K.H. Poltergeist (Hooper,1982)

Scene by scene analysis

Shot duration	Camera	Misé-en-scene	Sound
0:00-0:36	LS of the family together in the bed and a pan out to show them in the whole room and the TV, in an ELS. This is sustained from 0:30 to 0:36 with only very subtle panning to the right. This is all done using a high angle, which reflects the family’s  vulnerability.	Low key lighting as the scene is lit by the TV to give it an ominous presence. Character blocking places the whole family tightly together in one bed, which is partly done for comedic effect as the scene starts after the children are scared out of their rooms, but it also symbolises the unity of the family. The bedroom is a fairly stock location and it is convincing in looking lived-in due to all the domestic items that are messily placed around the room.	The American national anthem plays which is a call-back to an earlier scene when the tune also features before the TV cuts to static. This is foreshadowing how the scene will play out.
0:37-1:19 (no cut from previous shot but different camera movement)	There is a pan in from the ELS of the room to a CU of the TV. The television set is shown at a less high angle than the family, subtly implying it has power over them.	The most visible shot on the TV is of a group of American soldiers banding together to carry a flag which seems to symbolise the unity of the family and their relationship. A digital clock is visible on the television set and reads 2:37, showing how late it is.	The shift from the American national anthem to the sound of the white noise marks a more serious tonal shift.
1:20-1:28	The shot first focuses on the mother, before panning over to the younger daughter. The CU highlights that the mother is still asleep while her daughter is intrigued by the activity coming from the TV.	Strobe lighting is used to connote that the TV is now very clearly in control of the situation and to create an ominous atmosphere.	Silence, apart from the ambient white noise.
1:29-1:32	Mid-close up of TV alone almost from the daughter’s perspective as a POV shot connotes hat it is her destination when she climbs off the bed	The constant colour of the TV static combined with the strobe lighting around the room make it the screen seem almost enticing.	There is an audio sting that very clearly denotes that the TV is a threat.
1:33-1:46	Eye-level shot of the Heather crawling done the bed towards the TV.	Strobe lighting continues, and cast the room in nearly total darkness on alternate frames.	The sustained high pitched notes continue and a held long enough to create a sense of unease.
1:47-1:49	CU of the TV in similar framing to the shot at 1:29-1:32. Heather’s advance towards the TV is made very clear.		Soundtrack continues.
1:50-2:00	ELS of the room that shows Heather going to sit in front of the TV. Her family is still visible to the right of the frame o show that they are still asleep and that she is away from their protection		Music plays over the sustained screeching sound now. It appears to be a wind instrument and is designed to build tension.
2:01-2:04	Two shot of Heather sitting in front of the TV. This treats the TV almost as if it is its own character to emphasise its presence and connection with Heather.	The TV stands slightly higher than Heather to signify its dominance.	Whispering coming from the TV can be heard on top of the music. There is enigma here as it is unclear whether the whispering audible in the room or if it just exists in Heather’s mind.
2:05-2:08	Eye level shot reinforces the connection between Heather and the TV and the slightly over-the-shoulder camera places the audience with Heather. In doing so, it makes the TV seem like a powerful force to the audience.	The strobe lighting continues.	The whispering and music continue.
2:09-2:11	Mid-shot of the family in the bed shows they still have not woken.	The character blocking is more separated than it was in the opening shot, implying the family has been disrupted by Heather leaving the bed.	The whispering and soundtrack continue.
2:12-2:15	Close up of the TV. Each individual shot focused on the TV has been getting progressively closer in reflection of the television’s growing threat.	SFX are used to create a twinkling effect on the screen that confirms the TV is haunted and hints at a something greater appearing from the set.
2:16-2:19	Close up of Heather.	Heather’s facial expression makes her seem vaguely fearful, but equally curious. It implies she knows she knows there is danger, but is fascinated none the less.
2:20-2:25	The same positioning as 2:05 to 2:08.	After effects are again used, this time to create the hand of a ghost which reaches out to Heather. As it does so, she recoils in fear, helping place the audience in her position.	Audio stinger with the appearance of the ghost hand. The sharp noise accentuates the jump-scare.
2:26-2:28	The same positioning as 2:16-2:19.	Heather looks at the smoke that the hand changes into, in wonderment to show that she is not concerned by the danger it presents. She is naïve.	Sound increases in volume and intensifies with the arrival of the smoke from the TV to highlight that it is a threat.
2:29-2:41	ELS of Heather walking to the bed surrounded by the white smoke. This is similar to the previous shots of the room but is now placed at eye-level to connote that Heather believes she is in control of the situation and is no longer concerned about her parents.	The smoke slowly comes out of the TV and gathers around the bed above Heather’s family.	The sharper sounds of the soundtrack continue now that the danger has been revealed.
2:42-2:43	Brief close up of the TV screen.	The more exaggerated SFX shows the increase in speed of the smoke coming from the TV screen.
2:44-2:48	The same shot as 2:29-2:41	The CG smoke moves much faster over the bed, and pours into the wall with an intense white light that comes from the entry point on the wall, and a rippling water effect is used with the vanishing of the smoke that looks particularly unnatural.	Low pitch horns can now be heard as part of the soundtrack to make the fast movement of the smoke seem ominous and powerful.
2:49	Close up of Heather at the end of the bed with the television set behind her, reminding the audience of the source of the danger.
2:50-2:51	Mid shot of the family in bed. They are now awake.	Pro-filmic effects are used on the room to make the bedroom items fall. This creates a sense of chaos that serves as the pay-off to the slow build-up of tension.	A fast paced soundtrack with high pitched notes is introduced to anchor the destruction on screen.
2:52-2:53	Close up of the items above the TV to show specific objects being disrupted.
2:54-2:55	ELS with the same framing as before. The wide angle shows the chaos in broader context.
2:56-2:59	Shot with the same framing as 2:50-2:51.	Body language is used in the father’s action of reaching over to protect his family.	As the father reaches over, the music suddenly cuts out to silence except for the remaining sound of a few items in the room that stop moving, to reflect that the threat is over.
3:00-3:04	CU of Heather in front of the TV.		Heather’s dialogue is deliberately kept minimal to be more striking. As she says “They’re here” a shrill note emphasises the importance of the line.

On a technical level, this scene is good example of how to increase the cutting rate of a sequence to create tension. For example the extract initially uses a very slow cutting rate with slow pans that last about 30 seconds at a time, before gradually evolving into a very quick cutting rate of no more than a few seconds at a time. The cutting most clearly increases with the sudden and aggressive movement of the smoke. A similar thing happens with the shot size which is initially quite distanced but pulls in closer as the TV becomes a more apparent threat. Eye level shots are particularly prevalent throughout the extract and the strobe lighting and CGI give the sequence a very unique look.