Case Study 2: Saw ll

The opening to Saw 2 Makes a very effective use of micro and macro features:


Micro features

Saw 2 makes a very effective use of camera angles in its opening sequence most notably there are a numerous amount of high angle shots used on the protagonist, these make him seem powerless in the situation that he is in.

Also extreme close ups of the protagonists eye and the nails in the death masks are used to make the viewer feel uncomfortable.

At the start of the opening many slow fades are used to make the viewer feel they are in the protagonists situation and are waking up from anaesthesia. Once the protagonist sets the timer of on the death mask many fast cuts of the protagonist and the timer are used to create a sense of tension and anxiety.

This clip uses Diegetic and Non-Diegetic sound very effectively to create tension ask the ticking of the death masks timer speeds up the Non-Diegetic background music also does.

The protagonist has also had his clothing removed this makes him look very vulnerable.

Macro features

Saw two is a sequel to the original saw film, it has now become a franchise and is on its 8th movie.

Saw is a splatter movie sub genre this means horror is created from shock factor and gore.

The film opens in a dark, filthy basement it is a small enclosed space adding a sense of claustrophobia to the opening sequence. This unbalances the films equilibrium from the start.

The opening character has little or no development and is “monster fodder. ”
The character is strapped into a “death mask” this is very iconic of horror films, this on prop includes the majority of iconography in horror films, sharp objects and masks, the sharp objects connote death and masks are used to make the character seem inhuman