The surroundings in the woods where the scene is being shot, is very dull and quite washed out, almost as if the colour is fading. In the scenes we see, we notice how the woods and lake are not a place were you would want to be seen in or found in. also notice how symbolic the lake water is, especially as we see Max in the water and we hear both the incidental and non diegetic music being played. The water could mean either life of death in all of the characters lives.
The first character we see is Max. His physical appearance tells us that he is quite ill in his complexion. We also notice that in the scene when he starts to drown, we see his face turn purple, the same as Claire’s shirt. This could be a link between them. We see Max as the want to be hero only to learn that there is no one to save.
Next we see the evil monstrous Claire. She wears a bleak black suit which I think indicates the grim reaper. This is because she is trying to kill Max. The black suit could also suggest the femme fatal image about her; cold and evil.
We also see Max’s younger brother, Tom, who is locked inside the car. Of what we see of him, we can gather that he is very scared and looks very fragile.
Finally we see OB. We can represent him as the savior because of his actions towards Max and attire of clothing. His clothing is quite light but basic which we, the audience, immediately see as an angel in disguise.
We see power with Claire. This is because she lures max to believe that his little brother, tom, is dying in the lake. However to make the lie more convincing she puts his jacket, which happens to be red; an immediate symbol for stop or danger, into the lake, whilst Tom is safe locked inside a car. She is using her beauty and charm to convince her husband, Max, that his beloved brother Tom is dying in the water. After he realizes that Tom is not in any immediate danger she shows her true colour’s and cruelly watches and waits till Max drowns. To make the power Claire has over Tom and Max clearer, the producers have used high and low angled shots, which show the power Claire has over them both.
The audience is positioned all around the characters. They have used a range of shots including high and low angle to represent the power in Claire, establishing shots at the lake for the audience to see it in full view, underwater shots when max is in the water and an aerial shot for the ending. However we see the significance for these camera shots like for example the aerial shot. I think that this shot was to represent the audience looking down on Max which makes him look vulnerable. However this scene is almost like Max is rising out from his body and in to the sky and is looking down on everything. This shot can also resemble the death of a character. This shot is usually used for scenes in which a character tragically dies in any television soap opera or drama.
The atmosphere that has been created shows us that death is all around the lake and the woods and not to trust them. This is because of the washed out scenes and the non diegetic and incidental music which accompanies the death look a-like characters. We also notice that the music played has a lot to do with the making of the atmosphere. For example when we see OB running after the suddenly drowning max, the music played suggests the fading of a life. This pop music soundtrack is quite calm and pushes overwhelming sadness for the characters of Max and OB. The music and aerial shot suggest life fading away into the sky whilst the audience is watching a vulnerable and weak Max slowly but surly passing in to the next life.
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