‘Mirrors’ by Alexandre Aja comes under two genres; horror and thriller. The horror conventions used in ‘Mirrors’ are the death of a person, evil forces and graphic violence. The thriller conventions used are supernatural phenomenons, weird happenings, fast pace shots and suspense. The audience’s generic expectations of the text are fulfilled in the opening sequence as it conforms to the traditional conventions of a horror/thriller film very effectively. The text conforms to the characteristics of the genre in a way that doesn’t make the plot obvious but still gives the audience an idea of what the film is about along with the fairly obvious title ‘Mirrors’.
The first shot you see is a low shot of a man running and panting but before you see the man you just hear the running footsteps and panting with a black screen that fades into the man. The location appears to be an underground train station as you can see tiled walls and staircases. You also hear the sound of a train in motion which backs up this thought. There is a blue wash used to make it seem more eerie and spooky like a traditional horror/thriller would be. The lights are on but the station is empty which makes the audience think that it is night time which is another convention of a horror/thriller. As the man is running he looks behind him a couple of times which gives the impression he is being followed or running away from something. Also, the fact that he is panting connotes that he has being running for a while. There is then a shot from behind the man and he looks around again. By having a shot from below and behind gives you an idea of the location but still doesn’t show you what is behind him. This is a very clever technique which is used to build up the suspense. The next shot is from the side, following him as he runs past. This then leads to a long shot of him running towards the camera and as he gets nearer the camera zooms out so that there is a gate also in the shot. All of these different shot techniques add to the suspense and the idea that he is being watched. The man then shakes the gate which connotes that he is trapped and wanting to escape. The next shot is of a train leaving a station. At first you see the full height of the train but it then zooms in on the train and as the train moves away you see the mans legs as he runs along the station. This continues to back up the idea that he is being followed or running away from something. The station is also empty and as it is underground it makes it seem more dangerous. As he is running away you can see him run towards a staircase with an ‘Exit’ sign on the wall which connotes that he is trying to escape. All of these shots are done from the opposite station which adds to the impression that he is being watched or followed. The shot then cuts to him at the top of the stairs. The camera is looking up at a mirrored ceiling in which you can see the reflection of the man below. This relates to the title of the film and connotes that the mirrors are more powerful than the man or someone is using the mirrors to watch him. He pauses at the top of the stairs but as soon as he looks up and sees the mirrors he starts running again which adds to the idea that he is running away from the mirrors. There is then a shot from behind him. The camera follows him until he reaches a red door. The lighting in this shot focuses on the red door and the surroundings have almost no lighting at all. The red colour of the door also connotes danger. The door is locked and he has to break open the lock. This connotes that he shouldn’t be entering the room. Everything that the man does is in a rush which is a typical convention of a horror/thriller. Once in the room he leans on the door catching his breath. A steadi cam is then used to show where he is looking. It quickly pans to an open doorway where there is a flashing light shining through. The camera is then in the opposite corner of the room and follows the man as he walks into the other room. The way that the lights are flashing in the room only lets the audience see half of the mans actions which also adds to the suspense. He moves a metal object out of the way which reveals a small open window. The man then says “Oh. Fuck!” This is the first use of dialogue in the film. The fact that the first words are swearing connotes that he knows he is in serious trouble. The room appears to be a changing room as it has lockers on either side and sinks on the end wall with mirrors above. Some of the locker doors start to open on their own simultaneously. There is then a shot of each locker door stopping at a certain point. On the inside of the locker doors there are mirrors and as the doors stop you see a reflection of the mans face in each mirror. This connotes a supernatural behaviour and that the mirrors are ‘after’ him. The way he is positioned in the room means that he can be seen in each mirror of the locker doors and in the mirror on the back wall. He then starts walking towards the mirrored wall very slowly. There is a close up of his face as he starts apologising to the mirrors. The mirror then starts to crack and the man becomes very distressed. He says “I don’t wanna die” which connotes that the mirror is going to kill him in some way. This is a typical convention of a horror/thriller. The camera is positioned so that you can see both the man and the reflection of him in the mirror. The man then starts to clean the mirror whilst repeatedly saying “sorry” as if he is trying to comfort the mirror and stop it from killing him. A piece of the mirror then breaks of and there is a shot of it as it falls to the ground which connotes its importance. As soon as this happens the man stops rubbing the mirror and steps back. He then says “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” As he is saying this he is stuttering and saying it as if he is being told off. This connotes that the mirror is in control of him. There is then some supernatural conventions when the man bends down to pick up the piece of mirror but his reflection stays standing. The reflection watches the man as he bends down and as he stands back up. The reflection then starts to distort and morph. The reflection has a smug look on its face whilst the man looks petrified. The reflection then stabs itself in the neck and consequently the man is stabbed in the neck but not with his own hand. This is where the convention of graphic violence and supernatural phenomenons comes in. The reflection is cutting across its neck with the piece of mirror but is not being killed whereas the incision can be seen moving across the man and blood spurting out. You can see that on the reflection’s neck the blood has made a cross shape – the incision across and blood dripping down and spurting up. But the strange thing is you can’t see this cross on the man’s neck. Eventually the man collapses on the floor and the title credits come up.
The narrative is arranged in a linear form which helps the audience to understand what’s going on. However, as the film is a horror/thriller, one of the main conventions is mystery and therefore not much is given away about the plot. The only thing that the audience can assume from the opening is that people are being controlled and killed by mirrors if they do not do what they are told to do. This mystery helps to create an enigma which makes people want to see the rest of the film.
It is quite difficult to analyse how social groups are represented in this sequence as there is only one character. However, this character appears to be between 30-40 and is represented as being very vulnerable and weak. The values and beliefs shown in this opening sequence show that there is an ideological discourse on men as being weak and vulnerable whereas men are normally shown as being strong.
I would say that the target audience is most likely young adults and above mainly of the male sex. It would not be suitable for anyone under that age due to the swearing and graphic violence. The plot does also seem to be quite twisted which is more suitable for people who can cope with it. The way that the audience would read the text would be that the mirrors can control and kill anyone that it chooses and that if you are chosen and do not abide by the rules then you will die. I think that as I am a young adult I understand the plot but as I am a woman I probably find it scarier than men.
The first shot you see is a low shot of a man running and panting but before you see the man you just hear the running footsteps and panting with a black screen that fades into the man. The location appears to be an underground train station as you can see tiled walls and staircases. You also hear the sound of a train in motion which backs up this thought. There is a blue wash used to make it seem more eerie and spooky like a traditional horror/thriller would be. The lights are on but the station is empty which makes the audience think that it is night time which is another convention of a horror/thriller. As the man is running he looks behind him a couple of times which gives the impression he is being followed or running away from something. Also, the fact that he is panting connotes that he has being running for a while. There is then a shot from behind the man and he looks around again. By having a shot from below and behind gives you an idea of the location but still doesn’t show you what is behind him. This is a very clever technique which is used to build up the suspense. The next shot is from the side, following him as he runs past. This then leads to a long shot of him running towards the camera and as he gets nearer the camera zooms out so that there is a gate also in the shot. All of these different shot techniques add to the suspense and the idea that he is being watched. The man then shakes the gate which connotes that he is trapped and wanting to escape. The next shot is of a train leaving a station. At first you see the full height of the train but it then zooms in on the train and as the train moves away you see the mans legs as he runs along the station. This continues to back up the idea that he is being followed or running away from something. The station is also empty and as it is underground it makes it seem more dangerous. As he is running away you can see him run towards a staircase with an ‘Exit’ sign on the wall which connotes that he is trying to escape. All of these shots are done from the opposite station which adds to the impression that he is being watched or followed. The shot then cuts to him at the top of the stairs. The camera is looking up at a mirrored ceiling in which you can see the reflection of the man below. This relates to the title of the film and connotes that the mirrors are more powerful than the man or someone is using the mirrors to watch him. He pauses at the top of the stairs but as soon as he looks up and sees the mirrors he starts running again which adds to the idea that he is running away from the mirrors. There is then a shot from behind him. The camera follows him until he reaches a red door. The lighting in this shot focuses on the red door and the surroundings have almost no lighting at all. The red colour of the door also connotes danger. The door is locked and he has to break open the lock. This connotes that he shouldn’t be entering the room. Everything that the man does is in a rush which is a typical convention of a horror/thriller. Once in the room he leans on the door catching his breath. A steadi cam is then used to show where he is looking. It quickly pans to an open doorway where there is a flashing light shining through. The camera is then in the opposite corner of the room and follows the man as he walks into the other room. The way that the lights are flashing in the room only lets the audience see half of the mans actions which also adds to the suspense. He moves a metal object out of the way which reveals a small open window. The man then says “Oh. Fuck!” This is the first use of dialogue in the film. The fact that the first words are swearing connotes that he knows he is in serious trouble. The room appears to be a changing room as it has lockers on either side and sinks on the end wall with mirrors above. Some of the locker doors start to open on their own simultaneously. There is then a shot of each locker door stopping at a certain point. On the inside of the locker doors there are mirrors and as the doors stop you see a reflection of the mans face in each mirror. This connotes a supernatural behaviour and that the mirrors are ‘after’ him. The way he is positioned in the room means that he can be seen in each mirror of the locker doors and in the mirror on the back wall. He then starts walking towards the mirrored wall very slowly. There is a close up of his face as he starts apologising to the mirrors. The mirror then starts to crack and the man becomes very distressed. He says “I don’t wanna die” which connotes that the mirror is going to kill him in some way. This is a typical convention of a horror/thriller. The camera is positioned so that you can see both the man and the reflection of him in the mirror. The man then starts to clean the mirror whilst repeatedly saying “sorry” as if he is trying to comfort the mirror and stop it from killing him. A piece of the mirror then breaks of and there is a shot of it as it falls to the ground which connotes its importance. As soon as this happens the man stops rubbing the mirror and steps back. He then says “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” As he is saying this he is stuttering and saying it as if he is being told off. This connotes that the mirror is in control of him. There is then some supernatural conventions when the man bends down to pick up the piece of mirror but his reflection stays standing. The reflection watches the man as he bends down and as he stands back up. The reflection then starts to distort and morph. The reflection has a smug look on its face whilst the man looks petrified. The reflection then stabs itself in the neck and consequently the man is stabbed in the neck but not with his own hand. This is where the convention of graphic violence and supernatural phenomenons comes in. The reflection is cutting across its neck with the piece of mirror but is not being killed whereas the incision can be seen moving across the man and blood spurting out. You can see that on the reflection’s neck the blood has made a cross shape – the incision across and blood dripping down and spurting up. But the strange thing is you can’t see this cross on the man’s neck. Eventually the man collapses on the floor and the title credits come up.
The narrative is arranged in a linear form which helps the audience to understand what’s going on. However, as the film is a horror/thriller, one of the main conventions is mystery and therefore not much is given away about the plot. The only thing that the audience can assume from the opening is that people are being controlled and killed by mirrors if they do not do what they are told to do. This mystery helps to create an enigma which makes people want to see the rest of the film.
It is quite difficult to analyse how social groups are represented in this sequence as there is only one character. However, this character appears to be between 30-40 and is represented as being very vulnerable and weak. The values and beliefs shown in this opening sequence show that there is an ideological discourse on men as being weak and vulnerable whereas men are normally shown as being strong.
I would say that the target audience is most likely young adults and above mainly of the male sex. It would not be suitable for anyone under that age due to the swearing and graphic violence. The plot does also seem to be quite twisted which is more suitable for people who can cope with it. The way that the audience would read the text would be that the mirrors can control and kill anyone that it chooses and that if you are chosen and do not abide by the rules then you will die. I think that as I am a young adult I understand the plot but as I am a woman I probably find it scarier than men.
1 comment:
Well done Tally - some useful observations. You use semiotics well to deconstruct your opening. However, for the next analysis, you must improve the following:
1. You do NOT need to recount the whole extract. Instead break it down by technology; look at use of camera, then sound, then mise-en-scene. Pick out some examples of each and use more camera terminology.
2. You must look at representation and ideological discourse in more detail.
This is a 3+ / B level
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