An Amateurs' Analysis of The Conjuring

 Last class, I had the wonderful opportunity to watch one of my favorite movies and do a filmmakers analysis on it. I observed the wide variety of camera shots, angles, and compositions necessary to make a horror film. I was so excited to start, so let me show you what I found. 

Extreme Close up

The movie starts off with an extreme close up of the Anabelle doll. Here, we are able to see what looks like a cracked eye, with some blemishes on the cheek. It's obvious that this doll is old, broken or probably a mix of both. This shot serves it's purpose at being unsettling, which is something anyone can agree on. A few seconds later, we transition into ...

Zoom out - - > Mid Shot

We transition into a mid shot using a zoom. Here, we

are able to finally see one of the antagonists of the

film, the evil doll, in it's entirety. Instead of just a

it's eye which is worn down, it's the whole toy. This

mid shot is effectively done to show our character

and it's environment. We see it's on a chair next to

real people, as seen by the hand.

Tracking Shot

Although this is only a still figure, this is a thirty second

long tracking shot. This scene shows the Perron family

moving into their new hosue, effectviely introducing the

family. In fact, every character is named except for

Christine, who happens to be the person the spirit targets

first. This is a very hectic shot with everyone constantly

moving, ensuring that the scene is realistic.

Over the Shoulder Shot

This is one of many over the shoulder shots done in the

film. Even though there are so many different ones, they

all have their unique purpose. For the scenes like this one,

where we are looking over the subject's shoulder and

peering into a dark, long hallway, we are put in the shoes

of the character and experience the suspense in real time.

Close up Shot W/ Alternating Angles

This scene has an alternating close up shot, changing

focus from the subject to the music box. This scene in

particular is very interesting because we see that as she

winds the music box, a light shines in her eye. Putting

emphasis on her eye is an extremely clever move, as it

is going to be extremely significant later on in the movie.

Close Up Shot

Although this is another close up shot, the importance of

this scene is extreme. This shows the mothers first true

experience with the entity, which occured while she was

exploring the basement. For a little background

knowledge, the Perron family plays a game called

"Hide-N-Go Clap", which is how we first discovered that

there may be something inside their house. While the

mother is using a match, it suddenly dies out out after the

sound of a clap directly behind her appears, effectively

startling both her and the audience.

High Angle Shot

Throughout the movie, there are many isntances of

high angle shots. This one in particular is used while one

of the daughters are sleep walking up a staircase with an

entity stallking right behind her. The rest of the family

are at the bottom of the staircase watching her ascend,

with little they can actually do to stop her. This angle is

used to show how little power they have over the situation.

As the daughter gets higher, so does the angle.

Overhead Shot

Continuing from the last shot, as the daughter gets higher, so does the camera. This showis how as every second passes, so does their chance to do anything. It gets so high that it turns into an overhead shot. It does this as the men attempt to break down a door, showing how completely powerless they are to do anything. They can't save the daughter, which is shown in both the angle and the following moments.