Within this blog, I will be analysing the film Sixth Sense on three different moments within the film that suspense was created. I will do this by looking at mise-en-scene, camera angles, editing and sound.
The first moment that created suspense is at the point beginning 34:33. Within this scene, Cole is sitting at his desk at school and is blowing his pencil back and fourth. The close up of just his face blowing the pencil back and fourth allows for the audience to be aware that there is something building up. It also allows the audience to be focussed specifically on what they need to be focussed on in order for suspense to be created. The silence within this scene also allows for suspense as there is just the diegetic sound of the pencil rolling. The next shot then shows a series of long shots of Cole's teacher within his classroom as a POV shot. The teacher of the class then begins to ask a number of questions about the history of their school. This then allows Cole to answer but however, he is seen to be incorrect even though he knows the is right. The POV shot os Cole then shows that the whole class including the teacher is giving Cole a very disapproving look based on his answer. This creates suspense because it allows the audience to feel almost humiliated the same way as Cole would. Also, these disapproving looks spiral into the thing that makes Cole snap. The match on action quick cuts then show the conversation between the teacher and Cole, always using mid shots to display facial expressions clear enough but also the reaction of body language. The mid shot then shows the final disapproving look which leads to the suspense being created as it is the beginning of a scary moment within the film. The silence within the scene also makes the environment very uneasy, as the audience is almost waiting for something
to happen. The silence allows for a jumpy moment which may be unexpected.
Something else also unexpected is the mise-en-scene. The mise-en-scene of a normal classroom, with children in uniform and a teacher in professional clothing, makes the audience also feel uneasy. This may be due to the connotation that children have when it comes to scary films, or the fact that the school is so innocent there is nothing that could happen which would be scary or unnerving. The POV shot of the teacher then shows the facial expressions of Cole as he asks the teacher not to look at him in that way. As the audience already knows that there is something rather scary about Cole anyway, they also know that if Cole gets angry something bad may happen. This is why the visibility of Cole facial expressions becoming angry is very effective. This also creates suspense because it's as if the audience have to wait and see what is going to happen to him. The sound of Cole shouting also makes the audience surprised as he seems like a very innocent little boy. The volume of him shouting also creates suspense because they can tell that he is about to 'snap', they just don't know in what way. The same camera angle is kept as Cole begins to get angrier, shouting at the teacher 'You're a Stuttering Stanley'. This then makes the teacher angry which is seen from the POV shout from Cole. There is also now non-diegetic sound being used within the scene which is rather unnoticeable at the beginning. It is of low tone and low volume but also a moderately high pitched. As Cole repeatedly shouts 'Stuttering Stanley' at the teacher, the cuts between the two POV shots become quicker. The facial expressions become more and more disturbing from both Cole and the teacher as the teachers stutter becomes very noticeable. At this point, the non-diegetic sound grows louder and faster and becomes more of a very high pitch. This creates suspense as the music is used as a build up, which then leaves the audience waiting to see what is going to happen. The sound then becomes at it's highest pitch when there is an extreme clos up of Cole's mouth as he screams 'Stuttering Stanley'. This all builds suspense as the audience
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