RM - Lost Boys: The Tribe Deconstruction

DVD Cover

Title: Lost Boys: The Tribe
Director: P.J. Pesce
Release Date: 2008
Budget: $4,200,000
Takings: N/A (Straight to DVD)
          


Warner Brothers
Warner Premiere

Similarly to “The Lost Boys” the music starts straight away, causing tension right from the start. The first shot is an establishing shot which pans around what appears to be a cliff face with sea to the right. There is a non-diegetic bell which could signify something is going to happen at sea, something which is done is horror films an example being from JAWS.  White text appears on screen as the camera pans around the cliff face to reveal a seaside town.

The music is still being played but voices have overlaid it. This over layering in sound takes the audience to the next shot as there is a cross fades between the establishing shot to where the audience sees the first sighting oh people. The eerie music is still being played, similarly to the first one the audience is focusing on four boys which one of them is holding a camera which suggests that found footage might be included in the film which is an aspect used in films with an example being cloverfield where the entire film was based upon found footage. White titles are still being displayed anchoring the production teams.

The group of friends are breaking in and generally messing around and having a laugh with each other, something which we intend to do (excluding the breaking in aspect). 1:14 into the film and only two shots have been used. Several cross dissolves and jump cuts are used to signify time has passed.

At 1:35 there is a shot of the moon, briefly, thus adds to the tension as it appears to be a full moon, also the eerie music is still being played which builds the tension to a further extent.

Again the use of cross dissolves is used to signify time has passed, however the music has now stopped. But has been replaced by a male who is now watching the boys mess around, this has been created by the shot establishing where the person is located, match on action is used here, as the male steps out onto the balcony as the shot changes from an establishing shot to a long medium shot, which gets closer until the shot is a extreme close-up of his sunglasses with the boys being reflected in the lenses, two in each lens. Which is followed by a close-up and music starts again, with the drumbeat resembling a heartbeat.

Another jump cut is used to anchor time has passed. The focus is now on the boys relaxing on the beach and just talking. The shot being a group shot extreme long shot, there is further anchored the moon is actually a full moon which could signify something is going to happen on the night. The shot changes, with the focus also changing, to the older male who was previously watching the boys. He now is confronting them face to face. The shot zooms out from a one shot to allow the four boys into the shot. The teenagers or young adults or being stereotypical in not respecting their elders and threatening the older male, this is common in this genre with an example being Eden Lake. During the confrontation mid-shots and close-ups are generally used, there aren’t any two, three or group shots unless all of the characters are in shot.

Throughout the confrontation the music is building up which adds to the tension, tension is also being increased through the lines and the close-ups of the five characters in the scene. Pictured above and below.

 

One of them tries to leave, going past the adult he gets pushed to the floor, the music increases as do the shots. During the talking between the three boys and the older male, the males voice gets deeper and his eyes goes fully black. The male also develops fangs, signifying a vampire. Pictured left.

Thus dramatically develops the tension and scares the audience watching. The music increases and the short length shorten. A second close-up of one of the boys also shows he has grown fangs, again signifying vampire, pictured right. A non-diagetic screech is heard and the lengths of the shots are reduced further as the older male is attacked by all four boys. As the attack progresses each member, apart from one of the boys who hasn’t attacked the male, get covered in blood also guts are shown, pictured below. More screams are heard as the attack progresses adding to the scare.

The one boy which hasn’t turned into a vampire shouts at them to stop but this is to make the audience think the attack (scare) is over, and decreases the tension, before he says “Make sure you take the head” thus dramatically increasing the tension in a split second. Which is then ripped off after being one of the tried to cut it off, whilst the older male is still alive (pictured left), another false scare is used as one of the boys runs across the screen to steal it off another, the boy then messes around with it and kicks it into the sea. Black comedy is used as the boy gets hurt off kicking it because he kicked the spine. Found footage is used to end the opening scene and show the dead body on the floor.

Opening scene: 3:51

IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1031254/
Wikipedia Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Boys:_The_Tribe