In the opening of Usual Suspects the lighting is the
first aspect I was drawn to as it is dark and its only lit by little light
mainly from the matches that the character has lit. The close up of the matches alight suggest danger which is complemented by the
sharp sound of them being lit. A non-diegetic soundtrack is used over the
visual content which builds uncertainty for the audience. Diegetic sounds such
as water dripping is heard, the repetitive dripping is unnerving for the
audience as it’s frequent and loud.
A second male character is
introduced to us in the shadows which automatically creates a frightening mood
as we never see the characters face, diegetic footsteps are heard loudly from
this character and his diegetic voice is scary alone due to the husky
mysterious tone of it. A high angle is used looking down on the character from
a point of view shot from the creepy man, this gives the impression the man is
more superior and has power over the first character.
The props in the sequence
represent threat as they include fire, smoke and a gun. A close up is used of
the gun pointing into the camera lens and cuts are used to change location. The
diegetic off-screen sound of gun shots are heard but not visually seen by the
audience. The soundtrack continues to build suspense for the audience and a
fade is then used to change location. The whole sequence contains a good use of
continuity editing as It all flows well together. This is a fine example of a
non-chronological ordered film as the ending of the film has been shown first.
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