How tension is sued within thrillers.

How Tension is Built Throughout The Thriller Clip:

Blitz

In the short clip, Blitz, tension is built throughout the duration of the opening sequence. At the beginning we are shown all around the room to give the audience the idea of what setting and time period the opening sequence is set in.

It quickly becomes obvious, due to the propaganda posters presented on the walls, that this is set during the time of WW1 and that the girl we see at the beginning is in a bunker underground. We can see this due to the way the camera pans down at the beginning to show a large pipe and ground above the small room in which the movie is set.

As the camera travels around the room the title sequence is shown so that the audience can pick up small details about the setting as well as take note of who was responsible for this opening sequence. When being shown around the room at the beginning there are frequent photos of a man which at first you think nothing of but as the photos become more obvious, the man becomes more mysterious. These photographs also create tension for the audience due to the amount of mystery that has been built up quite subtly behind the character that is this man.

 

Another way tension is created through the Winston Churchill speech which is playing throughout the video of the details of the room. This speech is put in the video to help set the scene so the audience is aware of the time period but it also has a certain eeriness about it as it has connotations of war and after seeing the little girl in the very beginning, you begin to wonder if she is completely safe in this bunker. There is also air raid sirens and bomb sound effects which add to the tension and general feeling of war in the video. 

Suspense and tension are especially built in the video when the door swings open and you can see the silhouette of a man wearing a hat projected on the wall. Just the sound of the door squeaking adds a huge amount to the overall frightening feel as in most thriller movies there is some sort of squeaking furniture due to this sound making the audience feel uncomfortable. Also, because it is in a lot of thriller movies the audience are more likely to relate this kind of creepy noise to something bad happening not too long afterwards, in other words this squeaking noise has connotations of something bad happening afterwards. The gasp that comes from the girl also helps to create a suspenseful and scary tone for the video and also has the same effect on the audience of feeling uncomfortable.

When the video changes to 60 years later there is an overall sensation of mystery in the video, questions ranging from wondering what ever happened to the girl at the beginning to what is that noise in the distance. A man then breaks in to the bunker and more mystery unveils as we have no idea who or why this man is in the bunker. While this man travels around the room the audience becomes rather disorientated. Firstly from the change in time period and the unanswered questions but also from the darkness and gloom in the room, and the short shots that are taken so that you can only focus on certain areas (the ones
 the torch is shining on) meaning you can’t see the entire room like you may wish to.

The moment in the opening sequence where there is the most suspense is definitely when the torch is shone in the distance slightly and the audience see footsteps scurry past. This causes excitement and confusion for the audience, enticing them to watch more of the video. The audience then become fearful for what is going to happen to the man that broke into the bunker, they also begin to guess who the footsteps belong to, these unanswered questions are what keeps the audience interested. This is when the camera switches to the ghost of the girl wearing a gas mask which may cause some audiences to jump as it is sudden and shocking.This image is particularly frightening and now, in contrast to what you felt for the girl at the beginning (pity, sympathetic) you now feel afraid of her and pity the man that is in the bunker alone with her.

At the very end of the video there is the sound of a young girl laughing which, in a normal situation, would be a happy sound, but in this situation it sounds sadistic and malevolent.