Reflections on Shots

1. Describe your shot and identify in what way it could be described as representing you chosen genre.

The shot we took was a mid close up of a white teenage male, clutching some bars and looking into the top right corner of the frame with a scared look on his face. Behind him are some stairs leading up to a closed door. Our chosen genre was thriller / horror, and we tried to represent this by creating ambiguity and vulnerability in the shot. The three bars in the foreground of the shot, make the character seem trapped, and they cast a foreboding shadow across half of his face. The whites of the characters eyes also make him seem afraid and weak. What he is afraid of is unknown, as he is looking out of the shot, this also creates mystery. The stairs suggestively leading up to a closed door in the background of the shot also creates obscurity, as you don't know what is behind it. It also woks to make the main character seem less powerful, as it is looming over him in an intimidating way.

2. What did you actually do to achieve the effect?

To create the mystery in the shot, we had the main character crouch down, so we were able to see the stairs leading up to the door behind him. We also made him look into the top right corner of the shot, so that the whites of his eyes were visible, again making him seem more vulnerable. We cast a light onto the middle bar so that a shadow formed over half of his face, this gives a foreboding feel to the shot. Lastly, we turned on night vision on the camera giving the shot a SinCity type feel to it.

3. Identify what is successful about your shot.

I think the lighting of the shot was very successful as it emphasizes the whites of the characters eyes, and creates a shadow across his face. I also think the positioning of the main character was good, as it revealed the stairs and doors behind him, giving the shot ambiguity.

4. What would you do differently in hindsight?

If we were to re-shoot, I think we should make the shot darker giving slightly more atmosphere and making it more obvious that it is a thriller / horror. I also think that his face should be lit up more compared to a shadowy background, making him seem like the hero / good guy, and that he is trapped in something dark / evil.