opening sequence
What to include:
-Create suspense
-Include scary music, increasing intensity and use of silence
-A particular cast
-Use of dark and dull colours (more effect)
-A variety of camera shots, angles and movement
-Use your setting wisely, so not in a busy town where everyone can help you: e.g. an abandoned house
-Use weather as affects (in a horror it wont be bright sunshine)
-Ambiant sound e.g. crickets, this shows the area is isolated
-Create a bad impression of the character who's being killed
-Push pull focus, an important prop which stands out e.g. a phone ringing with the characters behind
BC & HS
-Create suspense
-Include scary music, increasing intensity and use of silence
-A particular cast
-Use of dark and dull colours (more effect)
-A variety of camera shots, angles and movement
-Use your setting wisely, so not in a busy town where everyone can help you: e.g. an abandoned house
-Use weather as affects (in a horror it wont be bright sunshine)
-Ambiant sound e.g. crickets, this shows the area is isolated
-Create a bad impression of the character who's being killed
-Push pull focus, an important prop which stands out e.g. a phone ringing with the characters behind
BC & HS
tHe woman in black
This is an example of a good opening title sequence that involves some of the points above. The opening title sequence Women In Black (2012) starts off with three little girls playing with their dolls altogether, they are alone and not accompanied by an adult which suggests something to the end of this opening sequence will go wrong. This opening sequence is not stereotypical as its filmed in the day and shows a lot of light, whereas usually it would be set in the evening when its darker and scarier. All the girls are smiling whilst playing with their dolls, all of a sudden they look up into the corner of the room and the smiles are wiped off their faces, they then look up towards the window this suggests to the audience something horrific is going to happen. The girls stop playing with their dolls, stand up and start to walk towards the window. As they go they stand on the dolls china heads and the small tea cups, smashing and braking as they go. This suggests something bad is going to happen and also mirrors the fact the little girls are also going to be broke and killed. During this opening sequence the music is quiet at the start and slow, sounding like a nursery rhyme song which is linking to the age of them, when the girls stand up and walk towards the window the music gets louder and slightly faster, this builds up tension. There is no speech during this apart from at the end when the girls eventually jump out the window "my babies" is shrieked by a women. The camera is then panned out from the window to the back of the room, the last shot it an over the shoulder of the 'Women In Black'. Our group enjoyed watching this opening title sequence as there was no talking, this created a tense scary atmosphere.
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INsidious 2
Out of the dark
Our group thought that Out Of The Dark (2015) Opening title sequence was a great interesting sequence from the music and sound we heard during this. Our group decided to use music like this and some of the sound to make our opening sequence more effective. During the start of this sequence there is a soundtrack with linear narrative put on top. The music starts of slow which gives off a mysterious atmosphere, It is also set in the day time which automatically gives off the impression something bad is going to happen nearer to the end. The music cuts out and only you hear people talking this makes a tense atmosphere and the audience knows something will happen. Our group liked the screaming sound effect that was used in this opening sequence several times. Wes Craven's theory was that "it is more effective and stereotypical to film in a safe place (e.g. school or hospital or home) to suggest that the person is safe but they actually are not. This will confuse the audience as they will not know who to trust". This theory fits Out Of the Dark opening sequence as its set in home where you would usually feel safe but most of the film happens here.
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inspiration
When a stranger calls (1979)
Our group took inspiration from the opening title sequence When a Stranger Calls (1979) . We decided to use this sequence as it was unusual and effective, But added our own paranormal twist to it by including a young girl that had died in the house year and years ago. We got the inspiration of the young girl from the film 'The Grudge' and also 'The Ring' with both characters combined we created Britt's character.
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The Grudge. Wears a long white nightie, with long black scruffy hair. For her makeup she had a white face with dark black circles around her eyes.
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The Ring. Also wears a long white nightie which has black marks at the sleeve and towards the end of the dress. Throughout the film her face is usually covered by her black long scruffy hair.
The Ring. Occasionally when you do see her face her make up is also a white face with dark eyes and black marks over her face.
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We also took the inspiration for our opening title sequence that it would be set in a house, we got this from When a Stranger Calls. When this was filmed in 1997 we took the idea of an old looking house for ours to be set in which was victorian.
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