LO2.3 textual analysis

https://youtu.be/ETFnaiq8VFg

Mese-en-scene is the arrangement of scenery, props etc. in a scene to connote what's going on. Our film is a horror film so we tried to use as much as we can to give it that dark and gritty vibe. The types of props we used were to go along with the the characters and gory bits. An example is in the first scene when Amin is talking to the others there is a dumbbell in the back ground if the shot which was meant to convey that he is the strongest member of the group as he is the last one to survive out of them. Another use of props was when the monster was sat there devouring the bodies we used a fake ripped of hand that he was chewing with the added affect of blood squiring and bone crunching sound effects that I got from Royaltyfreesounds.com. 

Another key component of mese-en-scene was lighting as this helped us form the different types of tones for the film such as the characters just sat talking in a room compared to the more disturbing scenes such as the monster eating the bodies. In the first scene again, this was the the shot where the most high key lighting was used to show everything in the room like props such as the dumbbell. However in the shot where the monster was eating the bodies we used low key lighting as this made everything else around it non visible, so that all the attention was directed at the creature, most people feel uncomfortable in dark situations and by having a dark lit scene it creates a sense of that feeling within the audience. This scene was shot from the perspective of Amin and TJ shone the light directly above the creature to where you could only see half of his face which gave it a really terrifying look which also links to the Roland Barthes enigma theory there is something or someone you don't know and it portrays a mystery to draw the audience in. 

The only piece of costume we used I the film was for the actual creature we payed £40 for and it was specifically a skin tight suit which we went for as it accentuates its proportions when its in the dark. The characters in unfriended are each dressed in normal lazy clothing. This represents that they’re each in a chilled environment within their own homes. By wearing normal clothing it brings a connection to the audience due to them coming across as just normal teenagers the location of the film it was all shot in Max's house because we wanted the movie to feel as authentic as possible because thats where teenagers would most likely cast a ritual rather than going out into an abandoned warehouse as that would of felt too over the top. Due to the setting it makes the audience feel as if the place is so sweet that nothing bad could happen. the setting makes the film seem more surreal. By setting each film in the main characters house it makes the audience feel as if the character is safe due to their connection with their own home. It allows the film to seem more realistic. This makes it easier for the audience to identify the setting and connect each room with the different characters. It also created the surreal idea of something bad happening due to the characters feeling safe within their own homes.

There were several different shot types used in the film to show different perspectives of the characters such as the POV shot of Ben who is the first character to die. When he is making his way down the stairs the POV shot begins and the scene suddenly goes from high key lighting to low key lighting, due to the darkness being a symbol of evil it generates the audience to feel a sense of scare due to not knowing what's yet to come and creates suspense. Also the first opening shot of the film is an extreme close up shot of Harrys eyes and is one of the only shots in 4K as we wanted to get all the details.

The last thing is performance, things such as characters facial expressions when the camera zoomed in really eventuates what they are feeling.

Narrative was used to create some sort of story for the viewer to follow. The first use of narrative theory was the candles which are meant to represent the lives if the teenagers and the monster. Also near the end of the film Roland Barthes 1977 Enigma code at the end because we see the minster staring at the last character and the film finishes there which allows the viewer to image what's going to happen after. Another narrative theory in our film is binary opposition, and this is used in the first few acts. This is reinforced in the scene before the monster arrives and they do the ritual and the lighting is very bright and you can see everything one screen. However after the creature is summoned most go the lighting is dark and cold, the creature represents the binary opposition as the creatures presence drains all of the light from the house. Usually in horror movies binary opposition is applied towards the costumes, for example the main protagonists in this film the teenagers wear bright clothing whereas the creature is dark and barely visible.