Brick Opening Sequence Analysis

We decided to analyse opening sequences of the coming-of-age genre and of an Indie style to find out the conventions of the genre and opening sequences, which we will later apply to our opening sequence.

Although Brick is quite a dark drama, it contains some coming-of-age elements and themes, as well as the indie style that we would like to replicate.

MISE-EN-SCENE

• The boy is wearing glasses, smart shoes, rolled up jeans and a fleece and he has curly, scruffy hair (suggests that he is a teenager, quite confused with his appearance)
• The opening sequence is set in a dingy tunnel – sets the setting and mood for the film (a run-down town, quite a solemn mood)
• The dead girl is wearing small heels, a skirt and bangles and has blonde hair – a typical, American teenage girl – this creates enigma (why is she dead?)
• The sequence ends in a school where we see a row of lockers – highlighting the fact that the narrative focuses around teenagers

CAMERA

• The camera pans from a dingy tunnel wall to a CU of his shoes (creating some mystery)
• There is an ECU on his face (particularly his eyes and clasped hands) allowing us to see some intense emotion (which is important in indie dramas as emotion drives the narrative)
• A wide, long-shot is used as an establishing shot, where we can see the boy, and the dead girl, and the dingy tunnel
• It then cuts between MSs of him (where we can still see his emotions) and CUs of different aspects of the girl, all telling the audience that she is dead – there is a CU of her pale, muddy legs and shoes, a CU of her hair being moved slightly by the water trickling through the tunnel, and a CU of her lifeless hand and the bangles on her wrist.

SOUND

• We hear some depressing music before we see anything on the screen – the music sounds a little wild-western, and includes some unhinging xylophone sounds
• A water trickling sound effect is also used, which is also quite unnerving
• Near the end of the sequence, we hear a school bell ringing, almost bringing the audience back to reality

• There is no dialogue or voiceover in the opening, and the audience are forced to formulate a storyline from the sound effects and soundtrack

EDITING

• Lots of dissolves are used in this extract, giving it a very dreamy feel
• There are a few cuts however, helping to quicken the pace slightly
• All of the shots are of long duration, allowing us to see the extent of situation and to fully take in settings and the boy’s emotion
• Simple font is used for the ‘Brick’ title, which is typical for indie films