The Stepfather
I have chosen to analyse a short clip from “The Stepfather” a 2009 thriller Director by Nelson McCormick. Here is the link to the clip that I have analysed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltNPfW-Bq-Y
The 50 second clip features two characters, Michael who plays the son and Kelly his girlfriend. The scene takes place on a dark night; it is raining heavily which is used to foreshadow the menacing events that are going to take place. I believe that this seen creates suspense in a very good manner, the key elements such as the camera shots, the mise-en-scene, the sound and editing techniques all help to build the suspense. Firstly the scene is mainly set inside the basement of the family’s house; however there are shots that are shown from outside of the house and inside the car. There are props used in this clip that help to set the scene and are key to the plot. For example the satchel that Michael takes out from the cupboard and his fathers cell phone which he finds in the satchel, these objects help to create suspense as now that Michael has found these objects he knows that his father may be close by. In the screen shot below the cell phone is shown.
The camera shots are a vital element in this clip as they help to build suspense dramatically. There are many different camera shots and angles used but the key ones are as follows. The Close-ups of Michael hands holding the key props and also of both characters faces. The emotion portrayed in the characters eyes takes the audience on a rollercoaster as the tension builds. There are also many mid-shots used in the clip also some low angled shots near the beginning that look up towards Michael, I believe that the low angled shots gives a feeling that Michael is superior and in control of the situation however little does he know that this will change very soon. There is also a long shot of the house from outside, this is used to set the scene of a family home however this contradicts its self as a home should be somewhere that one feels safe as secure in, however in this situation Michael has to creep around his house as he does not feel safe, it is like he is trespassing in his own home. We also see a pan of the car which is black in colour which co notates fear and pain foreshadows perfectly the events that are about to unfold. Another type of shot which helps to build suspense is the over the shoulder shot used when Michael looks over at the freezer. Michael’s head is out of focus here and the freezer has now come into full focus of the shot. This shows us that Michael has had a thought to look inside the freezer which is a very key part of the scene.
The editing is another key feature used in this clip that helps to create suspense dramatically. The continuity editing used helps the screen shots flow with ease. The editing at the beginning starts off slowly and it is very light and smooth, this reflects how confident Michael is he believes that the situation at hand will flow smoothly in his favour. However the speed picks up as the scene plays out and things start to become increasingly tense. Fast cut aways are used switching between a close up of the Michael face and shots of what he is seeing in the basement and then back to a close up of his face which captures his panicked reaction. This technique of cutting back and forth builds tension as the audience feel they are sharing something personal with the character.
The soundtrack is another important devise in this clip which helps to build suspense. There is no dialogue in this scene there is only some environmental diegtic sounds like the rain falling heavily, some groans from the characters and the mobile phone vibrating. A non-diegtic soundtrack is played throughout the entire clip, at the beginning it is played quietly and it builds slowly, it reaches a climax as Michael opens the freezer lid sees the dead body of his father and falls back onto the floor in shock. Therefore the music is vital to create suspense as the music builds up it prepares the audiences emotional reaction to build up with it.
Overall all these elements are key to the building of suspense in this scene. Without them this would simply be an average scene with no emotional reactions from the audience, however creating the suspense will lead the audience to be shocked and to jump as the pivotal point occurs. I believe that watching and analyzing how the key elements help to create suspense will help will when my group comes to making our own thriller opening as it will need to have suspense in it in order to draw the audience in and make them enjoy it. I have learnt some very important methods of creating suspense and how the key elements should be used appropriately, from doing this task and I am looking forward to using them when I create my own.
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