Analysis of the third scene from The Sixth Sense

Scene Three - The mysterious death of a girl, answered:

The third scene that I have decided to analyse which created a large amount of suspense is the scene where the dad finds out that his daughter didn't die of an illness but in fact was killed by his wife.  This scene is very suspenseful as the audience are unaware of the girls mum doing this to the girl as well as the man. This is successful and suspenseful as the audience can sympathise exactly what the man is feeling as he is as surprised as the audience are. The suspense of the close up as the man watches the video shows the suspense of the anger building up inside of him and this results in the audience feeling suspense as to what the man is going to do to his wife.



The first shot in the scene of which I have chosen to analyse is a close up shot of the man starting to watch the video that the boy has given him. The man starts off by looking happy to see his daughter again that he hasn't seen or heard her voice in a while. A shot reverse shot is then used to show the man's emotions and the TV where the girl is shown playing with her dolls which contradicts what the man thought as he thought that she was on bed rest and was too ill to move. The close up shot allows the audience to see the change in emotion in the man's face as he starts to wonder if something else went on to make her ill. As the girl's mum walks in and comes up to the front of the TV the tense atmosphere begins as the audience and the man see the mum put a drug into the girls soup of which is why she becomes ill. The camera zooms in on the man's face which allows the audience to see the man's shock and emotion that he is feeling. The music during this scene is tense and quite loud to empathise what a huge and significant event this is. The shot reverse shot shows a close up of the man with tears streaming down his face. This is significant as the audience find out at the same time as he does and wonder what the man is going to do to the mum know that he knows that she killed his daughter.

The second part of the scene I looked at was the point in the scene where the man confronts his wife in front of everyone about her purposely killing there daughter. The scene starts with a behind shot of the women standing next to the flowers and the man says her name and she slowly turns around while the people at the funeral look at her knowing the truth about what she had done. The women is wearing a red dress to give the audience an insight that she is lying about her daughters death. The colour red also stands out from all the other colours which are black which is a colour people normally wear at a funeral to show empathy. This suggests the way that she is feeling as she isn't upset and grieving as she killed her own daughter. The camera then changes to a mid shot of the man standing with huge emotion with all the other people standing behind him who have watched the same video. The camera then slowly zooms into the man's face which eventually ends up as a close up when he says "you're the one who made her sick". The music slows down and the close up makes a tense atmosphere for the audience as they wonder what he is going to do. The camera then changes to a mid shot of the women and then quickly zooms in to a close up to show the worry on the women's face that her secret had been discovered.  This scene is significant as suspense is created through the audience not knowing what happened to the girl but then eventually finding out in the end. In this scene hidden clues, for example her red dress are added to make the audience think about the mum not being who she seems to first be.

Overall, I have found analysing three scenes from the Sixth Sense very useful as it has enabled us to see things that been used to be able to create a lot of suspense for the audience. This is through, the camera angle choices and the music to create  the atmosphere that they want which is usually very jumpy and suspenseful. My group and I will now be able to use some of the things that we have learnt from these scenes to be able to put some of these things into our thriller opening.

Analysis of the second scene from The Sixth Sense

Scene Two - "I see dead people"

The second scene that I have decided to analyse is the scene where the little boy says to the main character (his doctor) that he can see dead people. This is a hugely significant part of the film as the little boy hasn't been able to trust anyone with his secret. However, with his doctor he feels like he can trust him and decides to tell him what he has been afraid of his whole life. I have decided to analyse this scene as the music and camera angles are used in a specific way to create massive amounts of  suspense for the audience where they wonder what the boy is thinking and if he is going to tell his secret to the man; of which he eventually does.

The first camera angle I looked at was an over the shoulder shot of the boy starting to talk to his "doctor" about his secret. This shot shows the clear difference between the boy and the doctor and shows that the boy is more vulnerable than the doctor. This is shown by the doctor standing slightly higher than the boy, making it look as if he is looking over him with more power. This is effective as it shows clearly to the audience that the boy is weak and is in need of help and reassurance from the doctor that he trusts enough to tell his secret to. The over the shoulder shot shows clearly the emotions and body language of the man to show that he is anxious as to what the boy is going to tell him. The doctors job is to make the patient feel like they can talk to them about anything and this is what the boy is starting to do. This is effective as it makes the audience feel like they're they are their watching the conversation happen and are as anxious as the doctor to find out what is wrong with the boy.

The second part of the scene that I looked at was the close up shot where the boy tells the doctor about his secret. The close up is used to show that this part of the scene is very important and is a significant part in the audience knowing what is wrong with the boy. This also allows the audience to feel connected to the boy and to know exactly what he is feeling. The non diegetic music is very quite and subtle to create a tense atmosphere as the audience are anxious to find out what the boy has been hiding everybody. This is effectively used as it not only let's the audience feel more connected to what he is saying but also shows them exactly the emotions that he is feeling. For example, when he starts to speak to the doctor he stumbles with his words looking scared and anxious. But as he starts to calm down in front of the man he starts to tell him that he can see dead people. The close up allows the audience to see that the boy looks relieved that he has told somebody about his secret and that someone may be able to help him.it that will hopefully understand him. I see this scene as a climax point in the film as the audience not only find out what is wrong with the boy but they finally feel connected as to why he has been acting the way he has been with certain things.

The third way that the scene created suspense was through the use of a zoom. The shot originally starts off with a mid shot of the doctor sitting on a chair next to the bed where the boy is lying. Then as the doctor starts to take in what the boy has told him the shot changes to a close up of his face. The zoom into his face is effective as it shows clearly the way that man's facial expressions have changed. He starts of by looking worried but then his face changes to being apprehensive as to whether he believes what the boy has told him. The doctor then goes on to say to the boy that it may be a nightmare or something in fact more serious. In the scene the lighting is dark to show that the topic of death and ghosts is abnormal and dark which is something that people don't normally talk about . Furthermore, people see it as quite haunting as the audience instantly relate seeing dead people in horror films which is quite scary. The audience then start to think of the dark, death aspect as an unknown suspense of what and how the doctor is going to help the boy.

Analysis of the first scene from The Sixth Sense

I have decided to research three different scenes from the Sixth Sense as it is a popular thriller film and has many different aspects to it that makes it suspenseful for the audience. This will be very useful for when we come to making our thriller opening as we can get ideas from things that have successfully worked to create a lot of suspense.

Scene One - Reveal of an unknown person in the house

The first scene that I analysed from The Sixth Sense is the scene where the main character, Dr Malcolm Crowe (played by Bruce Willis) his wife (played by Olivia Williams) find out that someone had broken into their house and gone into their bathroom without them knowing. I felt that this scene would be a good scene to analyse as it creates suspense through the choice of camera angles and music that is used. The scene is very suspenseful and can therefore relate to the genre of a thriller film to keep the audience wanting to keep watching to find out what is going to happen.

In the first part of the scene a mid shot and two person shot are used of the man and his wife standing still after they realise that someone had broken the window and got into their house. This is significant as the mid shot shows there tense facial expressions and body language to show that they're terrified. The two person shot enables the audience to see the contrast in power between the man and the women as the man is  in front of the women trying to protect her and hold her back. This is used to show that the man fits the stereotype of the dominant man looking after the women as men are stereotypically seen to be the stronger, braver sex. Therefore, this creates suspense as the audience wonder what the characters are seeing that is so bad and makes them want to know so they keep watching. There is no music at this point in the scene. The only sound that can be heard is the women screaming as she finds out someone is in the house and she starts to back away.  This creates the feeling for the audience as haunting as the audience feel like they're there wanting to know what is happening as much as the characters.  

The second shot in the scene is a point of view shot where the audience can finally see where the characters are looking anxiously. The audience know that the main character is creeping forward towards the bathroom as the camera is wobbling from side to side to show that he is nervous and anxious as to what he is going to find behind the door. As well as the camera moving towards the door the music starts to get faster to create the tense atmosphere of wondering what

is going to be beyond what they can now see. This shot is used successfully as it creates a tense atmosphere and suspense as to what they're going to see around the door.

In the third scene a close up of the main characters face is used to show the emotion that he is feeling. The close up is really effective as it shows straight away how scared and tense he is. The close up that is used after the man finds that a man is in fact standing in his underwear in the bathroom. This is used well as the camera is moving closer towards the door as the man edges forward. The music reached a climax as the man walked into the bathroom and started to calm down as the man edges back. However, the music is still very jumpy and upbeat which makes the audience wonder what is going to happen and if something is going to jump out, which is currently unknown to them.

The scene then changes to a point of view shot again to show from the man's point of view as he walks closer to the bathroom. The camera changes to a high angle shot to show that the man is looking down at the floor where a towel and clothes can be seen all over and a persons feet. This creates tension as the audience want to find out exactly what is happening and who the unknown person is in the house. The camera then changes quickly to from a high angle to a mid shot to show a man standing in his underwear shaking. The camera then quickly changes to a close up of the main characters face to show is shock as to why their is a man in his bathroom. Shot reverse shots are then used continuously to show the conversation between the two men and the women in the background. The shot reverse shot of the main character is at a close up to show his fear and the mans shot reverse shot goes to a mid shot to show his body language of anger and uncertainty. This creates tension for the audience as they're starting to get answers, however they're still unsure what he is doing in the house and what he is planning on doing. The man's hand is across his chest to suggest that he is scared and unsure about himself. Furthermore, the audience wonder if the man in the bathroom was once a patient of the doctor to create further questions as to what his well being is like.

Evaluation

Evaluation of the preliminary task:

http://prezi.com/pr_dgdvgqfiz/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Final Edit

Below is the link to the final edit of our preliminary task. In the next blog I will do the evaluation. We had trouble trying to upload the video to our blog so we decided to upload it to youtube and then have a link that is easily accessible.

Editing

Today, we edited the sequence of clips that we had filmed in the previous lesson. Amy uploaded all of the clips onto iMovie and put them all in order. Alicia edited the clips together as she has had experience with using iMovie. Alicia talked through what she was doing so next time we will be able to get more involved in doing the editing ourselves. I then choose the music that I thought would go best with the sequence. After looking I decided that the piece of music from the Hunger Games called "The Hanging Tree" would go best with what we had filmed. and would create suspense.  Demi then downloaded the music and then uploaded it to iMovie, edited and cut the music to fit the sequence that we had. Lastly, Amy and I then added effects to the sequence to create slow motion to the scene were the girls were walking while talking and the stalker is behind them.

Alicia and Amy downloading the film that we took and are starting to edit 

it all together.

I'm looking for music that will fit the storyline and film that we have and also finishing of the editing and starting to look for sound effects that we can add.

Demi is uploading the music onto iMovie and starting to edit the music to fit the edit of the film.

Filming

Yesterday, we filmed the different shots for our preliminary task. We followed our storyboard as a starting point and were able to make new and improved ideas as we went along. We decided to film outside as the group decided it would be best for showing the girls walking and the stalker (Demi) in the distance in a natural environment. Alicia filmed the 180 degree angle outside, with Amy and I sitting on the bench and behind us the stalker (Demi) standing. This looks effective as it shows the audience that the girls are being watched even though the girls have no idea. Alicia again filmed the shot reverse shot outside as we agreed that the flow of the scenes would look better if the conversation was again in a natural environment like the other scenes. We decided to film the match on match shot in the library as  in the previous scene Amy and I were looking through the books while the stalker  (Demi ) was watching.  We showed the match on match shot by the stalker (Demi) walking through the doors to end the sequence with the audience finding out the identity of the stalker. This was effective as we were able to get the different angles of the stalker walking out which ended up as the end climax of our sequence. We filmed our preliminary task on Alicia's phone however, looking back at the footage that we got, if we were to film it again we would improve it by having the camera the other way round while filming to get a bigger clearer view of what was happening.

Change in Storyline and Storyboard

Change in storyline:

As a group we have decided to change the story line of our preliminary task as we believe that the storyline that we originally had planned wouldn't allow us to show all of the camera angles that we needed. Another reason why we have decided to change the storyline is because we weren't able to include all of the group members fairly. We discussed the different ways that we could make our original idea better but decided in the end to change the story line all together to improve it.

The new storyline:

The new storyline that we have chosen to do is a man watching over two girls who have no idea they're being watched everywhere they go. We believe that this will be good to do as it creates a tense atmosphere and we will be able to add music and add all of the camera angles successfully.

This storyline we feel will be better for us as it gives everyone a role and enables everyone to have some input.

Storyboard:

Below is the storyboard plan of what we are going to include in the sequence. I have included drawings, camera angles, music and voice overs. This is a rough idea of what we are going to do however, we may choose to change certain parts if it doesn't fit to make it flow better overall.

Preliminary Task Plan

Preliminary Task:

In our Preliminary task we have to include:

1. Match on match
2. Shot reverse shot
3. 180 degree rule


*Storyline* - As a group when we got given the preliminary task we wanted to make sure that we were able to include all of the techniques in the sequence successfully and to a high standard. We discussed story lines that we could use and the different camera angles at different points in the sequence that would work to fit the 3 angles we have been asked to use. We decided to go with the story line of a man finding out that his girlfriend had cheated on him in a dramatic scene. We thought that this would be good to do because we would be able to show camera angles for example, close ups of the characters face and also to include music to create the tense atmosphere. We decided today to concentrate on the conversation between the characters.

Characters:

Demi - Abusive boyfriend

Amy - Cheating girlfriend

Catherine - Friend of the girl

Alicia - Camera and Editing





Below is a video of our first try of working out the conversation we are going to have between the different characters. We will build on this next time and will create more camera angles, add music and also edit the shots to make it flow better.

My Group

My Group:

The group of people that I have chosen to work with are Alicia Connolly, Amy Forsyth and Demi Odesanya. Each member of the group will input a different range of skills for example, camera work, editing to complete a task efficiently and to a high standard.  We are all individually opinionated so we will be able to come together with strong ideas that we will be reflected in our work. All of my group are individually hard working and will therefore contribute into making the standard of our work to the highest level it can be.

Why I chose A Level Media

Why I chose Media:

I chose to take media at A level because I previously took media at GCSE and really enjoyed analysing media clips and looking in depth at the making of media production. I am passionate about media and would like to continue in the future looking at different aspects of media and the industry. I am interested in being in  the media industry whether it is a news reporter or an editor of a magazine. I feel that taking media at A level will give me an opportunity to grow in knowledge and confidence to allow me to reach my full potential.