Analysis of 'The Sixth Sense' (1999, M.Night Shyamalan, USA)

Film title


This film title is typical of a thriller. The font is blue against a background of black. These are both dark colours, communicating with the audience that eery/unpleasant things may happen in this film. Also, the music sets an extremely eery atmosphere. The screens before this are silent, where as a sudden string sound comes in during this screen. The contrast between silence and the screeching noise makes the audience jump, which is a convention of thrillers. The colour blue is also associated with thrillers. The font itself is old styled which gives off the impression of a thriller when combined with the background and font colour. The letters are also spaced apart quite a bit making it look unusual and maybe conveying that something unusual is going to happen.


Setting/Location

The first setting revealed to the audience is a basement. A basement is an ideal setting for a thriller as they are usually dark, meaning less can be seen. This creates suspense which is extremely important to the success of a thriller. When the lady enters the basement she turns on the light. Rather than the light immediately coming on, it slowly lights up. During the few seconds it takes to gradually light up, tension is building and the audience are almost waiting for something to happen. The fact that the light takes so long also gives the impression that the basement is old, which again is a more appropriate setting for this genre. The first shot is a close-up meaning that the audience are restricted as to what they can see, leaving them curious and wanting to see more.

Costumes and Props

The woman is wearing a purple low cut dress which contrasts with the cold/dark atmosphere of the basement. This is to draw emphases to her presence. Also, the outfit she is wearing suggests a special occasion. The wine bottles that shes gone down to collect also suggests this. A plaque saying 'Dr Malcom Crowe' is shown, presenting to the audience that Malcom Crowe has been rewarded for his work as a Doctor. Dr Malcom Crowe is a child psychologist which also tells the audience that something strange might evolve surrounding his profession.




Editing and Camera work
Many of the opening shots are close ups, which is a typical convention of thriller opening sequences as It does not reveal the surroundings leaving audiences curious and interested. It also shows characters facial expressions. This is important during this opening sequence as an unknown semi naked man is in their bathroom. The fear the audience encounter from this scene is heightened by the fear they can see in the actor's face. Close-ups help portray this more effectively than any other shot type.