Existing Product Research (Disturbia)

Disturbia:

Mise en scene was incorporated in a variety of ways in the clip. The costumes used in the clip are normal everyday costumes that we associate with the character types. The teenagers costume is wearing a blue t-shirt with shorts; this is effective as every young teenage boy would wear shorts and a blue t-shirt, therefore this creates a realistic view of what teenage boys are like. The man’s costume, who is the villain, is wearing a stripy shirt, and blue jeans; this is also a good choice of clothing as the villain is trying to hide his true identity which is a serial killer, by disguising himself in ordinary clothes. The costume the mother is wearing a white top with a dark brown cardigan and is also wearing a ring; this suggests that she is dressed casually and is a good person as she is wearing a ring and is wearing white.

Lighting in the clip was used effectively as the producers used the light from outside the house, which was the natural light. This created a natural look and portrayed a natural effect in the clip which allowed the audience to see that the characters are in a home and the lighting is good and allows the characters to be seen clearly.

In the scene makeup was used to show the characters expressions and character types to the audience; this is shown as the villain’s makeup shows he has tired dark eyes and has shadowy eyes which portrays that he is evil. The teenager’s makeup shows that he has a white pale face which helps show the audience that he is frightened and he is young. The mother also has clear white skin that illustrates a healthy person that is good.

In the clip, props played a large part to create a horror atmosphere. The main prop was the large knife. This prop was very effective as the producers wanted the audience to feel like the home was an ordinary home and that the knife would have normally been there. It also created tension and suspense as shots of the prop were shown frequently in the clip and teased the audience to thinking that something will happen.

The cinematography in the clip is very cleverly chosen in order to create a dramatic horror scene. A medium shot of the boy reaching in the fridge is very effective as all we see is the boy and the fridge, therefore the audience knows that somebody is going to be behind the fridge, this is called dramatic irony. Shot reverse shots are used when the teenager and villain are talking to each other; this is used effectively as it allows the audience to see how tense their conversation is and how the boy is distancing himself from the villain. There is also a close up of the knife, which creates a suspense and horror as the audience don’t know what is going to happen next.

The sound in the clip are used to help inflict the sense of horror into the audience. When the fridge closes and the man was standing there, a diegetic sound of a thriller music was added. This helped to portray a sense of shock in the audience to reflect how the boy was feeling. There was also non-diegetic sound in the clip of when the knife was scraping the worktop; this sound made the audience think that something was going to happen and it informed the audience that the young boy is very scared as he rapidly picked the knife up. It also shows that the man who was standing there is the villain. When the boys mother left the room leaving the young boy alone with the villain, diegetic sound was added as a spooky evil song was playing. This made the audience feel uneasy as they know that the villain is alone with a young boy and something bad could happen.

Editing was used to create tension and suspense in the clip. There were straight cuts throughout the scene, which allowed a climax to build up as when the young boy first discovered that the villain was standing behind the fridge, the straight cuts had speeded up which made the scene more intense. However when the mum was present in

the room the straight cuts were more slow. Also, when the young boy was exchanging a conversation with the villain, the straight cuts were faster; this helped the audience notice that the teenager wa anxious and uncomfortable in his presence. There was also a focus on the boy when he was in the fridge and then when the villain is shown the camera focuses on him; this is very cleverly produced as this makes the audience concentrate and place their attention of the boy and onto the man.

Audience

Disturbia is a Film that was released in 2007 about a teenager who believes his neighbour is a serial killer, however the teen is under house arrest and cannot convince the police that his neighbour is a serial killer. This film has a target audience of 16 to 40 year olds. This is because the main characters in the film are of similar age to the target audience, which allows the audience to relate and feel the same way as the characters do. People watch this film and enjoy it as they like the suspense the movie builds and want to watch more to see how the young boy saves the day.