The document analyzes the camera shots, mise-en-scene, and sounds used in the opening sequence of The Silence of the Lambs to create meaning and tension. It discusses how close-ups, extreme close-ups, and other shots are used to emphasize a character's emotions and set the isolating and ominous atmosphere. Costumes, settings, and props like ropes and foggy woods further establish the vulnerability of the main character and sense that something threatening is lurking. Non-diegetic sounds also build suspense during key moments to alert viewers to impending danger.

1. HOW CAMERA SHOTS ARE
USED IN OPENING SEQUENCES
TO CREATE MEANING –
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
SURAJ RAM

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. TRACK SHOT
TRACK- 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.

10. 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.

11. • 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.

12. • 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 THECAMERA 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.

13. • 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.

14. • 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 WHICHTHEN 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 OFEMOTIONS THERE IS ALSO
TENSION AND SUSPENSE, THIS ALSO MAKES US QUESTION WHAT IS GOINGON, THIS ALSO CREATES AN
ENIGMA.

15. • PERFORMANCE - FROM THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CHARACTERS WE CAN SEE THAT THE WOMAN IS
VULNERABLE AND DISPLAYED LITTLE IN THE OPENING SCENE HOWEVER SHEIS 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 FIRSTTHEREFORE 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.

16. • 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.

17. • 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.

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

19. • 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.

20. • 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.

21. • 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 WOULDCAUSE 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.

22. • 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.