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.
