Setting the Foundation For Our Film

 After extensive research to decide which genre would be best to make our title sequence, Lucid Elucidations, my group (Pierce Thomas, Bianca Raby, Katelyn Wagner) and I have decided that horror is the best direction to go. We don't have a specific story set in stone yet, but we plan on doing something incorporating rather a dream sequence or an extended flashback, as inspired by films such as Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Before I Wake (2016). For example, in Nightmare on Elm Street, the antagonist, Freddy Krueger, only attacks the victim while they are dreaming, as he comes into their dreams. We plan on employing horror conventions through our use of mise en scene, cinematography, sound and editing. I have been researching a wide variety of horror films to spot common conventions they use to instill fear in the audience. Throughout the course of researching other horror title sequences to figure out what conventions are employed to create a creepy feel, I have also picked up on the fact that title sequences mainly serve to set the tone of the film and give some context, while at the same time not revealing very much, if anything at all. Knowing this will make our title sequence less of a trailer and more of a tone-setter for the film, as I have now learned that you shouldn't give away much of anything in the title sequence. Some good examples of films that have very well made title sequences is The Conjuring (2013) and Insidious (2010). In this post I am going to analyze 'Insidious', which does very good at following horror conventions.
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 Right at the beginning, this film is already showing common horror conventions, as there is creepy music playing in the background, with red text written in a creepy looking font. Right off the bat this already sets the tone of this movie and instills fear in the audience as it shows them the dark and sinister nature of the film. This is something that I want to consider using in my title sequence as it certainly sets a foreboding tone to the movie, and it fits well with the overall feel and ambiance of a horror film.
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 If you weren't already aware that this isn't going to be a very lighthearted film, then you probably will be now. The first scene of this title sequence shows a child sleeping across the room, with a teddy bear near him, and the room is very dark. Like many horror movies, this scene employs lowkey lighting through the room being dark and the only light coming into the room is blueish light from the window, which gives an ominous and dark feeling. In most horror movies there always seems to be a child that is in danger from the antagonist, which in this case is the kid sleeping across the room, from a high angled long shot, which can either 1) show he is being watched; or 2) show him isolated and inferior. The cinematography of this scene overall implies that he is in some sort of danger. And of course, what would a horror movie be without a creepy stuffed animal, as we see in this scene.
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The setting in this scene is almost a staple of the horror genre; the long, dark hallway. Many horror films use this setting as a way to make the audience feel helpless and plays on the fear of the unknown, as we are not sure what is waiting at the end of the long and dimly lit hallway. Pairing this with the black and white filter makes it look darker and creepier, which is something that horror movies sometimes use but not usually since they usually try to use color to make the scene look more detailed.
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 Both of these scenes use typical props that movies in the horror genre use: candles, toys, stuffed animals, etc. The use of the toys and stuffed animal ironically give us a sense of innocence and seem light-hearted, although the film is actually more sinister. The candle is often used in horror movies as it gives off dim light which helps contribute to the genre convention of lowkey, dim lighting. There is also a common use of lighting from the candle in this scene called Under Lighting, which refers to light pointing upwards onto someone from below to create a spooky effect. This certainly works in this scene as the creepy face is the only thing being illuminated by the candle from underneath.

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Overall, this title sequence is very well representative of the conventions of the horror genre, as it employs key factors such as low key lighting, red, creepy fonts, a child in danger from the antagonist, toys and candles, and a big house as the setting. These are all very commonly used things in horror movies as they can best convey fear to the audience. After watching this title sequence I have also realized that when I finished watching, I was creeped out but knew pretty much nothing about the story. This further shows me how a title sequence should make the audience feel and what it should make them think before the actual film start. The main purpose of the title sequence is to set the mood and tone for the film to go off on.