Horror Shot Analysis

1.) Describe your shot and identify in what ways it could be seen as representing ‘horror’
Our shot is of a young white male. He is in a dark room and is therefore in a lot of shadow, except for one hand held spotlight which illuminates the left side of him, but creating shadows under his eyes and chin which distort him. I believe that this shot could definitely be seen as representing horror. This is because due to the big contrast in light it is very dramatic. The actor has a menacing look upon his face, and the light has distorted him making him seem threatening and disturbing, therefore we can assume he is the villain, creeping around in the shadows, a typical horror plot line. We can faintly see an arch above him signifying that he is in some kind of basement or dark underground lair, and the fact that he is in these surrounding connote a recluse, a murderer or even a monster, as stereotypically the basement is where the “monster” lives in a house, so this greatly enhances the horror feel of the shot.

2.) What did you actually do to achieve this affect?
To achieve this affect we went down into the school basement where it was pitch black therefore the only form of light was the hand held one. We didn’t put any filter on the light making the contrast of the light greater, therefore the affect more intense. The actor is standing under the arch of the basement to create a frame within a frame. Additionally we asked the actor to stand in a threatening pose with an intimidating expression on his face, to make him appear more frightening making the horror theme more obvious. We did not put the flash on as it would have made the shot far too bright and harsh and it would have ruined the dark mysterious style of the shot. We took a MLS so that you can see that he is in a completely dark room, completely alone.

3.) What do you think is successful about your shot?
I think our shot is very successful because the Mise-en-scene reflects many of the key themes of horror. I think the location is perfect for a horror scene. The underground basement feel and the never ending darkness around him make it seem like there’s no escape, no way out. Additionally the actor is directly addressing the audience, which draws you in a makes you feel like he’s watching you, like you are his next victim. To add to this I think the underlighting is very effective as it leaves one side of him in shadows creating mystery, and it distorts the other side of him brilliantly making him appear very frightening and disturbing.

4.) What would you do differently in hindsight?
In hindsight I would change a few things if I was to do this shoot again. The shot that turned out to be the best was the one that we didn’t plan – it was just spur of the moment as we realised our surrounding would create a very strong shot. Therefore I would’ve liked to have really planned it and taken more than one in that area to see if they all turned out as good. Additionally I would have not had the actor holding his own light I would have someone sitting on the floor (in the shadows so they can’t be seen) shining the light up on the actor. Or I would have the actor holding a torch or lantern to make it part of the scene not just a spotlight. As well as this I would’ve liked to put the actor in scarier clothes because in this shot you can clearly see that he wearing an everyday t shirt and shirt, however if he was wearing all black or a long coat or cloak I think he would’ve looked even scarier and therefore the shot would’ve been even more disturbing.