Witches

Witches  (By Gracie)

In 1990, Nicolas Roeg directed the film Witches, Roeg based this on the novel Witches written by Roald Dahl (published in 1983). He used many cinematic devices such as close up, tracking, high/low angle shot and wide angle shot in various ways to help the audience understand the film Witches.

Roeg uses the technique close up, a close up is when the camera is focussed on just the one object and the background is blurred.  A close up is also when the camera is focussed on the waist up of a human and only that.  This is used to build tension, to make us feel slightly uncomfortable and also to make us feel as though we are actually there in the film. An example of this in the film is when the grandma first realizes that the cleaner is a witch.

Another technique that Roeg uses is tracking. Tracking is when the camera moves at the same pace as the moving object that it’s  focussed on. An example of this is when the poor baby has been pushed down the slope to the edge of the cliff. The reason why he did this is to build anxiety and to gain suspense.

Roeg uses the High/low angle shot multiple times in the film Witches. He uses this to show who has the power. For instance when the audience looks up at an object, and when the audience is looking down on a object the audience has the power. This is used when the camera looks up at the grand high witch in the meeting.

Wide angle shot is another cinematic technique that Roeg uses in the film. This is used to keep the audience safe and away from danger. For example he uses this at the beginning  of the film to show where the grandma lives and sets the scene.

Many special techniques have been used to create the film Witches.These have been used in specific  ways to help us understand the main message throughout the whole film.