The Ring

Textual analysis

Horror

Scary sound
effects, diegetic
and non diegetic

Very quiet and

uneasy, every little
sound is intense.

Older
audience

Gender is
stereotypical

The Ring
Gloomy lighting
creates the horror
atmosphere

Mise-en- scene

Typical American
middle classed home

Dark house
set during
night

Age is shown as
steriotypical

Media Language: Camera Work

In the opening scene of the ring the setting is a
typical plain, middle classed American home set
at night, the lighting in the house and on the
girls face is dark and quite gloomy, this creates a
negative feeling from the very start of the film.
The teenaged girl is on her own as well which
makes the audience feel like she is not safe.

We constantly see close ups of the girls face

showing her facial expressions which often
come across quite worried this effect makes the
audience feel nervous and tense

Media Language: Mise-en-scene

Outside is dark

The house is
fairly large

Very dark/dim lighting inside

the house

Nice furniture

The static TV is what

creates mystery and builds
suspense, something about
it is very creepy

The girl in the opening

scene is shown as a
stereotypical teenaged
girl not only by her
attitude but also the
way she is dressed

She appears to be
wearing typical
school/college
uniform

Media Language: Sound

The Ambient sound really stands out because
the setting is very quiet, every small noise for
example foot steps and floor boards creaking
really standout which creates quite a tense
feeling especially the sound of the girls deep
breathing. Some creepy non diegetic sounds
have been put in for the audience such as
when the girl turns round and gasps like she
felt something behind her, the sound here is
similar to the sound of wind or breathing, its
synchronised to the reflection of a shadow in
the TV. This sound adds to the feeling that
there is something in the room watching her.
The synchronised sounds from the static TV
create a feeling of unease especially when she
turns the TV off and the sound comes back on,
this indicates to the audience that something
perhaps paranormal is occurring.

Editing
These two shots are examples of the loose frame
shots the editor has used. There is a lot of room
and objects in the shot, they dont focus on
anything particular. The loose frame is used to
show the girl is alone or isolated.

A lot of the shots are long take shots. the opening is

actually very calm, its not dramatic at all which is why
the shots are longer. When things start getting weirder
short take shots come in to make it exiting and scarier.
At the end of the scene we see an image appear on the
TV, the camera zooms out very quickly and the girl
screams loudly, we see her face change into something
sinister. The zoom is very unexpected and makes the
audience jump. Zooms are usually used gradually in
mainstream films but this one is very sudden.

Genre & Generic Conventions

The Genre of the film is Horror, the generic conventions are displayed from the very start of the film through
many aspects. The body language of the character suggests she is scared from the start, the lighting of the
setting actually plays a big rule too.
These are some of the generic conventions that makes this film a horror.

Set a night
Dark lighting
Static TV/static sound
Supernatural and paranormal activity
A victim(the girl)
Eerie sound effects create unease
Sounds
Screams

Target Audience.
The age rating for the ring is 15. I think the target audience would be 13-21 because its just the kind of film
that age group would like. Young adults and teens like thrills, people younger then 13 would probably be to
scared to watch this and it wouldnt be appropriate. Most people older then 21 probably want to watch
something more serious and meaning full. I think at the target age group both males and females would be
interested in watching this but stereotypical males do like to watch something more thrilling and scary
rather then stereotypical females who may prefer something a bit less horrific

Conclusion
By analysing and researching The Ring I have learnt a lot more about the horror genre. Horror film is a genre that aims
to create a sense of fear, panic, alarm, and dread for the audience. When making a horror film you need to use certain
camera shots to create suspense and fear in the audience. The editing and sounds used need to match the visuals and
exaggerate everything. The ring is filmed in a very realistic way, I think that if its more realistic then the audience can
relate to it more which makes it a lot more scarier and effective.
The Mise-en-scene needs to represent the horror genre from the very start of the film. I think the lighting is very
important, if the lighting looks dual and cold such as in the opening of the ring it creates a negative atmosphere and
also effects the audience. The characters need to be relatable and ordinary for the audiences purpose. Horror films
seem to be filmed and edited in a different way which is very effective for the audience.