In the storm scene of “The Perfect Storm”, the director, Wolfgang Petersen, creates a large amount of tension to try to make the film more exciting and realistic. It is important for this film to be quite realistic because it is based on a true story. This is how tension is created in this dramatic, exciting scene using Cinematography and Mise-en-Scene.
One of the many tense moments in this scene is when we see a tilt angle in which the crew are sitting silent in their quarters. The tilt angle emphasizes the fact that the boat is rocking dangerously and makes the audience worry that the boat will capsize. This creates tension because it makes the audience fear for the lives of the crew.
Another tense part of the scene is at the beginning when we see the small boat struggling against the gigantic waves. The long shot shows how massive the waves are compared to the small fishing boat. This makes the audience feel tense because the boat looks so helpless in the dangerous storm. This is one of my favourite scenes because it shows just how much danger the crew is in.
Tension is further built through a close up of one of the crew in the bedroom. He looks very much like he has given up and also very worried, depressed and hoping that that the captain will be able to save them. This creates tension by making the audience fear for the crew, worry about them and creates sympathy towards them.
A mid-shot continues to make us feel anxious when we see the captain and his first mate struggling to steer the boat through the huge waves. This shot shows just how much difficulty they are having and how worried and tense they are. It creates tension because it shows the audience how hard it is to control the boat and shows the emotions the captain and his mate are feeling. These emotions are exhaustion and anxiety.
Another very intense part of the scene is when there is a high angle of the floor in