Research #1

IT FOLLOWS

Yesterday I watched It Follows, directed by David Robert Mitchell this horror hooks the audience from the start as we are introduced to a girl running from her house, clearly scared by something that the we cannot see and do not know about. With in five minutes of the opening, she is dead and we get to see the gory aftermath of her murdering.

The use of several different shot types, including tracking, pan and crab create a tense atmosphere as the audience feel as if the girl is being watched. This opening is highly effective as the mystery behind the death of the girl attracts the audience. 

Mitchell uses many still shots to reinforce the strong feeling of isolation, the car lights here act as the key light, this is clever as the audience naturally feel safer inside the car, this unnerves viewers.

Mitchell ignores the rule of thirds in an attempt to make the background clearer, and the audience focus on the background (in the 1st and 3rd third) more than the character, in the middle of the screen. This is an effective technique to put the audience on edge, as they are waiting to see someone behind her.

In my opening, I will include a lot of artificial light against a dark background, this works extremely well and allows the audience to focus on the eeriness of the situation and the expressions of the character in shot. I will also use many still shots and a build up of sound to express tension in the film.