Opening Analysis: ‘Night of the Living Dead’

Opening Analysis: ‘Night of the Living Dead’

This classic 1968 horror film has a ‘setting establishing’ opening as the use of several wide-angle shots captures the journey of a car through the countryside. The barbed wire fencing seen in the corner of a shot may be an effort to put the idea of danger subtly into the audience’s minds. There are also many dead or leafless trees in the background, which is a typical convention of horror films as they reference a lack of life and have a generally sinister and creepy appearance.

We cannot ignore the spooky non-diegetic score that has been playing from the outset of the film. The use of violins and other string instruments creates an eerie feeling and builds anticipation for the audience as they predict that something scary or dramatic is going to happen. It may create an image of zombies in the audiences mind as we link this kind of music to Halloween in which people commonly dress up as these creatures.

A key shot is at 1:32 when the car is captured driving past a cemetery entrance that appears to be covered in either blood or mud (either way, not well kept). If it is splattered with blood, it acts as a signal that some sort of danger is coming. There are obvious connotations to blood, including death and violence. There are also connotations of cemeteries to death, zombies and loneliness, as well as the supernatural.

After a section of dialogue spoken in the car, the male character is alone when the radio suddenly comes on without it being touched. This is a typical convention of horror as technology turning on or not working properly normally links to the supernatural. There is then a sudden non-diegetic sound, which we connote to sound similar to a UFO landing or other ‘out of this world’ sounds.

A panning shot captured on a shaky camera going from a tree down towards the two characters walking towards a grave makes the audience feel like they could be involved and like something is going to happen as it appears slightly unprofessional compared to what is expected. The fact the audience can tell it is down purposely likes this shows that it must have some sort of significance and value. The shot then goes out of focus on the character as he comes closer, signifying a lack of comfort and knowledge, leading to an uneasy feeling for the audience.

Suddenly, a dramatic thunder sound is heard and the appearance of lightning makes the male characters faced become washed out due to high key lighting. The scene takes a dramatic change as a wide-angle shot captures a zombie like being walking through the graveyard. This is a typical convention of horror films as they link to death and the supernatural. The female character is clearly afraid as she tells the male to stop telling a story about how she used to be afraid of the cemetery. This may be relatable for the audience as fears that you have when your younger never really go away for definite. He then exclaims, in a sort of possessed tone “they’re coming for you”. This acts as an enigma code as the audience want to know ‘who?’ and also, why has the males attitude suddenly changed.

The girl then tries to walk past a zombie as it steps forward to begin trying to attack her. A medium shot captures the movement and frightened facial expression of the female character. A close up shot of the zombies face demonstrates anger and annoyance as he clearly tries to scare the female. The pace that the shots are edited at increases due to the sudden action-taking place on screen. The music also gets louder and more dramatic to work with the visuals and create an all around scary feeling. There are also diegetic sounds of screams and anger which make the audience feel scared and vulnerable to the situation.

Horror Genre Opening Analysis: ‘Sinister’

Opening Analysis: ‘Sinister’

Introduction – Having explored around the Internet for some of the most captivating horror opening scenes I could find, I decided to select this opening scene. Its simplicity intrigued me, and having heard rumours that the film itself is a mixture of crime drama, horror, supernatural thriller and murder mystery, I was captivated as to how a film that sounds so complicated could be introduced so modestly.

My Analysis – After 6 seconds of diegetic, off-screen sounds of a tape player crackling, a visual appears suddenly on screen. This crackling noise makes the audience feel uneasy and creates an enigma code as to why it is relevant. It also puts an idea into the audience’s mind of a personal, un-professional filming of what is about to be viewed. This sensation makes the viewers feel like they have the potential to be involved in a story such as the one that they are about to watch, as it almost comes across like a home movie.

When the visual appears on the screen, the lack of quality of the footage emphasis’ this home videotape idea. The general view in this current shot is persistent throughout the whole minute and eleven second opening. This wide angle shot which focuses on a leafless tree demonstrates it’s importance. The significance of using a leafless tree has connotations to death, and a typical convention of the horror genre, which enforces a creepy feeling. There also appears to be a sort of mist behind the tree, which naturally creates this feeling of unknown as it disguises appearance. Bad weather is also a typical convention of horror, as we don’t normally imagine a murder to happen on a lovely sunny day.

Looking more obviously at the aspects of horror in this opening, there are four people with their arms tied behind their backs, with bags on their heads and ropes looped around their neck. If that doesn’t suggest death and murder, then what does? The casual, everyday clothing of these victims shows that they are normal people, potentially making the audience feel like they could be in their position. The use of hanging someone for death shows that the killer wants to make him or her suffer. There are other methods of death, which would be much easier and less painful. This makes the audience aware that this killer is obviously quite sinister, or potentially possessed by something that is.

The only movement that is happening throughout the first twenty-five seconds is that of a saw or other tool cutting through a large tree trunk. The audience are left questioning who it is, or what it is that is responsible for sawing through it? There is a mechanism involved, which links to the four victims, allowing them to be hung when the trunk is fully cut through. The effect of using a saw suggests danger and has typical links to horror movie deaths thanks to films such as ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. The consequence of using a ‘mechanism’ shows that thought has gone in behind the deaths of these people, and demonstrates that there is more depth to the story than a random killing, which intrigues the audience and makes them want to watch more.

When it is eventually cut through, the people are dragged upwards to a suspension in the air where there legs swing and wiggle out of hope for rescue or survival. This movement shows their helplessness. The lack of sound along with the footage adds a sense of curiosity for the audience, as we cannot hear the victims attempting to shout out. The sound of the tape playing increases in volume at the point that the tree is cut through and the suspension begins. An almost unnoticeable movement suddenly makes the tool used to cut through the tree fall down onto the ground. Its individual movement shows that it had a key role as attention is drawn to it, making it stick as a key moment in the audiences mind and asks questions such as ‘why is it being disposed of?’ and 'what is the significance of this object?'.

There is then a dramatic change as the title appears on the screen in a disorganised form of handwriting. This shows a lack of care, potentially shown by the murderer, but also an eerie feeling is created for the audience.

Opening Analysis: ‘Scream’

Opening Analysis: ‘Scream’

The scene opens with non-diegetic sound, which builds tension at the same rate as the volume increases. This pre-warns the audience that something scary is about to happen. This thought is then contradicted by a phone ringing, as this common sound makes the audience feel safe and not at any risk of danger. It is also a common convention of horror films as it acts as an enigma code for the person that is on the other end of the line, creating a fear of the unknown. Other films such as ‘The Ring, ‘When a Stranger Calls’ and ‘One Missed Call’ are heavily based around this concept of phone calls. There is then a crescendo of a screaming sound as the title ‘Scream’ which is written on the screen, changes from the colour white to red. The connotations of the colour red are anger, danger and death and is a colour commonly used in the horror genre. It is also un-coincidentally the colour of blood so has a further link to horror.

There is then the first visual, which is of the phone and the diegetic sound of the phone ringing again. Someone says ‘hello’ on the other end of the line and the girl replies confidently, in a slight flirtatious manner. The medium close up shot of the phone, which is clearly the main focus of the shot, shows that it has some importance and significance. The phone rings yet again, this now enforces an association for the audience with the ringing of the phone, and the familiar voice of the criminal on the other end of the line.

The general casting used as a female for the victim is useful as they are easier to make feel victimized, as they are perceived as weaker and less physically able. This is a typical convention of horror. The girl is also home alone making her appear more vulnerable than if she had someone to help her.  She is also wearing a white shirt which has connotations to innocence and therefore suggests that she is the victim. The use of a male as the criminal is also familiar in horror films, as they are perceived to be stronger in general and with a greater ability to do harm due to their power.

The phone rings again and it shows that the man is clearly trying to get to know the girl and talk to her. She is showing a disinterest, however she is not fazed by the repetitive phone calls. This may give the audience a false sense of security as they might replicate the emotions of the character. The camera shots used are medium shots whilst the girl is on the phone to capture her facial expressions. The angle it is held at however, is distorted and tilted very slightly so that the audience may not notice, but something clearly isn’t quite right as the camera angle would be normal and in parallel with the action.

There is then a panning establishing shot of the house from outside. The use of low key lighting makes the setting appear scary as darkness links to the unknown. A swing is captured with the enhanced sound of it swinging to suggest that something may have recently been sitting on it. Furthermore, the sound and look of a swing is typical in a horror film as it creates an uneasy feeling, and when moving on its own, creates links to the paranormal. There are sounds of nature quietly in the background whilst this shot takes place.

The sound and sight of someone turning on a gas cooker then makes the audience jump as it happens so quickly having cut from the last shot. The girl puts popcorn on the hob and the phone begins to ring again. This time she huffs, showing it is annoying her. When she answers, she questions for the first time ‘who is this?’. This is a key moment as her facial expression captures that she is being slightly scared by this series of events now. This moment is when things start going bad.

Their conversation continues and, having used the sound of popcorn as a link in the chat, they get onto the subject of horror movies. She clearly likes them as she begins explaining her favourite one. Whilst doing so, she coincidentally begins playing with a knife (typical convention of horror as it is a weapon), which may begin to psychologically make the audience feel uneasy. After more time spent on the phone, he asks for her name again and she refuses to give away her identity again. She asks him ‘why?’ and he replies ‘because I want to know who I’m looking at’. A medium close up shot of her face allows her facial expression to be captured the moment she hears this line. Her smiley expression drops to a face of fear. There is a silence, which adds tension and uneasiness for the audience. It is commonly used in horror films as it contradicts sound. A diegetic sound of a dog barking can be heard, which creates this typical homely and familiar atmosphere for the audience. She turns on the outside lights and a panning shot captures where her eyes would be looking to see if anyone is watching her before locking the door. There is match on action as the shot cuts to a close up of her twisting the lock. This is a significant moment as her fear begins to be shown, which is relayed onto the audiences feelings in some cases.

She hangs up the phone and non-diegetic music begins playing to create a typically eerie atmosphere.

(analysed until 2:50)

Opening Analysis: 'The Babadook'

Opening Analysis: 'The Babadook'

After a few seconds of a black screen and a build of anticipation through enhanced non-diegetic sounds, the visuals suddenly burst to life revealing a medium close up shot (focuses on facial expressions) of a female trying to control her breathing, which suggests she may be panicking. The sounds of breathing and the look of it is a typical feature of the horror genre as it helps to create an enigma code, leaving the audience wanting more.There is a use of low key lighting which restricts visuals so that the audience become scared. The headlights in the back shows that the female is in a car as well as the surrounding glass windows and other recognisable features. 

There is then a change in the non diegetic sound as it goes high-pitched with a typical violin/string instrument sound. This works hand in hand with the footage of a sudden smashed window and dramatic change in facial expression of the character. The character is wearing a white shirt, which connotes innocence and makes the audience believe they must be the victim. The lighting used at this point appears to be produced by the headlights of a car, providing more information that a car crash may have just occurred. 

The image on the screen then goes black, as the instrumental, non-diegetic sound similar to a car rolling takes place. The lighting is changing and captures footage of the female every few seconds being thrown about in the car. Her facial expressions are shown through the continuation of a medium close up shot. Smashed glass is moving about throughout this scene which suggests danger.

There is then some diegetic sound which has been put in slow-motion of a grunting sound of the character who is still conscious, but showing signs of pain. You can hear a sharp intake of breath, which links back to the beginning for the audience and shows a contradiction from the initial scene of the character trying to control their breathing. This footage then continues as the volume of sound increases the add suspended for the audience, and a further diegetic sound of the character shouting 'no' in slow motion. This may be trying to put the audience in the characters shoes and shows that when some thing like a car crash occurs your brain tends to slow the events down due to an overflow of adrenaline.

The character them returns back to her original position that we first saw her in, but looks rougher than before as her hair is over her face and her facial expression has dropped.  This change in appearance emphasis' the change in mood that has occurred. The camera angle them changes to a medium shot and the female character, who isn't in control of the vehicle, turns to looks at something. This creates and enigma code for the audience. There is then a shot from the female characters point of view to reveal a man, who is stereotypically more powerful and therefore more likely to be the perpetrator, who is wearing black, which connotes negativity and danger. He appears either in shock or angry. 

There is then a sudden increase in light coming from behind the male character which suggests another incident about to occur. The shot then cuts back to the female who's facial features are harder to comprehend due to the high exposure lighting. This may represent the unknown of the character for the audience, or the lack of clarity that the audience has of the situation that the character is in. 

There is a dramatic increase in diegetic sound of a car speeding up which scares the audience and builds tension on screen. The effect of the sound working hand in hand with the light intensity building shows something is about to happen. This sound then decreases very dramatically and reveals the female falling slowly downwards towards a bed. The character then hits the mattress which creates a subtle noise as she breaths out and her arms are moved due to the light impact. The maintenance of the same facial expression throughout the change of music, lighting and shots makes scene appear to be fluent and natural. At the exact moment she hits the bed, there is a diegetic sound, off-screen of a child shouting 'mum' and the scene proceeds very naturally, whilst maintaining similar low key lighting as before. 

Film Institutions: The Three Independent Companies

Film Institutions: The Three Independent Companies

Lionsgate Film

Lionsgate Film was founded in 1962, 54 years ago, and was a birth of Lionsgate. Cinépix Film Properties was renamed Lions Gate Films on January 12, 1998. They are known for producing and distributing films which are too controversial for the majority of the American market. There first success was American Psycho, which was given $7 million but has produced a box office of $34.3 million.

In 2004, they distributed the highly popular movie - Saw. It is a psychological horror film which was given a mere $1.2 million to make ($700,000 of which was for shooting) and turned over a revenue of $103.9 million. The 'rough around the edges' approach became the aesthetic of the film, making it ever more famous.

DreamWorks

DreamWorks Animation is a distribution company for film productions and has distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses of more than $100 million each. They were founded on October 12, 1994 and are currently operating out of offices at Universal Studios.

One of their most famous films was ‘Shrek’ which was released on June 29, 2001 in the UK and holds the position of highest grossing animation film. It was given a budget of $60 million and created a box office of $484.4 million.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was founded in April 1924 and has a memorable lion roaring as its logo. They make films of many genres ranging from comedy to romance and horror. MGM has downgraded itself from being a major studio into a small media company that distributes films.

One of the most well-known MGM films is How to be Single. The film was made with co-production from Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, RatPac Entertainment and Flower Films. It stars Rebel Wilson, which helps to attract an audience as she has a good reputation within the film industry. The film was given $38 million to be made and produced $112.3 million in box office. 

Film Institutions: The Six Major Companies

Film Institutions – The Six Major Film Companies

Paramount

Paramount pictures was founded on May 8 1912 in Los Angeles, California. It is famous for its production of family films with big titles including: Star Trek, War of the Worlds, the Mission Impossible series and Transformers – all of which have been incredibly successful.

One of paramount’s most famous films is Shrek the Third which, coincidently, is ranked 3^rd out of their top grossing films. The film was produced by DreamWorks Animation as a sequel to the ever popular first and second shrek films. With a budget of $160 million, they had a box office revenue of $799.

Warner Bros

Warner Bros Pictures is the biggest film institution in the industry, covering a huge 19.7% of the US/Canadian market share (2007 statistics). They were founded on April 4, 1923. They are most famous for their popular films including Harry Potter, Batman, The Matrix and Star Wars.

Twister was a film created by Warner Bros. Studios and had a budget of $92 million and had a box office income of $494.4 million. The film was also distributed by Universal Pictures, hence why a ride features at their amusement park.

Walt Disney

Walt Disney is one of the most well-known film institutions in the industry, creating films targeted at all the family, whether animation or not. They were founded on October 16, 1923. They hold 15.3% of the US market share, which demonstrates their sheer size and support.

Their fourth top grossing film was the world famous ‘Finding Nemo’ which has recently had its sequel – Finding Dory – released. The film had a budget of $94 million and returned an insane box office value of $940.3 million. They use celebrities in their films, such as Ellen DeGeneres, to attract audiences.

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures is an institution owned by Sony. It was founded in June 19, 1918. With a 17 percent share of the entire US and Canadian markets, Sony is considered as the biggest studio these days. It has produced the widespread 007 Bond movies, as well as films such as Grown Ups and The Amazing Spider-Man.

One of columbias most known films is Ghostbusters, which was recently recreated. It was given a budget of $144 and returned a box office income of $228.9 million.

Universal Studios

Universal Studios are a highly popular film institution, which is demonstrated clearly by their famous theme park based in Florida. It was founded on April 30, 1912 at a similar time to paramount. They are known for some of their most famous films Jurassic Park (and more recently Jurassic World) followed by Fast and Furious 7 and other titles. In general, their films tend to be mainly aimed at families with large target audiences.

Their third highest grossing film was Minions – released in 2015 - which has created a box office grossing of an amazing $1,159,398,397. The film was created due to the popularity of the character ‘minion’ from their previous films Despicable Me and its sequel Despicable Me 2.

20^th Century Fox

20^th Century Fox is a classic film institution that has made all the favourites. Its recognisable tune has helped it to be one of the most well-known and memorable distribution companies. It was founded on May 31, 1935. It has made famous titles such as Avatar, The Sound of Music and of course Titanic (which was also distributed by Paramount Pictures.) They are known for their action, superhero films.

One of its most recent and successful titles is Deadpool. They used famous actor Ryan Reynolds as their lead role which helped to attract audience members. It was given a budget of $58 million (after pressure from fans to release the film) and returned $782.6 million.