Paranormal Activity 2 Deconstruction

Mise En Scene

• The first part of the sequence denotes a female checking on her baby. Already, the audience can note a convention of a supernatural horror - children represented as vulnerable, innocent targets for ghosts.

• There is low key lighting which tells the audience the time of day, and also relates to the genre, as members of audience may associate dark colours with ghost like connotations.

• The woman is suddenly dragged out of the room, fulfilling audience expectations, as the audience witness another convention - supernatural movement.

• The woman is forcefully controlled by a demonic force, one which will not let her go.

• At the end, we see a door being quickly shut, trapping the woman. The door movement is one key convention an audience expect to see in a supernatural horror. Therefore, audience pleasures are also fulfilled.

Camera Movement/Shots/Angles

• A steadi cam has been used, minimising camera movement. This exemplifies the idea of the film being captured like a documentary and therefore, adds to the realism.

• High angle shots have been thoroughly used throughout. This enables the audience to receive a clear view of what is occurring in the sequence.

• The long shot at the end of the sequence, allows the audience to examine the shot, and also spot the key movement of the door.

Sound

• The sequence is not introduced with non diegetic sound. Instead we hear silence. The silence effectively builds up the jump we experience, as it makes the supernatural activity more unexpected.
• The audience hear a diegetic sound of a thump, when the woman is first pulled.
• The woman begins to scream, on-screen diegetic sound.
• We hear sound of the door slightly hitting the wall, the diegetic sound is synchronous to the movement.
• The diegetic sound of the woman breathing heavily creates tension.
• Off-screen diegetic sound is heard when the woman is pulled again. The audience hear a viscous wind like movement, reflecting the supernatural character.
• The sequence concludes with a roar being heard. This raises an enigma, as the audience cannot see who is the source of this mysterious sound.
• The diegetic sound of the door closing, is very sharp and synchronous. It's sharp shut closes the sequence very well, the audience are remained shocked.