'Knock'

'Knock' is a short film directed by Deric Nunez in 2011. As a controlled assessment task I was asked to write an analysis:

How many characters are there and how are they introduced?

There are two visible characters in 'Knock'. These are the girl who is shown first, and the boy who is only shown over a video message on a computer screen. 

The female character has a stereotypical American accent and is presented with blonde hair and blue eyes, she is preparing for her finals with implies that she is around 18 years old. Firstly we hear her voice before we see her character who is sitting on her bed, chatting with a friend. She is portrayed as being intelligent as she is correctly answering the questions he is asking her related to her final. 

The male character is a stereotypical as well, with the same accent as the girl. He seems to be older; maybe he finished his finals a year ago, as there is no hint of him taking any exams. He is only ever shown with a medium shot of his head to shoulders on a computer screen, a video call is taking place. 



There is a also the illusive 'character' of the knock. Although I do not consider this a direct character in 'Knock' I do accept that it has the potential to be a character, instead of just an illusive sound. This potential comes from the polaroid that the female character finds in her back pocket and the sounds that are created related to this character. 

How is the story constructed?

The story follows a conventional template where the state of equilibrium is presented and then broken in that order. The equilibrium is the girl preparing for her final and her friend helping her, this also includes her evening routine, such as brushing her teeth. 



The equilibrium is broken when she hears knocking. The reaction shot shows the break as her face shows confusion and anxiety linked to the mysterious noise. A high angle is used to make her look vulnerable.



Conventionally for a horror film it would end with a man coming to victimise her/someone coming to save her, but in this we see neither a man nor a hero. Instead it ends on a cliffhanger, after the titles there is a still of her dead body. I think that this is a terrible place to finish the film because the majority of people do not watch further than the titles. However it completes the conventional story with an ending. 

Todorov's theory, used above is a classic example of his theory of equilibrium, that there is equilibrium, it is broken, there is an attempt to correct the equilibrium/get it back, and then ends with equilibrium that could be how equilibrium was presented at the beginning, or equilibrium has changed. 

How is cinematography used to convey meaning?

Cinematography is the art of camerawork. 

In 'Knock' the cinematography includes a variety of shots mostly medium shots and close ups of the girl. 

The medium shots allow the audience to see her in a detailed way and also what she is doing. For example, when she picks up the bat a medium shot is used to show the scared expression on her face and also the action of picking up the bat. 



This allows the audience to link the action to her thoughts, implying that because she is scared she is picking up the bat as a form of self-defense. 

The close up shots allow the audience to see her on a personal level, going into great detail with her facial expressions. For example, when she is talking to her friend there are close ups of her face showing her blushing and smiling; these give the audience cause to relate her to a conventional female character in a horror movie who is oblivious to what is going to happen next. 

Some extreme close ups of her face are used to raise the tension created in the short film. These show her face portraying emotions such as fear, caused by the break in equilibrium. 

How is mise-en-scene used to convey meaning?

Mise-en-scene is the scenery and props including costume. 

One way in which mise-en-scene is used to create meaning is when she picks up the baseball bat as a reaction to the knocking sounds she is hearing. This action means that she is feeling threatened by the unexpected break in equilibrium and the bat shows the characters fear for her safety as she is providing herself with a form of protection. In this case low key lighting has been used too extremely as it affects the audiences view of what is actually going on. 

The toothbrush is a prop that represents equilibrium, when she is brushing her teeth the equilibrium is balanced, when she drops the toothbrush it shows the break in equilibrium. This causes the audience to feel concern towards what will happen because the balance has been dropped not just figuratively but also literally (when she physically drops the toothbrush from her hand).




How is sounds used to convey meaning?

Sound can be diegetic and non-diegetic, natural or artificial.

Sound is used in 'Knock' to create suspense. The low tone of the non-diegetic sound that contrasts with that of the diegetic running tap water unsettles the audience, making their subconscious link the non-diegetic sound to the horror. 

The knocking sound is used to unnerve the audience and bring about a sense of tension and expectation as to when it will happen again. Knocking is seen in every day life as a normal sound, therefore it should be connected to equilibrium, however the girls reaction to the first knock triggers the audience to view the knocking from the same perspective as her. It was unexpected, it breaks the equilibrium. 




What areas could be improved and how could they be improved?

I believe the continuity could be improved, in particular when she picks up the bat. To me, a member of the audience, it seems as though the bat comes from the air and just pops up. Previously in 'Knock' there has been no content that would lead me to associate this character with having a baseball bat and there is also no way to see where it came from. From a conventional perspective the unnatural is supposed to occur in horror films, but in this case it appears as an underdeveloped idea that should have had more time dedicated to it, if it was to be included. I would either take the baseball bat out completely to eliminate the lost continuity. Or I would add content that would mean the audience could relate the character to baseball. So I would place the bat in her bedroom and show it in the establishing shot. I would also include base ball in the conversation she is having with her friend "When can I see you then?" "You can come to my base ball game and then we can hang out after."

This gives the audience a reason as to why she has a baseball bat. 




What makes this a short film?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits".

'Knock' follows this definition. 
'Knock' also has a beginning, middle and an end that are the boundaries of what a story is built on, therefore it can be classed as a short film. 



By watching 'Knock' I have realised that to produce a strong film I must have a strong narrative story-line that engages my audience. To do this I will apply theories that I have studied such as Barthes Enigma Codes. This can be seen particularly in 'Knock' because the audience know exactly what will happen in a typical horror movie such as this but it is human nature to think 'Oh no, she's not going to turn out the lights?!'