Creating enigma/mystery
Creating mystery undoubtedly furthers the audiences involvement within the film by withholding information, this therefore poses questions to the audience which are then answered later on in the film. The unknown intrigues the audience and makes them want to carry on watching due to curiosity and excitement.
Halloween
In Halloween, we are introduced to a scene through the eyes of an unseen character. We do not know who this character is, but from the way they peer through the windows and watch the inhabitants, there's already a sense of dread, and the clues that the character we're seeing through the eyes of does not have benevolent intentions. But the questions remain; who are we? What do we want?
With the grabbing of the kitchen knife, that second question is explored; whoever we are, we have violent intent, but the first question remains a mystery.
Finally, we stab the girl, answering once and for all the question of what we anted. But the scene isn't over until the last enigma is revealed.
When the parents remove Michael's mask, we finally get an objective view of the character we were inhabiting, and are shocked to discover it was a little boy. This revelation sparks further questions which will be answered over the course of the film. Who is Michael (or The Shape as he is credited in the first film, again revelling in the mystery of this character) and why does he do the things he does?
Inception
Inception is a film with mystery at its very core, and the film begins with a series of compounding enigmas, some of which will not be answered until very near the end of the film. Who is the man on the beach? What are these visions he is experiencing? Where is he? What do these armed people want with him?
The scene then cuts back in time, providing the expectation that these are the questions that will be answered, but instead we are hit with a further set of questions, this time much more abstract. Why are these people talking about dreams? What are they planning?
The two scenes contain the same core characters, but are visually very distinct, shifting from the wild crashing waves and casual dress, to a very formal gathering with expensive suits. This gap in expectation creates a mystery in the mind of the audience that they will not be satisfied until they have crossed, and this is the hook that allows the audience to follow through on a nebulous and twisty plot that might otherwise lose the audience in its complexity.
Halloween
In Halloween, we are introduced to a scene through the eyes of an unseen character. We do not know who this character is, but from the way they peer through the windows and watch the inhabitants, there's already a sense of dread, and the clues that the character we're seeing through the eyes of does not have benevolent intentions. But the questions remain; who are we? What do we want?
With the grabbing of the kitchen knife, that second question is explored; whoever we are, we have violent intent, but the first question remains a mystery.
Finally, we stab the girl, answering once and for all the question of what we anted. But the scene isn't over until the last enigma is revealed.
When the parents remove Michael's mask, we finally get an objective view of the character we were inhabiting, and are shocked to discover it was a little boy. This revelation sparks further questions which will be answered over the course of the film. Who is Michael (or The Shape as he is credited in the first film, again revelling in the mystery of this character) and why does he do the things he does?
Inception
Inception is a film with mystery at its very core, and the film begins with a series of compounding enigmas, some of which will not be answered until very near the end of the film. Who is the man on the beach? What are these visions he is experiencing? Where is he? What do these armed people want with him?
The scene then cuts back in time, providing the expectation that these are the questions that will be answered, but instead we are hit with a further set of questions, this time much more abstract. Why are these people talking about dreams? What are they planning?
The two scenes contain the same core characters, but are visually very distinct, shifting from the wild crashing waves and casual dress, to a very formal gathering with expensive suits. This gap in expectation creates a mystery in the mind of the audience that they will not be satisfied until they have crossed, and this is the hook that allows the audience to follow through on a nebulous and twisty plot that might otherwise lose the audience in its complexity.
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