Analysis of opening sequence of Triangle

Title: Triangle
Director: Christopher Smith


How the characters are represented and established.
When we first meet the characters in the opening sequence the mother, who is hugging her son is crying. We automatically see that she is vulnerable. We can she that she looks like quite a young mum and blonde hair (this is typical convention of a horror film). Like the mother, the son has also got blonde hair, this represents him as an innocent and vulnerable child. Just like the other two films I have analysed all the main characters in the opening sequence have fitted into this stereotype. As soon as we see her crying and the little boys face we automatically can tell that something has upset them and feel sympathy towards them both as the audience do not have a clue what is happening. She rocks her son back and forth which is a symbol of comfort, this straight away generates enigma codes. There does not seem to be a father figure around to provide safety for them so they are already being shown as quite weak. She also tries to reassure her son that everything is alright, even though she is the one crying. This gives the audience the impression that something is going on.

Enigma codes.
In the opening sequence there are lots of enigma codes;
what has the little boy dreamt about that is so bad?
why is she crying?
why are they both so afraid?
how did the paint get on the floor?
who rang her doorbell?
where are they leaving to?
These enigma codes help give the film suspense and tension about what is going on.

Editing techniques and their effects and camera techniques.
After we meet the mother and son it then cuts to a different scene of a different day. When the camera is moving along their street we see it as a point of view of someone but we are not aware who it is. The camera movement is extremely slow, this gives the audience time to take in what's going on. There are also a lot of cuts to different things, this keeps the audience on their seat and trying to work out what is happening but as it keeps changing quickly it is hard to do this and they are left hanging. When we see the mother walking around outside she looks very tense. This again, generates enigma codes and are very weary of the situation.

There is a close up of one of the sons toys. Having this close up makes it look like he doesn't play with these sorts of toys anymore because of a reason but we don't know what that is. Having set the opening sequence like this keeps the audience wanting to know what is going to happen in future events.

There is a fast zoom in of the mother when she comes to the door. This makes the audience feel like something is there and creates a lot of tension when there isn't actually anyone there. When she walks to the side of her garden the camera pans round from the back to the side of her face showing a long shot of the back garden. This allows the audience to see any movement from someone that the mother wouldn't see whilst talking to the neighbor. At the end of the back garden is very dark, this make the audience raise some enigma codes of is anyone hiding down there?

Sound.
The sound throughout the opening sequence is very creepy. At the start, you can hear beach noises (waves, seagulls). As there is nothing else going on apart from a black screen it makes you really aware of the noises that they are playing. This foreshadows to the audience that something to do with that atmosphere played in the background is going to come back later on in the film and something significant may occur. The same music is carried on playing throughout the opening sequence even when the mother is talking. The music is really light and soft and  almost like a childs song which creates a slightly creepy sense. It also carries on the sense of feeling sympathetic towards them. When the mother hears a ring at the door, the music becomes much less quiet with only being able to hear a few piano keys which contrasts to the camera movement and editing and makes the mood more anxious. A diegetic sound of the lawn mower comes in which shows the audience that there are other people around her. We also hear a diegetic sound of her breathing which makes the audience feel more scared when she breathes heavier. After it cuts from when she talks to her neighbor the music gets more horror like. This makes the audience think that there is someone around. After hearing the  sounds of seagulls and waves at the very start, we then later actually see them so now the audience are starting to be able to fit the pieces together.

Iconography.
The iconography in the opening sequence is the eerie music and the stereotypical characters. Normally horror films are seen as dark and bad weather but in the opening sequence of this, the light is very bright and the weather isn't bad at all.

Mise-en-scene

The mise-en-scene is pretty basic. The location of their house is not typical for a normal horror film, but the amount of space around the house could be part of something later on in the film. The use of props is quite important. When the little boy is doing his painting and then the paint is on the floor. This makes the audience have questions about it. Was it actually the boy? or someone else? And also the toy boat in the swimming pool, this also makes the audience ask a lot of questions.
The expression given from the mother gives the impression that she is very stressed and that she doesn't look happy at all. What has made her this way? Her expression plays a big part in the opening sequence as it leaves the audience hanging a lot.
Even though there are not that many conventions of a horror movie it there is still an uneasy atmosphere created.

Titles.
In the opening sequence the titles are being run throughout until after 4 minutes. They are very basic (black background and white writing) but having the contrast of those two colours makes it stand out very well. It creates the sense of dark and light which is represented in the film. When the title of the film comes on it is centered around the middle with three different effects of the words. This represents that it's all over the place, maybe resembling to the mother and then fades into one main one in the middle of the screen with block capitals. It makes the audience feel like it's a dark film which could foreshadow later events.

I think the target audience is for 15+ as from the opening sequence so far it doesn't seem to graphic. I think it would be for men and women but it effecting women more as it seems like it is based around a mother and a son.

Here is the opening sequence.

Analysis of opening sequence of Stephen Kings It.

Title: Stephen Kings It.
Director: Brian De Palma


How characters are represented and established.
Firstly we are introduced to a little girl. She is portrayed to be innocent and cute. She's young and has blonde hair (typical convention of horror films). And even before we see her face we hear that she is singing a nursery rhyme which shows that she is only just a little girl who doesn't mean any harm. The audience automatically think that nothing should happen to her as she is portrayed in this way but as it is just focused on her the audience already have a slight sense that something bad will happen to her.
We then meet the clown. Normally in horror films we do not get to see who the main 'killer' is but in this one we do. He is portrayed to be the one causing all the upset and horror in the film due to the scary over the top costume that he wear and his wicked laugh.

Enigma codes.
From the start there are already many enigma codes, for example;
what happened to the people at the start?
what are all the pictures to do with?
why is the clown the way he is?
what have all the children that the clown has murdered down for him to do it?
what happened to the little boy Georgie?

Editing techniques and their effects and camera techniques.
When we first hear the clown, we hear the the laugh is coming from the sheets. By having the sheets blowing in the wind it makes the atmosphere more tense and scary. There is a clear edit from the little girl to the clown and it keeps cutting back to the girls face then back to the clown. The edit towards the end of the opening sequence is used very well to set the scene of the genre and let the audience know the type of film it is. There is a good cut from Georgie to the clown which gives the full effect that the clown is the scary, thrilling character. There is a slow cross dissolve of when the man is reminded about the incident with his son Georgie which then follows on to the woman playing the piano. This gives the impression straight away that what happened to his son was extremely sad. There is also a fade out into the next scene after the clown has killed the little girl. The fade gives the effect of sadness for the mother when she comes out to find Lorraine.

When we are about to meet the clown the is a shot of the sheets with a low angle shot. Using a low angle shot gives the effect that whatever is in the sheets has lots of power giving meaning to the audience that as he has more power then the little girl he is going to do something to her. There is a clear zoom in of the girls face when she sees the clown. She has a big grin on her face, this could be because when you are little clowns are seen as funny characters not as harmful in anyway. When the girl rides into her path, there is a extreme long shot which gives the audience a creepy feeling about the events that are going to come.

There is a match-on-action shot when the little girl is riding her tricycle which creates suspense and tension for what is going to happen. When we finally meet the clown there are lots of close up of his face and the girls face. The first close up of the clown is so sudden and unexpected that it really makes you fear him. We also see a point of view from the clowns walking towards the little girl, this makes the audience feel really sorry for the girl as she is just standing their helpless not being able to do much as she doesn't realise what he is going to  do as she is only young and naive.

Straight as the title disappears music starts playing.

Sound.
The music played is very typical of a horror film. It is slow and creepy and lets you know the sort of film you are watching and also shows that audience that all of the pictures are from traumatic events. After this music we then hear a diegetic sound of the little girl singing a nursery rhyme. This could be seen as quite moving and make you feel uncomfortable with what is about to happen. After she has finished singing, we hear a child's laugh, this makes the audience feel a bit creepy as it is a really uneasy laugh and makes you feel on edge. With the child's laugh, it then slowly mixes the clowns laugh in with it, this makes the audience feel frightened for the little girl and then generates lots of enigma codes like why doesn't she go inside? and all questions like that. After the clown murders the little girl there is then a non-diegetic sound of slow music to make you feel sorry for the mother. Later on in the opening sequence, a telephone rings with a husky voice speaking which makes the audience think who is on the other end?  This is a typical convention of a horror film. After this scene we hear a diegetic sound of someone playing the piano, this creates an suspense and creepy atmosphere.

Iconography.
Iconography is set from the very start in the film. The old pictures shows the audience that something bad happened to all of them which them makes then feel tense. When it follows into the girl signing, straightaway that feeling of tense is carried on because the girl singing the nursery rhyme makes the atmosphere very creepy and that something is definitely going to happen. This film uses a good example of the main killer character as they are always normally twisted in some way and in this film that is shown really well by the character that he choses to dress up as which really sends out to the audience that he is a scary character. After the pictures at the start in the shows a flash of lightening which is also very typical of horror films to have bad weather.

Mise-en-scene.
The mise-en-scene of the location as just said above is typically bad weather, lightening, dark clouds and about to start raining. The location is a bit different to normal horror films as it is set in a neighborhood instead of being in the middle of nowhere.
Props play an important part for the opening sequence. At the start, props are used (pictures) to show what has happened in the past which sets the audience up of a basic understanding of the film. A tricycle is used to show that she is only young as she can't even ride a proper bike yet. When she comes up her path it shows a shot of her dolly which shows us that she is an innocent girl.
Costumes also play an important part in the opening sequence. The costume that the clown wear is very distinguish, bright and makes us remember what he looks like. It makes the audience feel on edge whenever they see him as it makes him a very distinct character.

Titles.
The title at the start is very basic but stands out extremely well. It has a black and white background which makes both colours stand out very well. The 'IT' part then follows on from the back and white bit to a black background with massive red writing. Red signifies blood and danger which then implies that death could happen in this film. The picture on the start of the title looks like outlines of peoples faces. They all have a very distinct feature (the nose) which could imply that the person that commits all the crime is a distinct character. There is also the actors names when the photos are being shown.  When the main titles are about to end, it does a transition from an old photo into that photo and it becomes real life. This could imply that as that picture was with all the other ones that something must have happened.

Target audience.
I think the target audience is aimed at 18+ as this film could be seen as very disturbing. Men and women but maybe more men as women could be very sensitive about the children dying if they have children themselves.

This is the opening sequence.

Analysis of opening sequence of Scream.

Title: Scream
Director: Wes Craven


How the characters are represented and established.
As soon as the opening sequence starts we are introduced to the young female character straight away. Already we can see a typical convention of horror movies for the character - young, blonde, female and in a big house by herself in the middle of nowhere. As soon as the girl picks up the phone the camera movement (pan) shows us that she is naive and from the way that she is talking to the man on the phone, she makes herself seem innocent. This is another typical convention of a horror film to make the main character seem innocent and not knowing what's going on. This being very stereotypical creates a lot of enigma codes and the audience can tell what is going to happen straight away. We also hear the 'killers' voice as soon as the opening sequence starts, nothing of his features but just his voice. This is also very typical of horror conventions as the audience are left asking questions about what does he look like? when will we get to see what he looks like?

Enigma codes.
From the opening sequence there are many enigma codes such as;
who is the killer?
what is going to happen to the female?
why did she claim that she didn't have a boyfriend when she did?
why does she continuously keep picking up the phone?
Enigma codes help keep the story in suspense and the audience on their seats. If all of the audiences questions were answered they would find the film extremely boring.

Editing techniques and their effects and camera techniques.
The opening sequence of Scream is based in a huge house in the middle of nowhere, as above we are seeing horror conventions straight away. It is also set in the night time (this makes everything seem more scary). This generates enigma codes to the audience that something is obviously going to happen in this location where no-one is apart from an innocent girl and she will not be able to escape it.

After the title of the film shows, it fades and cuts into a shot of the telephone ringing (another typical convention of horror films and it is showing the audience straight away so they know what sort of film they are watching). There are lots of basic sharp cuts in the opening sequence, this is keeping it focused on what's going on around and what is going to happen. There are also lots of eye line matches to show what the female character is exactly looking at and create suspense. The camera also does a lot of slow zooms in and outs which builds up tension for the audience, it also allows them time to know what is exactly happening. Throughout the opening sequence the camera focus on the girl most of the time, this creates more impact when something does actually happen to her. 

Sound.

Sound is used very well in this opening sequence. When the title is being shown there is a scream in the background. This shows the audience that it is a horror film. As soon as the film starts they is a diegetic sound of a telephone ringing and the conversation we can hear all the way through. Being able to hear the conversation creates awareness to the audience and enigma codes generate. As the opening sequence gets tenser, non-diegetic sounds start (music that the audience can hear to create tension but the character cannot actually hear it). Having the slow music shows that the character is in shock and creates dramatic tension. There is also a diegetic sound of a dog barking - this gives an indication that something has alerted the dog and something is around outside.  

Iconography.

Iconography is important in horror films to set the scene and to show the audience what the genre is. When the title is being shown, the colour of the font is red. This automatically gives the impression that it's implying blood and death and violence with blood is going to be involved. A telephone being the main source of communication for the 'killer' and the character. The girl is watching scary movies - sends out to the audience that this is going to be a scary movie. When the girl is on the phone to the 'killer' she touches a knife, this could let the audience think that when death comes about it is going to be accomplished with the use of knives. 

Mise-en-scene.

The mise-en-scene for the location of the house is typical of horror films. It is very dark - we can hardly see anything outside, it is very foggy where the swimming pool is which gives it a scary effect. The darkness and bad weather give off an unsureness of what may happen. It is set very typically as there is a big house in the middle of nowhere and there are lots of windows and doors - brings the fear to life. 

Props are played a big part in the opening sequence, this gives the audience an idea for what may happen in the future. 

Titles.

The title for Scream is quite basic but creates a lot of effect. The font of the title is quite plain and block. The draining of the red font shows that it is a horror film. The red font also connotates blood which also shows that it is a horror. It is set on a black background to make the title stand out. To start with the title is in white font but then changes to red, this could show that danger will emerge later on in the film. 

Target audience.

I think the intended target audience for this film would be men and women of all ethnicities who enjoy a good horror film which is represented by all the typical conventions. Aged between 18-30.

Here is the opening sequence to Scream.

  

Preliminary Task - Editing

For the editing part of the preliminary task we only made some slight changes. We had a shot of the angry characters hand banging down on the table, we decided to take this shot out because we couldn't manage to get the right cuts for it to fit smoothly into it. Near the start we also had in our animatic that we would have a close-up shot of the angry characters face to show their expression clearly to the audience but we had to make this shot really short as we filmed it free hand which when we came to edit, was very shaky. Other then these we stuck to our animatic as we really liked what we did. In an over the shoulder shot to show the innocent characters face, the tripod was left in the shot (we didn't realise until we came to the editing process). The mise-en-scene was how we wanted it to be apart from the lighting. The lighting when filming was pretty dark and we wanted it to be a bit more clearer. We tried to change it by switching on the lights but unfortunately this did not make a difference. Our props that we had (table and chair) worked well but the only problem we had was that we wanted it to look less like a classroom so we tried to move the other table and chairs as much as we could but as we had little option where to film this was pretty impossible. The expressions on our characters face weren't how we planned them to be exactly. The angry character didn't portray that he was that angry and the innocent character didn't show that she was that scared. This was quite hard for them as they were not actors and did the best they could to act how we wanted them to. We achieved most of the cinematography that we chose in our animatics and when filming all the shots worked well. the only problem that we had was the close-up shot of the angry characters face, which I mentioned earlier could have been achieved better if we didn't have the character walking along whilst trying to get a close-up.
The new continuity shots that we had all achieved the rules how they are meant to be filmed and what they are meant to show. This was helped by the editing part to make it fully look how it is meant to. We decided to keep the music that we had in our animatic to put as the backing music as we thought it went really well with our story line. We editing it on garageband so that it would fit the exact time that we wanted it to and we also had it fading out for the shots with the dialogue in it so the audience can fully hear what the characters are saying. We met the brief exactly as our story is a character opens a door, walks across a room, sits down opposite another character and exchanges two sentences. We did exactly this and even though the dialogue isn't a lot so it doesn't really explain to the audience what is fully going on, we still met the brief. Doing the preliminary task had made me understand different shots and how to use them effectively for the audiences purposes and how to edit the shots effectively.

This is our finished task.

Preliminary Filming.

Our filimg process was pretty successful as we got all the shots and new shots that we learnt (match-on-action, eyeline and shot/reverse shot) that we wanted to have and the filming went how we planned it in our storyboard. From using the new shots I've learnt in this filimg, I am now confident to use them effectively for my coursework. The dialogue said by our characters worked really well as they gave the enthusiasm that would make it fit into our story that we decided to choose. As we had our location already planned it was easy to adapt to how we were going to film each shot in our location. In future, for my coursework filming as we have more time to film, I now know that it is better to pick a location out of school to make it more interesting and realistic but as we only had a short period of time to film we had little options where to go but still made good use of where to pick. One thing to make sure that you have got is actors for your filming!! As we could only film in one lesson we decided to use people from the school in sixth form. This gave us a small sample of people to choose from as they had to have a free period. Many people we asked did not have a free period so we had a limited choice of who we wanted to act for it and had to pick anyone we could find without being picky! The mise-en-scene for our location could have been better. For instance, the lighting wasn't as bright as we would have liked it to be and in one of our shots you can see the corner or of the tripod, which we did not realise until we had put all of our filming onto the computer. And the expressions on our actors could have been made slightly clearer to what they were trying to get across. Another do's to make sure when filming for the future is that your whole mise-en-scene is exactly how you want it to be.

Storyboarding Process,

This is our completed storyboard. In our storyboard me and my partner decided to add music in the background to make the scene feel more tense then it would without having music, and we thought that the music we chose we went well in doing so. When it got to the part where the first character enters the room with the other character already sitting down we changed the type of music to make the mise-en-scene even more tense. We decided to do this so that it would help the character realise that it is a serious atmosphere. In our storyboard when the dialogue comes on, we chose to stop the background music completely so that you can hear the dialogue clearly. In our storyboard to show match-on-action we did a medium shot of the character from behind with the door insight, we then cut to a close-up of the characters hand on the door handle and then cut again to the other side of the door to show him entering the room. We also used shot/reverse shot in our storyboard to the when the two characters are together at the table before the exchange their sentences. This gave the audience a clear view of each others facial expressions to get them involved in the atmosphere.

Preliminary Task - The Brief

Our brief is to show understanding of continuity editing. Me and my partner interpreted the brief by having one angry character entering a room demanding the other character for money. The other character claims that he does not have the money and then the other character storms out of the room shouting 'I'll be back'. From the preliminary task we learnt new shots to use in our task.





One of the new shots we learnt was the 180 degree rule. This is where it orients the viewer in the scene and maintains their physical relationship to each other. Another one of the new shots we learnt was the shot/reverse shot. This is done by showing one character looking at another character and then the other character looking back at the first character, therefore, the viewer unconsciously assumes that they are looking at each other. We used this in ours when the first character comes into the room and speaks to the other character. This worked how we wanted it to as we didn't have to film a shot where they were both in it just to show that there are now two characters. One more shot we learnt was the eyeline match. This begins with a character looking at something off-screen, there will then be a cut to the object or person at which he is looking, for example, a man is looking off-screen to his left, and then the film cuts to a television. The last shot that we learnt was the match-on-action. This is more than one shot to show the same thing by cutting from one shot to another. We used this type of shot a lot in our task as we thought it worked extremely well in showing the same thing but in many different shots. For example, we used it when the character was about to enter the room. We decided to do many different cuts of the same shot to make it look more interesting and letting the audience see it from different points of view. 

Previous Filming Experience

Having done GCSE media, I have had previous experiencing of filming. Above is my music video that I produced in Year 11. This taught me about the different shot types and how to edit effectively. As I have not being doing media for a while, the preliminary task is helping me remember the different shot types, how to use them correctly and also introducing me to new ones.