Opening Sequence of ''Halloween''

The use of camera movement in the opening scene to this particular film is very effective in creating an atmosphere of fear, as the point of view camera movement creates a sense of someone watching, and therefore has an effect of the viewer, making them edgy and tense. The use of sound in this opening also contributes to the atmosphere, as the off key piano music sets an eerie tone, suggesting something is not right. The close up of the knife signifies it's importance, and indicates to the audience that it will be significant in the scene, again increasing their sense of fear. Due to the fact that the intruders face can't be seen, because of the point of view shot, the audience become even more edgy and fearful, due to the unknown identity. This also allows the viewer to create their own image in their head of what the intruder looks like. The mask the ''intruder'' puts on blocks the audience's view slightly, however this is effective, as it introduces an element of curiosity and makes them eager to see the full view. This opening scene includes an element of shock towards the end, as the image the viewer will have created in their head is completely different to who the intruder actually is - a child. The way in which the opening is filmed at the beginning of this clip will become very useful when we are producing our own piece, as the camera movement, being a point of view shot, is the kind of thing we are aiming to create, in order to demonstrate an tense atmosphere, and the feeling of being watched. This film is likely to be aimed at an older audience, due to the scale of gore in the opening scene, with the stabbing of the woman. The content is also quite disturbing, due to the fact that the killer is in fact a child, who people would usally assume to be innocent.