Silence of the Lambs – Analysis of Opening

• Genre: Horror/Mystery

• Iconography: Tense soundtrack, woods, dark lighting, mist, law enforcement (FBI), guns

• Conventions: Title of the film, producer, establishing for first scene, introduced main character

• Narrative: Fabula (chronological)

• Enigma Codes: Who is the woman? Why does Crawford want to see her? Who is Crawford? Is she a member of the FBI?

Establishing Shot

-Sets the scene for the audience and informs them of the location of the first scene

Lighting

-Light colours give the impression of calmness and serenity to the audience

Pan Shot

- The camera moves around to show the other side of the woods (a stereotypical location for a horror film) and creates a feeling of unease in the audience at the dark and eerily appearance of the landscape – contrasting the first establishing shot

Mid Shot of Character

-Introduces the character to the audience on her own and with the camera concentrated on her – showing she is an important (probably main) character

Non-diegetic Sound

-Sound of crows squawking in the background – a stereotypical, ‘scary’ sound for a horror film, creating anxiety in the audience

Tracking Shot

-The camera follows the character journey through the woods, making her activities appear more significant to the audience, and portraying her as a main character

Mis-en-scene

-Mist can be seen in the setting, creating a eerie and creepy atmosphere for the audience and fitting the convention for a horror film

Mid Shot

-shows the characters determined expression and sweaty appearance, indicating to the audience that she’s been running for a long time and giving the impression that she is a strong character

Tracking Shot

-Follows character as she attempts the assault course, showing she is a strong, athletic character (a powerful character)

Close-Up

-Highlights the ‘FBI’ initials on the man’s hat and hints to the audience for the first time that the female character may be in law enforcement

Non-Diegetic

-Sound of man calling the name ‘Clarice’ before speaking to the female character tells the audience that is her name

Establishing Shot

-Shows the audience the new setting (a building rather than the woods, contradicting the originally inspired eerie atmosphere) creating a feeling a ease for the audience at the ‘safer’ surroundings

Mis-en-scene

-Men in uniform and ‘training’ suggests that the building is an FBI academy and that they – including Clarice – are trainees, and deal with crime, following the mystery genre and the horror genre (murderers, etc.)

Establishing Shot

-Shows the new setting – the building – and relaxing the audience at the much more ‘serene’ and ‘familiar’ surroundings

Mis-en-scene

-Blue sky indicates daytime, creating a calmer atmosphere as stereotypically more ‘bad things’ occur at night in horror films

Tracking Shot

-Camera continues to follow the character of Clarice, showing to the audience that she is a main character (important)

Mis-en-scene

-Guns in the background, indicating danger– fit the stereotype for a horror film

Soundtrack

-An eerie and dramatic soundtrack creates an atmosphere of seriousness and tension – following the horror genre by making the audience feel apprehensive