Nightmare in Elm Street opening scene analysis

 

The film starts with panning of the floor in a dark room this makes the audience what’s going on, a man then steps into the shot this intrigues the audience because they don't know who the person is. The face of the character is not revealed which makes the audience think that there will be a big reveal. The person picks up a knife this is a connotation of a horror. Due to no other characters being introduced infers that non-identified character is the main character and maybe the antagonist.

 The titles of the film come up on the screen in a red font this is very old fashioned and childish, the Font is also child-like which may calm the audience down if they are frightened. After the titles have gone a new character is un-veiled, she is a stereo-typical damsel with blonde hair who looks innocent. A close up is used on her face to show her emotions it also makes it easier for the audience to connect/interact with the character. She is set in a dark long thin room with a white wall at the back to put emphasis on how dark the room is. The use of smoke and dripping water adds a sense of danger to startle the audience. A short shot of someone’s face is exposed this could be the villain because the short shot infers he/she is trying to hide.

 The non-diegetic at the beginning is very high pitched and sounds like someone panting, the diegetic sound is emphasized so the audience focus on it.It then changes when the titles come up to a lower pitched sound. While the camera is on the women, you can hear a cackle in the background; this tells the audience that the antagonist is a man.