Final Destination Opening

The first screen is the main institution logo. The institution is New Line Cinema. This institution is a well known institution and will have a large following therefore having them involved in the film will generate a large audience. There is a single cello which plays very low minim notes.
The cello note is sound-bridged over the next screen which is a tilt shot of a fairground ride in the dark. The tilt shot creates a sense of unease for the viewer and makes them feel disorientated. As the lighting is very dark (this part of the film is set at night) this also will put the viewer on edge.

The next few following shots are close ups of aspects of fairground rides. The close ups create a sense of mystery as only small details can be seen. Faded over the top of these shots are the credits. The monophonic cello tune is still playing.

There is then a low angle shot of another fairground ride. This shot will make the viewer feel intimidated and little in their seat which will lead to them feeling vulnerable. There are also diagetic sounds of screaming which helps to create and build an eerie atmosphere.

The following mid-shot of a doll tarot reader introduces the idea of fate which is something that will be evident throughout the storyline. Dolls are also often associated with horror films and can be made out to be creepy.

There is then a pan of the dolls finger pointing at the cards. Once it reaches the end of the cards the finger disappears and the film name is displayed on the screen.

The subtitles then continue as they are superimposed over more close ups of fairground rides again putting the viewer on edge as they cannot see the full picture. Here the tempo of the music has started to get faster and the non-diagetic score has become polyphonic.

A close up of this sign is then shown. The direct address in the sign will make the audience feel as it is address them personally. This will lead to the audience feeling connected to the films story line on a more personal level throughout which will lead to them being more scared and shocked.

The opening then continues with close ups of different things one may find at a fairground. The shots go between slow motion and fast motion and all of them fade in and out and overlap each other which really makes the viewer feel disorientated as when they familiarise themselves with one thing it changes.

The opening cuts between the previous shot and shots of a metal ball travelling down a mechanism. At the end of the opening the ball lingers over a hole that says 'fate' but then falls down the whole that says 'death'. This immediately foreshadows events later in the film.

Halloween Opening

The first frame is a pitch black screen with no image. The music starts straight away and immediately creates an eerie atmosphere for the viewer. The piano is playing a minor riff of the same note in quavers with random notes changed to either one higher or one lower to create a chromatic effect. This is done to throw the viewer off as the random note is not expected.

The music continues over to the next frame which is the institution Compass International Pictures. This is then followed by the next institution Moustapha Akkad. The copy on screen changes from orange to red. The orange connotes Halloween and the red connotes danger and blood.


The inside glow of a pumpkin's face slowly starts to fade in until it becomes completely recognisable. This is a creepy image as it is the only thing we can see on the whole screen. It creates a very eerie feel for the viewer. Forte minor chords are now involved in the music.

The music continues as the first actors name appears on the screen next to the pumpkin's face.

The name John Carpenter then appears on the screen. John Carpenter directed, produced and scored Halloween and is therefore arguable the most important person involved in this film. After a few seconds the film title appears on screen.





The credits continue with more of the cast's and crew's names. Whilst this is happening the pumpkin is very slowly moving in towards to camera. This makes the viewer feel uneasy as they are not sure what else to expect it to start doing. The score is gradually building to a crescendo and strings have now been added to create and build the tension.

The pumpkin continues to get closer and closer to the screen until you can only see one eye hole and the nose hole. Then just before the last name appears (John Carpenter) the candles inside go out leaving the screen in pitch black. This will put the viewer on the edge of their seat as they do not know what to expect.

The opening music then stops here and the voices of children singing a Halloween rhyme starts. Children's voices are used as they're very innocent sounded but also have a haunting element to them. The words 'Haddonfield, Illnois' appear on the screen followed by 'Halloween Night 1963'. This is to set the scene for the viewer.

We get the first piece of action after the credits. A long shot of a house. The camera then starts to move in closer to the house and it becomes evident that it's a POV shot. This will capture the audience's attention as they will want to know who is behind the camera. There is no music here, the audience can only hear an insect in the background.

The camera then goes to a close up of the house door from the outside where we can see a girl and a boy kissing. They then run into the living room and the camera follows them. From the POV shot we know that they are being watched through the window, suggesting that they will be victims.

The two characters then go upstairs and the camera walks round to the front of the house and looks up to the bedroom window. As the light in the bedroom turns off there is a high pitched sound which is used to make the viewer jump and to start building tension again.

The POV shot continues as the character walks around the back of the house and in through an open door into the kitchen. The lighting is extremely dark which all adds to the scary element. There is one high sustained string note and then a piano starts to playing minor crotchet notes to create an eerie atmosphere.

The light in the kitchen then switches on and we see an arm come from beneath the camera and reach into a draw and pull out a knife. The arm is dressed in a green costume which suggests a child-like manner of the killer to the viewer.

The killer then continues to walk through the house slowly and the piano notes stop leaving just the sustained string notes playing. This helps to keep the tension. The killer then watches from behind the door as the boy leaves, meaning the girl is left alone and vulnerable.

After the boy has left the killer starts to make his way up the stairs. As he climbs them the clock starts to chime which creates a haunting atmosphere for the viewer.

Once he reaches the top of the stairs the killer picks up a mask that's lying on the floor and puts it on his face. This now means that the viewer's vision is blurred as we are still seeing all of the action from a POV shot. This makes the viewer arguably as vulnerable as the girl as they cannot fully see what is happening.

The killer walks around upstairs and into a room where the girl is sat naked brushing her hair. When we first see her he hear the same high pitched sound that we hear when the bedroom light turns off. It then becomes clear that this is his victim. As her walks closer to her, she turns around and shouts "Michael!" which tells us that she knows the killer.

He then starts to repeatedly stab her, although the viewer does not actually see the knife go in they just hear it. There is a forte low pitched sound as he starts to stab her which makes the viewer jump. We then see a long shot of the girl dead on the floor.

Michael then walks outside and the minor piano notes start to play again. Another character appears and says "Michael?" The mask is then pulled off of the killer and the camera jumps to a mid shot of a young boy holding the weapon. It becomes evident that the killer is him.

Horror Genre

What is horror?
The purpose of horror films is to gain a negative emotional reaction from the audience by playing on their fears. they often include scenes where the viewer is startled through the means of macabre or supernatural, meaning that that horror genre often overlaps with the fantasy and science fiction genre. Horrors also frequently overlap with the thriller genre.
The term "horror movie" first appeared when critics and film industry commentators were writing about Universal's Dracula and Frankenstein (1931) but had since been applied in retrospect to similar films from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.


Famous horror films

Horror film conventions

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Opening

The first thing that the audience sees in the opening of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is the main institution logo. This is Columbia. There name and logo is extremely recognisable. Fans of the institution will want to watch this film because it is associated with it. The song Speed of Sound
by Chris Bell starts to play.

The next thing the audience sees in the other institution associated with the film - Mandate Pictures. Mandate Pictures isn't as well known as Columbia, however it is still reasonably recognisable. Speed of Sound is still playing. The music is slow creating a calm mood for the audience.

The screen then goes black for a few seconds before the film starts. This is the first image we see, a long shot of a house. In the corner of the screen we can see a yellow car, it is unknown to the viewer at the moment but this car has been placed in the shot on purpose as it will be an important part of the film. The music is still playing, however there is a telephone ring.

At the start of this shot the music fades and becomes background noise. The close up on the record player suggests that this is something key to film. We can also tell from the film name that music is going to be something important in the film. We hear the telephone ring again.

The camera then goes to a close-up of a wall full of posters, however there is emphasis on this particular one as the camera pans upwards to show the audience the full poster. This again suggests to the audience that the band "Where's Fluffy" will be key to the film.

The audience then meets the first character, Nick. There is a mid-shot of him as he's on the phone leaving a message to a girl called Tris. He then walks over to a window in his bedroom and leans against it. We can tell from the way that he's speaking he's quite an awkward character as there are long pauses when he speaks.

Nick then walks over to a wall full of pictures of him and a girl who we presume is Tris. From the pictures we can tell that she's his girlfriend or ex-girlfriend. He then says "last time we spoke we both said some really nasty thing" which tells the audience that they currently aren't speaking and this may be part of the story line.

Nick then leans his head against the photographs on the wall which shows the comedic side of the film as this is something which will make the audience laugh at how 'pathetic' his character is. He then says "when you broke up with me" which tells the audience that Tris is his ex-girlfriend.

There is then a mid-shot of Nick sat down behind a computer. He starts talking about a mix tape that he has made and how it's the last one, then another one pops out of his laptop again showing the comedic side of the film. The theme of music is constantly being reinforced throughout the opening sequence. Speed of Sound is still playing in the background.

Next is a close-up of Nick's face as he lies on a bed. The close up here is used to show emotion. At the end of this shot as he ends the call a woman's voice says "your message has been deleted".

It then cuts to a long shot of him laying on a bed where he says "fuck" in response to his message being deleted. The use of the word 'fuck' immediately tells the audience that this film isn't suitable for little children as there is going to be swear words. Speed of Sound stops playing at the end of this shot.

An upbeat, fast tempo song then starts to play as the picture pans over more photographs of Tris and Nick. This is when the credits start. The first one is Columbia pictures.

The second credit is Mandate Pictures. The font is cartoony and looks handwriting which is quite quirky, linking with the character Nick. The writing is also in yellow which reinforces the mood that the new song has created - happiness.

Music plays a key part in this film so straight after the institutions are credited, all of the artists featured in the movie are too. Having a good soundtrack is an advantage to a film as fans of the artists will watch the film to hear the songs and then soundtrack can be sold afterwards to create an even larger profit.

The only actor or actresses name to appear in the opening credits is Michael Cera who plays Nick. This tells the audience that the Nick character they have just witnessed in his room is in fact the main character in the film. Having an actor like Michael Cera in the film will generate a lot of teenage interest as fans of him will want to see it.

The last thing in the opening sequence is the name of the film. We already know that Nick is going to be a main character, however we haven't been introduced to Norah yet. This will make the audience want to watch on as they will want to find out who she is and what part she plays in the storyline.

The Dark Night Opening

The first thing that the audience sees in the opening of The Dark Knight is the institution logo. The main institution associated with this film is Warner Bros. Their name and logo is extremely recognisable. The screen is very dark which suggests to the audience that the film is going to be dark as well. There are some rolls of thunder in the background which again add the element of darkness and fear.

The audience then sees the next institution associated with the film - Legendary Pictures. This institution isn't as well known as Warner Bros is however it is still a reasonably recognisable institution. There is a very low, barely audible sound which creates discomfort and unease for the audience.

As the third institution logo appears a drum beat starts in the background. The drum beat resembles a heart beat and could be used to again create unease and discomfort for the audience, slowly starting to build the tension.

There are then what look like explosions which separate to show the batman logo. The explosions tell the audience immediately that this film is going to be full of action. The batman logo is very easily recognisable by most people. The drum beat stops as this shot starts and a sustained string starts. A sustained string sounds eerie and sets a tone for the opening shot which is going to follow.

The very first shot of the movie is an establishing shot of a city, this immediately sets the scene for the audience. The sustained string is still playing. The drum beat starts again.

The camera slowly then zooms in to one of the buildings. Then suddenly one of the windows smashes. Already this is telling the audience that the movie is going to be quite fast pace as we're only just over a minute in and the action has already started. The sustained string is still playing until the window smashes. The sound of the window smashing is louder and makes the audience jump, putting them on the edge of their seat.

There is then a close up of somebody wearing a clown's mask holding a gun. The gun adds fear and is a stereotypical prop in action films. The clown mask keeps us detached from character as we don't know who they are. However it immediately engages the audience as they will want to know who he is and why is he wearing a mask.

The camera then pans round to a high angle shot. This creates an element of mystery. In the corner there is another person with a clown mask on, raising more questions with the audience. Who are they? Why are they both wearing masks? What are they doing? There are some fast pizzicato strings playing in the background. The music hear reflects the pace of the film.

There is then a long shot of a man at a crossing. The camera zooms in to a close up of the mask he is holding. The mask is similar to those of the ones being worn by the people in the building therefore the audience will link these three people together. The music then starts to crescendo to help create suspense. At the end of this shot a car pulls up and the man climbs in, putting the mask on his face.

We're then back to a mid-shot of the men in the building, however the camera is from behind and the lighting has been done in a way so that their figures are black. These helps to keep the element of mystery previously created by the high angle shot. The music is gradually getting louder and faster to add to the tension and suspense. The two people from the building them jump out the window and slide across the wire to another building. There is a crane shot that follows them across showing the danger, suggesting that this film is going to include people doing risky things that create adrenaline. Drums are also used hear to create a gun shot sound, foreshadowing later events.

The camera then jumps back to the car where there are three men with the clown masks on. We then get the first piece of dialogue, one of them says "three of a kind. Lets do this." It then becomes apparent to the audience that all these men are working together and are on some kind of mission. The guy in the backseat then loads a gun suggesting that the action is going to happen fairly soon.

The men then start to discuss their 'shares' they they are going to gain from what they are about to do. This allows the audience to presume that they are going to rob something. There is then the first mention of 'The Joker' who is going to be a key character in this film.

The camera then jumps back to the two men on the roof. They too are talking about The Joker, suggesting to the audience that he is going to be an important character to the storyline. However they have a joke at his expense over the fact he wears make-up showing that there's going to be a comedy element to the film. All of the men are dressed in black to suggest evil and mystery.

There is then a low angle shot of the men climbing out the van. The low angle shot is used to make the audience feel dominated by the characters. In this instance they are dominated by them as the audience are still not fully aware of what they are doing. They then look around the street before running up some steps in a building.

Once they have entered the building, one of the men fires off a gun. This indicates to the audience that the action is about to start. Screaming starts which will help to reinforce the element of fear for the audience.

This is followed by a long shot of the men running through the building and it becomes apparent to the audience that they are in a bank which means that we can assume they stealing money. The men start shouting at the workers telling them to put their "hands up and heads down".

One of the men then pulls a worker over the desk and onto the floor. This shows that there is going to be frequent violence throughout the film. There comedy element also returns when he refers to the worker as 'pal'.

Next is a close up of some kind of gadget that the men are using the help break into the bank. The close up shot tells us that it's going something important.

We are then taken back to inside the bank where there is chaos and panic. Having the shots quickly jump between the two scenes helps the pace of the film.

On the roof the men appear to be having a problem with the gadget, however it becomes clear to the audience that this is all part of the plan when one of the men kills the other. This makes the audience wonder why all of a sudden they're turning on each other.