Research into cinematography - miss miller

Silence of the lambs policeman death scene

In this essay I will be talking about the use of cinematography in thrillers, cinematography is the art of photography and camerawork in film making, I have decided to use the death of the policeman scene in silence of the lambs as it uses lots of different camera angles within a 3:21 scene, the film is also one of my favourites and a very enjoyable thriller.







Panning-  At the beginning of the scene the camera moves across his desk, giving the audience a insight of the character and what he does in his spare time while in his cell. This helps to create a relationship with Hannibal as the audience know what he enjoys doing in his spare time, the audience can see his obsession with the female character due to his drawings of her, the audience expect a calm scene as the drawings are very detailed demonstrating the composure of the character, not allowing the audience to prepare for what is about to happen. The audience become slightly surprised that a man known as such a psychopath enjoys such a simplistic pastime, this camera shot is conventional to the thriller genre as it demonstrates the villain planning an attack on his victim. Obsession is a theme within the thriller genre and is something that will engage the audience into watching the rest of the thriller sequence.


Close-up - as the police are going over to his cell, this shot allows the audience see what he's up to. His facial expressions portray him as being can devious as you can see in his eyes/facial expression he is really focusing on what he is about to do and considering his actions,  as Hannibal Lector is unpredictable. The audience are in suspense as they are not definite on what he is doing but the audience assume he is an evil character due to him being locked in a cell, the audience begin to realise what a devious character he is, the close up is conventional to a thriller as it it is used to create shock and suspense as the audience are unsure what crime he has committed.


Two shot - as the policemen are opening Hannibals cell, the two policeman are shown in the shot. This shot allows the audience to see what they are up to and shows us the police officers are naive to Hannibals devious plans. The composure and facial expression of the two policemen as they walk into the cell showing no caution tricks the audience into thinking Hannibal is not as dangerous as he really is, this is the last time they are actually together in one shot alive. The audience are in suspense as to what is about to happen to them and the audience sympathise for them, this shot is commonly used in thrillers to engage the audience into watching the rest of the scene.


High angle - after Hannibal Lector has trapped the two police men, it shows the policeman is in danger and has less power than Hannibal at the time. The handcuffs symbolize a prisoner, therefore the policemen are in less power and essentially owned by the person imprisoning them. The audience are shocked at what Hannibal has done and in suspense as to whether he will murder the policemen. The audience begin to sympathise for the the policemen and fear Hannibal. This shot is very conventional to the thriller genre, it is used on the protagonist most of the time to show they are                                                                                  in danger with less power and are unlikely to escape, causing the audience to build a relationship with the character as they sympathise with them, also if the character does manage to escape the audience are shocked.


POV - while Hannibal is beating the policeman, it shows the crude details of Hannibal Lectors face and puts the viewer in the position of the victim, the audience see that there is no remorse from Hannibal at this time due to his blank expression. This makes the viewer fearful of hannibal and sympathise for the policeman. The audience are shocked at how brutal Hannibal is toward the police and how composed he is about it, the audience are in suspense as to what he will do next as he is free from the cell to walk around the streets among everyday, helpless people. The audience fear for others as he has brutally overpowered and outsmarted two police officers so will do the same to others with ease. The POV shot is conventional to the thriller genre, it is used for the shock and suspense as you are put in the characters shoes, meaning the shock and surprise are used effectively and really effect the audience.



The research into cinematography was extremely helpful, it allowed me to understand why certain shots are used and what effect they have on the audience, when and how the shots should be used for maximum effect and why they're used, this has helped me decide which shots I shall be using in my opening sequence, shots such as POV should appear in there.