The opening scene displays a point of view shot of a bright bulb and the character's vision is distorted as he tries to identify where he is. A diegetic sound which is chilling and parallel to the mood can be heard which makes audiences tense and suspicious. The limited lighting in the isolated room conveys that the character is builds suspense as both the audience and the character is unsure of the location. The point of view shot its cast upon a mirror which shows a man in a dangerous metal contraption in which he needs to escape. The character is frightened as he is aware that he may be in serious danger if he is not rescued or he does not escape, this dilemma makes the audiences feel nervous as the prop used looks highly dangerous and unidentifiable to any sane human. The fast editing shows fear and delusion from the protagonist and he becomes increasing the fearful of his life. Diegetic screams and cries from the man can be heard, this iconography of both the contraption and narrative identify the genre of horror further. Jump cuts of the man's face reflect the confusion and desperation the character is feeling. A close up the mask which is also attached to the man, has sharp spikes on it, this reveals the further iconography the film uses to make the audience aware of what genre of film they are watching. An image of a man disguised in a clown mask appears on a television screen which identifies who the antagonist is and that he wants to 'play a game'. A close up of the antagonist is shown and the sharp features of the mask is frightening to viewers and may make them feel uncomfortable. The contraption is identifies as a 'Death Mask' by the antagonist. The cuts flash quickly as the protagonist understands what his task involves, the description is disturbing and what he has to do will cause him major pain. This is made aware by the facial expressions and body language of anxiety and fear the protagonist produces. A close up a timer is shown which builds up tension to the audience because he has a limited time in which to escape death. The use of mise en scene verifies the tension and fear the character is going through, the audiences sympathises with the character and are anxious to discover whether he will escape.
MACRO
The iconography used in the film helps audiences identify the genre of the film. The mask that the antagonist uses to cover his identify is a iconic feature that the audience associates with the horror genre. Also the 'Death Mask' is a weapon that will create violence and blood in the film which is another iconic feature of a horror film. The opening of 'Saw 2' is effective because it effectively reintroduces the antagonists in a quick way and begins with violence, blood and gore in the few opening minutes. Through the point of view shot and the quick edits the location is identified as a claustrophobic, isolated room, this iconic feature makes audiences feel isolated too as they connect with the tramours the character is going through. It builds up suspense by the use of the task which has to be completed within a time limit. This creates more anxiety towards audiences because the character is in a life or death situation. The way in which the antagonist captures his victims may interest or provoke audiences to continue watching to discover what other traps the antagonist may create.
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