Short Film Research: (Porcupine) (4)

Diegetic sound in the beginning. You can hear people cheering, as it appears to be a New Year's celebration. In the 2nd scene you can subtly hear the woman lighting her cigarette, smoking it, and exhaling the smoke, as well as the crickets chirping in the background (indicating that the scene is taking place at night). Non diegetic sound more specifically ambient instrumental as the scene transitions to the woman and her husband showing affection to each other, both of them having their arms wrapped around each other. More diegetic sound as she grabs her jacket to fold it. Furthermore, in the scene where her veteran husband is teaching her how to shoot a gun. AS well as the scene where she's going about around her house doing common tasks before the climax begins to occur. As tension heightens and pre-climax occurs, sound experiences transition from diegetic to non diegetic, as all the background (diegetic) sounds such as the operator and lady communicating with each other and the baby in the background crying transitions (fades out) to just the sound of a heartbeat (non-diegetic) that progressively gets louder. This sound transition where the sound fades out from the diegetic sounds to the non-diegetic occurs again as the lady clearly gets more stressed out, this time the sound is focused on her heavy breathing and gasps. After both times the non-diegetic sounds transition back to diegetic. Another non-diegetic sound is the overlapping of the sound from one different scene to the scene of the climax. In one scene you can hear the people counting down from 10 till 1. Once the countdown hits one which is heard not seen, the lady shoots the intruder who eventually got inside the house but did not last for more than a second. In the 1st scene where everyone can be seen celebrating the New Years, the characters consume wise, have some layered clothing, such as jackets, long-sleeves, and sweaters as part of their outerwear. Meaning one can assume that wherever the setting may be likely the temperature is lower due to New Years occurring during winter. Aside from that scene, the main character and her husband have typical working class attire which is comprised of flannels, pants, and vests. The lighting in the film is natural throughout most of the film. There is not much exterior lighting sources that seem visible, as the only lighting that can be seen is that from sunlight or the lights inside the main character's home. Before the climax scene, the character's movements are normal. In the New Years celebration scene everybody's prancing around in a joyful state that a New Year has started or is about to arrive. Even in the scene where the main character is practicing shooting a target with the assistance of her veteran husband; both of the characters movements seem relaxed, and not tense. When the climax begins, however, the character's movements change when she realizes that someone is attempting to barge into her home. Throughout the scene, she can be seen stressed and panicking, which can be seen in her rigid movements and her shaky voice holding back tears of fear as she's attempting her best at communicating the situation with the operator. Right before the climax scene occurs, where the antagonist (the dude trying to break in) seems to be getting closer and closer to breaking in, though she still remains nervous. She becomes more composed knowing that if she doesn't, her and her baby will be in serious jeopardy. There are Camera zooms in on the scene where she's shooting in the forest (medium-long shot) , also when she's in the closet grabbing a piece of clothing. also tilts downward in that scene form the husband to the main character (closeup). When she's inside the house, mostly medium shots, and medium-close ups, with a few close-ups. Each of the scenes before the climax are decently time, with each shot not being too short nor too long. As the film approaches closer to the climax scene, however, the time-frame of each shots starts to decrease, with the main purpose of intensifying the moment and causing suspense. Something you only see in the events leading up to the climax scene is are a few tracking shots, which are purposefully done so for the audience to get a feel of what it's like to be her in the unexpected situation she finds herself. Example of thriller films are Silence of the Lambs, Get Out, Jaws, and Fight Club. I like the scares, the surprise scenes that frequently occur within thriller movies. Elements such as these that really get the blood pumping while watching. Also, I enjoy the overpowering antagonists that many thrillers incorporate because it makes me excited and nervous. Essentially it keeps me at the edge of my seat, not knowing whether it'll do what it set out to do. Sometimes movies rely on predictable plot twists, and are unoriginal in the climax events that occur. Also, often times character developments are rushed, so the audience does not see the character's full potential or capability because for instance they die or decide to go live on Mars. Overall, the sound and lighting design work together to create a suspenseful and emotionally charged atmosphere. The subtle shifts and transitions effectively mirror the protagonist's internal state and build anticipation for the climax.