Jack's Blog

X-Files: Squeeze is about a mutant who needs livers to survive; he transforms his body to fit through small, confined spaces such as ventilation shafts to get to people without them knowing he’s coming and to rip their livers out with his bare hands. He needs five livers to ensure he can hibernate for 30 years without him dying but in the end he only gets four. The episode is left on a cliff hanger where the mutant is looking optimistically through a very small gap in his prison cell.

At the start of the episode before the title sequence there is a high angle establishing shot of Baltimore late in the afternoon. In every episode there is a shot like this at this time which sets up an enigma code. This shot makes the audience anticipate something macabre is going to happen because it is dusk.

The next shot stays at a high angle but focuses on one individual man whilst he is leaving a building; this isolates him and makes him look weak.

The editing when the man is walking to his car and being observed is used to bring you physically closer to the killer and victim. This editing is also known as cross-cutting. This creates a relationship between these two characters and this makes the scene more sinister. As the camera zooms in to the drain all we see is the mutants yellow eyes. This creates a creepy atmosphere and the darkness around him has connotations of death.

In the same sequence, the image of the man is slowed down and de-saturated to single him out from the crowd as that is what the killer is looking at.

The diegetic sound in this sequence gradually fades away and is replaced by a non-diegetic, eerie, atonal sound of a crescendo of plucked strings which then becomes the sound motif of the killer.

The feeling that the man is the victim is maintained when he enters the building by a high angle shot of the CCTV camera footage as he leaves the lift and this creates the feeling of the man being watched.

The purpose of framing the man in mid-shot as he walks through the building is to stop you from seeing much of the scene around him. As he carries on walking through the building the camera tracks him from behind; this suggests he’s being followed by someone or something. This also creates suspense as it blocks out what is around him as the audience isn’t allowed to see what might be there.

The shot of the open elevator shaft is significant because it shows something tugging on the wire which suggests something is climbing up it and then the sound motif of the predicted murderer comes on which makes the audience expect something is going to happen. Above the elevator doors there is also a red light which suggests blood and death.

There is significance to the mise-en-scène in the office because the man’s belongings add character to him and it also links in later with the episode but the office is also dark apart from the light where he is sitting, so he looks isolated.

There is also significance to the phone call to his wife as it tells us that he’s married and that he has had a bad meeting and just a bad day in general. This makes the audience give sympathy to him because his wife isn’t there which suggests he’s more isolated than ever.

The editing when the man goes to make a cup of coffee is used to make sure you don’t see who or what is around him and to not reveal anything about the killer. You hear the killer’s sound motif in this sequence which adds tension to the scene and informs you that something’s there. The framing, camera positon and movement as the man walks back to his office again stops you from seeing anything around him and this keeps the audience in suspense. There is also cross-cutting editing used in this clip which quickly cuts from the man to the mutant in the elevator shaft.

The non-diegetic crescendo as he moves to the door makes the audience think something’s going to happen and when he re-enters his office the mise-en-scène is very dark, which implies danger.

The attack is filmed the way it is so you don’t see the killer or get any spoilers about the killer; this makes the audience watch until the end as they get interested in finding out who he/she/it is and this reinforces the enigma code.

In the final section, after the actual murder, the clip starts with blood dripping on the floor and then the camera pans up to show the cup spilling it; more blood is then shown splattered across the desk. This much blood is shown to emphasise the gruesomeness of this death. The dead man is then shown only in a reflective object on the desk as the camera passes along it. This is significant because it shows the man lay across the floor dead with a change in the colour of his skin. It also shows an item missing from his desk which links in later with the episode although not many people notice this as he has many items on his desk. The killer’s motif is still there which signifies the killer himself is still there and you can hear diegetic heavy breathing as he disappears but we don’t see anything but a finger of the killer which keeps the audience in suspense as we don’t see his face or stature. We see the killer’s finger because of the camera movement speeding up as if to catch to the killer but it can’t and we see the vent screwing close. The scene then fades to black and the start-up credits come on to start the episode.

The director uses a number of techniques to attract the audience. They use tropes from the horror genre such as an unknown killer and not giving any clues away about who/what it is and setting it within a dark mise-en-scène. They use a variety of camera techniques such as cross cutting in-between the shot of the man making coffee to the killer climbing through the shaft to create tension yet still not show the killer’s face or give any clues about him. The director also uses diegetic and non-diegetic sound to create an eerie atmosphere; he does this by using a crescendo when the audience think something is going to happen and also by giving the killer a motif for whenever he’s around. He sets an enigma code at the start of the episode to play on the expectations of the regular audience; this makes them anticipate something is going to happen.

Sharks P.O.V as it swims
We hear non-diegetic low, stringed music - associated with the shark
Camera tracks past kids around camp fire
Fire is source of light
Girl and boy on edge of group - outsiders
Medium close up shot of girl - fence poles behind her - suggests she is trapped
High angle shot of beach - boy and girl run off into darkness - vulnerable and weak
When running there are bars all around them - darkness - music fades away - can hear the sea
Longshot - calm - in moonlight - peaceful
Sunset - symbolises end of the girls life
Switches to close up shot instead of longshot to bring audience closer to the action
Music comes back on - sharks P.O.V
Cuts away and sharks not shown to keep suspense - music suggests something is going to happen
Music suddenly drops when she dies - cuts to boy and is peaceful and calm