How is suspense created in the film you watched in class? Analyse three scenes in detail

Within lesson we watched a film called 'The Stepfather' a psychological thriller, directed by Nelson McCormick. There are many scenes in the film that consists of suspense throughout.
three scenes that I found full of suspense and kept me on edge was:


The Basement scene



The audience already know that the soon to be stepfather 'David' is a murderer however the other characters do not, (dramatic irony). the idea that he has called Michael his soon to be step dad downstairs to the basement, frights the audience immediately as we assume he may threaten or even kill him. The door is fully bolted and Michael is struggling to open the door, out of the blue we see David hit the door hard and,  as they go down the stairs the doors immediately shuts,the light within the basement is a white light bulb therefore it is not very bright. The way the two sit opposite each other as they are taking shots adds plenty of tension for the simple fact that, the man who is ready to kill this family is sitting right opposite his victim, which links back to the atmosphere being dark and the idea of them being underground emphasises this. Watching this particular scene left me on edge and was very suspenseful for me, just through the technique of dramatic irony and as well as the setting. 

The Second Basement Scene 


Towards the end of the film there is another basement scene. This is the scene where Michael goes down to the basement in search for details on David. I find the scenes in the basements very ironic because, within the film the two main people who are in the basement is David and Michael. Therefore when I watched this scene I assumed that, that was where Michael would be killed. However, it does not happen. What was very suspenseful in this scene for me was the tension within the sound. The sound was very high and action filled with a very fast pace yet, it had a slightly creepy element towards it. The faster the pace of the backing track the more us as an audience thought he would get caught going through David's things. Another suspenseful moment within the scene again, is within the setting and atmosphere. As it is downstairs and everyone is asleep as it is really late at night, some may find it quiet creepy furthermore there is a harsh storm and plenty of rain so it emphasises the genre of thriller. Also the sound effects used to create the weather noises such as the ghastly winds being tied into the backing track emphasises this.

The scene at the neighbour's house - False Plateau


When the audience expect something to happen i.e the audience know that a character is about to die however, instead of a killer tapping their shoulder it is someone else, this is known as a false plateau.
There are many scenes within the film that are full of suspense and use this such as when the audience expected David to pop out of the closet although, it was a cat instead who scared their neighbour. Although some would say that this is not very suspenseful it still leaves the audience on edge. This is because it makes them feel like they must watch closely because, although the cat popped out, it does not mean that when she turns around David will be right behind her.


An aspect within this film that may influence my own film is the use of false plateau and, the setting this is because, by using the false plateau both the audience and the characters are being 'scared'. This gives the audience a chance to feel like they are in the character/victim's shoes. The setting however, may also influence my film because, the quieter and darker the setting the more suspense and tension there is.

How is suspense created in the film you watched in class - 3 scenes in detail

THE STEPFATHER
Example 1
When the old lady's cat jumped out and scared her before David came on the screen. This was a suspenseful moment because as a viewer, you know what David is capable of and when he hears that the woman has been talking about him, he immediately knows he needs to take action. At the point when the cat jumps out at the woman, the audience are on the edge of their seat because they know that at any point they are going to see David come out of nowhere and do something to her. The cat was just used as a false plateau.

Example 2
The shower scene with Michael had suspense in it because when in the scene before, he is apprehensive about David and so is very careful of what he says and does around him. When he comes out of the shower, there is no music, which gives the assumption that at any moment something is going to happen and when Michael walks to the door and opens, the suspense is being built and at that point you see that David is standing right there which makes the audience have a visceral effect of screaming or jumping out of their seat.

Example 3
In the second to last scene, starting from when Michael goes into the basement to try and find something out about David, a lot of suspense is created. When Michael's girlfriend, Kelly, tries to call him because she sees David, and his phone drops on the floor, immediately suspense is being created because as the audience you don't know whether he is going to make it out in time or if David is going to catch him. Also, in this scene, when Michael runs to the stairs of the basement trying to get out and finds out the door is locked, the suspense is again built as the audience know David can hear his screaming for Kelly, so they know that something bad is about to happen. - (Bomb Theory)

Post an analysis of a title sequence which inspires you

The Stepfather 

In the beginning of the clip, the production and distribution companies are introduced. They are Screen gems, maverick films, imprint entertainment and Granada. the first production company gets introduced at 0.15 seconds and then again at 0.22 seconds.


Some of the important information in the title sequence is :

• the fact that they live in the suburbs
• the newspaper to the house are cancelled
• the main character changing his identity 
• the dead bodies all over the house
• turning on the Christmas music before walking into the room with the bodies
• the change in music as he walks into the room 

timeline

• 0:15 - production company - indent
• 0:18 - start of the film
• 0:22 - screen gems present
• 0:29 - MAVERICK FILMS, IMPRINT ENTERTAINMENT, GRANADA PRODUCTIONS
• 0:52 - the film title name first appears
• 0:57 - first actor name introduced - most important
• 1:01 - second actor name introduced - 4 second interval
• 1:05 - third actor name introduced - 4 second interval
• 2:13 - casting
• 2:25 - costume designer
• 2:42 - editing
• 2:49 - production designer

The film title comes in at the beginning, it is placed at the bottom left-hand corner in a black font and it is in capitals letters.

What interests you about intertextuality in film?

Intertextuality is a term to describe the visual referencing between films. Quite literally films 'Borrow' from each other and you may recognise certain camera angles, aspects of mise en scene, snippets of sound or methods of editing in some films that you have seen in others.

Intertextuality is usually done depending on the genre of the film. Many horror films for example tend to borrow the opening of a 'haunted'  houses and the wheather being 'a dark and stormy night'. Intertextuality is interesting because it is a good way in which you can incorporate ideas that have been already used in previous films. I really like how Alfred's Hitchcock's Psycho shower scene had been used in lots of suspenseful movies such as: What Lies Beneath, Fatal Attractions, The Stepfather, Succubus. This makes it a very recognisable scene and will probably be commented about by many. Aspects of the film 'Psycho' that was borrowed where commonly the scenes shot in the bathroom. Directly targeted at the shower with high angle camera movement of water running from the shower head. The sinister music played on set that makes it much more suspenseful and engaging. Furthermore the interaction between a male and female actors,the idea of death and struggling to fight one another off where used in all three films.

  

How is suspense created in the film you watched in class?

Suspense is often created in many different ways within film. They help make the audience feel as if they are gaining an experience while watching the film. Whilst watching The Stepfather i looked for at least three examples of a suspenseful moment.

My first example is at the scene of the basement. As the audience already know that the Stepfather is a murderer we already feel that something is going to happen (Dramatic Irony). This is when the Stepfather (David) asked the son (Micheal) to meet him in the basement so they could "talk". When Micheal goes down it was very dark and and the light was extremely dim. We as the audience probably feel that he will end up dead or threatened by David as his character seems intimidating. Sinister music started to play as he continued to look around the basement. He began to feel all the locks that were on the cabinets. As they were firmly shut there was no way in which he could get inside. Leaving the audience still in a suspenseful atmosphere as we wondered what was hidden inside. David purposely scared Micheal when he came down to meet him in the basement and this causes the audience to "Jump".

My second example was the scenes when Kelly (Micheals girlfriend) and Micheal begin to try and find out more about David and what he is actually up to. Regrettably they are caught and David punches Kelly while locking Micheal in the basement. Tension begins to build up as we as the audience start to ask ourselves questions like weather or not David will end up killing one of them or what his next move will be. The 'Wife to be' realises that he is not 'David' and really the murderer that is on the run after their unintentional mix up conversation in the kitchen. They both then have a physical battle where she stabs him in the neck with a piece of broken glass. David is tyring to capture the mum, Micheal and Kelly in the loaf. Kelly then grabs hold of a saw attempting to hurt David. As the floor boards dramatically break Kelly  falls through and then the saw falls and we instantly think that it will slice her head off. However it just misses her and this as a result created a very suspenseful moment in the film.

My third example is better known as false plateau which is usally used for suspenseful momenets so it was easy to identify. Basically it was when David  killed this littleold lady that lives up the road who recently warned his fiance about how David looks very simialar to the guy that the police are looking for. As David was very concerned that the old lady will probably be hanging around causing mischief he took action went to her house and threw her down the stairs, suffocating her by blocking her nose and mouth. Her doorbell rings and when she goes to answer it she notices that nobody is outside as she looks around. She then goes back into the house to find one of her cats acting strangely. When she finally calms it down after it trying to hid in a wardrobe, she closes the wardrobe  and David is behind her. At this point the audience jump as we kind of wondered that he would probably appear.

Detailed analysis of Thriller Clip analysed in class

A film that is under the sub-genre of a Supernatural Murderous Passion is 'What Lies Beneath' directed by Robert Zemeckis. 
The techniques and methods used within the camera, sound, mise en scene, editing and the title within a film opening, are a key way in which the audience can distinguish what kind of thriller or film they are watching. 


In the film 'What Lies Beneath' the sound we are open to is full of suspense which engages the audience from the start. Furthermore the fact that it includes a backing track filled with suspense and a mixture of awkward noises tells the audience that this film includes plenty of tension, and there could be some frightful moments in this film. 


We are slowly zoomed into a bath where we hear someone gasping for air, it is a woman and she finally lifts up her head, with an expression like she has recovered from a bad thought. As it is a woman gasping for air in a bath tub and the genre for the film is a supernatural murderous passion, this may foreshadow someone being drowned later on in the film. 
Throughout the clip of the film there are a lot of slow zooms and it is very slow in the beginning which help us capture the expressions of the woman in the bath. Furthermore the way the camera follows her throughout the scene tells us that she is one of the main characters and, may be the victim. 
As the camera slowly follows her with the strange sound in the background, she picks up a blow dryer and attempts to dry her hair however, a fuse pops and she has an electric shock. The mise en scene throughout this clip may symbolize death especially as the sub-genre is murderous passion. The bath and water may symbolize drowning, the blow dryer may in some way represent burning and the electric shock may represent some form death through electricity. This also frights the audience in a way that they will not know what to expect throughout the film. 

List of Thriller sub-genres - which inspires you at the moment and why

Hybrid thrillers are thriller movies that contain another genre in it aside from thriller itself, some examples are:

• Supernatural Thrillers - Example (Signs) - This usually includes films with an immortal or out of the world element, yet still ties in with suspense and twists within the plot
• Psychological Thrillers - Example (Inception) - This usually includes films that are less to do with our surroundings and physical actions but, focus on the emotional or mind state a person or two conflicting characters are in 
• Action Thriller - Example (Phone Booth) - This involves very high action scenes, involving chases, violence yet still with an era of suspense.
• Political Thriller - Example (The Firm) - Usually filled with conflict, the government are either targeted or are hiding something, the hero/heroine usually has to solve this
• Murderous Passions Thriller - Example (What Lies Beneath) - This involves murder (hence the title) however, it is usually because of affairs, jealousy, obsessions etc  
• Crime Thriller - Example (Hostage) - This focuses on a particular crime present within the film or being solved, focuses more on the criminal and scenes that refer to the element of crime that are common are scenes usch as robberies, chases, murder etc. 

The sub-genre that has inspired me the most so far is psychological thrillers. This is because they are very realistic and using a genre as such is very easy when it comes to playing mind games with both characters and the audience. Furthermore it creates a relationship between the audience and the character as the audience are wheeled into the characters mind which is usually used to cause paranoia to another characters mental state. This inspires me because, it is a very basic but interesting way to cause suspense and play around with peoples feelings and mind. 

A film that is a Psychological Thriller is 'Inception' by Christopher Nolan (2010). The Psychological element within the film is through the element of dreams. This movie begins playing with characters mind by entering them into a wheel of dreams however, it eventually leaves the audience trying to figure out the same mystery and keep in tune with the characters.

 

Within this scene of Inception we see part of the town reflect in an awkward angle. Already this is playing with the mind of the audience because, this is not within reality as a matter of fact it is in a dream although we are unsure as to whether the character within the scene is in the dream or not, this again leaves the audience with confusion yet wheeling them in as they want to find out more.