24 Extract Essay

     The main theme of this extract is mainly suspense and distrust. Both characters are under pressure, due to being under surveillance, which is what mainly helps communicate the theme. There is some particularly good, intense acting and there are many details that work to portray a suspenseful feeling on the audience. It could very well be that the writers were aiming for this to be recognized as a thriller.

     In the first scene, we are presented to the main characters. We are shown a man walking into a room, where a woman is seated. We are, then, shown that they are being surveilled by cameras. In this scene, the director makes a point of flaunting various camera angles and movements. The multiple over the shoulder shots, for example, are strategically placed to direct the focus towards the man's analysis of her. It provides the first example of how he acts because he does not trust her. The use of the two-shot with the two main characters is to build suspense. It shows through the visual example of how they are getting “closer” to discovering the full story. The importance of them two being the only people in the room is that they are in isolation, yet they are not alone, they are being watched. The use of sound in this scene is to grab the viewers’ attention. The ticking of the clock represents the passage of time, and the ticking down to possibly an intense climax. Scene 1 was mostly to introduce the story and set the intense tone of the extract.

     In the second scene, the lack of trust in her is introduced in this part of the extract. The constant showing of the people in the camera room is to show their suspicion. The man is seen to be hostile towards the woman for reasons that are somewhat revealed in this scene. An example of the director's use of sound is the crash of the table when the man throws it. It provides a way for the character to express his frustration. In this scene, the director uses different angles, including a low angle. This can be seen when the camera is pointed towards the clock. It is shown from the point of view of the woman. That is another camera angle that adds to the meaning of the clip. By putting the audience into the shoes of the woman, nervously looking at the clock, it allows them to feel the tension of the scene. The ticking sound that comes from the clock when it is focused on is to symbolize the passing of time and how both characters patience is running thin. Their clothing suggests an everyday life being in a not so everyday position, giving off a dark mood because of its lack of color or design. This scene, in general, does a better job at presenting the theme and mood, due to its use of mis en scene details.

      

     The third scene starts with the woman warning the man not to hurt her and threatening that he will lose his job if he does. Her low tone tells the audience that she is serious. Another part of the mis en scene is the makeup. The actors are made up to look run down and tired. This is to show that the man has been interrogating the woman for a long time, hence his rising levels of impatience towards her. Eventually, he loses all patience and attacks her. The editing used in this part is a split screen. They simultaneously show the people in the camera room, who seem to have a level of authority, running towards the room where the man is fighting the woman. This is used to show the importance of the woman and how she must remain unharmed, as she hinted towards in the beginning. Another way they used editing that ended up affecting the scene was the eye line match shot. It shows how the surveillance people came in and saw the fight that going on in the room. This adds a lot to the theme of skepticism, because it proves that they both needed to be watched for a reason. The woman, being a criminal, and the man being unhinged. Another part of the mis en scene was the setting and the lighting. Not only does the scene take place in a dark room, but it is also placed in a room that has minimal decoration and ray tones, lacking emotion. Overall, scene 3 has the most attention to detail than the other scenes and reveals the most about the other characters.

     The director’s goal of entertaining with suspense and thriller was achieved. A theme of skepticism and lack of belief pulled through with the use of camera angles, movements, editing, and mis en scene. Everything from the sound to the setting was well planned out and added up to a proper extract.