Product Analysis - The Eye

The Eye


The Eye is a horror film because of its violence/terror and its disturbing content. The way in which they have set up the opening sequence is quite clever as you are given a minute of a clip which to the audience makes no sense at all, it is an enigma as you want to watch more to find out the meaning of the clip. However, after that minute clip you are then taken to the main character where now both clips are being juxtaposed at they are both of different genres. So what the audience may find puzzling is the layout of the opening sequence and what to expect further on. A typical convention of a horror film is tragedy which they have used in the opening sequence to entice the audience. I chose to analysis this film as I had watched it the week previous, so I knew as a horror hater that I would not be too scared to watch the opening sequence over and over again.

Mise en-scene is the composition of a shot which can be seen throughout props, positioning of characters, non verbal language, costumes, lighting, camera movements and credits. The opening minute gives the audience flashes of different scenes with a black interval to every next shot. You can hear footsteps in the grass which are put in by diagetic sound however you would not hear be able to hear the shuffling in the grass in real-life. They also emphasize the light bulb being turned on by a chain which clanks against the light bulb this making your ears more sensitive and aware. This scene is also done in another language which add’s to the confusion of the audience, when I first watched it I thought that I had the film in another language however being able to not understand what was being said made what I saw more effective creating a very ideal effect because it’s capturing the audiences attention. They give you clips of children throwing stones which you can then hear glass shattering however when taking you to another shot they keep the audio playing from the other scene which keeps you aware of what is happening. The scene is creating tension and panic by the distress of the character, they have chosen to show close-ups of her hands and then her feet and then when she is about to hang herself you get an extreme close-up of her face and then a shot reverse to a ghostly figure which jumps out at the camera which would defiantly make the audience jump. The ghostly figure makes the film un-realistic because it is not real this film could of quite easily have been more realistic without these ghostly figures taking the dead however ironically it makes you wonder about death. The next shot gives you such a different mood, the relaxing music in the background the slow motion of the character project’s a very summery feel which creates a connotation of happiness. They introduce that scene with also a blurry effect making your eyes try to visualize and sturdy the shot more this technique relates to the main character as she is blind. The wheels of a skateboard going across the pavement have been emphasized to show the audience how hearing has become more sensitive to hear because of her blindness. I really liked the way she saved the skateboarder from the on coming bus and the dialogue used is humorous to the audience. A voice over is used to talk to the audience and so that she can tell the audience of how she see’s things and her story and pain of not being able to see. Sound, diagetic and non-diagetic, is used frequently to change moods and interpretations of the shots.

The narrative has been organized in a particular way to attract the audience and to see more. If they were to have changed to the structure of the opening sequence the other way round it would have had a different meaning and make no sense also the enigma wouldn’t be there. Using the pretext of a psychological thriller and paranormal experiences, the film explores mental illness, and in particular, of the monothematic delusion known as Mirrored self-misidentification, referred to in the story as cellular memory. Other themes include the concept of precognition, or premonition, perhaps becoming a popular cultural crossover from Asian beliefs about the unknown- since this film was a remake of a Hong Kong horror flick, and still retains Asian themes in the 2008 version.

There aren’t many social groups in the beginning of the film as it doesn’t make that much sense. However the one that stands out the most is the blind main character. She is shown as a woman who is desperate to see which creates this sense of guilt for her and her not being able to see. I think what also may be a social group is of the girl killing herself this could relate to suicides.

I think the general audience rate is around 15-40. I say this because the film isn’t that scary, but yet however more intriguing as the storyline is investigating the past and future. I doubt most guys will like this as there is not enough blood and guts in this film but for people like me who jump at anything it’s a perfect film but maybe one that I could not watch over and over because it’s simple to remember. There is also the oppositional reading of nothing like this would ever happen in these circumstances i.e. someone would not be able to have visions of someone else’s past and the upcoming future.

They have used one major star in the film and that is Jessica Alba, she is known for beauty and actress qualities and I think is she was not to have starred in the film it may have not been such a big hit. The film was produced by Lionsgate and Paramount Vantage and was directed by David Moreau
Xavier Palud. The film opened in second place at the box office with $12.4 million, covering its $12 million budget. [3] As of October 5, 2008, the film has a domestic gross of $31,418,697 with a foreign gross of $25,367,775 totaling an international gross of $56,786,472. The film also did well in the International box office. In United Kingdom, it grossed $1,398,958 in its opening weekend at #2.