How does Bleak House create tension ?

How does Bleak house create tension?

The TV series Bleak house uses a variety of different techniques to create tension. Camera angles and editing techniques can make the audience feel a certain way.

In a scene I watched I found they used a lot of clever camera angles to make the audience feel like they shouldn’t be there. Filming lots of depth of field shots with always something in the foreground makes the audience feel as if they are ‘hiding’ and ‘spying’ on a conversation. For example the shots of the corner of a table which gets in the way of the shot. This way you can never see the whole image of his face which adds to mystery and tension.
It is also used to show a characters feeling and reaction. For example there is a shot which is used at the start to show other characters entry into the room. At the same time in the foreground of the shot is the woman. This way the audience can then see the expression on her face as they walk in. The audience can immediately judge her feelings towards these characters. The same shot is used to involve the character in the conversation and the audience are aware she is listening in.

Dramatic sounds are used in the editing process to add drama to the scene. Computer generated sounds are played in loud to frighten an audience and this adds tension. For example when the character notices a name on the letter the quick camera shots of her face and the letter with the added sound create a scary effect. There are also added sounds leading up to the woman collapsing. First there is a heartbeat which builds up the scene and the audience know something is going to happen. Then just before she falls the sound is muffled and effects are put on the audio again adding to the tension. When the woman eventually collapses there is a sound of her head hitting the ground makes more realistic and to make the audience feel the action more.

Other editing effects such as slow motion can emphasise the feeling of a character. For example towards the end of the scene a slow motion effect is put on the character that is displayed as being bad or evil. This allows the audience to capture his evil look thus create more tension.
There is also an added tint to the shots featuring this character to make the audience more aware of who is good and who is bad. There is then added tension immediately when the audience see the tinted effect.

Clever use of composition at the beginning of the scene adds to the darkness of the bad character. It makes sure that there is a dark shadow covering most of his face, again adding to the idea of never getting a clear image of this character. This creates a scary image of the character and immediately represents his evilness, adding to the tension.

In the next scene it immediately begins with quick shots and loud noises which scares the audience and creates tension. A character shouts at another telling him ‘You’ll be out on the streets’ which makes the audience feel for the character who seems scared. It shows him then in his room where he counts money clips are missed out which speeds up the piece and misses out action. This creates a frantic atmosphere and adds tension.