2. Mise en Scene
The water is a big focus and is a
distorted image; this could
suggest ‘hidden depths’ and a
sense of uncertainty.
The eagle is ironic as it’s the
bird of prey which could
foreshadow things that are
going to happen later on.
The shadowy figures add to
the unease and tension that
you would expect to find in a
thriller.
The use of red background
could suggest death/danger
(associated with thrillers)
The child’s eyes and the fact
she’s wearing white shows
pureness and innocence.
Often someone like this
features in a thriller film.
In the guy’s cell, he has a photo of Stalin.
It was debated whether Stalin was a hero
or cold-blooded murderer – once again
murder is a theme throughout thrillers.
The prop use of books and
the tattoo shows that he
believes in truth and
justice.
The stormy weather
foreshadows that
something bad is going to
happen.
3. Editing
There is a dissolve used to
show the water background
becoming blood. Blood
signifies death.
He has prevalence – it shows
he is an important character.
Continuity editing follows him
in the clip.
An eye line match is used to
show the door opening – the door
is opening to his freedom.
He motivates the cuts. The focus is continuously linked back
to him which also shows he is an important character.
4. Cinematography
The young girl is first shown through an extreme close up which slowly
zooms out into a mid shot. This reveals to the audience who they are
listening slowly, in a mysterious way leaving time for them to question
and think about who they are about to see.
There is a closed frame used which shows this prisoner behind
bars when he is first in shot. This gives the impression that he
has been locked away for sometime and he must be a bad
person to still be seen behind bars.
There is a pan which follows the prisoner out of his of his cell,
past all of the other prisoners and down the stairs. This gives
him prevalence in the shot as he is the most important
person in this scene.
There is a wide shot showing the prisoner walking away from prison
centre of the shot with a storm behind him, which gives the
impression that bad things are bound to happed. He walks towards
the camera to create a close up of his warn out face.
5. Sound
The non diegetic soundtrack uses string instruments which
create an eerie, uncomfortable feel for the audience. This
creates an atmosphere for the audience built up of fear
and the unknowing of what is about to happen. There is
never a constant pace to the music or the same volume
for too long as it is a constantly changing soundtrack
which emphasises uncertainty. The music reaches a
dramatic climax as soon as the title of the film ‘Cape
Fear’ appears on the screen, emphasising the point that
this is an important moment. As soon as the young girl
begins to speak the soundtrack dies down but can still be
heard as what the girl is saying is more important.
The prisoner who is seen leaving the prison is greeted by
silence as he walks out of his cell, into the real world.
This silence shows us that he is a respected man who
