The opening scene of “The Stairway” is composed with a wide shot which pans down the frame and then tracks the man to the right on the frame as he walks around the colour. The colours in the frame are all very co-ordinated and you can see that the walls and doors match the colours of the suit, creating a cohesive visual for the viewer. The dark the lighting in the shot produces the impression of a mysterious situation but also suggests that the man is tired and rigid due to the setup of the corridor. I feel that it represents a very ordered and schedule ruled life which could also be referenced from the suit and tie.

The 2nd shot is an extreme mid shot framing the man’s upper body as he passes the camera in a slow yet swiftly across the screen. The frame shows his facial expressions to be solemn and borderline emotionless. The camera follows him as he passes panning to the right of the shot still in dark lighting particularly on the left side of his face that gets darker as he walks past. The darkness to be suggests a shadow has been cast upon this man which could be a symbol for his state of mind and feelings.

The next shot is also an mid shot but instead of a man in the frame this shot captures the sign informing residents of the building the elevator is out of order. The shot contains subtitles as this is a French film and the all the dialogue is in French too. This proves that although the in film is in another language it still tells the same story despite the language barrier even though only a small amount of dialogue and written speech in the film. The help of subtitles does make this much clearer though and I find that this is an important factor of making this understandable. I feel that it is an important factor of the film that you can use minimal or even no language if the storyline and production is of a good enough quality. This short film is a good example of this and something for me to aspired to in my own short film. This shot then fades to black to a short but effect title sequence where the title is shown in a Serif font giving an impression of professionalism, artistic style and connotes a French origin through the eloquent and sophisticated typography chosen.

This is an extremely simple but effective title sequence, uncomplicated and quick means the film makers hasn’t wasted time on anything particularly fancy or unnecessarily audacious. This is a feature I should consider in my coursework as I don’t want to waste time and take away from the actual film or make the title sequence the best part either.

This shot on the left is a mid shot at a high angle looking down at the male in the centre of the frame. The background of the shot it’s light and bright due to the light fitting shinning against the set. This has made the man in the foreground nearly a silhouette but not quite as you can still clearly make out his features and the colours of his clothing. This shot shows the man trying to open the door what is assumed to be his front door, this is also where the narrative takes a turn and becomes much darker. The next screenshot is of the next shot which opens quickly after a fast cut to a blackout and then proceeds to the next shot which creates a juxtaposition with the new unfamiliar location. This feature repeats throughout the film and builds up the main plot. This editing technique is called a motif, although it becomes evident after the first couple uses but subconsciously it prepares the audience for this movement thus they know what’s going to happen. This technique has been used in both short film sand features most famously in films such as Jaws and The Sixth Sense.

This reaction-shot is a follow up to the black frame, as you can the man is in exactly the same and the shots before. This creates the illusion that he has shifted through a dimension into an alternate reality. The eerie fades and burst of soundtrack in this scene presents a scary setting but also uncertainty subsequently creating fears among the viewers. This is so intense because of how the soundtrack has bridged over from the previous shots and then quickly ends in this one; this technique creates a mysterious undertone to the scene and leaves the audience waiting in suspense for what will happen now as result of this disturbance.

The close up in this shot allows the audiences to really see how the man is feeling but due to the dramatic underline tone a close up gives makes this shot really intense. This is effective as the audience aren’t sure of the plot now and it could in any direction, so seeing the confusion on the man’s face further displayed this idea.

In this screenshot you can see how they have used an extreme close up successfully to continue the drama and suspense into this shot. The ECU has actually made the lighting on the man’s face similar to a silhouette but not as solid as you can still clearly make out the different elements of the facial features and where his face ends and hair begins. I think this is supposed to signify that the man is also in the dark (mentally) of what’s going on now. This use of visual imagery to show the internal thoughts is really clever as it shows the audience his feelings without having to really say it. This technique has been used again in the following shot as the camera pans following the man’s movement across to the staircase. The camera stops at the stairs as the man continues to ascend up and around to the next flight. The dank and gloomy setting of the 2nd staircase builds scary and dangerous atmosphere. This is then highlighted more as the man is alone and it is normally a convention of Horror and Thriller films that bad things happen when people are unaccompanied or in the dark.

This shot with the staircase is much brighter and has higher key lighting in comparison to the shot before, which I believe is supposed to be the same stairwell. This confused me as you can see the lighting is much darker on the previous level; which lead me to believe that the two shots could have been filmed at a different time or even a different day. However, it is possible that not all of the available lights have been switch on to create a scary atmosphere for the first scene with the disturbance. The diegetic sounds of the footsteps can be heard echoing in the scene which illustrates to the audience how big this setting is as well as the echo additionally emphasizing his isolation in this scene.

After walking up the stairs in the previous scene, this screenshot shows how he has yet again moved onto another flight of stairs in a different location, after the black frame motif. This is when it becomes apparent to the audience that this will be a running motif. The camera is looking up at the man from a low canted angle and creates a sense of imbalance, transition and instability within the shot.

After a fast cut the camera then changes position to a high canted angle with the camera placed in front of the banisters poles of the stairs crafting the deception that the man is behind bars and that he is being watched by someone. This shot also allows us to see a closer look at the man’s clothing again which is much more worn and messy than from looking at the shots in the first couple scenes.

This bird-eye’s shot is one of my favourite shots from the all of the footage as I feel it have a gravitas and drama despite the simplicity of the shot. Unlike other shots in the footage I feel it extremely pleasing to look at from a viewer’s perspective but when looking deeper into this shot I feel it is almost a visual metaphor illustrating the man’s life spiralling out of control and taking deeper and darker turns. This is then further heightens by the use of the ever increasing volume on the intense soundtrack played over the top of this shot.

The couple shots basically show a series of shots from different angles all transitioning through fast cuts. The fast cuts demonstrate a frantic and scared and unforeseeable outlook for this scene. This is then further implied through the use of dramatic yet gripping music. The even changing tempo generates a strange but rhythmic beat to the soundtrack which follows the conventions of this short thriller. With each fast cut you can notice as well how the music peaks and falls with notes as the shots quickly change.

This shot is extremely similar to one I have looked at previous, I think this has been included in the film to simulate repletion and a never cycle of torment for the character. The representation of the stairways plays a key part in the narrative of the story despite the fact this has been highlighted by the title – The Stairway. Despite the obvious importance, I feel that they hold further connotations which describe the narrative in a more symbolic way. (I will go into more detail about this in the ideology box)

The next two shots show the change in lighting where you can see there is now no artificial lighting in scene and just natural light which from the darkness you can tell it is no night-time setting a more tense and creepy atmosphere for the audience. Although you could argue that the atmosphere is more solemn as the music more one tone and slowly quieter but the additionally noises of what sounds like a child only heightens the spine-chilling feeling this scene is trying to produce. The first scene in which the light changes shows the man with his head in his arms suggesting he is exhausted and have giving up this could be the reason that the lighting has gone dark as it could be representing the loss of ambition or energy the character has in trying to find a way home.

After the man has ascended up the stairs the camera has changed to long high angle shot which looks down the corridor where you can see the little girl in a white night-dress as the camera becomes an over the shoulder shot. The little girl is a convention of the thriller and horror genre for being either a victim/target or the danger due to the continually use of children in horror and thriller films over the last couple decades of film-making.

The next shots is a mid-long shot as you can’t see the man’s knee but you can see below the chest area. The man walks out of the shadows and into the light which is extremely symbolic and may represent the child being his saviour. The spotlight of natural light directly over the man’s face continues to produce the eerie undertone of mysterious in the film as this reaction shot still doesn’t give away a lot of information to the viewers.

The shot of the young girl has similar lighting and set to the previous shot of the man telling the audience they are close to each other at this point. The lighting mean’s you can only see the little girls face very faintly making her an object if curiosity for this frame. She also seems to be re-sighting a French nursery rhyme which is translated in the bottom left corner. The unnerving chant over the minimal soundtrack produces a sinister feel to the scene.

The chanting then bridges over to the next shot using the editing technique of a shot reverse shot. This technique creates a wholeness to the scene and tells the audience that this is all happening at the same point in time. The close-up illustrates the toll that has been taken on the man at this point, as you can from the screenshot he has large dark bags, messy hair and clothes and has a very distressed look on his face all signs telling the audience he is going mad. The light coming from in front of him makes these features more obvious but also makes him look slightly deranged with the constant stare he holds through the duration of this frame.

After the little finishes chanting, she flicks the light off making the diegetic sound of the light turning off. As this happens the whole frame turns black for about 4 seconds before a small white feather drifts down the screen into the man’s hand which has a spotlight on it as he catches in his palm and clenches his fist as the frame fades to black again like the shot previous which have included the motif.

Like the other shots which use the motif the shot becomes light once again and as the man opens his fist the feather has disappeared. To me the feather represents the soul of the little of girl and her being lost in the dark, which leaves a rather sour thought. At this point the music begins to get much louder and repeats the echoing soundtrack as used during the scenes where the man is running up and down through the different staircases.

Ideology: I feel that the stairs in this film play a big part in the ideas and morals the story is trying to get across. Symbolically, a staircase often holds significant meaning. In dream analysis, staircases often suggest a journey. If one ascends the stairs that journey is probably positive, hopeful, or purposeful; however, if one descends the stairs that journey might be negative, confusing, or depressing. Moreover, the type of staircase is also important to its symbolic meaning. A traditional staircase is straightforward and suggests an uncomplicated route. Conversely, a spiral, twisted staircase may suggest mystery and disorientation. Lastly, staircases can also be looked at as a link. Literally, a staircase connects two floors. Figuratively, and more vaguely, a staircase is simply a passageway which can unite any two things, places, ideas, or states of being.

Staircases are a frequently used symbol in art, specifically cinema. Narrative film has used the symbolic staircase from its birth, and some of the most famous film scenes are set around or on a set of stairs. Gone with the Wind, for example, captures an iconic movie moment on a staircase, when Rhett Butler restrains Scarlet O’Hara and carries her up Tara’s grand staircase. Alfred Hitchcock frequently used staircases in his films, Vertigo in particular, to build tension and add complication. More overtly, Robert Soidmak’s memorable The Spiral Staircase, starring Dorothy McGuire, is centered on a richly symbolic set of twisted stairs. Even contemporary films, like James Cameron’s Titanic, set significant cinematic moments on or around staircases to enhance a scene’s meaning with this widely used and easily usable symbol.

The continuation of this soundtrack implies the man is still trapped in the infinite domain of stairs. Furthermore implied through the use of a long shot showing the man at the bottom of the steps of a staircase with a left and right option suggesting this is only the beginning for him and he is yet to escape. The impact of this staircase is made incredible dramatic by the use of the low angle looking up at the stairway creating an impression of power and seriousness the stairs have. The symmetrical nature of the scene gives the shot a more powerful impression on the audience. The shot then goes straight to black as the film ends and the credit rolls ending the film.

Narrative: The narrative uses a similar structure to Todorov’s narrative structure with the beginning (equilibrium) and middle (disruption) but there doesn’t really seem to be any sign of resolution due to the fact it ends on a cliff-hanger. However I think this is really effective doesn’t need that resolution at the end because of the beauty of the short film and resolving something is something you consider more with a feature film because you have more time to explore and develop the narrative. There are only two characters in the film the relatively young man in the suit (protagonist) and the little girl in the night-dress (bit player). The main character is the man and the film resolves around his journey through the different levels of stair making him the hero if applied to Propp’s character theory would be “The Hero” because of his pivotal role in the narrative. The young girl would be considered “The Helper” as she acts as a symbolic item to the man who leads him to the light. However she could be considered a “False Hero” as she in fact leads him to a more complexed set of stairs.

Representation: I don’t feel this film represents an exact group of people in a clear or obvious but with further analysis; you can suggest that the film represents people (specifically in their late twenties and thirties) who are stuck in dead end jobs. My reasons for this would be that the man in the film looks about 25 and from his attire it’s safe to say he works in an office or formal work environment. His tired and lifeless cameo during the films equilibrium tells the audience that his work doesn’t fulfil him and if using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in context of the workplace it suggests his only fulfils him the first two needs of physiological and safety not the others include love/belonging or self-esteem both which would contribute to a rewards feeling towards his occupation. This is maybe why the stairs play such an important role in the film the stairs are in fact a metaphor for his job and how he has become trapped in the unrewarding cooperate system.

Genre:The of the short film is thriller, I think this because of the conventions used in the film including dark lighting, accents of red and intense music soundtrack which creates suspense are all common and recognisable traits of thriller films. I think the fact this is a short film has effected how the genre is presented, due to the short time it’s much harder to develop the narrative and create suspense over longer periods where in short films like this directors and writers have to much more resourceful with their time even if it means the story is left unresolved like this one. They was no special effects in the short but I don’t know many thriller films which use extreme special effects as the main way of create fear in thriller films is more to do with timing unlike horror films which will normally include specially effects to over-exaggerate the horror within the situation. The soundtrack is used effectively like in the majority of good thriller films to set the mood for each scene and build an intense and overwhelming sense of suspense during the film. Like most thrillers I feel this film is directed at both genders 16-30 age bracket as this group enjoys the mystery side as well as the action and gore sometimes included in films like this. The variety convention and codes in thrillers is what makes them appealing to both genders.