Genre Research(The Conjuring)

In the conjuring, there are many techniques that are used to show creepiness of an evil force that is present. An extreme long shot is used as the establishing shot of a stereotypical haunted house. Another shot that was shown is a close up shot of a family photo in the house to emphasize that they lived there. This gives the audience a sense of sympathy as well as keeping them up to speed with the characters. A low angle shot is used to look up at the house showing its power and authority. Another long shot is presented of a female laying on a bed and suddenly an invisible force dragged her off the bed. The character’s costumes in this film were old fashioned and country style due to the film being located on the countryside in 1971. The lighting in “The Conjuring” is dull/dark which creates an atmosphere for the audience. The protagonists in this film are Ed and Lorriane Warren, and they drive the plot forward along with attempting to combat the main antagonist. The makeup on most of the characters is natural, however, during the scene when Carolyn gets possessed she is made up to look very scary just like the spirit. The major props shown in this film include the camera equipment used to film their cases, the piano, clock, and other household items. The beginning shows a normal family setting to mislead the audience into believing the film isn’t as scary as they thought initially. This movie starts with a series of sounds to intrigue the audience at an early start. Dialogue begins following a piano playing in the cellar and then a child’s giggle. A calm score is used while a woman claims “there’s something horrible happening in my house”. In addition, there is many loud smashing sounds and screaming. There are no voice overs in this film to emphasize that it is based off of true events. At the start of the film, there is a company production logo that is modified to be a greyscale theme to portray the ideas of evil and darkness. The transitions between shots are quick and clean cut. The pace of the editing in this film starts slowish but speeds up very quickly. I observed that the faster the music and sounds became the faster the editing and transitions got. Special effects were used for scenes such as props falling off of walls or children getting pulled from a bed. The elements of this film are the many strange noises that are featured and the past that is haunting the characters as well as the insidious theme. I like how the message behind the film allows the audience to relate to what the actors are feeling. The movie began in a normal calm setting to convince the reader to believe that the film wasn’t as scary as they anticipated, this element doesn’t not appeal to me since I believe the beginning of the movie decides whether or not the audience wants to continue watching.