RA: Conventions of a film opening

As an introduction to understanding the components and conventions of a film opening, we have researched a few openings from films of the horror genre.

The Amityville Horror (Douglas, 2005)

• The films beings with an intertitle stating: "Based on the true story," as white font on a black background. The date is also displayed at the bottom left corner of the screen, but overlayed on the footage. Both texts use a typerwriter-style font, anchoring the time period of the piece; 1974.
• The mise-en-scene of the opening is very dark and mysterious - the lighting is dim except for flashes of lightning, and the colouring is neuted and sepia toned. The scene is set late at night, and the flashes of lightning and use of thunder sound-effects suggest stormy weather.
• The victim with the most prevalence is the little girl, Jodie. This use of children, particularly a young girl, connotes vulnerability and innocence, making her death more emotive for the audience.
• The opening contains many uses of iconography, including:
- An alarm clock reading '13'

- A religious book; "Evil is Proof of God" 

- A gun 

- And the young girl's teddy bear, which again emphasizes her innocence

• Another piece of iconography is the old house in which the opening is set. It is gothic and victorian looking, giving an eerie feel. It also looks to be in an isolated location, stereotypical for the setting of a horror film.
• The soundtrack of the opening is low and understated music, with a heart-beat like rhythm. The near silence creates tension and suspense.
• Notable uses of diagetic sound include the voice-over whispering "kill," the gunshots, and the stereotypical creaking of floorboards.
• Low angle close up shows the antagonist's legs as he climbs the stairs, holding a gun, to kill the little girl. Extreme close up is used to show the reflection of the television screen in the man's eyes near the beginning of the opening, connoting his insanity.
• Enigma is created when Ronnie, the killer, tells the little girl, "I love you, Jodie," before shooting her.

Dawn of the Dead (Snyder, 2004)
http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/06/30/dawn-of-the-dead/

• Montage editing, including many shots of newsreaders and news reporters, is used to show the zombie epidemic spreading around the world, introducing the theme of the film. A fast cutting rate is used for most of this, creating a fast-paced and chaotic feel.
• The credits and titles are presented in the form of red text on a black background. The colour red is frequently used in the horror genre because of its connotations of blood, which is emphasized is this opening as the text fades with a dripping blood effect.
• The establishing shot is of many people praying- immediately introducing the religious associations, which is a notable theme in many horror films. 
• Many different types of close-up are used to show the people infected with the zombie virus, and a scientific aspect is introduced through the use of footage of cells dividing.
• The soundtrack, however, is unconventional for a horror opening as it uses folk music with an upbeat feel.

We aim to include many of these techniques in our opening, to clearly anchor the genre of the film as horror.