How a thriller creates suspense and drama

Black swan

Within the first scene that we looked that was 22 minutes into the film was looking at the female character achieving the role she desired for which is to be the black swan. However, the sound that was present in the first scene is the high-pitch frequency with replicates the idea of a bell sound. Although, this frequency occurred when the mother reacts to the fact that the daughter wants less cake that her mother has served to celebrate her achievement.  Non-diegetic ticking sound in background represents there is a change in her, ticking time bomb – she will explode at some point, adding tension because we don’t actually know when it’s coming. Although, we are expect it happen in some point through the duration of the film. Sound effects is something that I have access to through free copyright sounds through the internet as well as sounds that are available in the school systems, but is it is more of a complex unique sound I lack resources and access to this, as it just isn’t possible. In my thriller the idea of ticking could be incorporated in recurrence to a particular character, which shows points of aggression or the build up to predictions the audience make but echoing out in order to keep the audience at edge. In contrast, the dialogue consumed in the scene shows the daughter on the phone to her mother but calls her ‘mummy’. This is a very childlike term mainly referred to children but a grown woman calls her mother this. This seems odd for a woman to call her mother this but, adds a slight cringe factor to the scene and gives her mother the power of authority and controlling mannerisms. This creates mystery and suspense as she will be controlling and switch tempers very quickly and sharply against the daughter. I could add this to my scene in order to add a sense of awkwardness through a character or as someone who finds it hard to be socially involved with others. It would be good use of someone who is under the power of another or someone with a mentally detachment for society. Lastly, the props that are used are mirrors throughout the whole apartment shared between the mother and daughter. The idea of having mirrors creates a sense of being consistency watched by her mother and having a lack of personal privacy. Therefore, this creates unanswered questions as to why the mother is so obsessed with her daughter and her seem to be a control freak. I could include a prop such as mirrors; I could use them to watch someone such as if the character was abusing someone or the mirror could be used on someone who is imaged obsessed that is starting to control their lives. Mirrors however also play the role of self-consciousness about herself or self-critical as she is ballet dancer, they are required to be thin, showing that perhaps the mirrors are in place to pressure her and be aware of her figure at all time. Restricting her, in what she eat at home. But, this will defiantly make her uncomfortable in her own home, somewhere, where she should feel safe. This keeps her paranoid in all aspects of her life.

The second scene that I focused on was the celebration of the characters achieving a role in the production of the black swan for which they all go to a party as part of the celebration. However, the mise-en-scene portrays a contrast between the black and the white swan characters, the main character is wearing white and her competition character is wearing black. This displays the variation between the roles but also signifies the characters as who they are. Although one of the characters is more in tune with her sexuality as she stands opening in front of her rival and take off her underwear. These factors create the idea of mystery and suspense as they portray the idea of not knowing the next action of the characters for example it questions the sexuality of the character as she is taking her knickers off in front of a women she barely knows, suggesting she is perhaps sexually interested in the main character. Them wearing black and white foreshadows the idea of negative and positive suggesting no further drama shall happen of the main character reassuring the audience to trust the woman when in fact later she isn’t really to be trusted. By them wearing the positive and negative creates confusion as the director wants to show the rival character as the threat and one to be watched when in fact the main character is the threat to herself and others. Therefore, diverting the audience’s attention away but also giving her a sense of normality compared how she is behaving. In addition, the sound that is presented while the character is in the toilet is of a low frequency to maintain the suspense and drama of what the character is going to do. For which was the character pulling away a whit-low from the finger nail bed, when in fact she take a large piece of the skin when taking the whit low away. However, when we look back at the character we expect blood when in fact the skin still remains on her hand. This portrays that it is a figure of her imagination and create the first line in a long line of things to come, it shows the start of her hallucinations, which we can predict will only increase as the film continues. It could also create the idea of no fear, its a impulsive reaction but a sense of trying to break out of her own skin- feeling trapped within this high-pressure role. the idea of this is very gruesome and gory to see, showing the intention to be a thriller. However, this action also changes the mood of the thriller as one minute she is talking to others and the next she is in the bathroom pulling at a whit low. This drastic change indicts the dramatic change going to happen as the film progresses, it foreshadows the drastic change in her as a person but the psychological effects of her thinking her is a swan. her action replicates her thought and state of mind.  When we are shown this, it is displayed in an over-the shoulder shot of the character but through a mirror. Therefore, portraying the fact that she is watched even by herself, but the low pitch sound appears while this happens. The suspense and drama is shown implying all of these characteristics group together in order to form the important aspects of the character pulling her skin away, it creates unanswered questions as to why she is pulling the skin away but also when we see her skin again it is still there; This show confusion between the audience, and the characters.

Within the third scene that I studied a dramatic loud bang can be heard but not seen, suggesting non-diegetic sound. Along with the sound the lights also go out while she is still rehearsing hard to become the perfect character in the production. As the bang appears in the scene it creates a sense of drama and puts the audience on edge of why the loud sound happened and the lights went out alongside the loud bang. However, in the build-up of the loud bang appearing editing has been incorporated for the idea of the character watching herself dance in the mirrors but once she has stopped dancing her reflection carries on dancing in the glass. This creates the idea of someone watching her  but not just someone herself watching her and hinted that true enemy that she has to battle with is herself rather than anyone who is part of the cast. The drama and tension that is built upon in the scene is the director trying to portray the character as being unstable and never actually knowing her next action or move, making it harder to judge the character and her movements. From a state of realization she visits the old black swan that is in a mental institution as the role also lead her to become mentally unstable. When she visits her she returns all of the original black swan’s items that include earrings. However, the shot eventually replaces the original black swans face with the main characters face adding more CGI to the scene and whole film, it also creates repetition of elements in order to replicate ideas that the swan will eventually change into these things if she doesn’t change or stop what she is doing. This creates tension of how the black swan will eventually be to the end the film and question/ predict the ending of the film. But, replacing her face indicts that she is her own enemy of herself and that is what shall wreck her.  

Finally, in the last scene that I studied shows the mental decline in the character as she can’t no longer detect from reality and her stage show. However, the editing that has been used in the scene is the use of CGI of the wings actually appearing in the skin of the character. We are shown the character grown these black wings with a sinister smile on her face. The idea of her growing the wings creates a release of her normal personality and becoming herself as the character. She is showing release but the look that appears on her face shows the fact that she completely different due to the change and the role taking over her body. However, this happens after she has killed her rival character with a piece of glass as she believes she was fighting herself. This also shows a form of CGI with replacing the rivals face with her own, this implies that she uses others as they blame for her enemy when in fact her enemy is in reality herself. The way in which this creates suspense and drama is through making the audience see the final break through with the character actually becoming the swan as real life. The questions begin to appear to the audience of why we can see her as a swan when in fact it is in her head rather than in reality. But also, can she be helped if she has already changed to the black swan. Additionally, the character actually ends up killing her rival which uses a cut to show from the dressing room to the stage, portraying her mood change within the dressing room being aggressive and near the stage calm and collected as well as not letting people know that she has killed someone. Although, she shows a sinister attitude when she is the swan she is free and under less pressure compared to the strain and pressure she feels from others. The tension that is divided is the character having the idea of a split personality disorder, actually creating huge amounts of drama of never known what the character may actually do next. Overall, each aspect that happens increases the drama as her disorder begins to eat away at her as she can no longer cope with the role.