The opening scene of Silence of the Lambs sets an ominous tone. An establishing shot of foggy woodlands plays mysterious, tense music. A woman is seen jogging through an assault course, challenging expectations of female characters. As she runs, a man calls out that Crawford wants to see her. When she arrives at the office, she stands out from the other men on the elevator due to her unique sweater, confirming her role as the protagonist and emphasizing her strength amongst the tall men.

1. Silence of the Lambs
The mise-en-scene in the opening of Silence of the Lambs is tremendously significant in
setting the tone of the film. An establishing shot of a woodland area clouded with fog is first
seen which almost instantly sets a mood of mystery. Mysterious and tense non-diegetic
music compliments the mise-en-
scene which creates a sense of
anticipation. Nearly straight away a
woman is jogging and panting
through an assault course; this in
itself immediately challenges female
stereotypes as it would be more
common to see a physically fit male in this environment. While the woman is running
through the course a diegetic voice is heard exclaiming “Starling!” A man comes into shot
through an over-the-shoulder viewpoint. He is clearly out of breath which emphasises the
fitness and ability of the woman. The man explains to her that “Crawford wants to see you
in his office”. As she is running away to the
office, there is a close-up of the man’s face
which not only presents an FBI hat which shows
that he and the woman are in the FBI, but it
clearly
demonstrates the
eagle-eyed look
on his face – this shows that he sees the ability the woman
possesses. As the woman is running there is a camera tilt to
signs expressing “Hurt, Pain, Agony, Love-it, Pride”, this
establishes the genre and connotes themes of violence. The
sign that says “Pride” on it is extremely worn which further
suggests damage, destruction, and violence. Consequently,
the audience is left feeling apprehensive yet confident in the
woman as she has
already demonstrated resilience by progressing in
the assault course. Furthermore, this diminishes the
weak female stereotype often seen in films. When
the woman arrives at the office she gets in a lift
with several other men wearing red polo shirts. The
contrast between the red shirts and her unique grey
sweater shows that she is purposely made to stand
out which confirms she is the protagonist. Moreover, the size difference between the small
woman and the several other tall men undoubtedly intensifies the strength, power and
authority she possesses.