Section 2 - Silence Of the Lambs

Narrative Structure (how does the story line flow)

• We know shes training when we see another person, and they have an FBI hat on, so we know shes working for the FBI but we also know that shes the main character.
• She moves from the back of the screen to the front so this introduces her as the main character.
• When we first see the police officer we know she's not there by herself like we thought for the first couple of minutes.
• The camera angles could of been a view of someone chasing her.
• Running to show urgency
• 'Behavoural science services - we know what area of the building she works in
• Male dominating the environment.

Thriller Codes and Conventions (Target audience, How you know it's a Thriller)

• The opening is in a forest which gives nothing away but by the music and the heart beat noise we know its a Thriller
• The girl is venerable because she's small in a big woods.
• Mystery to why she's running but then we see why... obstacle course
• Gives us a clue when we see a big net which she climbs over
• The man in FBI uniform introduces her as a character
•    "          "         "          "  isn't a threat to her because she turns round to speak to him
• shes small high lighted blue and all the men are wearing red, which shows shes more timid and they are in more control.
• contrast between genders

Camera Work (camera movement. camera angles)

• Camera behind her to make it look as if someone is following her
• camera moving down from the sky so pan down
• rope in the middle of the screen then trees on both sides of the shot so we know we are in a forest, also framing of the shot.
• long shot of her room behind - running towards the mist
• camera behind her so looks as if someone is chasing her
• zoom into a window to show that's where shes going
• slow zoom to a window to show this is where shes going
• slow zoom to her face to show her facial expression to see that shes spotted something.

Mise en scene (costume/make-up, props, movements, setting, lighting, blocking)

• Wearing a uniform this shows shes important, the trees telling us its a forest
• we can tell its auturm because the trees are bare.
• shes looking for something which also makes us think. shows her profile.
• people training in the back ground
• high five saying girls stick together - a well known girl
• in a room with guns and weapons, tougher than we've seen

Sound (diagetic/non-diagetic sound, back ground sound)

• non-diagetic sounds gives mystery
• bird flying away to try and make us jump (diagetic)
• shes tired so we think shes running away from something other wise she would stop.
• guns and buzzing noise is accioted with danger

Editing (way it cuts to each shot)

• The camera is to the side of her it looks as if shes running quicker the music picks up also which gives us the impression that the suspense is building
• when we see the forest, we can see she's not coming out of the forest, we can see she's not coming out of the forest any time soon becuase we cant see the side of it, so shes getting deeping into the forest
• we see a sign which say HURT, AGONY, PAIN, LOVE-IT we know they are still in the woods, see the trees in the back ground.

Graphics (fonts, special effects, opening scenes)

• establishing shot of the office
• shes looking to the left of the camera, camera on her, music building suspence and also she's looking around.

The link to the opening of Silence of the Lambs is;  Click here