Brick Opening Title Sequence

Mise-en-scene Locations/Settings The first setting that the audience sees is a storm drain, the location looks very isolated and alone, and the tunnel is pitch black and appears to be very hostile, and gives it a mysterious feeling. This is typical of thriller genres as the urban, dirtiness of the drain shows the evilness of society. The next setting is in an American High school, generally schools are busy places filled with teenagers socialising. However in Brick the school is deserted and it’s unusually quiet, which gives it an eerie feel. And typically as a thriller convention, the setting will usually be an isolated place, to show the audience there is no way of escaping. Brandon is then next to a motorway, and again motorways are related to business and rushing, however, like the school, the motorway is completely abandoned and not a single car is around. This is very unusual in everyday life, and shows the characters vulnerability

Mise-en-scene Lighting/Colour The darkness in the tunnel is almost overwhelming and could resemble the darkness swallowing Brandon up, when he found the body. The film use a blue hue overlay, which shows up really well on the legs. This creates a cold, unsafe feeling, which is commonly used in Thriller films, to make the audience aware that the protagonist is in a dangerous society.

Mise-en-scene Costumes Thrillers use normal, ordinary people, who witness extraordinary things. Brandon has glasses which suggests that he is maybe a slightly geeky school student, who would maybe be seen as “invisible” at school, which makes the fact that he is the person has discovered a murder so shocking. He wears brown shoes which suggest he’s mature, and he also wears a watch which could imply he likes to be on time for everything, including lessons, which adds to his “nerdy” persona.

Mise-en-scene Props The Bangles are important because not only do they show the audience that she was an average teenager, who probably didn’t have enough money to buy expensive jewellery, but it also shows a narrative devise by showing the audience that the next scene is mirroring with her arm, and a flashback, to when she was alive. The cigarette doesn’t have positive connotations and relates with rebellion, In thriller films this is assossiated with the antagonists, and the fact that it was chucked out of a black muscle car, also implies that the driver is not person, as black symbolises darkness and evilness. The car suddenly appeared and violently accelerated which conveys a sense of aggression, maybe suggesting that the driver of the car and Brandon don’t get on.

Mise-en-scene Props (continued) The note is significant to the scene as It tells the audience where he will be meeting Emily. However at first It appears it may be a “McGuffin” and may have been place there to create deception, which is used by many thriller directors, like Alfred Hitchcock. Brandon Is in a phone booth which gives the audience a sense of secrecy and mystery as we never see what Emily looks like, and again shows that Brandon is all alone.

Mise-en-scene Actors Performance When Brandon is in the phone booth, we rely solely on his facial expression and Emily’s speech, as we never see her. When she says “It’s good to see you” Brandon looks confused and rather worried, as he knows she is watching him, this happens again, when she tells him she’s messed up. You can see the panic in his face. In this scene Brandon is crouching down in the Foetal Position, this shows the audience that he is venerable and probably very disturbed, which reminds us that he is an ordinary boy, experiencing an extraordinary occurrence, as he is so moved by it.

Mise-en-scene CAMERA AnGLES Usually the first shot would be an establishing shot, however, Brick does not use the conventional camera shots, and instead uses a close up of Brendon’s feet. This creates mystery because the audience does not know anything bout the location of the scene. When Brendon hears the phone ring, camera is tilted downwards to show inferiority, suggesting that the caller of the phone, Emily, has the power in the scene. A Point of view shot is used when Emily says to Brendon “It’s nice to see you”. This conveys a sense of panic and confusion because the audience has a feel of how frantic Brendon is by the shakiness of the camera.

Mise-en-scene Sound From the very beginning the film score sounds almost like tin drums, with a strum of guitar in the background. It is slow which creates a sense of sadness and isolation. There is very little use of non diegetic sound in the whole opening title which conveys a sense of reality to the audience. The use of silence especially effective when Brendon is waiting for Emily. However there is a soft hint of ambient sound coming from the trees, which adds an almost relaxing feel to the scene. The sudden burst of the phone ringing brings panic and unnerving feelings. A lot of sound effects are used to awaken the audience. For example the bell ringing has an almost alarming feel to it after the calm music beforehand. DL9o

Mise-en-scene EDITING These two scenes show continuity as they appear one after each other. This helps the audience to understand where the scene is taking place and makes the flow of the film smoother, as the transition is linked. At first Brendon’s face is out of focus, indicating that he has maybe been crying, and physically every thing he see’s is blurry. Or perhaps it suggests that he can’t get his head around the fact that he’s just discovered a dead body.

Mise-en-scene EDITING (CONTINUED) The pace of the film is very jerky and jumps across time periods, this creates a feeling of unsettledness and confusion, possibly portraying the emotions that Brenden is feeling. At the end of the opening title sequence, a black muscle car drives pass at a high speed, the editing is cut to make the passing by look continuous