The Grudge analysis

When watching Daryls presentation of 'The Grudge' opening, we noticed there was a wide range of camera shots/angles, mise-en-scene, editing and sound. The first thing i noticed about this film was the wide range of credits used at the beginning, these appear on the screen very slowly and sort of fade on and dissolve of which creates a creepy sensation, as if it's a ghost appearing and then suddenly dissappearing. This also creates a very tense atmosphere to the beginning of the film which shows what could happen further on in the film and signifies what type of film it is.

One of the first shots shows a flame flickering which creates tension and looks as if she is shaking with fear. Another scene shows her walking down a narrow corridor, the slim corridor could imply she's feeling claustrophobic. As she walks towards the camera she slowly blocks the light coming in a window from behind her, implying her freedom is being lost and her mind and soul is in a dark place. Also the fact that when she entered the corridor it was all lit up, but as she gradually makes her way towards the end of the corridor it has become darker, this could imply that where she is heading is a dark place where she feels lost, and could show she is venturing into the unknown. In this shot the audience feel just as vulnerable as her, as the camera is pointing straight on towards her, so we feel on par with her.

When the woman is riding the bike through the town/city, there are a lot of match on action shots used, where the camera follows her on the bike through different scenes showing different scenery behind her, yet she is still riding the bike in every shot, this helps the audience understand more clearly whats happening and shows continuity editing. This also makes the audience feel nervous and on edge as we are following her quite intensely through many scenes so we wonder where she is heading too and what will happen next.

Finally, in the scene where she is sitting with the old women you can see that they are both wearing the same colour clothing which makes the two characters link, but the young woman is in a lighter shade of blue and the older woman is in a darker shade. The darker shade of clothing could be showing that she is the one thats been affected by the grudge, and how she is now in a dark place since being affected by the grudge. The dark clothing makes her look quite miserable and depressed. Whereas the lighter shade of clothing that the younger woman is wearing shows how she hasnt been affected by the grudge. The fact they are both wearing the same colour (but different shades) could signify that the younger woman will soon be affected by the gurdge too, as the colours link. The furniture in the old womans house that is surrounding them looks cluttered, confusing and of very dark shades of greys and browns which could relate to how she's been affected by the grudge and how she is now feeling.