Textual
analysis- Insanity
The short film begins with a blank screen, with non-diegetic
sound which is harsh and high pitched, immediately the unknown of what is to
come next becomes a source of fear for the viewers. The shift of sound to a continuous
drone suggest an element of consistency, perhaps a cycle of fears. The male
voice over which audiences can hear throughout the film from beginning to end
connote an emotional connection of trust between the audience and the
protagonist.
The first representation presented is a troubled male in
need of help, this representation is created through the panning of the mid
shot of the protagonists clothes and, beer bottles and crumpled pieces of
newspaper the untidy bedroom suggests that there is a degree of instability in
the male’s life as he is crawled up against the wall. The still shot shows the
protagonist in distress as his head is hidden in his arms, these types of
actions are often associated with troublesome individuals. The standard t shirt
is a representation of the typical boys who may be able to identify with the
protagonist.
The close up of the protagonist at the scene of the sink,
where the protagonist is in his own battle of reality and his mind, is shown
carefully through the mud and contrast to water. This scene links very well to
the title of the film ‘Insanity’ as the speech of the male who says “… and sometimes,
you’re not sure if it was ever there”. The speech, sound and actions are all
interlinked with each other which make the experience aversive and induce
viewers. The range of shots used with varied shot duration create a snappy and sinister feel to the film which is a convention of the horror genre.
The change of sounds allows the audience to know there has
been a change of scene, the shot is a wide panning shot of the forest. The
forest is iconic, the choice of location- a forest creates a sense of empathy
for the victim as the physical size of the forest doesn’t compare to the size
of the protagonist this creates a sympathetic feeling from the viewers. The
voice over creates a connection between the audience and the protagonist.
The sudden change in location gives the audience an insight
into the protagonists mind, the quick and different locations present an
element of insanity. The sound which shifts but does not have a dramatic change
implies that the pain from the previous scene has continued into this scene and
location, I think that the image which is being presented is that what the
protagonist is experiencing is inescapable. As the close up of the facial
expressions as well as the tracking shots show the physical emotions behind the
voice over.
The range of shots varying from wide to close up suggests a
hint of confusion, creating an atmosphere where everything is happening at once.
As the protagonist wakes up to his bedroom walls the audience’s journey comes
to an end. The journey through the young man’s mind is further questioned when
suspense is created as the protagonist who doesn’t physically move, ends up
with muddy hands in which a handprint is left. The zooming of the handprint
gives the audience a few seconds to absorb all that had happened before the
credits roll.
By analysing the short film Insanity has made me realise that the
quality of the audio is very important in creating suspense and a tense atmosphere, the build up of an upcoming scary moment is often provoked by eerie and hollow sounds also because the voice over allows the
audience to build a connection with the protagonist as well as understand him creating sympathy so that if anything sinister or gory happens to him audiences can empathise with him, the type of music is also very important because it triggers different
emotions either scaring or inducing a sympathetic feeling to the audience.
