The genre of the film "snow white-a tale of terror" is clearly horror. This is conveyed by the director very quickly in the introduction. The use of techniques available builds up the tension caused by the individual elements.The first element that creates tension is the way the director has used symbolic animals in the first few scenes of the film. The first animal we see is a raven. The raven flies into shot.
An the initial thought is that ravens are often used in horror films because they are a bad omen. The diegetic sound of the raven makes the atmosphere uneasy.Then the camera pans, as if we are looking from the raven's point of view to introduce us to more tension. There is a distant shot of a carriage as the camera comes closer it is obvious to see the horses pulling the carriage are jumpy.
Horses have a natural instinct to protect mankind but it seems these horses know that they will not manage to protect the passengers from the danger the can sense.We then are allowed to see the danger the horse's sense. There is a close up shot of a wolf. We are forced to see the wolf's eyes shine and him show his teeth. This is building on the tension we already feel. The camera goes into a tracking shot of the wolf and as from his point of view we see the carriage and the horses, we know now for sure that they are in trouble.
The diegetic sound of the wolf makes the tension rise ever so slightly because it hints at the damage that the wolf can do.The camera then goes into a panning shot of the carriage but stops in a fixed point and as the carriage leaves the shot the extent of the danger is presented. There is a medium shot of not just one wolf but three showing that they are hunting in a pack and this is more dangerous than one wolf.Then there is a problem and the horses panic and lose control of the carriage. The carriage tumbles down a sloped cliff the passengers are in trouble but the horse can't help as they are still tethered to the carriage and are being attacked by the wolves.
From the animals most of the tension is made, the way the raven reinforces the horror genre also the horses by not being able to carry out their natural instincts. The wolves play a major part as they cause the tension to rise dramatically from theirreputation for being dangerous when hunting in packs.The setting of the film is established in the opening shot, the setting is a wood. This causes us to feel uneasy because it is know woods are the typical setting for a film in the horror genre.
As the shot goes deeper into the setting, tension is built from the general surroundings. Its obvious that its winter because there is snow on the ground. The snow is also a sign of danger as more accidents happen when snow is involved. Also the trees in the forest look menacing because they are dead, because of the time of year, and are over grown.
They cause the tension to build because; from personal experiences we know trees can cause great damage if they fall.The weather is miserable. This establishes horror and makes the scene worse as we become miserable along with the weather. Also that is how a typical horror film starts in someway unsettling and in this case it's the weather that immediately makes us aware this is not a usual fairy tale.Sound plays a major part in building tension in the opening. The use of diegetic sound as the wolves, raven and horses build tension by making us uneasy.
This is because the sound from the animals is the only sound in the forest, other than the wind, showing that if anything was to happen to the people then they wouldn't be helped by another carriage as they are all alone and vulnerable.The non-diegetic sound of an orchestra builds more tension with the diegetic sound. The music swells in a crescendo at many points. At these points we expect something tragic to happen and when it doesn't we relax which means that when the accident happens it's made to feel worse.
When we are forced to interact with the couple the first thing that is noticed is that they are very much in love. We then feel sorry for them as we know the danger they are in and can't help them. The tension created by the couple is enforced when we realise that Elianna is pregnant and experiencing contractions. It's clear that this is their first baby from the looks that cross between the two, as they aren't totally sure how to handle the situation, causing tension to rise, as it's not only the couple in danger but also an innocent unborn baby.As the carriage is involved in the accident and Freidrich unveils to us the injuries the Elianna has sustained, tension rises as we realise Elianna isn't going to survive.
Then our thoughts are turned towards their unborn child. There is then a down shot on Elianna showing her vulnerability. The expression on Elianna face shows that she is also thinking about their child, as she knows she won't survive. As Elianna hands Freidrich the knife the tension is built dramatically as the camera shows an up shot of Freidrich as he realises that he has to kill his wife to save the child. Now we feel like we have bonded with the couple and feel uneasy because we know that Elianna is about to die and Fredich is about to kill her.Just before Freidrich is about to save the baby there is a close up of their kiss.
This makes us feel sorry for Freidrich, as he has to kill his wife that he is obviously in love with. Once Freidrich leaves the shot the camera stays fixed on Elianna who is still alive. She makes no facial expression as she is operated on. The tensions grown at this point as we realise that Freidrich is for filling his grisly task.
As the blood flows down the white snow and we hear the baby cry we relax slightly as we know Elianna's sacrifice isn't in vain. As soon as we have relaxed the title appears from the blood on the snow. As Lillana did from the blood of her mother, and we see the gothic letters. Tension builds again slowly as we pause for a moment as under the title "A tale of terror" appears. The words let us know that this child won't have an easy life and prepares us for the remaining film, as it tells us that we wont relax until the film is over because the tensions is going to become worse throughout the film.The films opening is enjoyable to study an there many ways the director has created the tension and established the horror genre throughout the opening preparing us for a fantastic film.
