The opening sequence of The Silence of the Lambs uses diegetic and non-diegetic sound to set the mood and environment. Diegetic gunshots and forest sounds establish the setting as a remote law enforcement facility, while non-diegetic music adds suspense. Within the FBI building, diegetic background noises distinguish the manual work area from the office setting. The editing is also used to convey mood - it is slow and relaxed at first but includes jump cuts during a running scene to imply speed and tension. Match cuts during a conversation allow the audience to see reactions to the discussion about Hannibal Lecter.

1. Silence of the Lambs
Micro Elements Analysis
(Sound and Editing)

2. Sound
• The opening sequence of The Silence of the lambs uses a great deal of the
micro- element - sound; both diegetic and non diegetic, to express to the
viewer lots of the key features as well as mood and other effects.
Lots of diegetic sound is used to set the location/environment, for example
when the protagonist runs back towards the building, before we know what it is,
diegetic gunshots among the silent forest infer that it is some sort of military or
police facility, as well as that, the film has an underlying theme of law and
possibly crime.
The quietness of the forest whilst she runs suggest it is an isolated area, away
from civilisation, also it could be seen as an insight into her character; a
reference to her being very independant or somewhat of a lone wolf. This
effect, coupled with the non diegetic music(which has dark undertones),
creates suspense, making the viewer tense, in anticipation of something bad
happening.

3. Sound
• Once the protagonist enters the FBI facility, diegetic background
sound is used to display the type of work environment she is in. For
example before she enters the elevator, we can hear lots of male
murmuring and banging sounds, suggesting this is a more manual
work area. It also highlights the larger male presence here,
conforming to gender stereotypes of this kind of work being more
suited to men.
As she exits the elevator, the diegetic background sound changes the
mood of the scene, as well as the atmosphere. Now we can here
more stereotypical office noises such as phones and printers,
showing that this work area is more catered to office style work
involving boring “paper pushing” desk jobs.

4. Editing
• In the clip from ‘Silence of the Lambs’ uses editing to represent the mood
and atmosphere; amongst other things to the audience.
At the beginning of the clip the editing is slow paced and flows freely in order
to show a more relaxed atmosphere, even though the protagonist is running
through the woods alone, the editing placed with the sound makes the
viewer feel as though nothing bad is going to happen and puts them at
ease.
Throughout the opening scenes we see credits that have been
superimposed over the original images, this gives us some knowledge into
the cast and crew that are involved in the film.

5. Editing
• The woman (protagonist) is doing and assault course, she is doing this with some
speed and to show this to the audience a jumpcut is used when the woman is running
from one obstacle to the next to give us an idea of how fast she is running, it makes
us feel slightly on edge, even though we can see that she is taking part in an obstacle
course as soon as we see anyone running fast, our immediate thought is to think that
they are running away from someone or something. The jumpcut emphasises this as
we cannot see parts of the run that she is taking, suggesting not only is she running
fast but also for a very long time.
• When the protagonist is walking into the FBI building, we see the camera hesitate on
the sign that says ‘Behavioral Science Services’ before there is a cutaway to the
woman walking down the corridor, the way the arrow on the sign was pointing. This
gives us, as the audience a bit of background information into what the woman is
doing and where she is going, but not so much that we are distracted from the
protagonists actions.

6. Editing
• Towards the end of the clip the man and the woman are in deep
conversation and we see that a match cut is used during the conversation.
So when the man is talking we see the woman's face and vice versa. This
means that we can see the other person's reaction to what has just been
said. For example when the man mentions Hannibal Lecters name a match
cut shows us the womans face so we see her reaction and the fact she tries
to take this in by repeating ‘Hannibal the cannibal’. Without the match cut we
would only hear these words and not see her face, therefore not
understanding the full intensity of the situation.

7. Editing
• Towards the end of the clip the man and the woman are in deep
conversation and we see that a match cut is used during the conversation.
So when the man is talking we see the woman's face and vice versa. This
means that we can see the other person's reaction to what has just been
said. For example when the man mentions Hannibal Lecters name a match
cut shows us the womans face so we see her reaction and the fact she tries
to take this in by repeating ‘Hannibal the cannibal’. Without the match cut we
would only hear these words and not see her face, therefore not
understanding the full intensity of the situation.