Movie Convention Research: The Shallows

The first movie research was The Shallows and it was watched on Hulu 

In regards to the varying camera angles and camera movements. The movie starts with an establishing shot at the beach, making the main character look insignificant to the huge ocean in front of her. For multiple scenes, a birds-eye view is used to show the main character, the shark, and her unfavorable surroundings. After the birds-eye view, we are given a close-up of the main character, and what she is planning on doing. Many low angles are used when the main character is in the water, giving the audience a POV shot of the shark below her. Tracking shots are commonly occurring when the main character is surfing, suspensefully leading up to the moments before the shark attacks her. Throughout the film, the main character is the center of a pan shot, to show what her emotions and options are for getting away from the shark. All of these angles and movements helped to add suspense and distress to the movie, and will likely be implemented in our film.

Regarding the Mis-en-scene of the film, it was narrow and less demanding since the surroundings and characters don't change. The characters have limited interaction with each other with surface-level dialogue to help push the plot. All of the background actors were in beach attire, as well as the main character who had a bathing suit along with a surfboard. The lighting of the movie was bright and colorful for the beginning of the movie. It switched to a grey and almost rainy setting when the shark attacked the main character. 

The sound isn't predominant in the film, eerie instrumentals are only used for a small amount to help build up suspense before the shark tried to attack. Ringing and flat line noise is used when the character is under stress or falls into the water. Basic sounds of the beach such as waves crushing are included. An emphasis is placed on the main character's dialogue as the music is rarely playing while she is talking. 

The thriller conventions used throughout this film are very helpful in deciding which ones our group will be using in our film. Since the conventions worked so well in providing that sense of horror and suspense, it's good to recognize which ones they were. Such as the flat line noise, low angles, and color switch.




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