'Prisoners' Sequence Analysis

During the sequence from ‘Prisoners’, the film uses low-key lighting and camera angles to build tension within the scene and with the audience. The colour palette of each scene was chosen carefully in order to invoke certain connotations that convey meaning to the viewer and help them to gain a better understanding about what is happening within the film and the intended tone of every location and situation.

At the beginning of the sequence, we are shown a shot of a car parked outside a brightly lit restaurant at night in heavy rain. Immediately, this establishes the tone and setting of the scene and begins to suggest that mystery and deception are at play through the use of pathetic fallacy. The use of combination lighting, the contrast between the bright interior of the restaurant and the darkness of the outside at night, suggest that good versus evil is a main theme of the film, also inferring that the empty restaurant provides a brief refuge from the evil outside.

After this, the audience is shown the assumed protagonist sitting alone in the restaurant, every other table is empty and we are shown this through the use of a mid shot that slowly moves towards the man sitting and eating alone. This shot also provides a clear view of the windows, showing the audience that it is late at night from the darkness outside. This suggests that the man is an isolated and solitary character as not only is he eating alone, but he is also choosing to eat at a late and unsociable time. During this scene, the dialogue between the man, who we can infer is a detective or police officer from the way he is presented and receives a police radio alert, and the waitress show that the detective has an interest in the character of people from the way he talks about the Chinese zodiac animals and their personality traits.

Once the detective responds to the police radio and leaves the restaurant, the film shifts into low-key lighting, contrasting to the comfort and security that the high-key lighting inside offered. As soon as the protagonist replies to the radio in his car, saying that he was on his way to the scene of an incident, non-diegetic sound begins to play. This deep rumbling sound creates a sense of uneasiness and makes the audience uncomfortable, beginning to build tension alongside the low-key lighting and increasing pace of cuts.

As the detective exits his car, the use of a wide shot establishes the new location to the audience and furthers the suspense as the area is poorly lit and open, this provides the audience with a sense of danger and uncertainty. The music slowly intensifies as we are shown a mid-shot of a dark silhouette from behind of a person inside of the RV, and then a perspective shot of the detective approaching in the wing mirror. This shot makes the audience fear for the protagonist as we are aware that he is being watched, but he isn’t; suggesting that he is walking towards a danger unknown to both the audience and himself.

After the RV crashes into a tree in an attempt to escape the police, low-key lighting is still heavily used, meaning that we cannot see through the windows of the vehicle. Prolonging the time that the audience is not shown clearly who is inside it and setting the scene up for the climax of its tension as the detective enters the RV to confront the person inside. Here, the film uses low-key lighting in a way that only the protagonist is lit, not showing what is behind or in front of him as he approaches the front of the vehicle. An over-the-shoulder shot is used as the detective shines his torch onto the curtain concealing the cockpit of the RV and more importantly, the driver. This shot is the peak of tension and suspense within the sequence as not only is it a reveal of the driver who has been hidden and obscured from the view of the audience for the duration of the scene, but it makes the audience anticipate somebody to jump from behind the curtain, bracing themselves for a shock that doesn’t actually happen. During this scene, the non-diegetic sound ends abruptly as he enters the RV and we are left with an uncomfortable silence as the background noise that had been present for the majority of the sequence is gone; meaning that we only hear what the detective is hearing, this captures the audiences’ attention and makes it difficult to look away.