Opening Title Sequence Research
Our overall task is to create an opening title sequence to our own horror movie. With this in mind we decided to conduct some more research into other opening sequences from well known horror movies. This research will allow us to get some ideas as to the use of sound and camera angles to create tension.
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In The Last Exorcism 2 (2013) they use the idea of anticipation to create tension and a feeling of being truly scared. This opening title sequence is an example of Linear sequencing. The image that we are focusing most on in this extract is the opening location shot. This is an important shot to establish where the action is taking place. The location shot in this clip is that of an average house, similar to most houses people own. This image will help to create fear, because if you take something normal (like the house) and you add an aspect of horror, people will connect to it in real life. This house could be your house... And that terrifies you! Thus building up the fear and tension of this horror.
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In Scream (1996) Wes Craven (the director) uses sound to create the horror of the sequence. This is also an example of linear sequencing, as it tells a short story. Usually in an opening sequence there is little or no talking taking place, because silence helps to build tension. However in this horror movie a conversation is used to establish the character of the killer, and the eerie feeling behind getting a wrong number. The idea behind this scene uses an everyday event of getting a phone call, and adds the element of horror. This causes the sequence to be scary as thought of getting a phone call, and ending up getting killed by the caller is utterly terrifying! Perhaps you should remember that next time you answer your phone...
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The Ring (2002) is a psychological horror film, which is a remake of the1998 japanese horror film Ringu, which focuses on a mysterious video tape which has been cursed which contains a random series of scary and disturbing images. the idea behind this is that when someone watches they receive a phone call which tells them that they have seven days to live, before the Yuri kills them. This concept makes the audience feel as if when the tape is played in the film they are also watching it and feel as if they can be tortured in the comfort of their own homes.the film was released on October 18th, which made it a perfect time to release so close yo halloween. The age certificate for this film was 15, to create a wider target audience and make as much profit as possible, which created a total of £249,348,933 at the box office.
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The Grudge (2004) is an American supernatural horror film, which is a remake of the horror film Ju-On:The Grudge. the film was released in North America on October 22nd by Columbia Pictures, who went on the release The Grudge series with two sequels which were The Grudge 2 (2006) and The Grudge 3 (2009). The film is about a curse that is born when someone dies in extreme sorrow or rage. those that encounter the spirit die and then the curse is born again repeatedly passed on like a chain of victims. the curse begins in Tokyo, when a family commit suicide after other members are murdered by the father, due to his suspicions of his wife having an affair, leaving the curse in the house for those who move in to it in the future, which then goes on to haunt the Williams family, who have moved from America.
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After conducting this research into the different ways that horror movies create tension and fear, we have now gained more ideas to proceed with our own opening sequence. We will use some of the camera angles seen in these clips, and experiment with the use of sound or conversation. This will really help us construct our final peice into something truly scary, to mess with your mind.
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(EP)