Analysis Film Opening Sequence - Insidious (2010)

Insidious (2010) Opening Sequence Analysis
Cast: Partick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye.

Camera movements, shots and angles

The first use of camera angle was at the start when the camera panned down and some text appeared on the screen. The camera then did a 180 degree turn and revealed it was a light. This use of camera movement confuses the audience as they don't know what they are looking at until its revealed. The camera then pans down to see a child sleeping in his room. The child sleeping in his bed connotes innocence and peace but as the audience know this is going to be a thriller/horror, the audience are confused and the tension within the scene gets higher. The camera moves around the child room and out into the passage way. During this the camera stops at certain points where its the most darkest and this is done to put the audience on edge as they are not sure if something will jump out or not. When the camera gets into the hallways it uses to long shot and stops for a second so the audience can notice the shadow in the window. The camera then turns a corner and reveals a woman standing in the shadows. The first 1 minute and 24 seconds is filmed using one continuous shot. This is done to make the opening more real and more sinister too because when the camera goes round a corner you don't know what will appear on the screen next. The rest of the opening sequence is shots of different rooms in the house. 

Editing transitions, special effects, titles/graphics

The pace at the start is quite slow as the audience need time to analyse the surroundings. The pace then picks up when the camera moves around the room. We see the first credit title and the font is very old and then it fades away like a ghost. This connotes to the audience that the film will be a paranormal/thriller/horror/psychological film. After the women fades to black the word 'Insidious' suddenly appears on screen in the same font as before but this time in red. The colour red has connotations of blood, evil, hell and death so its appropriate for the genre. The title this time flickers which confuses the audience. Other titles follow including actors, directors, producers, writers and costume designers. The font and colour is the same as the film title but instead of flickering the titles release a mist in the same shape as the text. This has connotations of ghosts, death and mystery. 

Mise-En-Scence (colour, costume, props, location, facial expression etc) 

The main colours that appear in the opening sequence is red and black. These colours have connotations of death, blood, hell and evil which is accurate as they are conventional to the genre. The only characters that feature in the clip are a little boy and a mysrerious woman. The boy is dressed in his pyjamas and sleeping in this bed. The women is dressed in a all black and wearing what looks like a veil. There are many props that are used in the video and some are used as an eye trace, which means the camera is focusing on one object and the audience are made to look at it. Props that used as an eye trace are the lamp shade, a lava lamp and a candle. The location is very conventional to a horror film as its very dark and mysterious. However, it juxtaposes with where the location is as a child's bedroom connotes innocence and isn't associated with being dangerous or scary.

Sound (music, dialogue, sound effects, ambient noise etc) 

The consistent sound throughout is a no-diegetic sound where the characters can't hear what the audience can hear. If you listen closely it sounds like someone is talking and this emphasises the genre of horror/thriller as its quite scary and mysterious. This sound can also be descried as hyperbolic sound as I would except this sound to be very quite if an entity is present in the house. When the camera reveals the woman standing in the shadows the music adds a harsh sound which I expect to be a violin. This sound makes the audience feel really nervous and on the edge of their seat because its a really horrible sound and like finger nails scratching a chalk board. The sound then stops and the screen goes black. Suddenly the word 'Insidious' appears on the screen and the violent violin sound started up again but this time it was more intense and loud. The rest of the opening sequence consists of a monotone collection of string interments which sounds like ghosts talking and muttering which mirrors the theme of the film.

Representation 

Children: The ideology of children and their room is that they are innocent, kind and harmless but this opening sequence challenges this as the music, camera angle and miss-en-scenece are all the opposite. The music makes the room seem dangerous and eerie, the camera angles zoom into dark areas of the room  which could reflect the child's mood.
Women: The representation of women in horror films are that they are witches, virgins or evil step mothers. Representing them as witches donates that they are evil and disturbing humans....