Nine Shot Analysis

Shot 1
In this first shot, towards the bottom of the screen, we can see a red liquid coming up to the top of the screen. This is implied to be blood because the from the 9th shot, we can see that this show is called Hannibal, based on the character from the classic 1991 horror film "The Silence of the Lambs". This use of colour and props makes the audience feel unsettled at first glance because the colour red has connotations of blood and death, whilst the audience don't really know where the blood has come from, making them feel tense before starting the show.

Shot 2
The credit in the second shot is near centre of the shot, whilst also being nearly surrounded by the blood. This implies for the audience that the character played by this woman could possibly be dangerous, making the audience feel tense. This makes them feel tense because with the name being nearly surrounded by the blood, it conveys the message that this actress is playing a character which is important in the show, also the blood has connotations with evil and death, making the audience keep a note of this actress to see what her character is like.

Shot 3
In shot 3, the blood is starting to comprise into what looks like a rib cage, with another credit being surrounded by the blood. This makes the audience more excited and tense because they are waiting to see what the blood on screen is doing. Also, the shot is on a white background, with the white contrasting with the red. This is because white has connotations of purity and innocence whilst red has connotations of anger and evil, making the audience tense as to what might be shown.

Shot 4
In the fourth shot, the blood which appeared in the first shot has now clearly made the face of a character, possibly the main character or possibly a victim in this show. The face made from blood can make the audience feel tense and on edge because they are left wondering why there is a face made from blood on their screens and who the face made from blood is.

Shot 5
With the credit in the 5th shot, the writing has changed to white, as opposed to the black writing in other shots. This implies to the audience that this character could possibly be the hero or the "good person" in this show. We can see this because the writing is written in white and white has connotations with goodness and angelic behaviour. This makes the audience suspicious because this writing contrasts the other writing shown in previous shots, making the audience wonder as to why this is.

Shot 6
In this shot, the face made from blood has a white light shining onto it, implying that there is some good trying the get out of this face made from blood. We can see this because the white light is shining directly onto the face, as white has connotations of forgiveness and honour. This makes the audience feel on edge because you are unclear as to what type of person this face is trying to be, as the white contrasts the red.

Shot 7&8
Same as above

Shot 9
The title of the show is dead centre of the screen, written in a dark red writing but getting lighter as it gets into the middle. This makes the audience feel suspicious as to who the character before was because from the writing, the dark red writing has connotations of evil and darkness, whereas the light red writing has connotations of there being some hope for this character, making the audience want to watch on to see how this character develops.

Opening Analysis of Horror Films

1. The Exorcist (1974)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LYBaRtOrBg

Sound

• At the beginning of the title sequence, the director uses a loud monotonic sound, allowing the audience to automatically feel uncomfortable. This use of music makes the audience feel uncomfortable because the music is quite loud, making the audience automatically feel nerved because they weren't expecting something so loud at the beginning of the movie.

• As the movie went along, we start to hear the screeching sound of a violin. This happens as the opening credits start to appear on the screen. This piercing sound of the violin makes the audience feel more uncomfortable because the violin builds up tension for the audience as they try to expect something to happen at the end of the title sequence, making them uncomfortable and unnerved throughout the entirety of the title sequence.

Mise-en-scene

• At the beginning on the title sequence, we can see that the setting for the film is in a big city such as London, set in the olden times (around about the Victorian Era). This is uncommon for a horror film because the big city is not a stereotypical setting for a horror film, as horror films tend to be set in haunting places, such as the woods or an abandoned house.

• Towards the end of title sequence, we can see that the colour of the visuals change from black and white into a colour screen, making it more inviting for the audience. This is unusual for a horror film because with a horror film, they tend to make an audience uncomfortable for the entire film with a variety of different techniques, so making the film seem more warming for the audience takes away that classic element of a horror film.

Camerawork

• At the end of the title sequence, there is an establishing shot of the shadows of a woods, with the sun being in the foreground. This use of camerawork makes the audience unnerved because in reality, the sun is not typically that big when a viewer of the film sees it, so it makes them feel uncomfortable as to why the sun is this big in the film.

• Before the credits start to appear on the screen, there is a close up shot of a statue, more commonly found in church. This camera shot can make the audience feel uncomfortable because with the statue also being black and white, it implies that the statue is a significant part of the film, making the audience feel uncomfortable as to why the statue is a significant part of the film.

Editing

• For the opening credits, they are portrayed in a bright red colour. This makes the audience feel unnerved with the film because the colour red has connotations of blood and danger, implying to the audience that this film could make them uncomfortable.

• Also, the style of the credits are very straight and vertical, making the audience questioning why the credits are so straight. This use of credits makes the audience feel uncomfortable because with the straight and upright credit, they imply that the movie plotline will go as planned as how the director wanted it to go, in terms of scaring the audience.

2. Paranormal Activity (2007)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMLE7tM6Bb0

Sound

• Throughout the entirety of the opening sequence, the director uses a classic piece of ballet music, commonly found in jewellery boxes, and has slowed it down to create an atmosphere of tension. This makes the audience tense and uncomfortable because as the slow piece of music goes on and on, they are expecting something big to happen. When this doesn't happen, they are left feeling uncomfortable for the rest of the film.

• Throughout odd moments in the opening sequence, there were strange noises contrasting from the main piece of music playing, for example: the wind/fire and heavy breathing. These odd noises can make the audience feel tense because when they come out of nowhere, they feel as if they are part of the film themselves, making them even more uncomfortable than they already are.

Mise-en-scene

• From the odd moments that there are visuals on the screen, the audience can see that the film is set in a house, making them feel tense. This setting makes the audience feel tense because a house is an iconic and stereotypical setting for a classic horror, making the audience tense as to what is about to happen next.

• The costumes of the actors (from what we can see) are normal clothing, making it relatable for the audience. However, this also could make them unnerved. This is because with the actors wearing normal clothes, it can make the audience feel as if they are part of the movie as well due to them wearing normal clothes, making them unnerved due to them not wanting to be apart of a horror film.

Camerawork

• Majority of the camera shots that are used are close up of various different body parts and objects. Some examples include: feet whilst walking down the stairs; face whilst sleeping; and hand shutting the door. This can make the audience feel uncomfortable because it is as if the camera are the audience's eyes, getting closer into the action, making them feel uncomfortable but wanting to watch more.

Editing

• All of the action shots that are featured in this title sequence have been slown down, in order to create an effect of tension and an unnervingly silent atmosphere. This can make the audience feel tense because with the action being slown down, they wait to see if anything will pick up to the speed which they want it to be at, so when it doesn't they can sit uncomfortably for the entire film.

3. Insidious (2011)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1e1feo4DUk

Sound

• From the beginning of the opening titles to when the main title of the film appears on the screen, there is a slow build-up in the music where it starts of slow and quiet, but eventually gets louder and faster until it gets to the the title of the film where it reaches it's loudest and fastest. This can make the audience feel tense because during this build up, it makes the audience wait to see what happens at the big moment, but because there is a slow build up to it, the audience are shocked when it gets to the main point.

• During the actor's credits, you can hear a faint scream (believed to be a woman's scream) which gets louder and louder until the last part of the credits. This makes the audience feel unnerved because they have no idea where this scream is coming from, making them feel apart of this terrifying film for them.

Mise-en-scene

• The setting of the film appears to be in a house, which is a stereotypical setting for a supernatural horror story. This can make the audience of the film feel tense and in suspense because when a horror film is set in a house or a familiar setting for the audience, it can make them feel as if they are apart of the film, making them tense throughout all of the film.

• The lighting used in the action shots seems to be low key lighting, very dark and very ominous. This use of lighting can make the audience feel tense about the film because they will not be able to see a lot of things that are happening on screen, making them worry about if something is going to jump out at them.

Camerawork

• At the beginning of the title sequence, the director uses a long shot of a small boy in bed asleep. This shot can make an audience feel creeped out because it is unfamiliar for them to see this, making them feel unsettled in their seats, setting a tone for the entirety of the film.

• After the long shot of the boy sleeping, it goes into a tracking shot down a corridor towards what is believed to be a picture on the wall of a scary looking man. This tracking shot can make the audience feel tense because from when the camera leaves the boy on the bed, the audience are slowly awaiting to see where the camera is going, making them feel nervous.

Editing

• The credits for this film are all written in the colour red, implying that this film is highly scary and terrifying for the audience. This use of colour can make the audience feel tense because the colour red has connotations with danger, anger, death and blood, which can all be classed as iconic parts of a horror film.

Horror Genre Research

What is the genre of horror?

In terms of film, the genre of horror is set out to scare an audience so that they feel scarred when they come out from the cinema. Some classic examples of horror films include:

• The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1974)
• The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
• The Blair Witch Project (Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, 1999)
• Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven, 1985)
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1998)

What are the conventions?

When you watch a horror films, there are specific moments and elements of the film which are iconic to the horror genre and they can be easily identified within a horror movie. This is known as iconography and without these, they would not make a horror movie and enjoyable thing to watch.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to any horror film is essential, in order to build up suspense and anxiety. A classic example of this is in the film "Psycho" (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) in the infamous shower scene, the use of a staccato violin sound in used during the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4

This use of music is a classic example of how soundtrack is a convention of horror films because the use of this violin sound builds up tension for the audience and when the piece of music ends, it  leaves the audience feeling shocked at what has just happened in front of them.

Special Effects

For horror films, the use of blood and gore is iconic, especially in gory horror films such as Nightmare on Elm Street and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Gory horror films use this piece of iconography as part of the attraction of these films. A key example of the use of special effects in horror films is in Hostel Part II, in a scene where a surgery take place, the use of props and special effects makes it uncomfortable for the viewer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6r6armimdE

This use of special effects is a good example of how this is a convention of horror films because special effects, in particular blood, are an essential part of horror films as the blood has connotations of danger, making it uncomfortable and scary for the audience.

Target Audience Questionnaire

Please Circle your Answer
1. How old are you?

Less than 11      12-14    15-17   18-20   21-23   24-26   27-29   30+

2. What gender are you?

Male    Female   Other

3. What United Kingdom Town or County do you live in?

...................................................................

4. Do you live with your parents and/or children?

Yes          No
If Yes, Please Specify which:..................................................

5. What type of accommodation do you live in?

House/Bungalow         Flat/Apartment       Hotel       Rented Accommodation      Other

6. What level of education do you have currently?

BTEC      GCSE      A-Level's     University Degree     Other

7. What type of job do you have?

Unemployed    Part-Time    Full-Time

8. If Part-Time/Full-Time, please state what the job is.

.........................................................

9. What is your personal annual income?

£0 - £10000      £10001 - £20000     £20001-£30000      £30001-£40000     £40001+

10. What is your household's annual income?

£0 - £15000     £15001 - £30000     £30001 - £45000    £45001 - £60000    £60001+

11. What kind of films do you enjoy watching?

Horror    Action     Comedy    Romance    Drama    Western    Other

12. What's your favourite style of music?

Rock/Punk     Rap    R'n'B    Pop    Classic     Reggae   Other

13. How many films do you watch each month?

0-2      3-5      7-9      9+

14. What kinds of social media do you use? (multiple choice)

Facebook     Twitter    Snapchat    Tumblr    Instagram   Other
If Other, Please Specify:.......................................

15. How often are you on social media a day?

0 - 3 hours   4 - 6 hours   7 - 10 hours  11 - 13 hours  14+ hours

16. What is your all time favourite horror film?

The Exorcist    Rosemary's Baby    Paranormal Activity   The Shining   Scream   Other
If Other, Please Specify: ..........................................

17. What makes a horror movie iconic?

Special Effects    Sound    Setting    Acting

18. Why do you watch horror films?

........................................................................................

19. What makes a horror movie bad?

.......................................................................................

20. In your opinion, what is the most iconic horror movie moment?

..................................................................................

Continuity Task: 3rd Version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik74VRWr7SI

Dawn of the Dead & RocknRolla - Opening Credits Analysis

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G2YAtFeVOM

Camerawork:

• They use a montage of different clips showing different setting featuring a large panic of people. This use of a montage creates the impression of chaos because all of these clips are about 3 seconds long, so putting them all together makes the audience feel in a panic, due to what is being shown on the screen.

• Some of the clips are of news broadcasts about a certain epidemic/zombie apocalypse. This gives of an impression of anxiety and importance for the audience. This is because news broadcasts are usually shown to show important stories which can affect the entire world, therefore making the audience feel nervous and anxious as to whether they are in danger or not.

Mise-en-scene:

• Throughout the entirety of the opening credits, they use dull lighting to create an impression of eeriness. This use of dull lighting creates an impression of eeriness because dull and low key lighting has connotations of death and general darkness (in the sense of horror darkness), so this use of dull lighting sets the atmosphere for the entire movie.

• The setting for the opening credits of Dawn of the Dead are in America, more specifically Washington DC, the capital of the USA. This setting gives the impression of importance to the audience because Washington DC is one of the most important cities in the entire world, so having this city in a sense of danger makes the audience feel uncomfortable because the city that makes the world important is in danger so they feel in danger as well.

Editing:

• The credits that they have are in a bold font, making them stand out from the chaotic montage that is playing in between. The use of bold credits makes the audience feel uncomfortable because bold credits have connotations of importance and danger, therefore making the audience feel uncomfortable with what is about to happen

• The colour of the credits are in red, matching the atmosphere of the film. The colour of the credits make the audience feel anxious because the colour red has connotations with death, murder and anger, therefore making the audience feel uncomfortable because they feel unsafe with the amount of danger in the film.

Sound:

• The music playing throughout the entirety of the film is Johnny Cash's "The man comes to town". This song makes the audience feel worried because some of the lyrics included in the song include: "There's a man goin' 'round takin' names." and "When the man comes around.", which implies that the "man" being referenced in the song is death itself/the grim reaper, giving the impression of uncertainty and anxiety for the audience.

• At the beginning of the opening sequence, they use a soundscape of a variety of different chaotic sounds, such as: screams, muffled sounds, chants and news conferences. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable because hearing a variety of different sounds will not allow them to focus on the visuals of the opening sequence, getting distracted by the different sounds, therefore feeling anxious and uncomfortable.

RocknRolla (2008)

Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6S5CM7C7-g

Camerawork:

• During the actor's credits, they zoom in on major stars, or important characters featured in the film, such as: Gerald Butler; Thandie Newton; and Tom Hardy. This makes the audience invested in the film because they are highlighting  key characters and high profile actors featured in the film, making the audience feel excited about who's featuring in the film.

• At the beginning of the opening sequence, they use a zoom in shot on the main character (played by Gerald Butler) with his back towards the audience/camera. This makes the audience feel anxious because they are awaiting what is about to happen, whether it be impactful or not a lot.

Mise-en-scene:

• The colour saturation for the majority of the opening sequence is in the colour scheme of brown and black and is portrayed in a very gritty and dull. This implies that this film is of the western genre because generically, western films are portrayed in a gritty style, making the audience feel anxious at every moment of the film, which is how this opening sequence is playing out.

• The props used in the opening sequence include a bong and guns. This gives off the impression of worry and danger. This is because guns have connotations of action and death, making the audience feel worried because they don't want their favourite actor or character to die, making them feel anxious throughout the film.

Editing:

• They use a montage towards the beginning of the film, showing 2 or 3 second long shots of drug use, alcohol use and sex. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable because they wouldn't have been expecting to see something that graphic that early on in the film. Also, it sets the audience up for what they can expect throughout the entire film, implying that there will be sections of graphic content in the film.

• At the end of the opening credits, they use a dissolve from the actor's credits into a shot of the character of Archie, who is implied to be the narrator of the film. This suggests that he will appear throughout moments of the film, enhancing important moments of the film.

Sound:

• Throughout the credits (from start to finish), there is a prominent strong guitar beat playing. This suggests that this is a masculine film because a generic guitar sound has connotations of being on country songs or western songs, making the audience feel comfortable watching a strong film with a strong message.

• The narrator's voice is very low, implying that he is from East End London. This suggests that this will be a dramatic film because the east end or "cockney" accent has associations with drama and danger, making the audience excited with what they will show.

Half term Progress

What have I done?

My group and I have done various things going towards our media course. One of the main things we have done is our continuity task. What this is is a short piece of film (roughly about 2 minutes maximum) which involves 3 editing techniques: match on action; shot/reverse shot; and the 180 degree rule. The continuity task is a good thing to have done because it teaches you simple filming and editing skills (for those who haven't done GCSE Media) and shows how to construct a linear story narrative in film. Another thing that I have done as part of my media course is analyse various opening credits in blockbuster films.

What have I learnt?

From this half term of learning about Media, I have learnt about how to make a successful opening for a movie. I have learnt this through looking at different movie opening which have received good critic acclaim such as: Seven; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Dawn of the Dead; and RocknRolla. Looking at these opening credits inspired me about the ideas towards our opening credits because each of these opening credits are unique with certain features of them which make them stand out and make them so critically acclaimed, so taking features of these opening credits will make our opening credits stand out and be memorable. An example of these features that make these particular film openings memorable include:

• The music - The music from these film openings made the opening memorable because for example: in the opening for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the music in this opening was dramatic and impactful, making the audience feel on edge and disturbed by the opening, keeping them intrigued. Another example is in the opening for Dawn of the Dead. The music in this film opening makes it memorable because the song used was Johnny Cash's "The Man comes around". This song made the opening memorable because the song lyrics relate to death and death being inevitable and the genre of "Dawn of the Dead" is horror/thriller with the main subject of it being zombies, who are remembered for eating human flesh and killing.

• The montage/editing - The use of montage in these film openings made them memorable because as an audience, it is easier to remember the genre of the film from the montage, or who is in the film to make it appealing for the audience. For example: in the film opening for RocknRolla, they use a montage of the actors with the actors in different poses representing their character in the film. This would make this opening memorable because the audience would remember their favourite actor from the montage and continue to watch the film, looking out for their favourite actor. Also, in the opening for Dawn of the Dead, they use a montage a clips of different destruction scenes (people running down the street; vans & lorries crashing into walls; zombies running after people; etc). This use of a montage makes this film opening memorable because it identifies the genre for the audience and keeps them interested as the montage makes them question why there is a clip of all these different destruction scenes in a movie about zombies and death.

What will I take forward to next half term?

As we go towards filming, I will take this knowledge of these opening credits and use them towards our own opening credits. I think this will benefit our group, as well as me, because the film "Dawn of the Dead" is a horror film, and our opening credits are for a horror film, so we can use elements from this to influence our own opening credits. Also, another point I will take forward to next half term is using the target audience research to influence what we include in our opening credits. I think this will benefit the opening credits because if we use our target audience research, then we can create the best set of opening credits suitable for our opening credits.