Deconstruction of student made film: CAPTIVE

CAPTIVE

I thought this piece was a great example of a student-made horror film opening. Everything effectively conveyed the genre being filmed and looked like it could have been a real film.
 

Location

The opening looks like it was filmed in an abandoned building with an open roof that has broken down over time. This made it bright which wasn't the best setting because slasher horrors usually have a dark setting. The open roof caused puddles of rain on the floor which was effective to make it look more abandoned. The walls are covered in graffiti and it's quite dilapidated, being perfect to add to the eeriness of the genre.
 

Mise-en-scene

The room is empty apart from planks of damp wood where the roof has fallen through and the man in the centre sat on a chair with rope wrapped around his hands. There is also a window and a working security camera, so he is always being 'watched'. His clothes are torn and covered in blood, and his face looks as if the skin has been peeled away. There is blood dripping out of his mouth which adds more gore and horror into the film.

Camera angles and editing

There are various angles, a lot of them being close ups and high angles to highlight vulnerability of the main character that he is always exposed and shown to be completely powerless. A lot of the shots are fast and short which builds suspense, exactly what is needed for a climax of a horror film. After the shot of the security camera, there is a shot split into four sections of the screen from four different security camera angles. They are of different rooms and one shows the man on the chair. There is also a blurry POV shot after the man gains consciousness to show his drowsiness. Towards the end of the clip, there is a flashback shot that keeps showing the events leading up to how he ended up there.

Sound

Diegetic sounds like dripping of blood into puddles, wind, static, heavy breathing and beeping of the security camera are used to begin with and show that nothing suspenseful is happening just yet, although it is sinister to show the silence of the shots. There are also quiet, non-diegetic tracks of string and brass instruments that are either short and jumpy or get louder and louder which builds up a lot of suspense and fear. This was very effective to raise tension and make the audience prepare for a jump scare or to see something that may scare us more.

Typography

For the first part of the sequence, the credits played and flashed up on different parts of the screen, much like the opening credits of 'Se7en'. The font was sans serif and white, and it flickered to appear like static. The font was effective as it matched the font on the security camera, so the feeling of being watched is reflected throughout the video.