Genre
Silence of the Lambs is a
psychological thriller. We can tell this due to the different factors of the
trailer that all work together to project the psychological aspects of the film
such as the use of various themes and stings to highlight the jump cuts to
Hannibal Lectre's face, adding to the thriller feel by shocking the audience.
Notice also how the themes and stings are a similar sound to that of the
jail door, causing viewers to associate that particular sound and the
character Hannibal Lectre, to being trapped both a physical and a mental state.
Notice how Jodie Foster's character Clarice Starling links well to the
theory of Carol Glover as she is the female character that is terrorised
throughout the film, yet survives the overall situation featured in the
narrative. Another theory linking to this film is that of Andrew Sarris
who claims that "genre is the idea that it has a recognisable style
that draws on an existing audience." This ties in well as the trailer
works with many psychological aspects that work well with the overall feel of a
thriller, providing for the existing audience of the genre. The
trailer also suggests violence as we see a variety of weapons, such as guns and
knives, however they are shown as both weapons and methods of self defence
implying the who the conflict is going to occur between throughout the film.
Representation
There are various
representations of people throughout the trailer, including a role reversal in
the female character of Jodie Foster, who has some dependancy on the male
character Hannibal Lectre. However, she is also seen holding a gun and
explaining how she doesn't "scare easily" showing how she can
take a more active role in the narrative. Anthony Hopkins' character
Hannibal Lectre has an almost father-like approach towards Clarice, giving her hints on how to catch "him". However, Hannibal Lectre is also considered as a villainous character as we can clearly see him locked up which makes him sort . This ads to the fear factor of the trailer as Hannibal is an evil character that is helping Clarice, the heroic character in the film according to Propp's theory.
We also see a diverse view on women as we see Clarice
Starling, a strong woman who is only tormented by Hannibal Lectre's
mind games. We also see the victims of Buffalo Bill who are passive
characters as they rely on others to rescue them.
Narrative
Throughout the trailer, we see the equilibrium in which we establish the main conflicts featured in the film showing that our trailer needs to be informative and enable our audience to understand a rough storyline that they'll be able to follow. We also see part of the disruption, showing the audience the main problem in the film in which the protagonists Clarice Starling/Hannibal Lectre are trying to solve. There are also various peaks featured in the film which create a suspense about the film that attracts the existing fans of the psychological thriller genre.
Audience
There are many different meanings and values the audience can gain from this trailer. The audience are confused to Lectre's character as his diverse personality projects an intelligent character that uses his knowledge for good and for his own personal gain. This causes viewers to trust the character, yet fear him at exactly the same time adding to the psychological thrill brought to the film.
This also links well to what the audience take from the trailer as we instantly side with Clarice Starling as she is an FBI agent, yet she consults with Hannibal Lectre and eventually start some kind of friendship. This causes the audience to feel uneasy around the pair as they are both on opposite ends of the spectrum, yet work together to establish a new equilibrium.
The messages that go straight into the audiences minds are the conflicts between Lectre, Starling and Buffalo Bill. This tells us who to side with and influences our ideas onto how the film will unfold.
As you can see, this trailer will cause the audience to stay active throughout the film as they show many diverse characters along with a multi-strand narrative that the viewers will have to concentrate on whilst they watch.
Media Language
Cinematography:
- The trailer features jump cuts that cause viewers to feel uneasy as they are easy to notice and extremely fast. Notice also how these jump cuts only show the features of the villainous characters, Hannibal Lectre's face and features of Buffalo Bill. This shows us a quick summary of who the heroes in the film are trying to stop and allows the audience to establish the conflicts that occur within the film.
- The trailer also shows eye line matches in which we, as the audience, feel like the characters are addressing us. These occur at the very beginning of the trailer, with the police officer asking Clarice if she "Spooks easily" implying to the audience that the film is a thriller. Another eye line match also occurs at the end of the trailer when Anthony Hopkins' character, during an extreme close up, says "Thank you Clarice, thank you." This adds to the fear factor of the overall trailer as it shows Hannibal's twisted nature with his eerie voice and emotionless features.
- The use of POV shots are used to show the close up of certain character's faces throughout the trailer, such as close ups on the police officer's face when he says "you don't want Hannibal Lectre inside your head" this makes a connection with the audience causing us to trust what he says, as he's a police officer, and taking a weary approach towards Hannibal Lectre. We also see that all of these shots are from the point of view of Clarice Starling, this makes us feel like we're on her side and experiencing the film through her eyes.
Editing:
- Notice how, at the very beginning of the trailer, we see the Orion production theme jump to and from a flash of Hannibal Lectre's face. This instantly makes the audience aware that the character that is Hannibal Lectre is considered a threat and is a character we need to concentrate on throughout the film. We also see jump cuts on the main villains character Buffalo Bill, highlighting the main villains in the film without revealing too much to us.
- Editing around Clarice Starling is mostly straight cuts. This gives us a feel of normality around her especially when it's combined with the POV shots from her perspective.
- The straight cuts featured in the trailer tend to speed up as it progresses. This adds a state of panic to the trailer which, when combined with the variety of characters shown, creates a trailer that has to be watched several times in order to gain all of the information available.
Sound:
- Notice in the opening of the trailer, we hear themes and stings as we jump to and from the face of Hannibal Lectre. This also occurs in the jump cuts for Buffalo Bill, helping the audience to realise these two characters are the main threats featured in the film. Notice also how the particular sting used matches the sound of the jailhouse door slamming in the asylum. This may be to emphasise how these two characters, especially Lectre, trap their victims.
- Lectre's voice is also a key aspect to the film as it is one of the most recognisable assets to this particular film. The voice has an emotionless yet eerie tone, suggesting how Lectre doesn't care about the events that are unfolding throughout the film, making the audience feel even more uneasy.
- Throughout the jump cuts of Buffalo Bill, we see a small insight to his life. Factors such as a feminine necklace, a shot of him putting on make up and a "Love" tattoo shows that he maybe confused with his sexuality or searching for an identity.
- Each time we sea Lectre, the background is either empty or a blur. This shows us how people are completely clueless to his past and he masks this well with his personality adding a mystery factor to the film.
- There is also a large amount of low-key lighting to add to the stereotypical expectations of a thriller. This helps to highlight each character as an individual as they react to the different areas of the trailer.
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