By Josie Muggleton

1. Insomnia: a visual essay

2. Editing – Titles
• Titles go in and out of focus, this links to the theme of perception which is
common in psycho thrillers.
• When the titles are out of focus they almost look like blood spots or ink
blots. This links to the genre because of the implication of violence, or it may
look someone messily writing a crime report

3. Extreme Close up - Titles
• The blood is the first use of colour in the film. This is further
amplified by the white fibres of the unknown material.
• The close up almost looks like a crime scene photo because of the
attention given to a small speck of blood. This can be linked to crime
which is an example of a convention in thriller films

4. Setting - landscape
• The film makes use of many high angled extreme long shots of the
frozen mountains. This not only establishes the setting but also
contributes to the atmosphere. The muted colours give the film a
sombre and serious tone which is typical of a thriller
• The camera makes a point to show how few people there are and
how small thee plane is in comparison to these huge mountains.
This introduces the central theme of isolation which is explored
throughout the film

5. Cinematography – over the shoulder shot
• Over the shoulder shots imply we are watching the character without
them being aware. So this ties in with the common theme of
secrecy, as we are seeing what he is doing in the privacy of his own
apartment.
• This shot is taken watching the fragmented reflection in glass
instead of watching the character directly. This suggests altered
perception and perspective which is key in crime thriller films

6. Cinematography - ECU
• This extreme close up is used to convey the emotions of the
character, we can see he is tired from the bags under his eyes and
his sullen mood from the dull look in his eyes, this tells us a lot about
the character before he even speaks
• Since this film revolves around a crime it is key that investigators
pay close attention to the body language and emotions of people
they question. This is an opportunity for us to scrutinize the
character before he scrutinizes the suspects. This is reinforced by
the use of exposure and focus
• This is an example of a technical code, as the camera shot gives a
subtle message to the audience

7. Narrative - props
• This is the first definite indication that this film is to do with
investigating a crime, and when we first discover these characters
are detectives.
• The crime scene images are an example of symbolic codes, as
these are elements within the scene itself that communicate
information to the audience

8. props
• The fact the camera focuses on the title of the article indicates that it
is important to the story. There are obvious creases in the paper
which indicates the article has been looked at multiple times
• The paper adds another layer to the narrative, as now it is not only
the police investing a crime scene, but also the police investigating
themselves, so there are now higher stakes involving jobs and
reputation relying on this case

9. Setting
• The weather is also highly symbolic, going from clear and stark to
foggy and confusing. Suggesting the story is about to get a lot more
complicated and less black and white.
• This brings us back to the theme of perception, how clearly we see
things and how easily our judgement can be clouded.

10. Setting
• The weather is also highly symbolic, going from clear and stark to
foggy and confusing. Suggesting the story is about to get a lot more
complicated and less black and white.
• This brings us back to the theme of perception, how clearly we see
things and how easily our judgement can be clouded.