BWB:analysing opening sequence

Genre

The overall genre is a horror. however it can be categorised into a sub genre of ghost and possession.

Sub genre - Possession and ghost.

The opening shot is an extreme close up of a stereotypical manipulative doll named "Annabel." This immediately indicated that the doll is likely to have the biggest impact in the film. This is further enhanced by the characters dialogue "did this lead you to believe the doll was possessed" and the two characters firmly replied "yes". The doll disappears and re-appears in bizarre locations without any input of the characters living in the apartment, this suggests the doll is either doing an inhumane task of moving itself, or there is someone else in the apartment moving it.

Film Language

Camera

There are various camera shots which connote the doll to be possessed and that there is definitely something unusual about it. As previously mentioned the opening shot is an extreme close up of the left of Annabelle's face with just the corner of the eye in picture accompanied by a frightening form of eye shadow and eye liner to enhance that there is something unusual and disturbing about this doll. As the shot slowly zooms out the shot becomes further disturbing as you can see blood and scratches down the side of the dolls face.

In addition to this a POV shot is used further on in the scene To show the superiority of the doll and the fright factor it enhances on the viewer and characters themselves. The female characters open the door to the corridor and are instantly faced with the doll sat down in the corridor directly staring at them. This shot is particularly effective because it gives the viewer the opportunity to experience the frightening image the characters would have witnessed themselves first hand. This makes the viewer feel the fright that the 2 characters are experiencing.

Sound

Sound is incredibly effective throughout the opening sequence both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds have a significant impact on making the viewer feel anxious and uneasy. For example when the female character enters the spare room the use of diegetic sounds such as the heavy footsteps and creaking door creates tension this is then enforced by the use of heavy non-diegetic sound effects such as an erratic sound of piano keys as the camera switches between the horrific and damaged photographs. In addition to this whenever the doll is pictured in the opening sequence a high pitch screech is played over the top. This is a very iconic sound which features commonly in horror films. It is very effective in making the viewer jump as not only are they faced with a frightening shot of the doll but they are also shocked by the loud and unexpected screech which occurs in correlation to the shot. Dialogue is also relatively important in the opening of the scene, it enables the viewer to understand that the two women in the apartment are in desperation for help when she asks the professionals "please can you help us". This clearly tells the audience that this is their last chance resort as they have gone to such measures of bringing in professional ghost hunters.

Mise-En-Scene

The doll is designed to be particularly horrifying and make the viewer feel eerie and very uncomfortable. The doll certainly achieves this due to its grotesque, yet realistic appearance. The sincere detail in the dolls face such as the scratching's, the blood, the scars and the cuts are all features you would expect to see in a stereotypical possessed doll. In addition to the doll creating a certain sense of fear, the use of low ley lighting is also effective because, the entire shot is not clearly lit, therefore this makes the viewer wary as to if the doll maybe placed in the shot but is not visible. We see a prime example of how this technique is impressively utilised when one of the housemates opens the door and we see a shot of the corridor, firstly the doll is not visible, then as the lighting adjusts the doll appears, resulting in shock and fear amongst the people viewing. Further more the body language of the female characters connotes a very disturbed and frightened individual. After they see the notice saying "miss me?" there movements around the house are very tentative as they are clueless as to why the note has appeared. However when they see the doll the movements become very frantic as she picks the doll up and slings it into the box shutting the lid aggressively. This gives of the impression that the doll is responsible for the notice being placed at the door.

Plot outline

The basic plot outline in the opening of the film is that the two female housemates have called in two paranormal investigators to undergo an investigation as to why the doll in the house "Annabel" has been disappearing and reappearing in unusual places. The two housemates are becoming increasingly frightened by the doll as they tell the story's of how it just disappears. The paranormal investigators then inform the housemates that the "demonic spirits" in the house do not possess things, but they possess people instead. Tension is created via the use of flashbacks as the female housemates explain the peculiar story's about the doll.

Representation and ideology

The housemates which are at risk and feel insecure and threatened are both vulnerable young females. This agrees with the dominant ideology that females are vulnerable and can become frightened and disturbed very quickly. Furthermore the fact they have hired two paranormal investigators gives of the impression that they are incompetent because they cannot deal with the matter themselves, although a male would aim to resolve the matter themselves. However the dominant ideology that males are superior and have more power is disagreed with in this clip as one of the paranormal investigators is female and plays the important role of informing the housemates that the demonic spirits could possess them.

Target audience

The target audience for the conjuring was 15-25 year old females. I believe this to be an appropriate target audience as I believe this age group is perceptible to the synopsis of the film. I reckon older people may just completely dismiss the theories involved and deem it all to be rather futile. I believe the female target audience is appropriate because girls are more like to experience the fright of the film because both the housemates are both females, therefore the female viewer could easily see themselves in there position.

Institutional context