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.