Abi Black's Textual Analysis of 'The Usual Suspects'

Both camera work and mise en scene are very important factors when it comes to filming a thriller as they both help the audience determine how they feel about a character and whether what is happening in the scene is realistic and believable. Camera work is an easy, subconscious way for the audience to conclude how they feel about a character. For example, if the camera is at a high angle and looking down on the character, we can usually assume that the character at this point in time if feeling vulnerable or intimidated within the scene. The use of mise en scene is very important in helping the audience understand as it helps to communicate a range of meanings, using settings, props, lighting, costume, make-up, composition, body language, and facial expression. Without any of these the audience would find it very difficult to decide which character is an antagonist and which is a protagonist. It would also be much harder to intrigue the audience and create suspense.


The first 2 minutes is all in one scene. The first shot is a CU of matches being lit, and everything in the background is pitch black so we are assuming this is a dark place, or set at night. There is then an MCU of the first character, who at this point we are assuming is the protagonist in the scene. The whole shot is filmed at eye level view, although slightly tilts to focus on the characters face, and has a shallow depth of field only allowing the audience to focus on the character and not his surroundings. From what you can make out he is wearing seemingly regular clothes, although he looks worn out and slightly in pain, or has had a struggle. The fact that he is smoking a cigarette reinforces the fact that he is possibly stressed out or has had a struggle. All this immediately raises questions in the audiences head-where is he and why is he there.


The lighting used is just enough for the audience to see facial expression, and we can assume as its night, the light is coming from street lamps or the natural light of the moon. Although the background is out of focus you can still make out that there is a fire, and this shows that something "bad" has taken place here.
Props used are the matches and cigarette but also from what you can see the character is surrounded by wooden crates. All the mystery of where this man is and what he might be doing there involve the audience and create suspense.


It then goes to a cutaway shot of a tank leaking either water or oil onto the floor, and the use of the dark lighting makes this difficult to tell. The use of this is so that the audience is intrigued to know what the relevance of this is which you soon find out. It is an LS shot with most things in focus so you get a view of everything in the scene, and the camera slowly tilts downward showing the water spilling onto the floor. All the way through the scene the continuity is never broken, and in the next shot you see an LS of the character with the background now if focus. The camera is at a slightly high angle, domineering over the character. The character remains centrally framed throughout the scene. It is then a still shot of this character, with him most upfront and the crates in the background.
The camera then shows a cutaway shot of the fire burning that he just lit, which is a midshot and the camera is "following the fire" There is then an LS taken at ground level of the fire coming towards the camera. This all helps to intrigue the audience as he seems to be in a flammable place and the fact that he has just lit a rope up which the fire follows makes the audience wonder where the rope leads to. In the next shot the camera then tilts downward showing the fire being put out by something from above. Again this intrigues the audience as to what this could be. Straight after this shot from a different angle the camera tilts upward revealing the mystery person/ or thing that put the fire out. You get an ELS of this character who you immediately presume is the antagonist. He appears to be a silhouette wearing a long dark coat and has a chilling presence.


There is then a reaction shot of an MCU of the other characters face, showing his disappointed facial expression, showing that he recognises this other mysterious character. The camera the uses crane movement to follow the dark characters movement down the stairs, the shot is very low key light, reinforcing this characters dark occurrence. As this character was standing on a balcony the location of these characters becomes more confusing as you can’ t tell where they are. The next shot is then an MCU again but of his feet walking along and past what we assume to be a dead body quite casually. The camera is panning along at the floor level. The audience then see a shot/reverse shot of the antagonist approaching the protagonist. The protagonists facial expression is one of disbelief, and in a state of shock lights a cigarette. Throughout the dialogue in the next shot you can see the "good" characters face however the "bad" characters face remains a mystery. The camera remains a MCU on both characters during these shots and also remains a shallow depth of field making the audience focus on the characters faces and what is going on in the foreground of the scene.
You never get to see the antagonists face only his upper body and so this intrigues the audience as there is an element of enigma about him. After this there is an eye-line match shot of the character looking at the other characters gun is his hand. After there is then a P.O.V shot in the protagonist’s position of the gun being pointed directly at him. After this You get an establishing shot of where they actually are, and the audience then finds out they are on a ship in a harbour or a port. Although that answers one of the questions in the audiences mind at the time, they still remain intrigued as the antagonists character remains a mystery and therefore creating suspense of what will happen next.



In the opening 2 minutes of The Usual Suspects, just analysing camera movements and mise en scene they introduced the plot of the story and intrigued the audience by using the classic thriller technique of enigma.