Task 2 - Research into existing products: Red Dragon

Red Dragon was directed in 2003 by Brett Ratner, featuring Anthony Hopkins as the infamous Hannible Lector. It builds on a series of thrillers featuring the psychopathic cannible as he manipulates and confuses professionals through his dizzying intellect and method of thoughts.
I will be analysing the opening sequence in several parts: The Opera House, the Dinner Table, Special Agent Graham's visit and the Actual Titles.

Opera House
Mise en Scene

The scene begins in the Opera house, with extravagant architecture, and an orchestral symphony playing to a crowd of upper class gentry. This sets the scene as an upper class location where people have highly refined tastes.
As the camera turns to a Flutist, you can see and hear him play wrong notes, his facial expression is annoyed, and when the orchestra finishes it's piece, he lays down his instrument and looks around at the other players resentfully, as if they were playing the wrong notes, not him.
However, as the camera focusses on Hannible Lector, you see him in central juxtaposition, surrounded by extras and wincing at the wrong notes, as if it is physically painful, meaning that either his predatory nature has given him inhuman senses, or he is very knowledgeable about music, and he recognises the man as an amateur. He tilts his head, as a canid does before attacking, this alludes to him being a predator, and the flutist is his prey.

Editing
In terms of editing, before the Opera House scene, there is a black background with red and white text, a single word being red and the rest is white, this alludes to purity being corrupted, the red text relates to blood, violence, and evil. Put together, the text already alludes to purity being corrupted by evil, while the black background already creates the idea that the movie is a thriller or a horror film.

Sound
The first sound the audience hears is quiet, eerie orchestral music, then at the scene cuts to the Orchestra itself, the music volume spikes in a rather shocking conjunction with the sudden light and colour. The only sounds that do not fit in with the music are the off-notes played by the flutist.

Camera Angles