HCT: Opening Sequence Analysis
The Strangers (Bertino,2008)

• Genre: The genre of The Strangers hybrid of a Horror and Thriller as there are conventions of both genres portrayed in the sequence and entire film such as suspense and death. From my research on previous openings I know some common conventions that are used to create elements of this genre.
• The audience’s generic expectations of this sequence are met in many respects. Common traits that this genre contains are formed in the sequence such as police involvement, death, blood, weapons and facts that are used to create a worrying atmosphere.
• However one technique is used that could be seen as challenging the audience’s generic expectation. This is the use of two boys, commonly in the horror genre a small innocent girl is used to create juxtaposition between good and evil however this has not been used in this case.
• Also the titles and main title are written in an orange font, horrors like se7en and Amityville use a common choice for title design in this genre which is black typography on a black background. This sequence conforms to many characteristics of the horror genre. Firstly a voice over is heard with a deep low pitched tone. This 'manly' attribute is commonly used to create seriousness and suspense.

• The use of facts displayed in the titles of 'there are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes committed in America every year' and 'what you about to see was inspired by true events'. Also dates and names are given of two people. We also learn that 'the brutal events that took place there are still not known.
• The use of facts and is used to create suspense through realism which is a common ingredient in the recipe of an opening. Other characteristics are used such as the use of clever iconography, commonly used in horrors. The use of a gun, a knife covered in blood, blood on walls and destruction shown through the broken door and smashed window these elements are all characteristics of an opening of this genre. 
• Film Language: Mise én scene is used extremely effectively throughout this clip. The main ways it does this through props and setting the scene. The clips of houses shot from a car window getting more rural relate to the story explained in the titles and sets the scene.
• The use of a gun and knife are weapons and alert the audience. The knife is covered in blood telling the audience that the knife has been used to attack somebody creating suspense. This create enigma codes as the audience has no knowledge of why they are there. Camera techniques such as a handicam are used when the shots of the house are shown, this created realism. With simplistic, static shots the audience is focused on the brutality of what might have gone on.

• Sound is used to help anchor the images into the audiences mind. There is a low pitched synth sound that creates an eerie feel, this is well accompanied to the images as the images are fading in and out which fits with the sound. The dialogue is overlaid on the video, the two boys are on the phone to the police and are sounding very rushed and extremely shocked, they are almost making no sense and this is a contrast to the calm scene displayed. This gives an insight into what they have been seeing and we can see how they reacted.
•  Another visual technique that is used by the director is a pan across the bonnet of a car. This lines up with a hole in the windscreen and the two boys can be seen through this hole. This hole is a visual link to the middle of the story line helping the main story to relate to the opening and therefore we know the characters fate.

Analysing the 'Ghost Ship' film opening in the areas of Narrative and Representation & Ideology.

Ghost Ship (Beck, 2002)

• Narrative: The narrative is set up in a way that is represented through mainly mise en scene. In the title sequence we learn that the narrative is, and may be for the rest of the film, set on a cruise liner.
• There are many people dancing and having a good time which is shown through non verbal language. As the small girl is the only visible person alive at the end of the sequence this might be suggesting the narrative follows the girl. The audience are positioned to follow and build relations with the many wealthy people dancing with each other as the scene is very beautiful and happy. The audience is happy to watch this however when all the passengers die the audience is shocked as their position on viewing the narrative has changed dramatically and we then feel much more sympathy for the little girl.

• There are a few themes in this title sequence, one would be the binary opposition of light and dark, the death of many passengers would be the representation of a darker meaning behind the scene and the girl in the white dress would be seen as the character portraying light and also character build up and destruction.  
• Representation of Ideology: There are two main social groups displayed in the text. There is the upper-class passengers of the ship enjoying each others company and socialising and there is the band and waiters.
• These two would be seen as working class; they are serving the upper class and probably earning a living from this job therefore an inequality between classes is created. The upper class are presented and identified by the audience through their elegant vibrant dresses and expensive dinner suits.

• The ideological discourse would be dominant for even the time period that this is set in. There is no strong controversial ideologies being addressed in this clip, there could be the reading that a view of evil overcoming good is trying to be represented. The characteristics of the genre are treated somewhat at a different stance and almost playfully.
• Pink titles and a lively atmosphere are created; this is not very conventional of the genre however this is proved very effective as the mood changes adding juxtaposition from a happy scene to one of death and horror. This creates shock and disrupts the audience’s normal reading of the text

Analysing the 'Limitless' film opening in the areas of Media Audiences and Institutional Context

Limitless (Burger, 2011)

• Media Audiences: The target audience for limitless would be the core horror audience from 15-24 year old, The Rating of the film is 15 therefore reducing the target audience however the concept of the film is very new and contemporary as it involves technology that many audiences will find interesting.
• There are two audience readings of this opening sequence. One could be that the audience sympathises with Eddie, this is because he naturally looks more of a protagonist than an antagonist. Eddie is also the man doing the voice over and relates to the man we see on the screen. As the antagonist rarely gives a voice over in films we can be sure to associate Eddie as the protagonist and favour him.
• Another possible reading could be that we are unsure to why Eddie might be in this situation, this set of enigma codes as he may have committed crime to have people chasing him threatening to kill him. We are unsure of this aspect and could see Eddie is an antagonist. The people at the door might be police and therefore we may be positioned with them.

• However I as a British teenager view the text in the way that represents Eddie as a protagonist, this may be because Eddie is the man giving the voice over, this is an unconscious choice by the audience and not one that is particularly chosen. It is a good technique to relate the audience to a character as the protagonist without spelling it out to them.
• The film looks very modern and is quite an interesting concept therefore many British teenagers such as myself will be very interested in viewing such a cutting edge idea due to our interest in digital technology and viewing films as a social event. 
• Institutional Context: The production values and marketability of the film has had a positive knock on affect from the bankable stars included in the film. Talent such as Bradley Cooper, Anna Friel, Abbie Cornish and Robert DeNiro are used, this will have a large effect on people who like their past work and also it will add publicity for example most films with stars such as Robert DeNiro, are the forefront of media coverage.
•  The main film companies that contributed to the production distribution and release of this film are Rouge, Virgin Produced and Relative Media. These are industrial production companies capable of spending large amounts on the production of such a film. However they are not part of the main Hollywood production companies that have much larger budgets on their film products.