Genre Research: Now its time to be a "Maze Runner"

The Maze Runner is a movie about young men who are trapped in a maze and have no knowledge how they got there so they work together to escape. At the beginning of the scene there is a black screen and all you hear is the sound of movement of a lift/elevator. The use of this diegetic sound is very effective because it creates a tense mood because there is no visual on what is happening. Low angle and high angle shots were used in order to make Thomas look weak and the surrounding characters superior. The POV shot used further on in the scene is effective in building tension. From Thomas’ point of view we see the speed of the elevator cage rising faster and faster, building more tension as the speed increases. This allowed the audience to see things from everyone’s perspective. Wide shit was also used to establish setting and emphasize Thomas being isolated from everyone else. The use of diegetic sound makes the film seem more realistic as the sound that is created both the audience and the characters can hear, such as when Thomas and the boys could hear the creatures from outside the maze. This allows for the audience to be able to relate to the characters surroundings and engages them further. Also, it makes the mood more tense and further dramatizes what is happening in the scene. 

When Thomas and few of the boys went inside the maze and got stuck in there for the night, low key lighting was used to make the maze appear dangerous and to build up suspense. Tracking shot was also used to follow Thomas as he was running around confused and did a 360 turn. A very wide shot was used throughout the movie to show everyone entering the maze when they had a chance. A two shot was used to show Thomas and his friend sitting at the campfire having a conversation. The lighting that was used was three point lighting, key point and also low key lighting. The transition between all three helped create mood for the feelings the characters were portraying. An example would be when Thomas ran into the maze, the lighting changed from three point lighting to low key lighting as the creatures came out to hunt. This effect gave the feeling of fear and horror during this part of the scene. Also, natural lighting was used the most through the movie because most of the scenes where outdoors. The Maze runner used scenes of nature as their Mise en scene. 

This movie was a great example of a mystery movie. Actually paying attention to the camera angles and movements create a deeper understanding of the movie. I understood why each aspect was used. This made me see the movie even clear. However, there were a couple of things I disliked about the movie. The use of low lighting was too dark that I sometimes couldn’t see anything. During our filming, I hope we film during the day so this doesn’t happen to us. We wouldn’t want to make a great project but its too dark for viewers to see. I did like the use of diegetic sound. It created a connection between the viewers and the characters.