Movie Conventions Research: Us

Us, 2019, directed by Jordan Peele.

Perhaps one of the most defining horror films of the century, my second film I will be examining is Jordan Peele’s “Us.” I can confidently say this is my favorite horror film I’ve ever seen, right next to Peele’s breakout film “Get Out”. This director brings a fresh twist to horror, often deviating away from a lot of usual conventions scene in the genre. For this reason I will need to be viewing a larger portion of the movie, since the real horror doesn’t begin until a flashback 20 minutes in. That being said, let’s analyze the horror genre conventions in the beginning “House of Mirrors” scene in the film.

• What elements (Conventions) of the genre that you chose to base your final task on does this movie have?

The most prominent convention in this opening scene is the low lighting. For most of the sequence, but specifically the beginning when the setting is still unrevealed, shots are extremely dark with only the subject lit. The director uses light to reveal new things in the setting, for example when the main characters “tethered” is to be introduced, the girl is illuminated and brought into the shot. Another convention, cleverly used, is sound. The scene is practically silent except for a low ambient noise playing in the background, that would be non-diagetic. This ominous near-silence is broken by sharp sound affects, for example doors creaking or props appearing. One last convention used throughout the entire scene is the use of the tracking shot. The camera follows the subject as they explore the set. This choice puts the audience into the characters position, because as the camera follows the girl, the viewers only know as much as her. Mystery and anxiety is added onto the scene, making it an overall for intriguing, and scary, watch.

 

• What elements (Conventions) of the genre did the movie have that you like?

Jordan Peele’s use of sound was my absolute favorite element of this sequence. Near silence was the background noise to most of the scene. The lack of dialogue paired with a low ambient noise made the scene extremely ominous. Silence is a technique very utilized in horror movies. The empty space of the lack of noise leaves audiences minds’ running, anticipating the silence to suddenly break and a scare to come in. I want to use this is my project, as it is something that can be done easily even on my modest budget and circumstances. Another element of Peele’s scene I loved and am going to use is lighting. The lighting only illuminating the subject and leaving much of the setting a mystery built a sense of anxiety. Lighting was also used to reveal new parts of the scene, such as new characters and prop. One last choice I like was the lack of dialogue, which paired with the acting for the main character showed she was fearful, and made the scene overall, scarier.

• What elements (Conventions) of the genre did the movie have that did not appeal to you?

An element that did not appeal to me personally was the lack of establishing shot. For my pitch, setting is important, so it is crucial more of the set is shown. Since the set is crucial to the plot it cannot be unrevealed and hidden like the house of mirrors was in this sequence. I will also not be using strictly medium close up shots. Peele’s sequence utilizes the close up shots hiding the characters full body to add a sense of mystery to the plot, leaving characters wondering what the full situation may be. I would like to let the viewers in on more, only leaving certain parts unanswered so they understand the context, but are left with a looming fear that something is wrong.