4Rikhel TrivediHow are the themes of fear and isolation
represented in: The Women in Black (2012 UK) and Mama (2013 USA)?In
this essay, I am going to analyse how the micro techniques have
been used to present the themes of fear and isolation in The Woman
in Black (2012 UK) and Mama (2013 USA).The Woman in Black is a
horror/thriller British film. The film is directed by James
Watkins. The films narrative is about a father and a young lawyer,
Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) who is travelling to a village
where he learns that there is a haunted avenging ghost who is
destroying and haunting the people within the village. I am going
to analyse at the scene where Arthur Kipps has spent in the haunted
mansion. I have chosen this scene as it portrays fear and isolation
through various techniques. A wide angled shot starring Arthur
Kipps is shown and used as it makes the audience aware of the
character and the setting allowing the audience to see the isolated
location. The camera zooms in slowly to Arthur Kipps, the camera
pulls focus showing the door behind him, open without him noticing
implying that it is the haunted ghost. The wide angled shot
suggests that Kipps is isolated in the mansion and is used to make
the audience think they are very close to action. This represents
the scene to seem isolated as it makes the audience fear for the
character since they can sense that Kipps is in danger and how
there is nobody is there to help him. This creates tension and
builds fear, as Kipps is alone in the haunted mansion, displaying
that Kipps is vulnerable and not at his best, making the audience
fear more for him as it seems they are close to action. The mise en
scene helps convey fear and isolation, the low-key lighting used in
the room is to show Kippss facial expressions so that the viewers
can identify fear through Kippss expressions. Kipps is wearing a
black waistcoat with a white shirt, which represents the character
as a typical hard worker allowing the audience to think that Kipps
has to this job to survive in the real world. The costumes help
symbolize how Kipps lifestyle is isolated. The colours of the
costumes, black and white represent to Kippss personality,
therefore the black and white costumes it represents his boring and
simple lifestyle. The colour black implies the darkness and
mystery. The colour white reflects to his personality indicating
how big hearted and pure the character is. This shows how colour is
used to build fear by still implying Kippss personality is isolated
and a mystery as they dont show his personal life which foreshadows
bad happenings. Synchronous ambient sound is used as it helps to
create suspense and builds on fear to the scene. For example, as
the haunted ghost walks down the corridor closer to Kipps. The
audience connotes that the haunted ghost is going to attack from
behind as the non-diegetic sound volume increases making the scene
intense. A point of view shot is used of the ghost heading to the
direction of Kipps this helps to maintain fear as it builds on the
viewers predictions on what might happen. The non- diegetic
orchestral sounds used works parallel when zooming to build fear.
For example when the camera zooms into Kipps short bow strokes are
played on string with a high strong pitch sound, which suggests
that Kipps may get attacked. Using a high pitch sound immediately
grabs the viewers attention and uses it to build and maintain fear.
The use of ambient sounds in horror films is it gets an immediate
response from the audience; even though it is invisible it is still
creates a meaning to a scene. This relates to the question, as the
audience constantly fear for the protagonist.A medium shot is used
showing Arthur Kipps resting his eyes, which demonstrates the
audience to see more of the surroundings and reminding the audience
how dangerous and isolated the mansion is, bringing fear back to
the scene. Props such as lamps and candles on the vintage table are
used to show isolation in the mansion. This suggest that the props
used are still kept from many years ago which shows how isolated
and dangerous the mansion is and to make the setting more of a
horror film. The low-key lighting in the scene it makes the
audience feel uncomfortable and to think it is not safe for Kipps
to fall asleep as the room is dark. This proves how isolation in
horror settings are dangerous as it portrays fearful conventions
such as demons or curses which viewers fear for protagonist who
enter horror settings.
Depth of field is used to maintain fear within the atmosphere,
as the focus sharpens to what is happening behind Kipps, building
fear for Kipps as the scene foreshadows that Kipps is in danger.
The synchronous eerie sounds used builds on fear to the scene and
within the audience as the audience sees a haunted ghost. The ghost
costumes are in full black, which connotes that she is in charge of
death, which scares the audience as a horror convention the colour
black normally leads to death and in the scene it easily
foreshadows that something wrong is going to happen. The ghost in
black helps to build isolation as the entire mansion is dark and
isolated illustrating that the ghost is part of the mansion and
darkness, implying the ghost and mansion are powerful and
dangerous. The fast paced editing used, shows the ghost for a short
period which helps builds on fear for Kipps since the audience do
not have any sort of information about the ghost part from
destroying villages and children.Mama (2013) is an American
supernatural horror film and has been directed by Andres
Muschietti. The film narrative is a couple who are challenged to
raise two young nieces who were alone for years in the forest and
the couple then find out a demon has been carried out with the two
nieces. I am going to analyse the scene where Victoria is watching
Annabel sleeping and she wakes up and finds out the haunted demon,
Mama is underneath Annabels bed. Fear and isolation have been
represented through cinematography, a close up is used to show
clearly that Annabel is unable to sleep still and keeps moving her
hands and her head from side to side indicating that she is having
a nightmare which suggests that whatever is happening in her
nightmare is going to come to reality as a horror prediction which
starts to build on fear for Annabel by making the audience predict
whats going to happen to her. A medium shot is used to show both
the characters reactions when Annabel wakes up and to allow the
audience to sympathise Annabels feelings. The long distance
characters positions used helps to represent isolation as it allows
the audience to see the emptiness and the distance between the
characters illustrating that the characters, especially Annabel are
isolated. By showing Victorias distance to Annabel and her
surroundings it makes Annabel look helpless and vulnerable which
creates a sense of danger and builds on fear for the character.
Fear is implied as it makes the audience think that the nieces are
isolated as we do not expect them to watch a person sleep watch a
person have a nightmare. This demonstrates that the audience can
sense death in the scene as conventions in horror films if the
protagonist is having a nightmare it usually involves death.The
mise en scene used in the film help present fear and isolation.
Black pyjamas costumes are used in the scene. Black connotes fear
and death, in relation this creates fear since in reality children
wouldnt be wearing full black clothing to sleep in, it also
represents many negative things to the audience. In this film black
is used to present fear through evil presenting Victoria as
dangerous and evil, making the viewers fear for the Annabel. Low-
key lighting is used to reflect the characters emotions and
feelings making the audience feel comfortable of the character and
be in fear for Annabel. The low-key lighting used coming from the
lamp in the hallway, help present fear through the characters
facial expressions. The audience can see the white surrounding and
the characters faces. Innocence and purity of the protagonist
personality is displayed through the colour white. The low-key
lighting allows to show the audience some of the white furniture
around her. White connotes Annabel as a peaceful kind-hearted
character making the audience fear more for her. This scene is
linked to Levi Strausss theory of binary oppositions of strong vs.
weak, the representation of Annabel is to be weak and vulnerable as
she is the one who is lost and unknown in the scene. Victoria is
represented as strong and dominant to the scene showing Annabel
being helplessness. A shot reverse shot is used between Annabel and
Victoria to illustrate to the audience how nervous Annabel is as
well as building fear to the scene as it implies that Annabel is
isolated and weak which the audience can see that she is helpless
making the viewers fear for the protagonist. Therefore shot reverse
shot helps the scene to build fear as it makes the protagonist look
helpless in the scene. The diegetic sounds, the characters dialogue
in the medium shot, help maintain fear to the scene. Barthes theory
on enigma codes is used to present fear and isolation; for example
Annabel asks Victoria Whats wrong? the use of hermeneutic and
proairetic codes heightens the illusions in the scene, making the
audience question themselves on who is enemy making the audience
want to find out answers. The use of dialogue represents the
protagonists voice as a dominant character, since she shows she
cares for her nieces even though Victoria is isolated and
frightening. Annabel hears the diegetic sound, the mattress strings
inside the mattress which illustrates the audience an image on
whatever is underneath Annabels bed has ripped or eaten through the
mattress to get to the string which builds tension. Characters
actions change the atmosphere for example Annabel breathes in and
out strongly and making the atmosphere around the audience
frightened and in fear. Fear is shown in the film by using sound to
foreshadow that something bad is going to happen. Annabel questions
Victoria making the audience curious to find answers. This displays
how enigma codes are used through sound, helps to create a fearful
atmosphere within the audience.In the analysis of the two horror
films I have understood how representations used through micro
techniques help present the themes fear and isolation. The two
films have both successfully used macro techniques to present fear
and isolation. The Woman in Black and Mama both use similar mise en
scene techniques as the costumes that are used in the scene, the
directors have used the colour black to help make the antagonist
seem fearful. Although Mama had used Barthes theory to help the
director to create suspense by making the audience question the
narrative on who is the enemy in the scene. The films have both
represented fear through non-diegetic sounds, synchronous has been
used to create tension and suspense to the scene making the
audience in fear within them and for the character. The Woman in
Black and Mama, both use similar techniques such as the
cinematography, the directors have both used similar techniques to
foreshadow on what might happen later on which had held non-stop
fear within the audience. Therefore in my perspective I think both
films have done well and successfully used macro techniques to show
fear and isolation in the films.Word Count: 1943
A Close up of Annabel screaming knowing that Mama is underneath
her bed