The Hunger Games film, when used as a visual text, makes many statements to its viewers about the nation of Panem, the Capitol, and the role of the government in the Hunger Games pageant.  By looking at the scene in which the head game maker, Seneca Crane, walks into the room with the cup of nightlock berries, we notice the ornate design and presentation of the cup and the room in which it sits.  This is important because it makes a statement about the cruel irony of the Capitol, which can twist something as dark as punishment and death into an elaborate, overly glorified game.  This scene serves as a model of how the Capitol and President Snow address conflicts and challenges, not only with the goal of eliminating potential threats but with the intention of using psychological tactics to cause damage and implement social control.
	
As Seneca Crane is being led to the room the viewer begins to acknowledge that something is not entirely right with the situation.  The peacekeepers surrounding Seneca are stiff and appear unfeeling and it is obvious that they know where the situation is proceeding to.  Seneca himself however almost appears pleased with himself as he enters the room and it is only when he turns around to realize that the doors have been shut and locked, and that he is now a prisoner within this strange room, that his expression begins to change into one of dread and fear. As this occurs, the viewer truly gets a chance to take in the scene of the room in which the game maker is now trapped.  The design is one of obvious wealth and grandeur, but also seems to possess a very menacing or eerie atmosphere that contributes to the negative feelings the viewer experiences.  The room is bold and strong, with contrasting colors of black and white covering the tiling of the floor.  This is suggestive of a meeting between something good and evil, and in this case the evil will prevail.  The ornate crystal cup is presented in the center of the room, almost as if it is some "prize" for the game maker.  This cup contains a small handful of lethally poisonous nightlock berries, which viewers should remember from the conclusion of the games with the victories of Katniss and Peeta.  The berries themselves stand out from the clear crystal of the cup, making them appear desirable and as a symbol of temptation, even though they are meant to lead Seneca to his death.
	
The atmosphere of the room in which Seneca Crane will die is ominous and eerie.  There are factors within the design of the scene that contribute to the interpretation of the atmosphere by the viewer.  Often during the film, music is selectively played or removed to convey emotions in significant moments of the plot and this scene is no different.  As Seneca enters the room music is not only present but presented in a very noticeable manner.  It is similar in style to something that might be played preceding some battle scene in another film, contributing to the idea in the scene that something very important is about to occur.  The notes climax and increase in volume when Seneca finally is standing over the cup and glancing down into his own demise.  At this moment, any previous doubts as to what was happening in this scene evaporate as the viewer sees the berries in the cup through Seneca's own eyes.  The camera angle used at this moment provides insight into the character's plight and the certainty that his end is eminent.

What makes this scene especially unique is its twisted portrayal of the punishment and death of Seneca Crane.  We know at this point in the film, that not only has the game maker failed, but that he has also caused the Capitol to fail as well.  The Capitol operates on a system of psychological abuse such as fear and intimidation, which ensures that it will remain in control of the districts and their people.  However, at this moment the Capitol is a weak figure that has failed in its largest effort of social control- The Hunger Games.  Seneca, as head game maker, is held responsible for this failure in the mind of President Snow.  His execution itself is not really all that shocking and is almost to be expected in the situation, but the manner in which it is completed exemplifies the unwavering cruelty of Snow.  Seneca is not put in the public eye in front of a firing squad, but rather is isolated in a room of the wealthy with a tool to carry out his own suicidal execution.  Even in the moment of his death Seneca is still a part of the games and is forced to be in control of his own outcome.  
	
Though a short scene within the film, Seneca's death scene is one of the most significant and insightful ones that viewers will experience.  At this point in the plot, one should make realizations about the Capitol and the nation of Panem that may not have been made earlier on.  Seneca's death itself is not only a model for the cruelty of the Capitol, but a symbol of the games themselves.  Seneca's failure itself was due to the fact that he fell into the sudden desperate plan of Katniss when he did not allow her to kill herself and Peeta.  Though he had no true option.  If they would have died he still would have failed and caused an even larger conflict for Snow and the Capitol.  In the world of the Hunger Games, children are placed in a pageant by their government where they are forced to kill one another for the glory of the game.  In the chosen scene, Seneca Crane is placed in a room where he must take charge of his own fate and kill himself by the same manner in which Katniss and Peeta ended the games and shamed the Capitol.  This is an example of not only the sick mindset of the Capitol in this particular situation, but rather the method by which they execute social control in all instances of governing.  The death of Seneca, like the deaths of all the tributes in the games demonstrate how in the eyes on the Capitol and President Snow, everything is a game and everything can be manipulated as such.

