Reflective analysis of our film, "The Concealed"

Within our film, we used both the horror and thriller genres; these were included as they usually get the most reactions from the viewers. Due to the fact that nearby there was an abandoned floor in a building, we thought that this was a perfect opportunity that we had to take advantage of. A total of 10 shots was used with a variety of camera techniques. Moreover, after we had finished the production of our film we decided on giving it the title of, "The Concealed".

We wanted the title to give the audience a clue as to what the theme of the sequence would be, however we did not want the title to give away what the whole film is about. In order to go along with this, we decided on making the title very short so that there was no big giveaways. Although this gives a clear clue as to what the sequence is about, it also gives a sense of mystery to the viewer as they do not have an idea to what is 'concealed'. The title allows the audience to know that something within the building is in hiding, however it makes the audience want to know more about the film and what, or who is concealed from the outer world.

Additionally, we used a number of horror conventions to enhance the successfulness of our sequence. For instance; we used fears and anxieties through using low key lighting throughout the most of it as it is common to be scared of the dark, dissonant music was used as non diegetic sound throughout the sequence as this increases the tension in the audience so that they feel on edge and frightened about what is to come, treating situations were also used at the end of the sequence when there is a shot of the dangerous figure as it reaches out to the camera due to the fact that this can be seen as quite vicious and threatening; this engages the audience as they also feel a little threatened and intimidated by the character.

Throughout the film, we managed to include a variety of techniques that would result in a successful sequence. For example, the starting shot is one that is tracking down the corridor as we wanted to give the audience the impression of mystery and horror through the use of setting. There was an extreme closeup of an eye to show the emotions of the character so that that the audience has the chance to empathise with them. There was a closeup of the box that is being opened in the dark room so that the audience can see what the film may be entered around; this also allows the viewer to see the small details within the shot.

Film by Callum Kirk, Matt Smith, Emily Roberts

Analysis of Colombiana sequence

There is a cut to the protagonist leaving her cell block, the camera begins to follow her through tracking as she walks to the next door. This allows us to experience what she is doing and also makes the audience feel like she has to be sneaky so that she avoids getting caught. Next she is seen with a mid-close up, putting water into a cup which also gives the audience the enigma code as we do not know why she needs water during a breakout. Also, in this shot we can see her at a low angle meaning that she is quite powerful at the moment and may be even more powerful than the people she is trying to escape from.

The diegetic sound of the water spilling out into the cup is the most dominant sound in this scene to show that the water may play an important role in her managing to escape. After this, the camera then pans from left to right to show her moving backwards towards the next door that she has to go through. This allows us to see and experience what she is doing now and see the pace and stance that she is travelling as; we can see that she is moving quite slowly but in a calm, steady stance which shows that she is not rushing. The lighting at this moment is still very low-key which makes me feel unsafe and on edge, which could be similar to the way that the main character is feeling at this point. There are then a lot of cuts to show what she is doing now, however these cuts are at a very quick pace to show how now is the moment that she should start to rush, if she wants to succeed in her plan.  We can now see  her from an aerial shot as she opens the vent (her escape route) which makes me feel like I am omniscient and that I can see everything that is taking place. However, this could also make the audience think that in the grand scheme of things, she is not as powerful as she was previously made out to be.

After she goes back to her means of escaping, there is a close up of her watch which could show that all time is precious and that she needs as much time as she can get to carry out what she wants to do. There is then a close up of the dripping water as she gets into the vent to show how time is running out and that she needs to hurry to complete her task. A static long shot is then used to show her in the vent and then the distance that she needs to travel. This allows me to see that she has still got a long way to go until she can finally escape and it also shows the compactness of the vent, which could imply how she feels like she is being overwhelmed by what she is having to do. We can now see a man sleeping through the grates of the vent, at a birds eye view, which implies that he is insignificant or how he is weak in comparison to her. A close up is used again to show her watch which further implies how she is running out of time or how she could be counting down the seconds until she needs to carry out the next part of her plan. This makes me feel quite anxious as I want her to succeed in her prison break and I want her to remain calm so that she does not fail with her timings. There are then quick cuts of what is happening with the water and we see the water dripping onto the source of electricity, eventually leading to an explosion. This now answers my previous questions of what the water and spoon was for, allowing me to catch up on everything and begin to understand why she was doing all of the previous things.

There is then a static, extreme close up of the fans in the vent, showing them slowing down, giving me the implication that this is her way of getting out of the prison. Along with this, there is diegetic sound of the fan slowing down, reiterating the fact that the fans are stopping and that it is a vital part of her plan. There is now parallel editing to show the actions that she is taking to get past the fans and  what the security guard is doing. This suggests that the security guard has the power to cause her plan to fail and how she needs to hurry if she wants to avoid getting caught. The fact that when the camera is on her, she is constantly watching the fans shows that if she doesn't hurry, then the fans could possibly cause her extreme harm. Then, we are shown a security guard watching over the man tat we saw previously at the aerial view in the vent. However, as the static camera shows the security guard walking away, I get the impression that the fact that he has left the man unguarded, shows that the man is unsafe and exposed to any harm or how he might even try to escape. After this, we see the man in the toilets and then we see the woman entering the area;  a sharp non-diegetic sound is used on top of the visuals to illustrate the idea that something is going to happen that can cause harm or danger. There is then a cut to the camera in the bottom corner and we can see the woman and the security guard i one shot, however he woman is closer to the camera. This shows her as bigger and more dominant in the shot which further shows that she has more power than him.

The next shot shows the woman's face in a mid-close up, however the low key lighting on her face shows that she is dangerous; side fighting is also used to show how she may be conflicted or how she could maybe be hiding her true intentions. This lighting makes me feel quite intimidated by her and makes me think that she is full of anger and viciousness. There is then a fast paced, zoom out when she kicks the security guard in the face. This zoom is used to show everything that is taking place in the scene; it shows how she kicks him which leads to him falling to the floor. There is then a cut to the view of a door and with a static shot, we see the door open and see the a security guard dropping to the floor. Moreover, after this, we can see the woman searching through the security guards clothes, resulting in a close up of her taking the gun out of his holster. There is then a cut to a close up of the gun. This suggests that her main goal was not to escape the prison, it was to maybe kill someone. On the other hand, it could also imply the fact that maybe she thinks she needs some sort of defence mechanism when she finally gets out of the prison to protect herself.

There is then a mid-long shot to show that she is in another cell block, however this time, it shows her holding a gun and looking into another cell. This use of mid-long shot gives the audience the question of what she intends to do with the gun, for instance, we aren't sure whether she intends to use the gun to kill a specific person or whether she is just going to use the gun to protect herself in an escape attempt. The shot that shows the gun makes me think that she is going to attempt to kill someone as her facial expression shows that she is determined to kill someone. We then see the old man lying down in his cell through a long shot and the fact that it is shown at a high angle shows how he is weak and does not have any power. The low key lighting, accompanied with a mid shot of her and the mies-en-scene of the jail bars, shows how she is only interested in the man in the cell and the fact that most of her face is in the darkness, I get the impression that she only has evil intentions for the old man.

A straight cut is then used to show the man in bed, at a high angle and a mid shot. This use of angle and shot gives me the idea that he is much weaker than the woman and that she is going to or already has overpowered him. There is then a combination of a tilt and a pan to show how she moves her gun from her side to the mans body. This transition shows how she is getting ready to kill the man and that she knows exactly where she wants to shoot him, indicating the idea that she has already thought this plan through. Another straight cut is used to show the point that she wakes the man up and the fact that a close up is used of the mans face, shows his exact facial expression. From this shot, we can see that he has mixed emotions about the current events. For instance, has face gives the impression of, shock, threat, sadness and confusion. At this point, I was also confused, along with the old man, as I had no idea why she was doing what she was doing. The shot reverse shot technique is then used to show the dialogue between the two characters, however when the shot is being the man, we see that the woman is at a higher level in the shot then the man, once again giving the audience the idea that she is more powerful than him and that she has full control over the situation. This is reinforced by the straight cut to the static shot of the gun that she is holding.

When the diegetic sound of the first shot is heard, there is parallel editing between her and the guards to show the action that was taking place at the same time but in separate places. This makes me feel anxious as I can see the guards getting closer to her whilst she is still shooting him. The next shot depicts the police officers entering the cell block of the murdered man, and finding the security guard who was previously knocked out, holding the murder weapon. This shot, that was taken with a handheld camera, shows me that she has managed to escape the cell block without getting caught and that she has also thought about how she can frame the security guard for the killing of the man. There is then a cut to the vents again and a birds eye view of her sliding into it which give me the impression that she is now going to attempt to escape without getting caught. Throughout this scene, there is a lot of parallel editing to show her escape attempt and the police officers trying to find her (the culprit). This technique makes me feel very tense as I am always trying to predict whether or not she is going to get caught. The non-diegetic sound of the music in the background also adds to the tension that I am feeling, making me empathise with her as I can imagine that she is very tense and rushed as well. After this, when she climbs out of the vents, into the outside, we see her in a birds eye shot showing half of the prison and half of the outside world. This use of camera angle allows us to know how she is nearly at the end of her prison break, however we can see that she starts climbing which gives the audience the impression that her intention was not to escape.

The fact that the lighting is still low key shows that there is still a possibility of danger or threat to both the police and the woman. It makes me feel very uncomfortable as I don't feel safe and I have to concentrate in order to see exactly what is going on. When she finally gets to the top of the roof, there is more parallel editing between her and the guards as she tries to run to the other end of the building. This fast paced parallel editing makes me feel very tense and on edge as I do not want her to get caught and I am scared that she will not make it. The use of slow motion is used effectively when she jumps off of the side of the building and grabs onto a pole. This use of slow motion makes me feel even more tense than before as I am not sure whether or not she will survive the jump. It also gives me the impression that she feels scared and tense as she, herself is not sure whether she will survive the jump. The transition to a birds-eye view shows me how far she is up from the ground, strengthening the fact that she is still exposed to danger and possible threat to life.

Textual analysis of the Kill Bill Volume 2 clip.

            The opening shot of the scene shows the Bride walking towards the camera through a Church as it tracks backwards, at a mid-close up, whilst also travelling at the same pace as her. As well as this shot starting off the scene, it also helps us to establish her mood and where she actually is. There is then a straight cut to the image of an open doorway as the music starts to play, showing us the outside world; we can see this from a static, point of view shot. This type of shot is used to show the audience the setting and where the sound is deriving from. There is then a second straight cut to the Bride looking around, whilst also showing her breathing heavy; we can see this with a static shot as she is looking around which then transitions into a slow, backwards tracking. This shows me her reaction to the music that is playing and that she is concerned or engrossed by it. In the next shot, we see the door way again, however this time, we can also see the Bride walking out to it and looking to the left. This is shown by a static shot of her back that transitions from a close up to a mid-shot and then to a long shot as she walks towards the outside world. The fact that we begin to see her whole body allows us to notice her stance and how she is standing up straight; this shows how she is feeling uptight and maybe even anxious about something.
           Additionally, after these shots, the camera straight cuts to the old man (who is in the foreground) and the Bride (who is in the background), however we also see the Bride turning her back on him. Due to the low angle that is used to show the distance between them, I get the impression that she is stubborn towards him and that they may have some large differences. Shortly after this there is a repetition of shots between the man and the Bride as there are many cuts back and forth showing the audience their faces. We can see this as every time the camera is on the bride, she is on the right side of the shot, whilst when we see the old man, he is on the left side of the shot. This shows that the two characters must have some kind of relationship, however due to the fact that the man is not looking at the Bride, we get the impression that their relationship is one of conflict and friction. From the simple fact that the duration of the shots gets quicker in this part of the sequence, I felt that it was building up to something, possibly dialogue between the two (This type of scene is similar to one that might be seen in a Western). After the repetition of shots, we can see that the old man looks back at the bride due to the fact that a close up shot is used at eye level. This shows how the old man is now ready to engage in conversation with the Bride. After this, the camera cuts to the bride standing and gazing at him meanwhile, we can also see a lot of negative space in the background because of a middle-long shot. This makes me think that they might have had something in the past that caused them to separate and live separate lives.
            Furthermore, the camera cuts to when the man starts to get up and stands across from the Bride; we can see this because of a mixture of a tilt and a pan with a continuous mid-shot. This shot is used to show the man starting to accept the fact that he has got to engage in conversation sooner or later or maybe how he wants to get closer with her. Mid way through the dialogue, we see the Bride walking towards him as the camera tracks a close-up of her feet from right to left, and this is the same for the old man however the tracking of his feet goes from left to right. This use of tracking shows how the two characters are starting to get closer and closer to each other which makes me feel like they want to regain whatever relationship they had in the past. After they are finished walking to each other, we can see their feet finally coming together by a close up and static shot of both pairs of feet. This marks the point where they have now come together and are in an intimate position. As the camera straight cuts to their faces, we can see the two of them looking at each other’s’ eyes because of the fact that the camera is at eye level and we can see a side view of their faces in a static shot. This allows the audience to acknowledge that they are interested in what each other is saying and how there is something that they maybe want to happen. After some dialogue, we can see the man’s face over her shoulder as a static shot. This allows the audience to see exactly what she sees and also shows us how close they actually are. Finally, the end shot shows us how she is now looking slightly up at him due to the fact that a close up is used at eye level and that it is an over the shoulder shot. This shot shows us that the tension is possibly now vanished between them and how she might even look up to him now as a role model.