Thriller Comparisons

Sixth Sense:

The camera work for the car scene in sixth sense is very simply done, using only 3 shots, the first one being a mid-shot from outside of the car, this helps the audience get a sense of location, environment and helps them see both characters emotions throughout the scene, the second shot is from the ladies side of the car, this only had the little boy in the shot, this close up shot helps you grasp how scared the little boy is because you can see his face very clearly, this enhances the atmosphere he is creating. The third shot you see is the same shot but now from the boy’s side of the car, this helps you show how the lady reacts with the stuff the boy is telling her. In all shots the camera is put at eye level, this brings you into the conversation more, meaning you feel you can interact with their lives a bit more.

Throughout the scene there is no soundtrack or other non-diegetic sound played over the top, this makes the scene very realistic and effective, it also helps take your central focus towards what the boy is saying and the emotions it is causing them both.

The editing within this clip is also very simple, unlike a traditional thriller, there is no fast cut shots to show tense areas, this is also to help you concentrate on what the characters are saying, I feel it also helps create a very slow uprising in tension, this helps make the whole scene very effective rather than one specific area of it.

The Terminator:

The camera work in the terminator is quite unlike ones you would see from a thriller, at the start of the scene you see the terminator walk into the bar, the camera is set behind a cage, and this placement puts a sense of danger straight into the film, giving it a prison style look, this is then followed by the camera doing a tracking shot in front of the character, this shows how he is a dominant character , the camera is also eye level, as if you are walking back from the character, making him very intimidating for the viewer. You never take upon the point of view of any of the characters, this gives the whole scene a sense of helplessness, this is effective as you have 3 characters, you may get confused and it would drop the suspense. Helplessness is also shown when the camera is pointing down on Sarah Connor, this makes her seem very small and unprotected.

I think within this scene, it is mainly non-diegetic sound, the soundtrack over the top of the clip defiantly is because as it goes to slow motion the music is playing just as fast tempo as before, though I think this is done purposely to help bring chaos to the scene. Also things such as the knuckle cracking and guns firing are all sounds that will have been put in after as non-diegetic sound, this way of sound helps means you will get the sound exactly where you want and exactly how you want it to sound.

The lighting in this specific scene is very similar to ones used in a thriller, the whole scene is very dark and eerie, there is a small level of smoke which adds to a certain degree of mystery, it also helps hide some identity.

Comparison:

Though both of these movies are classed as a thriller, the aspects within them make for different styles and emotions.  The only thing I feel I can pick out between the two that is similar is how the camera is placed at eye level within most shots to help the viewer interact with the movie as much as possible being on the same level as the actor. Also both films don’t really seems to follow all the typical conventions of a thriller, they seem to both like to show thrilling areas in their own ways, such as the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound, sixth sense doesn’t use any non-diegetic sound over the top of its scene, however in a traditional thriller they might use a tense music to help enhance the effect its meant to have on the audience.