Opening Sequence- Sinister

Opening Sequence- Woman In Black

Movie Title Analysis- Insidious

Background: the background of this title is a wall which looks to be very derelict this is used in most horror films to symbolise decay, history and mainly death. By using a wall that looks to be rotten the producers are showing that death is going to take place which leads to the audience thinking that it will not be an easy death. The floor of the title is also very dirty and looks as it is part of a forest which again is something that is used very commonly in horror movies as it symbolises an abandoned place where people are left to be tortured and die a painful death which will most likely leave the audience in disgust and above all fear.

Writing: the main focus of this title is the writing itself it is written in bold red lighting that is in the centre of the screen. This colour could’ve been chosen for many reasons. Red usually symbolises death and danger and by using it in the beginning of the movie it is making it very clear to the audience that the movie is indeed very gory and a lot of deaths are very likely to occur. The writing is also arched which suggests that there will be devils and supernatural creatures in this movie and a lot of people being possessed. This is staying true to the stereotypes of horror movies as there is always some sort of evil creature that goes around killing people.

Shadows: there are many shadows in the title itself as the writing is showing shadows onto the background. These shadows can represent many different things but the main thing that they are representing in this specific title is the fact that there is a hidden element in this movie and there will be a lot of mystery alongside the deaths. This hints to the audience that there will be a lot of jump scares that the audiences will not be expecting a long with unsolved murders which will be very gory.

Colours: the colours that are used are mainly dark apart from the bright red. The dark colours that are used hint that there will be a lot of mystery within this horror movie as well as it being set in a place that is isolated and dark. The lack of colour and intense darkness with a small light shining through it also suggests that there will be a lot of surprises in this movie but a lot more mysteries that will keep the audience on their toes. This is something that is used commonly in horror movies as they tend to make the audience a lot more scared due to the fact that it adds to the element of psychological horror.

Movie Title Analysis- Sinister

Setting: the setting in horror movies is very important as it reflects the mood of the movie and gives the audience a basic understanding of it as it sets the basic story line and gives the audience an idea on what it will be about.  The setting in the title of sinister is very significant as it shows to the audience that the movie is in an isolated area as it is in a forest which suggests that anything can happen due to the fact that people won’t be able to get help in an area where most people can’t get too easily. This allows the movie to have more drama and more death as people are on their own away from help. The location is staying very true to the stereotypical horror genre as most of the deaths and the goriness takes place in forest. The use of the forest in this specific title also allows the main focus of the scene the family that is being hung in the background. By using a plane background that has minimalistic events happening allows the audience to concentrate on one thing which is the most significant this being the family. The setting also leaves the audience scared as they feel like something could happen at any second and also leaves them very paranoid due to the fact that the background is very simple but also complex in a sense that it leaves the audience feeling that a jump scare could happened any minute due to the fact that there are a lot of gaps in the background.

Colour: The washed out colours and damp tones also make the image seem blurred and allows some parts of the background to hide out leaving the audience’s main focus on the family that is being hung. The colours seems lifeless as they give a cold tone to the image and add to the genre of the movie and helps it become even scarier. By using these cold toned colours the audience get a very plane feeling of fear due to the fact that the scene is not entirely clear making it easier to imagine things and become even more scared. This adds to the genre of the movie as it makes it psychological horror where the audience are not scared due to the events but more of the fact that they are guessing what could happen next. The dull colours also symbolise sadness and danger.

Costume: costume is very significant in this scene as it makes it clear that the people hung on the tree are a family and of all ages including a child. This again adds to the aspect of psychological horror as the audience can relate to it and imagine such things happening to them. The idea of having a whole family on the tree also gets very scary as families are often looked at as safe environments where people are protected inside of them so by using a family peoples traditional thoughts are questioned and replaced with scarier more of putting thought. There are masks the are placed on the characters that are being hung this adds to the scene and hides the characters identity which keeps the audience on their toes and also intrigued as they would want to know who the people under the masks are and what their story is.

Lighting: the lighting in this title is very minimalistic but is just enough to show what is going on. The lighting is dark but also bright enough to show the family that is being hung in the background. The lighting in this scene is dark on the outside but gets lighter as it comes to the centre. Bu doing this the producer is able to make sure that the audience are focusing on the correct things and paying attention the main park of the scene that then develops to be a major part of the horror movie.

Writing: the writing itself is also a major part of this title significant as it gives the theme of the movie an ominous tone, one that insights the idea of future events. Foreshadowing is a common convention of horror movies and this poster accurately conveys that idea. The writing is smudged upwards which adds to the theme of being hung.

Movie Posters

I have researched and analysed two movie posters to extend my understanding of horror movies and their aspect. This also helped me to think about how the films are portrayed through their titles without giving too much away.

The women in black:

The title for The Women in Black has incorporated all the aspects of horror movies. Firstly it has a tree and bushes on the left hand side and the top of the title, this shows that the film is set in a place near a forest or maybe in a forest itself. This goes with the stereotype of horror films as the film is normally set in an abandoned area and in most cases it is a forest. Furthermore the background also has a castle this again carries out the horror theme as the place itself could be hunted which is what happens in most horror films as the place is normally abandoned and set in a place where help can’t get there fast or people can’t hear the characters scream. One of the main things in the background is a hooded figure, this is very significant as the film itself is called “The women in black”, which hints to us that hooded figure is most likely the thing that the film is based on. This again follows the stereotypes of the horror film as it is mysteries and adds fear of the unknown another thing that ads to the fear of the unknown is the title, it is edited to make it seem foggy which again adds to the concept that there is mystery in the film and also adds to the horror aspect as there is a fear of the unknown which makes the film even more scary. The title is also glowing and it looks as if it is trying to outshine something this could symbolise a few things these are, there is hope within the film as it is shining through darkness or it can also add to the mystery as the title looks as if it is trying to outshine something which is adding to the mystery and hinting that there is more to be found out. Furthermore in the background there is also a cross which again could symbolises two different things firstly it could symbolise Christianity, this is staying very true to the theme because in most horror movies religion is traditionally used to get rid of whatever ghost or demand character that is present the second thing the cross could symbolise is death as it is traditionally used as a tomb stone. Again this stays true to the horror theme because in most horror movies death occurs very frequently. The tomb stone can also link to the hooded figure, this is hinted to the audience by the fact that the hooded figure is standing directly next to the stone and the fact that it hooded could mean that the figure is a demand that has come back to possess someone.

Sinister:

The title for Sinister has followed the stereotypical horror title theme. The main selling point of this title is the outline of the face that has been drawn with drained blood as it is being dragged along by a blond girl’s hand. This image is very disturbing and terrifying which suggests that the movie is in fact very violent and unsettling. This is very significant for many different reasons and these are, the fact that the movie is very gory and has a lot of brutal deaths in it this is staying true to the stereotypical horror movies in terms of the goriness and killing in the movies the figure is also very significant as it does not look like a face but instead a mask or some sort of demon that could possess people or kill them another reason that the face is significant is that it  symbolises evil and death which are two main things that tend to be in horror movies. is also significant for other reasons they are the Another very significant thing about this is the girl that is on the left hand side of the screen this is another significant thing as the girl looks very young which is another important aspect to the horror movie as young people are always seen as innocent. Another significant thing about the girl is the fact that she is wearing pyjamas which suggests that the killing only occur at night this is staying true with the horror genre and its aspects as in most horror films the significant events only happen at night. Another thing that follows horror conventions is in movies as a young person is always used to make the audience even more scared as young people are always symbolised as innocent and very vulnerable people. Another conventions of horror movies is not using a character that is well know as central protagonist this means the audience can relate to the fact that it could happen to anyone this is shown by the girl where we can not see her face which means anyone else could be in her place. This also  helps  the audience to focus on the narrative of the film and its story line instead of the actors that are in it.  The background is very simple as it is a grey wall with cracks on the sides and at the bottom. It may be simple but also very significant as it symbolises decay and destruction and maybe also hint at the fact that it is something old and maybe historic which suggests the film includes something old come back from the dead to do some unfinished business. As the background is grey it is very dull and plane which gives an opportunity for the face and the girl to stand out. The writing is also very significant, it is written in a simple yet bold font in the colour black. The black is dragged further down onto the background. Again this is somewhat significant as it symbolises death and decay.

Conventions of Horror

Individual Reflections On idea

An issue we are facing is the fact that we all have so many ideas to pitch in and so many opinions on how the production should be like. As a result of this our idea has changed 3 times as it was not realistic or not suitable for the location we have chosen. The idea that we have come up with now is much more effective as it has been planned out and parts of it tested.

Our current idea is a friend visiting a memorial for her best friend where she was found hung due to "suicide" as she continues to talk to her dead best friend and expresses how much she misses her two masked figures appear  behind her that she has not acknowledged yet. As the production progresses the two masked figures attack her but shortly after she finds out that they are just her friends playing a joke on hr. At this moment the camera cuts to a third  persons POV shot showing the friends, The POV shot proceeds to look down where there is a picture of the girl with her faced circled as the girl gets up to walk away she meets the third masked figure and the shoot ends on the noose and his mask.

This idea is the most effective by far as it is not too ambitious but is able to give the audience a range of emotions included fear and creepiness. This idea builds up the tension and resolves it but brings it up again and the opening sequence is left on a cliff hanger. I believe this is very effective as this is what happens in most horror movies such as the Woman In Black and Sinister. By staying true to the conventions of horror we will be able to get the audience to react in certain ways and feel certain emotions.

If this idea goes to plan and is filmed correctly with the right amount of sound placed over it it will work very well and create a very tense feeling with a lot of horror.