Brick 2006 – Rian Johnson By Phoebe Farrington

Location(s)/Setting; The first location is the tunnel/sewer opening. It is very closed, dark and isolated which is typical of the thriller genre because it creates a cold and unwelcoming atmosphere. It also has a blue tint and is very desaturated in particular scenes to make those locations look cold and dangerous. This is quite a big contrast to the following scenes. Next we see Brenden go to the school lockers, although the area is empty, school is associated with being a safe place (there is also noise in the back- ground, so there is no silence). The lighting is bright and neutral creating a more light-hearted atmosphere that isn’t so intense. Lastly we see the street, which is an isolated cross road that gives the impression that it’s a meeting place to make decisions. All these three settings are used to show a contrast and arise enigma’s such as why does it start at an unusual setting and then switch to such a normal setting such as a school.

Lighting/Colour Stock; The first scene’s colour is dark and bleak, it also has a blue tint which creates a mysterious element and also can be seen as depressing. The lighting is desaturated and has blue grading Throughout the majority of the film settings. This is typical of the thriller genre as they want the scenes to look cold and like they are in dangerous places.

In later scenes the lighting becomes quite light and uses natural light, which represents normality and just ordinary lighting, which is a massive contrast to the first scene. The bright lighting could also connote the times before the danger and conflict started. Even though the lighting suggests it should be normal, you still feel an atmosphere because you are anticipating something to go wrong, due to how the first scenes show what happens later in the film.

Costume/Appearance of Characters; Brenden looks young, laid back and ordinary. His clothes are just average jeans, t-shirt and jacket, which makes the impression that he is very ordinary, which is typical of the thriller genre because the common person normally ends up as a hero. His glasses also maybe infer weakness and that he is a bit nerdy – possibly an easy target. This is typical as the protagonist often has flaw, and the glasses could suggest this is Brenden’s flaw. Brenden is relatable to the audience because he is just an average teenager and the effect of his weaknesses may therefore have an effect on the audience to side with his protagonist character. Emily is wearing blue bangles, heels, a skirt and a white jumper which all suggests that she is quite fashion conscious, feminine and the white jumper may represent purity and innocence. It could also reflect her age. It shows she is an regular teenager who is fashion conscious. Again it infers ordinary people which is typical of the thriller genre. Also her bangles are blue, and the colour blue normally represents the cold, this may reflect the blue lighting in that scene. The bangles are also important, as they identify her in the flashback to her at the lockers. This links to the purpose of the opening title sequence because it wants you to automatically side with both protagonists and learn begin to learn about their character as it wants to introduce the characters in the OTS.

Props; The note that falls out of the locker sets up why the phone rings and also sets up a mystery, to hook and engage viewers so they will continue to watch. Also the fact that the note is hidden suggests she didn’t want anyone else to see it. This is typical of the genre because in thrillers you don’t know what is going on because the plot twists and changes constantly. However, the twists only give away some clues as so restrict the narrative, to keep the viewer intrigued. The public telephone is used to create an eerie atmosphere, which is also typical of the thriller genre. The public phone also shows Brenden in a very remote location which also creates that sense of uncertainty which is typical in the thriller genre. We also hear Emily’s voice for quite a long time even though we never see her which makes the viewer want to know why we cant see her and why she is calling him on a public film – this all contributes to the eerie feeling of the public telephone.

Props; The black muscle car is typical of the genre because it shows wealth, possibly through crime. Because the muscle car is black, the colour black has negative connotations. It also signifies power, most likely of a bad person and when the car speeds off that they are aggressive. Next, the lockers insinuate youth, school and a meeting place. This is typical of the thriller genre because it shows an ordinary place. The cigarette that is thrown out of the muscle car also has negative connotations, and could even give possible clues to the antagonist who may possibly be in the car that the cigarette was thrown out of.

Actors Performance; In the first scene Brenden is crouched down, with a straight face and staring really intently. He looks quite troubled and worried. This is typical of the thriller genre because they always seem troubled with the situation they are faced with and the battle he will undertake. The girl on the phones voice seems scared and agitated. She is also performing when she is lying down and we realise she is dead. Because Brenden is looking at the body, an enigma is created to which the audience wonder is Brenden the hero or the villain, which then rises an array of questions about his character. This has an effect on the viewer because you begin to question his role in the film and wonder why he is there and if he has caused the death. In later scenes Brenden looks quite awkward and doesn’t really express any emotion, this tells us that he has quite a low social status. It hints that the character is flawed which is also typical of the genre. The effect of his awkwardness on the audience is that they feel sorry for him and therefore begin to understand his character and persona which is the point of the opening title sequence which is to introduce the characters.

Characterisation/Narratives; The characters in Brick – Brenden and Emily – give us quite a lot of clues to the genre type. Because Brenden is an ordinary person and thrillers always use the protagonist as the main character. In thrillers, ordinary people are often the protagonist because they are the least expected to be involved with crime and unusual things happening. Also, the idea of extraordinary events taking place in ordinary places is typical of thrillers. This links to the purpose of the opening title sequence which is to hook the viewers and establish the genre. Also the dim lighting in the beginning of the scene shows that the film will be of the thriller genre. Also the remote yet urban settings suggest what type of film it will be.

Cinematography; The editing throughout the opening title sequence is very smooth and doesn’t use any jump cuts. It does this to create a gradual effect, to slowly move from shot to shot and introduce characters and locations progressively. The shot sequence is mainly linear, however it does flashback to previous scenes to show the events leading up to that first shot. This is to show more about the characters and slowly introduce them as opposed to it being quick and random. Close-ups are used quite frequently throughout the opening title sequence to show us quite a lot about clues, characters and locations, that hints at the narrative without giving too much away. Establishing shots are also used relatively heavily throughout, to individually introduce each location, as the opening title sequence switches settings a few times.

Sound; The sound in Brick’s opening title sequence is mainly sound added post production – non Diegetic, such as the soundtrack used. The soundtrack in Brick’s opening title sequence is quite a slow, drowsy and ringing. It does this to match the slow transitions into each shot, in the opening shot sequence. There are no lyrics in the soundtrack to really add to the element of secrecy in the opening title sequence. However, ambient sound is also used, such as when the locker is opened and when the note falls and hits the ground. It is also used when he opens the note and the people talking in the background when he is at the school. Sounds that have been added post production include, a dog barking and the phone ringing. Foley sound has also been added when the cars engine is revving, to really exaggerate the importance of the car.

Fonts; The fonts in Brick’s opening title sequences are relatively simple and plain, this is because they want to give as little as possible away about the narrative of the film, which is typical in the thriller genre. They also use a white font, maybe to suggest that the protagonist is innocent and that connotes within the innocence and purity in the white titles.