The Bone Collector: Clip Analysis

'The Bone Collector' (1999)

I chose this particular shot from 'The Bone Collector' as it has a variety of different shot types and uses different distances and angles very well to create chilling and creepy scene.

The clip starts with very low-key lighting, and the camera tracks forwards towards two silhouettes and a torch. The camera starts to fol ow to two people down the stairs when suddenly they are underneath a light and you can see a woman, who is then suddenly pushed against the rail of the stairs, close to the camera. This is a good effect as the two people have moved closer into the shot to make it a MCU which i think create more action. This shot also works well at establishing a woman with her mouth taped up (victim), and a dark man (killer) who shines a torch in her face, which is how we can see the both of them. The next shot starts at the bottom of the stairs looking at the killers feet which is effective as it is mysterious and creates an enigma about the murderer as you don't see his face. We know he is the killer rather than the woman because he is much more forceful, and she is screaming. This shot then tilts upwards and follows the killer walking the woman across the room. This is turns into a LS to establish the room to the audience now they are in a lighter area. The next shot of the woman is a CU which is used to show how scared the woman is. This shot the tilts up to show the killer securing her hands in place with old fashion hand-cuffs. Next an ELS helps to further establish the setting they are in, which looks eerie and dark, and the because of the steam, and the fact they went downstairs could perhaps imply they are underground. There is a spotlight on the victim to draw your attention to her. Another CU of the victim, but then a CU of the Killer. This is very significant because although he is wearing a mask, this is the first time we see the killers face in the movie. His mask has slits cut out of it which make him look edgy and weird, the scene almost appears to go in slow motion to emphasise this dramatic moment. Also their is dramatic music to enhance the frightening atmosphere.

(there is a small editing mistake in this version of the clip, sorry)

We then see the killer twisting a handle. The noise of this is particularly creepy as it is squeaking implying that it is old , which usually signifies something dangerous. This shot is almost an OTS shot as you can see the victims arm in the left hand corner.
At 1.03 there is a LS of the victim watching the killer. This shot is done on an angle and almost looks like someone is watching them. The use of a tilted angle low shot enhances the eeriness of the scene as it makes it less normal, and more creepy. A high angle shot at 1.09 does effectively the same job as the tilted angle, whilst giving some sort of an overview as to what is going on. The loud jolty noise is meant to scare the audience, and so they use a CU of the woman and show her scared expression. When the large pipe begins to turn round the audience are meant to feel very scared, as you do not know what is going to happen, and why the pipe is needed. The angle from which we look at the pipe, although is behind then woman, we still see what she would see as well and so we would assume we feel the same as her. There is then an ECU of the woman's eyes which is very chilling as you can see the fear in her eyes, which is shown by how wide her eyes are. It's also quite frightening because you can see blood on her head, and it enhances the scary atmosphere. Once the pipe is fully in front of her, there is a shot (MCU) in which the pipe takes up half the screen, and the woman the other half. This shot is effective as it shows the pipe to be something scary and dominant, and the woman looks weak and thin. As the audience we now begin to think what is going to happen, and perhaps something is going to come out of the pipe. At 1:35 the woman looks scared and starts to try to get away, and struggles in her restraints. This leads us to believe that she is perhaps looking at the killer, who is about to do something bad, we then see then killer grab her arm which heightens the suspense. A BCU of the woman shows her to be even more scared and her eyes are wide open. The use of a BCU is very effective as you can see her facial expression so clearly, and get you right in on the action. The scream indicates something bad has happened to the woman, but she is not dead because we see her later

I particularly like this clip because although it is a bit scary, it uses camera work and framing so effectively to build suspense and tension.