Task 2.1 The Silence of the Lambs

Task 2.1 The Silence of the Lambs Textual Analysis

The Silence of the Lambs was a thriller made in 1991, starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins and directed by Jonathan Demme. It is about a young F.B.I. cadet who is tasked with finding the serial killer Buffalo Bill. To find out how to catch him, she had to communicate and confide with an imprisoned serial killer, Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter.








The Silence of the Lambs begins with an establishing shot of woods. This is a setting that could foreshadow events from the film. The misty background could represent secrets or someone hiding. The dark trees in the foreground could show that danger is closer than it seems. It also hides the background representing that there are obstacles that will prevent the events of the film going smoothly. At the bottom right, there is text that says ‘Woods near Quantico, VA’. This is editing that has been added and it is white to contrast with the tree in the background. The light on dark could be a symbolic representation of a positive character in a negative situation. It is underlined to draw the attention of the viewer, showing that maybe the location they are in is important and one of the main settings of the film. The fact that this text is white and the title is dark shows that there is no danger at this point in the film. The titles appear in the order 'Jodie Foster', 'Anthony Hopkins', 'Scott Glenn' and then 'The Silence of the Lambs'. The editor has displayed the main cast before the title of the film, and this may be because the film is a not a sequel to a film and will therefore be unrecognizable to potential viewers. As a result, the selling point of the film would be the cast.The camera pans down once Jodie Foster’s name appears. This could show that her character is a catalyst for progress in finding Buffalo Bill.

The sound is all non-diegetic music at the beginning. The music is mysterious and eerie, which gives the impression that there will be something out of the ordinary occurring in the film.  The music slowly becomes less intense as we see Clarice Starling, giving the viewer the impression that she prevents this mysterious behaviour and potential danger. This is the first character we see in the entire film. She is a young adult, which the audience may perceive to be vulnerable initially, as we link being young to being inexperienced.

Clarice Starling then appears running towards the camera and then stops as she reaches the camera. The camera moves very slowly, building up tension. As she reaches the camera, diegetic sound of heavy breathing is heard. The reader may subconsciously link this to running from someone, due to the setting and music. This shot lasts around 1 minute and six seconds, which is very long, and the slow start is used to build up tension to something big. She then starts running away from the camera and it tracks and follows her. The camera could represent the person chasing her, even though she is not being chased, showing she is always in danger. It could also represent the past sneaking behind her and that it is always a burden she has to live with.

She is wearing a tracksuit and jumper. This shows the viewer that this is a jog and is maybe a routine, as she is prepared for it. This reassures us that there is in fact no danger. She is wearing a grey colour, which makes her blend in to the misty background, leading to the possibility that she may be consumed by the upcoming events.

The camera continues to track her through the woods and is more to the side of her than behind her when she starts to climb, which could represent that she is conquering her past. The camera stops tracking once she completed the climbing obstacle, reinforcing that she has conquered it. This could foreshadow the events of the film, showing that maybe she makes progress, but always has something creeping behind her and she completes her task and also shut out the past. There is then an establishing shot of the building that she is entering, which allows the viewer to understand the next setting.

Feedback - Miss Spencer

You have made a decent start Joe - using lots of media language and almost always discussing the meaning of the elements you have picked out. However you have not gone into enough detail outside of camera movement / angles etc You must also discuss editing, mise en scene and sound. Because of this your work is in a level 2. In order to improve you should:

•  Think about the questions below, ensure you are addressing all of them.
•  Embed JPEG images throughout you analysis (stills from the film) and a video of the opening sequence in order to illustrate your analysis.

  Study the opening sequences of any film from the Thriller, Horror, and Romantic comedy genre. E.g. Seven, The Dark Knight Rises, Halloween, Notting Hill, Love Actually etc. Analyse how the sequence has been constructed through its use of: Camera angles, shots, movement, Editing, Sound, Special effects and Mise-en-scene etc.

· In terms of editing how have the separate images been put together - Think in terms of frequency of cuts, fades in/out, jump cuts, dissolves etc.

• What visual images appear on screen throughout the sequence? And what do they mean?
• · Describe what narrative (story) is being displayed in the sequence from start to finish.
• · Describe what kind of music; diegetic/non-diegetic/incidental/ambient etc. is being played over the sequence.
• · How and what titles are being displayed during the sequence and in what order.
• · What kind of characterisation is evident? - Age, gender, relationships etc. 

Task 2.1 Adventureland

Task 2.1 Adventureland Textual analysis

Adventureland is a romantic comedy set in 1987. It was made in 2009 and stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart It is about a college graduate, James Brennan, that accepts a summer job at an amusement park, as his parents suffer a career setback preventing him from going on a European tour. He then falls in love with one of his co-workers at the amusement park, Emily Lewin.

At the beginning of Adventureland, two studio titles appear, MIRIMAX and Sidney Kimmel. Following this, the title ‘Adventureland’ appears. The title comes 3-4 letters at a time, which could represent that there is something that is put back together and, considering this is a romantic comedy, this could be love. The titles are light colours on a dark background, which could show that these characters are the light in a dark situation perhaps.

 While these titles are displayed, happy music is playing. The non-diegetic music continues into the beginning of the film, and transitions to diegetic music at a party, albeit quieter. This transition between non-diegetic to diegetic allows the viewer to be instantly immersed into the setting.The music connotes that the environment they are in is positive, but the reduced volume could show that maybe things are not as perfect as they seem.

 The opening shot is a medium close up of James Brennan in conversation. Close up is used to show that he is the main character in this film. The camera then zooms in to a close up, which connotes that he is isolated from his surroundings and moving apart from the person he is talking to. They do not use an over-the-shoulder shot for the conversation, making it initially unclear who he is communicating with which tells us that maybe this person is not significant in the story. . The director Greg Mottola replicated this shot for the other person in the conversation, which emphasizes that the awkwardness is shared on both sides. It also emphasizes the struggle to communicate with this person as they are in separate shots, suggesting that they are not connecting. As the lady walks away, it shows the back of James. This could represent that his emotions are concealed. This conversation tells us that he is struggles in social situations. The camera cuts very infrequently, showing that the environment is very relaxed and also that there is no action in the scene.

The protagonist is wearing a dark coloured shirt and a black t-shirt, symbolising that he is hidden and blends into the background. In contrast, the person he was communicating with was wearing a red colour, which shows the opposite, as she stands out. This also shows the difference between both characters.

When James Brennan joins the group, there is a long shot to include the whole group, this shows how easy he can blend into the background, but as he is in the center of the shot, it still brings the attention to him in a subtle way. As he is talking, the camera pans and follows another member of the group as he moves. This has hidden meanings, as it shows that no one is paying attention to what he is saying and also connotes that he is often ignored when speaking. This emphasizes the isolation that he is feeling.

Task 2.1 Mission Impossible 2

Task 2.1 Mission Impossible 2 Textual Analysis

Mission Impossible 2 was made in 2000 and was directed by John Woo. It starred Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott and Thandie Newton. It is about a secret agent, Ethan Hunt, being sent on a mission to destroy a genetically modified disease called Chimera. However, a group of international terrorists also seek the disease so it is a race against time for Ethan to find and destroy the disease.






The opening sequence of Mission Impossible 2 begins with an establishing shot of the surroundings. This appears to be a canyon of some sort. This shows the scale of the person in comparison to the surroundings, as he is very small. This connotes that the protagonist has a large challenge ahead of him and that he is in danger. The camera zooms into him from the establishing shot which changes the focus of the viewer from the surroundings to the character. This increases his importance. When he leaps on to the ledge, slow motion is used to increase the tension and show the danger of the fall. Following this, point of view shots from a bird’s eye view were used, whilst the diegetic sound of an eagle was heard. The eagle connotes danger because they are predators and by watching Tom Cruise it foreshadows that his character is under threat. The point of view shots switch from the eagle to the helicopter. The fact that this transition was seamless connotes that the character is always being watched. It also shows to the viewer that the helicopter may also be a threat and this is reinforced with the high-angle point of view shot circling the character.

Diegetic music is played when he is climbing. This music is contrapuntal as it is a happy song, yet he is in a dangerous situation. This gives the viewer confidence in his ability to escape danger. When he is hanging, the camera angle is high, emphasizing the height of the canyon and also that he is not in control. When he jumps to the other ledge the music stops, and then resumes louder. This can show that he gets stronger with challenges and danger.

The people in the helicopter wear basic black suits. This intertextuality is representative of agencies in movies. When listening through the sunglasses, the camera is an extreme close up to the sunglasses. This is done to show that the sound and picture is coming from the sunglasses, as this is something uncommon to the audience. When the helicopter arrives, there is non-diegetic music playing. This is a suspenseful soundtrack that changes the mood from a happier to a more serious scene. This shows the transition from his holiday to his work.

The title sequence shows a fuse, which could represent that Tom Cruise is in a race against time to do the job he is set. The title also has a steel texture to it, which can represent the strength and resilience of him. There is a lot of overlaying sound in the title sequence, which may foreshadow that there will be a lot of action and danger in the film.

Feedback - Miss Spencer