CAMERAWORK IN THRILLERS The Texas Chainsaw

Massacre

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released in 1974 and directed by Tobe Hooper, a well renowned American thriller director. The film had a budget of $300,000 with a overall box office of $30.8 million.  It has a reputation as one of the best horror films in cinema history, despite multiple countries banning it due to the mass, extreme violence.

Synopsis: ‘When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather's grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family's old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape’. (1)

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre 

Starring: Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Jim Siedow, Edwin Neal, John Dugan, Allen Danziger 

THE FIRST VISIT TO LEATHERFACE'S HOUSE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr4ueCHfSzw 

ESTABLISHING SHOT 

From 0:00-0:17 of this clip, the camera uses a eye level angled crane/boom movement to set the scene and show the surroundings and location of the scene. The composition of the shot contains use of slight diagonals from the path to

the doorway of the house.  Diagonal lines in a shot introduce a feeling of uncertainty, which opposes the calming, serene mise-en-scene of the shot. Combined with the use of diagonals, the door of the house being in the back of the shot creates uncertainty as it creates a feeling of the unknown. Furthermore, it would create a prolonged build up of finding out what/who is behind the door for the audience, as the use of leading lines makes the door the immediate

focus.

This high angled shot, portrays the two characters as inferior and threatened. Due to the angle of the shot, the outside walls of the building look like they're closing in on

the two characters, reinforcing their inferiority and representing the building as overwhelming and powerful, perhaps inferring the dark, powerful forces that associate with the building or even live inside/around the building.

This foreshadows potential danger for the characters with relevance to the house. 

This series of shots focus on the tooth Kirk finds on the porch of leather face's house. In this shot, the

leading lines of the wood planks ensure that at first look we are drawn towards the tooth. The POV shot

puts us in the perspective of Kirk, showing the audience exactly what he see's at that moment in

time. The POV shot shows the tooth as small yet due to the leading lines, powerful as it is the focus of the

shot.

Kirk goes to pick up the tooth and from 0:40-0:42 seconds the camera tilts up to follow his hand holding the tooth, close up. Starting with this frame, going to

this frame. The continued use of a close up shot allows the tooth to remain the main focus of the frame, while

including two characters and the location in the mid and back ground of the shot, inferring the tooth's relevance.

As Kirk passes the tooth to Pam, the camera continues to zoom into her hand until it replaced with a split-second of a completely black screen and then it cuts to a extreme close up of the tooth, allowing the complete details of the tooth to be

exposed. 

This slight low angled shot uses diagonals to draw the focus of the frame to Kirk.

Normally, a low angled shot portrays the subject as powerful and oversized but the positioning of the camera and the use of

diagonals portrays kirk as inferior and targeted.

The camera tilts up following the

character of leather face (bottom to top). This is to introduce his character both

visually and in terms of his authority as

the camera movement makes

him appear oversized and

intimidating. Despite the upwards tilt

being rapid, it also creates a build up to

seeing his face which creates

extreme tension and nerves for the

audience.