The document analyzes the film techniques used in the short film "2AM: The Smiling Man" through a micro-analysis of its mise-en-scene, sound, cinematography, and editing. It discusses how the empty street setting at 2AM isolates the characters. The smiling man's unusual dancing and the tense music build an unsettling atmosphere. Camerawork creates a trapped feeling and emphasizes the main character's isolation. The pacing speeds up dramatically during the chase scene. Comparisons are made to the film "The Neon Demon" regarding location, lighting, character movements, costume, sounds, cinematography, and target audiences.

1. 2AM: THE
SMILING MAN
Micro-Analysis

2. Mise-En-Scene
■ Location  The film is set on an empty street at
2am. This isolates the characters as no one is
around to help him and he is trapped.
■ Lighting  There are streetlights which are very
harsh and dramatic. The white makes the setting
look paler and colder which emphasises the
disconnect between the characters and the rest of
civilisation.
■ Costume  The smiling man wears beige
coloured suit. This colour is non-threatening which
contrasts to how the character is presented as
which is disturbing.
■ Movement of Actors  The smiling man dances in
an odd way which is almost unnatural. This
immediately makes the audience and the main
character wary of him as it’s unusual. The main
character is slow as he is unsure if the smiling
man is a threat to him but once he’s sure he starts
to run.

3. Sound
■ Diagetic  the smiling man’s shoes make a shuffling noise against the
pavement. This is loud as it is the only sound on the street. It builds tension as
the audience and the main character are extremely aware of his presence and
towards the end his footsteps are what shows that the man is someone with bad
intentions as he starts to run towards the main character.
■ Non-diagetic  the music is tense and so immediately tells the audience
something bad is going to happen before the smiling man is even shown. The
music changes from tense to dramatic when the smiling man begins to chase
the main character which emphasises the panic of the situation.

4. Cinematography
■ The camera remains mainly stationary
when the smiling man is shown before he is
shown to be a real threat. This is to show
that the situation hasn’t escalated and the
smiling man is only seen as unusual and not
dangerous. However once the smiling does
become dangerous, the handheld
techniques is used while he’s chasing the
main character to indicates the panic the
character must be feeling.
■ POV shots, midshots, close ups and over
the shoulder shots are used to make the
frame look small and trapped which
emphasises that the main character is
trapped. The POV and over the shoulder
shots also highlights the isolation of the
characters as the only viewpoint is seen to
be the main character’s. The lack of large
camera movement until the chase scene
also supports this.

5. Editing
■ The pacing is slow when the smiling man presents no visible danger but speeds
up dramatically during the chase scene to emphasise the sudden change in
atmosphere.
■ It slows down when the main character has appeared to have escaped but there
is a final jump scare when the smiling man suddenly appears next to him which
indicates the panic the character felt having noticed him there.
■ There are credits at the beginning and end.

6. Similarities and Differences with The
Neon Demon and 2am: The Smiling
Man■ The location is different as The Neon Demon scene was set in a mansion and 2am:
The Smiling Man was set on a street but they are both used to isolate the characters
and leave them trapped.
■ The editing is similar as it is slow when there is no danger present but then speeds
up when there is. However 2am: The Smiling Man has several jump scares to add
surprise which The Neon Demon does not have. Also The Neon Demon has no
credits whereas the other movie does.
■ The lighting is different because there are no colour changes in 2am: The Smiling
Man as the white streetlight stays constant whereas The Neon Demon includes
colour changes from red to blue to signify power dynamics. However they are
similar as the white and blue lighting is used to represent disconnect and isolation
as well.
■ The character movements of the main characters in both movies are similar as they
are walking slow when they aren’t in danger but then start running when they are.
However the character movements of the villains in both movies are different as the
smiling man moves unnaturally which immediately makes the main character
suspicious whereas the villains in The Neon Demon move naturally and so do not
alert the main character.

7. Similarities and Differences with The
Neon Demon
■ The costume is different as the smiling man is dressed in bright colours on soft materials even
though he is the villain which contrasts to The Neon Demon where the villains wear dark colours and
leather.
■ The props are different as The Neon Demon has props whereas 2am: The Smiling Man doesn’t.
■ The sounds are different as in this movie, the diagetic sounds of the characters are quieter than the
non-diagetic music whereas The Neon Demon has the opposite. The non-diagetic sound is different
as in this movie, the tense music is throughout which indicates that it is building up to a climax
whereas in The Neon Demon there is no tense build up to the chase scene and the music is quiet
throughout it so there is little suspense.
■ The cinematography is different as in 2am: The Smiling Man, it’s used to feel claustrophobia with
limited camera shots and movement whereas The Neon Demon has large camera movements and
the shots don’t seem small like the shot from 2am does.
■ The target audiences are similar as they were targeted towards the same age range of 15-24 but
are different as The Neon Demon is targeted towards women in the 15-24 age group as the women
in the movie are within that age range and 2am: The Smiling Man is targeted towards to men in the
same age group as the main character in the movie is a man within that age range. They are both
targeted at individuals as they are different in terms of what is expected of a horror movie as they
are more psychological and so would attract those looking for an unconventional horror.