The Sixth Sense – Close Reading

Q1. Visual Element.
Close ups – Close ups were used a lot in this scene (the scene when he starts to realise that he is dead). The close up makes it easier for the viewers to see the terror on his face which eventually turns into sadness throughout the scene. This shows the viewers that it is a complete shock to him that he is dead, even though he has been dead for a while. It also shows us, by his facial expressions, that he now understands that his wife didn’t leave him and that she couldn’t be with him anymore. A close up shot is also used when he starts to look around the house after his wedding ring is dropped from his wife’s hand in her sleep, he sees that the dinner on the table is set for one person, it close ups on this to show the viewers more effectively that his wife now is alone since he died. A close up shot is also used when his wife’s breath is cold and it zooms in on this to make it obvious. This is important because when ghosts are around it is believed that it turns cold.

Q2. Aural Element.
Music – The music builds up with the tension of the scene as he realises that he is dead, it decreases in pace and increases again with his heartbeat and his emotions. The music is one of the most powerful elements in this scene, because the music builds tension. It is powerful music; it makes u wonder what is happening and keep you on edge by the vast variety of instruments all playing together.

Q3. Editing and Production Design
Pace- The pace of this scene starts off slowly while he thinks they are having a conversation, it becomes faster after his wedding ring is dropped and rolled along the floor. After that happens this scene turns into quite a fast scene, and everything happens all at once, although some shots are longer than the others, it still all happens quite fast. The pace of the scene increases as the music increases and the tension built up as well. The pace of the scene slows down when Dr. Malcolm Crowe’s wedding ring is dropped onto the floor from his wife’s hand in her sleep, to show make sure the viewers understand and to add more effect.

Q4, Q5. Character
Dialogue – Most of the dialogue is through memory flashbacks. For example his wife says “Why did you leave me?” when she is asleep, he answers by saying “I didn’t leave you”, this is when he starts getting confused and not understanding what is going on. Also it is important when his memory flashes back to the little boy saying “They don’t know they’re dead”, this is powerful dialogue because it is when he starts to realise that he had been dead all this time and didn’t know, so he starts to understand a lot more about what had been going on. Also near the end of the scene he says to his wife (and partly to himself as he knows she can’t hear him) “I think i can go now”, that shows the viewers that he has accepted the way things are and that he is dead.

Q6, Q7, Q8. Atmosphere.
Lighting – No big lights on, only small lamps lighting up the room; this makes him stand out. It is at night, we can tell this by it being really dark in the scene and the fact that his wife has fallen into a deep sleep on the chair/sofa.
Use of Camera Shots – There are a lot of camera shots used in this scene. Long shots are used to show the distance between Malcolm’s wife and himself. This helps the viewers understand the distance between to two of them and how they can’t be together again. Long shots are also used when Malcolm sees the flashback of him getting shot by his ex-patient, it shows his wife rushing to the bed to try and save Malcolm while he is dying. Mid shot is used when he moves away from his wife when he sees that something is different. A mid shot is also used when the flashback comes into his mind of when they are out to dinner and she takes the cheque books to pay for the dinner, at the time this scene is shown the viewers are lead to believe that she is paying for herself because she doesn’t want to pay together, but now the viewers understand that she did that because he wasn’t really there and she couldn’t see him. Close ups are used a lot in this scene to show his facial expressions to help the viewers understand how he is feeling (e.g. terror, confusion, sadness). A close up shot is also used when he sees that the dinner table, where a half eaten dinner and dirty plate, is just set for one person (his wife) and not set for him as well, this shows that she has been eating alone.
Sound Effects – There aren’t many sound effects used in this scene, except when his wedding ring is dropped by his wife in her sleep. The sound effect used when the ring rolls along the wooden floor is to show more effect, it make the ring stand out which shows the audience that this is an important symbol in the scene, making them pay more attention (if the sound effect wasn't there then the viewers wouldn't have paid as much attention). It also shows Malcolm that something is seriously wrong when he looks at his hand after the ring is dropped and realised that his wedding ring is not on his finger. Another sound effect is the gun shot, this is shows us that it is important and one of the main flashbacks.

Q9. What could be used that wasn’t? What effect would have been created by this?
They could have used a tracking shot when he starts to go up the stairs in the house when he starts to realise he is dead. I think this would have made it more effective because the viewers may have felt more like they understood how the character was feeling and what he was doing. They could have used tracking shot quickly to show that he was frantic, terrified and confused.