Mise-en-Scene Analysis of Hannibal Opening Scene

Mise-en-scene analysis of Hannibal
The film Hannibal was made in 2001 by director Ridley Scott. The scene is conversational but gives the audience an idea of what the film is about. It shows the key symbol of Hannibal, the mask, at the end of the scene to show what the film will be based around.

The scene starts with a black screen with the opening credits slowly appearing in red. The writing in red could represent blood and death. This shows the audience that there will be death and blood in the film. The scene then slowly appears by zooming from the top left corner, to eventually fill the screen sop the audience can see what is happening. The scene itself is a discussion about Hannibal Lecter. The scene then becomes a negotiation over a package in a pink box. At the end of the scene a mask is shown on the screen, which then fades to a black screen again with the title ‘Hannibal’ written in red letters. This would show the audience that this name also represents death and blood in the film.

At the beginning of the scene there is a simple extra diegetic sound of a piano playing over the scene throughout. After 5 seconds the dialogue starts, this is the only diegetic sound used in the scene, with the extra diegetic sound of the piano still playing. The sound gives of a calm impact on the audience, as if it is settling the audience down into the film. There is extra diegetic sound because the music is being played in the background of the scene. The music could also be diegetic sound though, because we can’t really see if anything is being played in the scene so it could be diegetic sound. The only diegetic sound in the scene is the dialogue between the two characters. The music could be diegetic but as an audience member you can’t see if the music is being played in the scene. Dialogue is used 5 seconds into the scene because it is mainly a conversation between the two characters. This gives the audience the chance to find out what they are talking about at the beginning and it also sets the scene for the rest of the film. The dialogue is key because it doesn’t make the audience really think about what is going on so it will make them more aware later on in the film when there is a scary part.

The 3 men in the scene are wearing suits. This shows that they probably businessmen that are negotiating or discussing. The majority of the clothes being worn are dark. The colour of the characters clothes could represent what the character is. The dark clothes could show that they are evil or that they just have a dark side to them. The character in the wheelchair is wearing a yellow tie which could represent that he has a brighter side to him and that he could be good in some part of the film, but because the majority of his clothes are dark, it could show that his personality is dominated by evil. The clothes show the era that the film was set in because the clothes are modern. They are all wearing suits, and the set around them also shows the audience that they are watching a film set in modern day. The costumes don’t really impact they audience because they are normal clothes for the time when the film was made (2001). So the only impact the costumes could have is that this film is taking place in modern day.

The lighting in the scene is hard. There are lots of dark shadows that give the scene an eerie feel to it. This could make the audience feel as if they are not meant to be in the room and acting as if they are a ‘fly on the wall’ listening to conversation. There is some soft lighting because it gives the room a more homely, relaxed feel so it makes the conversation seem a lot calmer and makes the conversation seem more like a business conversation. The main light comes from three different areas; there are two lampshades, one in the foreground, and one in the background giving off light. There is also a large window on the left hand side of the shot in the background giving of natural light. This gives off a naturalistic feel. The characters could well be lit from a toplight but it is hard to really see if they are. There is naturalistic light used through the window, so the audience can tell that the scene is shot during the day and not at night.

There are many establishing shots used to set the opening scene. As it is a conversation there is also many close ups to show the characters facial expressions. At one point there is a low angle shot of the character in the wheelchair, this would show his superiority in society and also the conversation because the camera is looking up at him. The camera angles impact the audience in different ways, the establishing shot will impact the audience because it shows them the scene and also the characters involved in the scene. The close ups will show the audience facial expressions of the characters, and also how they are feeling. The low angle tells us the character in the wheelchair is quite superior to the other characters, this is because the camera is looking up at him, so this shows the audience that he is a more important character in the scene.

The scene is set in the home of a character, it doesn’t really show us whose home it is, but there is reason to believe that it is the character on the right, this is because of when he stands up and shows the package that was on the table to the man in the wheelchair. The set doesn’t really give the scene any meaning, it just shows that it is set in a rather large house, and it seems to be a business meeting taking place. We can’t tell if the location is real because we can only see the inside of the building, but we do see a realistic set that really plays to the eeriness of the scene, allowing a slight darkness to what could be potentially taking place.

In the scene the actors appear relaxed whilst they are conversing about Hannibal Lecter. Because the scene is mainly conversation, there is not a lot of movement; the only real build up to a climax of the scene is when the mask is shown. The only facial expressions shown by the character in the wheelchair are more of curiosity about the topic that they are discussing. The vocal delivery makes the audience understand what is being said, the deep breaths and pause of the character in the wheelchair once the box has been opened shows the shock of what has been revealed. The facial expressions of the character standing up also shows the audience that he wants to negotiate a deal over what is in the box. It is not until the very end that we see what is being revealed. The roles that the characters play are believable because the audience can understand what is going on I such a simple scene. The audience is able to see what is happening in the scene and also understanding what is going on, so therefore the roles must be believable.

In conclusion all the aspects of Mise-en-scene are used to create a rather calm introduction to the film. This pulls the audience into a false sense of security before the climax of the film and the horror beginning.