Media Essay

 In this series “sherlock”, the director uses a range of camera techniques to convey an underlying mood and feeling of suspense and danger. An establishing shot is shown within the first second of the clip. The camera is angled in such a way that the scene is able to be set within a single shot, in the frame we can see the pool, with darkness and emptiness flooding the atmosphere. This also foreshadows that an unpleasant event is going to occur in the narrative as the mood has been set to be ominous which adds to the suspense.   The director uses a mid-shot when showing the man strapped to a bomb, this is so that the audience can get the big picture that danger is present, the shot also allows views to see the emotions expressed through this man’s face which includes fear and a sense of worry. This also enables the audience to feel personally connected An over the shoulder shot is used to show the protagonist with a deadly weapon pointed directly at the antagonist, this angle is important as is allows the audience to see both what situation the antagonist is being threatened with as well as their reaction to it. However, in the shot, we see something unusual, the man at gunpoint is not showing even the smallest bit of fear for his life which instantly conveys the idea that he has something up his sleeve, something that both the protagonist and actual audience are unaware of, thus following the running theme of suspense. In order for the audience to see the reactions of all the characters involved in the scene, the director uses a shot/reverse shot. This is so that as the audience we can see the relations between the characters through their body language and facial expression, this is also how we know the antagonist is not in fear yet Watson is, which shows whos really in charge. Another camera technique used is ‘racking focus’, which is used to make the subject of focus change as well as shift in and out while doing so. This technique directs the audience’s attention to different aspects of the situation to push them to connect the ideas of the plot. The camera focusses on the gun and then the antagonist and back to the gun which leads us to believe the connection of the two may end lethally. A close-up shot is used to show the facial expressions shown by the characters during this crucial scene where the protagonist has the gun pointed at the bomb. The portraying of the characters’ emotions also allows tension to build-up.

 

The lighting and setting played a massive role in the mise en scene of this clip. The introductory setting is an empty leisure centre that is dark and seemingly isolated. This contrasts the atmosphere generally exuded at the pools which is light and joyous as a leisure centre’s purpose is to bring out those emotions in people rather than what is shown in the clip. This instantly tells viewers that this scene is going to be unpleasant and unusual. A pillar shot is used to add suspense by not showing the audience the full picture. with the character and pity the man, which overall betters the engagement of the audience with the film. There is an obstructed shot used when showing the antagonist, the lighting gradients across his face, with the shadow on his face getting darker across the screen, representing darkness taking over light slowly, simply meaning evil taking over good. This relates back to the audience expectations which now is that something will go wrong and that they will now be on the edge of their seats, expecting to feel the suspense through the screen. 

When the antagonist speaks, his voice echoes, which gives a more eerie sound effect and feel to the scene. Playing in on the fact that the room is also empty and that there is nowhere to run, the echoes add suspense and only emphasise the verbal entry of the character. Through the diegetic sound of the tone in the antagonist’s voice alone we can see that he has psychopathic/manipulative tendencies, the character’s voice when talking to the antagonist slowly transitions from being soft and gentle to a loud and harsh, all in one phrase. The character does this so that he can relate to the antagonist and make him believe everything is calm in the situation and will turn out okay, just so that he can tear it all down and make his point known that the antagonist should not have done what he did, he should not have tried messing with him.  As the camera flashes from scene to scene, there is a ‘swoosh’ sound aligned with the movement from changing shots, this sound tells the audience that everything in the scene is happening very fast, this adds to the suspense and unknowingness of what may happen next. The ‘swoosh’ sound slowly picks up a beat and starts moving faster with the interchanging scenes, the beat makes it more impactful. A non-diegetic sound is used in this scene, the heartbeat is added in to replicate what the viewers may be feeling as watching and experiencing the current on-screen situation. The director is trying to get the heartbeat to sync with the audiences, and since the pace of the beat is actually faster than normal, it would make the tension slowly build higher and higher, tying in with the overall anticipation and build-up of what will all this tension lead up to. That tension is broken through the ringtone of the antagonists’ phone which is ironically a song called “staying alive” this is a play on the actual turn out of the situation and the antagonists’ dilemma. This is ironic because at the end of the protagonists’ arm is a gun, something that represents death, whereas the song playing suggests life which is the complete opposite. At the same time, the music also stops in the background to really bring attention to the ringtone.

In terms of editing, there is a transition added where the establishing shot fades into dark, this is also a visual cue that this will also happen in the scene overall, tells the viewers that things are about to go rogue. During an intense part of the scene where the protagonist has a gun pointed towards the antagonist, the screen flashes, transitioning from shot to shot. The flashes of the screen are meant to replicate how the eye opens and closes so that it feels as though every time the viewers open their eyes, there is a new shot and crucial part of the scene. This makes the scene tense and shows it being heavy on the content, showing a lot happening in the little time that the characters have to make decisions. The screen flashes in combination with the ‘swoosh’ sound, leads viewers to believe and feel as though everything is happening very fast and in real-time, making them also feel as though they are in the scenario too, heightening their engagement with the film.