The Cinematic Space of Anxiety Arch. Nuno Miguel Alão Soares Gomes Architectural Faculty of Technical Lisbon University, Portugal PhD Carlos Manuel Almeida Figueiredo Architectural Faculty of Technical Lisbon University, Portugal ABSTRACT Seemingly contradictory statements such as Jean-Luc Godard - the cinema is the truth at 24 frames per second (Merten, 2011) - and Rainer Fassbinder - the film is a lie at 24 frames per second - (Merten, 2011) seem to be irreconcilable. However, if we replace the word "lie" with "illusion", it seems to emerge a meaning from these statements. In experiencing the narrative and the fictional space of a film, the viewer experiences sensations and emotions that are real to him-self, even if they are induced by means of an experienced fictional narrative. Among the most frequently induced emotions is anxiety that announces an imminent experience of an unknown nature. The idea of "premonition" of impending unrest convinced of something imminent, in an approach of a sense of awe that is closely related to anxiety. (Emanuel, 2010, 9) Fundamental in the suspense film and its narrative, it affects the way of feeling. Anxiety intends to convey anticipation of an event that extends forward in time, that is guessed but delayed, and of which the outcome is unknown but is presumed to be adverse. The viewer feel the close proximity of danger and adversity, in an agony that extends in time. Analyzing three thrillers, "The Shining" from Kubrik, "Cape Fear" of Scorcese and "Vertigo" of Hitchcock, it is apparent the construction of space to build tension, created by the design of scenery, light, camera angle and composition, in the synthetic construction of the space and progress of the action which takes place in it, along sequences of suspense and anxiety. The idea of "premonition" of impending unrest convinced of something imminent, in an approach of a sense of awe that is closely related to anxiety. Fundamental in the suspense film and its narrative, it affects the way of feeling. Anxiet intends to convey anticipation of an event that extends forward in time, that is guessed but delayed, and of which the outcome is unknown but is presumed to be adverse. The viewer feels close proximity of danger and adversity, in an agony that extends in time. Analyzing three thrillers, "The Shining" from Kubrik, "Cape Fear" of Scorcese and "Vertigo" of Hitchcock, it is apparent the construction of space to build tension, created by the design of scenery, light, camera angle and composition, in the synthetic construction of the space and progress of the action which takes place in it, along sequences of suspense and anxiety. Keywords: Anxiety, Emotion, Suspense, Space, Narrative 1 - INTRODUCTION The film, as a cultural artifact used by many cultures to auto detailing can be set differently and even contradictory. According to Jean-Luc Godard "cinema is truth 24 frames per second" (Merten, 2011) but to Rainer-Werner Fassbinder film "is a lie the 24 frames per second" (Merten, 2011). This apparent contradiction is the "illusion" as an instrument for the simulation of a fictional reality that takes different shapes and different types, from drama to comedy, science fiction, adventures, thriller film or animation or terror. In all these types of cinema, emotion is an essential element of credibility in conveying pretended realities in a movie. Between different emotions that can be conveyed, "anxiety" is one of the most common and effective, binding the viewer to a scene while he is not sure of its outcome, creating expectation and inner hints about the following film events. The architectural space holds an important role in this fictional reality construction and on these emotions, assuming to it different plastic forms, style, materials, lighting and mood for each case. As the set design is one of the essential tools in the definition of design, space allowed by perspective representation the photographic lenses and lighting design that illuminates the scene are cornerstones in the materialization of the architectural space that the film intends to convey. In a film it is conveyed an idea of architectural space that the viewer formalizes in his mind through elements available in image for this purpose. In general the filmed architectural real space is very different from the architectural space mentally built by the viewer. This work intends only to analyze the