Film Openings Unraveled: A Deeper Dive

     Hey all readers, it is official. I have chosen my genre! I'm making my film opening a horror piece. In an aim to help me further understand film openings for this genre, I have analyzed three horror film openings below and explained what aspects of these openings I may want to include in my own opening. 

Film Opening #1

A Quiet Place (2018)

    The first film opening I watched and analyzed was A Quiet Place (2018). I watched the first few minutes of the film and took note of what I liked and didn't as well as what aspects could be helpful for my own opening. I really liked the way this film opening introduced the alternate world this film takes place in, without revealing too many details. It was clear sound triggered some type of monster in this universe. The way they manipulated sound, including having no dialogue and mostly a lack of sound despite some diegetic sound, helped in emphasizing the little diegetic sound that actually was included as well as making the film seem more real. In terms of shots, angles, composition, and movement, the film uses a variety of types of shots and movement techniques that add depth to the film (like the long shot of the little boy in the woods emphasizing how far he was from his family when the monster took him). Even the inclusion of shots of nature like the ground or the sky played a specific purpose and emphasized that the family was isolated and that there was a lack of sound in this world. Movement techniques like tracking shots and pans helped in creating a still environment that seems calm until it very quickly didn't. These techniques worked together to create a very eerie feeling.
    
    In my own film opening, I also plan to not include dialogue and focus on using sound bases and foleys for the majority of the sound. This opening made it clear that this was more than possible. This opening also helped in allowing me to further understand the importance of sound to horror. The variety of shots, angles, and movement is something I need in my own opening. I want to use this different variety of shots, angles, composition, and movement to make my film more interesting and less boring. The inclusion of shots of the environment also is something I may want in my film because I believe the environment can help create atmosphere which helps set the tone of the film.  

Film Opening #2

Annabelle (2014)

    This film opening for Annabelle (2014) particularly freaked me out. The film opening starts with a close-up of Annabelle's eye and then is broken up into cuts between people talking, another close-up of the doll, people talking, and then a long shot of just the doll that zooms in with a loud non-diegetic sound. This sequence (doll, talking, doll, talking) was very effective in its goal of associating the fear of the characters with the doll, painting the doll as scary. The dialogue of the people explaining how they were scared of this doll really helped create fear around the doll. The film's opening use of low-key lighting and the mise-en-scène elements, such as the dolls exaggerated features and look, furthered the creepiness of the opening. In the end, when the doll is zoomed into, a loud, eerie non-diegetic sound is played, hinting at a potential jump scare that didn't happen. This was the part that built up the most fear and suspense. 

    For my own opening, I think I want to use low-key lighting and make smart mise-en-scène choices like the one in this film opening. As I already mentioned, sound is very important to horror, as made evident by all the openings I have watched, but I like the specific use of sound in this opening. The use of a loud, non-diegetic sound with a still doll and no movement other than the camera movement is something I think really built up tension. I may want to do something similar, including loud noise in a more still moment to build tension and emphasize that sound to create more fear. 

Film Opening #3

SCREAM 3 (2000)

     This film opening for SCREAM 3 (2000) really relied on the atmosphere and auditory elements to build suspense and create an eerie feel. The use of cross-cutting between where the killer was as well as where Cotton was added suspense by allowing the audience to understand things the character was unaware of. The atmosphere is a direct reflection of the low-key lighting as well as the cool color palette, creating an ominous effect. The sound elements are vital to this opening, both diegetic and non-diegetic, which work together to build suspense when Cotton realizes his girlfriend is in trouble and in other parts of the opening. 
    

    The technique used in this film opening I think I could implement into mine would be the cross-cutting or maybe just letting the audience know something the character doesn't. This really added suspense and built up intensity in the piece and I believe it could do the same for mine. Additionally, using and manipulating sound and lighting effectively can be useful in my opening just as it was in this one. The manipulation of both the character and the audience is cool and something I may also want to use. 

Takeaways

    Before conducting my research, I was very much aware of the importance of my mise-en-scène choices and shots/angles/composition/movement choices for my film opening, especially in horror. My analysis of several openings within the genre has opened my eyes to the emphasis on sound in horror films. In my own film opening, I plan to use sound to my advantage to build tension, suspense, and instill fear. I want to stay away from dialogue, focusing on sound bases or foleys for audio, as dialogue is hard to make clear without proper equipment. Overall, I'm glad I watched and reviewed these openings before starting mine because they definitely have altered the way I'm approaching my project.