The Ring Analysis

Camera Shot/Angle/Movement 

The opening scene begins with an establishing shot of the house, where the drama takes place, it then enters inside to the room where the two girls are sitting talking where a mid shot used. While the protagonists are having a conversation, there is a series of close up shot which displays their emotions at the particular time in the scene.


Sound

The sound used in the opening scene is non-diegetic, it is a conventional sound used for horror/thriller films as it helps to create a atmosphere of suspense and tension.

Editing

In the opening scene there is a use of quick cuts that seem to fill the movie in an unpredictable order, which makes the audience unsure of what will happen next, which builds suspense. 

Mise en Scene

In the opening scene artificial lighting is used which creates the atmosphere of a horror film which matches footage. Most of the props in the scene are ordinary things which the audience can relate to for example a close-up shot of a clock, although this is a ordinary object it can represent that the protagonists are running out of time. The protagonists in the opening scene are wearing school clothes which shows they are young, innocent and vulnerable and makes the audience sympathise with protagonists. The location builds up the suspense and creates tension,  which draws the attention of the audience, the t.v is a main feature throughout the opening scene. The long shot of the protagonist shows the contrast of black and white on the walls and the floors which portrays the contrast between good and evil.

Characters

The character which shown in the opening scene is a typical stereotype for a horror character this is because she is blonde and pretty, wearing white which makes here seem pure and innocent. She is quite young which makes her seem more vulnerable. As she is young it also makes the audience sympathise with her more.

Location

In the opening scene the establishing shot shows the location which is the house where the protagonists are based.

Narrative/Plot

Four teenagers die one week after seeing a strange video. The aunt of one of the teens (also an investigative news reporter) decides to look into the mysterious death of her niece. She retraces the teenage girls steps back to a cabin where she finds and watches a strange video and makes the connection between the video, their deaths and a strange phone call that happens immediately after you watch it where a little girl says "seven days" and hangs up. Now she realises she has one week to figure out the mystery behind the video, the creator of the video and to figure out how not to die.

Themes

There are several themes that run through the opening scene of ‘The Ring’ such as death and mystery.

Visual Style

The visual style in the film is very interesting because there is a range of effects used such as zoom, low lighting throughout the opening scene and the horror music. All these help create an atmosphere for a horror film.

Genre

The genre of the film is horror/thriller, we notice this because of the conventions used such as sound, mise en scene and lighting.


genre(s):  Horror, Thriller
director:  Hideo Nakata 
film cast:  Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Hiroyuki Sanada, Yuko Takeuchi, Hitomi Sato
distributor: ICA Projects 
running time:  96 mins