witness - screenshot analysis

7/30/2019 Witness - Screenshot Analysis

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Witness Screenshot Analysis


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The countryside where the Amish community live is shown as a safe haven, a utopia in which there is no violence or

corruption. This is a very different portrayal from the city that they are taken to, it is the exact opposite of the countryside.

The city is depicted as a dystopia, isolated, dirty and dangerous whilst also being completely unknown to the inexperienced

Amish mother and son. Dystopias are used create a certain atmosphere and feel to dull/undesirable and scary environments

often be seen in thrillers such as Once Upon a Time in America, The Killing and even some video games such as Gears of

War. The train that takes them to the city is shot at a low angle, creating an impression of massiveness and power and this is

used because they are being taken to the big overwhelming city.


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The statue present in the train station is of

great significance, this is emphasised by

the low angle shot used when the boy is

looking up at it and the high angle shotfrom the statue, showing the boys

insignificance in comparison to the city.

The statue could represent the idea of

protection because of the way that it is

looking over the boy, almost watching

over him. The over the shoulder shot from

the statue puts the audience within the

mise en scene, therefore engaging them

and also making them feel sympathetic

for the boy, like they are the statue and

they are responsible for his safety.


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Weir uses a vanishing point here, a generic convention that can be seen

in other thrillers such as Essex Boys and Kill Bill Vol. 1 therefore this

definitely can be seen as signifying/establishing the genre early on. The

child disappears into the vanishing point, which could connote another

unknown dimension or area. The boys mother is inexperienced in a

world like this and so she allows the boy to go alone, unaware of the

dangers present. The unintentional ignorance of the mother allows the

tension to build amongst the audience as they have a better

understanding the potential dangers that are withheld in the toilets.

The lighting is quite dim in the train station, this helps to

contribute to the dystopian representation of the city, a dull,

undesirable place. This sort of noir style lighting is very

reminiscent of the opening scenes of Once Upon a Time in

America when eve is murdered in the dimly light room. The use

of noir lighting pays tribute to classic noir thrillers such as The

Third Man and Weir uses this to establish the thriller genre in hisfilm.

The mid shot is used here to establish the location of the

environment and to allow the audience to familiarise

themselves. The shot could also be a POV, this will help to

engage the audience as it places them in the mise en scene,

especially as they get the impression that they are watching

the boy and his mothers from a neighboring bench.

The location seen here is quite isolated, there are not very many

people around at all which helps to add a feeling of danger to the

mise en scene. Perhaps people arent sitting close to the mother

and boy because of the way they look as Amish people are not very

familiar in cities, especially due to their shunning of technology. The

fact that the environment is isolated creates a more dangerous

atmosphere because people will not be around to witness the

events that are to take place, this is similar to the murder in

Heavenly Creature due to the openness and the isolation.


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A series of close up shots are used to depict the action with a

lot of detail. Quick cuts are used to keep the pace of the actionand also to maintain the suspense, showing the audience only

the things they need to see that are important to the

immediate scene. Several generic conventions are used in

these scenes. For example, the flick knife is a common weapon

and it possesses a certain chill due to its brutality and its

easiness to get hold of and this kind of weapon can be seen in

many thrillers (famously used in the murder of Marion Crane

in Psycho). The place in which the murder takes place is also

very dirty and claustrophobic with almost no chance of escapewhich could connote corruption, criminals and immortality, this

is emphasised by the murder. Weir could be

showing/representing the state of society in America at the

time, this would be similar to Quentin Tarantinos

interpretation in Pulp Fiction.Weir uses another generic convention in the form of an

enigma, who is the other man helping in the murder? This

helps to intrigue the audience and provoke them to ask

questions. Another signifier of the genre is the use of the

colour red, symbolising blood which is appropriate to themurder scene.


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A close up shot of the boy peeking through

the crack in the door is used to show his

insignificance in the situation that is

happening before him. This shot is also

effective because it displays his emotions

and engages the audience as they can

interact with the emotions of the boy.

Another close up shot is used, this time

from the perspective of the young boy

peering through the gap, this makes it

seem as though the audience are

watching this whole scene through theeyes of the boy, therefore engaging

them and showing the sort of events

that can actually happen.


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This close up shot is very effective in creating suspense amongst the audience

because of the nightmarish situation. The struggle to lock the door is almost like a

nightmare and Weir uses this to captivate the audience, to strike fear into them in

order to gain their full attention and also their sympathy for they boy. The close

up is used to focus on the action and the franticness of the hands, this helps to

place the audience within the mise en scene and make the boys nightmare their

nightmare.


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These shots create suspense by showing only the feet of the murderer and the

filthy toilets, this all adds to the dystopian feel of the city and in particular, the

toilets. A low angle, close up shot is used to make the toilet cubicles seem more

intimidating and enclosed, this is emphasised by the criminal blocking off all

potential exits, thus striking fear into the audience. The combination of diegetic

and non-diegetic sound come together to really create tension, this is because the

sounds are quite eerie and if the audience were to be placed in the shoes of theboy the sounds would make the situation seem more terrifying.


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The way that the boy is posed could be a direct link to the statue seen just before he entered the toilets. This could

connote the idea that the statue was indeed offering protection to the boy. Another reference could be Jesus

Christ on the crucifix, this is derived from the way the boy is positioned on top of the toilet and it would link

directly with the Amish religion as the believe in Jesus and strive to use his teachings in all aspects of life. If this is

so it could symbolise the idea that Jesus is watching over the child. The way that the camera pans upwards from

the toilet also makes the boy seem very small and also shows how much he stands out from the environment he is

in, this can be seen by the filth that surrounds him, whereas he is used to green countryside. A close up shot is

used to show the fear on the young boys face, this helps to engage the audience and also to be able to havesympathy for him, thus creating a stronger relationship between the audience and the character.

witness - screenshot analysis

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