Research into Examples of Comparable Media Products Cont.

Research into examples of comparable products
'Silence of the lambs'


Narrative Structure
Opens in a forest, lots of mist and trees. A woman appears to be struggling to get to the top of a hill by climbing up a rope. We don't know if she's being chased or not yet. She gets to the top of the hill and looks left then right, and then carries on running into the mist. Then she approaches a net which she climbs over instead of going round, so we know she is now doing a work out. Then she is stopped by a man with 'FBI' on his cap and tells her she is wanted by someone. She then changes direction and runs towards the FBI headquarters, so now we know she is someone that works for the FBI. As she enters the building she is greeted by friends passing by her, while still running. We can see that she is a strong willed woman as she is still running despite being covered in sweat, also she is quite popular. She makes her way through the corridors and eventually reaches where she needs to be. She enters the room at a steady pace and takes a look around and when she looks towards the camera, she stops and looks shocked.


Thriller codes and conventions




Camerawork
When we are outside there are lots of wide shots showing the audience where we are and what is going on


Mise-En-Scene
Lots of trees, mist and white cloud. Bottom right of the screen there is a location so we know where it is taking place, but not the exact location which is essential for the storyline. The misty forest is a perfect setting for a thriller, the mist stops the audience from not seeing what's coming, which heightens the intensity due to the unpredictability. She then approaches a climbing net and presumably climbs up it so we know she is a macho woman. Then a man with an FBI cap calls her and tells her she is needed by somebody. She then calls him 'sir' so we know he has some sort of authority. On her way she passes 3 signs which say 'Hurt', 'Agony' and 'Pain', this could be 'foreshadowing' future events which are yet to happen in the film. Then there are many shots of her running towards the FBI building, including an establishing shot of the building to show where we're going. Once we are in the building there are lots of people around. Then we see a sign of a department which says 'Behavioural science services', therefore we know there will be some sort of psychology involved. After she has entered the room, she looks around and suddenly stops with a shocked look on her face.


Sound
The opening music contained diegetic sounds like crickets and eagle noises. It was also quite mellow. Some diegetic sounds are footsteps and panting.


Editing
The film fades in from black. There aren't many edits in this opening, there is mostly clear cutting.


Graphics
The titles in this film are black, bold and of a standard font, the audience can't miss them.