Refuge review

Sound

The sound effects for the first scene is the radio which shows that it is everyday life happening. The music is suddenly darker in the bomb making scene and continues during the kitchen scene with the family, suggesting something dark will happen to them. High pitch violins are used to create a more dramatic effect and then fade away. The organ is then played to give a sinister effect. The music becomes louder again to show that something terrible will happen. The music fades out again when the film ends.

Camera

The camera focuses on the family in the opening scene in a very light room. It shows a nice shot of the dad when he says hello to the baby and kisses it on the head. There is a sudden change when the scene changes to a dark room where the camera zooms in on face and hands; the colours drain out. The light changes as the camera zooms out and focuses on the bomb maker’s actions. The camera cuts back to the light and airy kitchen scene. The camera focuses on the mother putting on the baby’s hat. There is then an immediate cut back to the bomb maker and the camera pans across the desk and you see full detail.

Mis-en-scène

There are three sets, the first is an ordinary kitchen with mum doing family tasks. There are everyday objects in the foreground. There is a contrast between the homely objects in this scene and the sinister ones in the second bombmaking set. In this one there is an absence of light and little colour except for the components. The third set shows the car outside.The light is cold and we see forest in the background, which makes you think they live in an isolated place. The inside of the car is dark; the only colour we see is the pink of the baby’s dummy, shoes and the ‘Piglet’ car freshener hanging in the front. These innocent , gentle objects make what we know is about to happen all the more horrific. The film’s title is clearly an oxymoron as the car and the home are no longer places of refuge; they are no longer safe.

Why we know it’s a thriller 

This is mainly because of the music which builds up and fades throughout, increasing the feeling of tension and the sense that something bad is about to happen. The cut-aways from the homely to the bomb-making scene and the final scene where the two come together add to the effect.

What didn’t work well

 The zooming in on the soldering iron did not work well as the image was very blurry.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQUjjl4DAqQ