Se7en Inspiration for my film

Se7en opening scene analysis

With this opening scene you immediately feel a chill down your spine as it puts you straight on the edge of uncertainty. Non-diegetic sound is firstly introduced with a black screen them a second after a book with someone flickering the pages with the hand out of focus so again the audience is completely unaware of who this is.

 The sound is of a random rhythm and has high and low pitch making the audience feel uncomfortable. The titles flicker with this random rhythm and look as if they have been scratched out as they are in total different fonts they appear on black screens through each shot in a jumpy way. 

The noise of blades scratching comes through with the image of a characters hand shaving skin of his fingers using a blade making the audience cringe as this sight which David Fincher the director would of wanted.

 Close up shots are used throughout showing random objects which show the characters persona as being slightly mad. In the scene you can see a hand crossing out words and faces. I really like this technique as intend to use in my production as my antagonist is a serial killer and will be also obsessing over his killings and things like newspaper articles. 

Throughout the non-diegetic sound becomes more erratic and keeps building, block colours of red feature in the opening suggesting blood and death. You also get to see the characters hand in a slightly wider shot as the opening continues, showing how they are dirty and un-looked after giving the audience at sneak peek at their persona. I think this opening is really effective for a target audience as it keeps the intrigued and what to know whose hand they are and why this person is obsessing over these minor objects.

 I have been given inspiration for my production from this opening, I intend to use similar close up tight shots and have the characters face not showing as it build complete tension and keeps the audience engaged. Another feature would be the non-diegetic sound of building music as again it creates tension which is perfect for a horror.

Woman in Black Opening Analysis

Woman in Black

In the opening scene of woman in the black you first see three young girls which presents a false sense of security as it is very innocent.

 The style of opening would be a teaser as it allows the audience to get a hint of what might happen. I think that camera work is used very effectively to engage the audience it cuts from different bits of the scene for example from the little girls mug and then to the dolls face which would be creepy for the audience to watch and make it seem distorted.

 The whole scene except the ending has non-diegetic sound of soft classical song as if from a child’s music box. This created tension for the audience as the scene progressed and the girls came closer to their death the music became more sinister and louder. The diegetic sound is a woman screaming when the three girls jump out the window.

The screaming also braces the audience for future events that are going to happen for example more deaths. The mise en scene presents and old Victorian styled house which could create spooky ‘old story’ feel. The target audience for this film would be Mainstream Plus as it is a British independent film however was also in multiplex cinemas. From this opening I intend to use similar close up of objects associated with the antagonist that later through the film become more important and then begin to make sense of why they were featured in the opening.

Sinister Opening Analysis

Sinister Analysis

The genre is introduced as  there is eerie effects such as an old tape playing whilst jumping as if it’s been worn,adjusting the audience emotions as they become unaware of what they’re about to watch and of what is going to happen.

 In the opening you don’t get introduced in to any characters you only get to see them being murdered which also puts the audience on edge as it leaves them guessing as this scene cuts. The mise en scene presents a forest location which is a stereotypical horror location as it causes the audience to become tense as they don’t know what or who could occur.

There is non-diegetic sound of the film rolling and then the sound of the tree comes in, which slowly breaks which makes the mood nerve racking and still doesn't give away what is going to happen. The titles appear at the end of the opening scene in white writing that looks like it’s been scratched out. This gives a creepy affect for the audience and matches the words its saying ‘sinister’. 

The target audience for this film based on the opening scene would be 16-30 as there is immediately murder engaging a young target audience quickly who enjoy horror movies and also because it wouldn't be appropriate to a younger audience.
 From this horror film opening I intend to take the titles and add to my production as they fit perfect with the genre and theme of my production I like the way they make you feel as when you think of something being scratched out it makes you cringe therefore eventually making the audience of my production uncomfortable and on edge one of the main intentions of a horror.

Memento Opening Analysis

Memento opening scene analysis

As soon as the scene opens we are introduced immediately introduced to non-diegetic sound with bright blue titles. These titles I think are not very effective because of the bright colour they don’t match the genre and bring away attention from the scene.

 The sound is calm which doesn’t match the genre of thriller however does build up to a louder sound and pitch which could build tension but this pitch goes up and down which also could cause uncertainty. Until 00:36 seconds the screen is black behind the titles then the title of the film ‘Memento’ is over the top of fading background from the black screen to a Polaroid picture. In the Polaroid picture the audience can see through a POV shot a dead bloody man.

As the opening scene is shot in reverse the picture begins to fade to the original shot it would have come out of the camera as. Whilst this is all going on the bold titles are over the top directly in the middle not changing position. Whilst the character is waving the Polaroid image you can hear this noise with also the non-diegetic sound. This shows how quiet the scene is as this is the only diegetic sound you can hear creating an eerie atmosphere in the scene as the audience begins to wonder where is the man in the picture as the photograph has just been taken. As it still going backward we see the photograph being taken in reverse and once flashed the non-diegetic sound disappears and the audience gets introduced to the character whose eyes they have been watching through. With the flash comes a noise like an echo through the ears.

We then see a close up shot of the blood running in reverser which is really effective as the audience can then realise what is going on in the shot as throughout it the scene it was causing complete confusion for the audience. We then get introduced to another character who has been shot and because of the reverse becomes dragged up to his original position with the bullet also being reversed into the gun.

From this opening scene I think the multiple close up shots of specific objects and also the polaroid pictures are effective because they give the audience small clues about what has happened in the scene therefore showing not telling which I would like to create for my own personal audience through my production.

Independent Foreign Film Analysis

Independant Film Analysis
Arret Pipi- Maarten Groen The opening of this film would be a cold open as it immediately jumps straight into murder and gore and the conventions of its horror genre are straight away shown. It would appeal to a mainstream plus audience and also some aficionado audiences as they have to search for it and be aware of the website it’s featured on. The titles are shown at the beginning of the opening at the sides of the screen in white but have no significance in the scene except the director’s titles whose are in the middle being the main focus, the title of the film is shown at the end of the rest of the titles in red suggesting danger because of the red and being a stereotypical colour for a horror film. Most of the opening builds tension for the audience and makes them feel on edge as the characters are in an unfamiliar setting so they are also unaware of what might happen to them as well as the audience. There is also a POV shot form the antagonist.

Insidious Opening Analysis

Insidious

In the opening title sequence of insidious the scene presents a sneak peak of what events are going to occur. Many techniques are used to ensure this scene engages the audience and gives them a slight chill. The camera pans a dark room with a young child in it which we later find out in the film is the main character. The panning creates an eerie effect as the audience is expecting something to suddenly appear.

As the camera continues to pan the non-diegetic music begins to get louder and the pitch becomes erratic making the audience anxious as they done know what to expect and the music is building tension. As the scene continues the villain is revealed when the music gets to its peak, then the scene cuts and the titles come up. The whole scene is dark this suggests the film is also dark and links with the horror genre and gives a scary vibe.

I want to use the dark themes in my production to ensure my audience immediately know the dangers and know it is a horror. I think this opening scene is very successful as it immediately tells the audience the genre and engages them as they feel already unsteady. Once the titles appear it is clear to the audience that they are in for a scare as the titles are very classic as they a very traditional looking and the way they have been embossed it looks as if they are 3D with stereotypical horror genre music. This film would appeal to the target audience of Mainstream Plus as it’s a low budget film however it was in multiplex cinemas and was a Hollywood film.