'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' (Derrickson, 2005)
Horror Genre
The sub-genre of this film is 'courtroom horror'.
Camera Techniques:
-There are lots of slow panning shots, establishing the eerie location.
-These shots are all long shots, encompassing as much of the setting as possible.
Long shot of the old farm house gives eerie and secluded feelings.
Editing:
-All of the cuts in the title sequence were long, giving time for the suspense to build up in the audience. -There are also reaction shots of the man, placing the audience with him and letting them feel his emotions - unease and curiosity.
-The typography used is old looking and is also red, connoting blood and death.
Red Title gives connotations of horror.
Sound:
-There is no dialogue in the opening sequence.
-The non-diegetic music makes use of strings in a minor key.
-Sets up an eerie and empty feeling about the old farm house, also portraying that something is definately wrong about the place.
Mise-en-scene:
-Dulled colour and lighting.
-Rundown buildings.
-Bad weather
-All seem to be conventions of horror movies.
Unkept barn seems to hide something
Narrative:
-There was no voice over at all, letting the audience focus entirely on the old farm that the man is looking around, which is the setting.
-This is a convention of horror, as it makes the audience feel uneasy.
This is a good example of achievable horror if you choose location carefully and soundtrack (can you upload a better version though?)
ReplyDeleteNo, this was the best one there was.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like quite a realisitically achieveable kind of clip. The use of instruments typically associated with children's music seems to be common in horror, and it seems that the dischordant way they are played gives the soundtrack a very eerie feel. Dull colours and ambiguity also seem prevalent and I think that these are what builds up the mystery and suspense in a horror film.
ReplyDeleteSome of these things can also been seen in the opening for 'Signs' (Shyamalan, 2002): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lXURWUIVNE for example at the end when they're we see them looking at something but we see it from that thing's perspective so we don't actually see what it is. This builds ambiguity and mystery which I think is a key part of these types of films.
I think a point worth noting is the absence of diegetic sound in this opening sequence - it is very effective especially when the non-diegetic soundtrack playing in minor key is used in place of it. It helps to add to the mystery, which consequently aids in setting up the narrative for the rest of the film.
ReplyDeleteThe colours which deliberately look dull are also very useful in contributing to the gloomy atmosphere when used in conjunction with the soundtrack, which may be a significant convention of many horror films.
Another example demonstrating conventions of horror openings is 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor' (Cohen, 2008).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yn56dxPWto
In this opening, dull colours are also used as a prominent feature, and a voiceover helps to set the narrative. I think the dull colours are characteristic of this genre of film.