As the film title appears you instantly recognise a chilling screech which gives the audience the impression that they should have some sort of fear based on the title. This eery, scary feel is backed up by the title being blue; this colour is stereotypically used for thrillers as it creates a cold atmosphere to the audience. The spacing of the letters are gradually spaced far apart taking up the whole frame drawing the audience to the title. But, the film title is unique from all the other credits as it doesn't just fade in like the rest, but fades in and flashes once again capturing the audiences attention. This adds to the eery feel as the flash seems like flashes of lightning, something stereotypically linked with thrillers. The font used is relatively large with capital letters and clear lettering being used, this makes it easy for the audience to understand what they are reading.
Setting/Location:
The opening scene is set in a house, a basement or cellar to be specific, an instantly eery feel is created by the light slowly turning on in the pitch black room, this delay allows the audience to become curious and on edge as to what is going to happen next creatin suspense and tension. Then, you see a woman enter who immediately doesnt look comfortable and as a result she doesnt stick around by running back upstairs. The cellar itself looks very old and dirty, with cob webs and dust everywhere these are both stereotypes for a setting in a thriller as it means that the location is abandoned which also means whats in the location isnt completely known. There is one other thing that makes this setting eery and that is the lighting, you can clearly see what would be moonlight shining through, telling the audience that it is also night time, creating links to darkness and evil, backing up the sense of fear and tension.
Costumes/Props:
The two characters that we see are both dressed very formally suggesting that they are going to something important or coming from somewhere. As the man is putting on a jumper I would say they have been somewhere and are at home winding down. The dress that the woman is wearing is a bright purple/pink which creates an overwhelming contrast to the feel of the cellar and tells the audience that she is someone of a positive nature in the film. This positivity is then backed up by thr colourful props we see in the room being bright red, yellow and blue cards and candles. This gives a new warm feel and releases some of the tension built up. The card reveals to the audience that there is a child present in some way as the cards have been made by a young child or children, you can tell this by the quality of the drawings. This is then backed up further by the man being a child physcologist, which the audience realise when the woman reads out what a lack says which seems to be some kind of award, explaining the formal dress code and cards. The man in underwear immediately links back to the other man being a physcologist, as he clearly has some mental issues. This is the first sign of unusual, strange behaviour and re-builds the level of tension that was first created.
Editing/Camera Work:
The editing or camera work is very effective as it helps creates the relevant tones and suspicions. The first use of camera shot that I saw that was effective was a midshot of the woman standing in the cellar, left of the frame. In the frame was also the shadow of the woman and wall with moonlight on it, this creates tension as the space in the frame beside the woman makes you think that something should be there, and, maybe something is there. All this provides tension and fear for the audience. Another effective shot is when the two are sitting and woman is reading the plack; the use of this reflection is the plack helps the audience realise what she is referring to and it allows you to see both characters actions. The fade out when the man is shot creates curiosity as the audience are inquisitive to find out what happend to the man, did he survive? where is he? This also puts the audience on edge and draws them in to watch more.
How The Opening Sequence Set Up The Story:
The opening sequence sets up the story as it tells the audience that this story has more to what meets the eye, by getting the audience engaged in the storyline and wanting more.. It also sets up the mood for the story as eery and unexpectant as unusual things happened, all this makes the audience feel isolated as they dont know whats going to happen next creating an overall sense of fear and uncertainty.
Genre:
This film is clearly a thriller as there are many stereotypical conventions being, non- diegetic sound that builds suspense and tension, it being set in a house at night with an eery feel to it, and, there being a shooting a suicide within the opening sequence. All this indicates a thriller and are the vital parts which makes thrillers good.
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