AS Media Studies Foundation Portfolio (Evaluation question 5)

1. By
Kieran Cranston
HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS YOUR
AUDIENCE?

2. CAMERA: P.O.V SHOT
• This placed audience into the position of the stalker.
• The intended effect was to make a subconscious connection between viewers and the
antagonist.
• This effect [of the use of camera being used to attract, address and engage the audience]
becomes a repeated motif of the opening scene.

3. CAMERA: OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT AND
CLOSE-UPS
• The over-the-shoulder shot of Lucy taking her medicine puts the audience in close
proximity to her, evoking a empathetic compassion from the audience as they may feel as
if they are harassing someone who suffers from anxiety.
• The use of close-ups and an extreme-close up have different affects for the two
characters. Audience sympathise with Lucy as they gain an understanding of how
invasive the stalker is and has been in her life, whereas close-up of the stalker [albeit just
his hands] make them weary of the antagonist’s presence.

4. CAMERA: PAN/TRACKING SHOT
• These camera movements were taken as a way to more actively engage the audience in
the film’s action.

5. CAMERA: ZOOM/DISTANCE
• In the shots were the stalker pins his photographs of Lucy to his notice board, the shots
become increasingly closer than the previous one.
• This insinuates that he is becoming ever closer to his ultimate goal, foreshadowing the
film’s climax as well as symbolising his proximity to Lucy herself- which the audience is
aware of, not her.

6. MISE-EN-SCENE: BODY LANGUAGE
• Lucy’s body language is typical for somebody with anxiety; nervous ticks, hypochondriac
reactions to contact, brushing her hair and constantly monitoring the immediate
environment.
• Additionally, Lucy’s eyes look intensely fearful, and one of the tracking shots feature her
making direct address with the audience through the camera. Because this movement
puts the audience in the stalker’s perspective, this hints Lucy’s as afraid of them
(breaking the fourth wall) as she is of her digetic surroundings.

7. MISE-EN-SCENE: LIGHTING
• Shots with Lucy are taken outside; this utilises the natural light of the day to reference the
realistic nature of how mental disability for people in the real world and that Lucy’s
struggle is an unfortunate reality for some.
• In contrasts to this, shots involving the stalker and his equipment are all in black and
white (mimicking the night, suggesting that this character is the stuff of [Lucy’s]
nightmares). The direct to contrast to Lucy’s shots are not only meant to attract audiences
to the two characters but also to insinuate that there’s something sinister and almost
unnatural about this character.
• However, the shot of Lucy playing piano uses an artificial lighting that imitates a lamp;
audiences are able to imagine the warmth of the light of Lucy’s home and to create
anticipation for the character to find peace in her life.

8. MISE-EN-SCENE: PROPS
• Lucy’s pills acts as a signposts for the audience, signalling that her mental illness is so
severe that she requires drug therapy in order to gain any sense of relief from it.
• There is hidden significance to showing the camera strap and the stalker’s glove at the
end of the opening sequence. The name brand “Canon” is recognisable for the audiences
(insinuating that an obsessive and tormenting stalker could be in the digetic world of
‘Photograph’ and that of the audience, as the “Canon” brand exists in both) and these two
shots before and after Lucy shuts her door indicates that there stalker will not, by any
means allow her to escape.

9. SOUND: MUSIC
• The music’s slow tempo is reflective of the opening scene. For example, the slow pedal of
the piano mimics the footsteps of the stalker and the gradual movement of the tracking
shot.
• Moreover, the change in the music texture echoes Lucy’s state of mind. One layer of
music (the repeated motif from the piano) is first introduced when Lucy plays the same
tune on her piano, mirroring her calm and relaxed state. The texture builds to a climax
with the use of sound effects at the end of the opening scene to signify Lucy’s panic and
that she is overwhelmed, which audiences are able to pick up on visually and acoustically.