Practice Extract Essay

In this extract, 24, I believe the director’s vision is to engage audiences in this with a heated interrogation scene. The director uses many filming and editing techniques to involve the audience in the situation. The use of camera movements and shots along with sound and set design really grab hold of the audience’s attention and does not let go.

The the entire scene involves the Detective walking into the interrogation room where the Suspect is already there, chained up and sitting. The use of an eye-line match shows the detective sees the camera and knows that people are watching them. The score is an ominous track setting the scene with uncertainty and caution. Over-the-shoulder shots are used almost like POV shots and shows the suspect looking directly at the Detective. Close-ups are widely used to display the expressions on each of the characters' faces. And the use of low lighting shrouds the characters in mystery, almost like someone putting a flashlight underneath their face to tell a scary campfire story. The dialogue starts a little later in the scene which reveals the motive of each character. The Suspect wishes to be taken to a separate place where someone there will tell them where the bomb is. The Detective wants to know who the someone is while the Suspect wants to keep that a secret. Zooms are used in conjunction with eye-line matches to show that a character notices something. For example, The Suspect looks at the clock before she starts talking because she notices she is running out of time. After the Detective throws the table across the room, it cuts to a reaction shot of Observers, worried about the instability of the situation. The score also plays into that worriedness of the Observers when it shows a close up of their faces. When the Detective finally loses his cool, the scene breaks up to a split-screen. One of the situation in the interrogation room and another of multiple shots of the observers running to the room to try and break up the situation. The score increases in volume and handheld shots are used to immerse the audience into the scene. When the Observer finally breaks up the commotion, the score settles down just like the Detective.

Overall, the director uses multiple methods to engage the audience into the scene. All of these elements are used to increase the intensity of the scene and grab the viewer's attention.