Mise-en-scene in Thrillers

'Snatch' Opening Sequence

During the opening credits of the film Snatch, the main characters are presented in a comic strip-like style with retro typography, hinting that the film is quite light-hearted. The sequence is cleverly edited to make it seem like one continuous shot.

The use of mise-en-scene helps reveal something about each character, such as their personality and/or habits, and that the narrative of the film is based around crime. More specifically, it gives the inference of diamonds or jewels being the target. It also shows that the genre is a crime comedy due to the aforementioned light-heartedness and stereotypical ‘gangster’ characters.