Planning cinematography - Miss Miller

High & low angle

This will be used throughout the clip, mainly on the victim and the antagonist. A low angle will be used on the antagonist in most scenes. One clear example of this will be seen in the first flash back; the antagonist is shown from a low angle outside our victims window. This makes the antagonist seem more menacing o our audience as though he is towering over them. It shows how he has control and is powerful. The effect this has on the audience is that we feel scared of the antagonist, he seems dangerous to us, this conveys a sense of suspense and tension as our innocent victim is in a dangerous situation. To a contrasting effect we will also use a low angle on our victim. Likewise, this will be done throughout most scenes. In the first flash back, much like the low angle, we will also see this used to great effect. The victim will be seen at a high angle during the majority of the clip. This shows her to be smaller and vulnerable as though the audience are looming over her, emphasising her innocence. The effect this has on the audience is that it builds upon our sympathy felt towards the character as we develop a likeable relationship with her. It also shows her in danger, foreshadowing what could happen. Overall, the juxtaposition of the two angle creates tension for the reader as we see the innocent victim under a threat of the menacing antagonist.

Panning

This will be shown in the third flash back as the camera follows the runner, presumed to be the antagonist, moving past our victim. This means that the camera will remain still on the tripod whilst following the fast moving character. It means that the character is focused upon, clarifying his importance during this scene. By using this technique we are clearly showing the runner as being an innocent bystander. This confuses the audience, creating an enigma as they ask why the girl was so terrified. It emphasises how paranoid she is, elaborating on the dangerous situation. The effect this has is that we are surprised from how irrational she is reacting to the stalker. This element of surprise is conventional to a thriller as it engages the viewers.

Extreme close up

This is displayed during the second flash back as we close up on the boot of our antagonist when the girl is walking home from school. This means that the camera will focus on the boot for a short period of time, showing no background and noting else but the boot itself. This highlights the eerie presence of the antagonist. By doing this it subtly shows how deranged the man is as he is following her everywhere. By not showing anything else during this shot we see how this eerie presence is the focal point of the scene, it emphasises how dangerous he is and we become furthermore frightful of the man. The effect this has on the viewers is that the shock element is conveyed as we realise how dangerous the man is, we feel tension as we see the girl under threat and we sympathise for her. It also exaggerates the hidden identity as we see nothing about the man, no clues or hints into what he looks like or even his physical features. This adds to the enigma of who he is and builds suspense as we want to see the reasons behind his stalking. Overall it again creates a relationship between our antagonist and our audience as they become frightful of the deranged, dangerous man.

Shallow focus

This will be used in the last flash back showing the girls facial features as she becomes fearful and paranoid of everything and everyone. It means that the background and everything in the image is out of focus apart from the face of the victim. It is done so that we highlight her sad paranoid, expression. By doing this we emphasise the how she is slowly becoming deranged by the stalker and we sympathy for her furthermore. This is a key technique in the development of a relationship evolving between the viewers and the victim, by focusing totally on the girl we start to feel her fear and we begin to really worry about her. This creates tension for the audience as we feel she is in danger and want to see her come out unharmed.

Hand held

This will be demonstrated clearly in the first flash back, as the girl spots the antagonist outside of the window, she quickly rises and runs to the kitchen, the overall pace of the clip quickly increases and we switch to a hand held camera. This means that we will hold the camera following the character too and from the kitchen. The effect of this is that it highlights the panic of the situation; the sudden movement of the camera creates a sense of chaos for the audience. This emphasises the feeling of fear and suspense as the viewer is keen to find out what happens to the girl and the outcome of the sudden panic. By creating chaos and panic it elaborates the danger of our antagonist and the importance of the situation. It is conventional as it builds upon the key sense of shock, vital to the thriller genre.