Film Evaluation

Film Coursework Evaluation

Enfys Holmes 

I aimed to produce a horror/drama film for my coursework, with a narrative centring around a girl going on an eventually tragic chase for a ghost. I attempted to use all the micro elements, sound, cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing, performance and narrative to create a film that would emotionally engage the audience and create an interesting story. 

I used a linear narrative structure, with the events of the film in chronological order. I used Todorov’s narrative theory to structure the film, with the disruption to the equilibrium occurring when Cassie (the main character) spots the ghost, with a new equilibrium created with her death in the climax. Her journey to meet the ghost is the recognition and attempt to restore the equilibrium. This narrative theory helped me in creating a narrative structure that wasn’t too complex, so I could focus on other elements, such as thematic resolution. I also used enigma codes to engage audiences, through the long shots of the ghost where you can barely see it, using a limited narrative perspective to keep the audience guessing. 

Thematically, I tried to portray a representation of loss and people dealing with past mistakes. I developed these ideas using the ghost as a physical metaphor representing how Cassie can’t let go of the past, a character flaw which leads to her death. The argument with Sally was added to cement her position as unchanging in her unhealthy ways, even when this brings conflict with her friends, reinforced through the diegetic dialogue. The way conflicted was depicted in dialogue was inspired through the portrayal of conflict in ‘Slap’. Cassie throwing the photo in the bin was representative of her choosing to not change and reject her friend’s appeal. Other spectator responses I have received agreed with this reading of the film, but some have mentioned ambiguity over the scene where Cassie throws the photo away and what that meant for her.  

I also aimed to create a main character who was morally complex, with the exploration of their moral greyness being revealed over the course of the film. To make the audience empathise with the main character, I tried to portray her as being isolated and distant from everyone around here, which in turn reinforces her need to go off and find the ghost. The idea of a main character who the audience is positioned with but slowly learns about their flaws was inspired by ‘Echo’, and the girl who we initially sympathise with turns out to be flawed and not as in such of a binary good/bad situation as the audience expected. 

The genres of horror and drama were both used, with common codes and conventions used from each genre in a bricolage. This was inspired by the short horror film ‘Breathe’, which used horror elements in a way that explored character motivations. The exploration of character’s relationships and reactions was taken from dramatic conventions, and the construction of the ghost character was pure horror. The tilt reveal and lightning flashes reference many films from the horror genre in creating a gothic, suspenseful atmosphere. I attempted to use visual iconography referenced from horror films as a whole rather than one specific film, like the blood on the ghosts face, the knife and the candles blowing out. The narrative borrows elements from tragedies, with Cassie dead from their own previous actions. However the narrative may be a bit confused, due to my reluctance to include expository dialogue, the backstory of what happened before the events on screen may be confusing, as some spectators were confused over who died, how, and how Cassie was involved. Other spectators did not fully understand what was happening in the climax and what both characters were referring to, and had to ask me for clarity, which was not preferable.  

During the last act, I attempted to use low key lighting, to create a horroresque atmosphere. Using a nearly night time environment comes with the connotations of darkness and depravity, where your worst fears come to light. By having the last shot of Cassie dead with the camera panning to the window, I compared the transition from day to night with Cassie moving from the world of the living to the dead.  

I tried to reduce the dialogue as much as I could, and when I did include it, tried to make it vague so the audience was constantly guessing and having to puzzle over the relationship between Cassie and the two other girls seen in the photograph I wanted my film to be purposefully enigmatic. This was inspired by ‘The Fly’ and how it conveyed meaning without dialogue. I may have overdone the vagueness, and could have attempted to work more coherency into the script while still not losing the dissociative atmosphere I was aiming for. I aimed for the slow reveal of information that was used so effectively in ‘Over’, and also wanted to recreate the feel of isolation and disconnection. 

I used a desaturated colour palette inspired by ‘Echo’. I did this to emphasise the isolation and loneliness of Cassie. I also colour graded the film to appear darker, to match the dark tone of the narrative. In the final scene, I increased the saturation of the blood on the ghost’s arms, to highlight her violent nature. I tried to make the final scenes appear more warm, to symbolise how in this situation Cassie is finally engaging with her surroundings, and only so close to death does she feel life. 

I tried to slowly increase the volume of sound used to try and build tension. I used soft backing music at the start, inspired by the use of sound in ‘Operator’, and then used more dialogue at a louder volume towards the end to create the sense of scale and progression. This was intended to increase tension. To also build tension, I only allowed the ghost to be seen in full at the end of the film, in the final conflict. When Cassie was looking for the ghost, I used a fast shot of an arm disappearing to hide the ghost’s full appearance, inspired by how the shark was shot in “Jaws.” Unfortunately, the arm colour doesn’t match the later appearance of the ghost, so I should have planned the costuming better for that single shot, even though it was very quick. 

I choose music using a minor key that was slow, to create a depressing solemn non-diegetic soundscape. Looking back, I would have preferred to add in more diegetic sounds to emphasise key moments, like the sound of the knife flick. The film would have been more engaging with more of these exaggerated sounds. Additionally, some background noise was overpowering the dialogue, which decreased it’s emotional impact. 

During the climax, I shot their diegetic dialogue to be directly addressing the camera, inspired by ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. I was attempting to place the audience directly into the scene, to feel targeted by the ghost themselves. The use of low and high angles created a power dynamic where the ghost dominated the scene, creating a response of fear in the spectator. 

I positioned the audience with Cassie using eyeline matches and a restricted narrative. The audience only sees what she sees, allowing a closer bond with her to be made. Audience positioning is important due to the character central narrative, as the story is character based, with the final conflict drawn from character flaws specifically. I used close ups with no dialogue to convey the idea that Cassie is conflicted over the subject of the eyeline match, such as with the photograph. 

I created the appearance of a shallow focus using a Gaussian Blur in Premiere to isolate Cassie from her surroundings. I would have preferred to do this in camera rather than in post, as the editing version gives an unwanted artificial quality to the blur. The use of the blur combined with the desaturation created a solemn atmosphere of isolation and loneliness, inspired by ‘Mr Robot ‘. 

I aimed to create a film inspired by horror and gothic elements, with an morally grey protagonist and a tragic end. I wanted the world of the film to feel isolating, with the feeling of loss in every image. Overall, I would say I was effective at creating the atmosphere I wanted, but my narrative elements were presented in too complicated a way that ultimately confused spectators.