Opening analysis - Tormented

The opening sequence in the film Tormented is effective in many ways. While being of a different genre to our planned piece, it still effectively fulfils many of the same criteria that we will need to follow. Also, by comparing an opening of another genre, it will help us isolate the differing trends and understand what needs to be included in our opening to justify the genre choice.

Firstly, the initial shot of a police car establishes the mood and story of the scene instantly. It connotes that the area is a crime scene where a serious crime has been committed, instantly suggesting to audiences a murder due to the genre of the film. When followed by the long shot of a large, questioning crowd, it denotes the increased profile of the incident and suspects.

The establishing shot of the school instantly denotes the main setting, making the subject matter of the film clear to the audience. But this shot combined with the tilted frame and jerky editing creates a sense of unease; especially when combined with the haunting non-digetic music. This sets the scene effectively, while leaving the audience scared, confused and wanting to find out more.

In the next scene, the use of close-ups on the main protagonist's face allow for emotion to be portrayed effectively to the audience. Her expressions of anger, pain and confusion correlate with the scene set, and give clues to the events that have happened within the school.

The use of a flashback, '5 days earlier', allows for an interesting narrative structure. This could be to further confuse and intrigue audiences, as well as providing a cyclical nature to the film.

Finally, the transition to the main titles uses the lasting effect of a crane shot to finish the opening. The crane shot allows for the entire setting of the entire town to be taken in, grounding the story in a clear location; while also removing itself enough to provide a clear wipe to the titles.

The stylised look of the title sequence further establishes the look, feel, setting and overall tone of the film. It resembles the underside of a school desk, with humorous images and graphic pictures being drawn onto the table. The theme of the titles draws on both the horror and comedy genre that the film is geared toward. They further entice the audience to stay with the film, leading them with images and clues about the later details of the plot.

Overall, the opening sequence to Tormented is very effective at introducing the films theme, plot and setting, while enticing the audiences with its unique style of titles, plot structure and shot selection.