Psychological thriller and analysis of 'The Panic room'

Conventions of a psychological thriller:

- Danger on mostly mental level rather than physical
- Two of more more characters preying on one anothers mind.
- One solitary character with mental struggles
- Characters will have fear or fascination with death
- Characters spend time trying to discover own purpose
- Narrative often includes confusion over what is real and what's not

Analysis of The Panic Room

The first shot is an establishing of a cityscape revealing the setting of a wealthy looking city. The music during this part is tense, upbeat, fast-moving and energetic which also adds suspense, this resembles a normal convention of a thriller. The non-diegetic soundtrack begins with a very low tone that is then turned into a fairly high pitched music, that adds more energy to the scene. The first character seen by the audience is a wealthy-looking woman who is walking confidently down the street. The audience can immediately see her significance through the use of the camerawork that follows her walking through the street, this goes against the normal conventions of a thriller as the most commonly used characters are men.

The next signifcant character introduced is a man wearing a white lab coat. His costume reflects the genre as his character looks at a science/psychological side of the storyline.The woman surprisingly calls out: 'Evan!' when he appears on the screen, his dialogue used towards the characters appears very serious yet eery, his tone of voice is deep and appears very authoritative, indicating his importance. During this point there is a low angle shot which reinforces his power and importance.

When the audience is first introduced into the room, the immediate thought is that it is completed isolated and desserted. The use of diegetic sound of echoes of doors closing have been exaggerated. This gives a negative notion of the room suggesting a stark atmosphere to the audience. There are many long shots used in this scene in order to allow the audience to see the room fully as well as the characters reaction to what they see. The characters have a clear fascination with the room and are intrigued by it, together with their reactions and the slow tracking shots indicates the importance of this room for the narrative.

The mise-en-scene such as the lighting of the room which is very low-lit and misty, this gives a negative impression of the room, that the audience would be intrigued with. Additionally, the use of lighting shown through the windows lets in a little sunlight, which suggests that the room is usually dark and dim. Allowing the light in allows the audience to see shadows giving a sense of unease, keeping the audience engaged for the rest of the movie.