Cinemaography (Miss Miller)

What is cinematography? 
Cinematography is the name used for camera angle terminology.

In this essay I will be discussing and researching into the uses of cinematography in a film and the effect it can have on the audience by emphasising the scene being portrayed.

In particular I am going to be looking at the camera angles used in the film sixth sense. In this scene the central character which is the little boy, experiences a feeling of paranormal activity. And it is all about how he experiences this feeling and his reaction to it.

Mid Shot

One shot used is a mid shot when the boy is standing in the bathroom going to the toilet. Here we can see his white vest and boxer shorts, a very conventional colour used on the victims to help portray their innocence, and the area around the bathroom including the toilet and the sick in order to help stage the scene. This shows the surroundings he's in as it's a regular situation which helps connect the boy and the scene to the audience creating an emotional bond between them and the leading character as by making the scene as realistic as possible it relates to people as they can then imagine themselves in the little boys shoes. As well as this by showing the door frame in the scene it shows how the lady in the corridor, when she appears, just outside and gives a measure of how close they are to each other. In a thrillers and in particular this scene mid shots are used very effectively as they allow the director to show not only the character and the background for detail but also a broader shot of the scene to show things that may be going on in the background to create a sense of anticipation and mystery for the audience by making them look round rather then make the unknown noticeable. In this film the shot is zoomed slightly out to show the door frame which helps portray a distance between the boy and the woman as she walks past the room.  The creates a relationship between the main actor and the audience again as they can have a sense of fear and panic for him and feel reflective as to what they would do in that situation which also allows them to fall deeper into the film. By placing the camera outside the room it is very affective as in thrillers the ghost is first seen typically by either reflection or part of their body becoming on show to the audience by either a use of a mirror, window or door. This helps maintain an air of mystery whilst creating a sense of eeriness as the ghost can not be fully seen but is suggested to be surrounding the room as the only exits or entrances into the room is either through a window or a door, which in this case is where the ghost is shown to be standing. This makes the audience feel a sense of anticipation as they know the boy is trapped with no way out making them fear for the unknown despite the fact the can sense something is going to happen.

Extreme close up

An extreme close up is also used to help minimise the importance of the background and increase the importance of the object. This is used particularly effectively when The heating dial is zoomed up on to make it more obvious that the dial getting colder. This is eerie as it shows the dial moving by itself. As well as this the dial also goes colder which relates back into the film as they explain that a room gets colder when a ghost is mad, which creates a sense of anticipation for the audience as they know the presence that they have just seen is a mad and angry presence and so may want to cause harm on the central character. Knowing this it makes the audience feel protective over the character and his naivety when he goes to inspect the woman later in the scene. In thrillers often scenarios will take place that cannot be explained. By closing in on an object that is experiencing paranormal activity it puts the audience on edge as they can see what is happening to the room and then have an idea of where the ghost is positioned as knowing where it is positioned creates a sense of eeriness without the need of any mystery. By focusing on the dial it suggests the importance to the characters and the dial plays an important part in helping understand the ghost and it's attitude before its been featured in the scene. The audience then as a result, through understanding more about the scene can begin to feel more anticipation as to what's about the play out.

Long Shot

A long shot is used hen the boy is outside he’s bedroom after just getting up. We get an image of his crossing his legs showing that he is desperate to go to the toilet. In this shot we get an overview of the scene and how the boy is feeling without the need for him to talk. As well as this by showing all of the actor and the background it gives a sense of the characters surroundings and therefore shows how vulnerable or in control they are of the scene. The smaller a character looks in comparison to the set shows how weak they are suggesting a possible victim. The more in control a character is of the scene suggests how intimidating they are. By showing the background it gives the audience a better understanding of the situation and the film as later in the film, if the characters are moving around the audience will understanding where they are therefore engaging them more. This will create more suspense in scene which involves hunting round a room as the audience will expect what’s coming which creates the feelings needed in thriller. However in a long shot although the background is important the character is usually still more important and therefore are usually located in the centre of the shot to show there importance. The setting used in this shot is just a landing with lots of rooms branching off from it. This is very ordinary as a setting and will relate to all audience members as it is a typical feature of everyone's house and so can relate to the audience by making the scene more realistic so the audience can imagine themselves in the scene as the boy is which help build a bond between the individual audience members and the boy.

Close up

This shows the boy’s face once the lady has walked past him in the bathroom. By showing his face is portrays the central characters immediate reaction in detail which conveys his fears and emotions to the audience more affectively. By emphasising the boy’s emotions and facial expression it helps convey the fear down the lens to the audience making them more engaged. This is important in thrillers as not only do the audiences need to be particularly engaged in the genre in order to make the scenes effective the audience must also be fearful but also feel fear for the boy and close ups create this relationship. This creates a sense of empathy from the audience towards the boy as they are aware how he is feeling and so can relate to a situation where they felt the same making a mutual feeling and bond between the audience and the boy.

Point of view

When he’s walking down the corridor to the kitchen. In this frame we can the hall way which shows the boy getting closer to the door frame with every step creating more suspense and tension to build as he walks closer to the door and inevitably to the lady. By following the boy into the kitchen and by showing his point of view in the situation it relates back to the audience as it looks how it would from their point of view too therefore making them feel the same too. Thrillers tend to use point of view camera movements when the character is approaching the ghost, demon or paranormal creature. This shows the audience what the character is seeing and allows them to relate more to the film as they are more included. This also creates suspense as you know you don’t know when you’re going to see the ghost as you are not in control of the situation and therefore cannot run in the other direction.

Shallow focus

The camera position is present when the lady is showing the little boy her arms and the cuts on them as the background becomes blurry to focus all attention on her arms. In thrillers people are often made to feel put on edge and constantly analyse the background in case something or someone jumps out. By using shallow focus it determines where the audiences focus is by highlighting the importance of her arms and the cuts she has slashed across them. This shows how deeply unhappy the lady was feeling at the time and momentarily shows the ghost feelings and a connection between the audience and the ghost as they know that to have carried out those actions she must have been going through a hard time which make them feel empathy towards her and her possible life.

Zoom in

It zooms in on the boy's face and body as he tries to hide in his tent. By gradually zooming in on him it also helps create the idea that the camera is also entering the tent with him as well as showing the distance between both the ghost and the little boy. By zooming in on the little boy it emphasis’s his importance in the film as well as this by zooming in to this facial expressions in particular it conveys his fear more and therefore creates a closer relationship between the audience and the actor. As well as this as the camera zooms in it also shows his body language which is hunched over and ball like. This presents the idea of fear reiterating what is shown by his face as it shows that he is trying to make himself as small as possible so that he doesn't appear a threat and also as a means of comfort and protection.

High Angle

In this shot the camera is positioned above the little boy’s tent.This emphasises how helpless he is as he appears to be small and therefore weak. As well as this by hiding, it shows the extent of how scared and vulnerable he is as he has shut himself away as a means of comfort and protection again highlight how vulnerable he feels.In the thriller genre there is often a character in the film, most commonly a child, who has low power and is therefore most vulnerable who get affected by the ghost or demon the most as they are an easy target. This creates a bond between the audience and the character as they would feel almost paternalistic towards him and feel that they want to comfort the child as a result of the bond the film has been building. As well as this, through viewing this it could also change the emotions previously felt by the audience as now rather than scared they may feel they want to protect the child from harm so become empowered to help him.

Establishing Shot

This occurs when the women is in the kitchen shouting at the little boy. In this shot you can see the actress completely as well as all of the kitchen cupboards. However, although you can see the character she is not central to the shot suggesting she is less important in this shot than the iconography and background behind her. This is important as they are all open which is to signify how angry she is. By highlighting this, this then makes us think that maybe the woman is located less centrally to show that she is almost consumed and overwhelmed by her anger. Thrillers often use establishing shots to show the audience the location so they can get a better perspective of the situation. In this case, with the kitchen cabinets open, you can feel the effect and presence the lady has in and on the room. This creates an eeriness as to have such a strong presence on the screen it is almost felt by the audience members as they watch on.

Handheld

This shot is used when the boy is running away from the women into his tent. This camera movement creates a jerky unclear image which helps shows how desperate the boy was to get away as well as portraying that the scene was a chase scene. Handheld movements are very popular in thrillers as they seem less professional and so add a realistic touch to the clip as it seems more spontaneous.  The realistic touch can relate then to the audience as they can imagine getting chase and what that must feel like. As well as this the jerky images created as a result of only someone’s hand being used to support the camera adds to the urgency of the scene. From being unclear this then helps to portray that the scene is a chase scene and express how desperate the boy is to get away. Through the camera being jerky this then appears to be how shaken up the actor or actress is as if they were to be holding the camera the shots would be both unclear and shaky which adds to the sense of fear shown by the character.