Analysis Of 'Silence of the Lambs' Opening

• The opening scene of 'The Silence of the Lambs' is a continuous narrative. This means that the story continues on from the opening. This has been done so that it seems like the audience is following the main character 'Clarice Starling' throughout.


• The first shot is a high angle establishing shot of the forest, the camera then pans down to the main character setting the scene for the audience. The forest is misty, which creates a more eerie atmosphere. This is a technique that many thrillers use and the eeriness is a convention which is again used in the thriller genre.


• It is clear that the women is running on an assault course, which could connote the fact she is a strong, independent women who can keep up in a male orientated environment. The women is portrayed as not being the stereotypical female. This is due to the casual tracksuit she is wearing and the fact she is sweating.


• Whilst she is running, we hear the sound of a flock of birds flying away just out of shot. The noise comes from behind her, meaning that something had disturbed them, indicating that someone was behind/following the women.


• Whilst she is running, a variety of camera shots and angles are used to create a sense of confusion. These include, close ups of her feet, her face (facial expression) and shots from behind her.


• A pan shot is used when the women climbs over a rope obstacle on the assault course, giving a full 180degree angle of the action.


• When the camera is behind the women following her, the audience feel anxious and suspense and tension is created because we wonder who is chasing/following the women. This technique is used further on as, out of shot, the audience hears a voice calling the women's name which again builds tension as we do not know who this person following her is.


• The audience is brought to an anti-climax when the person following the women is revealed. She turns around as a man comes into the shot and discover he is a member of the FBI, meaning that the women must be training for them.


• As the women is running back to the FBI headquarters, the camera focuses in on nearby tree which has the words 'Hurt. Agony. Pain. Love it.' This is a clever use of irony as this could easily be the villain of the story's motif. It seems to be however, the motto of the FBI, who are working to find said villain.


• The credits are block capitals whice are in bold black font that has a white border, they are also in the centre of the screen. This is done for ease of reading. The black colour could connote evil, as this is a very appropriate theme for this film.


• The scene is continually edited and the editing is slow paced. I think this has been done to show the seriousness of the themes within this film and the issues it contains.