Extract Practice: 24

The theme that the director was trying to convey is that the main character is an important, prominent figure in the storyline. The situation that seems to be occurring in the extract is that a bomb is set to go off and the main character is the only one who can stop it. The director has incorporated different elements that build suspense and tension that revolves around the main character.  

The interrogation room the main character is in while being questioned is used to show that she has valuable information and also contributes to the overall suspense of the film. A man, who seems to be an interrogator, sets down paperwork on the table which demonstrates that the main character is an important figure in the plot since it is signed by the president. The ticking that is heard when the main character looks at the clock shows that the situation at hand is high risk because there isn’t a lot of time before the bomb goes off. The clock the main character glances at could also be a graphic match that represents the amount of time that is left before the bomb explodes. The shot reverse shot of when the main character and the interrogator are talking builds tension because the more straightforward questions the main character is asked the more heated the exchange gets.  

The high angle when the interrogator is speaking to the main character displays that he’s trying to get her to submit to his authority and give him the information that he wants. The closeup of the main character when she smiles at the interrogator after saying he has to follow her lead shows that she is condescending and has more superiority in this situation than he does. The split scene when the interrogator choked the main character creates panic and shows that the interrogator doesn’t like that he doesn’t have as much power as she does. The fast tempo music when the people watching from the monitors ran to the interrogation room while the main character is being choked suggests that the spectators have to be quick or their only source of stopping the bomb could be killed.  

In conclusion, the director of this film made it so that the words and actions of the main character have heavy influence on the situation at hand. The interrogation room setting implies that the main character has some sort of value to the people she is being questioned by. Her presence has also been acknowledged by the president which also adds to her prominence in the film.