Noose is a short physiological horror film which fits the codes and conventions off a horror film well.
The narrative of the film is that there are two brothers Callam and Elliot who are driving home, then get into a car crash where Elliot dies but Callam lives. We then go on to follow Callam through his days as he grieves Elliot and how he is tortured by the guilt of losing him. Eventually Callam can’t cope anymore and hangs himself to escape the grief of losing Elliot.
The camerawork fits the codes and conventions of a horror film because the shots used are often found in horrors. For example at (02:03 to 02:05) the shot is from a low angle which makes the audience feel weak because they feel small in comparison to Elliot. This is commonly used in horror films because it makes the audience more afraid. Another good shot in the film is the over the shoulder shot of Elliot looking into the mirror and seeing Callam in the reflection (00:46 to 00:50). This shot puts the audience into Elliot’s shoes as they are seeing what he sees and feel tormented in the same way he does.
The lighting in Noose fits the codes and conventions of a horror film because it uses lighting techniques like underlighting and lowlight. Underlighting is used in the scene where Elliot sees Callam in the graveyard (02:03 to 02:05) this casts an abnormal shadow onto Callams face making them seem otherworldly and unnatural. However in contrast to most horror films there are also scenes that are lit with bright lighting, this creates an uncomfortable feeling because some of the most disturbing scenes (the hanging scene 02:42 to 03:10) are brightly lit, which is unsettling and against the normal.
The editing at the beginning of the film during the car crash scene (00:00 to 00:17) is fast paced to create tension which is very common in horror films. The fast pace of the eddingt reflects how quickly the car crash was over and shows the lack of control Elliot felt he had over the situation. However in the rest of the film the editing is slower paced and is more like a montage (00:19 to 01:57) to show the downfall of Elliots mental stability. This goes against horror conventions but is used to create an unsettling feeling in the audience by spending an uncomfortable amount of time on each scene, making them consider the images on the screen.
The sound fits the codes and conventions of a horror film well. It uses an unsettling soundtrack (00:18 to 02:11) which builds tension and keeps the audience on edge. Also at the end there is foly of the forest as well as Elliot choking as he hangs himself and the rope stretching (03:04 to 03:16). This fits the codes and conventions of a horror film because it is an uncomfortable and unsettling sound to listen to which paired with the visuals makes the film disturbing to watch which is the aim of horrors.
We used mundane, everyday locations like the train station and Elliot’s bedroom to give the audience something familiar to them. This will add to the unsettling feeling of the film because the audience can see themselves in these situations and relate to what’s happening with the contrast of Elliot going through something they can’t imagine and don’t feel comfortable with. Paring the comfort and discomfort of these locations in the film is effective because it will make the audience feel conflicted by their emotions and ultimately make them feel more uncomfortable.
In this Unit my role was sound engineer. I have fulfilled this by recording all the foley and audio for the film.
The first thing I learnt was how to work in a team successfully. I learnt to follow a leader and work with other people to achieve the desired outcome. This will help me improve my future productions because working well in a team is key in every film production and without that skill you wouldn’t be able to make a successful film.
The second thing I learnt was the importance of a schedule and sticking to it. When we were filming this horror, we had to change the order of the scenes we shot because of certain circumstances on the day. However this made the day quite complicated and stressful. If we had stuck to the schedule then that would have removed that stress and would’ve meant we could achieve all the shots that we wanted how we wanted them. This will help my future productions because I have learnt how to manage time properly which will remove stress and give me enough time to achieve what I want.
The third thing I learnt was how to use a Zoom recorder. I researched this first, so that I knew how to use it effectively and then I used it for the sound recording of this entire project. This will help me in future productions because being able to use a Zoom recorder successfully means that I am able to record good quality sound for all future projects.
Laura Altman 