Horror Camerawork

The Camerawork of a film is arguably one of the most important aspects. In order to create a successful horror film opening we need to identify and apply some generic camerawork used in horror films. The camerawork in horror films is often expressive and not very natural, emphasising unknown, alien qualities. Depth of field is one of the key elements of camerawork. In horror a low depth of field is often used in order to distort the background, creating potential to hide the villain/monster, making the audience wonder what is there and creating a sense of danger. An element i observed in most of the films i have looked at is the use of close ups and extreme close ups. Throughout horror films they are used numerous times in order to show the heightened emotions of the characters. Varying angles are also used a lot. High angle shots are used with the victims to make them look small and vulnerable, in contrast to this low angle shots are used with the villain to emphasise power and control. Point of view shots are another aspect we should try to include in our opening. They are used in order to put the viewers in the place of the characters, helping them relate and making the film even more scary. Finally a aspect sometimes used is handheld shots. They are used in order to create a sense of fear and unknown and distort the action, creating a more realistic feel.