Analysis of thriller opening : The sixth sense

Hey,

Introduction to 'The sixth sense': 

A young boy, Cole, is haunted by a dark and sinister secret. He is able to communicate with spirits and seeks the help from a child psychologist.

Here is a link to the movie opening:

The Sixth sense opening

 The opening to 'The sixth sense':

The opening to the movie begins with the production company that where used in the making of the film, This takes up the first minute of the opening. There is music in the background that is quiet and then once the title appears the music becomes louder and is sharp. This helps emphasis the title of the movie and brings the audience to it.  It t hen continues to show the names of the actors that are featured in the movie. Here the music gets intense and louder. 

The first shot we see is of a dim lightbulb, at this point the music has faded out and we have just diegetic sounds of the woman coming down the basement stairs. The main woman actor then approaches the wine rack and begins to search for some. She then looks at a bottle and gives an alarming look which brings the audience to wonder why she has done this, we later find out because this look is followed by a strange sound which alarms her and should alarm the audience but she doesn't think too much into it. 

The camera then zooms in, this creates tension and makes the audience wonder what she is thinking or has seen. We then are cut to another shot (mid- shot) of her hugging the bottle and she then shivers. There is no music and it is extremely quiet, this adds pressure to the scene and also puts the audience on edge as stereotypically in thrillers when it goes quiet something bad happens or jumps out. She then runs out of the basement and up stairs frantically. 

We then cut to our main character, Dr Malcolm Crow, where the two exchange pleasantries and talk about an award he has just been awarded. 
This shot is a two person shot and their behaviour suggests that they are together and happy. This scene continues for around a minute. Nothing dramatic or important happens within this minute but it is a way of setting the scene and partying the characters and their emotions. 

Additionally we then see a cut to a long shot of the hallway where we see the couple kissing in the living room. I think that the significance of this shot is to show their security. They have a well built door that is closed and they are very secure. This is foreshadowing the events to happen, where they are no longer safe. We can see the door but we can still see the couple so we know that they are still there and that they are safe, but of course as this is a thriller this will not be the case for too long. 

Then we see the couple heading upstairs to the bedroom. A few seconds later we see that parts of the room is wrecked including a smashed window with glass shards scattered. The camera pans up starting with the shattered glass and then we see the window. The slow pan is important because it helps create suspense and mystery as to why the window is smashed, it allows the audience time to think about what they are going to see rather than just cut straight to the window and have no suspense of curiosity whatsoever. The only sound in this scene is the phone bleeping. The lack of sound adds a mysterious atmosphere and helps add to the mood. 

We then see the couple hugging each other tightly which suggests that they are scared and they are looking at the window. The phone stops bleeping and we see a shadow float across the room. This makes the woman scream which as an audience member, seeing the shadow and hearing the woman scream instantly makes us wonder what is going on in the house and how they are going to resolve it.

Here is an image of the woman screaming and the man eventually goes to look and see who or what is in the bathroom. At this point the camera zooms into their faces to show their fear and worry and this shows us that this is a serious situation and they are in potential danger. The lighting is dark on the man but lighter on the woman. This can suggest that the man is the one in imminent danger. The sound is extremely quiet when the man begins to walk towards the bathroom door. The camera starts looking down onto the bathroom floor where we see clothes and shoes, the camera then focuses on an undressed man. 


He begins to talk with Malcolm and we find out that the man is a patient that he used to treat but was not able to help. The character was a former patient and from the dialogue and the way he speaks we can tell he is angry at the Dr. He then advances and pulls out a gun where he shoots Dr Crow and then commits suicide. We then see a birds eye view of Malcolm on the Bed after being shot. His wife runs to his aid and tries to stop the bleeding. The editors slowed down her running to create suspense and it makes the audience wonder if she can get to him in time to help him. 

To finish the opening we end on this birds eye view and there is a fade to black transition, which could suggest his departure but as an audience member we do not know what happened to him so we continue to watch to find out.