INSIDIOUS-Title Sequence Analysis

Summary of the title sequence

In the beginning we see a couple of text which presents theProduction companies of the film. Then, it smoothly cuts to show thedirectors name ‘JAMES WANN’ and gradually fades in to the next shot whichshows a young boy sleeping in his bed. It then leads us through the entirehouse where we Notice a shadow behind the curtains. The camera thenmoves closer to the shadow to show a scary woman standing by thecurtains holding a candle Lit up. We then see the title of the film on fullscreen and after that it leads us on to other Locations in the house wherewe see more shadows/ghosts. During this they showcase the names of the actors in the film.

Mise-en-sceneCostumes- through out this title sequence we see a young boy who is possibly wearing pyjamas suggestingnight time. We also see a shadow of a evil women holding a candle who looks like she’s wearing a black oldlooking veil and some old fashioned clothes . This could suggest historian times and also evilness as she’swearing black which has symbolic codes of death and danger.

Makeup- When the close up of the women is shown, we see her pale skin with wrinkles and rotten old teeth whichcould suggest her age. The darkness around her eyes and mouth could suggest that something is hiddenunderneath which could foreshadow something about this women.

Props- In the beginning we see the boy surrounded by his teddy and also during the end we also seea couple of other toys that could possibly be his. This could connote that this boy is vulnerable and young-hinting his age. We then see the evil women near the window holding a candle, this has a binary opposition oflight and dark, light being the candle lit up and dark in the surrounding of the women suggesting that there isevilness and innocence in this house. We also see an old clock featured quite a lot by the end of the sequencewhich Suggests its importance. It also fits the conventions of a horror film.

Lightning- Throughout the sequence its always shown as dark and dull symbolising that there is somethingMysterious and unusual in this house. Some parts of the house is darker than others suggesting the main andimportant areas in the film and what's yet to be figured out. The combination of light and dark binary opposition is also one of the convention of the horror genre. Actors - During the end of the sequence we see a family photo of the characters in the film. We can see that the family looks happy and that the man in the family is very protective of his kids and wife by the way his arm is wrapped around them . In addition, the fact that he is taller them emphasises that he has to look over them and protect them. Setting- its clearly set in a new house, which seems to be haunted due to the isolated establishing shot shown towards the end. The cardboard boxes next to the room suggest that they’ve just moves in.

Tilt shot -The camera slowly tilts downwards to show the little boy sleeping. Its goes in a semicircle circle action to show around the room where the little boy is sleep, this is to show that the he’s all alone suggesting that he’s more vulnerable. The little boy is a convention of a horror film as he’s innocent.

Panning shot-as it slowly moves from left to the right side of the room leading to the next location. close up shot -when the camera pans around the room as the shadow appears and then moves into the room beside it and does a close up shot of the women holding the candle.

Establishing shot of the house- to show the audience where the action is taking place in the new scene. In this shot you can see the cloudy sky and the trees beside the house. The use of the house is a very stereotypical setting for a horror genre. The fact that it is in black and white emphasise that this is in the old times.

The camera cuts to different locations showing the audience around each room to show the layout.-which is typically what you would see in a ‘haunted’ house. E.g. loads of stair cases going around, olden clocks, lamps etc. All the shots are in black and white to create an olden look to it.

Ariel shot- from the stair case looking down which could also be a point of view shot suggesting that someone could be looking down from upstairs creating a sense of enigma. Also, the shadow on the ground could also link to the e Ariel shot, that someone is watching over.

There is slightly tilted angled shot of the old clock in the corridor, with a dark shadows around it which could foreshadow that the clock is linked to something mysterious. the tilt in the shot gives a sense of confusion to make the audience wonder what could happen next. Close-up shot -during the end there is a close up shot on just the old clock suggesting that ,that is the main focus of the shot which draws the audience in.

Tracking shot-the camera slowly moves forward to the dark hollow area in front of the corridors which creates tension and suspense to the audience leading them on to something unexpected.

Camera

Editing

in the beginning we see the credits which is written in red and in capital letters. The colour red is used to symbolise blood and death which is one of the conventions of a horror film. The colour contrast is very effective as the red is there to make it stand out from the black background and lets you focus on the main part of the frame. The credits then fades out into a foggy looking image which connotes something ghostly which also follows the conventions of a horror genre. The foggy image gives a sinister feel to it.

The second shot is of a bright lamp with the producers name in the centre of the frame. This frame has both light which connotes innocence, vulnerability and goodness as well as darkness which connotes evilness and danger. This conveys that both may be presented in this film. in most shots the images are black and white towards the end which suggests olden times which are usually more mysterious. In addition, the black and white images which looks very isolated instantly suggest that this house may be haunted. Within every images there is a dark glow surrounded around it which could indicate that there may be something unusual around here.

From beginning to end the editing is very slow to let the audience take in everything. The pase also creates a sense of suspense and foreshadows that something dramatic could happen later on. The shots continues to change from one to another and during this it fades from one to another making it look mysterious

SoundIn the beginning there is some non-diegetic sound used to emphasise a mysterious feel. As we move across the room the non diegetic sound changes and starts to create more tension when the shadow is noticed. It begins to create a sense of evilness and high pitched tone mostly likely to be played by a violin. This emphasises to the audience that there is going to be something terrifying behind that curtain. As the camera gets closer to the shadow the sound becomes quiet and fades into the next shot.

The next shot is where the title is revealed, with a sudden dramatic noise to create an immediate reaction from the audience. Following this shot, there rest starts to have an unreal, strange and ghostly sound leading to the end of the scene to give a sense of concern. Between these shots some start to change from a higher pitch to a lower pitch which continuously follows the conventions of a horror genre of a curious and deadly ending.