analysing the dark water

The exposition of the film is skilfully illustated by the use of audio code and cinematography in the trailor as both of them play an important role in positioning the audience and helping them stucture visually or mentally the opening moments of the film.

The non-diegetic vocal music used at the very beginning affects a scene's moods and meanings and serves as an enigma code .Usually if the story is just talking about a normal and happy life process of the main character ,it wouldn't have used this type of mysterious music ,may be something else rather relaxed or sentimental.When the creepy music is played as the carefree charactors are shown through small talk and laughters (dialogue), these two things are not compatible if the story is just talking about trouble-free people living happily ever after.Therefore, it shows us a clear hint-something terrible is going to happen to the character or it is a thriller.Besides, the use of unusual mise en scene and music is to puzzle us ,create a tense atmosphere and make us have a desire to unveil the mystery behind.

According to Pramaggiore & wallis,'Camera placement and movement determine the way viewers perceive characters ,events and objects in the world on screen .'It lightlights the importance of camera postions that convey specific meanings.In the opening of the trailor,tilt shot , aerial shot showing the gloomy city with skyscrapers and then crane shot showing a long and dull street with cars as a machanical routine are applied to give a contast to the happy and innocent daughter and mother showned by a medium shot with a background of non dynamic buildings.It is like 'Cinematographers speak to the audience in visual terms, using images as expressively as writers use words.'(Pramaggiore & wallis,p130) Since as an audience ,images do tranlate into words telling us that in such a big and dull city with cars filling in an endless street and runing with the same speed ,miserable destiny is waiting for the two characters.Moreover the colour of the costumes the characters are wearing is warm like red or orange .It draws our attention that they are the main actresses as these colours really stand out from the grey and ghastly background .The emptyness and silence of the city shown by the camera is somehow going to devour the two character and terrible things happen as the syuzhet goes.

Apart from those camera angles and distance shown, high angle and low angle shot are given when it is describing the weaken image of two innocent characters and mysterious and empowered image of the ghost.Most importantly ,a close up shot of their eyes and faces are shown to convey their internal mind and fear .Especially the extreme close up and reaction shot being shown after a swish pan of the images seen by the mother in the lift and point of view shot dispalying the change of floor, tell the audience with no doubt that the mother has come across an arranged vision by the ghost reviewing what the ghost saw.A handheld shot is then shown when the mother is walking along the pale blue corrridor with shut doors into the a dark room.This is to maximize the feeling of the mother being panic and scared.Also dissolve is arranged to introduce the turning point starting the characters enter the lift .An over head take is done to show the yellowish dark and layers of triangular staircase in order to express the deserted and old feeling of the place.What is more the composition if the staircase in layers of triangles is like a maze waiting for the mother to explore.All these shots convey strong meanings when they are juxtaposed together.


Also the sound made by obects like lift closing sound ,gear moving sound and so on and complete silence creates true and breathtaking moments that we know the ghost is playing tricks on the chracters and conflicts are happening.Starting from the vision ,the trailor is in a fast tempo with jump shots and shot takes showing the mystery and dangerous side of the story.What is more the echo singing effect of the little girl which is the signifyer signifying the exitence of the ghost in the film and water dripping sound made by the mother really hold audience's breathe. As the mother opens the door of the abandoned flat ,we see and feel the same as she does as the camera is behind her and seems to peep into the room from her point of view.When she is more involved in that environment ,the audience are more worried for her.This is the effect of the two sounds made.

To conclude ,the mise en scene ,audio code and cinematography influence each other in conveying a certain feeling or message to the audience and fuse in a way that the audience enjoy and experiencing the film without realising the effect the technical skills used advisedly.Furthermore,another technique used is the dissolving water form of narative words in each section of fade out in the trailor .This really advertises well in an individual way as dark water is the key for the audience to associate the horrible content of the film.