Textual Analysis
'SAW' By James Wan
''It Follows'' - Opening
The opening shot is a close up of an ash tray with a cigarette burning in it. The lighting is high key and very intense with white walls. The colour white connotes purity and relaxation but is juxtaposed with the lit cigarette which connotes death. Sounds of a police siren can be heard as the character are shown which suggests that the setting is an interrogation room. The mise en scene of the costume of one character is dressed in a black suit whereas the other character is dressed in casual clothes with blood on his face. This connotes the authority of the man in the suit over the casual dressed man as he is obviously in charge. Editing is at a slower pace which is used to convey the conversation and insert shots are used to show the audience evidence from the crime scene. This connotes that a situation has happened and one man is being interrogated for it.
A transition is used when the man takes a draw from his cigarette to him lighting a cigarette in a different location. This denotes a flashback and the significance of him lighting the cigarette connotes that something bad is going to happen as the flame and the burning of the cigarette forebodes danger. High paced rock music is used alongside fast paced editing as the man puts his jacket on. This connotes that he is having trouble re-living every detail of the situation as it may have emotionally damaged him. When talking to a nurse, she says ‘It will kill you, you know’… To which he replies ‘Living is overrated’ – This dialogue foreshadows that his life will be put at risk. A panning shot is used to show him approach the lift and there is no cuts as he waits for the lift. This raises an atmosphere filled with tension as the audience can tell something bad is going to happen.
The music suddenly fades out and an eerie ambient noise of air comes into the scene. This connotes a presence is following him. The camera then slowly zooms into him waiting before showing a hand touch his shoulder, as he turns he is hit over the head. The camera is used as a POV shot and the audience is taken into the shoes of the mystery person. The ambient eerie music turns into a sound bridge as a sharp cut brings us back into the interrogation room. This connotes that he is sharing his side of the story with the interrogator. During more dialogue, lots of zoom shots and extreme close ups are used to connote the characters facial expression. The mise en scene of the main characters facial expression is idle and he looks quite traumatized. This foreshadows the horrific incident is about to take place.
The scene fades out to the static of a tv before showing a close up of the top half of the characters head. The static tv connotes that there is no way of communicating and getting help, it also creates an eerie ambient sound that creates an uneasy feeling. The ambient sounf of lightening can be heard which a pathetic fallacy for something bad happening. – A typical convention for horror and thriller films. The camera then zooms out to reveal that he is tyed up with a metal contraption on his head. Editing gets faster and an extreme longshot is used to show he is in some kind of warehouse alone. This connotes the isolation he is feeling. The camera does several 360 degree turns around him which connotes him being trapped and also connotes the thoughts racing around his head.
When he finds out what he has to do, the rock music starts again and editing is very fast pace with the scenes being fast forwarded. This connotes his frantic behaviour and the thought running through his head. When he breaks free from his restraint, the sound is wet and sounds like flesh being ripped or cut. This foreshadows that someone will be hurt. Editing slows down as he contemplates cutting his friend open which connotes him finally thinking clearer. The lighting in the whole scene is low key and looks green and dirty. This connotes horror and creates a disgusted feeling for audiences. Occasional insert shots of the timer on the device connote that time is running out and creates a sense of urgency. Sudden, cacophony style music starts as he is about to stab his friend which connotes the screams of his friend as he has to kill him whilst he is alive. It is not a pleasant noise to hear which makes me feel uncomfortable.
The final shot is a tracking shot that follows through a dingy looking bathroom before turning into a close up of a tile, the tile then drops and an eye can be seen. The eye then turns into the A for when the titles come up for ‘SAW’. This connotes that there are any other situations like his that have happened and also connotes a sequel. As I am already aware of the huge saw franchise, this scene confirms that the franchise was started to be made into other films.
The opening is a wide establishing shot, denoting a suburban street. The lighting is naturalistic although it has been colour graded with a blue tint. This connotes that the film will have a serious tone which juxtaposes the connotations of a suburban street – which is usually peaceful and happy. Naturalistic ambient sounds can be heard such as birds chirping. This, along with the lighting connotes that the scene is taking place early in the morning. The camera then pans slowly to denote a house. Still without any cuts happening, a female character can be seen. The mise en scene of her body language and facial expression connotes that she is scared and is running from her life. The mise en scene of her costume is night-time pyjama type clothing with heels. This connotes that she has quickly rushed out of bed. The mise en scene of her clothing also connotes that the bad thing that is following her could be from a nightmare or something to do with sleep.
A tracking shot is then used to follow the girl around to the other side of the road. The use of no editing cuts creates tension as the audience can’t see what is following her, and she is running around as if she is avoiding something the audience can’t see. The length of the scene connotes that this thing has been effecting her life for a long time and she hasn’t had a break from it. The music is slow paced but the use of a drum like noise frequently connotes footsteps and connotes that something is following her. It could also connote her heartbeat as it slowly intensifies, showing her fear.
As the girl gets to the middle of the road, she stops and during conversation with her neighbour, starts to back up slowly. The camera slowly follows her which uses the camera as a POV for the thing that is chasing her. This is effective as the audience can’t see what is following her and the audience’s imagination is used. Throughout all of this, the girl is shown through a longshot with not many people around her. This connotes the sense of isolation and helplessness she would be feeling. A tracking shot is used again as she runs back to her house, the music intensifies and sounds like a buzzing but again, in the same pace as a heartbeat. This connotes the physical shaking of her body as she is becoming more filled with fear and adrenaline. She then walks back into the house, and there are still no cuts or edits. This makes the audience anticipate what is going to happen and as she emerges, the music intensifies again to a very dramatic, 80’s horror style music which connotes that the film is inspired by 80’s horror. I can also tell this from the limited edits and the use of atmosphere to create horror rather than films today which focus on blood and jump scares. The camera then pans to the girl getting in her car and driving off, The first cut happens when she gets further down the road. The next shot is an over the shoulder shot of the girl in the car. The lighting is low key and it denotes darkness outside. This sudden contrast from early morning to late at night connotes how long she was driving for to get away from what was chasing her. The soundtrack turns into a sound bridge before fading out. This connotes the thing following her and the fact it fades away connotes that it will eventually stop following her because she will die. I have predicted this as it is clear that this film has been inspired by 80’s horror and a typical convention of horror is to have the first scene be a death scene.
An extreme longshot is used to establish that the girl is now at a beach late at night, using her car to give her light. The camera stays still, in the extreme longshot as she talks on the phone to her dad. This further connotes her isolation from the rest of the world. The editing picks up pace and suddenly cuts to a medium longshot of her sitting on the sand. This connotes that the thing following her is closing in and getting closer to her. The camera then stays on this shot for a bit before cutting to an extreme longshot of her car. The mise en scene of the red lights of her car connotes that something bad is going to happen and creates an eerie atmosphere.
The last scene denotes the girl lying on the sand. The lighting is back to how it was in the first scene which connotes that a cycle has been fully completed – the use of day and night to represent her life and death. Blood can be seen on her leg and her foot can be seen at an awkward angle. This denotes confusion as some of her body is hidden. Then a longshot is used to show the girl’s body in full detail which is all mangled, bloody and twisted. This confirms her death and connotes that some unseen presence has killed her.