How does Thompson create an atmosphere of threat in the schoolyard scene?

How does Thompson create an atmosphere of threat in the schoolyard scene?

Thompson uses many techniques to create a sense of threat in the Schoolyard Scene. The sounds that are used vary from the diegetic to non-diegetic. The non-diegetic sound features a staccato soundtrack which (as the scene progresses) becomes louder and faster in tempo to give a sense of the rising adrenalin going through Nancy, it also provides as an imitation for her increasing heart rate with the quickening pulse. The soundtrack is also chromatic which gives the audience the impression that there is an imminent danger arising around Nancy. The audience can also hear a discord when Nancy collides with Cady which creates a threat. Thompson also makes use of the diegetic sounds in the scene, one most notably being the fountain outside the school. As Cady walks past it the hissing noise of the fountain makes a hissing noise. Hissings are associated with snakes and in The Bible the snake was the Devil. This potentially shows the audience that Cady’s character is demonic and evil. Another diegetic sound used to create threat are the footsteps we here in the basement. Cady’s are more robotic and heavy, the pace of them is constant which reinforces the thought in the audience’s minds that he is persistent and precise. However listening to the lighter and quicker footsteps of Nancy, it creates sympathy from the audience because she is far clumsier because of her situation and obvious fear.

There are various uses of mise-en-scene to make the two characters in the scene stand-out to create threat. The characters stand out because there is a clear contrast between the two. Cady, is dressed in white, which typically represents purity. Yet in this case we can clearly see that it is used as a disguise to hide his true colours. This also has the effect of making him stand out far more in a large group of people. Also, his white clothes are easier to see in the dark which creates threat because the audience can see him coming when the character can’t. Nancy, is dressed in a school uniform, this represents her naivety and innocence which is emphasised because of the location of being next to her school. Thompson also uses sexual references to create threat from Cady as his cigar shows as a symbol for what he will do to Nancy, emphasising how animalistic Cady’s character is.

The setting of the scene shows contrasts with the everyday, the school that is shown to the audience has features that wouldn’t be in a usual school. Yet Thompson puts the features in to create a threatening environment for the antagonist to thrive in. The gates of the school are barred with spikes; this is more sinister and seems more like a prison than a school, we see Cady on the other side of the bars which gives the audience the impression of what he was like in prison and emphasises the idea that he is taking his revenge. In the basement the atmosphere is very intimate and this intimacy creates a sense of threat because the characters seem close together. The lighting of the room is very low which also makes Cady’s clothes stand out more, making his presence in the shot known. The lockers we see give an even greater sense of threat because it reiterates that it is a school, which is supposed to be a place where children are safe yet in this example it appears to be the most dangerous place for Nancy, emphasising this sense of threat from Cady.

From the offset of seeing Cady we are given the impression that he is targeting Nancy. This is because Thompson uses a point of view shot of Nancy looking out into the distance as a long shot of Cady walking towards her making eye contact, however we also see other pedestrians walking away from her. He is the only character walking towards the car isolating him for the audience. We also see close ups of her face frequently to show the audience how scared she is, which creates sympathy. Thompson also shows the audience her with half her face in the light, and half in the dark foreshadowing that something negative might be about to occur, this makes the audience try and anticipate when it will happen, without being allowed to know. When exiting the car the camera follows Nancy which emphasises the theme that she is always being watched. Nancy is predominately pictured through high angle shots, which show her vulnerability. This contrasts with Cady, who is captured using high angle shot types emphasising his power in the scene. The point-of-view shot we see of Nancy through the school bars reverses the idea of a prison and makes it appear to the audience as though she’s the one trapped and creates irony because Cady is the one looking in. In the basement, we don’t see Cady’s face to create a threat because it is unknown to the reader if it is actually Cady. Yet, Thompson shows a mid-shot of his groin which continues the sexual and animalistic themes that are present in Cady’s character. We again see the low angle shot of Nancy colliding with Cady, showing that he has the power in the situation, the effect that this has on the reader is that we see the antagonist with all the power, which put the protagonist in danger.