Analysis Opening Title Sequence Brick

Mise en scene Lighting/Colour Location/Setting The image is dark, the colours are desaturated. It creates a creepy, unwelcoming atmosphere (typical to the genre). The colour grade is blue, it suggests cold and uncomfort. This lighting is used to make the spectator feel ill-at-ease. Location/Setting The story takes place in a city but, like in most of the thriller films, in the remote areas of it (isolated tunnel, deserted high school and streets, etc.).

Costume/Makeup Performance Brendan wears casual clothes (jeans, brown shoes and a baggy jacket). It tells us more about his identity : he is an ordinary student. The glasses he wears suggests weakness (the hero has a flaw in a lot of thrillers) and intelligence. Performance Brendan seems thoughtful, lost and worried. When he is looking at the dead body, he is in a foetal position which indicates that he has just discovered the murder and he is afraid (because he is a normal guy).

Props The bracelets are used to jump back in time, it is an important prop which caracterise Emilie and gives information about her without seeing her face (she is a young girl). The note and the phone booth connote mystery ; it makes the audience question and wonder what is going to happen (common in thrillers). Cars are a typical element in thriller films. It is associated with fast and chases. The colour of the car (black) and the cigarette connote evil and negativity. The watch adds something to the suspense and mystery (a precise and secret meeting).

Cinematography Tracking close up of someone's feet. Used to release the info little by litlle and make the spectator question (typical to the genre).

Extreme close up of Brandon's eyes Extreme close up of Brandon's eyes. First out of focus, then it focuses to show his facial expression. It keeps the suspense, the mystery about the character's identity. Wide shot of Brendan and another character. The darkness of the tunnel and the dead body connote mystery, fear and apprehension. Medium close up of Brendan. We can see his face but it's partly hidden by his hand. It makes us wondering what he is doing and why.

Mid close up of the dead body'ls legs Mid close up of the dead body'ls legs. It suggests that there is a link between the two characters Close up of the dead body's face. It makes the audience wonder who she is, what happened to her and how. Close up of her hand on the ground, wearing the bracelets. Close up of her hand, putting a note in a locker.

Tracking close up of Brendan walking towards his locker and picking up the note. He is out of focus, we only see his feet clearly at the end of the shot. It keeps the mystery around his character, makes us question about who he is. Long shot of Brendan in front of his locker. This shot makes him look alone, lost and weak (because there is a lot of room around him in the frame, he seems very little). Extreme close up of the top of the phone. Used to give importance to what is shown on the screen. It lets us know that the phone is going to be an important prop.

Close up of Brendan looking at the outside Close up of Brendan looking at the outside. Used to show his facial expression : he is worried and lost. Brendan's POV. We can see trough his eyes, lookig at the playground on the other side of the road. Wide panning shot of the black car. Often used in thriller films to make an impact ; it emphasises the movement of the car and its speed.

Editing This is a simple continuity editing. The audience can not notice the cuts, we are then absorved by the film. Grafic match : used to make the spectator notice an important element in the narrative. Here, it is used to jump back in time : these are the same arm and bracelets but at different moments (first, we see the dead body ; then, the charatcer alive).

Sound There is music for the first minute. This is a slow, rythmic soundtrack (guitar and percussions). It sounds like little chocs on glasses. It can connote the fragility of life (related to the dead body) or the hero's weakness and sadness. The music builds the tension and suspense in this genre. At 1:00, the bell rings. It starts low and and is mingled with the music. Then, it gets higher and makes the transition when we jump back in time. We can hear background noises (ambient sound) to make the scene seem realistic. The girl's voice in the phone is really important. It suggests mystery : we don't know the character and we can't see her. It makes us question (typical in thrillers). The ambience is silent, calm. It make ther spectator nervous and apprehensious. The strong sound of the car breaks the silent of the neighbourhood. It is an intense and scary moment (to make the audience thrill).