Silence of the lambs analysis

Mis en scene
The opening is set in a dark gloomy forest with dull lighting, these already instantly creates the atmosphere of a thriller as it is a typical setting for something dark or mysterious things to happen, making the audience question what is going to happen. It then slowly pans down to reveal more of the foggy and spooky looking woodland. This again is typical of thrillers as it’s mysterious and creepy, particularly the fog which slightly impairs the audiences vision of the scene, making it unclear and dangerous. It also helps that the camera does not include any shots of humans or animals up until about a minute into the film, this keeps the audience in suspense which again is a typical thriller move, as the audience are clueless as to what is about to happen, feeling as though anything could happen.

Lighting
The lighting is dull, also adding to the thriller, dark and sinister feel of most thriller openings. It is natural lighting but due to the setting of it being in a wood it appears dark creepy and foreboding, typical of thriller openings.

Sound
As the film begins and opens to show off the woodland setting the music remains light but then becomes dark creepy as the camera move deeper into the woods, changing to strong mysterious music. You can also hear the sound her panting this connotes breathlessness, lifelessness and fear. People often breathe heavily when they are scarred. Also it illustrates her running, which could leave the audience questioning whether or not she is running away from anyone or anything. This gives the opening it's typical thriller creepy feel. The sounds of birds flying away is also an interesting sound used, perfect for the opening of a thriller as it connotes danger as people associate birds flying away from dangerous situations, hinting that what might happen may feature danger. This is typical of a thriller opening as they love to hint at future mystery and get the audience on edge from the beginning.

Camera
tracking shots when she runs, as if she’s being followed is again typical of a thriller. It connotes an immediate sense of danger from the beginning and also hints of some form of killer/beast that may be out to get her. It allows the audience to question the future plot, which is what many thriller openings aim to do. Close up tracking shots of her face and her feet are also there to show her tired emotion and her physical ability, letting the audience know this is character is strong and probably a challenge to fight, making her the heroin and setting plot slightly for the audience.

Editing
There are a variety of short and long takes. When she is running through the trees the shots are shorter to increase the tension and hit that she may be in danger, as short takes are often used with action and danger sequences. This again hints at the danger that is to come. Generally the shots are long shots which is typical for most opening scenes, though the contrast between long and short takes is typical of thriller openings as they like to keep the audience on edge and surprise them with different elements.