When five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods they get more than they bargained for. Together they must discover the truth behind the cabin without getting killed. This filmed was released 13th April 2012 (UK) with an estimated budget of $30,000,000 and made $14,743,614 opening weekend. Overall the movie grossed $42,043,633 all together. The film was directed by Drew Goddard who is also known for Six Feet Under (2001). The movie was written by Joss Whedon who is known for their work on Toy Story (1995). The movie stars actors such as Kristen Connolly known for Revolutionary Road (2008) and Chris Hemsworth famous for the well known Thor series.
Target Audience and Genre:
This film is aimed at older audiences, this is due to the official certificate which is a 15. Other aspects of the film which also point towards the older audience are for example: references to a sexual relationship between a student and a teacher, as well as the strong language used throughout. These features would be inappropriate for younger viewers to watch. The genre of this film is thriller, with sub genres of comedy and horror. The horror is represented through the violence the teenagers face, with the scientists observations added to lighten the mood.The sarcastic humor used by the scientists would appeal to teenagers as it is used commonly within the younger generation. However the slightly immature characters would appeal less to older audiences therefore putting the targeted audience of around 15-20 year olds.
Opening Credits:
We are first given an edited shot of the Lionsgate logo. By giving the normally blue/grey logo and red/black makeover, this has connotations of blood, danger and death, this links with the plot of the movie). This would also reinforce into the audiences' mind that they are about to watch a movie with aspects of horror. This then fades to black and is replaced with pools of blood oozing onto a black background. This would again promote that its a horror movie. On top of the blood there are symbols that resemble those of ancient Egypt. This could illustrate to the audience that the reasoning behind some aspects of the movie is that its for a bigger purpose than it seems. This is all revealed at the end of the film. These symbols, although at first seem meaningless, are little clues to the audience to keep them guessing. The credits that appear over the top are in a dark red font, this blends into the background easily, this keeps the attention on the symbols.
Narrative:
This film has a linear narrative, we are told the story step by step. There are no flashbacks used, therefore we rely solely on characters speech to understand what has happened previously. For example; we are told that the protagonist had a relationship with a teacher, although this is crucial information to the plot, we aren't given any flashbacks, it leaves the audience to fill in the blanks.
Shots Used:
Over the shoulder shots have been used between the two scientists, this is used to show an equal relationship between them, this shows that neither one has a higher job role then the other. This is also shown by the shots being kept eye-level. A higher or lower angle shot would signify the dominance of one character other the other. By keeping it eye-level it shows the respect and friendship between them, this is because they work together. At 1:34 we see a long shot, this establishes the setting these characters are in, we can see people with lab coats, this tells the audience that they are scientists who work for a large company.
This high angle extreme long shot shows the audience how insignificant these characters are in the bigger picture, every shot until now has been eye-level, by making the characters look so small in such a big room, it shows they are just one of many employees, this could explain their sarcastic attitude. At 2:54 a long tracking shot is used to establish a new setting, this follows a man on a bike in the street which then pans up and shows the window with the main character standing in front of it. At 3:17, we get a low angle shot of the protagonist staring at a book. The deep focus is on the girl, this could therefore suggest the girl is mesmerised by the book due to the drawing of the man inside.
A close up shot is used of the brown haired girl looking at the drawing whilst her blonde haired friend looks over her shoulder behind her. Close up shots are often used to display emotion, this shot cleverly shows the contrast in emotions the drawing brings out of the two characters. The girl on the left is clearly very emotional, this tells the audience that she has a emotional bond to the man, however from her watery eyes we can tell that whatever relationship that has occurred between them has ended.The emotion on the girl on the right's face is clearly disgust, this tells the audience that their past relationship was unhealthy as her friend is not sympathetic at the sight of him. This is later confirmed when we learn its a teacher student relationship.
Sound:
During the opening credits, non-deigetic mysterious music has been added, this makes the images on the blood more dramatic. As we cut to the office building with the two workers inside, typical elevator music plays in the background, this creates a work environment and tells the audience that these two characters have jobs in this location. During this scene there is also subtle diegetic sounds such as the coffee machine, this again creates a work environment as coffee is typically drank while at work. A diegetic announcement is heard in a woman's voice as they walk out of the room, this creates a smoother transition between the shots, also adds to effect that this is a large facility. There is also an echo to their voices creating the same effect. A very loud non-diegetic sound effect has been added over the credit 'The Cabin In The Woods' this would catch the audience off guard as every scene so far has been relaxed and quiet. Loud added sound effects are a common horror convention. The loud spiralling music also signifies that they are building up to something. As it cuts to the second setting, loud non-deigetic 'funky' music has been added, this would appeal to the target audience as it is fun and catchy, this also relates to the characters, as they are teens, they would stereotypically be into that genre of music. Although this music is non-diegetic it fits well, as the girl in the window appears to be slightly dancing. This upbeat music is kept up throughout this whole scene.
Conclusion:
Overall this conclusion is very successful as it combines conventions of horror and comedy, although these are two juxtaposing genres it works well and creates something that isn't done often, therefore it keeps the audience on their toes as its difficult to predict what will happen next.
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