The opening scene of The Silence of the Lambs begins with an unsettling shot of a woman running through a dark, misty wood, immediately putting the viewer on edge. It is then revealed that she works for the FBI and is running a grueling training course. The main character is established as the focus in the first few scenes, showing her importance to the story. In comparison to typical female roles, she is portrayed as less glamorous and more masculine, sweating as she runs. The camera work and music are used to portray her as a woman succeeding in a typically male environment and job, with no flashy effects to make the opening feel realistic.

1. Opening sequence analysis
Silence Of the lambs

2. Opening scene
• The films begins with an eerie shot of a women running through a dark, misty wood. This is
immediately an unsettling shot to the viewer and puts them on edge, giving an indication to
the genre of the film. It soon becomes clear that the character we are seeing works for the
F.B.I. so straight away the audience have been given an introduction and a small amount of
information on the main character, they know what she looks like visually and what her
occupation is.
• The beginning is filmed in a dark wood this gives an idea of the surroundings and gives the
shot an unusual/creepy feel, at the very start the viewer isn't aware of whether she is
running away from anything or not which is why there would be a sense of unease. It is misty
so the viewer can guess that what they are seeing is set in the early morning, it then reveals
that she is running a grueling assault course which may make the audience question that the
woman isn't as feminine as they are used to seeing in films which adds to their immediate
knowledge of the characters.

3. Main Character
• The main character is the focus for the first few scenes in the opening minute, this
makes her importance in the film obvious from the very start. She also stands out
when the scenes move onto interior shots as all other actors present are men.
• In comparison to the typical female role in films like this she is less glamorous,
sweaty and shown in more of a masculine way. This shows some of the
characteristics as to what the main character is like. Moreover, when we see the
scene where she talks to her boss it is obvious that she is highly respected in her
profession.

4. Camera Work
• The camera work used is mainly done in a way to show that she is a woman in a
typically male environment and job. The majority of shots are mid shots or long
shots so we don’t see close up detail of what she looks like until she stops running.
• There are no special effects used in the opening sequence which make the film
more relatable and realistic, to add to how realistic it is there is a title which states
where it is set.

5. Sound and Titles
• The music was used was clearly written to portray a sense of unease and build up
suspense especially for when she is running, the music fades during moments of
speech but comes back when she goes inside the building.
• There is also use of diegetic sound such as heavy breathing which indicates a sense
of panic, there is also sounds from leaves rustling and helicopters which reflect the
F.B.I work place.
• The titles are quite simple and have clearly gone with a basic approach, they come
up for short periods of time when she is running through the woods. There isn’t
any flashy editing which stays with the minimal approach.
• However the film title is very bold and stands out but still in a basic font which is
the same as the credit titles again with nothing too flashy.