Opening Title Sequence Idea 1

Description of opening sequence

Shots of the garden outside, and one shot of a gravestone, and an establishing shot of a house and cut to a close up of a specific window at the top. Close up of the attic door opening and the ladder being pulled down, and the sound of someone climbing up it. Mid-shot of a teenage girl going up into the attic and looking around. She then finds a box and looks through it and picks out a necklace and smiles, but then something else catches her eye. There is then a close up of a ouija board that the necklace was lying on. The girl picks up the ouija board and blows dust off it. She takes it with her and closes the box, and climbs down the ladder to the attic and goes into her bedroom and sits on her bed, looking at the ouija board. Her mum calls her name and she calls back, and quickly puts the ouija board underneath her bed before walking out of the bedroom holding the necklace. There is then a slow shot moving downwards from the top of her bed to underneath and to a close up of the ouija board and keeps zooming in to the darkness underneath the bed, where the name of the movie fades onto the screen, "Shadowman." 

Summary of whole film 

A girl goes up to her attic searching for something for her mum, but while she is up there she finds a ouija board, and texts her friends who all get really excited about it, so she takes it out of the box and brings it down to her room and hides it under her bed before going downstairs to give her mum what she asked her to find. One night her friends come round to her house for a sleepover and they get out the ouija board, and the main girl is the one to start it, and the girls are able to connect to someone who they call "the shadow man." Her mum wakes up however and starts to walk towards her bedroom, so her and her friends need to stop the ouija board and pretend to be asleep, but forget to put away the board so her mum finds it and takes it away, but the girls haven't said goodbye, meaning the shadow man is not gone. during the movie, the girls are all haunted by the shadow man, however the main girl/protagonist is not, for she is being taken over and slowly possessed by the shadow man. One by one they all disappear and are found later, dead, and no-one in the town can find how or why it happened. The protagonist is the last one to die, and the film ends in an extreme exorcism scene, for her mum also had a run in with the shadow man when she was younger and knew what to do to get rid of him. The movie ends with a funeral for all of the girl's friends, but when they get back home, her little brother finds the ouija board, and someday the shadow man will return. 

Opening Title Sequence Idea 1

Description of opening sequence

Shots of the garden outside, and one shot of a gravestone, and an establishing shot of a house and cut to a close up of a specific window at the top. Close up of the attic door opening and the ladder being pulled down, and the sound of someone climbing up it. Mid-shot of a teenage girl going up into the attic and looking around. She then finds a box and looks through it and picks out a necklace and smiles, but then something else catches her eye. There is then a close up of a ouija board that the necklace was lying on. The girl picks up the ouija board and blows dust off it. She takes it with her and closes the box, and climbs down the ladder to the attic and goes into her bedroom and sits on her bed, looking at the ouija board. Her mum calls her name and she calls back, and quickly puts the ouija board underneath her bed before walking out of the bedroom holding the necklace. There is then a slow shot moving downwards from the top of her bed to underneath and to a close up of the ouija board and keeps zooming in to the darkness underneath the bed, where the name of the movie fades onto the screen, "Shadowman." 

Summary of whole film 

A girl goes up to her attic searching for something for her mum, but while she is up there she finds a ouija board, and texts her friends who all get really excited about it, so she takes it out of the box and brings it down to her room and hides it under her bed before going downstairs to give her mum what she asked her to find. One night her friends come round to her house for a sleepover and they get out the ouija board, and the main girl is the one to start it, and the girls are able to connect to someone who they call "the shadow man." Her mum wakes up however and starts to walk towards her bedroom, so her and her friends need to stop the ouija board and pretend to be asleep, but forget to put away the board so her mum finds it and takes it away, but the girls haven't said goodbye, meaning the shadow man is not gone. during the movie, the girls are all haunted by the shadow man, however the main girl/protagonist is not, for she is being taken over and slowly possessed by the shadow man. One by one they all disappear and are found later, dead, and no-one in the town can find how or why it happened. The protagonist is the last one to die, and the film ends in an extreme exorcism scene, for her mum also had a run in with the shadow man when she was younger and knew what to do to get rid of him. The movie ends with a funeral for all of the girl's friends, but when they get back home, her little brother finds the ouija board, and someday the shadow man will return. 

'Ideas Time' Powerpoint

'Ideas Time' Powerpoint

Polly Analysis

I liked this opening title sequence because I thought it created a really ambiguous setting, whilst making it uncomfortable, so you could tell the genre was horror, or possibly thriller but horror is more likely. The whole scene was very quiet, and there was no sound, except for the non diegetic soundtrack of what sounds like very slow music from a music box to the tune of twinkle twinkle little star. I also like that the camera shots are slow which adds to the horror aspect and suspense, this with the contrast of the white tea table set and cakes set with blood dripping over it created a good juxtaposition between the two, and made the sequence feel uncomfortable, again setting the genre. This is also helped by the still shots at the beginning of the cakes laid out on the table and the tea set which gives the sense of innocence. 

Polly Analysis

I liked this opening title sequence because I thought it created a really ambiguous setting, whilst making it uncomfortable, so you could tell the genre was horror, or possibly thriller but horror is more likely. The whole scene was very quiet, and there was no sound, except for the non diegetic soundtrack of what sounds like very slow music from a music box to the tune of twinkle twinkle little star. I also like that the camera shots are slow which adds to the horror aspect and suspense, this with the contrast of the white tea table set and cakes set with blood dripping over it created a good juxtaposition between the two, and made the sequence feel uncomfortable, again setting the genre. This is also helped by the still shots at the beginning of the cakes laid out on the table and the tea set which gives the sense of innocence. 

Discussing Previous Opening Title Sequences

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_P5ZEHuHS2ZK0JTJBLGg3U7_hHzhzi6s

 I much prefer title sequences that don't have any dialogue or have little dialogue, because it makes it a lot more ambiguous and does not give too much away about the movie that's about to be shown. my two favourite sequences out of this playlist are "Polly" and "Solitude." I prefer the more mysterious, thriller type opening sequences because they create a more interesting sequence to watch. I also especially like ones that use the camera in a way that is psychedelic, because it keeps me engaged, and makes me want to keep watching. The ones with actual locations and focus on the set and scenery are also the ones that appeal to me the most, as they look more realistic, and also stick to the task of an actual opening title sequence.

SOLITUDE:

POLLY: