The document analyzes the visual, audio, narrative, technical, and enigma codes used in the opening scenes of three horror films: The Woman in Black, The Ring, and Evil Dead. For each film, it describes the setting, characters, lighting, soundtrack, shot types, and unanswered questions used to create atmosphere, tension, and suspense. Overall, the document examines how these film techniques across the openings build mystery and unease for the audience.

1. Codal Analysis
Kieran Panchal

2. Film Opening 1 – The Woman
in Black
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z_XetLZlqc

3. Visual Codes
• The scene is shown to be set indoors, assumably inside an old
fashioned house. The general colours are very unsaturated and
bland with fairly low key lighting, making the appearance of the
whole screen very dingy and gives the set a very negative aesthetic.
• The props in use and the costume of the characters is very archaic
looking, suggesting that the film is set in the past.
• The characters appear to be showing very little emotion, they
appear to be careless (due to them breaking their teacups etc.) and
their movements are very slow throughout. This portrays to us a lack
of happiness or general ethos of sadness amongst them –
unexpectedly, as they are young girls playing with toys.

4. Audio Codes
• Immediately as the opening is introduced there is an eerie non-diegetic
soundtrack in a very minor key. The track appears to layer
soft instruments and feels as though it is similar to child’s lullaby, but
with a very unnerving feel to it.
• The sound builds up throughout the scene in terms of both volume
and the instruments included. As the scene becomes more tense
and the audience begin to become more curious/frightened, the
sound increases creating suspense and using occasional drum beats
for impact.
• There is no dialogue present in the speech, only occasional added
enhanced sound effects used to exaggerate movements. For
example, a ‘shatter’ sound when a teacup is stood on.

5. Narrative Code
• The narrative is not immediately clear from watching the
opening, however we can get a general idea from speculating
on ambiguous scenes shown. At the beginning, the girls are
playing with their toys and nothing appears wrong, until
midway through when the girls look at the highly positioned
camera, synchronised and the music changes slightly. As this
happens, the girl’s attitudes appear to change although they
have witnessed something that has taken over them. As they
begin to stand up, breaking their dolls/toys and walk towards
the window as if they are posessed, before jumping out of it
together.

6. Technical Code
• Throughout the opening, slow motion is used regularly, for
example when the girl’s drop the teacup on the floor and as
they stand and begin to walk. This is done to exaggerate their
movements, unsettling the audience.
• A variety of shot types are used, giving the audience different
impressions on the characters and for effect. High angle shots
are used to make the girls in the room appear vulnerable and
almost submissive. There are lots of close up shots, many
matching the synchronous sound effects, these show reaction
as well as exaggerating movement.
• Camera movements such a zoom outs are used during some
shots, making the subjects feel like they are drifting away from
us as the audience.

7. Enigma Code
• There is a large element of enigma code in this clip and lots of
questions that the audience are left asking themselves. Firstly,
we are unsure of why the girls are playing with their dolls
without communicating with one another – there may be a
reason for this that we are unaware of.
• Another example of enigma code is presented to us when the
girls look up into the corner of the room together at the
camera. After they do this, their moods seem to change and
their smiles and laughter turn into serious emotion. They
seem to be posessed somehow and jump out of the window
and as viewers we are completely unaware as to why.
• Another example of enigma code is when the woman
screams after they do this as we don’t know who she is.

8. Film Opening 2 – The Ring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gIuCfnmPQg

9. Visual Codes
• In the sequence, we can see that the setting is inside a typical
home and the main character appears to be a typical teenage
girl. This means as an audience we can relate more to this, as
it is likely to be very similar to our surroundings, and the
character may be of a similar age to us, suggesting that we are
also in danger if she is.
• The whole opening appears to have been put through a filter
ensuring that the colours are very unsaturated, dark and
contrasting. This adds an overall dingy and negative effect to
the scenes.
• We can see that outside the house it is raining and dark,
typical of the horror genre as the darkness has connotations
of evil as well as easy disguise for the bad.

10. Audio Codes
• Throughout the opening, sound effects are used extensively.
Firstly, we hear the sound of household items moving of their
own accord. For example, TV static. Also we hear other
synchronous sounds such as her footsteps very loudly as she
walks through the house. This makes the scene appear very
quiet, making the scene more eerie.
• We also hear the introduction of non-diegetic sounds as she
walks up the stairs and sees water appearing. This is a minor,
soft soundtrack which increases tension and gives us the idea
that something is wrong in the scene.

11. Narrative Code
• The female character who is presented to us is in her
household when things in her house start moving
unexplainably. Initially, she believes that the other person with
her in the house is playing a trick on her and is doing it
purposely in order to make her frightened. However she soon
realises that this is not the case, and notices that something
supernatural is occurring. Eventually, she walks up the stairs
into the hall way and notices an abundance of water that has
emerged from in one of the upstairs rooms. She opens the
door and is ambushed by something.

12. Technical Code
• There are a variety of shot types used in this opening to great
effect. I feel that the most dominant type used is the close up.
This is particularly effective as it shows the reaction of the
character, which links with the narrative, as viewing her
reactions is important for us to empathise with the character.
• Long shots are high angle shots are used particularly
effectively also, as they make the character appear vulnerable
and insignificant in terms of her power over the entity.
• Low key lighting is used throughout the whole opening, giving
the aesthetic an overall negative and eerie tone.
• The editing becomes a lot more fast paced towards the end
when the door is opened, making for a more jumpy
atmosphere.

13. Enigma Code
• There is lots of enigma code throughout this scene and
unanswered questions that the audience are faced with.
Firstly, we do not know the cause of the occurences within the
household and we are left eager to find out who/what is
responsible.
• After this we are left curious as to what exactly happens in
the final scene. There is fast paced editing, loud music with a
fast zoom into the character and a TV static effect shown on
screen and we are not explicitly shown the cause of this.

14. Film Opening 3 –Evil Dead
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPqrJgcHEVY

15. Visual Code
• We can see that this opening sequence is set in a location that
appears to be very isolated, making the setting feel suitable
for crime to be commited, as it feels so cut off and has the
general appearance of an underground cellar, due to the lack
of natural light in the room suggesting that there are no
windows, although this is not confirmed.
• The main characters that we see are an old witch-like woman
as well as a daughter and father figure. This makes us feel
uneasy as viewers as we can assume that the two have a
strong relationship due to this.
• Also making us feel uncomfortable is the make up and
costume of the characters, the use of blood suggests to us
that they have been through much previous to this.

16. Audio Code
• Throughout the opening, there is extensive use of sound to
create an effect on the viewer. Firstly, there are often non-diegetic
soundtracks played. The most effective of these are
the ones that increase in volume previous to a large plot-significant
event, building up tension and suspense, such as
before the mask is uncovered and the match struck.
• Also, we hear many examples of added sound effects. For
example when the fire is lit we hear the impact of this as well
as the crackling of it after this which is very impacting to the
audience.
• The dialogue is also very important. When the girl switches to
her demonic side it is very unexpected and therefore
unsettling.

17. Narrative Code
Initially, we see a hooded person tied to a large pole in the
centre of the room. A man walks over to them and after pulling
the hood off, we acknowledge that it is his daughter. After this,
they begin to converse, the girl being confused as to why her
Dad has done this to her. He states that she killed her
mother/assumably his wife, before pouring petrol over her body
and then lighting it. As he does this the girl transforms into a
demonic character, hurling abuse at him. Constantly, there are
shots of an old woman reading through some sort of satanic
book and speaking in an obscure language.

18. Technical Code
• Lighting is extremely low-key throughout the whole opening,
with only half of the character’s faces exposed much of the
time, until the fire is lit glowing the faces more. This darkness
has the connotations of evil, making the audience further
unsettled.
• There are many effective shot types in this opening, for
example close ups. These are used to emphasise reactions of
characters and also the significance of objects, such as when
the match is struck, the use of the close up illustrates the
importance of the action to plot. Also depth of field reinforces
this, as the objects are sharp whereas the backgrounds are
blurred on many occasions.
• Also the use of POV shots puts us in the character’s position,
as if we were there in the scene, making us feel more fearful.

19. Enigma Code
• There is lots of enigma code in this sequence. Immediately, we
are unsure of who the person hooded/tied to the pole is,
however this is literally uncovered to us shortly after.
• Also, throughout the scene we are unsure of the significance
of the old woman and the relevance of the book that she is
reading although we can assume that it has something to do
with the evil side of the girl.
• Finally, we do not know why or how the girl has ended up in
the state she is in and whether she is posessed and if so, by
what. This creates a gap that would be likely be filled if the
viewer watches on, making this very effective,