Analysis of the Sixth Sense

I analysed three starts of films to understand the way thriller films are able to keep it's audience in suspense and still thrill them at the start of a film.

Film: The Sixth Sense

Year: 1999

Director: Night Shyamalan  

The sixth sense is a film of a boy who can communicate with spirits that don't know they're dead and seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist.

The first few minutes of the film focuses on a man and a woman in their mid-30s. The film starts with a woman walking into an old, cold and dark basement wearing high heels. The woman takes o bottle of campaign before running back to the main room in the house. They are of both the middle class family. This is seen through their house. There is also another character introduced at the start of the film.

Haley Joel Osment's character tells his mother he sees ghost.

Diegetic and non diegetic sounds are used at the start of the film. We hear a woman singing along to a low key piano sound while the two characters are talking. This could show that there would be chaos as the film progress between characters. Diegetci sound was used when the naked man in the toilet asked “do you know why you’re afraid when your alone?” this isn’t just a question for the characters but it’s a rhetorical question for the audience as well. The question make the audience sympathise with his character.

The range of Mise-En-Scene includes; props, settings, lighting, costume and colour. The light bulb is used to indicate the only source of light in the basement. It could also mean that it’s the only source of life in that house hood. The first few minutes of the room is set in the woman’s front room. Even though the woman is dressed in a blue and brownish dress, red lipstick is used to represent her femininity. The lighting throughout the first 10 minutes of the film was underexposed. 

Both the male and female characters are seen in the middle of the frame. This could show their equality. However, the man is dominant in some scene. For example, when the man is seen in their toilet, the woman steps back and let the man take over. This could shoe that in case of any trouble, the man would be able to resolve it. The man and the woman are also seen in a medium low angle. This shows their vulnerability.