Red Dragon Analysis

For our second analysis,we watched the opening of the popular Brett Ratner film, Red Dragon. As with Se7en, we focused on specific points like Sound, Mise-en-scene, Editing and Cinematography.

Sound
The first sound that we hear, comes from an orchestra. This diegetic sound matches the mystery and wealth of our main character. It's pace is parallel to the intensity of the scene and clashes with the slow close ups of Hannibal preparing the audience for whatever may happen next. The sound bridges that connect each scene together make the opening flow instead of stopping and starting for every new scene. This gives the film an eerie atmosphere as the audience can hear what's happening but they are blind to what is really going on. When we move to the next scene with Hannibal in his house along with guests, we can hear ambient sound which is classical music again adding to the wealth and age of Hannibal. However this also intensifies the creepiness in the atmosphere as the audience know who Hannibal is but his guests are totally unaware.

Mise-En-Scene
The lighting starts off with being a bright golden glow suggesting the wealth of everyone in the shot however when we close up on Hannibal, the lighting changes to low-key signifying the evil inside him and the mystery of his past and how he became to be like this. The costumes that are used, for example: the suits and evening dresses all symbolize wealth and the class of each individual. Hannibal's house and the theater also support this. The facial expressions of Hannibal are meant to send a shiver down the audiences spine and the wince that he does towards a certain musician is like an animal hunting it's prey and with him being in the center of the frame, shows his importance in the film and in society.

Editing
As soon as the camera fades up from black, it begins to move slowly across the audience in the theater but as the music speeds up, so does the shot. This emphasizes the main character and his importance and the slow camera shot at the start shows that he is a thoughtful man before choosing his victim. This could again suggest that he is an animal hunting his prey which also helps the audience recognize the character.

Cinematography
Right at the start is an establishing shot helping the audience recognize the surroundings in the shot. In the house, a lot of tacking is used to suggest that Hannibal is an intimidating and powerful person, making everything and everyone obey his every move which is what the camera is doing here. On the other hand, two shots and eye line shots are use to show his equality to the rest of his rich friends when he is trying to be normal and calm.