Analysis of the Opening Sequence of 'Brick'

The camerawork in the opening sequence of 'Brick' hides information from the viewer through the use of extreme close-ups. This is seen with the second shot when the audience is shown a shot of the main character's face. This shot is followed by various shots of the dead girl. The use of extreme close-ups shows detail in one part of an object or character but also withholds information from the viewer. The audience begin to ask questions such as "What has happened to the girl?" and "Did he have anything to do with her death?" These questions encourage the audience to keep watching to find out the answers. The hair over the girl's face hides her identity and the audience do not see who she is until later on in the film. The audience can not see the boy's face because his hand covers the majority of his face as he covers it in shock. This keeps the audience 'in the dark' about who he is, creating a feeling of mystery for the audience.

The editing in the opening sequence of 'Brick' shows the audience that the first character that they see is shocked about the fact that he has found the girl dead. This is shown by the use of eyeline match editing.

The title in the opening sequence of 'Brick uses a serif font which shows the audience that 'Brick' is a serious film. The white font against the black background shows the contrast between two atmospheres. At first when the audience hear the music, they think that the atmosphere is quite peaceful until the first shot of the gutter and the main character's shoes is shown. The audience then know that this film is serious and even a bit dark in the way that someone was murdered.

The eyeline match in the opening sequence of 'Brick' shows the reaction of the boy when he is looking at the dead girl. When the audience are shown shots of him, the character is looking offscreen and the audience want to know what he is looking at. They are then shown a shot of a feature of the girl such as her feet and legs. There is then a cut back to the boy, still in the same position. By using the eyeline match, the audience can see his reaction and they begin to guess that the girl was important to him, which they learn about later on in the film.

The graphic match in the opening sequence of 'Brick' shows the audience the sudden change in atmosphere from sinister to normal and familiar. The graphic match first shows the girl's hand in the water when she has been found dead. The shot then cuts to a setting which is familiar and quite comfortable when the audience see the school lockers. We know that the character putting the note into the locker is the one who was found dead by her bracelets. This makes the audience wonder how she died and what happens between the two shots.

The mise-en-scene in the opening sequence of 'Brick' sets the dark, sinister atmosphere of the film. The low-key lighting at the beginning of the opening sequence shows that something sinister has happened and this contrasts with the peaceful atmosphere that we get from the soundtrack when the opening sequence starts. The audience feel uncomfortable with the first shots because they know that something bad has happened by the low-key lighting. Once the long shot of the two characters appears, the audience know that a tragic event has happened, the shot makes it certain to the audience that a character has died, but they do not know how.

The non diegetic soundtrack of 'Brick' starts off as quite a low-pitched, slow, quiet sound that sounds like music from Western America. The sound of bells starts at the beginning when the first shot appears. This gives the audience an idea that the film was set in the West parts of North America. It also tells the audience that a fight may have happened before the film started and the effects of the fight are seen by the audience when they see the long shot of the boy staring at the dead girl. The slow music enhances the atmosphere of shock and grief; the emotions that the boy is feeling.
The diegetic sound heard in the shots that take place at school in the opening sequence of 'Brick' was an example of a sound bridge. At the end of the shot where the girl's bracelets are seen, the audience hear a school bell ringing. This sound carries on into the next shot of the girl slipping the note into a locker. The sound of the school bell makes the audience feel more comfortable after the shots where they see that a murder has taken place. The audience feel comfortable because the shot setting is familiar to them because it was set in a school. The bell enhances the mood of being in a more comfortable and familiar area which is high in security and makes the audience wonder how the murder could have taken place. They then ask questions such as "What or who would have caused her death?" These questions would make them watch more of the film to find out the answers.

Brick analysis from LindsayB96