Research into Cinematography - Miss Miller

Research into Cinematography

In this essay I will be discussing how cinematography is used in the thriller genre to create an effect on the audience watching. Cinematography by definition is how the film itself is photographed with different positions, movements and angles in order to achieve an effect on the viewer whether it be suspense, surprise or shock. The clip I am using is a scene from Disturbia (2007) a thriller film in which teenager Kale (Shia Lebouf) spies on his neighbor Robert (David Morse) as it appears he is chasing a woman through his house. The URL link for the clip is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH5fod3mC7c

In the clip, a point-of-view movement is used to create shock in the audience. The audience sees a point-of-view movement when Kale looks through the binoculars at Robert's house but when he moves the camera away and then back to a window, Robert appears in it. This tells the audience that Robert can see Kale and that Robert will go after Kale, as Kale knows something that he shouldn't which makes him a loose end. Through the use of a point-of-view shot the audience are able to feel as if they are in the shoes of the character and feel as if they are personally being targeted by the antagonist, adding onto the elements of shock. This creates a shock in the audience as they do not expect Robert to be able to restrain the woman and notice that Kale is watching him, showing the audience that Robert has superior abilities to Kale and that it will be a challenge for him to out-maneuver him. The way Robert stares at the camera creates a relationship with the audience as they feel like he is addressing them personally which makes them feel threatened and frightened due to the antagonist feeling powerful enough to make it is obvious he has done something wrong but feeling as if the viewer and protagonist is unable to stop him. This is conventional as the audience expect the killer to be able to move around outside of the victim's knowledge while also being able to keep an eye on the victim.

In the clip, a handheld movement is used to create surprise and some confusion in the audience. The audience sees an unknown woman struggling to get away from an unknown figure, assumed to be Robert, as he drags her away the the camera lens, which jerks about as it is recorded, giving an unclear image. This shows the audience that what is going on is very chaotic due to the camera not being able to focus on what is going on for too long. This creates a surprise as the audience to do not expect to see Robert appear from no where, as she seems to be on her own. This also creates some confusion as it is not apparent why she is so frantic and afraid as the audience can not see what is going on clearly due to the fumbling of the camera. This creates a relationship with the antagonist to the audience due to him feeling confident enough in his actions that no one will attempt to stop him regardless if they see him performing a murder in broad daylight. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the killer overpower his victims and stop them from escaping with this usually leaving behind clues that the authority will use to catch up to the killer's actions.

In the clip, a close up is used for the camera to create suspense in the audience. The audience see, yet again through the camera lens, the unknown woman pounding on the door of Robert's house to be let out, we see this through the upstairs window of Kale as he looks down on the scene. This portrays the woman as being in trouble due to the look of fright in her face while also showing her inability to get out of the situation which also suggests that Robert is smarter and stronger than most people due to his ability to trap the woman. This creates suspense in the audience as they do not know if she will be able to escape Robert. while her appearing to be alone suggest she will be able to find her way out yet the fact that she is a woman, and that women are stereotyped as being weak, she will be unable to overcome Robert who is a grown man. This shot creates a sympathetic relationship with the woman as she has been trapped with the killer and we must watch her attempt to get out but due to her being an insignificant character, we know she will not live for long. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the victim unable to mentally and physically keep up the fight while also showing how the killer is able to dominate his victims which tells the audience that he will be hard to stop and a challenge to end his killing spree.

In the clip, a mid-shot shot of Kale is used to create surprise in the audience. the audience see a close-up of Kale's face after a flash is caused which may have alerted him to Robert, causing him to duck down with a zoom-in to his torso hunched up on the floor with a frightened look on his face. This shows how distressed Kale looks after seeing such confusing and disturbing images and the fright of believing that Robert may have seen him and then come after him, showing Robert as being an intimidating character. This creates surprise in the audience as we do not expect to see the protagonist of the story, the person who is supposed to save the day, be so frightened by the antagonist as we expect him to pursue and stop the antagonist rather than cowering from him when the antagonist may have seen him. Like the relationship with the woman, we begin a sympathetic relationship with the protagonist in this scene as he is unsure whether the antagonist saw him or not and whether he will decide to come after him or not. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the victim struggle to defeat the killer due to the killer being mentally and physically superior to the victim as he is detached from reality and is able to kill people without remorse.

In the clip, we see an eye-level angle of Kale that creates shock in the audience. The audience see an eye-level perspective besides Kale as he fumble to get the camera ready to see what is going on in Robert's house without poking his head up and making it obvious he is still watching him. The use of an eye level allows the audience to believe that they are also in the same scene due to them being in the same position as Kale and so feeling if they are in the same danger he is in. This shows the audience firsthand at how frightened Kale is at possibly being scene, which shows Robert as being an intimidating character due to his ability to frighten Kale without even looking at him, while the attempts to get the camera on shows how Kale is determined, regardless if Robert sees the camera, to find out what is going on in his neighbor's home. This creates shock and fear in the audience as they feel as if they are in the same danger that Kale is in, while the fumbling we see creates suspense as the audience do not know if Kale will get the camera running again or if the audience will see what happened to the woman. This shot creates a more positive relationship with the protagonist due to the audience seeing him take an action to capture what the antagonist is doing in an effort to get evidence against him that will reinforce the protagonist's offensive against him. This is conventional as the audience expect to see the main character try his hardest to combat the killer and stop him from killing anymore people and getting the narrative to reach an equilibrium by the end of the film.

The handheld and low angle shots are presented in such a way, in this scene, to confuse the audience as to what is going on due to the low quality camera footage and the instability of the camera as well as making the victim of the killer look weak to show the audience an example of how ruthless the antagonist is and how hard the protagonist will have to work to stop him. Shots like the point-of-view and the eye-level help to put the viewer in the shoes of the protagonist and increase the shock and suspense due to, like the point-of-view shot, having the antagonist look directly at the viewer, making the viewer feel singled out and like the killer will come after them while the eye-level shot shows the audience the determination of the protagonist to do right. The mid-shot, as used in this clip, shows the audience how the protagonist feels which allows the audience to build a relationship with the protagonist ass they are in a vulnerable state. These shots create suspense as they all happen during a fast-paced scene which does not give the viewer time to properly realize what is going on. These shots are conventional to the genre as they all show the protagonist overcoming his fear shown in one shot by assembling the camera in the next showing how he is determined to gain information on the antagonist and what they are planning. They may also show what the villain is doing at times in order to show how the villain acts or what his plans are before the protagonist finds out, in this clip we see the antagonist capturing a woman and attempting to threaten the protagonist into not trying to stop him by staring at the protaognist. This clip has helped me to decide on what different camera styles to use, I think using a handheld to disorientate the viewer and confuse them on what is going on is a good idea as it cripples their view as to what is going on engaging them to pay closer attention to what is happening in the scene. I also like the idea of using an eye-level angle to force the viewer into seeing themselves alongside the situation that the protagonist is in, creating shock and surprise in the viewer.