Analysis of an Opening Sequence

 The Stepfather (2009)
Director - Nelson McCormick    



I shall be analyzing the opening sequence up to 4 minutes 52.


Sound
At the beginning you see a normal American house which is well kept and quite attractive looking, however there is contrapuntal sound as the music is a slow pace, with high and low pitched sounds which create this eery atmosphere. This suddenly makes the audience aware this is not a normal house and something bad could have gone on. There is no dialogue within this clip which creates again an unusual atmosphere. Diegetic sound is used when the character then turns on christmas music of 'Holy Night', this contrasts with the scary music you had heard before making the audience confused as to what is going on. It also makes us feel like he is trying to maintain reality even when something unusual is happening.As he walks into the kitchen, you hear ambient sound of the phone off the hook and a beeping sound, this makes the audience wonder as to why it is not being used and hasn't been turned off. There is also ambient sound of his movements and actions such as slurping his tea, and the toaster. Again I believe this has been done portraying that he is trying to be as normal as he can.  When you see the dead bodies in the shot, there is a strong sound effect which enhances the killing of these people and the cinema experience. It also is used as a way of showing shock and horror, which is how the audience are feeling. The score of the christmas music carries on throughout this shocking scenes which is contrapuntal as it is soft music contrasting with a horrible visuals such as the bodies.There is also diegetic sound of a dog barking and yelping which conveys the feeling of being trapped and scared which is how these other character may have been feeling before they were killed. There is also sounds of girls screaming from a flashback which is non diegetic but it is made to believe this sounds are in his head. As he drives off there is again low pitched sounds and a heartbeat effect, this I believe shows him as being slightly nervous although his expression do not show this. The slamming of the garage door show closure and he can move on from this family. 


Mis-en-scene
The mis-en-scene at the beginning of the scene is extremely normal as you see large houses and a nice neighbourhood. However the next shot is a clip of his toiletries such as a razors, scissors, tweezers etc, although this is a normal thing to see it is portrayed in a negative way as it is shown clearly. You are then introduced to the main character, he is shown with a large bead and large glasses. He is portrayed to be quite untidy and doesn't care about his appearance. He is shown to be dying his hair and then trimming his beard, this is shown in great depth which instantly makes the audience think he is doing this for a    certain reason. When he cuts himself with the razor, the blood that you are able to see makes you feel quite queasy and in shock. All of his actions are in depth and is showing him changing his appearance which instantly conveys him to be doing something wrong and wants to hide himself. There is a lot of contrast within this clip. The christmas decorations and family portraits are nice shots, but then they switch to disturbing images like the dead bodies and bloody knives. This shows how he is living in reality and the killing of this family is just another thing within his life and he doesn't care.  This shot below shows he has walked past this dead body just like his reality.

This screen shot shows the contrast between household cutlery of the mugs and the tools covered in blood. This juxtoposition enhances how this is reality to him and the killing doesn't bother him. 







The main character in this shot is shown to be putting contact lenses in, one eye is seen to be green and the other brown. This could I believe connotate the fact he has a split personality or also the fact he is hidden.




Editing
The first editing technique used in this shot is continuity editing, showing the journey of the postman delivering letters through the neigbourhood this creates reality to the opening sequence. There is then a cutaway to the postman and then to the mail list where it shows a house to have cancelled. This immediately creates an enigma as to why this is and the the cutaway suggests that it may have something to do with the storyline. Throughout this opening sequence it shows continuity editing as you are able to see his actions step by step gaining some understanding of the narrative. However you are also unaware of why he is doing these things as it has missed out the beginning of the film where he kills these people. Due to this is creates narrative enigma therefore the audience will want to carry on watching. There is also many long shots showing his actions and surroundings. There is a long shot on his toiletries showing his razors, scissors etc. These are disturbing things to see and contrast with the long shot of the family photographs, this I believe suggests how this is his reality. Also the long shots of the bodies and his actions make you more focused on what he is doing and again gives you an understanding of the narrative but also are still unaware of a lot of things as to why he is doing this actions or why he has killed these people. As he walking out of the house he stops and there is a shaky fast zoom towards him, then a flashback to a young girl screaming. He then looks around to the camera as if he is looking back at something he has commited, i.e in this case the killing of these people.

Camera
There is a tracking shot across the neighbourhood which creates this sense of normality and the fact the main characters are just regular people that you come across everyday. It also makes us more aware of the house it stops at as it instantly makes you wonder what is inside this house and what has gone on. There is then a panning shot showing the razors etc, this camera technique suggests that this should be seen in a more disturbing and cruel way. Also they have played around with the focus and depth of field.

This shows him to be out of focus and slowly go into focus. I believe this has been done to enhance him as the main character but this also connotates this hidden personality he may have and that he is hiding something. This is a successful way of enhancing his presence. There are many close ups and extreme close ups throughout this opening sequence of his actions, again making the audience aware of what he is doing.


There is then a shot that tilts to a canted angle of one of the dead bodies, this could suggest his life being messed up but at the same time this is his reality and does not bother him.

Titles

The titles in an opening sequence are extremely important as they inform the audience of the characters, producers, directors, production company etc. They have got to be clear but have also got to be subtle so the audience are not distracted from what is happening on the screen. This is exactly what has been done here, the titles have slowly move onto the screen and dissapear one way or the other, the titles are shown in clear black write and quite small within the screen. I believe that because it is so simple and not shown to be extremely 'horror like' it connotates the fact that his actions are nothing to him and just another action of everyday life.

The first time we see a main character in this opening sequence, the main title of the film appears 'The Stepfather'. This instantly informs the audience of his role in this film as he is what the film is based around and he is A stepfather in this movie. I believe this creates even more narrative enigma as the audience want to know what he brings to the movie and what he is going to do later on.

Dominant Ideologies

'The Stepfather' is not represented as a typical stepfather in this sequence. Normally Stepfathers are seen to be family oriented and friendly, however this certainly is not the case in this sequence as you see him running away from his killings. However there are dominant ideologies within this opening sequence. Females and children are seen to be weak and are unable to stand up themselves. This is exactly what has happened here as they are the ones that have been killed, another dominant ideoligy that has also been supported here is that middle aged men are seen to be stronger and normally (especially in horror films) are the killers/antagonists.

Conventional Elements

This sequence included many elements of an opening sequence including:

• A hint to the genre, the razor equipment, sight of blood and the dead bodies inform the audience to the horror genre
• Titles, it clearly informs the audience of the production company, the main characters etc
• An introduction the main character, the opening sequence is based around him and no one else therefore automatically the audience know that he is the main character
• There is strong narrative enigma as they are unaware of why he killed this people and also what he is going to do next
• There is also non diagetic music which is used in almost every opening sequence which I believe sets an atmosphere to the sequence.

Genre/Narrative Signifiers

There are many hints to the genre as 'Horror'. These include

• Eery music creating an scary atmosphere
• Non linear narrative, so you are able to see his characteristics and actions
• Images of blood, to signify death and danger
• Dead bodies
• Flashbacks of a screaming girl

They have also included narrative enigmas to ensure the audience carries on watching and is intrigued as to what is going to happen

• Why is this man leaving these bodies?
• Who is he?
• Did he kill them?
• Where is he going?
• Who are the people dead?
• Why does he feel no guilt?
• What is going to do next?

Analysis of an Opening Sequence

Love Actually (2003)
Director and writer: Richard Curtis

http://youtu.be/PMScPVO4rLw   (unable to embed this clip) 

Sound: 
The non diagetic music in the opening sequence of this film is soft toned, slow and sounds as if they are violins along with other string instruments. I believe this has been done to create a romantic mood and enabling the audience to understand the genre (romantic comedy) of the film. There is then some more non diagetic sound of a British man talking over the scene, he has a posh accent and instantly tell us this is a British romantic comedy. It also portrays this character as being very important and key in this film as he is the first person you hear. 'When the plane hit the twin towers' By the actor saying this, it makes the audience feel very sad and as the main viewers are Americans they can instantly relate to this making the film see more natural and real life.

Mis-En-Scene
The opening sequence of this film is set in the arrivals gate Heathrow Airport, London. This shows natural peoples reactions when they see their loved ones making the sequence look more realistic, also it portrays the film to be a film about love in a variety of relationships. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, siblings, boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives are all shown in this clip therfore portraying the different love you can find. 'love is everywhere'

                     

   

Editing
There is not much abstract editing in this opening scene suggesting the naturalistic atmosphere they want to portray. It simply cuts from one reaction of an arrival to another, showing us the variety in relationships, and the similarities they have enhancing how natural the opening sequence is. However they do include a slow motion effect which draws the audience into the reactions of these people making their movements and expressions more important and bold, also enhancing the love. Therefore this establishes that the film is about love and romance.

Camera
Most of the shots in the opening sequence are tracking shots, following the people in the airport approaching their loved ones. This again is done to enhance the love the people have, and us following their relationships. There are many shallow focus' shots in this clip as many people are seen to be out of focus, where as the reactions are the only things in focus. This draws the viewers in to these reactions to be important and a main aspect of the opening sequence. Connotating that love is important and should be key in everyones lives. There is also one clip where a couple of shown to be framed around other people in a shallow focus in a shape of heart, enhancing how love is shown in this film.

Titles
At the beginning of this opening sequence there are only two titles shown very small in white simple writing 'A working title production' This is not very distracting but is still visible therefore are attention is still on the characters. Throughout the natural reactions there are no title shown which again keeps the viewer focused on the people and also again enhances the natural atmosphere the director wanted to create.

When the British actor says 'love actually is all around' these words appear on the screen, almost like a typewriter, this emphasizes the words he is saying as being important and the words are meaningful, creating a clue that the film is all around this statement. Also the fact the word 'is' is shown boldly in red suggest he wants to enhance this point.  Then 'is all around' fades from the screen and the title 'love actually' remains, turning the word love in red. This is a subtle way of including the title of the film in the screen, and due to the fact that love is now shown in red draws you to this word and again emphasizes the love narrative the film may have.

Dominant Ideologies
There arent really many key dominant idelogies portrayed in this film as there are a strong variety of different people shown that we don't find much about. Therefore it's hard to put key stereotypes on them. However they portray love to be a very happy feeling as every character has a strong happy expression on them whereas this could not always be the case. Also the British character we hear speaking has a very distinct posh accent, therefore making the viewers believe that every British man is like this. 


Conventional Elements
Titles, opening credits, indication to genre, introduction to main characters, narrative enigma.
This scene has included many of the elements that opening sequence should have. The scene has opening credits and titles which clearly inform the audience of the production company and also the title of the film. This means they can get an idea of the genre of the film due to the title, and also they may have seen films from the same production company. Indication to genre is important and should be included in the opening sequence of every film, here the actions of the characters and the film title clearly signifies the film is a romantic comedy and is based around love. Although we do not see the main characters, we do hear one. This introduces him to be important and one of the main characters, this creates a narrative enigma, as the audience will want to find out who he is, what he will bring to the film, what he looks like. Therefore will carry on watching to find out. Also the fact we do not see any other main characters, and we do not know anything is going to happen apart from love, is also a narrative enigma. Sound is also a conventional element that is included which also indicates the theme of love. 

                                                                                                               

Genre /Narrative signifiers

There are many clues in this clip that inform the audience this film is a romantic comedy:
Firstly, the main character we hear has a strong posh british accent. This soft toned voice is a connotation to the feeling of love and clearly makes us believe it's a british romance film. They have used natural reactions of real people coming through the arrival gate at heathrow airpot creating a loving mood to the film and signifying that this is a film that includes love you find in real life and is not just seen in movies. 

Conventions of Opening Sequences

Narrative Enigma

Many horror opening sequences leave the audience with many unanswered questions so they want to carry on watching to discover the answers. Also it creates mystery and tension which is a key concept that horror films need to include so it portrays a scary atmosphere. This opening sequence of film Se7en is a clear example of narrative enigma where the first 2 minutes keep you drawn into the film without giving to much away.

 

Introduction to Main Characters

So the audience can establish who the main characters or the most important character is in a film, they include them in the start of the opening sequence. This then gives the audience an idea into their personalities and traits they will bring to the film. In the film Beastly, the main character is in the first shot of the opening sequence and throughout the first 2 minutes, you see 2 other female characters appear more frequently than others who are also main characters in the film. As they are shown more in the opening scene the audience understands they are important in the film.

 

Opening Credits

The opening credits to the film are extremely important, this is because the audience need to identify with the actors/actresses that appear and also the directors, producers and writers. The audience then may be able to get an idea to what the films genre is because of the characters that appear. For example if they see Adam Sandler, they would instantly be able to tell the film is a comedy as this is the genre he always appears in. Also they can relate to their previous experiences of films they have seen that have been produced by the same person. 

The other title that appears before the characters etc, is the production company. Similarly if the audience have watched films they have enjoyed by this company they are more likely to carry on watching. Highly recognised production companies have a lot of money, therefore suggesting to the audience that the film made has cost a lot of money to make and will want to carry on watching. For example Columbia is a well known recognisable production company.

Titles

The title of the film is a convention that is always present in the opening sequence so the audience can again get an idea into what the film may be about and the genre. For example, 'Angus thongs and perfect snogging' instantly tells the audience it's a film aimed at female teenagers and is a romantic comedy or chick flick. You can tell a lot from just 5 words, therefore the producers have to be very careful when choosing a film.

Hint to theme/genre

Many things can indicate what genre the film is and what we can expect. The things happening in the opening sequence give the audience a slight idea to what the film is about and epsecially the genre. In the first scene of Jaws we see a girl being killed in the water, the audience identify this film with being a thriller and know there is someone or something that will kill many people. 

Sound

The sound in an opening sequence is also very important to create a atmosphere that the producer wants to specifically create. Fast paced, commercial 'pop' music will normally be used in romantic comedies or chick flicks. This instantly creates a happy feel to the sequence and the audience are able to establish this as a light hearted, fun movie. On the other hand, using high pitched, string music with a slowish pace will create an eery atmosphere that are normally used in horror/thriller movies. 

The sound in the opening sequence of Harry Potter is high pitched and haunting, creating a magical atmosphere. Therefore the audience will have a clear indication that the film is to do with magic. This is a hint/signifer to the genre and what the film is about.

Type of Narrative

There are two types of narratives that are used in the opening sequence of films. Linear narrative shows the film in chronological order, for example in the chick flick 'wild child' you see the main character rebelling against her father and him sending her to boarding school in another country in the opneing sequence. The film then follows this to show her in boarding school, the events happen one after other showing her progression in her new life.  In contrast, some films use non linear narrative where they show the main action of the movie that normally appears in the middle at the beginning. This will then make audiences want to know what caused this action and will want to watch more (narrative enigma)

Mis-En-Scene
The mis-en-scene of the opening sequence can tell a lot about the film, the story line and the genre especially. If the film starts in a dark eery setting like a old house, a dark alleyway or a forest will instantly suggest that something bad is going to happen and the genre is horror/thriller. One example of this is Halloween where the opening sequence is set in a dark house, creating a scary atmosphere.

On the other hand, a scene shown in high key lighting will instantly create a happy atmosphere and therefore the audience will think the film is light hearted and romantic comedy or family genre.  The opening scene of the holiday is set in a large american house in the summer, this instanly suggests a happy fun film.

Research Into Genre

Horror

Conventions of the genre

Colours:

The colours in Horror films are dark, dull and extremelyeery to create a scary atmosphere. These colours are black, greys and could also be browns. Red is also used a lot throughout the films, normally being used to represent blood and danger.

The 'Saw' movies are films that are extremely gory and scary.The left screen grab is from Saw 6. Here you are able to see a dark room, where there are a lot of blacks and browns shown. Also the colour red is used in some places, to represent gore, horror, pain and death. This is extremely successful as it creates an extremely scary feel to the film and the audience know something bad will happen.

Images:

There are many images that you associate with Horror films which are used throughout them and normally are shown in the opening sequences:

-Blood, knives, corpses, white 
eyes/crazy eyes, possessed characters, cuts, broken bones, disfigured people, ghosts, zombies, masks, writing onwalls.

All of these things make the audience scared as what is going to happen next, building tension up and giving them a slight idea to the storyline. This is because all of these things are associated with danger and death. 

Locations

Horror films use conventional locations to create fear and show the characters to be vulnerable in the places they are shown in. Victims are placed in forests and empty dark fields to suggest that they are the weak and are in danger just like basements do the same. Also large, old, abandoned houses are shown a lot which are used to suggest they are haunted and the film is about ghosts etc.  The locations are also shot at night to enhance this eery feel. 

Props

Props can establish alot within a scene. It can tell us traits of the character and what they may bring to the film, it also may also give us an idea of the plot. It also allows the viewers to determine the genre of film, therefore Horror films include many props that are conventional to the genre:

-Knives, machettes, masks, ancient books, gloves, chains, chain saws.
There are many props that are extremely famous within films that without them we wouldn't be able to recognise them as a certain character. Here are some examples:

  
  Scream Mask-                                           Freddy Krueger's hands
       Scream 1,2,3, 4                                          Nightmare on elm street

Music

Conventional music in horror films is high pitched, repetitive sounds that builds up to be faster creating tension and signifying something bad is going to happen, sometimes however they use low pitched sounds. Also used are sounds associate with children as they are seen to be innocent and can make the feel audience feel intimidated. For example children singing in unison, nursery sounds; rattles, baby monitor etc

A strong example of a film that uses a repetitive sound to signify the appearance of the killer that gets faster and louder leading up to the killing of a victim is 'Jaws'. Therefore everytime the audience hears this sound you know that someone is going to die or get hurt. 

Costumes

The costumes for the victims in horror films are usually quite plain showing them to be the weaker character within the film. Also they may have their clothes ripped, covered in blood. This shows they have been attacked of some sort by the killer/antagonist in the film. The main killer/antagonist in horror films normally have costumes that hide their true identity, for example the Scream mask clearly hides the killers appearance. Other examples of this include Jason -Friday the 13th, Leatherface- Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

                           

   Characters
The characters within Horror films are quite similar throughout many that have been made. The victims are usually seen to be either normal people you see everyday, these can be either male or females but within this there are types that usually are 'picked on'. Young teenage girls can be seen as very weak and therefore most of the time are the main victims or those to die first.  The screenshot on the leftis from the Horror movie 'Sorority Row'. This is about a group of american teenage girls who live in a Sorority where the girls are the first to killed in the film. Another film that shows the girls to be the main victims in the killings is 'I know what you did last summer'. This is where the killer harasses a variety of girls throughout the film. 

The antagonist/killers in horror films are normally seen to be males, it is extremely unusual for the main killer to be a female. They are usually middle aged males, and therefore are seen as stronger and more dominant over the victims.  One example of the antagonist in 'The Stepfather' As he is the oldest male in the family, he automatically is seen to be stronger and more intimadating to the rest.

Conventional actors
There are many actors/actresses that you tend to see in many horror films.

Boris Karloff has appeared in many Horror films throughout his years of being an actor. To name a few he has been cast in Scarface, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy and Thriller


Janet Leigh is famous for her role in Pyscho but also has appeared in The Fog, Touch of Evil and Ghost Story

A more modern actress that has appeared in recent Horor and Thriller films is Melissa George. Amityville horror is one of her most famous films that she has appeared in but she has also been cast in 30 Days of Night, Triangle and Paradise lost.

Gunnar Hansen is one of the most famous horror actors for his role of Leatherface in the 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

Conventional Directors

Alfred Hithcock- Pyscho, The Birds, As long as he lives
Brian De Palma - Carrie, The Fury, Raising Cain, Stir of Echoes
John Carpenter - Halloween 1,2,3,4, The Fog, Master of Horrors, Someones watching me.
Dario Argenta - Deep Red, Phenomona, Opera, Trauma, Masters of Horror
Clive Barker - Hellraiser, Salome, The Forbiddon, Underworld, Nightbreed
Tod Browning - Dracula, The Hypnotist, The Unknown, Freaks
David Cronenberg - Shivers, Scanners, Fridays Curse, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Nightbreed

These are just a few famous Horror directors. 

Preliminary Filming Task Evaluation

How filming went

The filming was successful as we had extremely good time management and were able to complete the task quickly but also well. We used at the beginning an extremely successful panning shot where we circled round Michael. Also we used a variety of other shots such as an extreme close up, an over the shoulder shot/ tracking shot, medium close up to show relationship and many more.

We also successfully managed to include a shot reverse shot which then enables the audience to see the conversation clearly and can see the expressions and reactions on both of the characters. However I think this would have been a lot more successful if we had zoomed in to the characters a bit more as you could you be distracted by the background as it is quite busy.

            

The most successful part of this filming I believe was the beginning as we experimented with music, cutaways and effects. We did this by creating cutaways to flashbacks and showing them to be in black and white with a slight glow, this made the clip look like a dream. The music also set the mood. I was part of the editing and was happy with the results, this is a strong part to our team as I have used it before and am quite confident.  

One problem we encountered within this filming task was continuity error. We filmed this just before lunch and then afterwards, during this time an item on one of the desks was removed from the location we filmed in.  The first screen shot shows the desk with paintings on, however in another shot they have gone.

The music I believe was successful in this clip, therefore we will take this on board in terms of sound in our opening sequence by adding music to the beggining to build tension but then stopping it so the audience is more focused on the content of the clip. From this task, we will be a lot more careful with continuity errors. 

We worked very well as a team and we all contributed to each part of the preliminary filming task. Tommy and Micheal were the actors in this, but also helped when deciding on the plot. Luke filmed this task, and I edited. This will be the similar set up to our actual opening sequence however, Tommy Michael and Luke will film together to ensure we get a wide variety of shots. Therefore I will edit most of the footage, but will have a lot of input from the other team members as this happened in the preliminary task which created a successful video with an original idea.