Detailed Analysis on the open title sequence of Brick

Mise en scene His glasses signify intelligence. She is wearing bland and not very bright colours which shows the mood of the film. It creates a negative mood. The heels suggest she is mature, or that she was dressed up for something which could also set up the narrative of the film. The bracelets on her arm could tell the audience that her youth, that she is a young adult. The note to Brendan from Emily, gets the audience asking why she can’t just talk to him face to face, it adds mystery. Brendan’s outfit is also bland and boring much the same to Emily’s, again sets the mood of the film. His clothes aren’t ‘in fashion’ tells us about his social status.

Cinematography This is the first shot you seen in Brick where you can get any kind of clues as to what is going on and the where they are. It show’s they are in a sewer of some sort. Brendan is crouching down it can show his vulnerable state, and that he looks upset. A long shot of Brendan standing by his locker. You can tell his is n a school due to the lockers, this tells the audience the age of the possible main characters. The girl who you can tell is dead, it gives away the clue that she has been murdered because she’s been dumped in a draining sewer. Set’s the narrative that is based around a murder.

Cinematography There are several shots of Brendan’s face, the same shot but getting closer to his face, each time it gets closer you are then shown a close up of shot of different parts of the dead girl. For example her shoes and part of what she is wearing, you are then shown her hair over her face. Note how you aren’t shown her face which adds mystery. This is used a lot in thriller films. I think with each shot of Brendan getting closer and closer to his face means its getting to him more, every different thing he see’s of her.

Sound The first bit of music at the start of the film, is quite slow and chilling, it repeats at the same level of pitch and volume. It set’s quite an eerie mood when you see Brendan crouching by the body of Emily dead. It then cuts to a school bell sound, which sets the location which is obviously a high school or college. It tells us the age of the girl and also the age of whoever is getting the note who will be probably a significant character in the film. When Emily is talking to Brendan on the phone she isn’t very loud, her voice is quite shaky and it sounds like she has been crying. Gives off the sense she is in danger or in trouble with something. Brendan doesn’t give off any emotion in his voice show’s he is either angry at her for not being in contact for long. His voice seems to become more alert when she tells him “She’s really messed up”.

The white text in capitals on the black background is simple but effective, it adds the idea of danger with it being a dark background. Also the difference between pure and evil. White is seen as a pure colour where as black is seen as an evil stained colour, in films. The graphic match show’s a jump in time with the narrative. The shot before is when she is dead and the shot after is when she is alive. Tells the audience the start of the film is not the start of the story, more like the middle of the narrative or the end.