Research: Film Review 1 (Mr Jones)

Film Title:  Mr.Jones                           
Director: Karl Mueller

Year of production: 2013                   
Genre/Genres: Drama/Horror/Thriller

Brief Plot Outline: A documentary filmmaker and his girlfriend move to a cabin in a wood to find mysterious art pieces created by ‘Mr.Jones’. After encountering with him, they begin to enter what seems to be an endless nightmare.

Which two scene impressed you the most? Why?

The first scene that impressed me the most was the first discovery of Mr. Jones’s house- This is because of the tension created by a slow montage with the use of hand held camera’s and low key lighting to make the audience feel uncertainty and overall scared. Another scene that impressed me was when they were waiting endlessly for the sun to come up after a surreal nightmare experience. This scene used certain techniques such as slow editing and dramatic parallel music with string instruments like violin and cello. By using these horror conventions it helps to create suspense and emphasises the characters emotions.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?

From watching this film it has given me a wider understanding of how editing is used in important scenes to create bigger emotional impact using features like character and representation, mise-en-scene, sound, editing, cinematography, themes and narrative.

Within this film they have the stereotypical character roles that support the horror genre. For example, Penny is the first out of the two to become possessed by the sculptures of Mr. Jones and Scott at the end of film defeats Mr. Jones and protects Penny from demons. This is a perfect example of a generic male hero and female victim. Mr. Jones is classed as a slow moving monster. We see this when Penny first discovers the sculptures. He is seen slow moving within the trees in a black robe. This is sometimes more effective than a fast moving monster as it creates slow tension and the feeling that you can’t get away. From the establishing shot of the film, we can see straight away that we are in an enclosed creepy location. This makes the audience feel a sense of helplessness, that there is no one around to help if something was to go wrong. There is also frequent use of low key lighting throughout the film. The scene that stood out the most for this was when they first entered Mr. Jones’s house. By making the house a low visibility it creates a sense of vulnerability to the audience which makes them scared. Throughout the film they have also used parallel music in emotional/intense scenes in the film. For example when they are stuck in this surreal nightmare, Karl Mueller has used high pitched staccato music using mainly string instruments like violin and double bass to create suspense and make the audience feel uncomfortable. In this film they have used specific editing techniques in certain scenes that are seen as mandatory within the horror genre. Slow editing is used in scenes that are important and/or emotional. For example, when Penny and Scott are in bed talking about how they miss home it is slow editing to help make the audience feel the same way. Fast editing is used when there is action/something bad is happening. For example when they are trying to get out of Mr. Jones’s house there are many shots ranging between 1-2 seconds per shot. Cinematography is one of the main aspects used the most in horror films. Close-up shots are used frequently in this to show the characters facial expressions to convey their emotional state to the audience. This is achieved again when they are escaping from Mr. Jones’s house. There are many close up shots of Scott’s face to show his fear of being in the house. Other aspects that are used through the film are the use of point of view shots and the use of a hand held camera. The whole of this film is mainly on a hand held camera held by the characters. This creates the illusion that the audience feel as though they are there with them/it is more personal. Finally the use of expressionist angle is used when Scott and Penny are stuck in this surreal nightmare. It shows that both of them are going insane and it is not reality.

Which aspects of the film would you like to INCLUDE in your own trailer? Why?

Some of the main aspects I would like to include in my own trailer is low key lighting and moderate amounts of hand held camera. This is because I feel this is an effective way of the audience feeling tension/fear and being drawn into the diagesis of the film. Another aspect I would like to include is a slow moving monster character because usually slow moving monsters are harder to kill and are more intelligent killers. Because of this I find them psychologically scarier.

Which aspects of the film would you like to AVOID in your own trailer? Why?

I would like to avoid making the ending scene too long. I felt as though the ending of this film was longer than it needed it to be which my it drag and become boring. This meant it lost its effectiveness and might lose the attention of the audience. In my own trailer I will make sure that the important ending scene is short and snappy to keep the audience wondering what will happen. I can achieve this by using collision cutting to finish on a jump scare. This will hopefully leave the audience wanting more.

What was the best aspect/more enjoyable moment in the film? Why?  Can you recreate this in your own film? How?

The best aspect of the film was the montage of symbolic clips e.g. a reversed shot of milk being poured into a cup of tea. This is an artistic connotation of time going backwards / rewinding. I could recreate this in my film by simply recording the desired shot and reversing it in the editing process. This is something I might consider when creating my horror trailer.