Heather sleeping and a silouete
of someone standing in front of her. As the camera changes to a close up of Heather,
we see a hand covering her mounth for roughly 2 seconds for it to then vanish as
well as the silouete. We see more events taking place which interest the audience
further and gain their attention by making them more intriuged in finding out who is
‘stalking’ her. This is done through shwing the ‘evil’ character through a blurred
window in the background of the shot we see of Heather in the bathroom.

The constume that is used in this film is quite conventional for a horror film because
it follows the patternof hiding the ‘evil’ characters identity and exposing the victims
identity. The costume that is used for the villain in the film is a very simple costume
which also connoets to horror. This is because the character is dressed in an all black
tracksuit. The colour black often connotes to crime and danger which therefore
makes the costume that the character is wearing conventional within the genre of
horror. The mask that the evil character wears in the film is red, the colour red
connotes to blood, anger and revege which therefore connotes to the genre of
horror. In addition to this the character is also wearing a ‘haloween’ mask as quoted
in the film. As we know halloween is a yearly celebration. The celebration involves
people dressing up as supernatural creates, murderers and film characters. This
therefore makes the costume of the film conventional for a horror film. However,
Heather (the victim) in the film wears typical clothing that a victim would. Because
she is the innocent character in the film, she is dressed to portray this to the viewers.

The cinematography that has been used in this short film has a huge effect on the
audience because it consists of jump scares which are mainly triggered by the
movement of the camera. One example of a shot that is used multiple times in the
film is a basic close up shot of the victims face, this shot creates tension for the
audience because they becomme less aware of the chracters surroundings which
makes them worry and become scared for the character. The use of a close up also
allows the audience to see the characters facial expressions which helps them
understand how the characters are feeling. There is one specific close up shot where
Heather is in her bathroom brushing her teeth. The initial focus is of her with a
blurred background however, as this scene progresses we begin to see movement in
the blurred background and a silouete appear. This silouete is of the evil character in
the film and we know this because the focus point switches from Heather to the
character in the background where we can then see the red mask. Another example
of the cinematography that is used in the film would be a tracking shot. This shot is
used in this film to scare the audience and catch them by surprise. This shot is when
Heather walks over to her dog by the glass door in her house because of it’s
consistant barking. The camera follows Heather’s movement throughout this clip
including as she bends down to fuss her dog. As Heather begins to stand up again
from fussing her dog the camera quickly switches focus to the outside of the house
through the glass where the evil character is standing. This is made sudden for the
audience and makes them scared because of the quick camera work used putting
them on edge. This tracking shot therefore contributes to the genre of horror
because it makes the audience scared which is what horror films are ‘suppose’ to do,
making the film conventional. Overall the cinematography is used to make the
audience feel the emotions that the characters feel as well as feeling scraed
themselves. The tracking shots that are included in this film are very important with
making the audience scared as they are followed by unpredictability which it what
scares the audience the most.

The editing in this film mainly just consists of long takes and short takes apart from
the occasional editing of sound put into the film. The use of different sized takes
makes the audience notice which parts of the film are imporatant and what is
happening during each part. The short takes often include jump scares because they
are suprising and unpredictable, on the other hand the long takes are used when we
as an audience are finding ut information and getting to know the chracters in the
film. For example, when we first see the evil character in the film, it is from a long
take of the victim which switches ficus but allows us to see the characters rough
outline and mask through the blurred window.

The sound that is used in this short film has a huge impact on the film being a horror
film as it is the key factor of scaring the audience and putting them on edge. The way
that sound is successful with doing this in the film is because it is sudden and has a
loud, deep tone to it which is unexpected for the audience. This is also includes a
long build up of background music which becomes more intense for the audience
the nearer to the climax that they get. The background music and sound that we
hear in the film is known as ambient sound which often foreshadows upcoming
events in the film. This build up of ambient sound that we hear is very common in
horror films, the sound becomes more intense which then lead’s to the film
becoming more unpredictable therefore scaring the audience more. In this short
film, there is a large amount of non-diegetic and diegetic sound used. The main
example of non-diegeetic sound in the film is from the phone, when it rings and also
when we hear the characters talking to each other through the phone. This signifies
the importance of the phone and suprises the audience as they hear it for the first
time. Because the film is called ‘No Caller ID’ the audience are already aware that a
phone will be involved in the film. The non-diegetic sound of the ‘evil’ character on
the other side of the phone line to Heather is also a very important aspect of the film
because it allows the audince to fully understand what is happening in the film as we
know what they are saying to each other. This therefore makes the film more
intense overall and createssuspense for the characters.

I think this film is not paticularly conventional to the horror genre because of the
how slow tensions builds up throughout the film and for this reason I believe that it
is pushed more towards being a thriller film because of the mystery that is in
involved in the film, this mystery builds up for a long time and then eventually turns
into a climax where the film almost changes genre into a horror film rather than a
thriller. Although I think this film is more a thriller film than a horror film, I can still
see aspects which make it seem like a horror from aspects such as the lighting in the
film and the sudden movements and jump scares that are included in the film.