Hush textual analysis

Hush textual analysis-
(18:00-24:06 mins)

Mise en scene:
‘Hush’ uses mise en scene in a creative way as it uses a dark colour scheme in order to connote certain feelings from the director to the audience (the director has coded the film with a certain message which the audience has to deconstruct and realise). In the film ‘Hush’ the use of the door ways which are very dark are a good use as symbolism of suspense and mystery as, the colour black is known for its connotations of mystery and the unknown and also helps to symbolise that it is night time- meeting a common convention for horror films, that they are set in the night. For the audience the dark doorways make the film even more scary as we are unable to see what is inside the room and therefore the antagonist may be lurking in the room waiting for the protagonist, which leaves the audience on edge.

Also, as the house that the film is set in is located in the woods the film immediately becomes even more frightening due to the audience already being able to highlight that the protagonist is far from any sort of civilisation thus meaning that they will not be able to gain help easily. This is shown as the woman’s wifi has been cut off by the antagonist whom knows that by doing this the protagonist is not able to gather help or attention quickly. For an audience this heightens the terror within the film as we are left feeling that the protagonist is becoming even more vulnerable to the action taking place outside. Also where the house is covered with glass windows and doors the film gains another layer for it being scary as the audience know that the antagonist is in control of the situation as they could decide (at any point) when they want to break in by smashing through the glass.

Camerawork and movement:
In the film close up reaction shots are used well in order to build tension and horror as they are used in an effective way which clearly highlights that something major is about to happen and gets the audience anticipating what is going to happen in the film. This is key in ‘Hush’ when the woman reads the texts (which contain pictures of herself inside her home) from an anonymous person. Without the use of the reaction shots we would not be able to gather a sense of emotion from the protagonist as we would not see their reaction properly.

Another camera work technique which is used to good effect is the tracking shot of Maddie- the protagonist- running from door to door in order to lock them so that she is able to feel safe in her own home. The tracking shot allows us to see both the character and her surroundings so we can gather potential weak points in her home which could be breached by the antagonist and keeps us anticipating what will happen next. Also the use of the tracking shot makes the film appear more smooth and fluid and therefore it appears as a much more professional film.

Sound:
One technique which is interestingly used is the use of silence in the film in order to build anticipation. Without the dramatic silence the film would lack character as it would have no suspense and no places to start the soundtrack for a specific reason. The silence which is incorporated in the film makes the narrative more scary due to the audience being left in anticipation of something smashing, breaking etc. Also, sometimes the silence was used effectively as the female protagonist was death and therefore when it cut to shots of the woman or P.O.V. shots the sound would be completely gone as to make us feel like we are in the woman’s shoes.

Furthermore, when sound is used it either quickly goes off or glitches when something important happens in the film. For example, when the protagonist, Maddie, sees the antagonist for the first time the music glitches as this symbolises the importance of this part of the narrative and suggests to the audience that they need to pay attention. Another example from the film is when, the music quickly turns off when the antagonist cuts the wifi of the house off and this is used as, as an audience we come to a realisation that this leaves the woman with no hope of gaining help as she is already in the middle of the forest, where civilisation is out of sight ; now she is unable to call anybody for help either. Without these subtle hints the film would be very flat and would lack any hints from the director at what parts were important and which parts were not.

Editing:
The editing in Hush builds tension and panic throughout as it is very fast paced and frantic which establishes a clear sense of panic as it is a film which is from the viewpoint of the protagonist who is unaware of what is actually going to happen. If the film was from the antagonist’s perspective then the editing would be a lot slower as they know that they are in control of the situation and are less stressed than the protagonist. The editing becomes more frantic when the woman is running around home in order to lock all of the doors (a typical situation in horror films as it makes the character feel more safe in their own home) which shows the viewer that the protagonist is panicking and making simple decisions which they think will help to save them.

Finally, the film uses constant cuts back and forth between the antagonist and protagonist means that the audience is always drawn to the fact the two characters are now increasingly involved in each other's life. The cuts between one another, highlight that the characters are in a constant battle between one another as they show that they are in close proximity and that one of them will end up getting what they are wishing for. This means that the audience is left feeling like they need to take a side of a character and then build a relationship with them- which predominantly leads to them feeling the same way that the character on screen does.