Sound - Miss Georgiou

'Unbreakable' Final Scene

The use of sound in a movie is very important as it helps tell a story and manipulates the audience's emotions when watching. Within a thriller film the sound helps build tension and suspense in order to make the audience feel anxious and on-edge.

This scene is full of non-diegetic sounds. The sound made when the antagonist and the protagonist shake hands is non-diegetic and also contrapuntal as you would not expect this sound when characters shake hands. The sound that is used when the characters shake hands is very affective as it portrays the strength and importance of the protagonist's vision. This sound effect is conventional to a thriller as it shocks the audience and twists their opinion on the antagonist, leaving them on the edge of their seats to continue watching. This idea of hooking the audience through shock and grabbing there full attention is the purpose of a thriller film.

During the protagonist's vision you hear an explosion. This is an off-screen sound as you can't see where it has come from, and it is also a diegetic sound because the other characters can hear it. You can also hear the other characters reacting to the explosion and mentioning a train. The audience immediately realises that the protagonist's vision is referring to the train crash that occurred at the beginning of the movie. Loud diegetic sounds (such as explosions) are conventional to a thriller film as they display a chaotic atmosphere to the audience which puts them in the mindset of the character and leaves them feeling an intense excitement.

The music that is played after the vision is non-diegetic as the characters cannot hear it. The music is dark and atonal which portrays the tense atmosphere of the scene. This style of music is conventional to a thriller film as it builds suspense within a scene and makes the audience feel anxious. Music which explores different extremes in dynamics, pitch and tonality is expected when watching a thriller film as it portrays the emotions of the characters and makes the audience feel on-edge.

Another non-diegetic sound that is used is the protagonist's heavy breathing. This is non-diegetic as the character is not literally breathing that heavy, but it is used to portray the protagonist's erratic state of mind. The character's breathing is most probably diegetic, but because the volume of it has been increased so much it becomes non-diegetic. Sounds such as this are conventional to a thriller film as they demonstrate the character's emotions and influences the audience feel the same - making them want to continue watching.

The use of these sounds create understanding and meaning to the scene and help develop an intense atmosphere in order to fulfill a thriller genre. They also create a response from the audience and puts them in the mindset of the characters.

Mise-en-scene - Miss Georgiou

'Taken' Abduction Scene

"Mise-en-scene" is a French term for "placing on stage". The mise-en-scene is very important within any genre of film as it creates a certain atmosphere and manipulates the audience's emotions.

In the abduction scene of 'Taken' a window is used on set when the victim witnesses her friend being kidnapped. The obstruction of the window between the victim and the abductor's creates mystery as the audience cannot make out the abductor's faces. This is conventional to a thriller as the mystery makes the audience feel nervous and uncomfortable which is what is expected from a thriller film. It also makes the audience want to continue watching in order to find out who the abductor's are. The fact that the setting is also empty shows that the victim is alone and that there is no-one there to save her. This increases the audience's anxiety as it is obvious that the victim is going to be kidnapped.

The low-key lighting also personifies the mysterious atmosphere when the victim's friend is being abducted. The lighting creates shadows which makes the scene more intense. This style of lighting is conventional as it creates suspense and portrays two innocent females about to get hurt. Knowing that the victim's are going to be taken makes the audience anxious and on-edge which are key emotions of a thriller film.

The colour of the costumes is a major element of this scene. The villain's are seen wearing dark colours and the victim's are wearing bright colours. This contrast exaggerates how innocent and vunerable the females are. This costume design is conventional to a thriller film as it portrays the stereotypical, female victim. The audience would automatically notice the contrast in the costume colour and would immediately recognise who the villain is and who the victim is.

The main iconography used in this scene is the mobile phone that the victim is using. This makes the scene more distressing as the victim's father can here his daughter being abducted. This is conventional to a thriller as the distressing phone call makes the audience feel sympathy for the victim and the father. This sympathy makes the audience support the victim's father and makes them want to continue watching.

Facial expressions and body language is a key element to the scene. The facial expressions of the victim shows that she is frightened and the fact that she keeps looking around the room shows that she desperately wants to find an escape. The father's facial expression when his daughter is being kidnapped shows that he is heartbroken. The body language and facial expression of the actors is conventional to a thriller as it portrays certain emotions and puts the audience in the mindset of the character and makes them feel on-edge.

The elements of mise-en-scene within the abduction scene of 'Taken' is conventional to a typical thriller movie. The lighting, costumes, acting, setting and iconography are presented in an appropriate way to make the scene more intense and leave the audience feeling anxious and uncertain.