Brick- Johnson, 2005, U.S.  

The opening sequence of Brick creates a mysterious atmosphere through the use of Mise en Scene. For example, the piece involves a man just squatting for a long period of time, several feet away from a seemingly dead body by the side of a river or lake. The fact that this is the first proper shot we see means that it instantly throws the audience into the piece, and creates a very sinister yet mysterious atmosphere. Also, as the man squatting is not helping her at all,  this suggests that maybe he was the one who killed her, or he knew that this was going to happen. These clues persuade the audience to want to watch the rest of the film.



Also, at the start, an extreme close-up of the man's face can be seen. This has been done so that the audience can see his facial expression. His facial expression is of guilt and disbelief, which makes the audience wonder why he seems so guilty and even what he's guilty of doing. Because we have not seen the dead body at this point, we do not know what has happened, therefore the audience may even feel sorry for him.





Also, sound is used in the piece to create a melancholy atmosphere. The music played throughout the piece is non-diegetic. The tone of the music is very downbeat and almost depressing, suggesting that the something bad has just happened. it connotes a theme of death and mourning.