Monday 9 March 2009

Analysing 'Donnie Darko': Sleepwalking Scene

The clip I analysed is from the Psychological thriller Donnie Darko, directed by Richard Kelly. Donnie is a teenage boy who suffers from paranoid schizoprenia, and finds himself sleepwalking and commiting a series of crimes. This character is typical of the thriller genre because like most lead characters suffer from a psychological or physiological flaw.
When we see Donnie walking towards the camera he is in focus, wheras the rest of the shot behind him is out of focus. This shows he is the main focus in the shot until it dissolves.
The editing, after the crash that sends a shock through the house, is done in slow motion, because it is used to create suspense because we the audience want to know what is happening, so the scene is slowed down.
The non-diegetic sound that plays in the background throughout the scene is like an echo that gradually gets louder, which is used to create suspense in the scene.
The small diegetic sounds you hear, like the slight tremble of the crystal chandelier as well as the opening and closing of the door, are used to explain what else is going on in the scene.
The time of day in the clip i've chosen is at night so the scene is naturally dark, with the occasional light you see from windows and light bulbs. The effect the limited lighting has on the scene is that it points out the significant points of the scene, so the audience can focus more on the main object, that being Donnie.
There is the Mise en-scene of the lamps in the background to add a fraction of light, so we know what's going on.

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