Savanna Nemmers
The director’s main purpose in the “24” extract is to create intense and suspenseful scenes that demonstrate people will go to extremes to get what they want. The director uses many strategic camera movements, angles, and editing techniques to create these suspenseful situations. The intensity in each scene is also increased because of the editing and actual camera shots.
In the first scene, a zoom is one of the first camera movements used. The zoom is used to show the female lead’s facial expression when the male character enters the room. The zoom in that shot creates a tense situation and indicates to the audience that the two characters are not allies. An eye-line match is also used in this scene when the male lead spots the camera in the room. This increases the tension of the scene because it indicates the character has something to hide or may plan on doing something he does not want recorded. Next, a cutaway is used to reveal the woman has a team of people watching what is happening in the interrogation room, ready to help her at any moment. In the cutaway, the two main people there for back-up are dressed in formal attire and are standing in front of two tvs, displaying what is happening in the room. This creates suspense because the audience and back-up can see what is happening but do not know what the man is willing to do to get the information he wants from the woman or when he may lash out. The whole first scene is creating an intense situation and emphasizes the male wants something from the woman and will not stop until he gets it.
The second scene uses an eye-line match again to show the woman looking at the clock and checking the time. Diegetic sound of the clock ticking is also used in this scene. Both of these techniques place an emphasis on time and the fact that their time may be limited which further increases the suspense of the scene. A tracking shot is used to follow the male as he paces back and forth while trying to get the information from her. When she does not give in, a low angle is used to show him hovering over her and looking down at her. This signifies that he may feel he has power over her in this situation and intensifies the scene because of the way he is trying to show dominance over her. Both the tracking shot and the use of the low angle intensify the scene greatly. A cutaway is then used to show the viewing room again. In this clip the woman’s back-up is seen watching what is happening with concern on their faces. The director may have shown this because if viewers see that that other characters are worried about the woman, the audience will be put more on edge and become even more emerged into the intensity of the scene.
The final scene uses shot reverse shot while the main characters exchange dialogue. For a moment, the male character starts to stare in silence and the shot reverse shot continues to be used during this silence between the two characters. This strategically built up major suspense until the male finally lashed out. The director did it this way to keep the audience on edge, wondering what is going to occur and then shocking the audience when the man finally reaches his most extreme point to get the information he wants from the woman. In the clip, diegetic sound of the chair being dragged across the floor and then slammed into the wall is used. The scene then immediately goes into a split screen. The split screen allows the viewers to see what is happening in the two different settings. While the woman is being choked by the man, the audience can also see her back-up coming to save her which creates a chaotic and intense scene. A two-shot was used to show the man holding the woman in a choke hold which created an intimate yet extreme situation. This scene greatly built up suspense and heightened the intensity by using the different sounds, camera movements, and editing skills.
Overall, the director’s vision was meant to emphasize the importance intensity and suspense can have on a scene by showing a situation where someone went to extremes to get what they wanted. The director used many different camera shots, angles and movements, as well as many editing techniques to heighten the intensity and suspense levels of the film.
No comments:
Post a Comment