Cinematography Analysis of 2 Extracts from Different Eras

The Blob

(1950s)

"The Blob" is an independently made American horror/science fiction film from 1958 depicting a giant amoeba-like alien that terrorises the small community of Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

When watching the extract or most likely the film the audience will be able to see that there has been a close-up shot used within the first 12 seconds of the scene to show the actors' reactions to the film they are watching which allows the audience to see how the actors react to watching what appears to be a horror movie with the medium shot being used to show their body language which appears as though they are very comfortable with watching the movie and are not at all phased by what does appear to be a horror movie. We then see that there is another type of shot used at about 0:15 seconds which could be described as a tilt shot but not a full one due to it only going up. The scene then cuts to a big close-up shot to the air ventilator on the wall showing the amoeba-like creature coming through it which connects to the title of the film as this is in fact "The Blob".

There is a close-up shot of the man in the projection room who is operating the film, he appears to be distracted by his book and the movie and does not notice until he turns around what is actually going on around him; this is shown at 0:49 - 0:59 seconds where we continue to see a close-up shot but this time of "The Blob" growing larger and attacking the man. A close-up shot is seen near the end of the extract which shows the audience the actors' facial expressions which shows them to be very disgruntled and annoyed due to the movie having stopped playing oblivious to what has happened to the man in the projection room.

Seen at 1:16 - 1:22 is another close-up shot showing the audience that "The Blob" is getting ready to attack the audience who are watching the movie who are unaware that this is happening.

The Faculty

(1990s)

"The Faculty" is a 1998 horror/science-fiction film about a fictional high school; Herrington High School at which the faculty and staff have become taken over by alien parasites.

Within this extract taken from the film "The Faculty" there is first a big close-up shot of the girl who is listening to the other girl talk which shows that her face is sort of distorted and blurry therefore connoting to the audience that the girl who is listening is more important within this part of the film, this is put into force when the other girl says "Aren't you tired of being something you're not?, I know I am", through the use of the big close-up shot the audience are able to see the other girl's facial expressions which show her to be quite scared when reacting to what the other girl is saying to her.

There appears to be a type of low angle shot shown when the alien is revealing itself, showing it to be a great importance connoting to the audience that they should be afraid of it. From 0:23 - 0:28 seconds and then again at 0:33 seconds the audience are able to witness the alien revealing itself as it shows the arms and the face; there is a big close-up shot of this as the audience are allowed to see the girl transform into the alien showing them what the alien looks like in full view.

To me it looks as though a crane shot has been used at 0:31 - 0:32 seconds, even though this type of shots are usually used at the end of a film, I think the director probably used it here to allow the audience to see more of the setting, it then allows the scene to go into a tracking shots where the audience see the male and female actors running away from the alien.

...Key Differences...

* More big close-up shots are used within the extract taken from the film "The Faculty" than the film "The Blob" which allows the audience to see more of the features of the alien within "The Faculty".

* Within the extract from the "The Blob" there is a type of tilt shot as we see the camera going up whereas in the extract from the film "The Faculty" there are no tilt shots shown at all, instead there is a type of crane shot which allows the audience to see the setting as a whole. 

* There is not much movement seen within the extract from the film "The Blob" which inhibits any tracking or crane shots being used. 

* There is a low angle shot used within the extract from the film "The Faculty" which lets the audience know that they should be afraid of the alien. 

* The tracking shot used within the extract from the film "The Faculty" allows the audience to see that the actors are running away from the alien while in the extract from the film "The Blob" there are no tracking shots used at all as the actors do not know that they are about to be attacked by an alien and therefore do not run. 

* There seem to be more close-up shots used within the extract from the film "The Blob" which shows the actors' facial expressions when they are watching the movie. 

Analysis of 4 Film Stills - Camera angles and their effects

House of Wax

This still image from the film "House of Wax" shows that the director has used a medium shot which allows the audience to see the actors' body language. The image shows one actor crouched down on the floor and the other sitting on then floor which in a way connotes that they have been hurt by someone or something. Through the use of the medium shot the audience is also able to see the actor's facial expressions and body language without being too close or too far, they are also able to catch a glimpse of their costumes and the setting behind them therefore allowing them to see some of the aspects of mise-en-scéne within this film still. By allowing the audience to see the actors' facial expressions through the use of the medium shot it allows them to see how the actors are feeling which in some way allows the audience to empathise with them. Due to the actors' surroundings and the way in which they are holding on to each other the audience knows that they are scared; this creates an enigma for the audience as they do not know why the actors are scared. The medium shot used for this film still creates a type of suspense factor not only in the film still but probably for the entire film as they do not know what they are looking at or why they are scared.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

The camera shot used for this film still appears to be a long shot as we are able to see some of the aspects of mise-en-scéne within it such as the actors' costumes and the setting, the long shot used also allows the audience to see the actors' body language which shows them to be quite dominant due to them standing up. From looking at the film still the audience are probably able to guess that it is a sci-fi film or has a sci-fi aspect to it due to the bright neon colours in the background. The audience may also think this as they may notice that the actors' costumes look a bit futuristic due to the woman wearing a type of catsuit and the man wearing a suit which appears to be made out of plastic. This has an effect on the audience as they are probably wondering who are these people and what do they want, due to the long shot which results in them appearing as being very important people within the film. The long shot allows the actors to appear closer to the audience than the background which as a result will grab the audience's attention instantly as they will be wondering who these people are.

Thir13en Ghosts

The shot used for this film still is a close-up shot which allows the audience to clearly see what is going on within the scene. With the use of a close-up shot the audience is able to see the actors' facial expressions which in most cases helps contribute to the narrative of the film. The image shows two females with one standing close and the other standing behind her. By looking at the image the audience will probably be able to tell that the female standing closer towards them is probably looking into a mirror as it appears that she is doing her hair, however this film still creates an enigma for the audience as they do not know why she is smiling when there is another female who looks quite scary and frightening standing right behind her. This image can be interpreted in a number of ways, one of which will lead the audience to probably think to themselves that she may not be able to see this other female therefore letting them know that she is a ghost, but what's more is that she is not able to see the blood on the glass in the background which as a result will probably delve into more of the narrative aspect of the film. The close-up shot used for this scene creates tension and apprehension for the audience as they do not know how the narrative will develop. 

Flightplan

The shot used for this scene from the film "Flightplan" appears to be a close-up due to the audience being able to clearly see the actors' faces. Close-up's usually display the most detail but do not include the broader scene within films and their scenes, such as this film still where we are not able to see the background. Within this film still we are able to see most of the detail such as the actors' facial expressions and their hand activity, an actor's facial expressions within a film often reflect their emotions and how they are feeling, within this film still the actors look quite sad and gloomy showing the audience that something terrible has probably happened to them and has deeply affected them. The close-up used within this film still shows that both or possibly only one of the actors plays a very important role within the film. The close up allows the audience to see that the little girl in the film still is probably pointing at something she is looking at or possibly wanting to draw something on the window which often emphasises an important significance within films showing the audience that these emotions portrayed by the actors may end up leading to something of a greater deal.