JP: Conventions of a Film Opening
Saw (Wan, 2004)
(Link to opening sequence)


What Generic Conventions are in this clip?

• Mise-en-scène: The room that we are introduced to is shown to be a very mysterious environment, as the protagonist (who is identified through prevalence) wakes up inside a bathtub full of water, and the darkness presents us with a fear of the unknown in the room, as he appears to be chained to a pipe and he can hear an unidentified voice, which puzzles audiences into wondering who the voice is coming from. The fear of the unknown is a very common convention in many horror films. The environment is made to look very dirty and disgusting, as the walls are broken, the floor is dirty and the character's costumes are dirty and sweaty, which is ironic considering the location is a bathroom, a place normally considered to be hygienic and clean, and this is reinforced when he screws up his face and says, "what's that smell?". When the dead body is shown to the camera, he is shown to clearly have had a gruesome death, and the tape recorder in his hand creates an enigma, as the audience are interested as to what he might have recorded onto it before his death.

• Sound: The silence at the beginning of the clip gives a sense of suspense; we are wondering whether the man in the bath is dead or alive, so it comes as a shock when he wakes up suddenly. When he gets out of the bath, he speaks in a frightened, childish way due to the situation he is in, shouting out for help. The deep, mysterious voice of the other man in the room comes as a surprise, and because it comes from as unseen origin, an enigma is created as to who the character is, and it is very common in horror films to include an unseen character, however they are usually murderers or something similar. When the dead body is shown, a loud, discordant screeching sound  creates a sense of horror, a very common element in many horror films, usually intended to make the audience jump.

• Camera Techniques: The first shot seen is a close up of a man's face, underwater, in the darkness, which immediately gives the impression of a dead body, however this idea is wrong as the man is alive, an unexpected turn for the audience so early in the film. A tracking shot is used when the lights turn on as they move in a line, coming on loudly and untidily. The unknown character is identified with a mid shot straight after the lights turn on, removing the enigma, then an extreme long shot is used to show the location in detail. The dead body is shown with a close up of the head at first, then a spinning zoom out to a high angle shot to show the whole body. Three extreme close ups of the body's head and both hands separately holding items dismember the body, showing parts at a time.

• Editing and Title: The title is in a blue, wavy font, similar to those that would be stereotypical of an old ghost film, but also correspond with the dripping water sounds in the background, giving it another possible perception of the film having a large theme of water (which it doesn't). I think the old-fashioned style title may be showing how horror has evolved over the years. When the lights are turned on in the room, a blurry effect is used on the shot to give the audience a POV perspective, showing us what the characters are seeing, and also showing us that the characters have clearly been in the dark for some time. When the dead body is introduced, a fast cutting rate is used to show the extreme close ups of his body parts, giving an uneasy, panicky feel to the scene.