Opening Sequence: Textual Analysis

Mise En Scene The locations in the opening of Brick; storm drains, school corridors and a small town main road, are all typical of the thriller genre as they illustrate ordinary places being effected by extraordinary events, and gives the feeling of insecurity. The first scene opens with a young male crouched by a drainage tunnel, observing what appears to be the dead body of a young woman. The lighting is very low key and cold, using the darkness of the scene to introduce the audience to a threat. The boy is wearing glasses and everyday clothing such as jeans and has curly hair. His appearance connotes that of a typical geek, or shows intelligence while his clothing seems very casual and ordinary. His body language shows weakness and fear, because he is huddled in the foetal position. We don’t see the dead girls face, raising many questions about her identity, all that is shown is her blue bracelet which seems to hold some importance.

Mise En Scene Continued Next, we are introduced to a school setting, two days before the previous scene. We see a hand leaving a note in a locker and the boy receiving it. The setting shows that the characters are young teenagers. The lighting used in this scene is much brighter and warmer making it feel like a place of safety, however it is very barren for a school environment making it feel slightly unsettling once again. The bracelet on the hand shows that it is the same girl that was shown to be dead in the previous scene. Once again we do not see the her face. When the boy collects the note, he is alone. The fact the he is never shown in company suggests that he is a bit of a loner or outcast.

Mise En Scene Continued In the last scene we see the boy receive a call at a phone booth on a main road. He is once again alone. The area is desolate despite the fact that it looks like there should be a lot of traffic and activity in the area. It is daytime and the lighting is fairly cold and monochromatic again, adding to the lonely, abandoned feel. It can also connote that bad things can happen anywhere and at anytime. There is tension and hesitation when the boy answers the phone, showing that he is withdrawn and that there may have been a previous relationship between him and the caller. The girl on the other end of the line sounds distressed and frightened, kicking off some sort of event and showing that something bad may have happened. The call is interrupted by a black muscle car roaring past and a cigarette being flicked from the window. The colour and model of the car can be connoted with evil as black is typically a bad colour. The cigarette also suggests that the occupants are sinister as they are commonly associated with criminals or have negative connotations.

Cinematography Extreme close up of the boys face show his emotions of sadness and bewilderment. However some of the close ups also hide details from viewers such as the boy covering his face and the girl being face down. This is done to raise questions and keep the audience guessing about things such as identity. The long shot of him and the girl show the audience the situation. The low angle on the boys face may show that he wants vengeance for the girls death. The high angle shot of the dead girl can connote helplessness and that her death couldn't be prevented. A graphic match is also used between the first and second scene with the girls hand, this displays the contrast between the situations and how quickly something bad can happen.

Cinematography Continued A high angle shot of the boy sat on the pavement connotes a sense of helplessness concerning what is about to happen; it also suggests a lack of power or a weakness, which is common for protagonists in films. During the phone box scene a POV shot is used to show urgency in the situation. The panning shot as the car goes past can emphasise the speed and viciousness of the car passing and the close up of the cigarette can suggest that it is a valuable clue that will be addressed in the story.

Sound The soundtrack used at the start is a calm but chilling piece played on a xylophone. It is high pitched, slow , loud and distorted slightly. Its quite an edgy and unsettling noise that makes the audience grit their teeth. The calmness of it could reflect the scene as being the calm before or after a climatic event. The scenes after do not have much of a soundtrack but use strong diegetic sound to create tension. The dialogue is sparse but when its used is hesitant which creates tension and gives insights into character, for example the possible relationship between the boy and the caller at the phone booth. There is also quiet background music during this scene that creates tension as secrets are revealed. The loud engine as the car passes by is overpowering and crude, suggestive of evil or negativity. Another detail to note is that the first and second scenes use the school bell as a sound bridge, this shows the audience that the characters in the scenes are linked.