HOW CAMERA SHOTS ARE USED IN OPENING

SEQUENCES TO CREATE MEANING –

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

SURAJ RAM

CLOSE UP – THE CLOSE UP ON THE CHARACTERS FACE EMPATHISES GREAT DEPTH OF THE CHARACTERS EMOTIONS AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS OF DISTRESS AND TERROR, FROM HER FACE WE CAN SEE THAT SHE IS FRIGHTENED YET STILL LOOKS SHOCKED. THE BACKGROUND HAS BEEN BLURRED SLIGHTLY AS ITS INSIGNIFICANT. IT IS CLEAR TO SEE THAT IT IS VERY MISTY AT THE BACKGROUND AND FOGGY THIS GIVES THE IDEA THAT THERE IS SOMETHING/SOMEONE THAT COULD BE HIDING, IT MAKES YOU FEEL AS IF THERE IS A PRESENCE. HER SECLUSION IS SHOWN.

EXTREME CLOSE UP – THIS CHARACTERS EXPRESSION SHOWS DEEP EMOTION OF FEAR AND ANXIETY AS THE CHARACTER HAS JUST WITNESSED SOMETHING WHICH IS DISTRESSING WHICH WOULD BE LOOKED UPON AS SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY TO HER, SHOWING HOW ABNORMAL IT IS. SHE LOOKS AS IF SHE’S STUNNED YET IS CONTEMPLATING WHAT TO DO NEXT WHILST THINKING ABOUT WHAT SHE HAS JUST EXPERIENCED. THIS SETS THE VIBE OF THE FILM AS WE KNOW TO EXPECT SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN AND CREATES AN ENIGMA TO THE AUDIENCE AS THEY’LL WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED.

MEDIUM SHOT- THIS MEDIUM ALLOWS US TO ESTABLISH THE LOCATION OF THE SHOT; FROM THE LOCATION IT ALLOWS US TO SEE THE ISOLATION AND ALSO THE ATMOSPHERE SURROUNDING THE VICTIM, THERE IS SMOKE AROUND AND IT IS MISTY, CREATING THE FEELING OF THE UNKNOWN. FROM HER FACIAL EXPRESSION IT IS CLEAR TO SEE ANXIETY AS SHE LOOKS STRESSED AND LOOKS AS IF SHE’S SHOCKED YET SCARED, THIS IS BECAUSE SHE HAS HER MOUTH OPEN HOWEVER HER EYES SLIGHTLY CLENCHED AS IF SHE IS ABOUT TO SCREAM. HER FACE HIGHLIGHTS WHAT IS HAPPENING AND THE FACT THAT HER HAIR IS IN HER FACE SUGGESTS THAT SHE’S BEEN RUNNING, AND IS IN A RUSH TO ESCAPE SOMETHING.

LONG SHOT- THIS LONG SHOT ALLOWS US TO ESTABLISH THE SETTING OF THE SCENE; WHICH IS THE WOODS, THERE IS FOG SURROUNDING THE CHARACTER GIVING THE FEELING OF A PRESENCE. THE SHOT HIGHLIGHTS THE WOMAN'S ISOLATION AS IT IS EVIDENT THERE IS NOTHING AROUND HOWEVER THE FACT THAT SHE IS PULLING ON ROPE GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT SHE KNOWS THE WOODS AND KNOWS WHERE EVERYTHING IS, SHE APPEARS TO BE SWEATING AND IS NOT VERY FEMININE, THIS SHOWS THAT SHE ISN’T THE STEREOTYPICAL HEROINE AND IN FACT IS SHOWN TO BE VERY MASCULINE HOWEVER THERE IS A CONJECTURE POSITION AS HER FACE SHOWS FEAR.

EXTREME LONG SHOT – THIS SHOWS US A LOCATION OF WHERE THE FILM MAY BE SET OR A PLACE WHICH COULD BE KEY TO THE STORYLINE. WE CAN SEE IT IS SET IN A ISOLATED ABANDONED WOODS AS THE MAIN CHARACTER IS DISPLAYED IN THE WOODS, THE CHARACTER IS STRUGGLING TO GET UP A HILL, THIS COULD SUGGEST THAT SHE IS TRYING TO RUN AWAY FROM SOMEONE/SOMETHING. THE ATMOSPHERE IS GLOOMY AND MISTY WHICH COULD INDICATE THAT THERE IS STILL A PRESENCE IN THE WOODS AND ENHANCES THE IDEA OF ISOLATION AND ABANDONMENT.

HIGH ANGLE SHOT – THIS SHOT SHOWS A SLIGHT HIGH ANGLE THIS ALLOWS US TO ESTABLISH HOW HIGH SHE HAS CLIMBED AND THE LENGTHS THE FEMALE HAS GONE IN ORDER TO ESCAPE. THE HIGH ANGLE MAKES THE CHARACTER FEEL INFERIOR AND VULNERABLE AT THIS POINT OF THE OPENING SCENE. THE FACT THAT IT IS SHOWN HOW HIGH UP SHE IS GIVES US A SENSE OF DANGER AS SHE MAY GET PUSHED DUE TO THE FACT THAT SHE'S VULNERABLE AT THIS POINT, HER FACIAL EXPRESSIONS PORTRAY FEAR AND ANXIETY.

LOW ANGLE SHOT- IN THIS SHOT WE ARTE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN EYE LEVEL. IN THIS SHOT IT ALLOWS YOU TO SEE BOTH WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE ANTAGONIST AND THE PROTAGONIST. THE WOMAN LOOKS VERY DISTRESSED AND SCARED WHEREAS HOWEVER THE MAN IS ONLY SHOWN FROM THE BACK GIVING THE IMPRESSION OF THE UNKNOWN AND CREATING FEAR AS THE AUDIENCE DO NOT KNOW WHO THIS IS. YOU CAN SEE THAT HE IS HIGHER THAN THE WOMAN, SHOWING THAT HE IS DOMINATING THE SCENE AND SHE IS INFERIOR TO HIM. THE WOMAN IS ALMOST STEPPING AWAY FROM HIM; WHILST HE HAS HIS ARMS OUT, MAKING HIMSELF LOOK BIGGER AND THREATENING, THE WOMAN IS SHOWN LOOKING TIMID, SHOWING THAT SHE IS FRIGHTENED OF THE MAN, THE GLOOMY LIGHTING CREATES THE IDEA THAT SOMETHING BAD HAS HAPPENED OR IS GOING TO HAPPEN, WHICH THEY ARE BOTH ARE AWARE OF WHEREAS ARE SHARING DIFFERENT REACTIONS. THE LOW ANGLE ALSO CREATES FEAR.

TRACK SHOTTRACK- WE SEE A TRACK SHOT WHEN THE CAMERA FOLLOWS THE VICTIM WHILST SHE IS RUNNING THROUGH THE WOODS, THE BACK OF HER IS FILMED GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT SHE IS BEING FOLLOWED OR WATCHED BY SOMEONE, THE TRACKING SHOT AS A WHOLE RANGES FROM BEING FAST PACED TO SLOW PACED WHICH CREATES ANXIETY AND APPREHENSION, IT ALSO MAKES THE SHOT FEEL VERY MORBID AS WE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT, YOU CAN ALMOST FEEL THE BUILD UP OF A CLIMAX.

PAN SHOTPAN SHOT – A PAN SHOT IS USED WHEN WE SEE THE CAMERA MOVE LEFT TO RIGHT, FROM THE ANTAGONISTS FACE TO THE PROTAGONISTS FACE. BOTH FACES HAVE DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS, THE MAN IS DISPLAYED WITH A SNIDE EXPRESSION, WHEREAS THE WOMAN IS SHOWN, LOOKING SCARED AND VULNERABLE. THE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS SHOW THAT THE MAN HAS SAID SOMETHING THAT IS REMOTELY DISTRESSING TO THE WOMAN, WHICH HE IS HAPPY ABOUT, HE CONTINUES ATTEMPTING TO PATRONISE HER, AND THE PAN SHOT HELPS CAPTURE HER EMOTION, DIRECTLY AFTER HE HAS SAID SOMETHING WHICH IS PAINFUL TO HER.

• TILT – IN THIS SCENE WE SEE THE PROTAGONIST RUNNING WHICH THEN SHE LOOKS BACK THIS SHOWS SUSPENSE AND THE FEELING THAT SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN. THE SHOT CREATES ENIGMA AS IT MAKES THE VIEWER WANT TO KNOW WHY SHE IS LOOKING BACK AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN. THE TILT ALLOWS US TO ESTABLISH THAT THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG AND GIVES A SENSE OF ABNORMALITY.

• ZOOM- IN THIS SCENE WE CAN SEE THE CAMERA ZOOMING INTO THE PROTAGONISTS FACE. THE CAMERA ZOOMS OUT AND SHOWS THE LOCATION WHICH THEN THE CAMERA THEN THE CAMERA QUICKLY TURNS TO THE VICTIMS FACE WHICH CREATES A JUMP/SCARE SCENE AS THE VICTIM HESITATES WHICH MAKES THE AUDIENCE HESITATE, THE BACKGROUND IS MONOTONOUS AND GLOOMY, SHE IS ALSO IN A VULNERABLE STATE AS SHE IS UNAWARE OF WHAT'S OCCURRING AT THAT PRESENT MOMENT.

• CUT - THIS CUTS FROM A LONG SHOT AS WE CAN SEE THE LOCATION AROUND THE CHARACTER TO A MEDIUM SHOT SHOWING THE WOMAN’S FACIAL EXPRESSION, WHICH SHE IS SHOWN LOOKING VERY DISTRESSED AND WORRIED AND THIS IS BECAUSE SHE IS PARANOID ABOUT WHAT IS FOLLOWING HER, THE FEAR IN HER FACE IS SHOWN AS SHE IS AWARE THAT SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN. THE LOCATION AT THE BEGINNING ALLOWS US TO SEE THE ISOLATION WHICH SHOWS US HOW VULNERABLE SHE IS.

• PACE – THE PACE STARTS OFF SLOW, WHILST THE VICTIM STARTS RUNNING IN THE WOODS, HOWEVER THEN SHE STARTS RUNNING FASTER AS SHE IS WORRIED AN SCARED WHICH THEN THE PACE DRAMATICALLY SLOWS DOWN AS SHE SEE’S SOMEONE THEREFORE SLOWS DOWN, THIS IS ALSO WHEN SHE GOES UP THE ROPE, AS THE PACE DIFFERS WE EXPERIENCE A LOT OF EMOTIONS THERE IS ALSO TENSION AND SUSPENSE, THIS ALSO MAKES US QUESTION WHAT IS GOING ON, THIS ALSO CREATES AN ENIGMA.

• PERFORMANCE - FROM THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CHARACTERS WE CAN SEE THAT THE WOMAN IS VULNERABLE AND DISPLAYED LITTLE IN THE OPENING SCENE HOWEVER SHE IS SHOWN AS SHE DOES NOT GIVE UP WHICH IS A FOLLOWING THEME AROUND THE FILM.

• WE ARE ALSO INTRODUCED TO A MALE, HIS FACE IS NOT SHOWN AT FIRST THEREFORE IS INTERPRETED AS A ANTAGONIST HOWEVER THEN WE ESTABLISH HE IS A FEDERAL AGENT. PEOPLE ARE INTRODUCED FURTHER ON IN THE OPENING WHERE HER WORK PLACE IS SHOWN WHICH HELPS US LEARN THAT SHE IS A OFFICER.

• NON DIEGETIC- IN THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS NON-DIEGETIC SOUNDS ARE ADDED TO CREATE VERY DRAMATIC, TENSED SCENES; HOWEVER THEY ARE NOT WIDELY USED. THERE IS A CONSTANT SOUNDTRACK RUNNING THROUGHOUT- AT THE END OF THE OPENING SCENE THE WOMAN GOES TO THE ANTAGONIST HOWEVER THE BUILD UP IS MADE BY ADDING NON DIETETIC SOUND WHICH RANGES FROM LOW TO HIGH, THIS MAKES IT FEEL AS IF SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND ALERTS THE AUDIENCE THE DANGER THAT SHE WILL BE FACING.

• DIEGETIC SOUND- IN THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS THE SOUNDS THAT ARE

USED ARE THINGS SUCH AS HEAVILY BREATHING WHEN THE WOMAN IS RUNNING THIS ADDS TENSION AND SUSPENSE AS THE AUDIENCE ARE UNAWARE OF THE REASON WHY THE WOMAN IS RUNNING. THERE ARE ALSO SOUNDS SUCH AS HER FOOTSTEPS WHILST SHE IS RUNNING, THIS MAKES THE AUDIENCE FEEL OFF EASE AS WE CAN HEAR HER FOOTSTEPS THEREFORE GIVING A SENSE THAT SHE IS HEARD BY AN ANTAGONIST AS SHE IS LOUD.

MISE EN SCENETHIS SECTION WILL CONSIST OF. COSTUME'S, SETTINGS PROPS

• THE MAIN CHARACTER APPEARS TO BE WEARING A JUMPER AND A PAIR OF JOGGING BOTTOMS WITH TRAINERS. THIS IS NOT WHAT STEREOTYPICALLY A FEMALE HEROINE WOULD WEAR AND THIS CHALLENGES THE STEREOTYPE. SHE IS SHOWN SWEATING AND IS PRESENTED AS BEING QUITE MASCULINE. THE WOMAN IS NOT HEAVILY MADE UP AND HAS HER HAIR IN A PONYTAIL WHICH GIVES THE IDEA THAT SHE IS VERY SIMPLISTIC. THE WOMAN IS SHOWN CASUALLY DRESSED GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT SHE DOES NOT EXPECT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN. THE MEN SHOWN LATER ON IN THE SEQUENCE APPEAR TO BE WEARING F.B.I ATTIRE WHICH CONSISTS OF BODY SUITS AS THEY ARE IN TRAINING. OFFICERS ARE SHOWN NEAR THE END OF THE FILM OPENING WHERE THEY ARE WEARING SUITS, THIS SHOWS THEIR AUTHORITY AND THEIR STATUS.

• THE LONG SHOT ESTABLISHES THE LOCATION AND THE LOCATION LOOKS REALISTIC AS IT IS COMMON CONVENTION TO HAVE AN ABANDONED AREA IN THE OPENING SCENE. IT IS ALSO LOCATED IN A PRISON WITH ONE CRIMINAL PLACED SEPARATELY, IT IS MISTY AND FOGGY THERE IS LOW KEY LIGHTING PURELY BECAUSE THE TIME OF DAY; AS DARK IS ASSOCIATED WITH EVIL THE ATMOSPHERE LOOKS VERY DULL AND SCARY.

• A ROPE IS USED AS A PROP; THIS IS BECAUSE IT WOULD MAKE THE CONNOTATION THAT ALTHOUGH IT WOULD HELP THE VICTIM GET UP IT WOULD BE HARD TO HOLD AND WOULD CAUSE FRICTION WHICH WOULD MAKE THE VICTIM HURT THEM SELF. A ROPE IS ALSO UNSTABLE AND UNCERTAIN THAT WILL BE SUCCESSFUL AS A ROPE CAN BE EASILY RIPPED WITH FORCE.

• CONCLUSION

• THE ANALYSING OF MICRO ELEMENTS WILL ASSIST ME WHEN I PRODUCE MY OWN FILM OPENING AS IT GAVE ME AN INSIGHT ON ALL THE DIVERSE ANGLES AND CAMERA SHOTS ARE USED IN MOVIES AND HOW EFFECTIVE THEY ARE ON TERMS OF CREATING DIFFERENT EMOTIONS YET STILL CREATING THE OBVIOUS WHICH ARE; APPREHENSION, SUSPENSE, AMBIGUITY AND TREPIDATION. I ALSO KNOW HOW IMPORTANT MISE EN SCENE, PERFORMANCE AND SOUND TRACK IS IN ORDER TO CREATE ATMOSPHERE AND REALISM THAT IS CRUCIAL TO ACHIEVE YOU ARE AIMING FOR – IN THIS CASE BEING A HORROR FILM OPENING. BY ANALYSING ALL OF THE MICRO-ELEMENTS I NOW HAVE MORE KNOWLEDGE ON THE ENTIRE CONVENTIONS IN A HORROR MOVIE. THIS HAS ALSO GIVEN ME MANY IDEAS WHICH I CAN INCORPORATE INTO MY FILM OPENING.