Psychological Horror Deconstruction: Jacob's Ladder
Camera Angles:
- In this shot a long shot is used as you're able to see the scenery as well as Mr.Singer.
- Additionally a low angle seems to have been used as the camera has been tilted to look up at Mr.Singer, although this isn't evident at the beginning it is towards the end of the scene, as the further Mr.Singer walks towards the camera the less of him that is in the shot.
- As Mr Singer enters the building, tracking is used at a low angle to follow him further into the building but once he has walked across the floor (highlighted by the lamp) the use of tracking stops.
- The use of editing is quite minimal due to it being a continuous shot.
- Continuity editing is used as Mr Singer come out of the taxi and arrives into the building.
Sound:
- The sound within this shot hardly uses any diegetic sound, as all that is heard is the closing of the door behind Mr Singer and his footsteps.
- Although, the diegetic sound is only used for a small section of this shot. The use of non-diegetic sound is also used all that is heard is the minor chord played by the violins/violas/cellos. Because the tonality of the chord is minor it hints at the possibility of something bad happening.
- Lighting within this shot is very minimalistic. The lamp and main light are seen as extremely bright and possibly signify a link to the bright light that we see at the end of the scene. The use of the lamp and main light create a warm tone to the building that Mr Singer arrived to. It allows the audience to recognise the fact that Mr Singer is warm and welcoming home-like environment.
- Additionally, the blue toned light from outside allows the audience to realise that it is evening time or possibly very early in the morning. However, the blue light is reflected onto the wall exhibiting the use of artificial lighting.
- The colour blue is often used to connote calm and relaxation in an environment, which is greatly achieved by the end of this overall scene.
- Furthermore, by the end of this shot the lighting gradually get darker hinting at the content of the next scene.
Camera Angles:
- Again a long shot is used as we are able to see the actions of Mr Singers clearly and his surroundings.
- Additionally, we can also see the majority of Mr Singers' body therefore a full shot has been used.
- The camera then zooms into the scene, emphasising on the silhouette of Mr Singer before tracking Mr Singer to the next room.
- Also, as this is a continuous shot editing is very minimal, however continuity editing is used as Mr Singer moves from one room to another, cleverly the audience is unaware of the room change due to this.
- "If you're frightened of dying and you're holding on you'll see devils tearing your life away. If you've made your peace then the devils are really angles, freeing you from the earth" - Non diegetic sound of dialogue as it's a voice over.
- Diegetic sound of rain however it could also been pre-recorded in a studio and then applied to the scene therefore making it non diegetic.
- Again the use of the colour blue is used and is evident in nearly 3/4 of my points connoting the calm and relaxed life that Mr Singer enters by the end of the film.
- Additionally the use of darkness it also reiterated within this shot and sets up a juxtaposition between this dark period in his life to the new chapter of his life that is revealed by the end of this scene.
- Although the windows create vertical composition the checkered pattern of the top window, the juxtaposition created by the closed blinds and the vertical and horizontal lines and the diagonal beam of light all highlight the corruption and confusion that Mr Singer had been and was experiencing throughout the film.
- The use of lighting in the second shot also creates a diagonal line but it is evidently artificial lighting but it creates a link with heaven as it is illustrated as being quite divine foreshadowing the upcoming events of the end of the scene.
Point 3: Flashbacks
Camera Angles:
- The use of camera angles throughout the flach beaks consist of a large range, as there are close ups of family members to highlight on their emotion to allow the audience to understand that this was a happy moment in Mr Singers life, in comparison to now.
- Additionally the last shot emphasises on the relationship that he had with his son before his son passed away and this is achieved through a long shot of the two characters as their whole body apart from their feet are in the shot as so is the scenery.
- Mr Singer is having flashbacks at this point so the use of editing really highlights this by creating the perception of it being Mr Singers memory possibly by dimming the colours and creating a film reel.
- Continuity editing is used between each memory as it jump cuts to create the flickering of the film reel.
Sound:- As Mr Singer experiences his flashbacks all that is heart is the non diegetic sound of a bass drum imitating a heart beat.
- The memories of Mr Singer move in time to the heart beat.
- Surprisingly the sound of the memories are not sounded possibly signifying the fact that Mr Singer can remember the memories due to their sentimentality rather than the actual speech.
- Within this scene there is no use of diegetic sound.
- Again the colour blue is used and as mentioned this prevails the sense of calm and relaxation. The colour blue is connoted through the water (something natural).
- Additionally the lower shot uses the father and the son hand in hand, a strong relationship is connoted through this as the son is imitating his fathers exact actions.
- The lower shot also uses greenery and nature to connote that their relationship was natural as well as strong. The use of the colour green connotes nature, luck and possibly the balance they had in their life before the sons death.
Point 4: Re-united with son and death
Camera Angles:
- The camera always stays at a low angle (therefore looking up at the characters) this may suggest that they have dominance over the camera in the sense that the two characters will not come back.
- As mentioned the camera stays at a low angle throughout and film the doctor at a low angle however this merely represents the fact that he has a higher dominance over Mr Singer as he did try to save his life.
Editing:
- A graphic match is used as Mr Singer is lead up the stairs by his father. The further up the stairs they go the more sun that is seen and soon a dazzling amount is exposed leading to a graphic match of an overhead light in an operating room.
Mise En Scene:
- The lighting used is again very divine symbolising the end of the scene of Mr Singer dead.
- With context behind the film, the audience would know that the person leading Mr Singer up the stairs is his son that died shortly before his first marriage ended. And this can be related to the picture that Mr Singer stumbled upon of his son whilst in bed towards the beginning of the movie.
- The idea that the two characters have their backs towards us gives the audience the idea that where ever they are going they might not be coming back as neither one of them turns back.
- Additionally, the lighting gives the interior of the house a golden tone, highlighting the idea of heaven.
- The shot below is exactly the opposite and is more realistic as it is what exactly happened to Mr Singer the use of the darkness may exhibit the idea of the harsh reality, that even though Mr Singer was imagining the shot above, in actual fact he was still on the operating table covered in blood.
- The use of the colour red connotes danger which is symbolised through the blood, the lighting highlights this to show that it's fresh blood therefore having a bigger impact on the audience.
- The use of non diegetic sound is extremely powerful within this last scene as in conjunction with the first shot it highlights the idea that the son is literally leading the father to a better place and this is prevailed in the major tonality of the piece.
- Furthermore, the strings used to play this music are rich in tone giving off a triumphant sound therefore highlighting again at the possibility of Mr Singer entering a better place.
- The use of the tied semibreve at the end of the piece is used as a sound bridge between the scene before and the sound of the EKG machine.
- We then have the use of diegetic sound which consists of the rustling created by movement and the dialogue of the doctor saying "He's gone."
No comments:
Post a Comment