Textual analysis of ‘Friend Request’

BY ALEX BURTON

I have chosen to analyse Friend Request even though it is more of a horror than a thriller. I have done this because it so closely relates to the dangers of social media and has direct links within the idea of the antagonist making contact with the protagonist through the likes of sites like Facebook, which is similar to ideas of our own trailer. Our film however will not focus on supernatural beings but rather will be a thriller due to the mind games the antagonist will play with the protagonist. However the other members in my group will both be analysing thriller genres to enable us to see conventions of thrillers and also horror elements that we will incorporate into our trailer.

Black screen then what appears to sudden fade in transition almost like the powering up of a laptop after a brief shot of a production company and the non-diegetic sound of a technical glitch, this immediately introduces the idea that the film focuses on technology to the audience. This will appeal to the audience because of the mainstream value of technologies such as computers and phones. This may also mean that members of the audience –as part of audiences and gratifications- will be able to relate to the film, due to the fact that they themselves will own technology like phones and computers and be able to gain access to social media sites. Because the demographic this film is aimed at are the most likely to own technological devices they perhaps may feel that the idea of the film is more believable as they recognise how easy it is to access people through the internet. The effect of his narrative becoming more believable is that I turn it becomes more frightening to them as they begin to feel that the events of the film are a real possibility.

We then see a girl running. The girl appears to be a teenage above the age of 18, she is classically attractive shown by her long hair and stereotypical slim body which conforms to Mulvey's male gaze as she will be seen as someone to be admired by members of the audience, which is very common in films aimed at a younger demographic. The fact that the girl appears to be over 18 could be important in terms of the connotations that because she is now considered an adult she now no longer is protected by her parents, making her seem more isolated and perhaps more of a target. The girl also adheres to the mainstream ideology of the perfect female as mise-en-scene shows her form fitting clothes that emphasises her slim figure and the fact she is portrayed as athletic through her running could connote that she is healthy, making her perhaps more attractive to people watching the film. Also because people of the same age group may be able to identify with the girl according to uses and gratifications because they see similarities between themselves and the girl such as age/gender/activities it may mean the film becomes more appealing to them. The fact that she is also the first character shown within the trailer indicates her importance and connotes that she is the main protagonist of the film. Even from the beginning of the trailer the music is low and slightly dark due to the low volume and deep, ominous tone of the slow building non-diegetic sound immediately indicating the horror/thriller genre.

The next shot shows a medium long shot of the same young girl from behind as she looks at the sunrise. The use of the sunrise being red/pink could be used to connote the peace that exists at the beginning of the film as the sky looks calm and mellow. However the red tones could also be used to connote a warning of the events to come which could connect to the classic saying of a red sky in the morning being a warning for a shepherd so this shot could be used to connote the calm before the storm. The use of the colour red also classically connotes blood and violence which is seen throughout the film, which in turn is used to forebode later events, this would heighten the audiences emotions of anticipation and excitement perhaps, as is the aim of horror an thriller films. This calm before the storm mise0en-scene could relate to Todorov’s five stages of narrative as here we see the equilibrium before the disruption that comes later in the film and could also typically be used to set the scene for the film’s narrative. The classic 'Facebook' friends list has been edited to appear to the right of the girl. This again indicates that the film features technology but now narrows it down to inform the audience of the focus on social media. The number of friends is also 833 which is significant in connoting the popularity of the girl and that she is well liked by other people. This is also used as a contrast later in the trailer as the number gradually decreases showing her decline in popularity as events in the film occur.The focus on social media helps to narrow down the target demographic for this film as it has almost become a part of teenagers daily routine, which again may mean the film has more appeal to them. The next close up shot features 'Facebook' on the girl's profile as she accepts a lot of new friend requests. This again connotes popularity but also perhaps a sense of recklessness as she quickly accepts lots of new people without looking at their profile so perhaps she adds a lot of people she doesn't know which is frowned upon and seen as dangerous. This also could be used to present the female character as naïve and immature as she isn’t aware or simply ignores the dangers that society can pose for young women online. It is not uncommon of the horror genre for women to be represented as weak through their age and actions as it make them seem more vulnerable and almost as if they are an easier target, this makes attacks against them seem more shocking and threatening. This could be used as to foreshadow events later in the trailer and what happens when accepting lots of new people. The fact that the girl is presented as popular could also have polysemic theories as to the reason why she is the victim as people may think that if she is popular and appears to be well-liked why is she being targeted? Leaving the audiences with questions that make them want to watch the film to answer them, which is extremely common for films of the thriller or horror genre. When she is doing this she also gets a friend request from someone with a dark looking profile picture which connotes mystery. The dark profile picture also connotes that this girl is almost a binary opposites to Laura whose own profile picture is bright and depicts her smiling. The message reads that the girl is in Laura's (the main girl) Psychology class and that she is 'hoping [they] can be friends]'. When the camera zooms in on this friend request a non-diegetic cinematic boom is heard which emphasises the importance of this particular moment for the narrative of the film. The diegetic dialogue of Laura talking to her friend informs the audience that this girl has 'zero friends' which connotes that she is un-liked, or regarded as 'super weird' like Laura's friend mentions. This may leave the audience with questions as to why this girl is ‘friendless’ and becomes a hook right from the start of the trailer.

The next shot is in a dimly lit room of the girl Ma Rina, the effect of this is to perhaps show more depth into the character, however the fact that the room is dark and we actually see very little connotes again the mystery of her character and perhaps that she is hiding something as deception and secrecy is often connoted by shadows. The darkness of the setting again suggests binary opposites with Laura whose room is much brighter and we see friends, whereas Ma Rina is very much isolated. We know this is Ma Rina as she is on her 'Facebook' and she gets a notification that Laura has accepted her friend request. The shot is a medium close up featuring the back of her laptop which features a old tree with crows flying out of it which seems rather dark and perhaps could be regarded as freaky reflecting the dark light of the room around her. The use of the crows on the back of the laptop could be used to connote death as they are commonly associated with it, the withered tree also connotes death as all the leaves are missing, showing a loss of life. This could also be an intertextual reference to ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ which also uses the symbol of the withered tree, this film also refers to possession and spiritual beings , which is also shown to be an influence in this film later in the trailer. The effect of this could be to foreshadow the later influence of death and spirits and create anticipation for the audience as it hints towards what is to come. The key lighting in the shot comes solely from the laptop screen in front of her and over the top of the laptop screen we can see her eyes which are rimmed in black makeup, which could perhaps connote a dark personality as people's makeup and clothes usually reflect their personality. Dark makeup can be associated with a sub-group of goths who are stereotypically loners and can sometimes believe in dark magic such as voodoo, which the crows on the laptop could also suggest. Goths are also commonly stereotyped as depressed which can be connoted by her lack of friends and dark aurora that constantly surrounds her throughout the trailer, with the dark shadows.The next shot is a close up of a computer screen which shows pictures of a group of girls in a photo on a social media site. One of the girls smiles at another as she looks at the camera signifying an equilibrium according to Todorov's theory of the states that films go through. We know that this is the equilibrium because the girls look happy and carefree connoted by their facial expressions and closeness which also connotes that they are a group of friends. This shot has been put in juxtaposition with the shot of Ma Rina which emphasises the differences between the girls. The lighting of the photo is bright and shows smiling faces and the mise-en-scene shows the girls with their hair and makeup done making them appear attractive whereas Ma Rina is arguably made to look not as attractive as she wears dark hoodies and constantly hides her face, this again can show that she is unpopular because it is common for attractive people to be represented as the popular people. However the desktop background around the web page is dark and mirrors the laptop in the shot before belonging to the girl that sits on her own called Ma Rina. The non-diegetic music is low and quiet but begins to get louder connoting a darkening of the mood and atmosphere presumably because she was not in the photos or invited to Laura's birthday get together, the increase in volume also could suggest a heightening of dark emotions in Ma Rina such as pent up frustration for her lack of friends. The diegetic sound is Ma Rina’s quiet crying and deep breathing showing a depressing mood.

The screen then fades to black which signifies a passing of time. The shot then shows a school canteen atmosphere as denoted by the lunch tables and groups of teenage students sitting around. The use of the school canteen again makes the film seem more realistic and relatable to the younger demographic as it is an everyday setting that is associated with the teenage student life. Perhaps this could have the effect of making the film seem more scary as they feel bad things could happen to them. Here Laura is confronted by Ma Rina who accuses her of not being a real friend. The editing here becomes more fast paced as it cuts to different angles of the arguments, the effect of this is that as the editing increases in pace the audience’s anticipation heightens as they recognise that the climax of the action is soon approaching. The fast editing here also connotes the heightened emotions in the scene. The camera also becomes shaky almost as if it is handheld - this connotes a disruption again according to Todorov's theory. This also seems to be a pivotal moment in the trailer as after this point the editing is faster and duration of shots becomes shorter connoting that after this point in the film the real action begins, this is also the part where Laura is no longer friends with Ma Rina which now means that she is in danger as we learn that Ma Rina is the villain of the film. When Laura pushes the girl away her dialogue is ‘Freak’ which echoes around the quiet canteen emphasising the impact of the words. The work ‘Freak’ is hurtful and derogative and the effect of the echo could be to make her feel more isolated as everyone looks at her and thinks that she is a freak as well. The trailer then cuts again to a shot of a computer screen and here we see someone who we assume is Laura unfriending Ma Rina. We know that this is Laura unfriending her because we have been shown earlier in the trailer that when Laura became her friend she was the only one she had on Facebook. The fact that this is the first shot we see after the altercation in the canteen we assume that that disruption is the reasoning behind her being unfriended. This according to Todorov’s theory is the recognition of the disruption as she deletes her on Facebook. There also a hesitation as the cursor hovers over the button. This is further shown as the camera cuts to an extreme close up of her finger as it hovers over the track pad of her laptop this hesitation could connote that she is not sure if she is doing the right thing and also perhaps emphasises the significance of this action for the rest of the film which again could connote another pivotal movement. Her finger then clicks down to confirm the unfriending of the other girl and a cinematic boom again emphasises the severity of the action. The diegetic sounds of the clicking as Laura selects things on the computer also helps to bring focus to her actions. The diegetic clicking also adds verisimilitude to the film, this is important as it makes the audience feel like they are part of the film which in turn makes it more frightening to them.

The trailer then jumps to the same night and we see Laura watching a video that has been sent to her. Laura is drawn to the computer -in a long shot that shows the dark atmosphere around her suggesting she is walking towards danger -by whispering of her name which is quiet and quite chilling as it is clear that she and her boyfriend who is in bed are the only people home as she walks through a dark empty house. The sound of the scene other than the whispering is generally quiet which helps to connote their isolation which in turn makes them seem more at danger, with no one to help them. The video is dark and creepy as connoted by the dark nature which can connote death and the black and white effect could also connote that it is almost lifeless due to the lack of colour. This could also be used as an intertextual reference as in ‘The ring’ there is also a black and white video which causes death, which arguably this video also does as from this point in the trailer Laura and her friends are all in danger. In the video we see the girl jump off a chair to hang herself over a fire. The act of suicide after having arguments with people especially when social media is involved could be seen as reflecting societies fears of the dangers of young people having such access to the internet as there have also been cases in the news of such acts happening. The fact that she hung herself over fire could signify an influence of witchcraft and dark magic as there are legends of people who were assumed to be witches being burnt to death, this also connects to the earlier dark crow symbolism seen earlier on the back of Ma Rina’s laptop. This could also connect to the black makeup as black connotes evil and witches and spirits are commonly represented as evil. The earlier dark makeup as already suggested could connote depression which is further consolidated by the fact that she committed suicide, so the darkness could have foreshadowed the girls death. The act in the video is also sinister and scary as it seems such a violent and shocking death connoting that although this girl is now dead she is still extremely important to the plotline as the video is soon sent to the rest of the school.

Laura is then seen to be interrogated by two police officers who are accusing her for putting the suicide video online as she tells them she didn't do it and that someone has used her account. The fact that she is accused of posting such a horrific video could change the audience’s perception of Laura as they may think she is guilty of posting it and a bully. Alternatively they could sympathise with her as they see that she is now becoming a victim. The shot shows a medium shot of the police officer from a low angle. The low angle makes the officer look bigger and connotes that he is important and has more power. This may also make him more intimidating to Laura as he is above her and asserting his power over her to trying to get to the bottom of the investigation. The wall behind the officer is plain and has nothing on it which further brings focus to the man as the focal point of the shot, allowing us to focus on the dialogue and facial expressions of the officer as it is clear that he does not believe that Laura didn’t post the video, this could connote that Laura is again becoming isolated and is losing support and help from people putting her more at risk as people often are when they are alone. The iconography of the badge immediately identifies him as a police officer and the connotations of the police position would be the hero according to Propp's theory however the fact that he is accusing the protagonist of doing something she didn't do would subvert the conventional police officer role.

The next shot is when the girl is trying to figure out who is manipulating her Facebook account so looks at the code. However it is soon figured out that it is not normal technological code which would normally be red. This computer code however is green and has unknown symbols that constantly change rather than letters and numbers. The green colour can connote unpleasantness in the form of reptiles. The fact that the symbols in the code are unreadable to the audience and seems jagged and sinister could connote supernatural qualities, indicating that the girl is being haunted online perhaps by this girl Ma Rina who has recently taken her life rather than the girl simply being hacked by someone else. The fact that the male is helping Laura in Propp's theory means he takes on the role of ‘the helper’ as his input brings Laura one stop closing to figuring out what is going on so she can try and stop it. Here the diegetic dialogue is of a male saying ‘this isn’t code, this is her’ followed by silence and then a slight ringing noise. This is purposely used here to increase the impact of the words and the ringing noise is often used in films after and explosion of car accident etc. which could connote the shock and severity of this revelation. The silence is purposely used here as it commonly is during tense moments in the horror/thriller genre. The ringing also shows further disturbance, disorientation and confusion as she doesn’t understand how a dead girl is affecting her computer. It shows that the protagonist Laura is unnerved and makes her seem more like a victim according to clover’s final girl theory, as female’s aren’t usually strong willed and brave until the end of the film.

The camera again fades to black again showing a change in time and a change in location, We now see a close up of a girl looking through a door's viewer - or 'peephole'. The shot has low-key lighting suggesting that it is late at night, this is reinforced when the camera is in the P.O.V of the female and we see a very dark stairwell cast in shadows. The girl seems to have black smudged makeup under her eyes and faint tear tracks down her cheeks connoting fear and sadness, perhaps because she doesn't know what is going on and is now in danger from the ghost who is haunting people through social media. The girl is also hesitant as she gets closer to the door viewer connoting that she is cautious and worried about what she will see, which is conventional in tense moments in horror films when jump scares are likely to occur. As she leans towards the door there is a high pitched noise that begins to get louder connoting something bad will happen, this makes the audience feel uncomfortable as not only is the sound unpleasant but they are anticipating a moment when they will feel scared. This creates an enigma for the audience as they wonder who it is looking through the viewer and if they are in danger from Ma Rina as we see that she is now targeting Laura’s friends.

After showing the long shot of the empty hallway which is used to perhaps fool the audience into thinking nothing will happen, the next shot is also the hallway but suddenly in the viewer we see an extreme close up of a face through the editing of a jump cut. The effect of this fast paced editing is for it to shock the audience and become a jump scare which is extremely conventional of horror films. The face is all blistered looking and extremely pale. The fact that the face looks blistered also could connote that this is the girl Ma Rina who died over fire. It is also unusual that the villain of the film is female as more conventionally we see a male villain due to the ideology that men are stronger and pose more of a threat due to their naturally dominant nature. The pale white of the face could also be associated with death and blood loss further reinforcing the idea that this is the girl who committed suicide. The eyes are very bright blue with enlarged black pupils which almost dehumanises the face connoting that the girl is a supernatural creature. The lack of eyebrows and pale face also dehumanise the being helping to reinforce the idea of supernatural influence, also the fact that the villain seems less human could make them more of a threat as it feels as though they have no morals that humans possess which could mean she is now becoming a cold blooded killer, this can also be reiterated by the cold blue of her eyes. It could also be quite shocking to members of the audience as Ma Rina just appeared to be a lonely girl who wanted friends but has now according to Propp’s theory has suddenly switched into a murderous villain. The non-diegetic music here is a loud sudden noise that is shocking after the quiet music beforehand intending to scare the audience.

The editing again is even more fast paced and cross-cutting is used here to show first images and clips of someone being killed in a elevator and a girl in a hospital bed, both people who had been seen with Laura in the start of the trailer who we know are her friends. The clips of the elevator is also on a computer in the form of watching a video which is blurry and keeps cutting. The man performs jerky and destructive movements constantly hitting himself into the walls, the long shots of the CCTV camera connote a detachment from the action on screen almost like this man has been possessed and has therefore been isolated from the rest of the characters. The girl in the bed has bandages wrapped all around her showing that she is injured. The blue gown she wears and blue lighting in the room reflects the environment of a hospital and we assume that she is badly injured because she is firstly bandage thoroughly with cuts covering her visible skin on her face and is being kept on bed rest in the hospital. The eyes of the girl are also extremely similar to those of the girl earlier we saw through the door viewer. This could connote that this girl has been possessed by the ghost which caused her injuries. The blue of the gown and eyes also create a clinical and emotionless feel and could now suggest that this girl has also now become a threat. These shots in the elevator and hospital are accompanied by sounds of people shouting which connotes panic and disruption and an almost humming music like a large hive of bees that gradually gets louder, makes it seem more unpleasant and sinister. Within Christianity black wasps can be associated with witches and dark magic which connects to the earlier references to dark magic which further reinforces the idea that these people have become possessed. The shots shown between the clips of her friends being hurt is a black screen with Laura's friend list edited upon it and as the trailer continues this number continues to fall until it reaches single figure. This connotes that Laura is being blamed for the horrific things that are happening and rapidly losing the popularity she had at the beginning of the trailer. This shows the recognition of disruption according to Todorov's theory as we see how the disruption in the canteen and the suicide of Ma Rina is impacting Laura's and those around hers lives. This also shows she is becoming isolated and the final girl, also perhaps becoming more like the character of Ma Rina at the beginning of the trailer. During the fast editing every time her friends list is shown it is accompanied by a cinematic boom which shows its importance in terms of the narrative as if it is a countdown to her fate. Countdown’s are often effective and conventional as they build anticipation within the audience and constantly build tension.

The next close up shot shows Laura in a wood which is lowly lit. The setting of the wood around her is rather conventional and cliché of films of the horror genre and helps to reinforce the genre to the audience. The purpose of using conventions in horror film trailers is because it becomes an audience pleasure for people to be able to notice them and recognise the genre the film belongs to and make connections between other horror texts they may enjoy. The fact that it is dark and she is seemingly alone also makes the situation seem dangerous as it is common for bad things to happen to people that are alone in films. Throughout this short clip she is walking around seeming to look for something, creating enigmas for the audience as to wat she is doing, the effect of these enigmas is to make the audience want to watch the film to answer all the questions they may have, this according to Todorov's theory could be her attempting to repair the disruption by trying to figure out how to stop the ghost of Ma Rina. She also seems panicked and is running around which could indicate she is running out of time and something really bad will happen if she doesn't figure out how to repair the problem, connecting to the countdown earlier used in the trailer, the effect of this being to alert the audience that the climax of the film is fast approaching. Here Laura shouts ‘what do you want from me?’ in which a ghostly childlike voice replies ‘I just want to be friends….forever’. The impact of the word forever makes it seem dangerous almost as if she will kill Laura just to make sure she stays her friend. Questions like this are usually asked out of frustration and usually rhetorical so the effect of the answer could be that to surprise the audience and creep them out. The word ‘Just’ makes the villain seem almost innocent but we know from her actions during the trailer that she is anything but, this could make the villain seem also like a psychopath as she doesn’t think she is doing anything wrong and that her actions are justified.

The screen then cuts completely to black which perhaps could connote Laura’s death, before a video distortion almost like a disturbance is shown on the screen before the title 'friend request' is shown. The use of the distortion again highlights the importance of technology throughout this film, and also a disruption which is conventionally used in horror films. This is accompanied by another technological sound is loud and edited together with a loud cinematic boom perhaps intended to scare the audience as it pops up. The black background also reinforces the dark nature of the film and its dark genre.After the tile there is another short cut scene of Laura looking outside a window until she sees the face of Ma Rina appear outside with the blue eyes we saw earlier and black wasps all over her. The fact that she seems to be hovering outside shows her ghostly nature and also the black wasps can sometimes be associated with witchcraft which connects to the idea of the fire used to commit suicide. This cut scene is mostly silent as if it is building up to something as she follows a buzzing wasp until again a sudden cinematic boom at the sight of Laura. This again is intended to be a jump scare and keep the audience on edge and in anticipation. The use of the jump scare at the end is to reinforce the purpose of horror films to scare which relates to uses and gratifications as people find it entertaining to be scared and enjoy it.The screen again after seeing the girl cuts to black with the same video distortion but instead the words coming soon appear which is a convention of trailers as well as the cut scene after the title which appears in many trailers. ‘Coming soon’ shows it is a teaser trailer, the use of teaser trailers by distribution companies is to create audience attraction and excitement for the film so people are excited about the film and leaves more time for people to become interested, making them more likely to go see the film.