A handheld
camera is used frequently throughout the short film; it is particularly
useful when the boy is resting from his run. A handheld camera is used to shoot the back of the boys
head, making the audience think that there is someone coming up
behind him. Along with the camera getting closer and closer to his
head, the sound becomes more intense and stronger; this
makes the audience apprehensive as we are
waiting for them to jump at the boy. Instead, a long shot is used of the front of the boy who is looking
oblivious to this, which therefore plays with the audience and puts them on the edge from the very start of the film.
Following on from this, a handheld camera is also used when the boy is running
in the woods. This is a very common convention in horror films and is one I
will be taking into consideration when producing my film. The effect the handheld camera has makes the
scene appear jumpy and chaotic and we can see the forest
from his point of view, showing how afraid and disorientated he
is. It also means that audience is in his shoes and therefore increases the horror, as it feels as if we the audience are
being chased.
There are clues throughout the start of the film which
suggest that something is going to happen to the boy in the forest. A long take and slow zoom have been used to
highlight the missing poster on the tree, which creates an anxious atmosphere
and to further add to this, the boy misses the poster and is therefore unaware
to the recent goings-on, increasing his vulnerability.
The film features dark low key lighting which is very stereotypical for a
horror film. This creates a dark and gloomy tone and
adds to the eerie atmosphere already created by setting the
film in the forest; another stereotypical convention used in horror films to
set the film in a dark and isolated place. As well as this it
gives the effect of the colour being drained and therefore creates an ominous
and foreboding atmosphere, which adds to the horror.
Establishing
shots have been used throughout the film to show how vulnerable and diminutive the boy looks in comparison to the
forest. As well as showing how small the boy looks, the establishing shots show how isolated he is, and
when the extreme long shot
is used to show the man in the field, it creates an anxious atmosphere
as they are the only ones there.
The diegetic music
of the sticks snapping in the woods and the handheld camera behind the bush looking at the boy
creates an uneasy atmosphere as it suggests that someone is
looking at him through the bush. This idea that he is being watched makes the
audience feel protective and tense as they know that he
is oblivious to this.
An eye line
match has been used to show what the boy is looking at through his
window, showing the audience that no one is there. However, when he turns it
shows the man in field. This immediately makes the audience feel nervous and helpless, as he is unaware that he is following
him.
A montage
of shots have been used to show how large and abandoned the forest
appears to be in comparison to the young boy, therefore conveying his vulnerability, especially with the idea that the ‘slender man’
is following him. This consequently makes the audience on edge
and to further emphasize this apprehension the audience is
feeling, dialogue from the boy is used over the top of the montage, telling his
friends he “can take a short cut through the woods”.
A reaction
shot has been used in the film, to make the audience read the boy’s face
and feel what he is feeling rather than what we feel. As well as the reaction shot of the boy, it
features a long take, so
the audience are left in suspense and trepidation as to what has left him to look so worried and confused.
Throughout the final scene in the forest, sharp, eerie non-diagetic music is used, increasing
the intensity and volume at certain points in the film. This range in the
volume makes the audience on edge, knowing that something is
about to happen. As well as this, along with the sharp sinister music and
the constant appearing of the slender man, it creates an uncomfortable
atmosphere for the audience.
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