Textual Analysis of 'Lights Out'

'Lights Out' is a short horror film made by David Sandberg and Lotta Losten. In this post I will comment on how the use of camera work, editing, sound and mise en scene conform to the generic horror film uses.

Camera Work

I will start by discussing the use of camera shots, angles and movements. 

The opening shot establishes the area the film is shot/based in. In the case of 'Lights Out' it is a spooky-looking house as seen to the below. This fits the horror film conventions.

Establishing shot

In the next scene long and over-the-shoulder shots are used.

Over-the-shoulder shot

Over-the-shoulder shot

These shots are used to show what the character is seeing. This point of the short film helps us to identify the genre as a figure can only be seen when the lights are off.

We then see mid-shot of the main characters face in order to see their facial expressions and emotions. In the picture below we get the feeling the the character is confused but scared.

Mid-shot

The camera stays in the same position until this scene is over. The scene finishes when the figure gets closer to the woman, this shot can be seen below.

We then see a close up of her hands and the tape she is holding. This clarifies that our thoughts of her being afraid are true as she attempts to stick the light switch into place.

Close-Up shot

This scene then ends and we see a close up of the girl laying in bed shortly followed by a point of view shot of the corridor. This tells the audience that she is still afraid of what may be outside.

Close-Up

Point-of-View Shot

We then see another close-up of her hiding from the monster under her duvet. This sparks fear into the audience as her expression tells us that she is once again scared.

Close-Up

The final shot we see is a mid-shot of the monster itself. This gives the audience a sense of closure as they are now aware of what the creature was.

Mid-shot

Sound 

As well as camera work, sound plays a big part in the horror genre. Tension building sound is a generic and useful convention of horror films, Lights Out fits this theory.

The non-diagetic sound first starts to play when the creature/monster is suddenly closer to the camera lens. This will startle and frighten the audience. This music then finishes when the shot cuts to the main character sticking the light switch on. 

The tension-building music then starts to play again once darkness has fallen, this continues to play until the end of the short film when the monster is seen.

The choice of music played in horror films determine the effect on the audience. Without the uncertainty of the music the films in this genre wouldn't be as frightening. 

Editing

The editing of this film helps us to identify it's genre. Each shot is longer than usual to build the tension in each moment.

Mise en Scene

A lot of low key lighting is used in 'Lights Out'. This also fits the conventional idea of horror films. The slight darkness over every shot makes the audience more wary of what is going to happen.

The costume of the main character is reasonably normal as she's in pyjamas. This encourages fear within the audience as they may start to believe that it's an unexpected occurrence in a life as ordinary as theirs. Being able to see yourself in the situation of a horror film helps to frighten those who are watching.

The main prop used in this short film is the flickering lamp beside the bed. This prop is very important as it causes us to discover the appearance of the creature the audience had become so afraid of.

The Big Shave - Location Research

For our recreation of 'The Big Shave' we need a suitable location. I had the job to look for a place to film.

The short is set completely in a bath room. In order to recreate The Big Shave accordingly we'd need to find something like this:

Preferably we will be looking for a white bathroom with a mirror above the sink.

Although this bathroom is white/cream it is still not suitable for our recreation as there is so mirror above the sink. This means that the character having a shave won't be able to see their reflection.

 



Cubicles are also unsuitable for the recreation due to practicality. It's very rare to see somebody having a shave in a public toilet.

 

A bathroom like the one above would be most suitable for our recreation as its small, white and has a mirror above the sink.

Although it's unlikely to find a bathroom the same as above, we're going to look for something similar to it.

Short Film Recreation - 'The Big Shave'

As part of our A2 media studies blog myself and three other students (Joseph Nowell, Jonny Briggs and Courtney Radley) will recreate the Michael Scoursese short film 'The Big Shave' - as seen below.

The next few blog posts will consist of a character profile, story board, prop list and a location setting for the recreation.

Plot Synopsis

This short film is a metaphor for the Vietnam War. A man walks into a meticulously clean and sterile bathroom, concentrating on the polished porcelain and shiny metal motif. He then proceeds to shave. When his face is clean, however, he only continues to shave until he pierces through his skin. Blood covers him and falls around him, the red contrasting the perfect spotlessness of the bathroom.

Taking out the Trash - one minute short film

 

As part of our A2 coursework myself, Rebecca Turner, Courtney Radley and Henry Wright created a very short film. We had to base our idea around a given opening scene 'someone puts takeaway packaging in a bin'.

 

With the use of Ryan Martin and Charlie Sear we produced 'Taking Out The Trash'.

Camera Angles - Movement in the Shot

I will now mention different types of camera movement.

• Panning - scans a scene horizontally through the use of a tripod to keep it stable.
• Tilting - scans a scene vertically throught the use of a tripod.
• Dolly Shots - when the camera moves alongside the action usually by following an object or character. These shots are often taken in whilt the camera is on a moving vehicle.
• Hand-held - used to make the audience feel like a part of the scene. Hand-held shots give a ragged effecty which is often used in horror films whilst someone is being chased.
• Crane Shots - these are essentially dolly shots from above.
• Zoom Lenses - used to change the magnification of a shot or image. For example, these can be used to capture a close up shot from a distance.
• Ariel Shot - usually taken from a helicopter to establish the scene.

Camera Angles - Angle of a Shot

The angle of a camera shot helps the audience to make their judgements about the person or object in shot.

Different angles:

• The Birds Eye View shot is take from high up and looks down on what is normally the next scene. From such a high angle objects from below seem unrecognisable and insignificant.
• A High Angle is taken when a camera is elevated above the scene and action. There is a lot of background detail as well as making the scene less intimidating.
• Eye Level shots are the most common type of shot used in film (depending on the genre). This shot is fairly natural compared to the others as we see the scene as if a human is observing it.
• Low Angle shots are used to increase the size of both objects and characters.These shots create a sense of confusion for the audience. The background of this shot is likely to be the ceiling or sky.
• Canted Angle shot (otherwise known as oblique) is created when the camera is tilted. This is done to show an imbalance as well as being used to show a characters point of view.

Camera Angles - Framing or length of a Shot

1) Framing or length of a shot involves different camera shots.

• Extreme Long Shot (ELS) - otherwise known as an establishing shot. An example of this can be seen in 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' (below). This shot is often used to set the scene of the next shots. In a war film the ELS may show some action and some thrilling scenes but it will lack certain details due to the length of the shot.
• In the Long Shot we see the whole of the human body (this is called a full shot). This shot mainly shows the characters but due to the length of it we also see more detail in the background. The long shot also makes the characters and objects seem life-sized if the film is being watched in cinema.
• The Medium Shot shows a figure from the waist up. This shot is often used in dialogue scenes, this may include two characters being seen from the waist upwards (two shot) or three (three shot). If more than three characters are in the shot it tends to become a long shot rather than a medium. Over the shoulder shots are also medium shots, these are taken from behind one character whilst focusing on the one opposite.
• A Close-Up shot shows little background detail, it primarily focuses on a specific detail of mise en scene (most often a face). This magnifies the image within the shot and gives the audience an intimate feel.
• An Extreme Close-Up shows no background detail at all. It focuses on a particular thing. For example, and extreme close-up on a face would usually focus on either the mouth or eyes (as can be seen in the image below). This shot is artificial and is primarily used to create a tension. When filming a shot like this extra care needs to be taken, this is because even the slightest movement can ruin the dramatic effect.

Establishing Shot

Long Shot

Medium Shot

Close-up

Extreme Close-Up