The ring

The ring – part one is a horror film based in America, it used technology to create verisimilitude. It also uses this technology to exploit the target audience because they are very familiar with these products so after watching it. They would be more wary of the technologies in which are used; for example the use of video tapes. It also targets the teenage audience and keeps this relevant as they use teenagers as the characters. This also adds to the verisimilitude. Through ought the film it uses the four technical areas to make the horror film effective.

            The first technical area in which is used within the first section of The ring is mise-en-scene. The location is the main aspect in which is first shown, the house is very creepy looking, and this is done within the use of set design. It is very conventional within its design, as creepy houses very much so have straight, symmetrical shapes and usually a very dark house. There is usually a tree in the front garden that is very near the window. The tree makes the location more eerie as stereotypically trees can determine imaginative “ghostly shapes”. They often creep people out late at night. Also stereotypically within horror films, the location is very isolated so that the actors are unable to escape, this follows the conventions within this because the house appears not to have anything around it. Within this section of the house, the use of camera work. This is helped to reflect on the location. Zoom in, helps to identify specific details which was the front door, so that you were given more information for the house; from the initial establishing shot.

            The next section from mise-en-scene is when; the editing aspect which is a jump cut leads to two girls from within the house. The two girls are dressed in stereotypical uniform; this consists of blues and blacks. There are both wearing skirts, shirts, tie and a blazer. This allows us to know the age range of these girls; because it is American we know that the girls are roughly around 18-19. Also within the reference that they are alone, and there costumes it suggests there vulnerability because young people are stereotypically weaker and less wise. This also establishes the target audience. It does this by the use of the characters; they have deliberately used young, beautiful girls because it is more tragic that they will be killer or disturbed like what occurs.

            It then uses the editing of jump cutting to show the television. Jump cutting is often used within horror films because the actions are often very fast paced to make the audience feel this particular anxious or scared. This is used because the television suggests modern in which this horror film is trying to express as the television is required to watch the video tape which is the main focus of the whole film.

Sound is the second technical aspect is another technique used to make the horror film effective, dialogue is the example of this technique. This is used to scare and inform the audience as it’s almost like a folk story. This is very conventional to be used. For example this use of telling the story to what is happening or why is used within scream. This is to tell the audience what has happened.

Another technique which is used to make horror films effective is camera work; the example of camerawork used is a close up of one of the characters. This is to express there vulnerability, there expression from what events have just occurred and to show in effect what there body language is, for example there emotion. This makes the audience feel there emotion because it is so distinctively expressed.

Another example of mise-en-scene it the telephone, this is also suggested through technology you know that the telephone is linked to the video tape in some form because after the story has been told by the character the phone rings. This initial links into the title and also because of the ringing sound it makes the characters more scared and because the actors take so long and the ringing continues it builds up on tension and makes the audience more scared.