Visual Look
I really liked some of the lighting effects in this film. When James goes into the attic, the footage is dark, but with a sort of green/blue tint. This effect is used a few times in the film, and not only does it add a different sort of look, but it does help to add to the eerie, unnatural feeling of the movie. In most of the nighttime indoor shots, although the lighting was dim, one could still see what was going on. There were, however, a few dark and underlit shots, mostly in the attic scene.
For the images that appear on the unmarked videotape, I could not tell if they were actually playing on the TV, or if they were added in post-production. Either way, there was no glare or unnecessary reflection on the TV screen. Moreover, the images themselves – although they had a very green tint to them (probably to imitate a night vision look) were pretty clear and easy to see.
Some of the handheld shots got shaky at times. While handhelds can be useful and in this case did help further the unsettling mood, it’s not such a good thing to make the audience seasick. There’s certainly a fine line in deciding whether shaky handheld footage is worth using or not, and it’s probably best to check with multiple family and friends to make sure. If they start turning green, it might be an indication that a reshoot is needed. [Note to the director: If you really want that handheld look without too much shake, you can try some post-production image stabilzation software like SteadyHand, which Ryan Graham reviewed in this issue. For better results however, I would suggest building a basic steadying device before production, as we have a great article here on how to make an inexpensive steadycam ]
Use of Audio
I really did not notice any audio issues at all in this film; in fact, it had some great elements. The background music really did a lot to enhance the unsettling feeling that permeated throughout. It also fit very well in the film’s dramatic climax and really had me on the edge of my seat.
In addition to the music, there was the added touch of a sort of whispering sound effect that played sporadically throughout the movie. Music is one thing, but the sound of unintelligible whispering certainly does a lot to unsettle an audience. Some people may think it cliché, but it was used very effectively in many films, including the psychological thriller The Sixth Sense. In my opinion, it was a very good choice on the part of these filmmakers.
