Captivity Analysis

Kianna Briggs

SoundA voice starts from the beginning of the trailer in which it provides information about the film introducing the audience to the plot. The voice over states a fact that “850,000 people are reported missing” which suggests that the film will feature someone missing. This immediately sets off the mood of the film as it connotes kidnapping which is seen frightening.

The tone of the voice over has a haunting effect as it is a males voice who is almost whispering which suggests that the act which is being carried out within this film could possibly be a secret. Furthermore the tone of the voice over is very important for the audience as it helps identify the genre of the film building to the frightening effect and tension which is a convention of thriller films.

Sound Within this is trailer there are many sound effects, one in which is the sound of a knife slicing. This immediately has connotations of stabbing or torture which enables the audience to realise that the woman in the film is in danger. In addition the knife also represents control and power which contrasts with the image that it is used in the shot as it shows a female who is not in control but instead crying out for help. This therefore suggests that she is the victim and is possibly being tortured with the knife. Although there is a voice over part of the film is also

included in the trailer which features the woman speaking. For example “Someone help me” this immediately suggests that the woman is crying out for help. As a result of this the audience understand she is the target within the film and she has been kidnapped and is being tortured.

There is an increase of non-diegetic sound towards the end of the trailer as the music increases pace and volume. This indicates that the danger is reaching its climax which builds tension for the audience. This is an important convention within the thriller genre.

Camera Shots Here is an extreme close up which has been used towards the beginning of the trailer to set off the narrative. The extreme close up suggests a sense of importance in which features a glass of wine being poisoned. The colour of the wine is green which has connotations of envy which could possibly mean that the person poisoning the drink is envious of the woman or of her lifestyle. Furthermore the shot also features a hand which is covered with a black glove. This insinuates that the act that is being committed is a crime and a very dark one. There is also a sense of mystery being created for the audience as the hand is covered which indicated an unknown identity.

Towards the end of the trailer a common theme that is noticed is the use of the colour green. This close up of a hand which is also edited in green has again creates a sense of envy and poison however whereas before the hand was gloved, this image shows a bare hand which suggests the criminal has completed his mission therefore is not afraid to show his true identity.

Camera ShotsThis camera shot is a high angle of the woman laying on a bed. The shot allows her to seem very vulnerable and almost victimised as the audience are looking down on her which is in contrast to this shot where the audience were looking up at the females at the beginning who seems to be in control. The shot enables the audience to see the woman at a low point which correlates to a previous shot where the drink was poisoned. These two shots both feature woman however by using two different angles which change the representation. For example the first shot shows the woman as a victim as the shot is shown through a window which suggests someone looking in.

Editing

Towards the end of the trailer there is an increase in straight cuts where each shot lasts only two seconds whereas at the beginning of the trailer they last between four and six seconds. This creates tension for the audience as each shot is getting faster as the music also increases in pace and volume which indicates that the narrative is reaching its climax. This is a convention within thriller films as there is a lot of tension built up which therefore encourages the audience to watch the film once they have watched the trailer.

There is also a lot of zooming in and zooming out which highlights the importance of something in each shot. This could have been possibly used to enable the audience to put parts of the narrative together therefore allowing them to make a decision on whether to watch the film. Furthermore the zoom creates a delusional effect which confuses the audience therefore involving them within the film as it makes them feel as if they are also kidnapped just like the woman. This is a clever way of making the trailer frightening without actually showing all the scary parts of the film. The use of zoom highlights a specific part of the shot making sure the audience are fully engaged throughout.

Themes One consistent theme throughout the trailer is a numerous amount of extreme close ups of eyes. This is used consistently throughout the trailer which could suggests a sense of looking out or looking. This therefore creates a sense of mystery as to who is looking in or looking out. The producers have purposely used extreme close ups of eyes t relate to the narrative of a victim who has been kidnapped so is therefore looking out to escape.

To accompany these shots of eyes the voice over says “someone has been watching” this has been specifically chosen at this shot to create ambiguity. Although the shot could suggests the victim looking out and crying out for help it also suggests the criminal watching her and almost spying on her every move.

Mise-En-SceneThere are a lot of shadows used within the trailer which suggests a hidden identity. The trailer does not actually show the kidnapper which the producers have purposely done because they do not want to give away the darkest bit of the film. The shadows also add a sense of mystery which in some cases could be seen quite frightening. This shot in particular shows the shadow of a person however holding a weapon. This is where the audience can begin to put parts of the film together. There is a sense of danger and pain which means the victim could be possibly be harmed which increases the tension and intensity of the narrative.