TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF JUON THE GRUDGE
MICRO ELEMENTS (CAMERA)
The camera work in Ju-On includes very long drawn out shots used to build the tension for the audience, further conveying the ideas of fear in the audience as they are expecting something to happen to the character in the shot. This is common in a horror as there is little fast paced action in a horror film, instead they use long shots with little editing to build the stalking and intimidation of a horror. An example of this is in Ju-On is when Izumi is running from the spirits, the camera work is slow to further empathises the terror that Izumi is feeling in the shot’s that have been chosen.
MICRO ELEMENTS (SOUND)
There are 2 type’s of sound in Ju-On, Non-Diegetic sound and Diegetic sound, non diegetic sound is any music or creeping speaking that is put over the clips in the edit to build the fear in the audience, this is sound that the character would not hear in the situation; Diegetic sound is sound that the character would hear in the situation like stairs creaking or a telephone. In Ju-On there are multiple different occasions when Non-Diegetic and Diegetic Sound is used, for example a mobile pone call rings for a long time but there is a visible representation in the clip of the sound being produced and when Kayako kills someone there is an unearthly scream that is not able to be produced by a human suggesting that is overlaid of the clip, suggesting that non-diegetic has been used.
MICRO ELEMENTS (MISE EN SCENE)
There is a constant use of Mise-en-scene in the film from the lighting in the cursed house being dark and moody, usually with only a touch light or natural light like the sun or moon, this is used at the start of the film when Rika searches the attic and uses a torch to search the attic. the costume used in the film are usually typical of the characters job; for example Izumi is wearing her school uniform and looks innocent, also Rika wears pale tones to also connote innocence. The location of the film is urban Tokyo and a rundown, cursed house which are typical of a horror as it shows that it is a common location which links to the audience which gets them thinking ‘that could be my house or town’. The objects in the film are also placed in specific locations, for example when Izumi is running from the spirits and uses a broom to block the siding door, but is unsuccessful.
MICRO ELEMENTS (EDITING)
There are not many editing techniques in Ju-On, there are a few which are used in the film, one of which are is the use of TV static overlaid over a clip of Kayako rising to a security camera and then it cuts out, there is also the use of special effects of the wispy darkness over Kayako or the use of shadows enveloping the police officer and dragging him away. This also adds a sense of fear and intrigue into the villain as to what powers they might have.
MACRO ELEMENTS (CHARACTER TYPES)
There are multiple character types in Ju-On , there is a protagonist and 2 antagonists as well as a few supporting characters to display how the curse went from person to person. The protagonist is Rika, a social worker that is dressed in white to show innocence, she looks like a normal person which targets her as a victim. There is 2 antagonists in the film which are Toshiro and Kayako, both of which are the spirits of the murdered family at the start of the film.. There are also a few supporting characters like Toyama and Izumi that are used to make plot coherent. These characters are both killed of at the end of the film, but have and effect on the film in general.
MACRO ELEMENTS (NARRATIVE STYLE)
The narrative style in Ju-On The Grudge is a non-linear plot the follows the victims of a curse or a ‘Ju-On’ ,that is on a house in which a murder has occurred, which spreads to the last location the person was before they are killed, therefore increasing the number of victims that are claimed, at the end of the film there are multiple missing posters dotted throughout Tokyo. The reason that the plot is mismatched is to add a sense of confusion to the audience and this bring the attention back to the movie requiring the audience to think about the plot. And the multiple victims that are being claimed to further enhance the horror.