At the beginning of the clip, the starting shot begins as a close up and the camera slowly begins to pan back. this is used to slowly introduce the background but at the same time forcing the audience to focus on the main characters facial expressions and body language. (2-7 seconds)
At 8 seconds the dog starts to bark before a jump cut is included and the camera leaves the main character. This is used to shock but intrigue the audience. The director has done this as the audience would already be on edge as they don't know much about the house or storyline up till this point anyway. And the whole film, is based on secrets and deception is a main point to this film.
At around 39 seconds you see the main character walking towards a staircase. Where you can see what looks like ash and other debris falling down from the roof of the house. At this point the camera is at a medium eye level shot, this is because the director wants us to see the setting of the old, gothic building as well as keep out attention on the main character to see what she is doing.
At 2:07 in the clip there is another close up, this is used to show the actors facial expressions just before a jump scare at 2:09. At this time what appears to be a monster arises from the floor boards of the old, mistreated building, this is also a good use of special effects at 2:16 as you can see pretty much straight through the back of it. As you can see below-
Low key lighting is used throughout the clip up until 3:10 when more light is produced, this is a key aspect of cinematography. This is done to keep the audience at bay as it causes mystery and tension due to not being able to see your surroundings.
It is also seen that throughout the clip the main actor is holding a candle stick. This is important as it shows the time difference and helps support the theory the film is set in the past. It is also a key element of mise-en-scene which falls into the sub category iconography, as the candle stick is a prop which most horror films and historical films will include.
Sound is also a key element of mise-en-scene, and throughout this clip there is music playing in the background. Ambient diegetic sounds are from the technical conventions subheading and include footsteps, creeks when doors open and when creeks from the floor boards. All of which are included in this clip.
In most the clip the main character 'Mia Wasikowska' is usually in the centre of the camera, even when broken down into frames. The director does this to show the importance of them, and to show how they are effected by what happens in the film. For example in the film when the women opens the door she is still central to the camera, while the monster is still on show.
When the women enters the elevator the camera and framing change dramatically. The camera pans back and tilts to a birds eye view. This is when we see the elevator start to descend to the lower level of the building. After this a jump cut takes place and the camera is already in a close up of the actor so we can see her facial expressions as she reaches the bottom.
