How does sound and mise-en-scene create an atmosphere in the Have A Little Priest sequence from Sweeney Todd?

Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd is a well know horror musical, which often classed as a period drama. It has regular conventions of horror films that are easily recognised throughout, there's blood, shadows that create a creepy feel the majority of horror films, there is no monster/alien in Sweeney Todd but there is Sweeney Todd himself who is known as the 'Demon Barber of Fleet Street' as he is the killer in this film, and having a killer is a regular convention of horror even if it isn't s obvious as it is in Sweeney Todd. This could be cut as it’s not analysis

This scene begins with a mid-shot of Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) and Mrs Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) in the dark and dingy pie shop; this mise-en-scene is created by the use of low-key lighting, which represents the horrific incidents that happen in Mrs Lovett's Pie Shop. The low-key lighting gave me the feeling uncertainty as when the lighting is low it’s all very dark and you can never fully know what the darkness holds. At this point I'm not quite sure about what is going to happen afterwards which is that feeling of uncertainty that I get from being in the dark and low lit areas. This is what horror films do, they play off well known fears that a majority of their audience will have, like the dark and low lit areas, which is exactly what this scene is doing, Tim Burton uses this fear of darkness in his 1999 film Sleep Hollow which is a film shot with low-key lighting throughout the film, which hooks the audience on a personal level due to the personal fear of the dark as well as the 'Headless Horseman'.

Low key lighting is a key aspect to this scene as it is a regular convention of the horror genre, as it is used in many other horror films, such as Mama, this film is shot with majority low-key lighting due to the fact it makes people uncomfortable to be in low-lit places, and as a person who is scared of low-lit places and the dark, the low-key lighting toys with my personal phobia of the dark. I felt uncomfortable when watching because it I can't stand the feeling of being in the dark or in dimly lit places as I am not fully aware of what could happen or what could be out there, it makes me automatically think of the worst, things like I'm being watched by the killer/villain of the film and that I'll be their next victim, being a pessimist is only emphasised when watching horror films due to a large number of them involving being followed and later killed, Sweeney Todd has this effect as they are watching everyone and analyzing how they'd taste.

The low key lighting in this scene is a clear representation of the melodramatic Victorian era, as it was a very dark era, with freak shows becoming a widely popular form of entertainment, Jack the Ripper, and the urban legend of Sweeney Todd. Also low-key lighting is used in other films that re based on events in the Victorian era, such as Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, this has low-key lighting, even though it isn't a horror, it's used to represent to atmosphere that the Victorian era would have had. The low key lighting the completely contrasted by a later scene where it is very high key lighting as Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett are in a dream like scenery but it still give the same effect of the low key lighting, it creates an odd atmosphere as both Mrs Lovett and Sweeney Todd are still very dark characters which is a contrast within the contrasting scene as they are give off a dark aura almost in a very light and bright environment; this creates a feeling of complete darkness from these two characters no matter the circumstances are, they are constantly these outcast people that are constantly in the dark shadows.


The non-diegetic sound at the start of the song is very high pitched which creates a sense of alarm and panic due the majority of alarms being high pitched to draw attention to the fact that something potentially dangerous is happening. The idea for the new pie filling is thought of because of the body they have upstairs, the loud, alarming music enhances this scene. It acts as warning for the horrific idea that Mrs Lovett has come up with for her business and the way she involves Sweeney Todd is quite a grim subject.

However as the song goes on it becomes lower and begins to sound more sinister as Mrs Lovett describes her idea of what to with the body and to pick up business in her pie shop. As she suggests using people as the meat filling in her pies and using Sweeney Todd's barber skills to get the people/'flavours'. "Everybody shaves, so there should be plenty of flavours." is the line that gives that's how they'll get the meat, this also relates to the mise-en-scene. When Mrs Lovett is by the pie ingredients and you can see the unidentifiable pie filling on the side, as she is on bout swapping the unknown filling to human meat; this supports the idea of the beginning of the song being high pitched to alarm towards danger as the plan to use human as a filling for pies has come to light and has now created an eerie atmosphere around the two characters who are involved in this horrific plan.

As well as the non-diegetic music creating an eerie/sinister atmosphere the lowness and deepness of Sweeney Todd's voice also adds as it has a slow sinister sound to it. This is also used in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, when Johnny Depp's character, the Mad Hatter, is telling Alice the Jabberwocky poem, his voice becomes very low and slow emphasing the darkness and sinister feel to the Jabberwocky; the deep, slow voice makes me feel intrigued. I wanted to know more about what was being said, it drew me into the story and I needed to know everything that the character, either being Sweeney Todd or the Mad Hatter, was saying to the other characters. It adds a layer of suspense and tension as it contrasts to other characters voices, allowing them to interact and grab my attention in a different way, as it is a subtle tactic to engage with people without using any special effects for doing something drastic like hitting or breaking something, it seems more sinister because it shows that something s simple as a tone of voice can instantly change the atmosphere of a room or situation, and that I needed to listen to what was being said or else the danger could be true to me, as if I wasn't listening I could be seen as an easy target.


When Mrs Lovett stands up from the table you can see pies and the equipment and utensils used to make pies on the side, which foreshadows the events that are to happen when it comes to Mrs Lovett making pies. This is very cleverly placed mise-en-scène, as it reflects the entire scene in little amount of props, like the pastry, the fillings, sharp butchers knives, that all hint towards to the horror of the people who will be killed to be pie fillings. Also when Sweeney Todd picks up the cleaver, which he handles precariously then dances around with Mrs Lovett with it in his hand, it indicates to sinister happenings within the pie shop. The use of costume and make up allows the scene to be enhanced as in this Sweeney Todd is wearing traditional looking men's clothes for the Victorian era which gives to the historical accuracy which to me gives more a creepy, eerie feel as it has made sure to have each detail perfect even if it is for lower class which weren't thought highly of. The paleness of Sweeney Todd and the darkness around his eyes, not only shows the closeness to sickness and disease to the lower class but also adds to the idea of fine detail to even the lower class, even though he is the main character in the film. 


Using pale skin and darkened eyes is also used in Tim Burton's Corpse Bride where again Johnny Depp's character, Victor, is in traditional Victorian menswear with a pale face and dark, hollow looking eyes, this is vividly shown at the part in the film where Victor and Emily (corpse bride) are playing a duet on the piano, which makes me feel like I'm watching the film in the era it's set due to the accuracy, and the piece of music they play adds to the feeling of being in the era as it sounds like a Victorian piece of music. It gives off the feeling that it is happening now, at this time, which also adds to the horror of Sweeney Todd, it feels almost realistic; as well as the fine detail on lower class even with main characters it gives a dark edge to the characters in that the era these films are set there is a darkness known in the Victorian era which I noted earlier. I find this appealing in both films but especially in Sweeney Todd as the Victorian era to me is extremely interesting because of the grim stories and urban legends that originated in Victorian times, the use of make up in Sweeney Todd represents the people of the era I represent them in my mind, so it gives me the feeling of comfort knowing that this is often how the people of Victorian times are seen.

US independent - The Perk of Being a Wallflower case study

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) is a teen romance written by Stephen Chbosky; who also did the screenplay and is based on the novel also written by Stephen Chbosky.

Budget: $13,000,000 - on it's opening it grossed $228,359

Director: Stephen Chbosky 

Box office: $17,742,948 

Worldwide Gross: $33,384,127

Produced by: Stephen Chbosky, John Malkovich

Released: 8th September at Toronto International Film festival, 10th September in LA for its premiere, 3rd October in UK

Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller

Logan Lerman is an American actor who is most known for his title role in the Percy Jackson films and started acting I'm 2000 in What Women Want.

Emma Watson is an English actress and model who made her acting debut in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2001 which is also what's she's most known for.

Ezra Miller is an American actor and musician, who began his acting career in Cakey! The Cake from Outer Space in 2006, he is known for his role as Vincent "Vinnie" Jr in City Island and the title role in We Need to Talk About Kevin.

The production company, Mr Mudd (also producers of Juno), hired Stephen Chbosky - the author of the novel - to adapt the film. The producers then hired Chbosky to write the adapted screenplay and to direct the film. Like other films The Perks of Being a Wallflower also had a following already from the book. 

Critics and reviews:

IMDb - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Guardian - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Daily Mail - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

How does sound and mise-en-scene create an atmosphere in the Have A Little Priest sequence from Sweeney Todd (draft)

Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd is a well know horror musical which often classed as a period drama. It has regular conventions of horror films that are easily recognised throughout, there's blood which is a key convention in horror films, shadows that create a creepy feel the majority of horror films, there is no monster/alien in Sweeney Todd but there is Sweeney Todd himself who is known as the 'Demon Barber of Fleet Street' as he is the killer in this film, and having a killer is a regular convention of horror even if it isn't s obvious as it is in Sweeney Todd.

This scene begins with a mid-shot of Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) and Mrs Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) in the dark and dingy pie shop, the feel of the room is created by the use of low key lighting which reflects the horrific incidents that happen in Mrs Lovett's Pie Shop. The low key lighting gives me the feeling uncertainty as when the lighting is low its all very dark and you can never fully know what the darkness holds, just like part of the scene because at this point I'm not quite sure about what is going to happen afterwards which is that feeling of uncertainty that I get from being in the dark and low lit areas.
Low key lighting is a key aspect to this scene as it is a regular convention of the horror genre, and as a person who is scared of low-lit places and the dark, the low-key lighting toys with my personal phobia of the dark and makes me uncomfortable when watching because it can't stand the feeling of being in the dark or in dimly lit places as I am not fully aware of what could happen or what could be out there, it makes me automatically think of the worst.
The low key lighting in this scene is a clear representation of the melodramatic Victorian era.
The low key lighting the completely contrasted by a later scene where it is very high key lighting as Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett are in a dream like scenery but it still give the same effect of the low key lighting, it creates an odd atmosphere as both Mrs Lovett and Sweeney Todd are still very dark characters which is a contrast within the contrasting scene as they are give off a dark aura almost in a very light and bright environment; this creates a feeling of complete darkness from these two characters no matter the circumstances are,they are constantly these outcasted people that are constantly in the dark shadows.

The non-diegetic sound at the start of the song is very high pitched which creates a sense of alarm and panic due the the majority of alarms being high pitched to draw attention to the fact that something potentially dangerous is happening which is the case in this scene, as its the scene where the idea for the new pie filling is thought of because the body they have upstairs, the loud, alarming music fits well to the scene because it acts as warning for the horrific idea that Mrs Lovett has come up with for her business and the way she involves Sweeney Todd is quite a grim subject.
However as the song goes on it becomes lower and begins to sound sinister as Mrs Lovett describes her idea of what to do with the body and to pick up business in her pie shop, as she suggests using people as the meat filling in her pies and using Sweeney Todd's barber skills to get the people/'flavours', "Everybody shaves, so there should be plenty of flavours." is the line that gives that's how they'll get the meat, this also relates to the mise-en-scene when Mrs Lovett is by the pie ingredients and you can see the unidentifiable pie filling on the side, as she is on about swapping the unknown filling to human meat; this proves that the beginning of the song being high pitched, which has an alarming feeling, was in fact drawing attention to a very significant part of the scene and creates the eerie atmosphere around the two characters.
As well as the non-diegetic music creating the eerie/sinister atmosphere the lowness and deepness of Sweeney Todd's voice also adds to this as it has a slow sinister sound to it, this is also used in Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland, when Johnny Depp's character, the Mad Hatter, is telling Alice the Jabberwocky poem, his voice becomes very low and slow emphasising the darkness and sinister feel of the Jabberwocky; the deep, slow voice make me feel intrigued, like I want to know more about what is being said, it draws me into the story and that I need to know everything that the character, either being Sweeney Todd or the Mad Hatter, is saying to the other characters in the scene. It adds a layer of suspense and tension because its a contrast to other characters voices in the two scenes from to two films, it allows the character to interact with the other characters and me the audience in a different way as it grabs my attention in a different way as it seems almost sinister and that I need to listen to what's being said or else the danger could be true to me.

When Mrs Lovett stands up from the table you can see pies and the equipment and utensils used to make pies on the side which foreshadows the events that are to happen when it comes to Mrs Lovett making pies, this is very cleverly placed mise-en-scène, as it reflects the entire scene in little amount of props, like the pastry, the fillings, sharp butchers knives, that all hint towards to the horror of the people who will be killed to be pie fillings. Also when Sweeney Todd picks up the cleaver, which he handles precariously then dances around with Mrs Lovett with it in his hand, it indicates to sinister happenings within the pie shop. The use of costume and make up allows the scene to be enhanced as in this Sweeney Todd is wearing traditional looking men's clothes for the Victorian era which gives to the historical accuracy which to me gives more a creepy, eerie feel as it has made sure to have each detail perfect even if it is for lower class which weren't thought highly of; the paleness of Sweeney Todd and the darkness around his eyes adds to the idea of fine detail to even the lower class, even though he is the main character in the film. Using pale skin and darkened eyes is also used in Tim Burton's Corpse Bride where again Johnny Depp's character, Victor, is in traditional Victorian menswear with a pale face and dark, hollow looking eyes, this is vividly shown at the part in the film where Victor and Emily (corpse bride) are playing a duet on the piano, which makes me feel like I'm watching the film in the era it's set due to the accuracy, it gives off the feeling that it is happening now, at this time, which also adds to the horror of Sweeney Todd, it feels almost realistic; as well as the fine detail on lower class even with main characters it gives a dark edge to the characters in that the era these films are set there is a darkness known in the Victorian era which I noted earlier; I find this appealing in both films but especially in Sweeney Todd as the Victorian era to me is extremely interesting because of the grim stories and urban legends that originated in Victorian times, the use of make up in Sweeney Todd represents the people of the era I represent them in my mind, so it gives me the feeling of comfort knowing that this is often how the people of Victorian times are seen.

The Shining Analysis (Danny and the twins, and Meeting Lloyd)

The Shining is a very well known psychological horror directed by Stanley Kubrick and these two scenes I chose to analyse, I believe are two amazingly shot scenes with many horror conventions that aren't obvious, they make you think about what is happening and mess with your head while you try to figure out what is actually happening. 

This scene begins with a long shot of Danny riding his tricycle through a kitchen corridor, he is in the center of the shot creating a line of almost symmetry which continues with an idea of mirrored reality that can be seen throughout the film; this shot is tracking Danny from behind to give the feel of following him, and even when he's no longer in shot the camera is still tracing down the hallway following the path that Danny had just taken on his trike. The sound in this is high non-diegetic that keeps going up in pitch the further Danny gets down the corridor and as he reaches the end of the corridor a sudden loud and different sound that draws attention to the fact that something is going to happen suddenly very soon; the use of the non-diegetic sound puts me on edge but draws me into the scene at the same time as the pitch draws higher I feel more involved in the scene because it tells that something is going to happen but you're not quite sure at this point, it just suggests that something significant is about to happen.
As Danny is riding down the shorter corridor its turned into a midshot, only showing his top half this shot continues to follow Danny round the corner rather than using a jump cut to when Danny has got round the corner, the jump of when you see the twins at the bottom of the corridor makes up for the lack of jump cut because you aren't expecting it because there was no warning of a jump which is why jump cuts are often used in horror to make the audience jump prior to the actual jump of the film. As Danny turns the corner it becomes a long shot of the whole corridor with the girls in the middle of the shot which again creates a line of symmetry that reflects the idea of the mirrored reality within the hotel. The girls are very immaculate in the way they are presented; their hair is extremely neat, they're dresses are pristine which puts emphasis on the weirdness that is going on in the hotel, as the audience this makes me feel almost uncomfortable as I know that they are the two girls that the old caretaker killed and seeing them all neat and tidy messes with the illusion that they were slaughtered with an axe. The shot to show the girls is paired with a percussion crash to emphasis the relevance of the girls to this story. The long shot is the contrasted with a close up on Danny's face to show that he is bemused and scared, his heavy breathing attracts focus onto how panicked he is by these two girls in front of him; it then cuts back to a long shot so Danny and the twins are in the shot this is when the twins start to talk to Danny, when they say "Hello Danny." It is in synchronisation which only adds to the eerieness of the twins it is also echoed which gives the impression that they aren't not really there and when they say "Come play with us." They're also out of shot as it is on a close up of Danny's face it also suggests that the twins aren't actually there as you cannot see them as they say it.

Jump cuts are used to show the girls at the end of the corridor to when they are are dead and covered in blood- which is a common convention of horror as it often makes viewers feel uncomfortable- when they are speaking to Danny, they're used almost as punctuation to put extra emphasis on "forever" become they are suggesting the same will happen to Danny and he'll then play with them 'forever'. The end of this scene ends with a close up on Danny's face its briefly shown as terrified before he covers his eyes with his hands as a reflex reaction of fear, he then peeks through his fingers like he's too scared to see what's there in front of him, it turns out to be an empty corridor with no evidence of the twins ever being there at all. Danny tells 'Tony' that he's scared but 'Tony' tells him its not real that it's like "characters from a book".
Throughout this scene there is high key lighting which completely contrasts with the darkness of the atmosphere in the hotel which makes me feel I'll at ease because of the stark contrast of the light and dark.

This scene begins with a tracking long shot of Jack Nicholson's character Jack walking through a corridor, he's never quite in the centre of the corridor as if he's not mentally balanced. The board outside of the Gold Room has a old style look to it, which leaves unanswered questionsquestions as to why the board is so old fashioned at this point of the film. When Jack enters the room and turns the lights on it also turns on the table lights which wouldn't have been attached to the mains wires, which suggests something unnatural is happening in the hotel. The sound throughout the beginning of this scene is a high pitch non-diegetic sound, the night pitch of the sound puts me on edge as its a sound that goes straight through my spine making me feel like the ominous happenings of the Overlook hotel may happen to me as the viewer.
When Jack sits down he mumbles to himself before smiling and saying "Hi Lloyd." Which as a first time watcher was freaky because he was alone in the bar then all of a sudden he's talking to someone, there's then an eye-line match to see Lloyd who Jack is looking at behind the bar; Lloyd is surrounded by high key lighting which contrasts to the room and suggests there's something about Lloyd that isn't quite right.
From the point that Jack sits down at the bar the majority of the score is mid-shots, keeping us close to the characters without it being uncomfortable as they talk, but as Jack talks about hurting Danny in the past Lloyd is never properly in shot which adds to the suspicion about Lloyd, also whenever Lloyd talks it echo's like the twins did which gives the impression of ghosts and thts he's not really there like with the girls before. The idea of ghosts, living undead and supernatural beings are a very common convention of horror films as it gives the film an element of the unnatural world colliding with the real world. As well as this Jack says "I always liked you. You were always the best..." Which adds the likelihood of Lloyd not being real as Jack used 'liked' rather than 'like' and 'were' rather than 'are' which makes Lloyd a past tense figure, supporting the supernatural theory of Lloyd and the girls in the hotel.
Even though the room's lights are on the lighting is still low key which suggests darkness within the room and not just in the physical aspect of the lights in the room but almost spiritually because of Lloyd.

The ways darkness and evil are presented in these two scenes shows a high standard of skill from Stanley Kubrick.