Short Film inspiration

In this task we were asked to analyse how every aspect of the short film "The insane" including camera lighting setting mise en scene props sound and characters were used to create the conventions of the horror genre, which we will be exploring in our short film.

After writing this essay, i believe i know have a far greater understanding of how to build up the conventions of a horror film, i would like to focus on the dark lighting, but would also like to explore a story that plays tricks on the mind to some extent. i also received an A for this essay.

“The Insane” essay.

“The insane” is a short horror/ suspense film made in 2006, directed by David J Ellison and Mark Cripps, it is set in an urban environment and around a train station late at night/ early in the morning. The film is centred around one character; John Vincent, who believes that a cult of people in the city has lost their sanity, and that they are responsible for the murder of his wife, and now want him dead, the film is about his struggle to get “revenge” at the “Insane” even though we later find out he is infact the one who is insane and the one who murdered his wife.

“The insane” is set around a train station in an urban environment, we immediately know that there is an urban setting as the etablishing shot is a pan of a city skyline, the fact that it is set in an urban environment signifies that the problem is widespread, as cities are of course, heavily populated areas, and also signifies schizophrenia and paranoia in Vincent as he believes that there are many people targeting him. There is a short fight between Vincent and a largely built man in bloody white clothes very early on in the film which takes place in an alleyway, this signifies that Vincent is afraid of fighting out in the open and again signifies his paranoia as he is staying hidden in the alleyway. When the film moves into the nearby train station there are no trains, apart from one that passes by, this is to signify that he now has no way of “getting away” with murdering the people, and the train that passes is to signify the fact that he missed his chance to do so. When being chased by the character with the chainsaw, Vincent pass through many tight corridors and hallways, this signifies that he feels the “cult” is closing in, and gives a sense of claustrophobia, which again signifies that he believes there is no way out for him, this also signifies his mental health problems as we also see he is a schizophreniac across the course of the film, the majority of the points regarding the setting are to signify John Vincent's personality and to signify how he is feeling across the short film.

“The insane” is entirely centred around John Vincent, the man who believes an insane 'cult' has murdered his pregnant wife, and his effort to wipe out the members of the cult one at a time, across the film he displays many different sometimes contrasting emotions, and lack of emotion itself. The other characters in the film are used to signify how Vincent feels. During the first scene Vincent fights a man in white, who swings a knife wildly at him, this is of course a figment of his imagination but it signifies that vincent has schizophrenia and paranoia, because he has invented this situation where a man who we later find out did nothing wrong is attacking him, and this is a symptom of paranoia, feeling like people are being aggressive towards you when they really arent.

Another notable thing about Vincent at the end of this scene is the lack of emotion he displays when he has killed the man, again this signifies his mental health problems as it signifies that he believes he is doing the right thing, when clearly he is not, and that he is not affected by commiting a brutal murder. When in the train station there is a person on the opposite platform who Vincent believes is laughing at him, once again this signifies paranoia as he believes that the laughter is directed at him.

When Vincent starts to see flashes of people he has killed he begins to show fear, this signifies that part of him knows he is wrong, but he cannot regain his full senses, no matter how much his subconscious tries to break through his mental problems. When the man with the chainsaw appears, vincent flees him, until he is eventually forced to fight, this signifies that he is afraid of the situation that he invented, and is metaphorically running from the truth, that he has murdered innocent people. The fact that every character apart from Vincent himself has their face at least partially covered, hiding their identities signifies that vincent does not truly know who he is fighting against, we find out at the end of the film that the hidden identities of his enemies, are to signify an internal struggle, between himself and his mental health issues, as it becomes clear he was in fact the one who was insane.

The props in this short film mainly have the purpose of signifying Vincent's insecurities and mental issues, the first prop we must take note of is the knife, who John believes the first man is trying to attack him with. the use of an actual weapon signifies that his mind honestly believes he needs to defend himself, using a crowbar, this again, signifies he is paranoid and thinks he needs to defend himself when he is in no danger. Vincent also carries a flashlight, as well as a crowbar, this signifies that he cannot clearly see things and further signifies that mentally he cannot make sense of things and see things properly, this is supported by the way he invents situations where people attack him, which all leads back to his fear and overall confusion with the situation. When john muders the woman in the train station, we see that she has one eye covered, this is also to signify that he cannot see everything clearly, and has a distorted view on reality. Another important prop is the mirror john stares into, this is important because it signifies him not just looking at himself, but into himself and it signifies him trying to see who he really is and what he has done, this is significant because this is the first time he questions where he was at the time of his wife's death, and this is because of the time he spends looking into the mirror. The final prop in the film is also the most important, the newspaper being held by the man on the train at the very end of the film signifies that john vincent, is in fact insane, the paper tells us that he suffers from “violent delusions” this signifies that everything we have seen in the film regarding the 'cult' has been an invention of his mind, and provides the audience answers, as to why he was being targeted and what the 'cult' wanted. The entire situation was just a result of vincents paranoia and schizophrenia.

The camera work in “the insane” helps to set the tone, of fear and tension, and signifies the pshycological problems of John Vincent. The establishing shot is a wide pan of a city skyline at night, as I previously stated this signifies that the problem is widespread across the city, and also signifies that vincent is alone in his 'fight' against the insane. The first scene is a point of view shot from vincent himself, the camera moves fairly erratically and sways quite a bit, this signifies that he does not have full control over his body. In addition there are fades to black in this shot, this also signifies him blacking out, and that again, he does not have full control over his body, this also later explains why he cannot remember killing his wife. Throughout the film the camera is tilted up at John, this signifies a sense of power and dominance, also a sense of righteousness, which he clearly posseses as he believes he is the only one doing anything about the 'cult'. When he falls to his knees the camera starts to get closer and uses sharp cuts to create a sense of panic, the camera gets closer to him to signify the fact that the 'cult' is closing in on him. When he is looking into the mirror, the camera zooms in from an over the shoulder shot, to a close up on the reflection of his eyes, this creates more emphasis on the eyes, and signifies that he is judging himself and trying to ask himself questions as to why he cannot remember where he was when his wife died.

The lighting in “the insane” is consistantley dim through the majority of the film, the use of dim lighting is to signify the fact the story is a horror, as this is a common convention in horrors and sets a dark mood and tone for the fim. Regarding John however, the dark lighting also signifies that mentally, he is in a dark place, as he obviously has phsycological issues, also to signify that he is trying to find his way in his “hour of need” the flashlight he carries again signifies that he is trying to light up his path and make things clearer. After he murders the woman in white, there is a medium shot in which we see red lights in the background, this signifies blood which of course is a common convention in horror movies, this also signifies danger, the initial judgement is that john is in danger, but we later find out that it is he who is causing harm to innocent people. When john is fleeing the man with a chainsaw he passes through many tight corridors and hallways, the lighting differs here as he runs from light to dim, this signifies that his mind is still trying to retain its sanity but is drifting in and out.

The sound in the short film is constantly used to create tension and suspense, as these are characteristics of a good horror film. The fisrt sound in the film is a non diagetic string track, which creates a very ominous feel and signifies danger, we do not know who is in danger immediatley, and after we assume it is john who is in danger, we find out he is the one causing harm to others. Vincent's narration is very important as it lets the viewer understand the background to the story, such as why he is killing people and at times how he feels, for example late in the film he says he is “tired”, this signifies that he is still human to the audience even though the world around him appears to be surreal. It is also his narration that creates the impression of the fight against the secret 'cult' this is significant because until the end we assume it is true. At the end of the film, when the man on the train is reading the newspaper, Vincent begins repeating his first narration lines again, this time with an echo, this reminds the audience that he is the man the newspaper is talking about, and again signifies the fact that he is insane, as he is repeating himself and hearing voices in his head.

Overall the different factors that make up this film work very well together as they help to create an image of an entire world, then reveal it was all false, the sound helps create a background to the story and sets the mood and tone, the lighting helps to signify Johns emotions and creates a familiar setting through the use of dim light which is a common horror convention, as does the use of weapons as props. Also the use of erratic point of view camera shots help to signify the true nature of this short film, that despite all we assume to be true through the use of signs and codes throughout the film about there being a cult out to kill him, the main character John Vincent is, in fact insane.