The Sixth Sense Title textual analysis

The Sixth Sense title sequence analysis

The first shot the audience see is to establish what company the film is from which follows the rule of thirds as it is centre in the shot this suggests how Hollywood pictures is a well-known institution. This company have created other films of the same genre such as ‘The Invisible’ and ‘Deep Rising’ which could familiarise the audience with the genre of the film. They have used yellow and blue colours to contrast with the black background. This demonstrates the theory of binary oppositions of good and the evil, the yellow is used to represent happiness and the blue is used to suggest how it turns to sadness by evil. The fade in blue light around the pyramid is to represent how the ghosts will always be in the background watching over the characters. The font is sanserif in the first image and serif in the second image to depict how the ghosts will gradually get weaker and leave the family. However the fact the font is bigger in the second image to the first could suggest there will be disequilibrium in the film. The black background connotes death to immediately inform the audience this is a horror film. All of the colours together symbolise innocence and evil which is a typical convention of a horror film. At this point there is no background music so the audience can focus on the image and colours in front of them. This also creates suspense and symbolises the supernatural forces as they do not make any sound. This is effective because it keeps the audience on edge. The screen goes blank to suggest what had happened to the ghosts and how they are returning, and then another shot is shown to establish the company of spyglass entertainment. The light blue colours are used to further connote sadness, to give a sympathetic atmosphere.

In between these shots there is a fade in to a black screen to present darkness which is followed by a sound bridge as the text fades in at a steady pace coming closer, to present how the supernatural forces in the film get stronger. The music gradually gets louder with a higher pitch which brings a tense atmosphere to the film before it has started, immediately preparing the audience to be apprehensive .The serif font has historical connotations to represent the paranormal forces coming back from the past. The contrasting colours of a black background and white text further demonstrate the theory of binary oppositions as they symbolise the theme of good vs. evil, which is a common theme in the horror genre. Moreover the text is in capitals, bold and spaced out which connotes the danger of the supernatural forces and how they are everywhere. The fact that the text continues to expand and then disappears could signify the ghosts gaining power over the innocent people throughout the film. It is significant that the spaces between each letter are equal as it shows equality within the film and how the normal and paranormal work together. The movement of the text on the screen is to symbolise the expansion of the supernatural forces illustrating theme of the film and the dramatic narrative. This has a tense effect on the audience, so they are anxious about what is going to happen to make them want to carry on watching the film. The director has joined the shots together to represent the smooth continuity of the events that will later occur.

In this shot the title of the film is shown. ‘The sixth sense’ means an ​ability that some ​people ​believe they have that ​seems to give them ​information without using the five ​senses of ​sight, ​hearing, ​touch, ​smell, or ​taste so in this case Cole sear’s sixth sense is that he can see and communicate with ghosts .This still in the contrasting colours of black and white which is a continuation of the theory of binary oppositions in order to create sympathy for the innocent people who are against evil. It appears a lot faster than the other titles, this shows that this specific title out of the title sequence is the most significant as it tells the audience what the whole film is about. The title also has a ripple affect where it disappears out and quickly comes back again this connotes the supernatural forces and their ability to disappear and reappear in an instant which is a convention of a ghost. This makes the audience feel uneasy. The music is a very high pitch sound which is another typical convention of a horror theme to represent screams of the characters and fear to keep the audience anxious. The director has created a tense atmosphere through the continuous use of the colours to indicate what the film is about. This is effective because it allows the audience to interact with the film by building a picture in their minds of what could happen.

The fading in and out of shots indicate the end of the events that occur and the beginning of a new one. As the names of the main characters appear the music comes in at a very high pitch and when the name disappears the pitch goes low. This is to connote the significance of the characters and how they are the innocent ones. This is a clear use of the dyer star theory as Bruce Willis is a massive icon to many of the audiences, so he is artificial to institutions for financial gain. As this would gain a larger audience who are fans of Bruce willis. Also as the text is bold and white further shows their innocence and how they overcome the power of the supernatural forces. The background remains black throughout the title sequence which is a typical convention of a supernatural film as ghosts always appear in the dark, this creates suspense and awareness of what the films about. Other hollwood picture films include this convention to establish their company, so that the audience will immediately know what company the movie was made by. This is so the audience will be influenced to watch more of their films. This gives me inspiration to include similar conventions in my film as it has a strong effect on the audience such as myself as it uses the gratification theory through information to make the audience apprehensive for the film, making them interact with the film.

The use of the mise-en-scene components prepares the audience for the remainder of the film. The lighting has a significant role for developing the plot and builds up anticipation. After the main titles the first object shown is a naked light bulb that gradually fades in and heats up within a dark setting through a close-up shot. The use of the close up shot creates an uncertain modd within the audience as they do not know what else in the room. This is a use of the gratification theory as the audience use social interaction as they begin to ask questions about where this setting is because they are not given much information about the scene. This prop, sparking to life, gives out a hint with a symbolic idea of the presence of ghosts and implies the extraordinary attributes of the young boy to see them. Furthermore the fact the light bulb slowly fades on shows that the setting is not a very comfortable place to be in. It also suggests no one goes down to that room very much so the lightbulb works slow as it has been there for a while, which makes the overall setting seem unwelcoming. The light within the opening credits maintains an eerie and surreal atmosphere which builds up suspense. The diagetic sound of the door opening, this sudden sound surprises the audience because tension had been built up by the lightbulb slowly turning on.

The first staged scene takes place where Anna Crowe, a young woman in a wealthy dress, enters a cellar to get a bottle of wine. The characters costume contrasts with the setting as it is dusty and almost abandoned, which is a convention of a horror film as it is where the supernatural forces would be. The use of the characters costume gives the audience the impression that she should not be there. Moreover the low key lighting makes her look out of place because she is wearing a bright dress for a special occasion and this suggests that things are already out of the ordinary. This gives the scene an element of danger because if she was put in danger, she would not be in a position to run which makes her look very vulnerable. The fact a woman is vulnerable is a typical convention of the horror genre and this is effective to the audience as it makes the scene more dramatic and entertaining. Another film that uses this is scream. The further use of  harsh lighting as well as Anna’s figural expressions when she turns round and shivers indicate the mysterious atmosphere in the cellar and that she can sense something, this is effective because viewers grasp that chilling effect. This pattern of harsh lighting and cold temperature continues throughout the remaining suspenseful scenes and is effective because is portrays darkness to keep audience on the edge of their seat.