The Conjuring Annabelle Scene analysis

Annabelle Scene Analysis

The opening scene uses a blank black screen with the sounds created from a storm, the darkness already creates a fear of the unknown and when combined with the sound of thunder will begin to provoke that uncertainty. It then begins to fade to a little girl asleep on her bed, which flows into an eye level- angle MCU of her face, within this shot we are distracted by the movement of a necklace dangling off of what                              
appears to be a ballerina night shade. The storm sounds die down to just rain so that the sounds of the necklace moving unnaturally and the eerie music are more prominent. (Eye level medium close up)

There is then a Synchresis created by the sound of a large thud and the movement of the little girl being

pulled, the use of the non-diegetic loud sound instantly shocks the viewer, making us want to know what or who violently disturbed the young  making us want to know what or who violently disturbed the young child from her sleep.  A POV shot followed by panning allows us to try and see exactly what the girl is viewing, so that we can try and understand what happened, but when we are presented with a empty room, this continues to build up tension. (Point of view shot/ Panning)

We then view the girl as if we are looking at her while we are in the darkness, almost as if we are the

thing that is making the girl so uneasy. A dolly camera proceeds to close in on the young girl followed by a tilt making the steepness and height of the stairs exaggerated making the girl appear more venerable. The use of lighting in this shot is very simple; we can see the clear contrast between dark and light. By placing the little girl at the top of the shot in the light, this could be a way of highlighting the innocence and purity of the young child juxtaposed to the darkness at the bottom of the screen which could be a way of implying evil, Heaven and hell. (Low angle long shot) 

 

As the girl descends down the stairs, the medium shot shows her face covered in darkness, you could

assume that this could be a way to show that evil is trying to consume her. The Lighting flash directs our attention to an open room indicating to the audience that paranormal activity may be harbouring at the focus point. By eliminating the light source at the top of the stairs you could say it’s a say of showing that the tiny amount of hope that the young girl was holding on to has been dimmed down and the evil is attempting to surround her. (Medium shot eye level)

This OVS shot helps us understand the connection between the two, questionably three characters on

screen, if you include the doll Annabelle from a 3^rd persons prospective, the danger in the room is made evident by the lack of light. The diegetic sounds of distraught breathing and the creaking of the rocking chair continue to build tension by presuming that the evil has managed to manifest into a human form. (Over the shoulder shot)

A zoomed in POV shot allows us to be transported into the mind of the young girl, by being placed in

her position we as the audience feel as if we are the subject of the dolls attention. The use of the extreme close up allows us to see the expression and detail in the dolls face, the fact that the dolls head moves to look directly at the camera suggests that it’s possessed adding to the suspense of the whole situation. The low non-diegetic sound of an ancient choir can be heard as the doll holds eye contact with the young girl but is suddenly disturbed by the loud sounds of string instruments, the high pitched sounds are uncomftable to hear, making the scene even more unsettling. (Extreme close up/ Point of view shot)

Adeline Watson 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wljn4_pzxbg