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Title: Stay Alive

Year: 2006

Certificate: 15

Director: William Brent Bell

Starring: Jon Foster, Samaire Armstrong and Frankie Muniz

The establishing shot, straight after the short credits, is an extreme close up of a bleeding eye. The scene then cuts to a birds-eye view of old, typically creep-looking house, with a long drive. The camera tracks down and through wrought iron gates, typical to the type of house, whilst canted at around a 20-degree angle. The shot then moves up the drive, lined with creepy dead trees, and with dark puddles- what they are of is open to interpretation- whilst the camera straightens out. There is a shot of the whole house. The sound here is of creepy, fast paced music. A low-angle shot moves past a fountain and up the steps to the door and the figure standing at it. The camera zooms up to the back of his head and then through to a black screen.
The shot fades into a point of view shot, looking inside the house, and there is the sound of a typical horror movie creaky door. There is then a crash like thunder and the house lights up slightly like there is lightening outside, this helps to build tension. The camera pans right and left, like the character is looking around, whilst showing the structure of the house.
The shot then jumps to a shot from the second floor balcony looking at character, as if a second character is watching him.
It then jumps back to a point of view shot of the character walking down a corridor; here camera moves around like he’s looking left and right. It focuses on a broken mirror. There is a sound like a scream or thunder and a distorted image of young girl in a blood-stained dress flashes up for a second in the mirror. There is a quick pan to a room on the other side of the corridor. The shot then jumps back to third person as the man walks towards a cupboard. The shot jumps to another point of view of some dirty, broken dolls in the cupboard, and then zooms in on a woman at the back who then looks up and seems to disintegrate.
It the cuts to a birds-eye view shot of the man walking back into corridor. A tracking shot follows from above and moves down behind and there is the sound of creaking and what sounds like a squeaky laugh. It then cuts to a point of view shot circling round to the right to reveal an empty corridor. There is then a cut to a third person shot, with the sound of creaking floorboards and a shadow moving like something is approaching.
It the cuts to a point of view shot of the from the cupboard woman approaching. The character holds lamp up, and there is ‘puff’ sound of the light being extinguished as the screen goes black. There is a crescendo sound, and the picture comes back, revealing the woman seemingly gliding forwards, before it cuts to black again. The image returns and the woman is seemingly nearer the camera. 

The style of camera work becomes shaky, like a hand-cam as the man runs back towards the door. There is the diagetic sound of him making a surprised ‘aah’ and then huffing as he runs. The shot cuts to third person as the man runs towards the door, but it closes. It then cuts back to point of view, as the camera does a quick pan left and girl in dress scuttles down the wall. There is another quick pan right as three small bloodied children run towards him the camera. The camera work becomes shaky again as the man runs up the stairs. There is a shot of the bloodied girl from the mirror in corridor. There is the sound of a thunderclap and a flash, and the sound of panting breaths. The camera does a quick pan right, revealing a torture chamber. The shot cuts to third person, with the sound of the character in doorways terrified moans. The shot cuts back to point of view, and pans around to reveal the woman right infront of the camera. There is an extreme close up as she put something around the man’s neck. The synthesised fast-paced music comes back. The shot cuts to third person as the man is dragged from the balcony and swings violently, hanging from the chains, which rattle. The shot pans left slightly, and the picture freezes, with the inset of a ‘game over’ sign.

The clip is fully animated to look like a video game. The constant switching of shot types, and the short flashes of images are commonly used in this genre of film to get an audience reaction, as well as to build tension.  

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Title: Sleepy Hollow

Year: 1999

Certificate: 15

Director: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson

The establishing shot is a close up of some red seal wax being dripped on a letter. There is then a transition shot, where the picture is superimposed into a close-up shot of two hands, one male one female. The picture changes to the ‘last will and testament’ where the camera tracks down and pans out slightly. There is another superimposition to the writing on the document, which the camera pans across. It then changes to a regal-looking hand and sleeve picking up a quill. There is then a change to a signature being written, followed by a jump cut to a different hand signing the document. The camera pans slightly to zoom into a close up of the ‘witnessed by’. It changes to document, and pans out as it’s folded. There is another superimposition to a larger pool of sealing wax, and zooms slightly, before cutting to image of sealing wax being meted by candle. The picture changes to a shot of the crest stamp being picked up. It then cuts to the stamp being pressed onto wax, before cutting to a birds-eye view shot of the stamp being removed and showing the seal with the Van Garett the crest, which the camera moves towards slightly. The shot then cuts to the document being put into a leather satchel.

The scene then jump cuts to a shot of the horse’s legs running and the carriage wheels as they move past, the backdrop for this is somewhat foggy country lane. The shot then cuts to the Van Garett crest on the side of the carriage. The camera pans up to window, where a man is sitting wearing a powdered wig, showing him to be wealthy. There’s a jump cut to a long shot-  taken from behind some weeds- of the carriage moving past. The camera tracks it from a fixed position so it looks like it’s being watched, and stays like that as the carriage disappears into the fog. It cuts to the man in the carriage as he looks out the window, and then cuts to a shot from outside of the window of the man looking out. The shot then cuts to a point of view shot of a creepy scarecrow in a field. There is a flash of lightening and a non-diagetic thunder clap. It then cuts to the man in the carriage sitting back in his seat.
The shot then cuts to driver of the carriage, and there is more thunder and lightning as he whips reins.  There is then another jump cut to the horses, and then a long shot of the driver, horses and the carriage. The shot cuts to the man again, before cutting to an outside window shot of him as the carriage rocks madly. There is the sound of the horses whinnying, and something goes past the other window of the carriage in the background. It cuts to a shot of the man, as the carriage continues to rock. There is the sound of a sword being drawn. The shot cuts to outside view, as the man leans out of window, turning forwards with a shocked and vaguely horrified expression.

The things used here are all commonly used to set the scene and the underlying themes for the film, as well as adding tension and giving the antagonist its first kill. 

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Title: Children of the Corn

Year: 1984

Certificate: 18

Director: Fritz Kiersch

Starring: Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, R.G. Armstrong

The beginning sequence is a montage of shots of a run-down piece of farmland. The establishing shot is of an old-looking weathervane, with what looks like corn on it. This cuts to an image of a head of corn, the camera then panning across and down the stalks. It then cuts to a crane shot of the corn field, and then to a run down, unused harvester, then a shot of the harvester next to a barn, infront of which is a muddy track. It cuts to a close-up of the mud which is dry and cracked. The sound throughout this is diagetic, nothing but birds twittering, which is often used by this genre to establish the setting, and usually the back-story to the place.

The shot cuts to close up of chapel window, proclaiming a corn drought. There is the sound of the bell ringing. It zooms out to show the whole window on the side of a building, and then cuts to a shot of the bell ringing in the steeple. There is an insert of the time and place ‘Gatlin, Nebraska. Three Years Ago’.  Jump cuts to a close up of the doors of the chapel opening and the reverent and his congregation coming out and shaking hands. Here the sound is diagetic, people mumbling. It then cuts to zoom in low shot, focusing on a small boy and his dad. Cuts to a close up of the child’s face. The sound becomes asynchronous non-diagetic as the boy begins to narrate a voiceover. The shot cuts to the boy’s point of view, looking up at his father and the minister shaking hands. It jump cuts to close up of the boy again, as they turn and walk off camera.
The shot then cuts to an old couple in a diner being served. It pans round to the door, as the boy and his dad enter. The shot zooms out slightly as they approach the bar, a tracking shot follows kid to the counter. The dad talks to the boy and moves off camera.  Cuts to dad picking up the indoor payphone. And then cuts to the boy at the bar, then a close up of his face. The camera cuts to shot of ginger kid at what looks like a pinball machine. In  a point of view shot, the camera pans from behind to infront and back till he’s centre. It cuts to the boy, and then back to the ginger teenager ‘Malachi’. It then cuts to the door as two teenagers enter, and then back to a high mid-shot of the boy.

The shot types used here, especially the montage at the beginning, and the use of a voiceover are all things commonly used in this genre to create image, usually of a run-down town with a mystery, the café scene is the type usually used in conjunction with this. 

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Title: Carrie

Year: 1976

Certificate: 18

Director: Brian De Palma

Starring: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie and Amy Irving

The establishing shot is a birds-eye view of a group of girls playing volleyball. The clothes they’re wearing dictate that they’re in school, presumably in a PE lesson. The sound here is diagetic, the sound of a whistle and the girls talking and cheering to one another.
The camera then pans in an arc, down to a mid-shot of one girl- Carrie- whose uniform doesn’t fit her as well as the other girls, and whose general appearance is a lot scruffier, immediately placing her as an outcast. The dialogue as the girls call to her further highlights that she is the outcast, as they state that she’ll  blow the game.
The shot stays mid-shot as the rest of the girls’ cross through, pushing or hitting Carrie, who has hair in her face and constantly tucks it behind her ear whilst the other girls are tidier.

The scene then jump-cuts to a shot of the girls changing room, the sound here being asynchronous non-diagetic, as it plays a soundtrack instead of voices. Only the people nearest the camera are visible, as the rest are obscured by steam. The shot is marginally in slow-motion, as the camera pans across the aisles of the room, showing the class in various states of undress as they shower and change. They are all laughing to one another and throwing clothes around, showing a sense of camaraderie between them.  The shot continues to pan to the far end of the room, where the steam is more prominent and difficult to see far through. Here the camera begins to pan forwards, past some girls and onto a figure obscured by a wall of steam, presumably Carrie. This establishes that she is the outcast of the film, as she is alone in a room full of people.

In this clip, the features of a horror movie established are the stereotypical protagonist, who is usually an outcast and looking to seek either acceptance or revenge on their fellow classmates.