Case Study 4: One More Time

Case Study 4: One More Time

Title: One More Time

Director: Jesse Grce

Release Date: March 2010

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Target Audience: 

- This film is targeted towards more of a older audience which consists of people who 15 and older. This is due to the fact that the film shows a lot of violence and gory scenes. Also, it is of the Horror/thriller genre and films of this genre tend to be targeted towards an older audience.

Characters:

In this film we see 2 characters, a murderer and his girlfriend.

Synopsis:

This film follows the story of a man who one day finds this strange marking on his arm. Ever since this had happened, the man had been going into a state where he would kidnap people and murder them after taking them to a location which is unknown, even to himself.  This short film shows him as he discovers he had kidnapped his girlfriend and tries to help her escape from his evil persona. However, he only has 5 minutes to do so.

Camera Techniques:

Example 1: Wide shot/Establishing shot

This shot was used to set the scene and introduce the main location that the short is filmed at.

Example 2: Close Up

This shot was used to show the character's facial expression and clarify her emotions for the audience.

Example 3: Close Up

This shot was used to show the character's facial expression and clarify her emotions for the audience.

Example 4: XCU

An XCU was used as the object featured in the shot is significant to the scene. In this case, it emphasises and lets the audience know that the main character is a killer. This particular shot, helps create an eerie mood/atmosphere.

Editing:

At the start of the film cutaways were used to cut in and out of shots of our main character as he is seen running and things such as the title screen and screens showing featured actors. The cutting rate was generally quite fast at the start of the film as we watch the man running towards the location where he had kept his hostage. Also, the cutting rate was generally quite fast throughout the entire film as the film focuses on the hostage's escape and the fast cutting rate gives us a sense of urgency. As well as that, the film also features montages of clips which show things such as the man's past and articles on his killings. Furthermore, the film also uses visual effects to blur the screen during scenes showing flashbacks.

Sound:

The film starts off with non-diabetic sound as we hear the main character narrating over shots of himself. Also, we hear a lot of diegetic sound in the form of ambient sound and the voice of characters in the film. The ambient sound is very important in this film as it creates suspense. In this film we here absent sound as we are shown the location it was filmed at from the outside and we hear nothing but the sound of crickets. This suggests that no one else is around and creates suspense as any sudden loud sounds may surprise the audience during a thriller. Furthermore, we hear a lot of non-diabetic sound such as stings, which is used to create suspense.

Mise-en-Scene:

Lighting: The lighting in this film is generally quite dark. This adds to the eerie mood created by the combination off effects, sound and lighting.

Location: There are two main locations used in this film which are:

- A field/woods/mountain side
- A room

Costume and Props:

- The murderer:

The murderer is shown holding a knife. This was done to make it clear that this man is a murderer to the audience. As well as that, he is also seen wearing a coat covered in blood which also adds to the idea of him being a murderer. Many props were also used as part of the location to add to the idea of him being a murderer such as old newspapers showing articles of killings he was responsible for.

- The murderer's girlfriend/Victim:

The murderer's girlfriend/the victim is shown wearing casual clothes. However, she is covered in blood and is shown chained to a chair with tape over her mouth. This emphasises that she has been kidnapped and is being held hostage.

What I liked about the film/What techniques would I like to use:

- I like how the film uses a fast cutting rate to create suspense and I plan to use this technique in my short film.

- I like how the film makes use of ambient sound that can be heard from the location used to create an eerie and strange mood and I plan to use this in my short film.