9. Conventions of a title sequence

8. Action Adventure - Spiderwick Chronicles

7. Romantic Comedy

ROMANTIC COMEDY- BRIDGET JONES DIARY on Prezi

6. Wallander (Firewall, 7th December 2008, BBC1)

The opening sequence of 'Wallander' is intreging and makes the audience think and question. The first shot is an extreme long shot which pans over a lake and then a landscape of fields and countryside from a high angle. We can hear the digetic sound of a heavy wind indicating it is cold which immediately creates a creepy and uncomfortable atmosphere. In addition, we can hear a quiet, non-digetic, high pitched set of music which increases in volume and pitch as the camera pans in closer to a white car and two dark figures walking away from the car. The setting is deserted so the fact that there is a random car makes the audience curious as it seems extremely out of place.

                                    

                                    

The next shot is a mid-shot from behind, of two young girls walking away from the camera. They are both wearing dark clothing which suggests mystery and perhaps 'evil' characters. The girl on the left has red streaks in her hair which could indicate she is in unordinary and unique and wants to be an individual. Furthermore, she is wearing a leather jacket which sterotypically suggests she is a 'punk' or 'goth'. The fact that two young girls are walking in a deserted field makes the audience question why they are there. In addition, only their backs are visible so the director is purposely hiding information from the audience which results in the audience asking questions about these two 'mysterious' characters. We can hear the digetic sound of their footsteps on the grass which highlights how quiet their surroundings are which makes the audience feel as if they are there and more involved.

The next shot is from inside a car and shows blood on the front screen which suggests there has been an attack. Also, we can see a 'taxi card' which highlights the owner of it is a taxi driver. To the left we can see an unfocused figure and in the background we can see two figures, unfocused, walking away from the taxi. We can hear the digetic sound of the radio, the fact that the radio is still on suggests that the victim (whom we think is the driver) was attacked when he didn't expect it which makes the audience sympathise towards him. 

The next shot is another mid-shot of the two girls that we have previously seen. However, this shot is from the side and reveals that one of them is covered in blood. The fact she is covered in blood suggests that she was involved in the attack. We can hear the digetic sound of their heavy breathing which reinforces the idea that their surroundings are very quiet creating an eery atmosphere. Also, their heavy breathing suggests they have been doing something in a rush which could be either the murder of the taxi driver or escaping from the driver. Both girls are wearing hoop earrings and black clothing which suggests they have 'scary' personalities. 

The next shot is an extreme close up of the mans face who has been attacked. He has a black eye and is covered in blood. His head is leaning against a surface and one of his eyes is slowly squinting to open, he looks like he is in a lot of pain and his body positioning and bruising on his face suggests he is slowly dying which makes the audience feel sympathy towards him.

The next shot is a shot reverse shot from the previous one as it shows the, already seen, two girls walking away from the car. This time it is a mid-shot from the front and we can clearly identify the two female characters. This shot shows that the taller female character has more blood on her than the other which suggests she is the leader of the two of them and has a higher status. The taller character has thick eyeliner which sterotypically suggests she is an 'emo' or 'goth'. Also to reinforce this idea, both characters are wearing 'scary' and 'loud' band tops. In the background we can see the unfocused white taxi with the lights on and two doors wide open. The fact that the lights are on reinforces the idea that the driver was attacked unexpectedly or even while he was driving. In addition, the fact that the doors have been left wide open suggests that they left in a hurry. The taller character has an old razor blade necklace which creates the idea of violence and suggests she is a dangerous character. 

The next two shots are extreme close ups, one of the victims hand and one of the victims 'taxi card'. The shot of his hand shows a minimum amount of blood compared to the tall female character which suggests the female characters attacked him before he could even fight back or that the female characters were stronger than him which is very unexpected for an audience. During this shot one of his fingers twitch which suggests he is still alive but is in a lot of pain which makes the audience feel sympathy towards him. The other shot of his 'taxi card' is covered in blood which reflects the idea of violence and suggests the incident was gruesome. Also, the 'taxi card' highlights he had a career and earned money for himself. 

                                      

The next shot cross cuts back to the two girls and is a close up from the side of the taller female character. This close up shows her eyes aiming sharply towards her which indicates that she isn't looking back. Again,we hear the digetic sound of their heavy breathing which makes the audience feel more involved. 

The next two shots cross cut back to the taxi and are extreme close ups to help identify the victim. The first shot is of the taxi meter and is covered in blood, the fact that  taxi meters are always placed at the front of the car implies that he was attacked whilst in the front of the car suggesting he was attacked whilst driving. The other shot is of a key ring with, what looks like, a father and his son. This key ring indicates that the victim is either the son or the father. Either way, it highlights he is family orientated which results in the audience feeling sympathy towards him. 

The final shot is a close up of the taller female character holding a knife covered in blood and then dropping it. We know it is the taller character as the opening sequence has stuck to the 180 degree rule and she is always on the left. We hear the non digetic high pitched sound which increases in pitch and volume just as she drops the knife, this creates a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere. The fact that she has dropped the knife suggests she nor the other female character have ever been involved in a crime like this, as they have left obvious evidence. 

5. Brick (Johnson, 1999, US)

4. The Sixth Sense (Shyamalan, 1999, US)

                THE SIXTH SENSE

The opening sequence of 'The Sixth Sense' is grabbing and creates a large amount of tension. The first shots include the white-font, serif titles against a plain black background. The white and black contrast with one another and connote the idea of light and darkness which could suggest a theme within the story. The use of a serif font results in a more serious audience response and could imply that the story is going to be serious and have an important meaning. The titles fade out into the black background which could suggest fading into the darkness or 'the unknown'. The fact that they slowly fade out could also indicates a ghostly and creepy atmosphere which then creates an idea of the story. 

During the opening sequence a creepy, high-pitched non-digetic soundtrack is played which creates a tense atmosphere for the audience. Also, it makes the audience feel uneasy and on edge which slowly lures them into watching the rest of the film. The violin strings increase in pitch and volume and result in an uncomfortable and disturbing climax when the title of 'THE SIXTH SENSE' appears on screen, the sudden change in pitch and volume makes the audience shocked but fascinated to watch on. 

The first non-titled shot is an extreme close up of a light bulb, however at the beginning of the shot the light bulb is just switching on therefore is not visible or recognizable, which instantly makes the audience wonder what it is and therefore engages them. The light bulb slowly switching on reinforces the idea of the contrast between darkness and light. During this shot, we can hear the hyperbole, digetic sound of the light bulb switching on which exaggerates the quiet atmosphere and setting which creates a mysterious effect on the audience. In addition, we can hear the ambient, digetic sound of the wind which reinforces the idea of 'ghosts' and creates a creepy atmosphere. At the end of the shot, once the light bulb is fully lit, we hear the digetic sound of the door opening which startles the audience. 

The next shot is a long shot of a female character as she comes down the stairs. Only her feet are shown and therefore the director has only revealed certain information which makes the audience ask questions. The setting is dark, dirty and looks like a basement, the fact that it is dirty suggests it is not used a lot. As she walks down the stairs, we hear the digetic sound of high heels which portrays an image of a smart and elegant woman. The fact that she is wearing heels down to a basement makes the audience question why and is she going anywhere else?

In the foreground of this shot is the wine shelf, the camera has been placed behind it which suggests she is being watched which creates a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere. When the female character is finally revealed we acknowledge she is wearing a smart dress and her hair is done nicely which suggests she is going out. As she decides which wine bottle to use the camera pans down and follows her which reinforces the idea that someone is watching. The bottle she picks up is covered in dust which indicates that the basement is a deserted setting. Low-key lighting is used to cast shadows and creates the idea that someone is hiding in the shadows? The female characters facial expressions suddenly change to as if she has heard something, the camera then tracks onto her face and into a close up to intensify her mood and emotions at this moment in time. 

We then hear an un-identifiable sound which suggests someone is in the basement with her and the shot cuts to a long, wide shot of the female character looking towards the stairs. The use of a long shot portrays her surroundings and body language. This shot shows that she has now got her back to the wine shelf, where we believe someone or something is hiding, and therefore she is now vulnerable. The use of low-key lighting highlights her shadow on the wall which creates a scary atmosphere. 

The next shot is a long shot from behind the staircase, the fact it is behind the staircase reinforces the idea of someone or something hiding and watching her. The female character shivers which shows that the basement is cold and could also suggest that a 'ghost' has gone through her as many people believe a shiver is a result of a ghost entering your body, this adds to the uncomfortable and creepy atmosphere. We hear the digetic sound of her high heels as she runs quickly up the stairs. The fact that she runs quickly highlights that she is scared and wants to get out of there. Slow paced editing is used throughout this clip because if the the editing was fast paced it would prevent the idea of someone watching. However, the editing increases in speed once shes heard something which could symbolise her emotions.