Textual Analysis

The Mothman Prophecies (Mark Pellington, 2002) directed by Mark Pellington in 2002 is based on true events which automatically installs tension into the audience as they think it could possibly happen to them, although usually only small details of reality are taken, and then exaggerated and a story is made from it. The music was very echoic but interrupted by sharp sounds to imply to the audience that they should expect the unexpected. Exaggerating a characters breath is used in this clip which implies the character is panicking as you often breathe louder when you panic, even though breathing is very rhythmic and should sound calming, it tends to put you on edge. Cuts from blurry to in focus shots imply a confusing storyline, and draws our attention to specific details to help the audience follow what’s going on. The close up on the moth is quite unnerving for the audience because it is something which we would often see on a day to day basis, but still something which as humans we like. But it reflects that in the title, ‘mothman’ is used which we imagine in our heads to be a cross between a man and a moth, and the fact that the whole creature is never fully seen throughout the film installs tension as an image which can be seen on a screen is never as details or frightening to the audience as the image which they build in their head, and therefore builds tension. The fast cuts when the car crashes adds variety to the pace of the film, and gives the audience the feeling that they are actually there watching the car spinning. The establishing/aerial shot is also a Point of View shot of the Mothman which allows the audience to see the situation from the Mothman’s prospective, and is a way of showing his presence even though we never see him fully. The lighting is very dark throughout as the opening is set at night, and darkness instantly installs suspense as it’s harder to see what’s about to happen.

Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)  which was directed by Ridley Scott in 1979 used very eerie sounds combined with squeaky noises which sound quite a strange mix which implies it would be a very fictional film. There is no sign of life until the end of the opening sequence, and even then we don’t know who these people are and don’t hear them speak, so it’s completely non-diagetic sounds. There was no establishing shot at the beginning and goes straight into a close-up of the spaceship travelling through space (which could be anywhere in the universe and full ship is never shown); and then a close up of all the equipment, and everything is very plain and metal with nothing personalised which creates an unease for the audience as everything seems very secretive, and as though whoever or whatever is on the spaceship doesn’t want anyone to know anything about them.

In 2007, Francis Laurence directed I Am Legend (Francis Lawrence, 2007) which starts with a news read. This is of a woman who claims to have found the cure for cancer, then cuts to a heading saying ‘3 years later’; and an establishing shot of an empty New York. This shocks the audience as if someone in real life did find the cure to cancer then it would be seen as a miracle, but this obviously has actually had an extremely negative impact and has resulting in New York being completely abandoned which has been done by closing down sections of road whilst filming, and image editing. This makes the audience think about a lot of things about today’s society and the impact in which science has. The familiar setting of New York which we see so much of in films as being ‘the city which never sleeps’ is suddenly contradicted as it appears to be dead. The very famous aerial shot in this film is to show only one car travelling through the streets. An over the shoulder shot is also a Point of View shot of the driver who we see as the only person left in New York. This tells the audience that the story will be told by this character.