Deconstruction - Childs Play

Child's Play 

1988

Mise En Scene

• The scene starts off with a low angled shot looking up to the main character within this scene showing the character to be 'powerful' within this scene.
• The box is close to the camera, but it blurred, showing the importance of the box, but not yet what is inside of the box. 
• The box is diagonally composed, showing that not everything is what it seems, compared to the vertical lines in the background showing that there is normality in the surroundings compared to what is inside this box. 
• The main character is wearing a light pink, showing femininity, which we can link to why she is holding a child's doll. 
• The box is bright yellow, usually connoting happiness, but as this is a horror movie, and is linked with the diagonal composed lines, it could show the emotional response from the character as this is what yellow usually represents. Also yellow is a colour that can not be looked at for too long, so this could also mean what is inside of the box can not be looked at too long.
• The dominant within this shot is the box, despite it not being in focus it is the brightest colour on the screen which draws the audience towards it, also it is in the first plane of depth. 
• The character within this scene is the subsidiary constant, as she is in focus and is in bright colours, showing her important, but also showing the box that she is holding's importance. 
• The writing on the batteries is red, connoting danger and blood. 

Sound

• For the first few moments within this scene the sound is diegetic, with the box rustling and moving around, but then as soon as we are about 10 seconds into the clip, it changes to a non diegetic sound, where it is revealed that something bad is about to happen. 
• The sound sets the tone for the scene, foreshadowing what is going to happen in the near future within this scene. 

Camera Angles/Shots

• In this scene the women is shot from a low angle, to make her seem powerful and dominant, but this could be to show the switch in power when we see what happens next with the doll.
• We see a eye-line match shot, from when the box moves, to the batteries falling onto the floor to then back at the women stood there watching the batteries. 
• The camera is tilted, and is slighting looking up at the batteries, to show the authority they have over the situation. 
• The batteries are exactly in the middle of the shot, showing that they are important within this scene, and what is going to happen next. 

Editing

• The editing within this scene is not very evident, and is mainly continuity editing.
• The editing of Chucky's voice is imminent within this scene to coincide with the movement of toy Chucky's mouth. 

Lighting

• The lighting sets the scene of this movie from the start as it is artificial, showing there is nothing natural and pure about this scene, and also hinting at what will happen in the rest of the film. 
• The light does not look sinister or dark, but it is not very bright warm or welcoming which sets the scene for the coming scenes. 

Mise En Scene.

• The dominant within this shot is the women, as she is the only thing who is in the light, which could be hinting at the goodness of her character. 
• The image is stark, there is very little information to be conveyed to the audience as it is so dark. 
• The silhouette of Chucky's body looks sinister and foreshadows that Chucky will always be a shadow in people's lives. 
• The composition within this shot looks vertical, which usually suggests comfort and strength, but we know this not too be true, and this is happening within a house, which is usually known to be a safe place. But the way the armchair cover is lifted up is diagonal, suggesting that everything is not as it seems and that there is something wrong. 

Sound

• The sound used within this part of the scene is what is expected in a horror movie to build suspense, it gets louder and more prominent when the chair cover is lifted. 
• It sounds almost like a searing pain, with a different note being played each time getting higher to indicate the climax of something happening in the near future. 
• The sound makes it feel like something could happen at any time,and draws and plays on the tension and anticipation of the audience. 

Lighting.

• There is low key lighting used within this scene, and very little lighting to emphasise and block the viewers vision, which makes them even more scared of the scene to come, it also makes them jump even more, as they can not see what is coming, and leaves the audience visually impaired through the next few seconds of the scene. 

Editing and Camera Angles

• The editing within this scene is not really noticiable to the audience, as it is invisible editing/continety editing, which is not usually used in horror movies, but it is used to give suspense and create tension for the audience, making them anxious for what is about to happen. 
• This scene is shot on eyeline with the female character within this scene, to relate it back to the audience, so it is easy on the eye for them to watch, and does not cause much confusion. 

• Towards the end of the scene, everything changes and the camera shoots from a high angle, looking down at the female character, showing that Chucky is not in complete control, and is the more dominant and powerful character within this scene as he is higher positioned and also looking down at her.