Horror Still Analysis

This shot is a CU of a male figure. He is looking away from the camera as if there was something to be worried about. It represents horror in many ways. the photo has quite an extreme quality about it; the lighting on his face and the framing of the shot. This limited lighting does just enough to show his facial expression but hides a lot creating mystery in the character. Although the character is fairly central and takes up most of the shot there is still some space around him to create an eery feel for the space he is in.

To achieve the horror effect many factors were carefully considered. The lighting has extreme contrasts within the shot. One side of the models face is lit up while the other half and background are completely dark. The framing is a CU which allows us to see the scared expression on the models face. there is also a slight tilt to the framing to represent abnormality within the shot. To achieve this tilt the camera was taken off the tripod and i had to use it carefully with a steady hand. Although it is slightly unclear, there are bars in the shot around the models face. this gives a sense that the model is trapped and creates more fear. Some zoom had to be used on the camera to get close enough to his face so his expression can be clearly conveyed to the audience and i had to crouch in order to get a bit of LA on the shot.

There are many things i like about this particular shot. I think the framing is perfectly balanced. The CU shows his face and emotion really well and leaves enough space for the dark areas around the model. the lighting on this shot is also very effective in my opinion. It lights up half of his face only so a sense of mystery is created. It also contrasts the light and dark really well so an element of extreme is created which further signifies the genre of horror.

If I were to do the shot again there are a few things i would change. Firstly i would try and the light to focus on the bars as well as the models face. This would show more clearly that the person in the shot is trapped in a frame within a frame already. I would also try and get the model to use a more extreme expression so it is clear to the audience that this person is scared and trapped. I may also change the framing slightly so that theres is even more tilt on the frame in order to make the shot stand out and more horror-like.