"The Interpreter" Thriller Opening

The Interpreter - 2005

MISE EN SCENE

When the female protagonist starts to run to escape the corridors she runs through seem never ending and repetitive as if she is lost. This is achieved by minimal use of props in the corridors so the mind can't landmark upon certain props in the corridors. This minimal use involves the audience in her escape and they feel lost also.

ABOVE: Minimal use of props makes the audience feel lost with the character

When it cuts to the second scene in the bar, the high-key lighting of the bar contrasts with the low-key lighting of her excaping previously. This suggests a massive contrast between the two places and characters.

The use of very dark lighting in the room the female protagonist is sneaking through immediatley communicates to the audience she shouldn't be there and make the audience ask questions as to WHY she is there and WHAT she is doing.

When she closes the curtains later on in the protagonist's appartment the lighting is much darker and thsi adds tot he fear of her expression when she hears the phone. The change in lighting as she goes from the curtains open to shut displays the change in mood.

CAMERA WORK

As the female protagonist escapes across the empty nightime car park a high angle extreme long shot is used to emphasise teh size of the buildings against her and emphasises how small she seems as she runs away in fear.

ABOVE: High angle XLS to show how dominatingly powerful the buildings are compared to her.
As the female protagonist runs through the corridors close ups of her shoes are shown to reinforce her escape and that she is running for her life. This will also engage the audience as they understand how scared she is and how determined she is to escape.

As the lights flicker on in the room there are also close ups on her face to show her expression change from determination to fear very quickly.

EDITTING

As the female protagonist starts to run through the endless corridors and stairwells the amount of cuts increase and simple straight cuts are used effectivly to communicate her speed. A straight cut is the most appropriate cut for this sequence as a fade or wipe would suggest time has passed and wouldn't communicate her speed or pace as well as a straight cut which is immediate.

An eye line match is constructed as we see from her P.O.V of the rows of seats in the building she is sneaking into. This subjective eye line match allows us to engage with teh character instead of simply watching her and to engage with her at this point is important as the audience will need to feel the rush of escape when the protagonist starts to run as well.

BELOW: Eye line match helps us to engage with the female protagonoist

Match on action is used several times in her escape sequence as she drives herself through doors and this further simulates that we are following her out fo the building.

SOUND

The voice on the radio that comes in insid ethr oom is loud to show that this voice is important and so that the audience realise the voice is in another language. The voice is also quite sinister as we hear the crackling foreign voice through the radio but no character of whom the voice could be coming from on screen. This creates a sinister mood to the loud radio voice and alienate sthe audience.

The non-diagetic sound track is beating loud orchestra drums that could be used to replicate her heart rate racing as she escapes through the doors. However just before the non diagetic soundtrack begins we only hear silence and thsi silence allows us to hear her heavy breathing which humanises the female protagonist and communicates the fear running through her.

As the protagonist runs through the corridors her footsteps are loud echoing through the corridors and yet again this is to emphasise her escape.

At the end of the first scene a sound bridge is used intot he next scene in the bar. The music being played in the bar soundbridges over from the XLS of the protagonists running through the car park. This sound bridge is used to show that these two characters are linked but the upbeat Beatles track seems incongruous and juxtapoises with the previous escape sequence.

George