Paranormal Activity - The Door Slamming Scene
Lights off, then on, then off again
Camera Angles
- This is a wide angle shot in order to show not only the bedroom but also to show down the hallway as if to show the viewer that they are supposed to be looking out for something otherwise the camera would only be focusing on the bedroom, or the door would be closed.
- This is quite a loose fitted frame so the characters have room in order to move around the scee and also with the door open it adds a lot more space than if it was closed.
- It has a deep depth of field so that the viewer can see clearly down the hallway and so that nothing is not visible.
- By having the time in the corner of the video you can tell that this is a hand held camera and that it has been set up on a tri-pod in order to catch something or someone.
- There is no sound at all for the majority of this part of the scene.
- There is the sound of someone walking across the floorboards which is diegetic in order for the people to hear it in the bed. This conforms to the supernatural horror due to us knowing that there are only two people in the house and that we never see who is creating this noise, adding tension and fear.
- There is no real editing from this scene only Continuity Editing which is commonly used in film making.
- This is Low Key lighting so the scene is extremely dark indicating that it is night. This therefore conforms with the genre as it will make people scared to sleep as this event is happening at night whilst these people are asleep. The darkness also acts like a threat and conceals us from seeing everything that could be going on and therefore restricts us from seeing everything.
- When the light comes on it doesn't lighten up much of the scene and still leaves it pretty much in darkness and you cannot see anyone coming up the stairs which is scary as then you know that it is a paranormal genre.
- Although it should be the people that are the dominant I think that the first thing the eye is drawn to is the door way because it is swamped in darkness and by having it in the scene it makes the door become more significant and important.
- In the last screen shot you can see that the people in the bed have woken up due to the footsteps coming towards them. This therefore shows that they are fearful of these footsteps as they sat up very quickly and therefore it is as though they where waiting for it to happen by linking this is with the camera being set up.
- The idea that the lights went on, off and then back on again shows the travelling of this invisible demon/ghost as, as they go up the stairs the light goes on they are coming up the stairs and when they reach the top they go off. This is backed up as the footsteps are coming closer to them as they get louder as they walk towards them.
- It is quite a vertical composition which suggest strength however this is sort of subverted due to the fact that in this scene the mysterious invisible person is stronger than they are because although you cannot see them you can see that the power that have is stronger over the people who are in the bed because when they hear this is scares them more.
- The hallway distorts the scene as it creates an illusion of further depth.
- There are blacks and whites in this scene and they are the dominating colours in this scene and this shows that this house in usually calm and safe however the darkness shows that there is a threat within in the house and this shows that they are perhaps being trapped by this darkness.
- By putting the two people at a intimate distance it shows that they are in a relationship as they are both in the same bed as well. It also shows that perhaps that they are protecting each other as they are expecting this thing to happen every night.
Door slams shut and the camera goes manual.
Camera Angles
- It starts in the same wide angle shot as in the scene before which shows the viewer the door slamming shut with no one pulling it or slamming it shut. This again conforms with the Paranormal genre.
- It then flows into the man picking up the camera manually and then taking it over to the door, this shows manual recording and therefore it is on eye level with the man and we are seeing what he is seeing and then when he hands it over to the wife you then see her perspective.
- As they manoeuvre the camera is goes between different canted angle movements.
- The sound starts with the bang of the door which is diegetic and will be used in order to make the audience jump when watching it as it is something that they will not be expecting.
- After the door is closed we the hear the diegetic sounds of the characters reactions towards this noise and even in their voices you can tell that they are scared due to them shouting.
- Continuity editing which shows how they go from one action to another. Editing it very simple its supposed to be them filming on a hand held camera and therefore it would be simplified.
- In the top scene you can see that the man is moving around the side of the bed which shows that he is anticipating something happening. Also by having the man getting out of the bed rather than the woman it shows that he is the protector out of the two of them.
- When the door slams shut the camera becomes more frantic and so do they and therefore there is this clear divide between when they are sleeping before and the house seems to be calm to the door shutting and the house becoming more all over the place.
- When looking under the door you can see some light underneath the door and this shows that whatever shut the door is still out there. Also by filming underneath the door it conforms to the genre because it adds the fear that someone could appear under the door or that the door could re open again.
- The scene becomes much tighter when he takes the camera manually and this therefore not only traps them within the room due to the door being shut it also tightens their space due to the camera shot being smaller and the darkness becoming greater.
- This brings the audience to a more intimate distances with the character because although we cannot see them our vision is being controlled by them and with the fact that we can hear them breathing and talking closely to the camera it takes us on their journey. This adds to the fear as it makes you feel as though you are there.
- It is stark scene and therefore this is done in order to take away any distraction from the viewer to something else which may not be as important, this makes the viewer watch what is going on. As if there was too much going on in the scene it would take away the fear factor of it together.
- It goes from a wide angled lens to a telephoto lens.
- It is still in a deep depth of field as you can still see objects when it is being put underneath the door.
- By closing the door they have made the scene smaller and also trapped the characters inside the room and therefore this makes opening the door scarier as you cannot see what it behind it.
- By putting the character behind the camera it takes away our sympathy for them as we cannot see their eyes.
- In the top screen shot the man is to the far right of the scene and therefore by having him right on the edge it takes away his importance so that we don't see him whilst the door is slamming shut.
Opening the door
- This is at a slight canted angle and is on eye level with the woman who is holding the camera. This therefore is a low angle looking up at the man showing superiority and power of the man and that perhaps he is the braver one out of the two.
- It is a medium shot of the man as it is being shot from his knees up whereas she is behind the camera.
- Is diegetic of them talking to each other as she is telling the man not to go through the door due to not knowing what is behind it. This backs up the idea that she is more scared than he is.
- Again simple Continuity Editing.
- The dominant of this shot is the man as he is the only person in this screen which we focus on in this shot.
- The scene now extremely dark as the camera follows him out into the hallway. We can only see the outline of his arm as he merges in with the darkness around him. This therefore may foreshadow the idea that he dies in the end as though he is disappearing into the darkness around the woman.
- The the use of the darkness shows that this thing that is in the house is a threat towards them and this explains why they are so scared.
- Vertical lines are the only lines that are strong in this scene shown from the man standing in between them. The vertical lines show strength and this is shown by the man standing between them showing that he has the strength out of the two of them other wise it would be her or he would be standing somewhere else in the shot.
- You can see some light at the end of the hallway which shows that a light is on and later on in the scene this is defined as the laundry room. This therefore shows that the laundry room will be of some interest later on in the film. By highlighting the laundry room you are also highlighting its significance towards the film and the supernatural happenings.
- Again another extremely stark image because apart from the man and the hallway there isn't much for the viewer to look at.
- The depth of field is still deep as by filming on a manual camera the focus will remain the same throughout the shot.
- The man is now in the middle of the framing and this shows that his importance has increased from the last shot as he has gone from the edge of the scene, to behind the camera to now being in the centre of the image.
- The audience have now come into a intimate distance with the wife however we don't see much of her in this scene and it is as though she is hiding behind the camera showing her fear to the audience by not wanting to show her venturing out into the hallway.
- He then turns on the lights to reveal the whole hallway.
Mirrors, Split viewing and the door re closing again
Camera Angle
- The camera angle is at the womans eye level who is holding the camera and filming the man.
- The camera is held at a low angle due to her being smaller that him and shows that he has more power + superiority in this shot due to him always being in front of her and this shows he is braver than her but also that he is protecting her from anything that could happen.
- It is always being filmed on a wide angled shot as the camera is being held horizontally therefore making the shot wider than if it was held portraiture.
- There is still the diegetic sound of them talking to each other, he is always reassuring the woman who keeps telling him not to walk off.
- Then in the second shot we hear another diegetic sound of the door slamming shut just as it had done before implying that this invisible demon/ghost has re closed the door. This creates a reaction shot of them turning around as it makes the jump and this would make the audience jump as once again the characters where not expecting it to happen.
- Again simple Continuity editing as the filming is simplified and therefore the editing would be unnecessary.
- The man is still the dominant of the as the woman never comes out from behind the camera and therefore she cannot be the subsidiary contrast even when the camera faces towards the mirror she still isn't visible.
- The use of the mirror conforms to the genre as mirrors are usually used to create fear as if you cannot see something then it can usually be seen in the mirror. Also by having it pointing into the laundry room it creates the tension as that is where the light was coming from before.
- The second screen shot is a split shot as the door frame is splitting the woman from her husband as he runs down the hallway she is hiding in the laundry room and it also shows a strong contrast between the light and the dark.
- The man stays extremely shadowed for the entire scene and this makes his identity also shadowed this further foreshadows the idea that he won't survive in the end as she is in the light but he is always in the dark and that perhaps his curiosity could get the better of him.
- The framing is still quite loose even when she films in the laundry room as this shows that there is room to move around the scene and that they aren't as trapped as they where in the bedroom, however it does not mean that they are safe.
- She is at a social distance with the man and therefore we feel like where being taken on a journey with them because we are seeing things from their perspective whereas they could've left the camera in the bedroom. But we are being taken into the fear of it happening. The man is always placed in the middle of the scene
- In the bottom screen shot the light on the wall creates a diagonal which shows anxiety and that something isn't right in the house and although it is quite dispersed it still doesn't light up the man that much.
- Continued deep depth of field.
- Still stark filming in order to not take away distractions away from the fear that is being created by the characters and the events happening around them.
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