2. In the opening scene, I particularly liked the suspense that built up. I wanted to know more, and because of this I felt it was almost a necessity to know what happens next. The characters engage with the surroundings to create a eerie atmosphere and I felt that I was in the room. The darkness, and the camera pans and angles added to the horror film effect. What I like about the opening: How it hooks the audience: In the opening scene, the film posts lot’s of Enigma codes which draws the audience in to find out the answers (action codes) to these questions. For example, an enigma code in the opening is ‘Who/what took the dad into the closet? ... This then grabs the audience because they want to know. The opening scene answers some of the questions we have through out the scene. However, there are a lot of enigma codes that remain unanswered, so that the audience does not become bored and so that the whole plot isn’t revealed.
3. Introduction of characters: In the opening scene, we don’t come across a lot of characters but we do come across the main characters that will play a part through all of the film. The film introduces the characters by starting off introducing the main character then hinting at the second character (boogeyman) but not actually showing him. Finally, we are introduced to the third character (father) when he comes to comfort the young boy. Through the opening scene we can also spot which roles the characters act out. Tim = the main character (protagonist) The dad = the victim ‘ Him’ (boogeyman) = the evil / scary being. How it introduces the plot: By introducing the characters, the film introduced the plot by showing us what the basic outline is and how the characters come to play in the plot. We can see from the scene that in the darkness , a creature comes out of a hiding place and takes it’s victim.
4. Textual analyisis Camera: Establishing shot; this shot sets the opening scene. The shot also helps add to the eerie atmosphere as it looks like the typical ‘haunted’ house and the thunder and lightening in the back ground adds to eerie atmosphere because it can be portrayed as sinister and scary. Close up; the point of this shot in the scene is that we can see the fear and anxiety in his face. The audience can focus on his facial expressions and gain a sense of panic because you don’t know what to expect from his expression. High angle shot; shows both of the actors and the surroundings. It also makes the boy seem really small and helpless. Lighting: The lighting through out the opening scene is very dark with the occasional lightening streak and light from the lamp. The scene is filled with dark colours like, dark blues, greys, greens and blacks. The dark lighting is associated with evil and makes the atmosphere threatening. They have used lighting to create a dark tone and make the scene more terrifying for the audience.
5. Props: Sound: Props have been used effectively ,to add depth and substance the storyline and to create atmosphere. The Chester draws is an important prop as the young boy puts the things that scares him in it, like the coat and doll. The prop has been used to symbolise that he is locking them away. In the opening scene we come across this figure prop. The figure isn’t exactly pretty or nice, so this prop has been used to create fear around that object and to represent the boogeyman. This prop is shown in the scene and represents bad things and warnings. A crow is associated with bad events and again adds to the eerie effect. This is a clever prop as in the dark, it appears as a person outline, however when we see it in the light we are mistaken as it is only a coat in a chair. Sound has been used very carefully to create the right effect. Generally, the music has been used to compliment the horror genre. The main type of sound being used in the opening scene is non diegetic sound to emphasise the actions and to add suspense to the scene. There are diegetic sounds too which also helps create a scary atmosphere in the scene. For example, the dad screaming when he is being attacked in the closet, The screaming makes the attack more horrific and painful. Also in the background is thunder and lightening sounds, they have been used as it enhances the dark mood. At certain points in the scene, a creepy, high pitched, delicate non diegetic sound is being played. Normally, when the boy is looking for the boogeyman or he is scanning the room. The music makes the scene seem scarier and adds a lot of suspense because it makes us feel as if we are expecting something but we don’t know what.
6. Introduction of theme and genre: From the opening scene, we learn that we are watching a thriller/horror movie. We learn this because of the contents of the scene. i.e. the lighting, sound, camera angles. All of these elements add up to create the tone, We can also tell that we are watching a thriller/horror film because of the unknown evil being. The being has a scary persona and presence. The tension that is built up by the sudden noises and appearances makes the audience aware that this is no fairytale. However it is possible that there is a happy ending!
