Usual Suspects

Nine Frame Analysis

Hannah, Charlotte, Daniel, Laimis

This close up shot is an image of matches being lit which is a generic convention of a film noir. The lighting is very low-key which emphasises the red on the matches and the flame of the matches. Red is usually a symbolic colour for death, blood and love which all 3 titles fit into a film noir.

This close up is a shot is of a man lighting a cigarette with the matches that have just been lit. Cigarettes are a well known convention for a film noir. The lighting stays low-key and all of these key effects come together to create this genre of film. We can also see glimpses of fire and orange coloured haze in the background. From these first 2 shots we can establish that the audience is of an older generation.

The bottom shot here is a long shot used to show the surroundings of the man, we can definitely see a lot of fire and smoke, instantly we can make out the genre of this film as a film noir but due to the lack of black and white, it is known as neo-noir.

This next close up is of a man being surrounded by fire. The lighting of this shot is very dark and the man is not so apparent, but the contrast with the blazing fire is a good technique to film noir.

This low angle shot is of a silhouetted figure and a major figure in the terms of film noir. This shot keeps us guessing of who the figure is and throughout the film.

This next shot is a close up of the rogue character with his cigarette and smoke is apparent in this shot.We can see the figure stood in the left corner of the screen as we are still kept guessing who the silhouetted character is.

This close up is a clever shot of the silhouetted figure as he is masked from the audience and is also wearing black leather gloves which gives off the hidden identity part of the film noir. The black leather gloves can also give off a sense of criminality and that the silhouetted figure is not necessarily a friendly character.

The camera keeps flashing to images of ropes and what appears to be explosive material. This close up shot gives the audience an idea of what is about to happen in this sequence.

The way the image’s colour changes from low-key to a burst of orange gives the idea that an explosion of fire has occurred.

This shot is used to conclude the opening sequence and leads to the main plot of the film. The close up of the flames is an effective shot and gives off danger. Smoke and fire is often usedwith film noir’s and today's neo-noir’s.