The Terminator and Sixth Sense Comparison

The Sixth Sense

The scene is set when there is a car accident and mother and son are caught up in the traffic behind. This is stereotypically a thriller setting as it is something that could happen every day, but what isn't normal are the things Cole, played by Haley Joel Osment is seeing. Cole decided to tell his mother played by Toni Collette, that he is 'ready to communicate now'. This is an extremely unusual thing for a child to be saying, making us think that he is about to say  something emotional and serious. He goes on to make very emotional comments to his mother regarding his grandmother and things that are happening to him.  This is extremely abnormal and upsetting for his mother

In  my opinion I feel that the camera work is very typical of a thriller, this is done to show setting slightly, detailed emotion and an emotional connection with what is going on. In this scene you can see from the expression on Cole's face that something more serious than his mum missing the play is on his mind. The first camera shot is a mid shot from outside the car, giving us sense of location and situation. Another of the shots that are used in this scene are almost point of view shots, focussing on each character, what Cole is saying and how his mum is reacting. These are very simple shots and they have not over complicated it because in this particular scene it is not about complicated shots. It is about simplicity so the viewers attention is on what Cole is saying and how his mother is reacting. The camera is almost always at eye level, again bringing us into the conversation and making it seem more realistic, very conventional of a thriller. Another shot that takes place is allmost the womens point of view shot, this shows Cole and the lady that died up ahead in the accident, by his window. This shows us as the audience that what he is saying is true.

 The sound is diegetic of them speaking but it is non-diegetic of the car and city sounds in the background, this is done to make the scene much more realistic and make sure that we as the viewer believe what is happening and the setting to be realistic, this is key, especially for a thriller as they are conventionally set in a realistic city environment 

The editing of this scene is very simple. This is unconventional editing for a thriller, as it is normally fast paced, but in this scene it is about what is being said, that is what they want the viewer to be concentrating on as it is a highly emotional conversation. This also helps create tension, but very slowly you can feel that after this scene something is going to happen.

Terminator

In this scene the terminator is searching for Sarah Connor, he proceeds to walk into the bar, walking in straight robot like lines, not moving for anybody which could later cause him trouble. He is searching for her in the bar, looking around until he spots her sat alone at a table, in which one of Sarah Connors friends sees from the look in Terminators eyes what is about to happen. Her friend then pulls out a shotgun and attempts to kill terminator.

The camera shots in this scene are not conventional of a normal thriller, when terminator is entering the bat the camera is set behind a cage, making us immediately feel that something is going to happen, it almost gives us a protective barrier that we become to feel me might need. The camera then tracks in front of the character, showing he is the main, dominant character. The camera is kept eye level like in a lot of scenes in a lot of thrillers, this is done to make you feel a part of the scene and action, especially as the camera is going away from terminator it makes the viewer feel like we are walking away from hi, giving us the feel of being intimidated by him. We as the viewer seem to think that  the characters are helpless, this could be reinforced by the fact that no point of view shots are included. We also feel like Sarah Connor is helpless when the camera is looking down on her from a high angle, making her seem helpless, inferior and unprotected. The sound that is used in the scene in mostly non-diegetic, the music that is played throughout the scene is non-diegetic, this is proven as when it goes into slow motion the music is still normal paced, this could be done to keep tempo high. Another thing that will have been added is the sound of the shotgun and the sound of knuckles cracking. The setting being in a club is also conventional for a thriller as it is in a realistic venue.

The club is dark, this is conventional for a thriller, giving it a eerie and mysterious kind of feel. The dark and a slight amount of smoke also helps hides somebody's identity.

In comparison

In comparison I think that although both these movies are classed as thrillers, they are not completely conventional, they both have their own twists and emotions. One thing that is similar in these two scenes and used a lot in thrillers is that the camera is kept at eye level helping us interact and the use of mid shots and close up to show emotion and reaction have been used in both scenes. They both use non-diegetic and diegetic sounds, the sixth sense is mostly diegetic but the sounds of traffic and the city may have been put over the top, whereas in terminator the music is mostly non-diegetic, so are the gun shots etc.

Overall both these scenes are thrillers but with their own personal adjustments from the directors.