During the first few minutes of "Poltergeist" various filming and editing techniques are used to create tension and scare the audience. The main four ways in which film is manipulated to scare the audience is by using: camera angles, lighting, soundtrack and setting to the film makers advantage.
Camera Shot/Angle
In this part of the film the threat is the TV. The first time the audience are shown the TV is through an over the shoulder shot, this type of shot is usually used for dialogue and conversations, this could personify the television so it becomes a living thing and more of a threat to the family. Long shots and mid shots are mainly used in this clip to show what threat the little girl is in and how vulnerable she is. The camera also faces away from the TV until the little girl reaches the bottom of the stairs, this creates tension to the audience as they do not know what the little girl is looking at and why. Another way that tension is created is as when she walks down the stairs, this is because it is all one clip and is considerably longer than a normal shot (3-4 seconds). The use of close ups are often used in horror films to show reactions or emotions in response to certain things. Another conventional camera technique used in 'horror's' is that of long cuts. This is because nearly all horrors rely on building tension to keep the audience scared or on edge and do this by not giving away answers quickly.
Lighting
When the threat is shown the lighting becomes darker and gives the audience a lower level of visibility. This is because it is part of human nature to be scared of the unknown, by not being able to see what happening all the time the audience become unsure and tense up as they wait for something to happen. The setting has a dark naturalistic lighting, this is because this part of the film is set in the middle of the night and would not give the same message if it was in daylight. Dark lighting can also reflect certain emotions to the audience throughout the film when used correctly.Music/Soundtrack
Throughout the clip the music is constantly building up to the shot where the audience see the television. The correct instruments to create tension are essential to make a successful build up, conventional instruments that are often used in horror films include; String instruments such as piano's and violins, and wind instruments such as organs and flutes. The higher notes on string instruments and the lower notes on wind instruments are usually used, this is because these sounds create the most relevant emotions to fit the setting and situation. Little dialogue is used in this scene, this is because it leaves the audience to think for themselves and gives nothing away. Although, at the end of the scene the little girl 'Carol-Ann' has a one way conversation with the poltergeist, however this still makes the audience think by them self as they do not know who she is talking to or why.
Location/Setting
Domestic households are conventional to a lot of horror films as it can play on the audiences mind that what is happening in the film could happen to them in real life. It is also because it is an easy location to film as houses are all around us and in every part of the world. The setting shows that the little girl is vulnerable as all the problems happen in her room and she can't do anything to prevent it. Another convention of this film is that it has a twist, in this case the house is built on an old graveyard. This is common as it can give the plot a backbone and can be something that writers can link back to.
Location/Setting
