CINEMATOGRAPHY

• The scene opens with an extreme close-up of her eye. This immediately disorientates the audience as we cannot see anything about the location or what is happening in the scene.

• Soft focus is used to blur the images created and again create confusion about the mise-en-scene.

• The camera moves frequently, panning and tilting to show how small the space she’s trapped in is. It also follows her movements during her frantic attempts at escape.

• Close-ups are used throughout to highlight her emotions. These are interspersed with wider shots that make her seem isolated within the scene. Central framing also helps this, with her being the central thing in the frame, surrounded by space that feels like it’s pressing in, trapping her.

MISE-EN-SCENE

• The lighting at first is very dark, to the point where it’s difficult to actually see what is going on. This is intentional as it forces the audience to experience the confusion and fear that the character is feeling by not revealing where she is.

• The contrast when the bright lights suddenly come on is very disorientating – again the lighting aims to create confusion and fear.

• The scene begins and ends in darkness, creating a cycle effect that implies the situation is inescapable.

• The single source of light for most of the scene – the small window – highlights only small sections at once, making the darkness surrounding her seem dangerous.

• The location itself is a small, enclosed space. It’s very claustrophobic which is typical of the genre’s conventional mise-en-scene.

• Dressing of the location is minimal, bare walls etc., with a focus on significant props like the two buckets she is provided with. This adds to the mystery and confusion of the scene as there are not many clues given to the audience about where exactly she is.

• There’s a lack of colour throughout, which is again conventional. Predominantly grey I used and a green overtone added for the first half of the scene.

• The actress wears a fairly ‘ordinary’ costume to create realism. Again it enforces this idea that what’s happening to her could happen to anyone and therefore makes it more tense for the audience. Details like her dishevelled hair and bloody nose stand out, demonstrating the distress and danger she is in. Blood is also a conventional aspect of make-up within Scandinavian thrillers.

EDITING

• As is typical of this genre and style, continuity editing is used to create realism.

• The use of soft focus seems to have been aided in post-production; the shots have been blurred so that they become indistinct and build suspense.

• The shot lengths are fairly long, particularly towards the end of the scene. This is especially effective when the shot shows her attempting to escape – instead of quick cutting, the long shot seems relentless, which makes her escape then seem completely futile.

SOUND

• The scene opens with the asynchronous sound of a heavy door slamming shut, effectively setting the scene and implying she is trapped.

• Non-diegetic music and ambient sound is used throughout to create an eerie, uncomfortable atmosphere that reflects what’s happening in the plot.

• Silence is emphasised, as it often is in Scandinavian thrillers, to build suspense and then broken by loud noises such as her banging on the walls. This has a very jumpy effect, making the audience uneasy.

• Many of the sound effects echo which again adds to the mysterious and tense atmosphere.

• Dialogue features more heavily in the second half of the scene. The raised volume of her voice compared to the man’s monotone clearly shows her panic and desperation.

• Asynchronous sound is used really effectively when we can hear her captor speaking but not see him on screen. The audience is once again put in the position of the character, knowing no more than she does, which helps to build tension.

• When he raises the pressure in the chamber at the end a high pitched noise like microphone feedback is used. This is uncomfortable to listen to and so forces the audience to experience the distress that the character is in.

• Conventional thriller sounds are used such as her screaming.• All of the sound – music, ambient, sound effects, her screaming etc. – build to a

crescendo at the end, forming a climactic point at the end of the scene and also creating quite an overwhelming effect.

NARRATIVE AND THEMES•This scene deals with disturbing subject material – kidnap and what is essentially torture. This is conventional of thrillers and of Scandinavian cinema too.

•The theme of power and control is very evident as obviously she is completely at her captor’s mercy with no chance of escape. It’s a well-known story of cat and mouse with a clear victim and villain.

•The way that it is not revealed specifically what’s happening or why is typical of thrillers, encouraging the audience to try and work it out themselves.