The Usual Suspect Analysis - Thomas Herd

By watching the first two minutes of the film, I can see that the director has included many iconic features to set the tone for the rest of the film.

Firstly, we see several matches being lit in a big close up shot, this immediately puts danger in the audience's mind because fire is very iconic to danger. Furthermore, fire is a key part of this first scene as you can almost see it in every shot throughout the first two minutes of the film signifying that it is of major importance at the start of the thriller.

Another aspect of mise-en-scene that has been used is lighting. The low key lighting that is also iconic to thrillers, is used. This addition helps the creation of suspense and tension because we can't always see the whole face of the character sitting down.

In addition to that, the camera shots and angles have been chosen carefully so the audience never see the of the other character. This makes the audience asks questions about the type of character he is which makes him more mysterious and unpredictable about what he is going to do next. I also like the close up shot of the man standing up, looking at his watch, because this signifies to the other character and the audience that he time is nearly up. Therefore, when he raises his gun we know what is about to happen so the director doesn't need to show us everything. This means in the next shot of the buildings, it makes it more effective which is why I like that you don't see him getting shot.

Along with lighting, there is only diegetic sound for the first 30 seconds, this is to continue the uncertainty , which mainly consists of the fire burning in the background, this continues uncertainty amongst the audience and puts them on the edge of their seats. which continues