24 Extract Essay

            The theme of the extract from “24” is about compromise. In the extract characters, Jack and Nina both want to stop a bomb. But since they have different motives they don’t trust each other and spend their time arguing. Jack, who has a deep hatred towards Nina, holds the power in this situation because Nina appears to be incarcerated. He ends up using his power against Nina to try to get information from her, instead of working with her to reach an achievable compromise.

            The first scene begins with a fade-in. You see a questioning room with a girl, Nina, she is tied to a chair when a man, Jack, enters. The location, the questioning room, shows that Nina is Incarcerated and Jack holds power over her. Once the two of them are in the room there is a cutaway to the clock on the wall. The zoom on the ticking clock represents a shortage of time to stop the bomb. Jack slides a piece of paper to Nina, making a sound. The diegetic sound draws attention to the paper, making it seem important, which it is because it is from the president. As the extract continues, Jack and Nina begin to talk. As the two converse, there are many close-ups of their faces and a shot reverse shot. The close-ups show Jack and Nina’s emotions and the shot reverse shot is used to show the two arguing instead of compromising. Next, there is some cross-cutting to show people who are outside of the room watching what is happening inside through a surveillance TV. The prop sends the message that the conversation inside of the room is important.

            Throughout the extract there is a score. The score consists of an intense sound, that displays the tension between Jack and Nina. This sound is played at a higher volume when Jack chokes Nina to try to get her to give him information. The people watching what is happening inside the room from a TV start to run to the room. There is a split screen of the people running to the room and of inside of the room, showing that Jack abused his power. Once the people arrive Jack stops choking Nina and there is a pan of him leaving the room. To end, the extract there is a fade-out.

            Overall, the director’s vision for this extract is to show that the tension between Nina and Jack is preventing them from reaching a compromise. Although the conversation began civilized it quickly escalated, making it apparent that the two have a past. Whatever this past may be, it is hindering their ability to work together and reach a compromise. Jack and Nina’s unresolved issue has built more suspense about if the bomb will be stopped.