Providing and withholding information

Providing and withholding information is a strategy used by the editor to keep the viewer engaged. It is used mainly in horror and thriller films to produce good effect. It is crucial for the audience to know what they are suppose to know in the moment of action because it is important for them to feel the correct emotional response.

Normally, information is provided by the use of cutaways or cut-ins or used by the absence of the these shots.

An example of providing and withholding information would be when the scene is in the POV of the character. The characters POV is showing what is in front of them. The scene shows the long corridor that the character is anxiously walking down. The audience will start to expect something to jump out and attack the character. Due to the audience thinking this, huge amounts of tension can be built up through wondering what is down the corridor.





In the scene the audience is feeling huge amounts of tension due to the wonder of the characters safety. This is effected because the editor is withholding the information that the audience craves through lighting. The audiences vision is blinded so huge amounts of tension is created by not knowing what is going to happen.