Sometimes instead of broad establishing shots, the scene setting is revealed to the viewers from Clarice's point of view. When she first walks into the home where the funeral is, the camera scans the room of men looking down on her, as though looking through her eyes and sensing a feeling of awkwardness. This technique is also used when Clarice enters the surveillance room prior to her first encounter with Hector. The camera again scans the room exposing the dim and eerie setting, and then rests on the face of the psychiatric aid giving her instructions. The two scenes displaying the most memorable usage of the shot/reverse shot technique are both conversations between Clarice and another character during critical moments. Whenever Clarice questions Hector, especially towards the end of the movie, the shot/reverse shot technique is used. This usage of the technique enriches the scene in two ways. First, it gives the feeling that Clarice and Hector are not separated by glass or bars, but that they really are right next to each other. Secondly it the editing also makes the conversation seem really intense, especially when the shots go back and forth very quickly. When Clarice is discussing the case with her friend Ardelia (Kasi Lemmons,) and they are about to solve the case, shot/reverse shot is used to intensify the moment. .
Crosscutting is another editing technique used by the editor and director. Crosscutting is used in both flashbacks to indicate going back in Clarice's past, which are stimulated by the case. The first flashback is brought on after her first encounter with Lector as she walks to her car, and the second is provoked at the funeral home. The flashbacks add to the film the aspect of Clarice's personal struggle, and they give the audience a profound connection to her. The most interesting usage of crosscutting is used at the very end of the film to trick the audience and add suspension.