MS: Film opening technical analysis

THE RING

• Shot by shot analysis of a film opening which investigates camera shots,shot duration and mise-en scene.

Shot: shot establishing the scene,slow panning mid shot using the rule of thirds
Duration: 4 seconds
Mise-en scene: young woman in a dark house


Shot: close up of the woman's face shot at eye level
Duration: 7 seconds
Mise-en scene: the close up depicts her scared and cautious non-verbal body language



Shot: point of view shot used to show the living room shot in long shot using the rule of thirds
Duration: 9 seconds
Mise-en scene: television screen showing fuzzy static


Shot: mid shot showing the girl 'protagonist' moving in towards the camera
Duration: 6 seconds
Mise-en scene: re-enforcing shot 2 this further shows her fearful facial expression


Shot: close up of the remote on the sofa, shot reverse shot to the girl framed in mid shot and then to the television
Duration: 6 seconds
Mise-en scene: television switches off


Shot: mid shot pans out to long shot as the protagonist walks towards the kitchen. camera zooms in to show her face in close up
Duration: 23 seconds
Mise-en scene: television turns back on, shown thorough the kitchen window. close up used to show girls reaction


Shot: close up on protagonists face. wipe pan showing the kitchen windows
Duration: 8 seconds
Mise-en scene: low lighting, creates a scary and anxious atmosphere


Shot: point of view shot as the girl watches the fridge open
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise-en scene: the movement of the door draws the girl into the kitchen to see what is happening


Shot: close up on fridge door
Duration: 14 seconds
Mise-en scene: shows the protagonist running and quickly shutting the door and coming into view with the background out of focus , noise causes her attention to shift and so does the camera focus as the hallway behind her becomes more in focus and sharper


Shot: establishing shot used to show the new location change as the protagonist walks from behind the wall into the frame shot in long shot
Duration: 18 seconds
Mise-en scene: she shows her panic and vulnerability through verbal dialogue


Shot: low angle shot shows the girl at the top of the staircase
Duration: 21 seconds
Mise-en scene: water on the floor boards out side the room, the protagonist walks through the water as she moves closer to the camera


Shot: close up of the protagonists face as she opens the door
Duration: 6 seconds
Mise-en scene: she moves forward precariously


Shot: close up of the handle as she opens the bathroom door
Duration: 1 second
Mise-en scene: shows water dripping from the door handle


Shot: very fast shot zooming into the protagonists face as she enters the room
Duration: 5 seconds
Mise-en scene: the television shows an image of a face which is to quick for the viewer to see properly, the woman appears to be very frightened and petrified. A large number of clips shown in a montage form is shown before fading to a television screen showing static as before



Film soundtrack

• The clip does not have a soundtrack which backs the visuals as silence is the key in making the film appear more natural and to create fear and tension so the audience feels as if they were in the house alone with no distractions from a non diagetic soundtrack.
• The clip contains various different sounds which complement the visuals and have been amplified to make them more noticeable which further increases the tension and suspense, these sounds are one such as the static from the television and creaking floor boards which both create suspense for the viewer.
• The only section of the opening which includes non-diagetic sound is the ending which includes multiple different sounds which disorientates and confuses the viewer along with the very fast cutting rate of the montage which includes abnormal images to further scare the audience.

Skills learnt from the technical analysis?

• I feel that techniques like the static screen which are repeatedly shown are very good at capturing the audiences attention because of the high pitched sound and because it is something that most audience members will have experienced beforehand so they can relate it to real life situations making it more believable and effective at creating tension and fear.
• I also liked the technique when the girl was filmed shutting the fridge door in close up with the background out of focus. A pull focus is then used to create audience anticipation and tension as the back ground starts to become in focus as to reveal something along with a metallic sound that complements this.