Analysis of still images

Analysis of still images – The Purge Anarchy

One of the of the first things introduced is a two shot of a couple sitting in a car, this shot introduces

us to what appears to be the main characters of the film as they are focused on for the first 25

seconds of the 1:34 trailer. The fact that these people are the main focus for the film is conventional

as they appear, stereotypically to be people who would avoid danger and not inflict pain upon

others, there clothing is stereotypical of the working class as well which shows them to be average

people. The lighting of the shot is quite low-key which is conventional for horror films as it shows

that something is about to happen and potentially lead to danger.

The camerawork in this image is a wide shot, this and the low-key lighting of the dusk sky is highly

conventional of horror films as it shows the people in the car (which appears to have broken down)

to be isolated from their surroundings and with dusk approaching it shows that they may be in some

form of trouble. The setting of this image appears to be a bridge which is also conventional as it

increases the feeling of isolation from others which would gain more interest from the audience as

they would want to know what is about to happen.

The two-shot above is the first image to show that there is something else to the story rather than

just a broken down car. The shot shows two women using the prop of a wooden plank to bar a door,

most likely because there is something outside that they don’t want to have come in, which is a

highly conventional thing in horror films. The lighting of the image is also low-key which suggests

that something bad is going on.

The shot above is a wide shot and depicts what appear to be two people sitting on motorbikes

wearing props such as masks over their faces that appear to induce fear to those looking upon them,


this is conventional of antagonists in horror films as they set out to scare and attack those in their

way. Another prop used in this image is the van that appears to have blacked out windows so as

people can’t see who it is driving; this is another tool that has been used to induce fear to those who

oppose the people, the props of motorbikes are used in a similar manner as they suggest that the

riders are willing to chase down the people that try to escape them. The lighting of the image is very

low-key which is highly conventional of horror films as it has the audience more fearful of what is

about to happen as it creates a sense of danger.

The insert of the shotgun during the trailer shows that there is a focus on either defending or

attacking in the film; this is something that is conventional of horror films as there are two types of

people in the film, the antagonist and the protagonist. The use of low-key lighting in the foreground

suggests that there may be a dark reason for someone to use a firearm in the film as well; this is an

idea that is further expanded by the high-key lighting in the background, which makes it look as if

the person wielding the weapon is preparing for something to happen.

The wide shot and shallow focus in the image above shows what appears to be a sacrificial murder,

this idea is made clearer by the use props such as knifes in the hands of the four people around a

man that has been tied to a chair. As well as this there is plastic sheeting around the room that

shows that they are expecting a lot of blood. The use of lighting in this image is used to enhance fear

as low-key lighting is around the man tied to the chair which shows the antagonists to be much more

scarier as they are covered in shadow, and high-key lighting is used in the image to centre focus onto

the man in the chair and have the audience feel sympathetic towards him.

The close up of the man in this image is one of the most fear inducing images show in the trailer. The

use of rule of thirds in this image shows that there is a lot of focus on his mask. The mask prop

creates a sense of mystery as the persons face can’t be seen and it is also very domineering as it


provokes fear and the idea that you can’t outrun him as the eye sockets are blacked out and the

make up on the mask appears to resemble a clown. The text on the mask is also something that

provokes some sort of panic as the word ‘GOD’ in Christianity is used to resemble something holy,

but in this case appears to be the opposite due to the way in which it has been scratched onto the

mask, creating the idea that anything that he does is in sacrifice. The lighting in the back appears to

be fading into low-key which suggests that it is coming to dusk, linking this image back to the start of

the trailer which is conventional. The costume used in this image is counter stereotypical to what is

considered to be conventional of the horror genre as it shows that this man is just a normal person.

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Analysis of still images