Elements of Suspense

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Elements of Suspense
Elements of Suspense
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1. Although the visual elements of the suspense
drama are the main focus, what other elements add
to the development of the climax?

• Sound
• Lighting
• Make Up
• Editing Techniques

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2. Camera angles play an important roll in
focusing the viewers attention. How does the
director use the following angles?
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Close Up
Eliminates any scene distraction and focuses on
the reaction and or emotions of the actor.
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Tilted

• Indicates that something is not right. Adds to
  the mystery.

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Low angle

• Gives the person or object a superior position.

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High angle

• Shows the person or object in an inferior
  position.

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3. Lighting plays an important role in adding to
suspense. What are the purposes of the following
lighting techniques?
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Bright daylight

• Indicates that things are normal and all the
  scene elements are out in the open to see.

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Low light

• Adds some mystery to the scene because some
  things are hidden.

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Directional lights

• Helps to indicate the location of the scene. Also
  the light is used to focus the viewers eye where
  the director wants them to look.

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Low angle source

• Gives the actor(s) an eerie look. Shadows hide
  facial features and disquise emotions. Used in
  all Classic Horror movies.

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High angle source

• Causes heavy shadows and used to indicate some
  type of stress.

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Back lighting

• Used to silhouette the actor(s). Conceals
  identity and facial features. When combined with
  front lighting, adds a hallo effect and gives the
  actor(s) an angelic look and sets them apart from
  the background.

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Hard lights

• Produces heavy shadow areas. Shows hard facial
  features. Used to show hostility. Features the
  bad guy.

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Soft lights

• Softens facial features. Used to show warmth and
  friendliness. Features the Good Guy.

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4. Tell me how important you think the sound is
when used to build the suspense of a scene.
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Paragraph starters I think The sound enhances
what we see by.. the sound is very important
because.. It also adds to the The volume of
the sound track is important because it
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5. What are some audio tricks that the director
uses to help the scene move along?
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• Eerie sounds
• Low volume
• High volume
• Off key music

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6. What roll does the strength, or volume, of the
music play?

• It helps to stimulate our emotions in conjunction
  to the visual effects.

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7. In what way does Make-up add realism to the
scene?

• It helps to make the actors more believable and
  realistic.

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8. How did the director use all or some of these
elements in the Twilight Zone shows that we
viewed? Explain your findings in a complete
paragraph.