27th November 2016

Clip Analysis: The Silence of the Lambs

In the trailer of The Silence of the Lambs, how do the Micro-elements combine to create meaning and build tension?

In the clip of "The Silence of the Lambs", the trailer effectively builds intensity due to the recurring use of quick changes of close-up shots, with some scary or uncomfortable sounds to accompany it. Take for example the opening seconds with the ORION logo where Lecter's big close-up shot suddenly appears and vanishes shortly. The scary stare he gives towards the camera directly may intimidate the audience and make them feel uncomfortable. Also, the shot appears very quickly with a sharp "stick hitting a metal" sound effect that scares and gets the audiences' attention. This may implant the picture of Lecter into their minds within 2 seconds into the trailer without any information whatsoever.

Once again, the big-close up of the Detective and Barny the prison manager makes the experience more personal. After the shock the audience received in the opening seconds, the use of the close-ups and speaking directly to the camera would make the dialogue more important and believable, this would achieve the audiences to be in the position of the victim without knowing what will happen beforehand. This builds anticipation and curiosity that eventually shapes into tension, with the non-diegetic sound of the cello playing a sustained and unchanging note since the start, this accentuates the idea of nothing changing but the sense of something coming.

The contrast shown when agent Clarice Starling speaks back to the detective to how she is "not yet" spooked out by Lecter, is overflown into a following shot with a quick cut of Barny closing a metal bar gate, locking Starling into the long corridor where Lecter awaits her. The diegetic sound of the door once again creates that similar to the ones in the opening close-up shots of Hannibal. This reminds the audience of Lecter, and they may recall his spooky and haunting look that is implanted in their minds by the Micro-elements of sudden shot change and unusual sounds. Having Starling now behind bars and only a few feet away from Lecter provides the tension and startles the audience even more. Cleverly, the jail bars cover Starling's body and the camera positions her to the left- almost out of the frame. This may hint the meaning of her sense of being trapped and how the audience can't save her. The somewhat awkward positioning may also symbolize how she does not have stability and control in this situation. Upon this factor, the intensity would be doubled by the fear and worry of what's to come.

When Barny advises Starling as she gets ready to confront Lecter, he tells her to "not worry" and that he'll "be watching". Ironically, the audience is conventionally supposed to be in Barny's role to watch what will happen to Clarice and to ultimately feel somewhat secure. The irony thickens and intensity doubles as the shot changes to Starling's point of view angle, with Barny, once again, talking directly to the (camera) audience behind metal bars in center position and brighter lighting to symbolize higher security and stability; of which Starling does not yet have. 

Once the gate doors open, the non-diegetic sound effect of a chime plays with the gate's movement. This leaves Starling exposed to the danger. Questionably, the sound of the chimes are somewhat ambitious, so it may paint further suspicion and insecurity that the audiences are trying to reach. The voice-over of a narrator with a low and serious timbre grows the mood of uncertainty even more, added with the short sentence of "A killer is on the loose".

The following sequence of when the detective describes the killer of how "he shoots them, skins them, and dumps them" is accompanied by quick shots of a man doing what a woman would do at a dressing table. The rule of three is effectively used here, as each time the detective says what he did, it is interrupted by a quick extreme close-up shot with eerie and sudden noises similar to that of Lecter's in the opening.

Upon Lecter's first full-body appearance in his glass cell, the Mise-En scene of a dead-looking blue suit and a brick wall creates the composition that contrasts to what is conventionally perceived to be a messy, bloody and dirty serial killer. The calm and focused stare he gives at the camera with his lack of colour may hint meaning of a cold and calculating psychopath. The wrong misconception of what Lecter would have looked like may have proven audiences wrong to the control they think they have- Hannibal Lecter is not predictable. This increases the insecurity and may make audiences feel uncomfortable. Another quick shot is used in a "call-response" manner as Lecter takes a first look at agent Starling arriving, that suddenly cuts to an edited shot of Hannibal's ghastly stare with red moving lines and painful noises, before even speaking a word. The detective's late words in a mid-close up shot of "Believe me, you don't want Hannibal Lecter in your head", after the red shot that symbolizes Hannibal "getting into the audiences' heads" just by staring may provoke the tension further. This may also hint and prove to how Hannibal is calculative, as he is a step ahead of the police- to get into a person's mind even before the detective warns the audiences, in vain. This may also create the meaning to associate Hannibal with the devil, as the devil is assumed to be calm, cold and calculating, just like Hannibal. The excessive use of the colour red in the "getting into the head" shot may also conotate not only blood, but demons.

In addition, the shots to where Lecter is seen inside a different cell reading a book, shapes the fear and intensity onto the audience as paranoia and the thought of being watched. The first shot of a mid-close up sees Lecter swiveling from his chair with a book in his hand to face the camera, followed by another mid-close up, now without the book, sitting up straight, and focused onto the camera with his deadly stare. Then, the last shot sees Lecter now standing with one hand against the metal bars, almost like tying to get out of the cage to meet the audience. This time the camera is within a tracking shot, desperately moving backwards from Lecter and his cage. However, a shot of an extreme-close up of Lecter's stare and disturbing facial expressions spawns suddenly. The use of the non-diegetic metal sound effect is used to give this surprise more of a jab to it, therefore increasing the aftermath that comes with this jump-scare. Within the duration of this sequence of shots, the non-diegetic sound of a violin is heard playing a high and unchanging note, that hints and gradually builds the mood of suspense and uncertainty. It breaks the moment Lecter's jump scare shot appears. The meaning created is to show how Lecter will always get to you, no matter which angle or how far you are.

Following this, a scene with a psychologist stating how it is "rare to capture one alive"- the reference of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who is a renowned psychiatrist charged for murder. This not only confirms to the audience of his unpredictable and calculative moves, but are also given the meaning of how Lecter is very mentally dangerous, too. This is achieved by the words of the psychologists stating "pure psychopath". These two words are heard clearly and isolated to imprint the piling and collective thoughts the audiences are trying to grasp of who and what Lecter could be.

The sudden change of mood takes place exactly when Lecter handcuffs an officer and kills him, which is hinted by his haunting scream. This shot works effectively well as for the whole trailer the audience have been exposed to Lecter in only subtle and calm states, rather than witnessing him physically active or committing a crime yet. The shots of a white bag that seems to be carrying a dead body that follows a shot of Lecter himself, associates death and him. This thickens the evilness of Hannibal as a serial killer and gets the audiences more terrified by what he is truly capable of, therefore more power is given to Lecter that compliments his sudden and unpredictable ways of when he strikes. To add to this, a scene cuts to a policeman holding a gun in an alarming state, and notifying the others that "Lecter is missing and armed" gives more power to Hannibal. This again reinforces the idea earlier of how Lecter is always a step ahead, and possibly able to read their minds when he "enters their heads".

Later, a POV shot is used of a man's arm reaching towards a blinded Starling in the dark, gives the ambitious mood the reach of a shocking and unresolved climax. This alongside Lecter's stare that is quickly edited to interfere the POV shot every milli-second accentuates tension of Lecter coming closer to the audience.

At the peak and loudest of the music and trailer, the title screen appears with only the word silence on it. This is followed by an extreme close-up shot of Dr. Lecter staring into the camera with no music or movement, and repeats the phrase "Thank you, Clarice". The gradual and messy build-up to an anticipated and desperate "boom" at the climax is instead the doctor himself, in silence. This once again proves the meaning of how the doctor is unpredictable and this reinstates his calculative skills. Also interestingly, the trailer starts with Lecter in an interrupted and sudden way, whereas the ending also ends with him, but in a calm and quiet way. This may hint to how he is in control and haunting- there is no escape from him once he's "in your head".