The Exoricist
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For this opening title sequence, I have chosen a movie called The Exorcist.The Exorcist is an American film which was made in 1973 and is directed by William Friedkin. It is a horror/thriller movie and has also got paranormal scenes in this movie. The story is about a 12 year-old girl who has been possessed by a demon and her mother makes desperate attempts to win back her child by going through an exorcism conducted by two priests. The film actors are Ellen Burstyn (Chris Macneil), Max Von Sydow (Father Lankester Merrin), Jason Miller (Father Damien Karras) and Lindar Blair (Regan Macneil).
The opening title sequence starts with eerie music and a view of a house which appears to be deserted until we see a light turn off in the house. This scene has been filmed at night time and the music adds tension. The idea of filming this in the dark adds to the fear people have at that time of day when your imagination is more extreme. You feel that the house must play an important part in the film because the camera is focused on it. The music becomes more dramatic as the camera pans across the house and the garden.The leaves on the trees and bushes start to rustle loudly in the wind and this movement and sound seems really ghostly, like there is somebody or something there, especially as the music becomes more intense. The camera pans across the garden and into the street outside. Although the music is still dramatic the atmosphere changes as we see a couple walking down the street chatting together and cars driving by which can be a normal scene in any street.
In the next scene we gradually see a statue of the Virgin Mary blend in over the street scene. There is a close up shot of the statue which is white giving an impression of purity and serenity. It is not clear where the statue is situated but it appears to be set in a church which besides the use of the non-diegetic music still gives a feeling of peace. This tells us that the film has a religious connection and gives a feeling of calm. We then see the name of the director and the film adapter in bold capital red letters. Suddenly the atmosphere changes as the music becomes more screeching and piercing and the use of red in the writing on the screen reminds you of blood and danger. The change in the atmosphere is very effective from the calm scene of the statue to the loud threatening music, which shows that the film could be just as dramatic changing from good to evil.
This is followed by the name of the film which is also in bold capital red letters but much larger and at the same time the music stops and we hear chanting in a foreign language.This is a big change from the previous scene and was unexpected especially when the screen turns black leaving you wondering what is happening and where in the world the next scene is going to be set.The chanting is in fact the muslim call to prayer which is in contrast to the previous christian scene.The next shot slowly reveals a large round shape appearing in white with a black rocky landscape below. The scene is shot in black and white to begin with and the round shape is a blazing sun.The use of black and white shows the difference between the sun which is shown as white and can represent light and hope and the earth below which is in black and can represent darkness and evil, these differences are the theme of this film. We gradually see colour added to this scene with the sun glowing and the sky turning yellow then a bright orange but the landscape remaining black. This seems to add life to the scene but then the sky turns red giving a feeling of dread.
In conclusion, although the opening title sequence was brief, it was still able to give a taste of what the film is about, for example the use of good and evil. As an introduction to the film, it gives the audience a clue of the type of story but leaves them wanting to understand the connection between the desert scene at the end of the OTS and the house in the opening scene. The music was very effective especially when the tone of the music changed when we saw the written titles, and would have had a chilling effect on the audience revealing there are dark moments in this film.
The opening title sequence starts with eerie music and a view of a house which appears to be deserted until we see a light turn off in the house. This scene has been filmed at night time and the music adds tension. The idea of filming this in the dark adds to the fear people have at that time of day when your imagination is more extreme. You feel that the house must play an important part in the film because the camera is focused on it. The music becomes more dramatic as the camera pans across the house and the garden.The leaves on the trees and bushes start to rustle loudly in the wind and this movement and sound seems really ghostly, like there is somebody or something there, especially as the music becomes more intense. The camera pans across the garden and into the street outside. Although the music is still dramatic the atmosphere changes as we see a couple walking down the street chatting together and cars driving by which can be a normal scene in any street.
In the next scene we gradually see a statue of the Virgin Mary blend in over the street scene. There is a close up shot of the statue which is white giving an impression of purity and serenity. It is not clear where the statue is situated but it appears to be set in a church which besides the use of the non-diegetic music still gives a feeling of peace. This tells us that the film has a religious connection and gives a feeling of calm. We then see the name of the director and the film adapter in bold capital red letters. Suddenly the atmosphere changes as the music becomes more screeching and piercing and the use of red in the writing on the screen reminds you of blood and danger. The change in the atmosphere is very effective from the calm scene of the statue to the loud threatening music, which shows that the film could be just as dramatic changing from good to evil.
This is followed by the name of the film which is also in bold capital red letters but much larger and at the same time the music stops and we hear chanting in a foreign language.This is a big change from the previous scene and was unexpected especially when the screen turns black leaving you wondering what is happening and where in the world the next scene is going to be set.The chanting is in fact the muslim call to prayer which is in contrast to the previous christian scene.The next shot slowly reveals a large round shape appearing in white with a black rocky landscape below. The scene is shot in black and white to begin with and the round shape is a blazing sun.The use of black and white shows the difference between the sun which is shown as white and can represent light and hope and the earth below which is in black and can represent darkness and evil, these differences are the theme of this film. We gradually see colour added to this scene with the sun glowing and the sky turning yellow then a bright orange but the landscape remaining black. This seems to add life to the scene but then the sky turns red giving a feeling of dread.
In conclusion, although the opening title sequence was brief, it was still able to give a taste of what the film is about, for example the use of good and evil. As an introduction to the film, it gives the audience a clue of the type of story but leaves them wanting to understand the connection between the desert scene at the end of the OTS and the house in the opening scene. The music was very effective especially when the tone of the music changed when we saw the written titles, and would have had a chilling effect on the audience revealing there are dark moments in this film.
RM