Sian Williams & Hannah Holden

10 Shot Analysis of ‘The Set Up’

This is the establishing shot. The protagonist walks up to the front door and puts a key in the lock. This signifies that this is where the character lives.

This shot signifies that the character is of working class, as it is semi-detached and a standard house that you would expect to find in the suburbs.

Due to the dark sky and the light is on, the audience understands that it is nighttime. This sets up the rest of the film as darkness is usually associated with ‘the unknown’ and darkness provokes fear.

We originally wanted this to be a bathroom cabinet that the character opens and closes. However, our location only had a wardrobe which doesn’t fit usual horror conventions as you cannot build up tension and provoke the audience to think someone unknown will be in the reflection. So we may film this section in another location.

The reflection of the character in the mirror is quite aesthetically pleasing.

The furniture and décor of the room confirms that the character is just a normal working class person, and so the audience can relate to this.

This shot allows us to see the character fully; the audience recognises the character has just been to work, which is signified by his suit and briefcase (which he has when he enters the house).

Sian Williams & Hannah Holden

This shot subtly shows a large knife on the counter which is not noticeable, however the camera zooms in on the knife after this shot.

It is important that the presence of the knife is noticed as it sets the audience up for later on in the film.

The character is oblivious to the knife which leads the audience to question it’s relevance, especially when the camera zooms.

The knife is isolated and stands out because there is nothing else on the counter.

This shot encourages the audience to question the relevance of the knife and causes tension.

Knives are a signifier of death, danger and pain.

This over-the-shoulder tracking shot, lets us follow the character and partially hides our vision, making the audience question who’s going to be at the door.

The repeated shots of the knife should provoke the audience into questioning the main character’s safety.

Sian Williams & Hannah Holden

This shot from afar suggests that it is a point of view shot from an onlooker- potentially whoever knocked on the door and builds up tension.

The fact that the knocking on the door was so violent and then there was no one at the door makes the audience feel uneasy.

This is often used in horror films- the character answers the door and there is no sign of anyone.

The deadly silence and stillness of the night contrasts with the violent knocking on the door and increases the atmosphere, which is continually being built by the use of sound.

This shot accentuates the eerie ‘unknowing’ feel to the scene.

The ‘unknown’ phone which is found on the side may be unclear to the audience so it is important we make the audience realise that the phone does not belong to the main character.

If we pull this off, the phone conversation provokes the audience into believing there is someone else in the house.

Sian Williams & Hannah Holden

The last shot, which is of the ‘surprise party’, could not be shot due to the amount of planning, effort and extras that we would have needed to use- so we are going to stage this shot when filming.

The fact that the light is off in the conservatory makes the element of the unknown even more obvious. The character’s reflection can be seen in the door and emphasizes how dark it is.

The build up to the scene by the previous scenes accompanied by the music and eerie backing tracks, lead the audience into believing someone will be in the conservatory.