The Silence of the Lambs
The film opens with a mid shot of an eerie, branchless tree and the surroundings of the outdoors. It is a still image in black and white which transitions into a slow pan which establishes the location and teaches the audience about the surroundings and atmosphere. Several titles such as the production company and the cast appear on the screen in a bold, black, upper case font to signify the uncanny atmosphere portrayed in the film. The shot tranforms into an establishing shot of the wooded atmosphere showing the nature in a gloomy way. In the centre of the shot we see a blurred figure moving towards the camera, she is rope climbing and it looks as if she is struggling but has no choice but to go on. The character walks into the shot and the character suddenly moves a few steps back to create a method of tracking.
The camera then focuses on the expressions on the characters face by using a mid shot. The camera then stays in one position as the character carries on her hike, this depicts the idea that the forest has a hidden secret or a supernatural atmosphere.
The camera rapidly tracks the girl from behind as she runs further and further away from the camera.There is a foggy trail which creates the idea that the forest was an unknown mystery. This track then leads into a slow pan to depict the character climbing a frame, the camera starts from the side the charcter begins to climb and as she gets to the top of the frame, the camera works its way to the other side. Whilst it is panning peacefully, the camera catches the natural light from the sun which can suggest a sign of warmth or being safe.
The camera then remains stationed and the character runs out of the shot to illustrate the fact that she is moving alone and she is beginning to loose the audience which shows that she may feel alone and this could foreshadow a future event. For example, a kidnapping or death. A male character then runs after the female, the camera tracks the male to profile the character.
A trapped atmosphere is then created as the camera emphasises the height of the skinny, naked trees, this makes the forest look as if it is claustrophobic and the trees are almost closing in on one another. As the camera begins to swiftly move down, we notice that there are words on one of the trees which adds to the uncanny atmosphere. The character is then tracked as she enters a building.
An establishing shot of a building is then illustrated and the camera zooms in to focus on a particular part of the building to maybe portray that something was about to occur in that area. Following this, the location changes to the inside of the building as a pair of legs walk down the stairs, the camera focuses on a particular spot on the stairs to create a mysterious image for the character, the camera then pans to see the full image of the character.
A close-up i presented as she begins to walk someone, this leaves the audience in the dark as to where she is going. The idea of the camera having to keep on catch up with her suggests she is in a rush to get somewhere yet we are intrigued as to where. A mid shot of her entering a packed elevator full of men is portrayed. The doors of the elevator then close slowly and she is positioned exactly in the middle as it closes she looks stuck. Again this technique of the elevators closing suggests that she is trapped and there is no where that she can escape to.
A sign is then emphasised as she walked past. The camera focuses on it as it is an important asset of the sequence it tells us the location where the scene is set. The character then walks into a narrow corridor which again shows the idea of being trapped. The camera follows her to an office. Both her and the camera begin to attempt to acknowledge their surroundings, as the character begins to turn around the camera emphasises the reaction on her face by zooming smoothly into her face.
An extreme long shot of murder articles and photos of murders are seen on the screen. The camera then suddenly captures her observing the pictures and her curiosity. The camera then diagonally pans the pictures using close-ups, this suggests that something horrible has happened.
A side view of the characters face overpowers a blurred unknown figure in the background this creates an introduction of this new character. As the male character begins to talk, the camera lurks over the shoulder of the girl implying he is going to say something very terrible or negative.
Overall, the opening sequence has been building suspense and tension about the characters history and purpose in the story. The idea of entrapment is depicted broadly in this sequence it show that the character is stuck or closed in on and there is no possible method of escaping. The camerawork really compliments iscolation of the forest and buildings etc.
Cape Fear
The opening sequence starts with a stationary focus on the ripples of water which then eventually tranform into vicious waves becoming very rapid and angry. The titles of the production company and the director are depicted in small white font on the left hand side of the screen suggesting maybe a sign of peace or a ghostly atmosphere. Suddenly. the ripples of water stops and the water becomes what seems as an asset for a reflection shot of a type of bird flying independently, this represents the idea of freedom. However, it is actually a dead crow floating in the water which symbolises bad luck.
The names of the cast cross dissolve in and out of the shot in small font so that it did not overpower the actual picture. The water begins to ripple again and it then transitions into what looks like an abstract art form but in fact could be the sharp reflection of the water.
Up until this point the music is very slow but still mysterious, then the title appears as if stamped on the screen and the music changes into a very violent and rapid tone.
An extreme close up of a pair of eyes cross dissolve into the abstract art and then automatically fade out, this creates an idea of fear. Then an extreme close up of only one eye as it looks around this is blended with the atmospherical art, this depicts how scared and horrified this particular character is.
The screen refers back to the rippling water and begins to introduce more cast memebers. A face then appears in the water showing a very emotionless reaction. Then a blacked out mid shot of the waist of a male in dissolved in the water, this illustrates a very shadowing atmosphere and creates dominance as it looks like the male is about to harm the audience an dcommit a crime. The water then turns black suggesting a form of innocence being destroyed or impurity.
The screen then scrolls into a bloody red and a drop of blood begins to drop. A negative close up of a young female occurs on the screen to portray her being ruined. The camera then zooms out as she begins to talk directly into the camera about a past event, behind her we still see this idea of ripples and waves.
A close up pan dominates the screen, it portrays a wall of pictures and old history books, as this occurs on the screen, the violent and harsh music occurs again, this portrays a negative atmosphere.
The camera then zooms out to see the back of a man exercising in a prison cell, we can tell that this is a prison cell as the character is exercising in between bars. The door opens and he then walks out which suggests he is being let out of jail. As the character walks out of the jail the camera tracks his journey out of the jail and the character walks out with pride and dominance.
An establishing shot of the character free out of the jail is then presented, as you can see we can see the weather is grey and very dull, this reflects the idea that something bad is about to take place or evil has been set free.
Overall, the opening sequence creates tension as the idea of impurity dominates the sequence. The dead crow foreshadows the release of the fugative and the problems which will occur due to this.
