A.

4b- Analyse three short films of the same genre

Horror film comparison-

Backstroke- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_DQmfFjTlU

Above, I have chosen a key short film which is seen to fit within the genre of Horror. The
short film contains of a storyline which causes two teens who have run away by streeling a
car letting them to follow their dreams and ambition. The story line signifies how one
character has fallen out with her family causing her to want to go and follow her dreams
and run away to Florida. The help of her boyfriend then comes with her to chase her
dreams. The use of micro aspects is seen to come in detail within this short film and has
allowed us as the audience to feel very on edge which what is going to happen next within
the short film. Overall, we can see that the film a horror with the help of the micro aspects.

Throughout the film, the audience can see that the use of a monster in not located within
the film and the use of a normal character is used instead. The man is seen to be
represented as very creepy and suspicious due to him appearing and disappearing without a
chase. As the viewer, we are only able to see the Character right towards the end of the film
which has been purposely done by the producer/ director to allow us to feel like we are on
the edge of our seats due to us wanting to know what happened to the boyfriend. This is
very conventional to the genre of horror due to many horror short films releasing the evil/
scary character towards the end or not even all due to them wanting to create tension and
suspense for the audience allowing them to feel very involved with the film. A high amount
of Iconography such as micro aspects have been used throughout the short film which has
helped the film fit within the genre (Horror). The micro aspects such as Cinematography,
Editing, Sound and Mise En Scene are seen to be within the short film allowing the
expectations to be achieved.

Cinematography
With a range of micro aspects being used throughout the film, we
can see that cinematography has come in consideration when
producing this film as we can see a range of shots being used
throughout. The help of using these shots has allowed them to
create tension for the audience fitting in with the genre of horror.
Firstly, the use of close up camera shot is seen to have been used of
all three characters, the reason for this was to show each character emotions etc. For
example, we can see the Female character is seen to have a hand full use of close ups which
has been purposely done to allow the audience to feel sorry for the character and also help
to create tension. Within these close ups we can see that her body language within her face
shows that she is very upset but also scared at the same time causes us as the audience to
feel sympathy for her but also on the edge as we do not know what is going to occur next.
With the genre of this film being a horror, the use of a close up is very beneficial as it helps
build a connection with the audience and the character helping the audience to have a
broader understanding of the emotions going through the character.
Lastly, we are able to understand the setting of the film with
the help of an establishing shot which is seen to be used to
allow the audience to know what the exact setting is. The
help of the establishing shot has given us an understanding
that the characters are located within the woods which is
seen to be out of town. This has then helped set the scene
for the audience which has then allowed them to know what
the characters are which has then helped create the use of tension. Due to the setting being
located within the forest, many horror films are seen to have the same type of location
within their films at one point as it helps create tension for the audience making them feel
like they are on the edge of their seats.

Mise En Scene
Within the short film we can see a range of mise of scene which is used throughout such as
props and costume. The most important bit of mise en scene which is used within the film is
the use of props. A range of props have been used throughout the film, but the most
important prop is seen to the weapon (Gun). The gun has been a very big part of the film
and has created a high amount of tension for the audience. We first see the gun at the
beginning of the film which has caused the audience to think and want to know the reason
why they have a gun and what they could be using it for. Later on within the film, the gun is
seen to be used by the female character and the use of diegetic sound “I think I’m getting
the hang of this is” has allowed the audience to feel very involved with the film and they
now want to know why this type of prop is used and who it is going to be used on. Within
many horror films such as “Get Out”, the use of a weapon
or a type of protection is used to allow the character to fell
or be safe. Overall, it is seen to be very conventional to the
genre of horror as it now allows the audience to believe
that something may happen which then creates tension for
them.

Editing
Within this short film, the use of editing is seen to be very important and it helps the
director to show what they are trying to show. Firstly, within “Backstroke” we can see the
use on shot reverse shot has been used throughout the whole film. This type of editing skill
is seen to be used more at the beginning of the film as it allows us as the audience to see
who the relationship is between and will then help show the relationship between them due
to them having a conversation which will then link to what happens towards the end of the
film. This then links to the use of Normality due to people always having conversations, this
then shows us that the film is seen to be a real-life situation and isn't made up. Overall the
shot reverse shot is a perfect bit of editing skill for a horror film as it shows the use of
Normality at the beginning on the film and will then help cause the use of tension
depending on what the characters are depending on and also shows it is conventional to the
horror genre as many films within this genre as it helps allows them to create a high amount
of tension throughout.
Shadow depth of field is seen to be a very key type of editing used within horror films. This
type of editing technique is seen to be very important in horror films as it objectify the
specific prop which is being used. Within this short film we can see that the shadow depth
of field is seen to be used of the most powerful prop which is seen to
be the gun. We can see that this editing technique has blurred out
the background which is seen to be the two characters. This
connotates that the prop is very beneficial and important within the
film and indicates that it is very powerful allowing the audience to
feel very uncomfortable. Overall this editing technique is conventional to the genre of
horror as it allows them to objectify the specific prop and how important it is within the
film; this is also seen to be used within the horror film “The Shinning” (1980) which
indicates the importance of the axe.

Sound
Sound is seen to very important within any film but particularly in horror, the use of sound
becomes very important. The reason for this is because the use of sound is seen to help
create a high amount of tension which then allows the film to fit within this genre. For
example, the short film that I have chosen is seen to have used a range of sounds such as
Non- diegetic and diegetic sound. Firstly, there is a range of Non-diegetic sounds throughout
such as background music and specific noises which are coming from props such as the gun.
The use of background music has been used within specific scenes within the film, the
reason for this is because It helps create a high amount of tension. For example, at the end
of the film we can see the female character is running away and back to the car to drive off.
The use very high, intense pitch is then played over this scene which has allowed us as
audience to keep on the edge of our seats and it makes us want to know what is going to
happen next and with this fast pace non-diegetic sound it causes the scene to be more quick
allowing us to feel more involved and concentrated.
On the other hand, a high amount of diegetic sound has been used to show the
communication between all characters. The use of diegetic sound has allowed us as the
audience to feel involved in the film and will give us a broader idea of what exactly is going
on and what may occur. For example, we can see that the suspicious character quotes “I
don’t think he is coming” with a very low pitch, this for the audience has then created a high
amount of tension and has caused the film to fit within the Todorov's Theory. Overall, we
can see that the use of sound is very important within every film but has allowed this film to
be conventional to the specific genre (Horror) due to it helping create a high amount of
tension for the audience but also allow the characters to feel very involved within the film.
NO CALLER ID- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0HYXTp4mGk

Within this short film, “No Caller ID” we can see that the overall storyline is seen to follow a
very simple horror storyline which allows the film to fit perfectly within the genre. From
watching this short film, I have been able to find out that the storyline is based on how a
women is asleep and then shows that someone is in her house. The two characters are seen
to be masked up which is covering their identity causing her to have no idea who they could
be. Within the film, we can see that she uses the prop of her phone to call for help but she
doesn’t know that the caller is one of the men. She is seen to give him great detail of where
she is and where she is hiding allowing them to find her and potentially hurt her. Due to us
not knowing what happens to her, it allows the film to be left on a cliff hanger which allows
us as the audience to want to know what happen or to guess what could happen.
From this we can see that the overall storyline is seen to fit perfectly with the conventions
of a horror film and this has been helped with them being able to
use a high amount of iconography such as Mise-En-scene and
cinematography which has allowed the audience to have a better
understanding of the storyline and characters.

Mise-En-Scene
Within No Caller ID we can see that there is a range of Mise En
Scene which has been used throughout and has perfectly fit within the genre of horror. With
Mise-En-Scene being very crucial when developing a film, this film has been a great success
due to them being able to use a range such as costume, locations, props and colour. The
first and most important type which has been used is the use of props. We can see that
there is a range of props throughout the film but the most important props are seen to be
the weapon which are used by the robbers and the phone which is hacked by them. These
props are seen to be very significant within the film as they fit perfectly within the storyline
and also create a scene of scare for the audience. For example, the use of the weapon which
is seen to be a machete is a very powerful type of prop and has created a lot of tension for
the audience. The reason for this is because it has caused them to want to know why they
have this type of weapon on them. This type of weapon is seen to be very dangerous and is
known to kill which indicates that they want to kill the owner of the house. Secondly, the
use of blood is seen to be on the end which indicates that another killing has been done
which shows that they not be afraid of using it. With the colour red indicating blood, death
the audience may feel and see that there is danger towards the character and due to us not
knowing what happens, it causes up to decide what happens.

In addition to this, we can see that the use of costume and colour is
seen to be a very important aspect within this short film, this is
because we can see that the two robbers identity is covered by the
helped of a mask. These two masks are seen to be both the same
with the colour of red. As we know the colour red connotates the
use of anger, blood and death. This could link to the two robbers having a dislike and anger
towards the other character which Is why they are trying to find her. With them hiding their
identity, they have been able to keep under the lights allowing no one to know who it is, this
has then caused the audience to have a guess of who it could be and why. Overall, these
costumes are seen to give a scare to the audience which is causing them to be and feel like
they are on the edge of their seats.
Overall, we can see that this short film Is able to fit in with the conventions of horror movies
due to there being a high and range of distressing costumes which have caused the
audience to feel scared which allows them to easily understand the characters emotions
due to them being very scared and anxious with the help of their body language.

Cinematography
Within the short film, we can see a range of different shot
types such as close ups which has again been done to show
the characters emotions towards the specific situation which
is occurring. This type of shot we then be backed up with a
shot reverse shot of mid shot which will allow the audience
to see what exactly the character is actually looking at which
will cause the audience to understand why they have that specific emotion. For example
within this short film, we can see that they have used a range of close ups, these close ups
are seen to only be used of the character who is try to hide from the robbers. This has been
purposely done to show how her emotions have changed drastically throughout the film.
From the audiences point of view we can use this close up to see that see feel very scared
which then keeps us on edge to want to know why and how it has occurred so quick. We
can also say that her being very weak Is seen to be a stereotypical women due to them
aswell wanting the strong man to help them where in this case she calls 111 for help. This
close up is then back up with a short reverse shot which is a well-known editing technique
which has allowed us to know why she is actually scared. Overall we can see that this
camera shot is very similar to many shots which have been taken within many other horror
films such as “IT” due to it being able to create a high amount of tension for the audience
and help them to understanding how the characters are feeling such as their emotions.

Editing
Editing is a huge part of producing a film and this is because it
allows the producer to show what they are trying to show. For
example, within No Caller ID, we can see that the use of a shot
reverse shot is used within the most climaxed part of the film. This
then fits in with Todorovs Theory due to the film being able to fit
within a specific part of his theory. As we know, the shot reverse shot has been used within
all three films and it is seen to create a high amount of tension for the audience as they are
able to see the robber for the first time which causes them to feel scared but with the help
of the shot reverse shot, we can see what the other characters reactions with the help of a
close up of her facial expressions. From the audiences point of view, it has given us an idea
of what type of emotions she is going through as she may be thinking what to do or who to
call. This then causes the audience to want to know what happens next to see if the robber
does get in or not. Overall this editing technique is seen to be a very powerful technique as
it has allowed the audience feel very involved with the film, in addition it is very
conventional to the genre of horror due to many horror films using this type of technique
and also helps create tension for the audience.

Sound
Lastly, the use of sound is seen to be very significant within my chosen film (No Caller ID) as
it is seen to use of both Diegetic and Non Diegetic. Sound is very important within any film
as it allows them to create a greater amount of tension for the audience but also helps the
audience feel involved with the film which is done by Diegetic sound such as conversations
between each character. This will also help the audience has an understanding of what is
going on between each character and what exactly they are speaking about which will help
the film flow on. With having no Diegetic sound it is very hard for the audience to have an
understanding of what is going on causing them to start guessing but can also cause less
tension. For example, within my chosen film, we can see that there is a range of both
diegetic and non-diegetic sound.
Firstly, we can see that there is a use of Diegetic sound being used throughout to show how
scared the owner of the house is and how she doesn’t know what to do. For example we
can see her quoting ‘There is a guy with a knife” which straight
away creates tension for the audience.

Don’t Look away- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f3hG-5grlw

This short film, “Don’t Look away” is seen to be about how two kids a son and a daughter
have been left home alone and is then seen to find a mysterious person standing in their
garden. This has caused them to feel very confused and want to know exactly who this
stranger is. With only one person keeping their eyes of the stranger at all times, the other
sibling calls their dad to find out what exactly is going on. The dad screams saying don’t take
your eyes of him and to make sure all the doors and windows are secure and locked. As the
film progresses the range of micro aspects all kick in to allow Todorov’s theory to occur.
With suspension suddenly occurring, the man is finally in the house with the use of a low
close ups being used showing the strength of the character.
The overall film is seen to fit perfectly within the genre of horror due to there being a high
amount of tension with the help of non-diegetic sound and key cinematography.

Cinematography
Cinematography is seen to be a very key type of micro aspect which is located within this
short film and is seen to help create tension for the audience. In addition, the use of
camerawork has allowed the audience to understand how the characters are feeling within
that specific scene allowing them to see their emotions much easier (Close ups). Firstly, we
can see the use of an over the shoulder which indicates how strong the character is
compared to the overs. Within this shot we can see that the very strange and mysterious
character who is known as the monster is standing directly over one of the sibling's
shoulders. This shot has been very beneficial as it has caused him to become very powerful
and strong compared to the son. For the audience this allows them to know what the
“Monster” exactly looks like and how it can cause the over character to have a high amount
of emotions and why they may be scared. The audience can also see that he is a “monster”
with the help of his costume and props such as a ripped-up suit and a chain around the bag
which is located on his head. In addition to this the help of it being a high angle has allowed
us as the audience to see more of the character and how he can be represented as a
“monster”.
With this type of cinematography used within a range of horror films, it has allowed the
audience to feel very uncomfortable and involved with the film as they now know what the
evil character looks like which will then help them. For example, we can see that this over
the shoulder technique is used within the film “insidious” where we can locate who the
devil/ demon character is for the first time causing us to feel very uncomfortable and will
understand how the characters would feel when seeing it.

Mise-En-Scene
Again, we can see that the use of Mise-En-Scene has been used throughout the film just like
the other short film above. This has then given me a brief understanding that Mise-En
-Scene is very important for developing and producing a film and I will need to take this into
consideration for when I make my short film. Firstly, I a high range of mise-en-scene has
been used throughout his short film which has allowed the film to fit perfectly within the
genre of horror. The main bit of mise-en-scene that I had been able to pick out what the use
of costume. Costume is seen to be very important for when developing any type of film as
they will want to make sure that they are getting across the right message depending on
what the storyline of the film is. As we can see this is a short horror film so as the audience,
we are expecting to see very gory costumes that we would not specifically see within a
comedy film. Within Don’t Look Away, we can see that the use of costume has been used in
a high amount of detail to allow the “Monster” character to seem very suspicious. For
example, we can see that he is wearing a very dark suit which is seen to be ripped up with a
type of vegetable bag placed over his head which is then tied up with a metal chain.

In addition to this, we can see that the use of props has come in very handy within this short
film. The reason why they have used specific props is because it has allowed them to create
a high amount of tension throughout. For example, within the film we can see that the use
of a Mirror is used to create the “Monster” to disappear. The mirror is seen to have an
important role within the film which has caused it to fit perfectly within Todorov’s Theory.
The reason for this is because it allows the creature to see himself which then causes him to
vanish into the mirror where the mirror in then broken by the dad. This then links to
Todorov's theory as this scene is seen to be point 4 where the attempt to repair the damage
has occurred due to the farther killing the “monster”. Overall, the mirror is seen to be a very
connotation prop with horror film, as the same type of prop is used within many horror
films as it seen to indicate the use of tension between the characters. In addition to this, it
allows the audience to see the characters emotions allowing the audience to understand
how the character feels within that specific scene. For example, this type of scene is seen to
be used within horror films such as “IT” where we can see the two characters being stuck
within a mirror maze and the character IT is standing behind.
However, the use of a mobile phone has come in to become a very important type of prop
due to it being used by one of siblings allowing them to call their dad to aware him of the
situation. From the audience's point of view, we can see that this is a very important prop
and that it is very important for all the lives of the characters due to them being able to lock
the house down to stop the “Monster” from coming in. The Phone is seen to be a very
significant prop as it is showing that the characters are in danger which is then helped with
the use of a close-up which has allowed us to see who she is calling which will then help
create a high amount tension.
Overall, we can see that this sort film is very conventional to the genre of horror due to
there being a range of props which are used within a few horror films. In addition to this, we
can see that this film follows the whole of Todorov’s theory of equilibrium due to there
being an attempt to rapier the damage which is seen to be destroying and vanishing the
“Monster”.

Editing
A high amount of editing techniques has been used throughout this horror film “Don't Look
away” which has allowed the director and producer to make the audience feel very
uncomfortable and has caused the film to fit perfectly with the genre horror. For example, a
key technique which is used within many films based within the genre of horror is the use of
a shot reverse shot. Shot reverse shot is seen to be very significant within many films
because as we can see it objectifies one of the characters and we can see it specifically does
it on the evil/scary character. The shot is then placed onto the one of the siblings and as an
audience we can see their reaction to first seeing this character up front which has caused
her to feel very uncomfortable and scared. This is then helped with the use of Mise en Scene
such as her body language. For example, her face is seen to be very pale which has helped
show they she is in shock with the help of her face dropped. from the audience's point of
view this has allowed us to also feel very uncomfortable because this is the first time that
we’ve seen the evil character as well as the character so that has allowed us to understand
how they are feeling and what the situation would be like. With the shot reverse shot being
a very powerful type of technique, it has helped create a high amount of tension and as we
know horror films are known to keep the audience on the edge of their seats and feel very
uncomfortable and we can see that this film has been able to achieve that. Overall, don’t
look Away has been a great success with using editing techniques as it has allowed them to
create a high amount of tension for the audience and has also used techniques found within
blockbuster films such as “the shining”. Lastly, Todorov Theory is seen to be a great success
within this film and help of these techniques has allowed this to occur. The reason for this is
because the shot reverse shot is where we first see the characters which has then caused
the use of disruption located within the equilibrium due to us starting to feel uncomfortable
and knowing something is going to occur.

Sound
In many horror films, we can see that the use of sound coming into consideration which has
allowed many horror films to be a success. For example, the film “Annabelle” is seen to have
the use of non-diegetic sound with the use of a toy money clapping their hands. This use of
sound is causing a high amount of tension which is helping them build suspense for the get
scene which would be known as a jump scare. Within my chosen film “Don't look away” we
can see that a high amount of sound going from diegetic to non-diegetic sound has been
used throughout. The most common noise which has been used is the use of Non-diegetic
sound due to allowing it to create a high amount of tension for the audience. For example,
we can see that the use of very dark dull soundtrack has been used right at the end of the
short film which is the camera is then zooming into the character. This use of non-diegetic
soundtrack has caused a very dull setting to occur which has caused the audience who are
watching to feel very uncomfortable and want to know how and why the character has
come back. This then causes the use of a cliff hanger.
Non-Diegetic sound is seen to be a very important part of a horror film which means that it
is very conventional to the genre of horror due to them being able to create a high amount
of tension for the audience, and as we know the genre of horror is known to build tension.

In addition to this the use of a high amount of diegetic sound has been used throughout.
The reason for this is because it has allowed the audience to understand what the
characters are speaking about which can help them know what exactly emotions are coming
from the characters. With there being a high amount of diegetic sound coming from this
short film, I have been able to pick out some key sounds which has allowed the film fit right
into the genre of horror. For example, we can see a scene within the short film where both
siblings have witnessed to man standing in their garden and we can hear one of the siblings
say, “Lock all the doors in the house”. This use of script is seen to be very powerful within
the film and has allowed it to fit perfectly within the genre of horror. The reason for this is
because it has caused the audience to have a feel for the characters emotions and can allow
them to have an understanding of which could occur next. Secondly, with the help of the
shot reverse shot has helped create a high amount of tension. Overall, this scene of diegetic
sound is seen to create a high amount of tension for the audience which has allowed the
film to fit perfectly within the genre of Horror because as we know this genre is seen to
want to keep the audience on the edge of their seat and feel involved with the film. We can
see that this diegetic sound has done that causing the audience to want to know the reason
why and if they do it or not.
Lastly, the use of screaming is seen to be coming from the main sibling who is screaming
due to her standing right next to the “Monster”. This Diegetic sound is seen to be in a very
high pitch which is seen to be a very stereotypical for a woman as they are seen to be much
for weak compered to men which links to Stuart Halls theory of stereotypes. With her
screaming, we can link this to her wanting help which can allow the audience to feel very
scared as they don’t know what is going to happen to her causing a great amount of
suspense which fits perfectly with the Horror.