The film Independence Day uses various techniques to create and utilise tension and dramatic irony during the start of the film

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How Are Dramatic Tension And Dramatic Irony Created And Utilised During The Start Of The Film?

The film Independence Day uses various techniques to create and utilise tension and dramatic irony during the start of the film. One technique used to create dramatic tension is characterisation. The first human character introduced to the audience is the arrogant figure of the man working in the space centre. He highlights how vulnerable the people living on earth are to attack, from what seems to be a greater race. In the opening scenes he is shown playing golf when he should be checking for activity in space. This immediately gives the audience a bad impression of him because the dramatic irony has already been created. The introduction to dramatic irony is in this scene as the audience knows long before the people living on earth, about the alien spaceships strategically positioning themselves in space. The tension created is used to keep the audience interested in the film and this technique is used all the way through the film. It is used very well as the tension is not kept going for too long. It is released at times and then built up again.
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Characterisation is also used to release the tension. The character David is portrayed as a complete contrast to the arrogant figure at the start of the film. He is often shown after very tense scenes, such as the spaceships gathering. First impressions show a very intelligent, confident man. He is introduced during his chess game with his father, in which he wins very successfully. The audience immediately takes a liking to David as he seems to be a kind, caring man who looks after his father well. David is revealed as the hope for the people on earth. ...

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