How is the tension &
suspense created through media language in the TV scene?:
The scene starts with the
diegetic sound of thunder and lightning and a close up of a TV that turns to
static. This creates tension and suspense because it connotes there a power cut
or a ghostly intervention.
The camera shot is a medium
shot, it encourages the viewer to search the dark corners for any creatures or
paranormal apparitions. The lighting is dark, and the furniture is old, along
with the old television itself and most old things are considered to be
unsettling.
The camera angle has been has
been switched to an over the shoulder shot. This can cause someone to think
they may have possibly switched to the point of view of the ghost. The angle
also comes from the corner of the room, where a creepy old chair is located,
which the ghost has been shown to like, which further adds to the possibility
of the camera angle being the point of view of the ghost.
The girl gets up from her
chair and goes to fix the television by banging it. The camera angle switches
to her point of view. When she hits the television the static flashes and
scrolls. Eventually the screen turns off revealing a ghostly being sitting in
the aforementioned chair, which is favoured by the ghost.
The girl turns around, and
the camera effect used is the swish pan. It is followed by a medium shot with
the television remote floating in the air. The remote suddenly drops, creating
tension as the ghost has moved.
The camera
sequence flicks between a close up of the girl and a close up on the remote.
After 6 shot changes, there is a close up on the chair, when the camera
switches back to the girl and behind her is a demonic old looking man who
screams ‘My house’. The girl then crawls away, but looks back to find that the ghost had disappeared.
"Objects of desire for males on screen and males in the audience," (Mulvey, 1975)