Project 1: Film Stills (BLK)

Our group experimented with trying out a variety of different genres for our stills but we ended up settling for a horror/thriller genre. We discussed what conventions there were in shots used in thrillers and we decided on a shot with not too much lighting, to give an air of mystery. Then as we got around to taking the shot, we filmed it so there would be one strip of light across the face, this way the audience knows to focus on the character's face. Furthermore the use of only a part of light shining on the face, creates this sense of being closed in. It makes you feel closer to the action that is happening. The still also creates questions in the reader's mind like: who is she? why is she hiding in the bush? is she hiding from someone or is she going to attack? This induces enigma. The iconography was very important to us as a group because it had to clearly portray the genre by using the general conventions but not in a way that makes it seem as though we're mocking it. Using an extreme close up worked well for us as we were able to capture all of the mise en scene in all of it's glorious detail. Nature is often associated with calmness and tranquility when in contrast this scene hints at danger and tension. This juxtaposition works well as it takes something the audience is used to seeing (leaves, green etc.) and puts a more deadly spin on so it makes them feel uncomfortable and more a part of the movie, keeping them fully engaged. Furthermore the use of both lightness and darkness in the scene relates to horror movies as a whole because a lot of the time is a battle between light and dark, good and evil.

All in all I think our shot went well but if we were given another opportunity to retake it, I would have tried to experiment with different camera angles to see which one gives a better effect.