Secret Window is a psychological thriller film in which the main focus of the narrative is the psychological aspect of the characters, and focuses strongly on their thoughts and feelings. It also has a key focus on their mental stability. The use of cinematography, editing, sound and mise-en-scene all serve to add to the narrative and to create tension in the audience, which is expected from a thriller film.
Camera:
The first shot of the opening sequence is a close up shot of the male protagonist. A close up shot serves to focus on the emotions of the character, and we can see here that the protagonist has a very stern facial expression, and is staring into this distance. The close up shot also serves as a means to show that the character is isolated, and reflects his reclusive mindset. Having the character staring into the distance results in an almost stare off between the audience and the character on screen, which creates tension. The direct gaze is very intimidating and the audience begin to wonder what the character is actually staring at, and makes them curious as to what has made him go into the fixed expression and mindset.
An establishing shot is used to set the scene of the piece, and here we see that as the car reverses, it reveals an establishing shot of a motel. Due to the tense nature of the first scene, the audience expect a more sinister location to be revealed, such as a old, dilapidated house. As the narration of the first scene suggested that the place the character had driven from was somewhere dangerous, and somewhere that he should not return to, it plants an enigma code in the minds of the audience as to why the motel is such a terrifying place. This serves as a tool to draw in the audience as they wonder what has happened in the motel to make the protagonist to not want to return there, and they anticipate that it is something that filled the character with fear.
The point of view shot when the protagonist is driving towards one of the rooms in the motel reflects the manic mental state of the character. The speed of the car, along with the speed of the windscreen wipers represents how the mind of the character is racing wildly. This makes the audience wonder what is so significant about this motel room to get him into this state of mind.
The medium shot of the character as he runs towards the door of the motel, highlights the urgency of the character to get into the room. This implies the significance of this room to the narrative as he is clearly eager to find out what is behind the door, and it makes the audience expect to see something bad on the other side. The shot of the character hurrying into what is likely to be a bad situation is not stereotypical of thriller films, as typically, characters are running away from situations that are either dangerous or detrimental to the character.
The slightly high angle shot when the protagonist enters the motel room serves to put the audience into the shoes of the character, to see the scene from his point of view. It allows the audience to feel empathy for the character after finding his wife in bed with another man, as the audience imagine how they would feel if they found themselves in a similar situation. The high angle shot also shows how vulnerable the two characters are to the wrath of the protagonist, by making them seem smaller, and less powerful. It highlights how the anger that the protagonist feels has made him physically more powerful than he was before.
Sound:
The piece begins with a sound bridge of the windscreen wipers over the production logo. This creates tension in the audience immediately as the sound of the manic windscreen wipers reflect a fast heart beat. This serves to create suspense for the audience as a fast heartbeat often reflects that someone is frightened or in danger. As the sound bridge means we cannot see what is happening, the audience anticipate an action shot as the first scene that includes an element of danger.
The non-diegetic voiceover that is featured in the scene where the protagonist is sat in the car, is used as his conscience. It gives the audience an insight into what the character is thinking and feeling, which helps them to find out a little more about his personality. It also creates enigma codes for the audience, as they are unaware of the situation that the character has just come out of. The voiceover could also reflect the psychotic nature of the character, as though he is hearing voices in his head that are telling him what to do. This intrigues the audience as they wonder whether he is mentally stable or not.
The opposition of sound in the motel serves to represent the state of mind of the character in the two different locations in the motel. In the room where he takes the key, what the characters are saying can be heard clearly. However, in the motel room, the voices become hushed and unclear. This suggests that in the room with the keys, the character was thinking clearly, but as soon as he entered the motel room, he became totally overwhelmed with emotion, to the point that it drowned out what was being said. The confusion of the character caused by the situation he has just walked in on is shown through the muffling of the sounds.
The diegetic sound of the car tires is used as a way to emphasise the realism of the piece. It is used to reflect how the character is in hurry to get wherever he is going, and that there is something that he clearly feels like he needs to go back to to solve. Additionally, the fact that the protagonist is speeding in the snow and ice shows that he is not mentally stable, as he is behaving in a reckless manner and is simply thinking of the speed in which he needs to get to his destination.
The use of haunting orchestral sound that begins when the character enters the motel room is stereotypical of the thriller genre. The non-diegetic music builds anxiety in the audience and it makes the atmosphere of the piece become even more sinister and eerie than it previously was. It acts as sound bridge into the next scene of the film, too.
Mise-en-scene:
The lighting throughout the entire opening sequence is very dark and eerie. This is stereotypical of the thriller genre as low lighting foreshadows danger and dark actions.
In the scene in the car, a wedding finger can be seen on the finger of the protagonist. This helps to give the audience an insight into the narrative, and allows them to link the woman in the motel, to being his wife. The inclusion of the wedding ring is key, otherwise the audience would be left clueless as to who the woman is, and as to why the character becomes overcome with such rage.
The breath of the character is visible, due to the cold, snowy weather. This highlights the icy atmosphere of the piece, and possibly reflects the characters frosty interior. This makes the audience want to learn more about the character to see if his personality is as cold as the weather.
The establishing in the piece presents a run-down looking motel, in which the exterior could represent the mental state of the protagonist, and reflect how his emotions have been battered and abused. This is a very dark shot, apart from the glowing red sign of the motel. This red colour represents danger and disaster, and the fact that it is the main focus of the shot means that theses themes are likely to be a very large part of the narrative. Due to this, the audience anticipate the character running into a dangerous situation, and leave them feeling on edge.
Editing:
During the beginning of the sequence, the shots are very long. This engages the audience as they have to focus on what is happening on the screen, which emphasises the importance of the content of this scene. The length of the shots at the beginning create a mysterious atmosphere for the audience, and allows them to focus on the minute details of the characters facial expressions.
Jump cuts are introduced when the action becomes more intense, which intensifies what is happening in the shots for the audience. Jump cuts help to create tension as it means that shots are moved from one to another in a sharp, abrupt fashion.
At the end of the sequence, a dissolve is used to transition from the scene in the motel, to a shot of the sea. This is a juxtaposition of atmospheres, as the calm of the shot of the sea, is entirely different to the manic nature of the scene in the motel. In fact, this juxtaposition heightens the intensity of the action in the previous scene. The use of such a tranquil shot after an action shot intrigues the audience, as they wonder what will happen next.
Unfortunately, there is a continuity error in this opening sequence. When the protagonists gets out of the car and runs to the motel room, he shuts the car door. This can be seen in the reflection of the mirror of the car, and can be heard, too. However, when the protagonist runs out of the motel, the door of the car is wide open. It is possible to miss this continuity error, but it takes away from the professional nature and the realism of the opening sequence.
However, this may also not be a continuity error, but we cannot establish that unless we watch the rest of the film. Someone might have gone in the car of the character whilst he was in the motel room, and might have run off and left the door open.
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