Analysis Of 'American Mary' Opening Scene

Overview
Above includes the opening scene from American Mary which uses a variety of effects to accurately create an uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience, as well as set a ominous tone for the rest of the film. The scene displays a turkey being sliced and stitched by the main character Mary.

Lighting
The pictorialistic lighting throughout the opening scene is very much artificial, hard and low-key - it's so high-contrast that it could almost be classed as chiaroscuro lighting.
The use of high-contrast lighting draws light from everywhere onto the object you are focussed on, like a spotlight, and it suggests that the object, in this case a turkey being sliced and stitched, is extremely significant.
The use of artificial lighting portrays a clinical and unnatural environment which is unflattering towards both characters and objects - creating an unpleasant atmosphere right from the get go.
The utilisation of hard light on the turkey clearly illuminates and sharply outlines areas of the turkey, which brings out detail and texture as it separates the light and shadow. This results in the imperfections on the turkey's skin being clearly displayed  - an unflattering look which emphasises the grotesque image being illustrated.
Additionally, the use of soft lighting on the character Mary's face suggests to the audience that we are only seeing a diminished and faded version of her - there is a lot more to this character than meets the eye.
Using low-key lighting ensures that a greyer and darker colour scale is illustrated throughout the scene, seen as there are many more pertinent shadows visible due to the key light being used which is less bright and therefore doesn't dominate the scene. This low-key lighting ensures that the scene has a sombre atmosphere and foreboding tone.
Additionally, the use of side lighting on Mary's face supports the interpretation that the audience shouldn't prejudge Mary as you're only really seeing half of her.

Camera Framing
At the beginning of the scene, only close ups and extreme close ups are used.
The utilisation of close ups on the turkey results in the turkey being magnified on camera - it takes us into the character Mary's mind as we are seeing exactly what part of the turkey Mary is focussing on. Close ups are known to be unnatural shots and therefore portray to the audience that something isn't quite right in this scene; it's unnatural and consequently creates an uncomfortable tone.
The utilisation of extreme close ups on the turkey create a dramatic effect as this sort of camera framing is not realistic at all and therefore very artificial. It's generally beyond what humans would experience in reality and no background detail is seen, forcing the audience to look at the turkey being sliced from an unpleasantly close position.

Camera Angles
The beginning of the scene depicts an object being sliced from a high camera angle. The use of a high angle makes the audience feel above and more powerful than the object on camera. The high camera angle also creates the impression that the audience is viewing the object from the characters perspective - seen as you can see her hands emerging from behind the camera in order to dissect the turkey. This suggests that the character in the scene is superior to the objects on camera, which were some tools and what is later discovered to be a turkey, and suggests that the turkey and tools are at the will of the character, soon revealed to be Mary.
Later in the scene, when Mary's face is first seen, the camera angle switches to become eye-level. This, in addition to the object being revealed as a turkey rather than a human, creates a more relatable and realistic tone. It asserts that there is no hierarchy between the character, Mary, and the audience - they're all equals.

Camera Movement
Within the opening scene, the director has decided to move the camera with the action rather than editing. This is displayed when the camera tilts upwards to reveal Mary, rather than simply cutting to an image of her. This causes a build-up of anticipation as to who the first character to be revealed will be. Additionally, it makes the action seem slower as it takes several seconds for the moving camera shot to be effective. This, in contrast to fast-paced shot transitions, creates a more relaxed and tranquil tone to the scene, rather than an energetic and pulsating atmosphere.

Editing
Continuity editing has been used and has, as a result, made the action flow smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies, therefore establishing a sense of story for the viewer. In addition to continuity editing, montage editing has also been used, to an extent. This is exhibited through the editing together of many brief shots of the turkey being sliced. This visual design creates an emotionally disturbing impact.

Conventions of Body Horror
Body Horror is, by definition, a form of horror fiction in which the horror is predominantly derived from the 'graphic destruction or degeneration of the body.' All body horror hinges upon 'the primal fear of the uncanny valley*, deformity, parasites, contamination, the ravages of disease and the aftermath of bodily injury.'

*Uncanny Valley = refers to the graph on which the X axis displays human similarity and the Y axis illustrating human familiarity. The drop before reaching 'human normal' is the uncanny valley.

Conventions of a Film Opening
In film openings, there tends to be an array of generic and stereotypical conventions that are more often than not met. I have listed some of them below.

• Introduced to a key character
• Establishing shot used
• Film title and studio production introduced - gives the audience an insight into the genre of the film (as does iconography)
• Enigma - usually leaves the audience asking many questions about the film making them want to watch more
• Non diegetic sounds - to set the mood

Sometimes the conventions of film openings are broken and the following may be included:

• Narration
• Information - text perhaps to give the audience background information

It's extremely important not to get mixed up between film openings and trailers, however. Trailers release selected details to advertise and publicise a new film, broadcast or proposal. Film openings on the other hand set the scene and introduce characters and the film genre, etc.

Mise En Scene
Throughout the majority of the scene, the only mise en scene visible is the turkey itself and tools used for the dissection of the turkey. However, at the very end of the scene, when Mary is revealed, the room is shown. In the room, right in front of the camera, a cage is displayed. Cages represent captivity and loss of freedom and could foreshadow how, later in the film, Mary becomes trapped - however, it is not yet apparent whether this loss of liberation is physical or mental. There are also some open books displayed that suggest Mary is intellectual, and in the background there are dirty plates which could be interpreted as a sign of Mary's disorganisation. The turkey shown throughout the scene is sliced using a scalpel, an instrument of surgery that requires precision and a steady hand. This immediately implants the idea that the remainder of the film with be centered around the body horror created as a result of a surgeon. It also depicts how Mary is not fazed by visceral images suggesting that she may be the said surgeon creating horror at a later stage in the film.

Sound
The opening scene exhibits non-diegetic, contrapuntal classical music when the object on camera is being sliced open. The music is slow and rhythmic, synchronised to the characters hand movements, suggesting to the audience that the character, Mary, knows what she is doing and is relaxed. It also makes the audience feel relatively tranquil in a situation in which they should be feeling on edge and perhaps even disgusted. This reflects and foreshadows the idea that the rest of the movie will entail a twisted sense of calm in disturbed situations.