section 2: reasearch into examples of comparable media products

Silence Of theLambs

narrative structure - at the very beginning there is no talking, the girl is clearly out of breath, so all the viewers can hear from her is heavy breathing. when the man turns up he isn't friendly or warm, he gives her orders and she follows them immediately, its all very professional and there are no questions asked. she calls him "sir". the linear structure in the sequence fits a thriller, as they are not usually confusing for the viewers at the start.
thriller codes and conventions - the music is all tense and loud, so loud that it sometimes goes over the girl breathing and the sounds of the forest around her, giving the audience a sense that something is going to happen. the forest is foggy and dense, hard to see through the fog, and she appears to be on her own. the theme of difficult obstacles all the way through is signified by her taking an obstacle course at the very beginning. the mist in the forest gives an eerie effect, and puts the audience on edge from the very start. she is also an ordinary person, and doesn't fit the stereotype of someone who is training for the FBI. she is small and a woman, which makes the viewers like her because she is what can be seen as an underdog.
camera work/cinematography - the cameras all the way through the introduction are brought forward so it seems as though your following her, which gives the sense that someone IS following her. even when you enter the building, the camera is still always focused on her and where she is going. tracking shots are used, and establishing shots to orientate the viewers are used so that the audience know where they are.
mise-en-scene - at the start, the wood, trees, climbing frame, ropes, which all suggest some sort of obstacle course. she is wearing sweat clothes, which are sweaty and she is out of breath, shows whatever she is doing is hard and intense work. all the people on the course are basically men, there are few women when she enters the building. she is found to be training alone at the start, which shows she is independent and isn't with the rest of the team, is different. the mist covers up most of the scene, which links into partial vision for the viewers. once she overcomes the obstacle it becomes lighter, as it would if it was a real life obstacle. the outfit shes wearing is not feminine, the building looks professional and the audience can tell its some sort of training center because of all the matching uniforms and guns etc around.
sound - natural nature sounds of the forest and the birds are underneath the louder sound of the tense music. as she gets closer to the building the sound of guns, whistles being blown, and training camp noises. there is a sound bridge with the tense loud music which links both the forest and the building together. the use of strong loud music at the start builds the tension from the very beginning. there is a big change in sound when she gets from outside to inside, shows the difference in the training side and the professional side. the steady beat of the music all the way through the scene; heartbeat.
editing - there are hardly any cuts, as the viewers are meant to be focusing on her journey and how hard it is. the camera is tracking her all the way through. even when more people enter the shot, the camera never loses her. fewer edits once shes inside. when she enters the office an eye line match is used between her and the wall, so the audience is made to think something is on the wall, also it shows her attention is increasing the amount of times it cuts back to her and then the wall.
graphics - the credits at the start are all in bold black, outlined with white and they have red shadows. nothing is in lowercase, so they are very obvious. also they take up most of the screen when they appear, but at significant parts of the scene, the credits are paused until a less important part comes on the screen.