'One Hour Photo' Jamie Simmons

The Main Character:

• The opening sequence of 'One Hour Photo' allows you to get a very good idea of the main character, what sort of a person he is and how he is portrayed to the audience. The opening shot of him having his photo taken in the police station shows him standing straight with a blank expression on his face. There is a completely blue backdrop behind him which is used to make him stand out and allow the audience to take in his appearance.
• When he is asked to turn to the right his body language is very nervous and he almost turns the wrong way. This gives off an impression of timidness.
• When he is in the interview room the scene starts of with a long shot which appears to be used to show how alone and isolated he is in a completely bright white room. This shot creates an element of empathy for the character.
• His body language whilst sitting down is very closed in, he has his hands together and his legs crossed which again shows him to be a nervous person. However his facial expression and speech appear very calm and collected which casts a quite sinister effect on the character

The opening credits

• The opening credits come into screen as if in a film reel sliding through - This gives you an indictation as to what the film is about.
• Sinister music that you would associate with a thriller movie is played over the top of the credits, this is done in order to set the mood of the film.
• The writing in the opening credits are done in very bright colours and are put up against a black background which stands them out.

The setting

• The interview room is a very bright white and this is consistent in the whole room, allowing the character to stand out and highlight his situation. Also making him appear more sinister thus adding to the thriller element of the film
• Apart from the dialect between charcters there is no sound at all, this emphasises the emptiness of the scene.
• The neutral colour does not really set much of an atmosphere which allows the audience to make up their own mind on the character. The whole setting is completely impartial.
• In contrast, you have the childrens birthday party. This setting is very vibrant and colourful and this colouring is so deliberately contrasting to when they are in the interview room and if anything highlights the sinister atmosphere of the opening more so.