Film Genre Research

 

Film Genre Research: Babadook

Camera Shots, Angles, Movements: The film begins with a close-up shot of an older woman being splashed with water. This up-close shot allows us to see the terror in her eyes. The scene then blacks, and we are suddenly watching the woman again, in a tracking shot fashion, spinning drastically in the pitch-black.  When the spinning finally stops, we finally get to see what is truly happening. The camera cuts to a male driver, focused on the road. The camera then cuts back to the woman, at eye-match level, and we can see fear on her face as she looks at the man. The scene then cuts back to a close-up shot of the woman in a pitch-black area, as her body is lit by some unknown light. With this close-up shot, we can see her head swing back suddenly. We then get a sudden zoom-out shot, enhancing the feeling of the woman falling. Soon thereafter, once we see that she was falling into her bed, we can hear our first taste of dialogue. The scene shifts to her son screaming her name, and we learn that the woman was having a violent dream. The scene then shifts to a close-up shot of her son in her arms, and we get a mid-shot of the mother reading her son a book. When the son asks his mother to read the book again, we can see a deep focus two-shot of the two lying in bed reading.

Editing Techniques and Tone: The film begins suddenly with a quick cut to the opening scene. Within the first clip, viewers can see a woman being splashed with water. The clip is filmed in slow motion, allowing the audience to see her quick movements in fine detail. We then see the woman begin spinning in slow motion, and we can see the terror build in her facial expressions. The light in the scene then becomes brighter, covering her face in a bright light hue. This enhances how pale she looks and makes her look unwell. The cuts featured in these first five minutes are very sudden and surprising, keeping the audience confused and on their toes. When the woman wakes up from her dream to her son telling her that he had a nightmare, we can notice short cuts to different areas of the home.

Sound Techniques: Within the first clip, viewers can hear a monster-like screeching sound. This induces fear in the audience, as they are automatically subjected to the monster within the first few seconds of the scene. When the woman begins spinning, the screeching increases, as well as the sound of clashing and banging. This allows viewers to gain an idea of where the woman is, such as trapped in a box. Though, when the scene cuts to the man, we can see that she is not entrapped in a box, but in a car with a reckless driver. The scene then shifts to her falling into bed, and we can hear a strong whooshing sound. This adds to the nightmare-like nature of the previous scene and helps us understand that what she just experienced was all in her mind. We can hear our first ounce of dialogue after this, as we can hear the son scream for his mother during her dream-like state. He tells his mother that he had a scary dream. When the mother is searching the house for her son's “monster”, we can hear action matching sound such as door creaking and blankets moving.

Mis-En-Scene Techniques: The woman has messy hair and a pale face, making her seem in disarray and unwell. Her son also has messy hair. This adds to the feeling of uneasiness. The characters are also wearing dull colors, giving a depressing feeling to the film. We can see aspects of disarray in their home, as well. There is clutter under the bed, as well as in the kitchen cabinets, suggesting that the woman hadn't been taking care of the home. However, when the scene cuts to the woman reading to the boy in bed, the bed is near, and the lams are symmetrical. This can show that while she doesn't take care of most aspects of her life, her pride and joy is her son. She does a great job caring for the boy, which is the reasoning for the contrast between chaos and perfection.

Production and Distribution Techniques: Babadook can be watched on multiple screening platforms such as Hulu, amazon prime, and Netflix. Since these are all major film streaming services, it adds to the boost of viewings.

Opening Credits: The first credit shown is the film production company's name, IFC Midnight. The credits are shown in a glowing glitchy effect, starting off the movie with an ominous and uneasy feeling. The credits then switch to a slow fade in of the next company, e-one Entertainment. The credits have intense music to catch the viewers' attention. The next credit scene is Causeway Films, which was presented using a scrambling transition to reveal the name of the company.

Awards/Nominations/Reasoning: Babadook won Best Film, Best Direction, and Best Original Screenplay awards at the AACTA awards, and Best Horror at the 20th Empire Awards.