Research into cinematography with Miss Miller

Research into cinematography.

Cinematography is used in film making and I will be discussing how it is used in the thriller genre. Cinematography is the technique of motion-picture photography.  The clip I will be analysing is called Paranormal Activity 2. I chose to analyse this film because there are many different types of cinematography used in each scene such as; different camera angles, camera movements and camera positions. 

A example of when cinematography is used is a high angle. This type of cinematography used was when the mother is holding the baby over the cot. A high angle shot was taken here so the characters look innocent and small and the audience can also focus on the surroundings around the characters. This builds a relationship for the audience and the characters as the audience feel more sympathetic towards the characters as they look scared and innocent and the audience feel like something bad is going to happen to the characters that they feel sorry for. This is conventional to a thriller because it gives the audience a chance between the suspense to look  around the background to look for the scare they are expecting. This benefits the audience as it gives them time to stop and feel more sympathetic for the characters by them being able to look around and realise what is or what may happen next to harm the characters.  This type of cinematography was used in the minutes of 31:05.

Another example of when cinematography is used is a mid shot. This occurred in the film when the young girl is scared and confused about the blackout and the falling objects. A mid shot was taken here so the audience could see the girls facial and body expressions in more detail. This builds the relationship between the audience and the young character as the facial expressions shown more clearly by the mid shot shows the audience how scared the girl was and how panicky she is by the frightened event taking place. This is conventional to a thriller because this helps the audience realise and see how frightened the girl is by her expressions and it engages them more into waiting for the scare to take place. This type of cinematography was used during the minutes of 1:24:49.

A further example of when cinematography is used is a handheld camera movement. This occurred in the part of the film when the mother becomes possessed and everything breaks. Handheld camera movement was used so it could create a unsteady and shaky image. This helps the audience understand how scared the characters must be as the shakiness of the screen improves their relationship as it shows them in clearer detail how chaotic and fast the thrill was taking place. This is conventional to a thriller because it gives the audience a sense of  chaos and makes them feel like something serious is going to happen or pop out and keeps them in suspense and on the edge of their seats waiting for something to happen. This type of cinematography was used during the minutes of 1:23:32.

Furthermore, another example of when cinematography is used is a two-shot. This occurred in the part of the film when the father goes near the possessed mother to see what's wrong with her as she became possessed and started doing her evil magic. This two-shot was used so that the audience can see both the innocent and the evil characters facial expressions. It also builds on the relationship of the audience and characters as it shows the audience how frightened the man was for his wife and the audience was expecting the possessed women to act upon him going close to her and him being in danger of getting hurt by her. This is conventional to a thriller because it shows the audience what her evil personality is like compared to the innocent husband standing right next to her. This cinematography was used during the minutes of 1:23:14.

My last example of cinematography used in this film is an establishing shot. An establishing shot defines the location and gives the audience a perspective go what is to follow and helps define the genre of the film. This occurs when there is a shot of the living room. An establishing shot was used here to show the audience where the scene is set so that they can get familiar with it and look around for scares. This is conventional because it shows the settings which helps the audience define the genre by them judging the settings. This builds a relationship between the audience and the characters as the setting is a house and makes it realistic for the audience and more frightening for them as it makes them think of it happening in their very own homes. This cinematography was used during the minutes of 1:29:30.

In conclusion, I believe these shots, angles and camera movements were used so that the audience can see the characters and settings from different views and angles. This impacts the audience as it helps them see things in more detail for example a characters body expression and the background so the audience can decide how the character is feeling and what is happening around them to scare them. The different types of shots, angles and camera movements are effective in creating suspense for the audience and keeps them on their toes waiting for a scare. These different camera techniques are conventional to a thriller film because it keeps the audience uneasy and anxious to what is going to occur next in the film. This clip of paranormal activity 2 has inspired me to use some of the same camera techniques to make my own thriller realistic and scary for the audience just like this clip has done for me. In my very own thriller the main types of cinematography I am going to use are; handheld, mid-shot, extreme long shot and shallow focus. These are the main types I am going to use as I believe they affect the audience the most and helps on building the relationship between the characters and them as it makes it clearer for the audience and helps them see different parts from different views and angles.