1. Step outline for film opening of The Possession
Genre: Horror (cert. 12)
Description of action
Timings
Mise-en-scene
Fades from black to the
00:00:00 Lionsgateident
ident for the company
00:00:24
Lionsgate. Fades out to
black.
Fades from back to ident 00:00:25 –
Ghost House
for Ghost House Pictures 00:00:37
Pictures ident
and fades out to black.
Fades from black from
centre to show “Lionsgate
and Ghost House Pictures
Present” in capitals in the
centre of the screen.
Fades to black starting in
the centre.
Fades from black from
the centre to show title of
film „The Possession‟ in
same font as before
fading back to black from
centre.
Fades from black from
the centre to show “The
following is based on a
true story”
Fades from black from
the centre to show “This
is what happened to one
00:00:38 00:00:42
00:00:43 –
00:00:46
00:00:52
00:00:53
00:00:59
Sound
Cogs and choir
voices in a minor
key.
Sudden slam of
door and single
voice singing a
note in a minor
key.
White font
Piano melody –
capitalised in the
asynchronous
centre of the
sound which does
screen.
not match the
moving image. A
woman‟s voice
singing „ahh‟
randomly placed
White font
throughout the
capitalised in the
melody. It sounds
centre of the
like an older
screen.
woman almost
singing words.
White font
capitalised in the
centre of the
screen.
White font
capitalised in the
centre of the
Camerawork
Editing
Fade to and from
black transition.
Typography
Fade to and from
black transition.
Fade to and from
black transition.
Use of titles.
Fade to and from
black transition.
Use of titles.
Fade to and from
black transition.
Use of titles.
Fade to and from
black transition.
Capitalised,
simple sans serif
font used
(possibly Arial or
something
similar). All letters
same standard
size. Gives a
series impression;
something
ghostly about the
white lettering
against the dark
background. The
letters appear
isolated.

2. family over the course of
29 days” in same font as
before fading back to
black from centre.
Straight cut to bird‟s eye
view long shot of 4
houses and a road. One
house in particular is in
the centre of the screen.
The camera rotates.
Straight cut to tracking
shot of a wall of photo
frames including a
religious image of the last
supper and all photos in
black and white. As tracks
to the end of the wall, an
old woman can be seen
in a living room looking
at a box on the
mantelpiece.
Straight cut to medium
shot of older woman with
bob haircut. Her
expression is hard to
read. Behind a window,
curtains and door can be
seen. The camera zooms
close towards her.
Straight cut to
screen.
00:01:00
00:01:09
Houses, roads,
garden. Bare
trees.
00:01:10
00:01:28
Multiple
cluttered frames
of different
events. Table
clock.
Dated floral sofa
in living room,
carpet, tables
and fire place
construct a
dated,
conventional
living room.
Apron strings in
a halter neck,
plain brown top.
Everything
above woman‟s
neck clearly
visible.
00:01:29
00:01:32
00:01:33
Left to right:
Use of titles.
Diegetic sound of
Bird‟s eye
car driving through. view, long
shot.
Piano melody
Camera
continues.
rotates 360
degrees.
Piano melody
Tracking shot.
continues.
Straight cut.
Medium shot.
Zooms in.
Straight cut.
Medium shot.
Straight cut.
Straight cut.
Inscription is

3. mantelpiece with a jug, a 00:01:40
Happy Birthday card,
dying flowers in a vase
and a second jug.
Centred on the
mantelpiece is a dark
wooden box with a
strange inscription.
Camera zooms towards it.
Straight cut to close up of 00:01:41
woman‟s face; she is
00:01:43
looking increasingly
upset and about to cry.
Straight cut to long shot
from other room, where
the wall of pictures can
be seen. The woman
stretches her hand and
steps towards the box.
00:01:44
00:01:46
Straight cut with match
00:01:47
on action of medium shot 00:01:48
of the box. The hand of
the woman can be seen
nearing the box.
small gold and
white ornate jug,
a happy birthday
card, the box,
vase with green
and yellow
flowers and a
yellow vase
behind. Petals
are scattered on
the mantelpiece.
The box is out of
place as it is
damaged and
dark wood.
Facial expression
and body
language
demonstrates
fear.
Flower card with
“Happy birthday
Mom love ??”
Zooms in.
Close up.
foreign, crude
and indistinct;
possibly
suggesting
something alien
or non-western at
the very least.
Makes the box
appear old and
mysterious.
Straight cut.
Straight cut.
Match on
action.
Straight cut.
Match on action
(edited for
continuity)
Handwritten
script font on
flower card
appears personal
and intimate.
Written by a
human.

4. Straight cut to close up of 00:01:49
woman‟s face. A thump
00:01:52
sounds and she pulls her
hand away.
Straight cut to the box.
00:01:53
00:01:55
Straight cut to the
00:01:56
woman; the camera is still 00:02:01
but the woman turns to
walk away from a close
up to a medium shot. As
she turns away there is a
straight cut to a clock,
spoon collection and
plates on the wood
panelled wall.
Diegetic sound of a
wooden thump
(from box) draws
her hand back.
Diegetic sound of
wall clock ticking.
Straight cut.
Medium shot
Eye level.
Close up to
medium shot
– change in
shot distance
due to
woman
moving away
from camera
as oppose to
camera
movement.
Straight cut.
Straight cut.