LA BOCA DEL LEON- Initial research into Short Films

Pink- Camera Work
Blue- Music
Green- Mise en Scene

Media Language:

The start of the film is ambiguous as it starts with a blank screen, with the subtitles displayed as the men are speaking in Spanish. The mans voice is breathless, which adds an eerie feel to the piece and the dull, droning non diegetic music underneath this tells the audience that something dark is going to happen. 
As the man 'connects the camera' it is shot with a hand held camera, this is seen as it is shot that the man is turning it on and flipping it round to film himself, with the idea that he is holding a mobile phone. A CU is shown of his face, from a low angle and the mise en scene of his makeup gives the audience a further understanding that this is a horror, as his eyes are bloodshot and his skin is pale- looking like he is being possessed. The screen then goes white to black and coloured lines go across it, to show that he is losing signal. The man then appears again in an ECU where we see his face in closer detail, showing the bloodshot eyes and the sweat and we hear the diegetic sound of him breathing rapidly, increasing tension for the viewer to add to the horror theme.
The fast movements of the camera add tension as well to the audience as it means we can't see exactly what he is filming. It also gives us an insight to what the man is feeling, the fast, blurred images portrays his state of shock and panic, letting the audience feel that they are there in the moment with him.
After the diegetic noise of the man shouting, the screen again blacks out and the non diegetic soundtrack diminishes from a crackling sound to a deep, intense droning. It crescendos just as a girl, who we later find out is called Vicky, appears above the camera. Vicky is filmed from a low angle, to show that the man has dropped the phone and is not in control of his body or the procession anymore.
The diegetic sounds of glass being smashed and a man laughing, create an eerie feel to the shot and the mise en scene of the blood on the mirror and the smashed glass, are semantic codes for danger, adding more thriller aspects.
As Vicky runs back to her dad, the non diegetic soundtrack changes to a high pitched noise along with the diegetic noise of the rapid breathing, making the audience feel uneasy. A LS is used here, to show the dads state of him lying down, still, in darkness with candles around him covered in blood and sweat. CU's are shown of his mouth with blood coming out of it and the burns up his arms to add distress and panic to the shot, creating more of a horror feel.
The non diegetic voice over of the man is still being heard, but you can hear he is getting more panicked as he starts to shout and talk as quickly as he can. The use of the fast paced noise adds more panic.
The MS of the Dad talking to Vicky shows the him talking straight to the camera, which makes the audience feel like he is talking to them which makes them feel nervous as it feels they are sharing Vicky s feelings of panic and worry and this is felt again when he reaches out for her. We see his nails are grey and claw-like and the diegetic sound of Vicky screaming again makes the viewer scared.
Match on action is used when she picks up the candle to signify that this is a crucial moment to the film. High pitched, eerie music is again used here to build tension, a growling, hissing animal sound is also used to show the Dad is being possessed which is portrayed through him crouching on the sofa, like an animal. The Dad falls to the floor as she drops the candle on the floor and the camera shoots the film from upside to highlight the idea that the roles have changed, that everything has turned upside down, as we see Vicky is now possessed and her Dad is dead.
A non diegetic sound of a lion growling is heard as the screen goes blank and the mans voice over is heard, showing that the film is finishing how it starts, conveying the idea that this is neverending.

Titling and Credits:

There is no titling to La Boca del Leon, however the credits have a different feel to them. The non diegetic music is typically Spanish music, happy and bouncy, which contrasts with the red text, a stereotypical colour of danger and death and the images of burning houses, showing how many people have been possessed.

Again, I found this short film on 'short of the week'.

Genre:

This short film is a horror, due to the semantic codes from Altmans theory, used, such as the blood, the makeup of him looking pale and possessed, the candle flames, the smashed glass etc, The music also adds suspense and thrill, adding tension and pace to the film, again, making up the components of a horror film.

Audience:

The audience for this horror film is definitely aimed towards adults, maybe especially towards adults who are interested in witchcraft and afterlife and the land of the dead. The visual codes of the blood and burning are graphic, which means they should be seen by adults who can handle them.