Reflections on my Film Still Shot

MODEL: JESS W LIGHTING: ODELIA & ROBBIE

1. Describe your shot and identify in what way it could be described as representing your chosen genre.

My desired genre was thriller/ horror/ slasher and the shot MCU of a young white female in a toilet cubicle. Her pink converse, skinny jeans and black nail varnish all help to connote her age and gender and demonstrate the teenage sub-genre. The image is slightly obscured by the bottom of the door creating a sense of voyeurism from the uncomfortable angle of the shot and obvious intrusion into a place of privacy. The picture is very dark and shadowy due to the sparse lighting which is in keeping with the conventions of the horror/thriller genre. The models finger is covered in blood and is hanging limply as though the character is slumped over the toilet.

2. What did you actually do to achieve the effect?

For the intense shadowy effect, the only source of light was a small pag light, concentrated by shutting the barn doors to create a thinner beam pointed directly at her feet. I used the cameras manual settings to shoot with a fast shutter speed and fairly small depth of field to create extra darkness and make sure the background though clearly visible to display the mis en scene did not detract away from the model. The model had unfortunately (but fortunately for me!) cut her finger earlier in the lesson during an unsuccessful attempt at an ambitious 'hanging shot' so her finger was covered in blood which I used to my advantage to convey the slasher genre. I had deliberately asked the model to wear her pink converse for this lesson and untie the laces as I thought it would really add to the vulnerability of the protagonist. I wanted to create the sense of entrapment hence why I chose to do an MCU instead of a CU so the audience can see there is no way out and the camera is looking in (created by me lying on the floor and pointing the camera underneath the toilet door).

3. Identify what is successful about your shot.

I think the shot is successful because it outlines the genre pretty clearly. The lighting is very atmospheric and the models position and costume (particularly the black nail polish- which was not actually deliberate) work well together to display the typical conventions of my desired genres.

4. What would you do differently in hindsight?

If I were to re-shoot this I would DEFINITELY make sure the horizon wasn't wonky (it's a massive pet peeve of mine!). I would also clear the tissue on the RHS of the picture and the piece of hair on the LHS as I find them really distracting as they don't help to signify the genre and could be misinterpreted as red herrings! Overall however these are quite minor things that could be edited in post production-my real priority would be to make sure Jess didn't actually hurt herself on the day and that the blood was fake!