The Maze RunnerBy Nasima

• The opening of the film displays the 20th century fox company logo followed by its theme music. The scene opens with a pitch black screen followed by diegetic mechanical sounds which can be associated with a lift. This leaves the audience confused as they can’t see anything but then we see a light going downwards illuminating the setting which confirms the elevator noise and tells us that the lift is going upwards.

• Suddenly we see a character gasp for air, with the use of low-key lighting the audience is immediately left to wonder if this is the antagonist or protagonist but it also generates curiosity which could make the audience hooked at the start in order to try and figure out the setting and the character. We can see the props used are barrels, crates etc this furthers the plot/storyline of the film.

• By now we can assume that he is the main character as he is first shown in a close-up. We see he is alone in the elevator like setting. The main character is glancing around as if he too is seeing this elevator like room for the first time. In a way this heightens the diegesis of the setting which the audience focuses on and gives some verisimilitude. The audience can also see what the actor’s costume which can indicate the personality of the of the character can also tell us the time, period/culture of the character.

• Then we see an aerial shot of the main character alone in the elevator which can emphasizes how alone he is. At this point we (the audience) is equally confused as the main character. This aerial shot also gives the audience a chance to get a proper look of the setting, we can see how confined and uncomfortable the setting is which can make the audience sympathize with the character.

• Then we see the actors face in a close-up and shows the audience the actors face which could have been a reason why they’ve gone to see the film. We also see that the character isn’t wearing much make up, this could be used to heightened the masculinity of the actor and/or to establish gender as men are stereotyped to not wear makeup/wear less makeup.

In the same close up we can see that he is covered in sweat, people normally sweat when anxious/afraid/stressed. This can remind the audience or give them insight to how he’s feeling. Also the lighting in this scene allows us to see the raw fear in his face.

As he explores his surroundings we learn about the setting just as he does which makes it easier for the audience to follow. Once the elevator reaches the top red lighting lights the elevator before turning green, this can give us an idea of the destination he has arrived to. This is because green can be connoted with nature and is generally the color of the environment.

• The scene then turns black and we hear the heavy, ragged breathing of the main character which could indicate how scared he is and tells the audience that the pitch blackness of the scene could be something that the main character is also seeing, this POV camera shot could be used to show the audience what he is seeing. Afterwards we see blinding light that fills the darkness. We have a jump shot that shows another close-up on the actors face, we see him adjusting to the light and take in his surroundings and the other characters staring down at

• In the next shot we’re introduced to a specific character who seems the most important, he stands out from the crowd/ he has been positioned in front of the majority of other characters, this is because the camera shot used to introduced him was a low-angle shot, this angle makes the character look strong and powerful. It then moves to a close up which shows the character's emotional state. From this detail we can see that he is very serious and calm. As this scene goes on we can hear non-diegetic background music that helps build the suspense. Once the antagonist (actor viewed from a low-angle) speak we hear a certain accent which helps identify the regional setting. From then on we see a lot of low angle shots and the reason for this was to emphasize how small he looked.

• Continuity editing then shows the main actor then breaking free from how small he looked and then running away from them as fast as he could. This could’ve been done to foreshadow character development. We see a mid close up of the actor that helps establish his emotions. We still hear the non-diegetic music as he runs which helps the audience to stay engaged. There's a lot of fast paced scenes which can remind the audience about the genre of the film.

• After he falls, we can hear synchronous sounds that contribute to the verisimilitude. It also creates rhythm and pace which can manipulate the audience's emotions. The actor begins to finally taken in his environment, once he does the audience too is able to keep up with him as the continuity editing allows the audience to see all the way around him and his environment. Once again this heightens the diegesis of the film and gives it verisimilitude.

We have high-key lighting to show the audience everything in the scene, can also be used to show that that specific setting is positive/good. In this scene we can see the juxtaposition of the high gray walls against the dark green trees. This can highlight the importance of the gray walls and leaves the audience curious. We clearly see the costumes he’s wearing and leaves the audience to figure out the personality of the character. After this the screen fades to black and the title of the film is displayed.