The opening sequence of the film 1408 is very restricted in that the viewer is shown very specific things as opposed to seeing the whole image, as such it uses many focus pulls to build anticipation in the audience. I would like to incorporate elements of the sequence into my own horror opening as I feel this would give me a solid foundation to build upon and enhance my overall sequence.
However, when producing my own sequence I would use much shorter shots in order to build tension much faster in my audience.
14 Seconds: There is total darkness with a black screen at 14 seconds, it has simple white text overlayed, black is stereotypically associated with death while white is believed to represent purity, two key themes in horror films. Non-diegetic sound in the background of rolling drums, these serve to build tension as the expectation is that as the intensity of the drum beat increases something will happen when they reach a crescendo.
28 Seconds: The darkness fades to a shot with the rolling drums still playing in the background, gradually increasing.
30 Seconds: There is an extreme long shot of a long dark road with a single pair of headlights in the distance, this introduces the mood of the film as the setting seems very bleak and unwelcoming at this point, isolated from any noteable civilisation and with a small amount of light amongst the darkness, this could be symbolic of the characters in the film with the majority being evil.
The road is surrounded by trees and bushes, this connotes that the road is situated near a woodland area, a cliche horror setting, strengthening the films ties to the genre. The weather itself is quite negative as well, with the rain pouring down and thunder crashing, further heightening tension.
33 Seconds: The camera pans around to the other side of the road to reveal a car approaching the desolate area, this increases tension as the audience will want to shout at the driver to turn around as they have a feel for the nature of the location already.
40 Seconds: The car is now in a close up shot, directly in front of the camera, the title of the film fades in over this shot with a ghostly effect, this suggests the film will revolve around or atleast be influenced by spirits/ghosts of the dead, though how this may be incorporated is not yet hinted at.
45 Seconds: The car reverses back down the road , this shows that the driver may either be confused and lost, or harboring hesitancy towards his destination.. The shot is a high-angle aerial shot looking down on the car, this is used to show the total lack of control the driver has in his current situation and is a direct highlight of his vulnerability.
49 Seconds: There is non-diegetic sound present from the radio which says "open the gates of hell". This raises tension as there is instant foreshadowing of an iminent threat so terrible it is otherworldly.
56 Seconds: A P.O.V shot is used to show the driver spotting a sign that says "You are leaving Fairfield county, Please come back", in an ordinary context this sign would seem harmless, however as part of a horror film this can be interpreted as a warning sign of danger up ahead, suggesting that not many people do come back. The fact he reverses up to the sign shows that he is lost and vulnerable as he is forgetting where he is.
1.02 Minutes: The driver looks at a map, this is important in establishing where the film is to be set and also adds to the suspicion that he is lost and isolated.
1.09 Minutes: There is an extreme close up of the tyre. this focus pull suggests that the tyre will be affected shortly and as it is a horror it will more than likely be negatively affected.
1.15 Minutes: The car is pulling up to, what looks like a house. the lighting is very low key and so helps the shot to exude fear in the audience as their sense of sight becomes hindered. The house itself is surrounded by trees and hedges, this shows that it is isolated from the outside world and the rules that govern that area do not exist within this space.
1.25 Minutes: There is a long shot of the man walking over a long dark bridge in the rain, this connotes that there is only one singular route out of wherever he is going, which when linked to the earlier sign suggests why no one has ever returned as they become trapped.
1.30 Minutes: There is a P.O.V shot taken from an as of yet unintroduced character, this helps to build fear and paranoia in the audience as they try to second guess the intentions of the observer. The house with which the man approaches stands juxtaposed to the weather and surrounding scenery, warm and inviting, with promises of security when compared to the cold and desolate surroundings.
1.38 Minutes: The lighting now changes to high key lighting, this helps to ease the tension the audience feels at this point by allowing full use of the sense of sight, the inside of the house is very old fashioned and it appears as if there had not been any visitors for a long time, gradually building the tension back up as the man is in the strange building.
1.52 Minutes: The travelling man discovers an ageing couple at the front desk of what is now known to be a Bed and Breakfast. As the camera pans we see yet more old fashioned furniture and rooms, hinting towards the age of the establishment.
2 Minutes: The aged man says to the traveller "oh you probably want to hear all about our haunted history". With that audience expectancy and tension reach a peak as they now know exactly what they are instore for.
The mise en scene for our shots involving the two teenage characters focused on the current fashion trends of the target audience, as they of a similar age to the characters we felt it was important that the actors who would essentially be portraying there demographic in the film were clothed and accessorised appropriately. Bearing this in mind the two characters predominantly featured in jeans, hoodies and trainers etcetera. The props provided to the teenagers were also typical of the demographic they were representing on screen, mobile phones and T.V remotes were the main props utilised in the scene involving the teenagers.
When compiling the costume for the killer we wanted to give him a unique trademark that no other villain had, and so we decided that half of his face would be covered in bandages concealing himself and suggesting he is in a period of healing. The rest of the outfit was a contrast to the white bandages as he was cloaked in an all black outfit consisting of trousers, gloves and a long coat. The coat in particular keeps him shrowded as it masks his physical appearance lending the idea that this man could be anyone out there.
