1. The process of making this film
taught me early on that being
unafraid to take risks with the
camera can lead to effective
results. I tried to use and imitate
a range of styles. Inspired by
Wes Anderson I played with the
idea of keeping the focal point in
the center of the frame. This
made the scene more visually
pleasing and split the frame up
into thirds, a practice extremely
encouraged to utilized in
lessons.
2. I also used shadow to visually
represent danger. I wanted to
use a “less is more” style when
approaching the antagonist.
Bruce the shark from Jaws and
the Xenomorph from Alien being
examples proving that
concealing the danger in
shadow can generate an aura of
mystery around them. This in
turn leads to an automatic
subconscious sense of fear as
people are much more likely to
be apprehensive about
something they don’t
understand.
3. For many first time film makers
physical camera movement is
rarely considered and utilized.
Wanting to stand out from the
crowd I decided to try my hand at
moving with the camera, as I
believe it can create a more
engaging and immersive
experience for the viewer. I
attempted a tracking shot as my
protagonist ran towards the exit. In
hindsight it was perhaps too
bumpy but captured the feeling of
desperation and franticness I set
out to create.
I also used a pan at the films conclusion to reveal the
fate of the protagonist. This movement shows the
disappearance of the outer doors, visually representing
his chance at freedom leaving him. Only danger is left
behind, literally standing right behind him.
