The opening scene of Sixth Sense establishes a mysterious and suspenseful tone. It shows a close-up of a lightbulb switching on, suggesting something strange is happening. Anna appears trapped behind a cabinet, vulnerable and fearful. Her shadow makes her seem not alone, increasing the sense of danger. Her costume and the lighting paint her as a damsel in distress and someone the audience can trust, though shadows lurk. Unsettling sounds and a dark fade-in leave the audience with questions about what threatens Anna and sets the scene for a sinister film.

1. SIXTH SENSE OPENING
SCENE – ANALYSIS
By Nathaniel Wedderburn-Graham

2. CAMERAWORK
 This shot here is a close up and in the frame it shows a lightbulb
switching on. The effect this gives to the audience is one that makes
them think there is a mysterious theme to the film and it also gives the
audience an idea of the genre of the film which is seen to be a thriller.

3.  The composition of shot makes this Anna look like she is trapped behind the
cabinet. This might give an insight into how this character is viewed by the
audience, she might be trapped by her own personality or by her own
personal fears on life. This could make the audience feel sorry for her in the
film because it could effect the events that occur in the film.

4.  Also the composition in this shot makes her seem as if she isn’t alone in
the frame, the addition of her shadow makes it seem there is a spirt in
the room. Her body language as well is very closed up and reserved
which makes her seem vulnerable and full of fear. Once again this gives
the audience an insight into her characters personality in the film and it
could mean that she is so vulnerable that her own shadow can scare
her

5. MISE-EN-SCENE
 The costume of this women is in is a dress and high heels which could
tell us that this character is materialistic and really cares about her
appearance. This costume is the conventional outfit for a damsel in
destress who needs to be saved. This is also stereotypical because it is
always a women who needs help and saving which can be seen as
sexist towards women.

6.  The use of chiaroscuro lighting is used in this scene to help the
audience see what type of character she will see is. By making the light
shine on her the audience can trust her as a character because she can
be seen as a good willed person. The darkness around her makes her
stand out this could mean that she is going to have an influential part
in the film.

7.  Low key lighting used in this clip makes the scene seem mysterious and
as if something bad is going to happen to her. This makes the audience
feel scared for her even though they don’t know anything about this
character. Overall the scene is seen to be quite scary because nobody
knows what she is going through.

8. EDITING
 The some of the editing used in this clip set the scene for the whole
film. A fade in transition from black which makes the audience think the
film is going to be sinister and very dark. The titles also do this so it
makes the audience think that something very strange as if something
bad is going to happen. These small things can change the audiences
opinion on what type of film it is going to be.

9. SOUND
 The non-diegetic sound used in this scene is very dramatic and eerie
which is an indicator to the audience that the film will be quite different
as it can easily alter the emotions of the audience. When the main title
comes on the screen there is a very high pitched which could have
made the audience jump this can therefore set a tone for the feel of the
film. Also the lack of ambient sound in the film makes it look like she is
in a lot of danger of being attacked.

10. QUESTIONS POSED
 From the opening scene of this film the audience might have some
questions about the film. Some of these questions might include: what
is she doing?, why was she scared?, where is she?, what was the noise?,
why is she dressed up?, what is she getting? These questions raise the
audiences curiosity and makes them want to watch the rest of the film
to see what happens.

11. WHAT WE LEARN
 What the audience learns from this scene is that there is a women in a
wine cellar trying to find something, she seems to be at an event
because she is wearing high heels and she is scared of something that
is in the cellar. Even though the sequence was short, the audience can
gather quite a few things from this opening scene.