iMom
iMom is a horror film fit for the modern world. It plays on the ever increasing advance of technology, with robots now becoming a reality, something that only a decade ago seemed impossible. So the film offers the question, what will the world look like in 10, 20, 30 years time?
The film is about a robot known as 'iMom' that appears to be sweeping the world. It looks and talks like a normal human but with slightly more robotic tendencies. This particular iMom is placed in the home of a 'Mom' who appears to be more interested in her phone than her young son and baby, and follows a night wherein the mom leaves for a night out, leaving the iMom and the children alone in the house.
Camera Work
The film begins with a series of news reports on the iMom, before zooming out onto a kitchen and then panning down to a baby. This is an effective way of establishing the subject matter and hence foreshadowing of the film. It also once again shows a form of technology submerging with our real life world. A short film showing a television news report on a new type of robot, feels perhaps too techno-wise without the viewer even realising it. With a conversation between the iMom and the son a continuous over the shoulder shot is used. This allows us to view the world from their perspective, as a viewer peering into their world. It also shows the son from a high angle, making him appear small and below her. The film also involves a montage wherein the son draws a picture of a wolf, a signifier for imminent danger, involving an extreme close up. This is unnerving to an audience, a child's drawing now made to appear scary plays on the juxtaposition of the audiences common known life of children only ever being innocent, and with the camera going in and out of focus on the picture it shows us a distorted picture. The filming had been clean cut and smooth and now it seems to have taken a sudden turn, again telling us that something bad is about to happen involving the 'wolf' i.e. the iMom. At the end a shot involving a slow track up to the babies crib tells us we are about to see something unexpected, creating feelings of anxiety and tension for the audience, before finally revealing a chicken in the place of the baby. This tells us what has happened without explaining it in an obvious way, making us feel dread and, of course, horror.
Mise-en-scene
When the iMom is first introduced to us the lighting swtiches from a bright light emitting from the television to the darker light provided by the kitchen light. This once again offers a commentary on the modern world, with the TV now being a typical provider of light, one which tends to draw all eyes to it. Now the iMom, the product of such advertisement instead is this personified; a seemingly positive thing that has a dark side to it. The iMom is seen using a knife to chop vegetables. This is such a mundane activity, yet in this context is shown to be sinister, and as a signifier of danger about to happen and telling us that this character is not to trusted. There is also an effect used with the only location being the house. This is ideal in a horror; simplicity is key, specifically in a place that the audience can relate to, making that much more scary. However this makes the watcher feel claustrophobic and trapped and therefore helpless, as though we are a guest in their house unable to provide help. Also the iMom appears in all aspects as being normal. She is wearing normal human clothing doing typically normal things, giving the audience a false sense of security. The horror in itself is the idea that in the future robots exist, but also exist in a world where they are unidentifiable alongside humans. Later, she wears red lipstick, again something normal in our normal world, made to represent danger and blood. This is reinforced when she turns around and the lipstick is smudged. We are made to be unsure as to whether this is blood or lipstick, with the normal seeming robot now having a slight something wrong with it, again making this unnerving.
Editing and Sound
The film uses a number of montages throughout. This is disorientating to a viewer, with clips of vegetables being chopped to the children's drawing in quick jump shots, again making us aware of something bad happening but also giving us an idea as to what is about to happen. There is also a graphic match from the chicken to the baby, telling us that to the robot, the two are unidentifiable from one another and also hinting at what is about to happen. As the Mom leaves the baby with the iMom there is some atmospheric music used, again a signifier as to what is about to happen. There is continuous thunder and rain sounded in the background, this typically being used in horror movies as it tends to represent something sad and/or bad happening.
The film is about a robot known as 'iMom' that appears to be sweeping the world. It looks and talks like a normal human but with slightly more robotic tendencies. This particular iMom is placed in the home of a 'Mom' who appears to be more interested in her phone than her young son and baby, and follows a night wherein the mom leaves for a night out, leaving the iMom and the children alone in the house.
Camera Work
The film begins with a series of news reports on the iMom, before zooming out onto a kitchen and then panning down to a baby. This is an effective way of establishing the subject matter and hence foreshadowing of the film. It also once again shows a form of technology submerging with our real life world. A short film showing a television news report on a new type of robot, feels perhaps too techno-wise without the viewer even realising it. With a conversation between the iMom and the son a continuous over the shoulder shot is used. This allows us to view the world from their perspective, as a viewer peering into their world. It also shows the son from a high angle, making him appear small and below her. The film also involves a montage wherein the son draws a picture of a wolf, a signifier for imminent danger, involving an extreme close up. This is unnerving to an audience, a child's drawing now made to appear scary plays on the juxtaposition of the audiences common known life of children only ever being innocent, and with the camera going in and out of focus on the picture it shows us a distorted picture. The filming had been clean cut and smooth and now it seems to have taken a sudden turn, again telling us that something bad is about to happen involving the 'wolf' i.e. the iMom. At the end a shot involving a slow track up to the babies crib tells us we are about to see something unexpected, creating feelings of anxiety and tension for the audience, before finally revealing a chicken in the place of the baby. This tells us what has happened without explaining it in an obvious way, making us feel dread and, of course, horror.
Mise-en-scene
When the iMom is first introduced to us the lighting swtiches from a bright light emitting from the television to the darker light provided by the kitchen light. This once again offers a commentary on the modern world, with the TV now being a typical provider of light, one which tends to draw all eyes to it. Now the iMom, the product of such advertisement instead is this personified; a seemingly positive thing that has a dark side to it. The iMom is seen using a knife to chop vegetables. This is such a mundane activity, yet in this context is shown to be sinister, and as a signifier of danger about to happen and telling us that this character is not to trusted. There is also an effect used with the only location being the house. This is ideal in a horror; simplicity is key, specifically in a place that the audience can relate to, making that much more scary. However this makes the watcher feel claustrophobic and trapped and therefore helpless, as though we are a guest in their house unable to provide help. Also the iMom appears in all aspects as being normal. She is wearing normal human clothing doing typically normal things, giving the audience a false sense of security. The horror in itself is the idea that in the future robots exist, but also exist in a world where they are unidentifiable alongside humans. Later, she wears red lipstick, again something normal in our normal world, made to represent danger and blood. This is reinforced when she turns around and the lipstick is smudged. We are made to be unsure as to whether this is blood or lipstick, with the normal seeming robot now having a slight something wrong with it, again making this unnerving.
Editing and Sound
The film uses a number of montages throughout. This is disorientating to a viewer, with clips of vegetables being chopped to the children's drawing in quick jump shots, again making us aware of something bad happening but also giving us an idea as to what is about to happen. There is also a graphic match from the chicken to the baby, telling us that to the robot, the two are unidentifiable from one another and also hinting at what is about to happen. As the Mom leaves the baby with the iMom there is some atmospheric music used, again a signifier as to what is about to happen. There is continuous thunder and rain sounded in the background, this typically being used in horror movies as it tends to represent something sad and/or bad happening.
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