Skyfall

AmericanHorror StoryTitle Sequence Analysis

Shot Types and Camera AnglesThe sequence uses a lot of point of view shots as if you are looking through the door of a hotel room, this relates to the hotel concept of the series as well as intimidating the viewer with what can be seen within these shots. This shot type allows the viewer to feel more involved in the sequence as if they were actually there, which contributes to the fear factor.The sequence makes frequent use of long shots down hallways and corridors which make the viewer feel more uncomfortable as the shot type is used so often in other horrors as a jump scare (e.g. a ghost walking past at the end of a long corridor).

LightingThe lighting is very dark, which is expected of the horror genre and can often contribute to intimidating the viewer. Most people fear what they cannot see, which is why a lot of people are afraid of the dark and having such dark lighting brings out this fear in the viewer. It also makes whatever is in the frame at that current moment seem a lot more ominous than it would in broad daylight e.g. a ghostly girl stood in a dark room compared to a ghostly girl stood in the middle of a sunny park.

Mise en Scne & TypographyThe typography is very reminiscent of an American-style motel that you would typically see in a lot of horror films, having this typography adds a sinister tone to the hotel that part o this series takes place in. Instead of a warm, caring hotel the image the viewer is given a dark and sinister theme surrounding the setting and its characters.The sequence often takes objects or types of people associated with happiness or innocence and then reverses this tone on screen. One example would be the wedding dress which is stained with blood and worn by a pale, sinister looking woman.The sequence often uses children in ominous and creepy ways, which is a common convention of the horror genre and is another example of innocent imagery being reversed.

EditingThere is a fast pace to the editing and a lot of jump cuts are used to disorientate the viewer. A lot of the time it will be hard for the viewer to actually see what is happening on screen, which relates back to the idea of people fearing what they cannot see.This fast pace also helps to emphasise the hectic nature of the sequence, the length of shots usually shortens when a character that looks mentally unstable is introduced, this contributes to the viewer determining that this character is insane as well as dangerously unpredictable.Most shots of something creepy will often be followed by the door point of view shot to give the impression that all this is happening in one building.

SoundThe soundtrack used in the sequence was created specifically for the series and consists of a very eerie rhythm that is constantly broken up by sound effects of either children laughing/screaming or of in one instance a sound effect that built tension for the final series of shots to be used in the closing of the sequence. The instruments used in the soundtrack are mainly violins that occasionally go out of tune or rise/fall in volume adding to the instability of the sequence as a whole.

SummaryOverall I felt the title sequence was fairly interesting to watch but could have definitely been better.

The most effective part of the sequence was the use of the point of view shots as they made the sequence slightly unique as well as slightly more intimidating It is obvious that the sequence is for the horror genre although it wasnt that intimidating to watch and occasionally got quite dull.