In the foreground of the shot there is a shovel. this immediately gives connotations of death and murder as well as anchoring the title.
The shovel is dug into the ground with no body visibly holding it which perhaps gives an element of fear towards the object.
There is also an enigma around the shovel. the viewer wonders what it is digging, if it is a grave who is it for? this makes them want to see the film to find out.
The people in the background are out of focus. this perhaps suggests they are in a way out of control of the situation they are in.
the fact that there are three characters suggests they are the 'good' characters who are in an unfortunate situation. it is unusual that the murderer or villain in a thriller will be part of a team. the way they all lean on each other and look scared also makes them seem like victims or perhaps unlikely heroes.
the dress code is also mysterious. the way they are all quite well dressed is strange, the viewer perhaps wonder why they are in this situation.
The colour code in the picture is very green which has spooky connotations and perhaps suggests the story line is very dark (metaphorically and actually). the picture fades to black at the bottom and the top which suggests that it is the dead of night. this really sells the film as a thriller.
The trees in the background are also spooky and almost give a surreal unnatural feel. they are also very skeleton like which gives connotations of death which is almost certainly a feature in the film. This is making sure the correct target audience gets involved.
The way the Shovel obscures the characters and the way they all look at it indicates that they are going to have to use it but they do not want to. This further anchors that they are perhaps innocent and ads mystery to what they are doing.
Wednesday 24 October 2007
Narrative Image
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2 comments:
well analysed nathan, most impressive deconstruction. you explore the film's identity to a high standard. well done.
the only thing i would add is that it's very over the top (look at the horror-style conventions - they're all really hammed up!) and almost cartoon like, suggesting a humorous element to the film, still very dark like you said, but a kind of dark comedy element perhaps? try and see the film if you can.
overall assessment of your blog:
this blog has promise but isn't really delivering yet.
the heat posting is good because it demonstrates independent research.
the other detailed postings you include are either set homeworks or write ups of classwork - hardly independent research.
you write up the theory but you don't use it/ apply it/ do anything with it.
your other brief postings show promise but go nowhere
so i can't give this more than a C at the moment nathan. a pity as i think you're worth more than this.
if you want to do something about it, make it fast - it'll be too late soon.
read the posting on the main blog to help you.
ms b
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