10 Minute Film Analysis - The Omen

The Omen is a similar film to the one we are going to create, except it has certificate rating 18. I watched the opening sequence (first 10 minutes) of the film and analysed the camera shots, editing, sound and mise-en-scene to help come up with ideas for our film. Other elements that I took notice of were the story line, title sequence, and characters.
The title sequence of the film represents the genre, psychological horror, instantly. The overall image is really dark, which links to the generic convention of horror films of darkness. It is based on a black background with the text in bold white font. There is a red image on each of the screens also, of a boy and an antichrist cross. This shows that the film will have a religious theme, and the fact that the two images are shown as one implies the possession of the child. There is music throughout the title sequence which is quite orchestral and eerie. It starts off quite low with male voices and a steady beat but comes to a climax at the end of the titles with the director’s name, alot quicker, with women’s high pitched voices.
Following the title sequence is the first scene of the film. There is no establishing shot, which is unusual. Instead there is alot of quick editing and cuts between a close up of a man’s face, the car he is in, and the streets he is driving on. His face is only lit by the lights on the street which makes him look really mysterious however in the flashes of light we get a glimpse of his suit, which implies he is quite wealthy. There is a non-diegetic voice over in this scene which explains why the man has come to be where he is. The final words of the voice over are “the child is dead”. This gives an explanation to the storyline as the film jumps into the story, introducing the characters as it goes along. This is a technique I think would be effective for us to use as it will capture the audience straight away. The man arrives at a hospital which is established by a high angle shot, which is captured through the banister of a high balcony. The wood appears to be a frame for the image but gives the impression that the characters being focused on are being watched, or that someone is hiding. This feeling of being watched makes the audience question what or who it could be, and builds up more suspense. There is a graphic match between a close up of his face and a close up of a baby. The nurses at the hospital are all nuns, clearly shown by their costumes, and alot of the decorations around the rooms are all religious items, this again emphasises the religious theme of the film. There is a shot of the man from the first scene looking at the baby. His expressions and the tone of the non-diegetic music show that something isn’t right and it is here that the voice over at the beginning falls into place. The shot isn’t a regular shot of him looking at the child though, it is shown cleverly using a reflection from a glass window, giving a ghostly image that looks really effective.
We then follow the apparent main character to his home and there is a jump in time, which is very extravagant and clearly shows wealth. The story develops and we find out that his family will be moving. By this point the baby is young child. I think the jump in time is effective because the audience still know who the boy is, and therefore everything is still relevant. There are alot of mid shots to show the families faces as the husband breaks the news that his family will have to move due to his promotion. The non-diegetic music at this point is quite uplifting and light, but everything seems too good to be true. It makes the audience expect something bad.
As we follow the family to their new home it is even bigger and grander than the last. The family seems to be really happy but it becomes obvious that the husband is hiding something from his wife. The child she is bringing up as her own isn’t, but he doesn’t want her to know. Each shot of the family is a high angle shot which represents their authority and wealth. I think this is also done in preparation for the mental and physical ordeals the family will go through later in the film. They are portrayed as really friendly and happy to create a close relationship between them and the audience, this gets the audience more involved and in turn makes them more scared. This close audience-character relationship is something which I think our film would benefit from as the audience would stay interested for longer.
I think that in the opening to The Omen, there are no particularly scary bits. The suspense and tension is built up gradually and the audience gets to learn about the family. I think this is important as it helps the audience follow the story but I think to make our film individual it would be a good idea to have some of the action first. This would captivate the audience and make them want to know what had happened to make things how they are. The use of music is really effective and really helps set the mood for the film. I think this is key if we want our film to be a successful psychological horror.