Technical Analysis - 1 Porcelain Rising

Porcelain Rising is a Horror Short film that is set in a family home with a father and daughter. The action of the film is mainly shot in the daughter's bedroom.

Narrative & Format
The narrative of Porcelain Rising is linear because all of the events that are happening in this short film, they are in order which shoes that it is linear. This is a realist narrative as it shows that dolls come to life. It shows that the 'doll' is the same height as the character but in reality dolls are not human. This shows that porcelain rising is realist due to the fact that the events that occur in this short film makes it realistic so the audience can feel emotion as they think it may happen in real life.
The format of this short film is a single drama as there won't be a second part to this because it ends with a cliff hanger. ("what are you doing with that knife?")


The effects of Genre conventions is that costumes location and props are very important when it comes to filming as they are one of the few main objects that catch the audience's eye.

Costume -
Costume is important in this short film because there are a number of scenes where characters outfits stand out and have a certain meaning.

For example, this screenshot shows that the character has been stabbed (because she is being sacrificed). This is important because there are a number of blood stains on her clothing. The blood represents danger because it is red and is always shown in thriller and horrors.

Another example is this screenshot, as it shows that this character is dangerous because of the mask that they are wearing represents that they are the murderer.





Locations - 
Locations is also an important factor in this short film because there are two main areas in the family house that were filmed. The areas were: bedroom and kitchen; the bedroom was the main focus in the short film because the majority of what was filmed was shot in the bedroom.

This is one of the locations, which was the kitchen.

And the last location is the bedroom, where all of the action took place.









Props - 
Lastly, props were important because they had significant meanings in the short film. I will now explain four examples and why they are significant.

These props are significant in this short film because it hides a certain identity and character which is the doll with the mask on. This character may be portrayed as a doll to confuse viewers to think further on during the film the character is a doll, when it is actually a human.



A second example is of the father dialing a number on his phone. This is important because he is away from the action in the bedroom and has no clue on what is going on.






This is one of the most important props in the short film because it has a big role and is portrayed as a doll when it is actually a human.

As you can see, this character is holding a knife in her hand which symbolizes that she is about to murder someone (which is the father). This gives a mystery because this is how the film ends, with a cliff hanger.





Lighting and Colours
High key and Low Key lighting are the main types of lighting that is used in this short film. I have collected a range of screenshots to show and explain why they have been used.

Low Key Lighting - 
Low key lighting gives a dramatic and mysterious mood when it comes to horror and thrillers. This is to create suspense and mystery as it creates a dull and emotional atmosphere.
This screenshot shows that low key lighting has been used to represent that she has just been awoken as there may be something lurking in the dark. This creates mystery because we are unaware of what is happening.





This screenshot also shows low key lighting as this character is hiding under her bed. Chiaroscuro has been used in this screenshot because it creates the volume and depth between the character's face.

High Key Lighting - 
High Key Lighting gives a optimistic and positive mood as it is the opposite to Low Key Lighting; as the contrast has been compressed. But in this case, the high key lighting gives shock and creates more contrasting shots when it comes to making horrors.

In this screenshot it shows that lighting is key in this part of the film because as the lighting strikes, the face of the doll appears. This creates fear and shock because the doll was placed in the closed cupboard but it escaped some how. It also shows that in this case, high key lighting does not create a upbeat mood because this is a horror.


Naturalistic Lighting -
Naturalistic lighting was not used in this short film as it was filmed at night. However there are a number of shots that have natural lighting that beams inside from the night sky.


In this screenshot it shows how the street lights from outside shone its way into the kitchen. This implicates that as natural lighting has been used, it makes it realistic. Also, the use of jump cuts are used to break continuity to show insecurity and to show that something supernatural is going on. (2:48)

Coverage Shots

Angles -
Angles are very critical in films because they indicate mood and tension.

A low angle shot has been used in this screenshot to represent that there may be something below the camera and to also show the character is pure. I know this because of what her room looks like.







Editing
Editing is very important when it comes to films because this is the final step to completion. Shots such as , match on action and jump cuts were used in this short film; and the most common shot which was used was match on action.

Match on action and close ups have been used a number of times in this short film because it reveals the character's facial expressions and as it switches camera angles at a fast pace, it then shows what the doll has done to the character.




















This over the shoulder shot has been used to show one character's facial expression by only showing one face, as the camera is placed at the side of the character and sets the position of two characters.






This wide shot has been used in this short film to show exactly what is happening between these two characters. What is being shown is that the girl is being attacked by the live doll. This is to create shock and fear because now the audience know that the doll is real.





Sounds
Sounds are very important in films because there are four main areas such as Diegetic, Non Diegetic, Soundtrack and Effects.
The first area I will discuss is Diegetic sounds. Sounds such as the voices of the characters, rain, thunder, screams, children's laughs. Diegetic sounds are used to tell a visual story; these are the sounds that the characters and audience can hear.
Secondly, is Non-Diegetic sounds. Sounds such as the scary music and sound effects can only be heard by the audience to create mystery and fear.