Research into cinematography - Miss Miller

Introduction
In this essay I'm going to be talking about cinematography. Cinematography is the art of photography and camerawork in film-making. I will be analysing the cinematography in a scene from the woman in black. I have used this film because the cinematography in certain scenes have been used to make a conventional thriller sequence. Also it is very clear what camera angles are being used. This film is a perfect example of a thriller film as well.

The first angle I have chosen is the low angle. The camera is facing up from the floor showing the underneath of the dog and a low view of the whole mans body. This is showing that the man is in control of the situation and that he is not afraid of what is on the other side of the door. He feels like he has authority of the situation because he is holding a big axe and he has his trusty companion next to him (his dog). Overall this makes the audience feel relief because they know that the main character has the upper hand. However they also might feel a bit of tension because they don't know what is on the other side of the door and what could confront him.

The second angle I have chosen is the zooming in angle. This is first shown in the clip when the man is looking around the house. The camera is slowly moving towards him, moving down the corridor. The camera could be representing another figure in the house carefully stalking the defenceless man. It could also represent a spirit or ghost in the house slowly floating towards him trying to show him something. Overall this puts the audience on the edge of there seats because they are concerned for the mans life. They are scared that something bad could happen to him. The audience can also relate to him because they picture it being them and imagine how they would feel if someone was following them.

The third angle I have chosen is the point of view angle. This is shown when the man is looking down the stairs directly at the door. This angle makes the audience feel like they are in the mans shoes and that they are feeling what he is feeling. This is a very popular angle to use in thriller films because it involves the audience a lot more. Overall this makes the audience very edgy and tense because they are like the character not knowing what is on the other side of the door. They are also worried for the dog as well because the dog is at the bottom of the angle making it very venerable.

The final angle I have chosen is the close up angle. This is shown when the man is looking at the window just before he places his hand to the glass. This angle is showing us a close view of the window and a small bit of surroundings around the window.Angles like this are used a lot in thriller films because they can show us a detailed object or show us an emotion that a character is showing. They also set up a jump scene after it because the character is so focused on one thing. Overall the audience prepare thereselves for a jump scene because they know it is coming. The makes the viewer on nervous and twitchy because they are waiting for this to happen.

All of these angles have been used to show the audience how the character is feeling or to put the audience in the characters shoes. This in turn pulls the audience deeper into the film and makes them more interested! This is also very effective to building suspense for jumpy/scary scenes.