The short film vanished written and directed by Andrew Fitzgerald and produced and edited by Patrick E. McCabe is a horror film that utilizes many generic conventions associated with the horror genre such as being set in a remote area, using low key lighting, a voice over etc. The target audience for this short film would be between the ages of fifteen and thirty year olds for both male and female having the psychographics of explorers as this particular audience would be most intrigued by watching this film.
The storyline of the short film “Vanished” is about a young woman called Jenna who is in a counselling session with her physiatrist who asks her what happened to her boyfriend Scott. There is then a flashback of Jenna and her boyfriend Scott walking through a woods and into an abandoned house in which they stay the night in. Once inside the house Scott asks Jenna what they are doing there and she tells him that a young girl called Mary killed her father, mother and herself inside this house and that it is haunted. The young couple stay the night at the haunted house and in the morning as Scott looks out the window he is pushed out of the window and dies ending the flashback. Jenna then tells her physiatrist that there session is over and leaves. However as she leaves she drops a piece of paper which is the article about Mary killing her mother, father and herself and at this point it becomes clear to the audience that it was Jenna that killed Scott. The narrative of this film is not linear as it does not follow a chronological order it is of two scenes in the beginning and the end joint by a flashback which lasts most of the duration of the film.
Different types of camera shots and techniques are used in the short film “Vanished” in order to create different types of effects and atmospheres for the audience watching. For example at the beginning of the film there is a tracking shot of the young couple Jenna and Scott walking through the woods which shows the audience the setting in which the film is set in, a remote woods which is a conventional setting for the horror genre. There is also an establishing shot of an abandoned house in the middle of the woods which foreshadows to the audience that something bad is going to happen in the house and again this setting is conventional to the horror genre. A close up is used to show the article Jenna is holding about the girl Mary who kills herself and parents which connotes to the audience something bad is going to happen later on in the film.
Also a medium shot is used when Scott goes to the toilet showing him alone in the dark and a shadow moving past behind him creating a scary and tense atmosphere for the audience watching. This is further emphasised by the medium close up of him showing his worried face adding to the tension of the audience. A low angle shot is used showing Scott’s trainers and the feet and legs of a girl wearing a white dress which adds to the suspense and tension of the film as the girls face is not revealed yet at this point and the audience are thinking to themselves who is she and what’s going to happen to Scott. Another conventional camera shot used by the film “Vanished” is an over the shoulder shot of the girl looking at Scott who is looking out the window and this adds to the scariness, suspense and tension of the film. Also a handheld shot was used in order to show the dark and scary environment the young couple are in which makes the atmosphere for the audience seem more tense and scary.
The editing in the short film “Vanished” is also significant in order to create a realistic, scary and tense atmosphere for the audience watching for example the fade when the film cuts from Jenna in the physiatrist’s office to the flashback of her in the woods with Scott which adds to the suspense of the film as the audience are wondering what happened to Scott. Also the eye line match when Jenna’s physiatrist picks up the article of Mary killing herself and her parents which indicate to the audience that Jenna killed Scott and this adds to the spookiness of the film. This is further emphasised by the frequent cuts of the words in the article. Finally a long take is used when Scott is alone in the dim lit room and this adds to the suspense, tension and scariness for the audience watching and this is also done by the fade out of the music.
Sound is also a very important part of the short horror film “Vanished” as it adds to the scariness, suspense and tension of the film for example the unusual non diegetic music of the piano playing in the woods when the couple walk towards the abandoned house which adds to the scary atmosphere of the audience watching. Also the voice over when Jenna tells Scott about her discovering the article of Mary killing her parents and herself in the same house they are in adds to the suspense and scariness of the film as the audience are wondering what will happen to the both of them now that they are in the same house that Mary lived in. Diegetic sounds are also used for example the floor boards creaking when the girl in white dress slowly approaches Scott adds to the suspense and tension of the film as the audience know that Scott is going to be killed. Ambient sounds are used for example of the birds singing when Scott looks out the window and this puts the audience in a false sense of security as they think everything is ok when really it’s not as the music then changed and Scott gets killed. Crescendos and diminuendos are also used when Scott is alone in the dark to further add tension for the audience watching and to make it more scarier for them.
Mise-en-scene is selected and contrasted to create a scary and realistic environment and atmosphere for the audience watching such as the lighting being low key and only lit by candles a conventional lighting technique used by the horror genre adding to the suspense and tension of the film. Make up is also used well for example of the girl who kills Scott by pushing him out the window, the make up on her face is of white foundation with blood marks around her face making her seem scary and supernatural adding to the scariness of the film for the audience watching. Finally the acting is also important in order for the film to seem realistic and scary for example Jenna acts mysterious and suspicious intriguing the audience in to carry on watching the film.
To conclude the short horror film “Vanished” uses the four technical codes camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene effectively in creating a scary, tense and realisitc atmosphere for the audience watching. This is also mainly done by the film using generic conventions of the horror genre such as low key lighting and unusual music which builds up suspense and scares the audience further.
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