MG: Opening Sequence Analysis

Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960)

Link not found - DVD

Film Language: 

Mise-en-scene

• industrial location, conventional of a horror film, creates enigma as the audience are unsure if it will turn out the same as other horror films such as ‘One Missed Call' (Valette, 2008)
• the open window also creates enigma as you cannot see inside it, meaning the audience are left wondering what could be in there
• the stripes in the transitions between titles emphasise the meaning of the title ‘Psycho’ as it is very psychotic and almost threatening in a way, especially with the sound

Camera techniques

• the pans that are used set the scene and convey the industrialisation aspect of the film and they also allow us to take in the period that the film is set in and was made in as life was very different compared to how it is today
• the slow zoom into the window again creates enigma as the audience don’t know what is behind the glass and it draws them in more as they are being led closer to see what is inside

Sound

• the music is synchronous to the action: the titles and the transitions are in time with the music and is jumpy and again ‘psychotic’
• the music then slows down as it sets the scene, but it continues to build suspense and enigma with the strings instruments

Editing

• there is a fast pace of editing with the titles but, like with the music, it slows down when it starts to set the scene to allow to audience to fully take in what is being shown
• enigmatic fades are used for each cut to build tension

Representation and Ideology:

What social groups are being shown in this sequence and how?

• as it is set in an industrial location, social groups of all class and status’ are shown as there are low status jobs and high status jobs in the city, however, at this point in the film, we are unable to see if there is any conflict between the different classes

What values/beliefs/ideological discourse is evident?

• this opening sequence shows emergent ideologies as the dominant ideology of the beginning of the 1960’s was that women should cover up with dignity, however, in this film, behind the window is a woman in her underwear and a man with only his trousers on with her, which would be extremely shocking at the time to be publicly shown, the 1960’s was where the mini-skirt was introduced and ‘Psycho’ could have been part of the ignition of this revelation

Does it show characteristics of the genre?

• the enigma created from the camera techniques, the sound, the mise-en-scene and the editing, highlights conventional characteristics of a horror genre as the purpose of a horror film is to scare and shock people into believing things they never would’ve thought would happen

One Missed Call (Valette, 2008)

Link not found - DVD

Narrative:

How is the narrative organised and structured? 

• the narrative is structured from a little bit of dialogue, but also the ‘hustle and bustle’ and the screams in the soundtrack, the fast, panicky pace of the editing, and the simple use of camera techniques so the audience can really understand whats going on

How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?

• the audience are positioned to sympathise with the innocent little girl character as she is seen as the protagonist in this opening sequence
• the way she is holding a teddybear and is asked ‘where her mummy is’ reinforces this sympathy and also alienates her from the other characters

What are the major themes in the narrative?

• a massive building fire is obviously the ignition of the story of the film, creating enigma
• the way the little girl is separated from her mother and is lost and alone

How is tension created and maintained?

• from the techniques of camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene
• it is maintained by all of these techniques relating and tying in smoothly with one another and keeping a balance of them all, for example, where the zoom in is used on the girl grasping onto her teddy bear builds up tension and shows her insecurity

Media Audiences:

Who is the target audience?

• it is rated as a 15, so this is targeted at a large sector of the core audience

What are the probable and possible audience readings of the text?

• to sympathise and feel sorry for the little girl who has lost her mother in the fire

How do you, as a British teenager, read and evaluate the text? To what extent is your reading and evaluation influenced by your age, gender, background?

• I feel sympathy for the girl and for me, the situation she is in is very enigmatic as you don’t know what is going to happen next
• also, a convention of horror films that I have watched, such as 'The Children' (Shankland, 2008) is to have a vulnerable child as the antagonist, so this film could turn around quickly so I am also cautious to feel sympathy for her

Wolf Creek (Mclean, 2005)

Link not found - DVD

Genre:

To which genre does the film belong?

• Horror/Splatter film

To what extent are the audience’s generic expectations of the text fulfilled? Does the text conform to the characteristics of the genre?

• the fact that at the very beginning, in white typewriter font on a black screen, it states that the film is a true story and it gives facts and figures about people going missing in Australia, fulfils audience’s hope in that the film will actually scare them as it is based on true events
• the way the music anchors the writing/action on screen adds to the tension and suspense and again will draw in the audience and fulfil their hope that it will scare them; this is also very conventional of horror films
• the first shot of the run-down car garage is very threatening and ominous and does not look professional or trustworthy in any way, meaning, again, the audience’s expectations of the film are fulfilled because they are satisfied with the enigma of not knowing what is going to happen next

Institutional Context:

Has a star been used in this film? Why is this important?

• an Australian actor who has starred in the popular Australian soap ‘Neighbours’ and various other TV programmes and films, stars in Wolf Creek, however, he is not well-known enough to create ‘buzz’ about the release of the film so will therefore have to rely on marketing and production values for it’s success

Which studio produced this film? Is it an ‘industrial’ or ‘independent’ film?

• Dimension Films distributed this film and is an industrial film company 
• However it was produced by a more independent production company called ‘Darclight Films’
• they had a budget of $1,000,000 and came out with a box-office figure of $27,762,648 worldwide

What strategies were used to market the film?

• This film was shown previously at film festivals before it was opened in 151 cinemas in Australia, which is how it managed to create so much ‘buzz’