The Secrets of Crickley Hall
Finding the Log Book
- The cameras framing is extremely tight as though to imply that whatever touched his hand is trapped within the small compartments behind the wall. Also he is in a tight framing and therefore this restricts his view in order to see what is touching him.
- The bottom screen shot is a high angle shot looking down on the book however this angle is subverted as although it is supposed to connote vulnerability it may not be connoting it for the book but perhaps the man who is picking it up.
- The other two shots are on the same level as the actions which are going on.
- They are close up shots on the mans face adn the hands in order to show the actions which are going on.
- The sound when the hands touch the fathers is non diegetic and it is quite sudden in order to show that something happened and also to build tension within the scene.
- There is also the diegetic sound of the man talking to his daughter and the reaction he has when the boy touches his hand.
- There is the non diegetic sound of the score playing over the top of the scene.
- There is the eye line match from where the man looks over at the book to the next shot which shows the book and him picking it.
- There is the continuity editing of the time moving forward from when the boy touches him to the book being present.
- There is a jump cut from the mans face to the boy touching him back to his face which distorts the viewer as they may not have been sure of what happened as it happened so quickly.
- This is low key lighting as apart from the torch the man is holding there is nothing else lighting the area which he is in.
- The dominant colour in this scene is black as again apart from the light illuminating his face the rest of the scene around him is darkness and therefore that makes it the dominant colour. Therefore this connotes the idea that there is a threat behind the wall however this is subverted when the spirit actually leads the father to the book full of punishments.
- It is an extremely stark image as apart from the father nothing else is really around him and this has been done in order to not take away any attention from what is going on, as if it was a light and dense scene the hands touching him wouldn't be as effective or prominent.
- The dominant switches throughout the scene as there are 3 separate shots; its starts with the father, then the set of hands and then the book. However it is clearly the father as he is present in all of them (signified by hands)
- It has a short depth of field which further traps the character within the scene as not only is it a tight frame but also by blurring out the background it connotes the idea of enclosure and capture within the wall. Not of the father but more the spirit.
- The main composition is vertical which is shown by the vertical lines created by the other wooden planks either side of the father. This connotes the idea of strength that the father can help by what has been given to him.
- The father, hands and the book are all placed in the centre of the screen signifying their importance to the continuation of the story.
- We are at a personal distance with the father and therefore are made to have a closer connection with the audience however we are not meant to act as though we can relate to him by him never looking in the camera.
- It is full front staging as he is completely turned towards the camera facing the audience creating that slight connection even more.
- The father is wearing BROWN and this connotes the idea of safety and that he will protect his daughter from whatever there is. Shown through him looking inside the wall.
The Nightmare
- In the top and bottom screen shots there is the camera angle of a wide shot in order to show the bed and a majority of the room in order to establish this as a bedroom and that someone is sleeping. This lets the audience know that this is a nightmare/dream not a flashback.
- The two middle shots are close ups on the door and the child. The camera is placed at a high angle with the child and this connotes that whoever is standing in front of her is of higher authority and by her crying this shows that she is in pain.
- The second screen shot is on the door and as it pans closer it becomes a tighter frame and this gives across the idea that it is trapping the person inside the door so that they cannot escape. The girl is also in an extremely tight frame connoting that she cannot escape. She is trapped/enclosed.
- The sound with the cupboard is diegetic sound of someone banging on the door as if to get out.
- There is further diegetic sound when the girl is screaming and this could connote either pain or that she is afraid of whoever is higher than her.
- The last piece of diegetic sound is when the woman wakes up.
- There is again the non diegetic sound of the score playing over the top.
- There is continuity editing of the dream cutting faster and faster in order to create tension before she wakes up.
- Jump cuts in order to fit in many different areas of the nightmare and therefore shows that again the tension is building and brings in other characters that have been present before in the TV show and links them together.
- Cross cutting between the woman lying in her bed asleep and the dream that is taking place giving the viewer an insight into her mind.
- The woman is the main dominant character as she is the one who is creating the dream and therefore without her in the scene it wouldn't be taking place.
- The dream shots are in very short depths of field showing that the characters in those scenes are trapped by something and that they maybe need releasing, considering that the door scene is first and doors conceal things/trap. However in contrast to this short depth of field there is the deep depth of field shown with the woman in her bed as she has a choice in order to wake up or stay asleep; she can escape from this nightmare whereas the people in it are trapped in her head.
- The woman is dressed in white and therefore this connotes the idea that she is quite innocent and pure but by having her sleeping on her own she is also lonely.
- The dream scenes have a blue tint to them giving them a dream like effect. However the connotations of blue are subverted as what is happening within the scene is not calm however there is the strong sense of looming/overpowering masculinity.
- Low key lighting for the entire scene in order to show that it is night time in the sleeping scenes and in the dream scenes to show threats and make it more sinister for the public.
- By having a girl screaming it makes the scream much more piercing and scary because it shows distress and also that someone is in great pain. A girls scream would probably be more effective as well.
- The woman dreaming is at a personal distance from us and this therefore shows that we shouldn't have as close of a connection that what we had with the father in the first screenshots.
- The girl in the third screen shot is at a intimate distance with us and also looking into the camera and therefore we are supposed to have a connection with her and also feel her pain. It makes the audience feel helpless as there is this girl who is clearly in distress and asking for help through her eyes however we cannot help her. Makes the audience feel helpless and perhaps guilty.
- Quite a dense scene as there is a lot going on in it in order to take in and therefore it does provide a lot of information for the viewer.
- The blue on the sleeping womans walls could connote the idea that a man lived there previously but something tore them apart.
Talking to Spirits
- All three shots are tight angles and therefore this shows that once she has contacted the spirit there was no way she would have been able to escape until she was released from whatever was holding her.
- In the first two screen shots the camera is on eye level with Eve showing us what she can see happening. The therefore makes us connect and even understand more of what is going on.
- However in the last show there is again the high angle near enough the same as the one of the girl in the dream (screen shots before) and therefore backs up the idea that this angle connotes pain, authority and makes the characters afraid.
- There is the diegetic sound of the two women talking to each other though Stephens spirit.
- There is the diegetic sound of the footsteps coming into the room signifying that someone else was present which is followed by the woman screaming.
- Also non diegetic sound of a score and also the sound of the cane being whipped through the air making a swooshing sound identifying the weapon and that whoever it was, was hitting the woman with it.
- Eye line match from Eves eyes to the woman in front of her in order to show a connection between them.
- Jump cuts between the woman and Eve when she is being hit in order to show Eves reaction towards what is going on.
- Continuity Editing is also present within the scene.
- In the top two screenshots the light changes from High Key lighting to low Key lighting in order to reflect the mood of the spirit and how it changes from being happy to sad and starts crying. The lighting reflects the mood.
- Also the facial expressions back up the idea that the mood has changed as in the top on she seems calm and content and in the second you can see that the emotion is falling apart.
- The lady talking to Stephen is the dominant in the scene as she is the main focus not only for the viewer but also for Eve.
- In the bottom screen shot the edges of the scene are blurred which traps the woman within the scene and that she will only be released once whatever it is, is finished. She is trapped.
- The bottom screenshot also has the same blue tint to it as if to indicate that this is a spirit which is hurting her and not a person otherwise the vision would be clear and the room wouldn't be as dark as it is.
- The woman is wearing a mixture of colours and this could indicate that she doesn't have a set identity and this is shown through her changing from herself into the little boy Stephen. There are pinks, green, blues etc and it shows that she is not organised or completely ok with her self. She is a mixture of everything.
- In the bottom screen shot she is holding her head indicating that it is affecting her mind and that she is perhaps trying to escape from whatever is in there. She is literally holding her mind together in order to fight it off.
Miss Lovett
- In the top screen shot it is a wide angled establishing shot which shows the door in the corner of the room as it is opening. It is very slight and is on the eye level of the man who is looking at it which makes the audience him.
- The second screen shot is a perspective shot which is at a low angle looking up the well as the throw the body over the side. This creates the perspective as it makes the well look much larger and the hole smaller as Nancy doesn't have a choice in whether or not she is put down there and also that she has no escape as the hole in smaller than the well as though she cannot get out or escape if she survives.
- The third screen shot is a high angle into the puddle on the floor reflecting the old man who is looking into it which is carefully done in order to make sure that the camera does not reflect into it.
- The sound in the second screenshot is diegetic of them picking her up and throwing her into the well. The sound of her hitting the water makes the sort of sound as though something shattering and signally her life falling apart.
- The rest is silent apart from the non diegetic sound of the score playing in the background which is similar to all the other scenes.
- There is the eye line match of the man looking over at the door and then the shot going across to the door so the viewer could see what he was seeing.
- There is also a graphic match which is shown when there is a short of Maurice crying and then the scene changes to the puddle which the man is looking in showing that the two scenes have a strong connection.
- Continuity Editing
- Flashbacks from the mans past in order to fill in parts of the story which the audience had not seen yet and therefore provides answers to the question people may have had.
- The well and the puddle have an immediate connection and also with the door opening showing that this man has a connection with what is happening as although it had happened before it seemed to be immediately triggered by his presence.
- By having the top of the well smaller it also limits the amount of light and therefore indicates that Nancy's light is going out and that she is plunging into darkness leaving the light behind.
- Apart from the middle screen shot it is High Contrasting lighting which is normal within the house and creates shadows in order to conceal and highlight the mystery within. In the middle screenshot there is very low key lighting which makes the darkness the dominant colour and that there is a threat present.
- The old man in wearing red and this connotes danger within the house and that perhaps he shouldn't be there and that the family have been put into danger by letting him in.
- The door is lighter than the rest of the wood around it making it stand out more from the darker surroundings and therefore draws the eye towards it.
- In the middle screen shot there is a circular composition and this connotes enclosure as Nancy is being enclosed within the well and she is not expected to ever get out as though it is her prison.
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