3.2- Analysis Of The Opening Sequence For The Thriller- " The Strangers"

The Strangers

The Strangers is a 2008 thriller/horror film, directed and written by Bryan Bertino. It is about a young couple who are terrorized one night by three masked assailants in their remote country house, this film was marketed by being inspired by a true story

Deconstruction of the titles

Relationship with sound: A non-digetic voice over is heard from a male character talking about the true facts that are happening in America during the time of this film and also describing to the audience some things that will happen during the film.
- The sound of a car engine starting is heard at the beginning of the sequence, however the audience cannot see anything at this particular moment.
-Non-digetic mysterious music is playing along side the noise of the car engine.
-As the opening sequence begins, the audience are introduced to a telephone call between an emergency operator and a young character called Jordan, who is describing what he can see, while crying. This technique sets the scene and makes the incident that has happened realistic.
-The title of the film appears in orange writing, with the sound effects of thunder, this symbolises a disturbed uneasy feeling, and gives the audience a scared feeling of not knowing what is about to happen.

Symbolism: The opening of the film begins, shots of different houses in the American suburbs.
-The house symbolise a suburban surrounding, and a quiet /pleasant neighbourhood.
-Shot of a big house and the sun setting behind it, while the car is driving through the neighbourhood, symbolises the day is coming to an end.
-Shot of a field with a country house in the middle of the field, suggests the person in the car might be driving somewhere out of the suburbs, into the country. This symbolises idleness and tranquility, although everything is deserted with just the houses and fields.
-The last shot in the opening sequence is dark with a pair of house lights on a random country house.
-The name of the title at the "The Strangers" is shown in an orange font, with a black background. The two colours both contrast each other because, the orange shows a sense of vibrant upbeat colour, whereas the black background gives that sense of mysterious, uncertainty.

Shot Types: The sequence starts with the camera fading in from black, into a shot of houses in the suburbs of America.
-Pan shot of different houses while the car is driving (although the audience cannot see the car, but they automatically know that the character/person is in a car, this is because of the sound of the engine starting at the beginning of the opening sequence.)
-Pan and also a fading of one section of houses to another, while the car is traveling through the different stages of the journey. As the car is moving through the suburbia into the country, the sun starts to set and gradually the day turns into night.
-Close up of the car with a gunshot in the screen, suggests that the incident took place recently, because of the close up of the smoke steaming from the car.
-Long Shot of two kids on their bike (the audience can see the two characters through the whole in the front of the car window (from the gunshot).
-Establishing shot of the deserted surrounding, with the sun beaming on the yellow grass and broken car. This suggests destruction
-Close up of the vinyl record spinning around on the turn table, shows the incident happened recently and gives the audience a disturbed confused feeling, which makes them want to keep on watching the film.
-Close up on the red flower petals and jewelery box laying on the floor.
-Close up of a blood stained knife laying on the table, with a red petal next to it, symbolises destruction, murder.
-Close up of blood splattered on a white washed wall, symbolises to opposites; White wall, clean and red blood; pain, death, murder.
-Close up of a shot gun, maybe used as well in the incident to cause harm.
-The title of the film appears in orange writing and then fades away into the black background.
As the close ups of all the props are seen e.g shot gun, blood stained knife etc, the emergency operators voice is still heard by the audience talking to the young character over the phone, about what they can see. The young boy "Jordan" sounds distressed, traumatised at what he can see. He cries; "There's blood everywhere!"


Mise-en-scene:

• Houses
• Trees/grass, sunlight/sunset behind the house
• Garden Gates
• Field with 1 house in the middle (sense of idleness)
• Car with gunshot through the middle of the front window screen
• Kids in the background on their bikes
• Smoke coming out of the car
• A house with an door open
• Two Kids walking up the stairs to the house
• The two kids with rucksacks on their backs, both dressed in white shirts and black school trousers.
• Vinyl record spinning on a turn table-Symbolises the incident has happened recently
• Red flower petals on the floor next to a jewellery box
• Knife with blood on it- Someone has been hurt severely
• Blood stains on a white wall
• A shot gun on the table

Lighting:As the voice over is speaking there is factual information in the screen, informing the audience about what is happening in America. This is shown in a black background with an orange writing font.

-Natural lighting is used outside while the audience get a view at the different areas and houses.

-The sun is used as one of the lights.

-As the night falls lighting from the houses are turned from the outside, this suggests to the audience that time has moved on and night has fallen.

Editing: Mysterious echoing sound effects are used while the names of the presentations are being shown.

- The film opens with a voice over of a man describing what the audience is about to see, and informing the audience that this film is inspired by true events.

-Although there is a voice over talking about what is about to happen, the audience can also see sentences of what the man is saying, so that they can read along. This technique enables the audience to have some sort of interaction with the opening sequence because the director makes them have the option of reading what appears on the screen.