Insanitarium (2008) - Editing, Lighting and Music Inspiration

I was interested in watching this film because it was based in a mental asylum with mentally ill patients, meaning I could hopefully gain inspiration from either the setting or editing or even costume, to incorporate into my fashion film.

The 2008 film Insanitarium is a psychological horror film, directed and written by Jeff Buhler. A young man, Jack, is grieving over his mother's recent death, but more importantly looking after his mentally ill sister, Lily, who has become convinced she doesn't want to live anymore without her mother by her side. Lily's illness quickly deteriorates causing her to be submitted into a mental asylum, against Jack's will. Jack can't face losing another member of his family so he derives a plan to pretend to be mentally ill so he can get into the asylum, find his sister and help them both escape; however this does not run as smoothly as he'd hoped.

(JustWatch, 2017.)

Things I've learned not to do

I enjoyed the film because of the fun and capturing storyline; however I thought certain aspects made it look cheap and almost comical. An example of a very unrealistic scene is where a doctor's secretory has just had her arm bitten off by a patient, yet for a while she is still able to talk with force which would not be the case! She would be in serious pain and very weak from loss of so much blood so this instantly reminded me that it was just a film which disconnected me from the film. The arm in the screenshot below also looks very unrealistic because the arm is at a very unnatural angle and looks like a different material to the rest of her body, again making me instantly disconnect to the emotion in the film.

Screenshot from Insanitarium film

I have realised, particularly after watching this film, that I don't want there to be any obvious violence in my fashion film because I want my film to carry a lot of suspense and tension and I felt like in this film the violence almost made the film slightly comical because it was so unrealistic and exaggerated.  An example of this was when a patient finds a cat in the grounds, twists and snaps its head off and then starts sucking on its blood (screenshot below). I found this scene so unrealistic and ridiculous that I was instantly put back into reality that this was just a film and non of it was real, which then made it more difficult for me to get emotionally involved again. I found I was more hooked on the film when either the violence was more subtle and realistic or the characters were trying to avoid or hide from something because it was more relatable and therefore scary.

Screenshot from Insanitarium film

Editing Inspiration

I was inspired by the opening of the film because it shows close-ups of different objects found in a metal asylum, with either a still image or an image moving across the screen, giving you clues about what is in the room, but never showing you the whole picture. I think this is effective because if you didn't already know the film was about a mental asylum, then this introduction would keep you guessing and trying to work out what the setting was. There are many hints that it is in a mental asylum with the skeleton x-rays, white laboratory gloves and syringe; however I like that it isn't completely clear. If I were to include this editing at the beginning of my fashion film I think I would show even less of the objects to make the audience try to work out where the film is located with fewer clues. In one of the final clips in the introduction there is a close-up of a hand that looks like it is strapped to a chair, shaking uncontrollably; I think this is effective in building tension because it shocks the viewer with such sharp movement and makes them feel uncomfortable and possibly panicky as they know someone is going through some sort of torture. This made me feel scared and anxious for the character as he was clearly in pain; however when the white gloved hand tries to hold him down it gives you the impression someone professional and clinical is doing this to him, which made me think it's actually beneficial to the character. This was when it became clear to me that it was either a hospital or a mental asylum. To have made this more dramatic I think the camera work initially looking around the room could have been slower so the contrast was heightened when the hand starts to shake, making it even more shocking and taking the viewer by surprise.

At about 30 minutes in to the film there is a scene where Jack has been locked in his cell and the editing used shows that time is passing. The same shot of the cell is used but Jack is shown in a number of positions, cutting out the transitions of him moving, and therefore speeding up time. I like that it almost looks like still images have been out together because it adds a different media to the film and also slows the tempo. I could incorporate this into my fashion film by putting my character into different, unusual positions. To make my character look slightly crazy and 'mental' I would get her/him to be positioned in uncomfortable and abstract positions that you wouldn't expect to see someone in to give the character an animalistic or out-of-this-world look. I could also possibly elongate these positions and put it into slow motion if I wanted a more beautiful and dream-like feel.

Screenshots from Insanitarium made into collage

I was inspired by the editing at around 46 minute where, this woman for example, was edited to look like she was coming closer to the camera with a collage of still images layered on top of each other. All the layers were faded so you could see them all at once which made it look very spooky and inhuman. It made it look like the character was either a ghost or in someone's imagination which looked very haunting, as if she was stuck in your nightmare. I like that the layering of images means you can't make out the person's face clearly adding to the creepiness of the clip as you don't exactly know who you're looking at or if the person is even real. I could include this in my fashion film to make a character almost look like they are stalking someone in the mental asylum or if they are haunting the asylum as it makes them look very ghost-like.

Screenshot from Insanitarium film

Lighting Inspiration

In one scene Jack and his friend are hiding from the security guard in a dark room and all you see is the shining of the guard's torch circling the room. This creates a very tense atmosphere because your eye almost follows the torch's light and therefore the guard's eye line, almost making you feel like you are there. I like that the rest of the room is so dark because it makes it unclear exactly where he is looking, again building up suspense and tension as anything could be lurking in the darkness. I could definitely incorporate this into my fashion film to build up tension because I think the fear of the unknown is always a great way to keep the audience on the edge of their seat and I could use it to uncover section objects or characters, possibly incorporating it with the first scene inspiration.

Screenshot from Insanitarium film

There is a point of slight calm in the lift as they have just escaped a gang of blood thirsty patients until they enter the next floor. The whole room is lit with a green light which I like as it immediately puts the characters and viewer on edge as it gives the room a very dark and mysterious look. Usually the colour green is very positive and represents nature, love and family; however it is clear in this scene that the colour is not reflecting any of those things! It gives such an uneasy feel because it is so unnatural for a room to be green unless it is possibly a laboratory or there is some powerful machinery turned on which gave the impression the terrifying doctor was lurking somewhere. I could definitely include coloured gel in my fashion film to create a certain atmosphere or to reflect a meaning; however I don't think I would want the colour to be as strong as in the scene below because it looks too fake, whereas I would want there to just be a hint of the colour to look more subtle. I think if a coloured gel looks too overpowering it can make the scene look cheap and unprofessional. 

Screenshot from Insanitarium film

Music Inspiration

The music used in the introduction starts off very slow, with separated chimes, and simple echoing tones in the background, to give a sense of eeriness combined with tension in the expectation of some explosion of sound or action, i.e. the sense of calm before a storm. There is also a faint fog horn sound which creates an image of dark, foggy seas, possibly suggesting loneliness and isolation.

This develops into aggressive beating with an almost wailing background and chaotic sounds, all suggesting negativity and suffering. The chaotic music is disturbing because it doesn't follow a rhythm and order we expect in music. The tempo slowly increases which accelerates the tension and expectation. There was a sound of metal on metal which suggested a clinical, harsh setting.



References:

JUSTWATCH, 2017. Insanitarium (2008) [viewed 23rd January 2017]. Available from: https://www.justwatch.com/au/movie/insanitarium

Insanitarium, 2008[film]. Directed by Jeff BUHLER. USA: Stage Six Films

IMDB, 2017. Insanitarium [viewed 23rd January 2017]. Available from: http://gb.imdb.com/title/tt1103984/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm

EMPOWERED BY COLOUR, 2017. The Colour Green [viewed 23rd January 2017]. Available from: http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-green.html