The Sixth Sense - Analysis.

In my opinion, sixth sense is a good opening sequence because it is made clear what is going on. We are told at the beginning when reading the certificate that the main character, Malcom Crowe, is a doctor of child psychology. By knowing this information it helps us understand what happens in later events. It shows a typical loving couple having a relaxing night in, celebrating Malcom's achievements - we are familiar with the surroundings which settles the viewers in, by having warm tones and soothing music it slowly pulls us in and takes us away from our hectic outside world. The fact that the scene in the bedroom goes from playful and humorous to suddenly being serious once the broken glass is discovered really shows the contrast in moods. I think that this sudden change in mood reflects on the audience. Making us go from being relaxed and calm to intense and curious. The tension builds up from this point, suggesting to us that this film is a thriller. The fact that we are shown a man who we are unfamiliar to confuses the audience and gives us the feeling of wanting to find out more - which is a convention of thriller films. From this scene we are then taken to 'The Next Fall' which is in a completely different time and place. This in a way relieves the audience from this tragic event of Malcom being shot and forces us to move ourselves into another scene but also leads us in to something else which keep our attention.

The title of the film is presented after the main actor Bruce Willis. It appears the same as the other credits, on a plain black background. The font is in capitals and the letters are quite spacious. The colour of the text is a very light sky blue colour. The colour blue is often used in thrillers as it gives a cold, unwelcoming feeling. The size of the text is small, but because it is centred in the frame and is on a black background, there is nothing to distract us. We are focused only on the title. Also the overall appearance of the title is sophisticated. There is a longer pause before this credit than the other credits. In my opinion the title is presented as if it is rippling in and out of the darkness, revealing one letter after the other but in a quick motion. It could also be seen as shadows crossing through it, blocking out the letters as it passes. This creates a mysterious eerie feel.

The setting is revealed from behind the props in the scene. In one shot we are shown a view from behind the wine shelves and another behind the stair case. It is as if we are seeing a point of view in which we are hidden and peering through. This idea of being hidden relates to later on in the opening where the man is hiding in her bathroom. The space in which we can see through the wine shelves is quiet restricted, the lighting is also dark which makes it harder for us to see the set. It only becomes clear in the shot from behind the stairs.

The first character we are introduced to is a women wearing a purple and red metallic dress. The fact that it is quite bright draws attention to her. It makes us wonder what she is dressed up for. As she has her hair tied back, red lipstick and diamond earrings in, it makes her look elegant, as if she is trying to impress. She is holding a wine bottle which is a typical beverage used for celebrating occasions which leaves us wondering who she is taking the bottle to. In the next scene we are shown a shot of cards that appear to be made by young children, this reinforces the fact that they are celebrating. We then see her partner who is also wearing formal clothes, because they are putting on jumpers suggests that they have already been out to celebrate and they are now indoors relaxing. The occasion is then revealed when the certificate that Malcom received is read out. Moving onto a different part of the opening, we are shown a man in nothing but underwear who has broken into their house. We question ourselves why he has taken his clothes off and left them on the floor. This is unusual which suggests there is something not right with this character. The fact that he is near enough naked makes him seem vulnerable. By being able to see all of his skin we can see a large cut on his thigh - suggesting he struggled braking through the window and possibly cut himself on the broken glass, he could of been in a frantic rush to not be seen.

The first shot we see in the opening sequence is the shot of a light bulb gradually lighting up. The creators have chosen to frame the shot so that the bulb is slightly to the left, allowing us to see the right side of the frame slowly light up. Once the bulb is lit fully, there is not much of a difference, it is still very dark, including a lot of dim colours which are a typical convention in a thriller film. The fact that the bulb takes so long to light up evokes an eerie atmosphere. When the women is browsing the wine in the cellar the camera pans down and follows her movement. I like the fact that the camera is passing down the shelves making the space feel more restricted. When she picks up the bottle, there is a focus pull when she is thinking. Her facial expression seems quite confused, this makes us wonder what she is thinking about. Another shot that I think is well composed is when the women is reading out the certificate to Malcome. We can see them in the reflection of the certificate. I like the way the creators have shot this because it is different, we can see the certificate itself and the characters talking about it at the same time. In the shot before they go up to the bedroom, we are shown the hallway and the women and man talking in the front room. The fact that we are zoomed out from where they are and shown the empty hallway makes it seem suspicious. Why are we being shown this hallway when they are in the other room. In my opinion it is implying that the house is empty however, we soon find out there is someone upstairs, possibly being the reason why the camera is placed next to the stairs. The characters are unaware of this and so are we, however the creators have chosen to kind of play with this hidden discovery of the man in the bathroom and is slowly leading us to it. In the scene when Malcom is shot, we are shown an birds eye view shot of the women rushing to him. It has been edited so that the speed is slowed down. The effect of this makes it seem more tragic. This scene is the faded out to close off this part of the story and fades into the next.

The titles are in the same font throughout the film. The scale of the writing gets wider and increases slightly in size as if it is being stretched. The font is sophisticated and doesn't tell us much. In the title 'The Next Fall' showing a different chapter in the story is in the same font as the opening credits, however it does not move - its is just placed in the centre of the frame and fades into the next title 'South Philadelphia'

As said before, the first shot of the bulb sets up an eerie atmosphere, making us unaware of the surroundings. We are introduced to the women who looks as if she is dressed for an occasion, already this makes us wonder where has she been and what is the occasion. She then looks for wine which suggests that she has company, this then makes us wonder who she's with. We are shown a dark unwelcoming cellar. The fact that she stops, holds her arm and shivers tells us that it is cold and not pleasant. The next shot has a completely different feel to it, in the living room consisting of warm tones and a flickering fire makes it now feel welcoming and comfortable. These two scene have completely different atmospheres. We are learn that Malcom Crowe is a doctor in child psychology. This relates to the later event of him being shot by one of his past patients. At the end of the opening clip we are introduced to a young boy of which is increasingly walking faster. This makes us question who this character is and what he has got to do with Malcom which will then be resolved throughout the film.