How fear and suspense is created in the Sandman

Lighting: The room that the boy and his mother are in at first has nice bright orange and brown colours, which are full of warmth. This is juxtaposed with the cold harsh pale blue colours, which makes the audience feel the same as the young boy, scared and alone as he is away from the warm room and his mother’s comfort. We fear for the boy by something unknown, which is what creates the suspense.

Sound: Faint piano notes are used when the sandman appears, which unnerves the viewer, as there is a sense of something that isn’t quite right with this figure. This fades away to silence as the Sandman gets closer to the boy, and it is unclear what he will do, increasing the tension of the audience.

Camera movements: Dutch tilt is used when the young boy is climbing up the stairs to disorientate the audience and emphasise the feelings of fear running through the young boy’s mind. This is played alongside close up shots, used to show the reactions of the scared boy and the sinister sandman so the audience can truly emphasise with the boy, even more so as they know what the danger is, they are held in suspense because of this, how long will the boy be safe from the sandman would be on their mind.