Title Research: The Silence of the Lambs

 Using the website www.artofthetitle.com this is the information gathered in the opening sequence. 

What titles are displayed during the opening sequence? 

The first title displayed during the opening sequence is the name of the production company that released the movie. The next title was the location of the scene the audience was seeing and was followed by the names of the cast and crew. The title of the movie was also shown followed by more names of the cast and crew.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? 

Images of the natural scenery were prioritized in showing details of the woods before following a runner. The woman who was running was shown both from close up and at a distance. Afterwards the audience followed her too and within a building, giving the audience more clues to who she is and where she is at.  

What connotations do these images carry? 

The scenes in the woods coupled with the background music were calming and slow. However, when the woman showed up running and the audience could hear her breathing everything was more hurried. The writing on her sweatshirt let us know she was in training for the FBI and her walking through the building let us know she was meeting someone important, but we do not know who from just the beginning. The part where she is in the elevator with a group of men in work clothes instead of workout clothes and is a lot shorter than them who silently start at her can tell us that she may not be taken seriously by them.

How does the film establish a feeling of the genre from the outset? 

The first things that gives a clue to the genre is in telling the audience that the first scene takes place in the woods near Quantico but since it is not an exact location there is still some sense of unfamiliarity. The woman being alone in the woods with the air being foggy also creates a feeling of being a bit uneasy and uncomfortable since all you hear is her breathing or the rustling of leaves from her running or nearby animals. The integration of music while she runs and the camera following from behind also makes the audience alert and feeling like something we don’t expect is going to happen.  

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

 The title of the film can appeal to audiences that frequent horror films since they point to something negative in saying that there will be a silencing. The beginning scene of the woods, with a foggy and eerie environment really makes up a feeling of being scared since we only see her on her own for the first few minutes. When the music becomes higher pitched and has a faster tone the more she makes her way through the woods and the camera follows her from behind the audience gets a sense of her being followed and being alert of any of her surroundings since we can hear the sounds of other things like animals also moving through the woods.

How has technology been used efficiently? 

The camera movements were used efficiently in filming the woman on her run, showing different angles and making the audience feel like we were following her smoothly. The music in the scene was also included efficiently because the tone and speed of the music changed as she ran faster and as we could hear more of her breathing. Editing software was also used efficiently in having clear transitions from her running in the woods on the course that was set up to her running towards the building and then walking through it. The audience was able to see her walk through several rooms and hallways showing her journey to her destination. The way that the titles were added to the opening were placed clearly and also showed that the opening scene was edited efficiently.