AS: Analysing an opening sequence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDoMgQxJMpI

Amityville Horror (2005)

Genre:

1. The film belongs to the horror genre.
2. The opening sequence fulfills the audiences expectations because the protagonist is shown killing his family in brutal attacks. Their expectation would be something similiar to this because of the genre, so therefore what they see in the opening sequence fufills these expectations.
3. The text conforms to the characteristics of the genre because the killings of the family are horrifically portrayed and therefore this is likely to have a dramatic effect on the audience, and conforming to the genre.

Film Language:

1. The gun that the protagonist holds with him at the beginning of the text helps to reinforce the stereotypical horror genre and helps to convey meaning. The location in a large house in the countryside helps to suggest detachment and suggest that if something were to happen, it may well go unnoticed.
2. In the clip, camera work is used to convey meaning. The extract contains numerous close ups of the murdering protagonist in order to emphasise his power in the extract and to reinforce his dominance over his victims. The low camera angle that is regularly used in the clip helps to show the power and the authority of the killer. The pans that follow the killer also help to show his every move when he is killing his family, reinforcing the severity of what he doing.
3. Selective sound is used in order to reinforce the location of the clip. The emphasis that is placed upon the lightning in the on going storm outside helps to replicate the restlessness of the protagonists head. Moreover, the emphasis that is placed upon him reloading the gun helps to connote what he is about to do and how he is going to need more than a few bullets, and therefore going to kill several people as opposed to one primary target. Lastly, slow eary music is used in time with the gunshots to place emphasis on the killings and create an uneasy feeling in the audience.
4. There is one main line of dialogue that sticks in the audiences head "Kill them". It is not clear who says this so it is assumed that it is a voice inside his head. This line helps to convey the meaning of the whole clip because it helps to show the motive behind the protagonists behaviour. Furthermore, the non verbal language of the girl helps to connote fear as a result of what she has heard in the room next door. Then, the forceful and authoritative body language of the protagonist helps to emphasise how he is in control and that he has his mind set on killing the innocent victims with whom he shares the house.
5. Other visual techniques that are used include the final shot of the house and in particular the top window in the house when the final victim is killed and the gunshot can be heard. This paints a final picture in the audiences head and connotes that now the protagonists killing spree is finally over.

Another notable technique is the lightning effect that is used between shots. This helps to reinforce the stormy conditions outside and the director has used this because helps to create suspense and tension.