TW- Opening Sequence Analysis- Halloween (1978)

Halloween (Carpenter, 1978)

Genre:

• This film very simply falls under the sub-genre of slasher horror/thriller, this is due to the fact that films under this sub-genre generally involve a psychopathic killer stalking and murdering a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a bladed tool such as a knife, machete, axe, scythe, or chainsaw; all of these conventions are shown within the opening sequence of this film. This includes the knife, a female victim and a psychopathic killer who stalks and murders the victim, discovering that this killer is a young boy in this sequence, this adds mystery and unsettles the audience straight away, which is again often conventional of slasher horror. 
• Another film that shares many of the conventions of this opening sequence is 'Scream' (Craven, 1996). This films opening sequence shares many conventional similarities to Halloween, this includes the unknown, masked antagonist with a weapon (a knife), the young female in distress/victim of the antagonist, as well as technical aspects such as both tracking and point-of-view shots to immerse audiences and let you see the situation in a more realistic way.
• Generally, this opening fulfills all of the audiences expectations of a slasher horror, using generic camera angels, shots, a discordant sound mix and mise-en-scene to place the audience in a sense of visceral pleasure.

Film language:

• The most significant camera movement in this opening sequence is the use of point-of-view shot to build tension, this combines with the continuous action editing of what we can assume is the antagonist as a way of making this sequence more realistic, slowly building on verisimilitude as the antagonist makes his advance towards his first victim.The use of handicam here positions the audience so that we can only make minimal assumptions as to who the antagonist is and what he looks like, but then at the same time build on portraying other characters in these effective opening scenes. This is a very popular shot to use in horror films as it makes the audience aware that there is something or someone else there when other characters do not know as this adds suspense to the viewers and questions them as to what is going to happen next. 

• Another type of shot used in this opening is a long shot. These are typically used in horror, as it means that the audience has more than one thing to focus on, and knows that the killer can appear from any angle, thus making them on edge. These type of shots mean that we do not emotionally connect to the characters. The only close-up used in this opening is on the knife that the antagonist picks up, and this is to give this prop significance.

•  Mise-en-scene is also important in this sequence, props set a very basic meaning for the audience, these props include the jack-o-lantern, the knife, and the mask- these conventions of horror set the expectations for the audience, which can then be combined with other technical aspects of film to develop how the audience watches the opening sequence. This can then be combined with camera to reveal the iconic stock location of the suburban, fairly remote location for these establishing scenes, which are often seen in horror. The use of character blocking of the young male leaving the house is then important to portray the vulnerability of the teenage girl which is given slight prevalence within the opening, both creating a sense of enigma and connoting slasher horror conventions.

• Both mise-en-scene and sound are combined to anchor the action on screen. When the scene starts all that can be heard is extra-diegetic sounds which match normality, such as the sound of a cricket. However, when we see the lights turn off in the shot and a sudden high-pitched, alerting sound is matched with this, this begins to put the audience on edge as it is unexpected. These non-diegetic piano melody sounds are pivotal from this point onwards as these sounds build and become more frequent, building tension which is accompanied by the low-key lighting used within the house and signifying the sense of impending doom for the teenage girl, whom is typically a target in slasher films.
• Dialogue is quite minimal in this opening, however just through the reaction of the teenage girl saying "Michael", we can establish a relationship between the antagonist and the girl which is confusing for the audience. 

• The final shot of this sequence establishes the antagonist as just a child, leaving the use of POV shot, there is more lighting, and this along with the mask being taken off suggests exposure, and creates a sense of enlightenment in the audience. This twist therefore splits the conventional horror pattern of normal horror films, giving audiences an edgy, uncertain feel. This represents a residual ideology as children are usually seen as vulnerable victims in slasher horror and Carpenter has changed this to the complete opposite.

Narrative:

• Straight away, the audience is placed in the view of the antagonist. This handicam effect then allows stock characters to be introduced, the stereotypical young, promiscuous couple that are therefore oblivious of any danger are shown in a suburban, remote house. The narrative is organized and continuous, incorporating sound and mise-en-scene to build the tension for the start of this story and the antagonist who is progressively his/her way to the victim, which is shown as vulnerable as she is alone and cannot see any danger. This is effective as we are put in the eyes of the antagonist, yet still alienated from him as the audience cannot see what he looks like- fulfilling and continuing a sense of mystery throughout. This is until the end of the opening, in which we realize the murderer is a child, and that his victim may have been his sister and the two characters at the end, his parents. Carpenter effectively sustains tension in this opening and challenges other conventional formats of slasher horror films.

Representation and ideology:

• Immediately the audience is positioned with two young characters, of both genders who conform stereotypes of young couples being overly sexual to each other, and absentminded to many other things. These types of characters are often used in horror, normally as side characters as the audience can normally tell these characters will be the first to die.

• Young people are dominant within the opening sequence, and represent both dominant and residual ideological discourse. The residual ideological discourse is that the young, at this time (1978) were usually portrayed as the innocent, vulnerable victims of antagonists- and the opening shows a clear opposition to this representation. However, nowadays this is seen as more of a dominant ideological discourse as children are often portrayed in horror as dangerous, possessed or crazed killers, for example 'Sinister' (2012).
• The intentions of Carpenter seem to be that he shows a regressive ideology, as he wants audiences to realize and interpret the madness within people, no matter what age. This is emphasized by the film title 'Halloween' as it is a popular festivity with younger people and can bring out inner feelings of evil inside youth.

Media audiences:

• I believe this film is targeted mostly at the core horror audience of 15-28 this is because it is within this age bracket that most enjoy horror and will go and watch horror films regularly. I think this because stock characters in this opening are young, creating a connotation that the scenario implies more to this audience and how this could happen to them, therefore making it more scary and effective. There are only minimal audience readings of this opening, the first is that this child has issues with mental health or has been possessed into killing his sibling, especially shown by the child's almost non-existent facial expression at the end of this sequence; also that the girl in this scene is just an innocent victim of his crime. However, audiences could also read that the young boy has targeted her due to her actions (as displayed through sexual advances) and the girl is perhaps not the 'innocent' victim she appears to be, and the audience is more sympathetic towards the boy.
• Due to my youthful age, similar to the characters in this opening, I read this text as the teenage girl being an innocent murder victim as a result of her brother's insane/possessed mind, this is due to other media texts which generally follow a similar format to this more modernly. 

 Institutional context:

• The film was produced by Falcon International Productions and distributed by both Warner Bros. Pictures and Compass International Pictures. These are industrial film companies, however use no 'marquee named' A-listers in this film, the production values in this opening sequence reflect their industrial nature, because apart from very questionable acting, the location, props and camera style suggest that the production budget of this film was quite high- again most common of industrial film. The production company had also produced horror films in their time, even though they were not particularly high profile.

GT-Saw: Opening Sequence Analysis

Genre

• This film is the first of a seven film series which revolves around a psychologically challenged man, known as 'Jigsaw', who punishes people in twisted, often agonisingly painful games involving complex mechanical machines.
• This films genre is Psychological horror- a sub-genre of horror. 
• Films that share this sub-genre include: Blackswan, Case 39 and The Shining. 
• A sense of visceral is gathered from this opening film sequence due to the gore, and screaming, as though the audience is being dropped straight into the action and plot of the film. This opening sequence reinforces the typical expectations of a horror film for this reason. 

Film Language

• The film initially is set out as dark and incomprehensible. This gloomy shot combined with various choking sounds signify a negative atmosphere and tone immediately in the sequence.
• The audience, likewise with the characters in the clip, is introduced to the situation of the scene, however this also connotes a sense of confusion as there are no indications or explanations as to what is happening. This technique is paralleled with the audience as well as the characters in the actual clip, again emphasising an 'in the moment' feeling gathered by the audience. 
• Slowly, various shots are used to depict the scene, which appears as an old bathroom- a typical location for horrors. 
• The mise-en-scene is established throughout this clip by the use of props, lighting, and sound, as well as the overall location of the ageing washroom. The props such as the gun, saw and chains are fairly self explanatory in what they depict- a horrific, potentially gory (upcoming) sequence. The lighting is fluorescent, and fairly whitewashed matching itself with the surroundings of white tiles. Lastly the build up of non diegetic sound signifies a climax which appears later in the sequence (not shown in the clip).
• Nothing can be gathered in regards to their dialogue due to the lack of speech, however we can gather a sense of futility regarding the situation in which they are in through the quote, 'No one can hear you.' Mentioned by one of the men. Their gesticulations and struggling wight the chains show their panicked mood as well, outlining again, the negative situation.
• Sound is used in correlation with editing. This is gathered from the various shots of the dead man in the middle of the room with the wound and the gun, matched but booming short paced bursts of sound. This, in a way, shows audience the reality of the situation in a simplified way.
• The opening titles of the sequence are significant, in that they reflect the same tone gathered from the time sequence itself. For example the 'Twisted Pictures' animation at the beginning shows barbed wire being wound round the words in a violent, jerking fashion. Furthermore the use of thunder and lighting in the initial animation add to the eerie atmosphere where the dark colours of these combined with the animations work effectively to set the following scene.

Narrative

• The plot outline is not clear from this opening sequence. All that is presented to the audience initially is not explained until later in the film. However, we can establish the two men in the clip are not there by their own choice, and held captive by chains.
• Sequences change throughout the clip. To begin with editing is slow paced, where transitions between camera shots are less frequent. However this changes as the clip progresses and editing pace seems to increase. The effect of this is to create a feeling of tension. 
• The themes in the narrative include the futility of the situation. How they are chained up, struggling and shouting to no avail. These vain attempts by the characters to escape highlight this theme of futility. 

Representation and Ideology

• This sequence gives prevalence to male characters. Only male characters appear throughout the entire clip, however due to the lack in information given as to why they are in the situation, it is difficult to use them as representations for something we are unaware of at this time.
• Men are shown as weak in this clip, shown through their panic, struggling and weeping. This goes against residual ideologies that men show no emotion, especially when faced with the prospect of danger, and are supposed to show bravery. However this ideology is not reinforced in this opening sequence.

Media Audiences

• The target audience for Saw is around the 18-26 market- roughly the core audiences for cinema overall. However, due to the high age restrictions (18) it is apparent that this film is intended for adult viewing. 
• I see this film sequence as effective in terms of giving audiences that visceral feeling. As a teenager, my thoughts and feelings towards this film is that it appears difficult to relate to, however entertaining as I'm interested to find out the reasoning behind the vents of the sequence. 

Institutional Context

• John Kramer plays Jigsaw, the mastermind behind all the torturing 'games' as he refers to them in the films.
• Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures distributed this film.
• This film was independently made, and Lionsgate's second most successful film, bringing in $103 million in the box office on a $1.2 million budget.

HG- Opening Sequence Analysis The Conjuring

Genre

• The sub-genre belongs in the supernatural paranormal category, this is because Annabelle's (The Doll) behaviour is unable to be explained by the laws of nature.
• This film has similarities with the film 'Women in Black' as both films are set in an old-fashioned family home yet eerie sound effects and tension create the feeling that there is something unordinary about the happenings in both films.
• Both 'The Conjuring' and 'The Women'  conventionally use the idea of a haunted house with evidence of possession. 
• The audience are expected to be scared when they are watching a horror film, the generic expectations are fulfilled as there is a rather stereotypical eerie looking doll that is used to scare the audience. Also, there are relatable characters that star in the movie including the damsel in distress intrinsically causing the audience to fret about her safety. Also, another generic convention is the sound effects used when the women is opening doors or when the tension is gradually building. 
• The film is not playful or ironic as the people living in the house extremely scared of the doll, nevertheless, in a way this could be seem as humorous as the whole family are being controlled by the activity of a doll whom is seemingly controlling them. Although, in my opinion this is not humorous as the doll has freakish human characteristics and verisimilitude is devised. 

Film Language

• In the clip, almost instantaneously, there is an extreme close up of the doll's eye and her preternaturally long eyelashes, this particular shot is used for the audience to signify the doll's characteristics. 
• A shot-reverse-shot is also used to connote that there is a conversation going on between the characters in the scene, A zoom is also used moving in on the doll's face, this is used to create a sense of uneasiness for the audience. There is also a low angle shot used as the woman is moving through the door, this is used to connote superiority, however this opposes to the evident fact that she is extremely vulnerable.
• The editing is at a rather slow-pace throughout the clip to connote a sense of anxiousness for the viewer as one is constantly waiting for something to happen. This building up of tension is conventional of horror as in horror films it is often that the main parts in plot occur at the latter stage of the film.
• The iconography in this film obtrusively features the doll (Annabelle) whom is utilized to create fear for the audience. Furthermore, there is a lot of low-key lighting in this clip, and occasionally the viewer will struggle to see anything which evokes the mood and creates a tense build-up. The scariness of the doll has evidently been enhanced in post-production to intimidate the viewer. 
• Through the dialogue the audience learn a lot about the characters, an example is the way in which the male poses questions to one of the women in a rather worried manner connoting that he is in no sense any less vulnerable than the women. Each of the characters wear a very anxious expression and the women frequently shrug their shoulders signifying that the characters are unsure of what to do.
• The sound is used in the clip to create an eerie effect, an example of this is the constant drone throughout. There is evidence of anchoring sound with the visuals, an example of this is the sound that is created whenever the doll is unveiled, a rather high-pitched creepy noise. Another example of the use of sound is the gradual crescendo that is used in the build-up into discovering the doll, this is used to create tension and evoke the mood.

Narrative

• In the opening scene, there is a man and some women in the scene whom are talking about a doll, Annabelle, and discussing the fact that in the house there used to be a girl named Annabelle who was 7 and had a love for dolls. The rest of the clip is a flashback of when the doll, Annabelle, had spookily moved from one room to the other when no one was in the house.
• The audience are positioned with the man and the women in the sequence. Although, the woman that discovers the doll in the room in particular as it is obtrusive that she is the so called 'damsel in distress' in the clip. 
• Tension is created throughout the clip in various ways, an example of when tension is created is through the crescendo of sound building up to the discovery of the doll. Another example is the slow-cutting rate to make the audience wait for the climax in the clip.

Representation&Ideology

• There is a binary opposition that is evident in the clip which is 'male/female'. Although, as I may have stated earlier, the male is in no way any less vulnerable than the girls in the scene. The characters in the clip are part of a very mature young demographic whom are very ordinary and regular and no different to anyone else in society. 
• The dominant ideology is reinforced that there is a sense of equality as the men are presented as being as superior as the women.

Media Audiences

• In my opinion, the characters are used to be a relatable source for the audience, therefore i would say the target audience is around 20-30 (a similar age to the characters). I say this because, the characters are very normal and therefore the audience fear that this could realistically happen to them. 
• My evaluation of the clip is that it is a very eerie, spooky setting with a rather unnatural looking doll and that the characters whom are older than me are shown to be extremely vulnerable in the context of the situation. Also, I can identify that the men in the clip are shown to be on a parallel level with the women. 

Institutional Context

• Starring in this particular film were many extremely popular American actors such as Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga whom themselves create publicity for the film and increase the chance of people watching the film. This is directly because the audience whom are fans of the actors are intrinsically going to want to watch the film creating social currency and a mass buzz.
• This film is distributed by 'Warner Bros', a large conglomerate which owns several subsiduaries that help the film to be publicised. Distributors in America like Warner Bros have hegemonic status over independent film distributors as they reach a wide demographic of film lovers when publicising a film.

HG/TW/GT- Wilderness Woods Task Analysis

Preliminary Task Analysis

• After shooting this clip at Wilderness Woods, I and the rest of my team began our allocated hours of editing.  For this editing process we utilized the editing software Premiere to recover our footage and cut it down sufficiently.

• However, before we was able to do this, we had to insert our SD Card that we used whilst filming the clip and created a folder on the computer that we labelled 'footage'. Once this step was completed, we looked at all of our footage clips and stills to see which ones we wanted to include in our clip and which ones were errors or purely mistakes.

• After we had identified our required footage, we dragged each clip down sequentially onto the timeline where our footage could be edited and cut down.

• Some of the footage was still muddled inside the timeline so we clicked and dragged each particular clip in to the sufficient place, also another thing that was apparent when the footage was on the timeline, was the fact that our footage was far too long and extensive.

• Therefore, taking this into account, we went through each clip and cut the footage to where we thought was best using the scissor tool. After this, our clip seemed to be much better, the right shots, the right length, however we still needed to develop the sound of our clip.

• We managed to do this by creating an account on www.freesound.org so that we could utilize sound which is vital in a horror clip. The first sound we used was an 'ambient horror sound' which was approximately 2 minutes long.

• We utilized this sound because it lasted for a similar time to the duration of our entire clip and it also sounded eerie and mysterious. The next sound we utilized was a 'spooky violin sound' clip with a gradual crescendo, we discovered the perfect place to put this particular sound (as we were building the suspense when I was about to open the door) in the clip.

• Another sound we used was a 1 second 'bang' when the doll was unveiled for the second time to add to the peculiarity. The penultimate sound we used was arguably the most effective, at the time, we wasn't looking for this particular sound, more a short sound effect like the one second 'bang'.

• However, we fatefully found a spooky voice whispering "He's behind you", we used this as it sounded as if the doll was actively talking to me in the clip contributing to the verisimilitude.

• The last sound we used was an extended 'bang' that lasted 2 seconds when there was a two-shot with the peculiar figure standing behind me with a knife, this was used to emphasize the fact that I was soon to be murdered. For the sound to be placed into our clip, we had to download it and save it as a 'wav' in the 'My Music' folder.

• Then, we had to click 'GetMedia' in Premiere and go into the music folder and drag it onto the Audio part of the timeline. After this, we watched our clip back several times to identify where our sounds would fit best. We used the zoom-in tool to make sure that where our sounds start is at the correct exact precise moment. Then our clip was finished and our the finished footage is above on this post and also can be found on Youtube under 'Preliminary Task - Group 9.'

TW- Institutional Context- Independent Horror Case Study

The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez, 1999)

 

Production (Haxan Films)

• This extremely successful, cult-horror classic had a budget of only $35,000.
• The dialogue within the film is improvised and filming took just 8 weeks, the film followed no specific script.
• Some of the townspeople interviewed in the film were not actors, and some were planted actors, unknown to the main cast, this made the budget lower.
• Almost 19 hours of usable footage was recorded which had to be edited down to 90 minutes, taking more than eight months to complete.
• All footage in the film was actually shot by the cast, as this is one of the first ever films to incorporate a 'documentary style', found-footage film. The cast were given a 16mm celluloid film camera and an RCA Hi-8 video camera only, all lighting at night came from ENG lights on the video camera and all audio came from the camcorder's microphone or the DAT recorder. This created a more visceral feeling, creating more verisimilitude for both the actors and the audiences.
  
  a 16mm film cameraand an RCA Hi-8 video camera only. All the lighting at night comes from ENGlights on the video camera. All the audio comes from the camcorder'smicrophone or the DAT recorder. - See more at: http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/behind-blair-witch-project/381616#sthash.yTAoBlH3.dpuf
  a 16mm film cameraand an RCA Hi-8 video camera only. All the lighting at night comes from ENGlights on the video camera. All the audio comes from the camcorder'smicrophone or the DAT recorder. - See more at: http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/behind-blair-witch-project/381616#sthash.yTAoBlH3.dpuf
  a 16mm film cameraand an RCA Hi-8 video camera only. All the lighting at night comes from ENGlights on the video camera. All the audio comes from the camcorder'smicrophone or the DAT recorder. - See more at: http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/behind-blair-witch-project/381616#sthash.yTAoBlH3.dpuf
• The actors were genuinely left to shoot the film alone, like in the film. This included actually scaring the actors, this included making yelling noises at night and shaking their tent. This resulted in some poor grainy, poorly lit footage but this made the film a lot more real for audiences, one of the important reasons why this film was such a success.
• a 16mm film cameraand an RCA Hi-8 video camera only. All the lighting at night comes from ENGlights on the video camera. All the audio comes from the camcorder'smicrophone or the DAT recorder. - See more at: http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/behind-blair-witch-project/381616#sthash.yTAoBlH3.dpuf
  a 16mm film cameraand an RCA Hi-8 video camera only. All the lighting at night comes from ENGlights on the video camera. All the audio comes from the camcorder'smicrophone or the DAT recorder. - See more at: http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/behind-blair-witch-project/381616#sthash.yTAoBlH3.dpuf
  In post production, editors then made the decision to change the entire film from DigiBeta to 35mm, which was a very difficult task, this consequently made the film look like it was being shown on just a big TV screen in cinemas, again in order to make this film actually seem like reality and real past events.
• The audio mix for the film was both cleaned and enhanced, one of very few typical Hollywood film-making aspects that Haxan films used whilst producing the film.

Distribution ( Artisan Films)

• 'The Blair Witch Project' was one of the most interesting and successful distribution campaigns of its time, and the Artisan Films were in control of this; this was when the film company was still independent and had little financial backing.
• The film was first presented at the Sundance Film Festival, where Artisan Films decided to distribute the film.
• Many people say the success of the film relies mainly on it's viral marketing; a website for the film was made to advertise the film due to it's low budget, (costing $15,000), this was an unusual method to incorporate in the marketing campaign as it was distributed in 1999, when most traditional forms of marketing were used such as TV ads and posters.
• Deals were made with TV channels such as the Sci-Fi Channel in order to target the core audience (this films target audience), showing a documentary with other footage that was not used in the film to create a buzz. This documentary beat all the channel’s audience records. This was followed and emphasized by screenings of the film in colleges across the USA, spreading this national 'buzz'.
• To find its audience, the film’s crew played on the illusion of reality. The directing style led us to believe that the three students really existed and they really created this “documentary”.
• The film's website did not simply promote the film, it supported these rumors of this 'documentary' being real, this lead to an online phenomenon of word-of-mouth speculation about the film, in order for people to get answers about what this film actually was.
• The website of the film experienced audience peaks of up to 3 million connections a day and it registered more than 75million visits. This prepared the film for it's theatrical releases worldwide.
• The first theatrical release was on July the 16th 1999 in 27 theaters across the US.
  Then followed the national release on the whole American territory  in 800 theaters in the second week and 1 100 in the third, with a box office total of $248,639,099 (seen as a huge success for an independent film). 

The Blair Witch Project (1999) Trailer

a 16mm film cameraand an RCA Hi-8 video camera only. All the lighting at night comes from ENGlights on the video camera. All the audio comes from the camcorder'smicrophone or the DAT recorder. - See more at: http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/behind-blair-witch-project/381616#sthash.yTAoBlH3.dpuf

HG- Institutional Context- Paranormal Activity

Institutional Context- Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity is a 2007 (Later modified in 2009) American Supernatural Horror Film written, co-produced, photographed, edited, and directed by Oren Peli. The film focuses on a Katie and Micah, a young couple whom are troubled by a ghostly existence in their home. It is shown in the style of "Found Footage", from cameras placed by Katie and Micah whom try to document what it is that is distressing them.

A parallel sequel, Paranormal Activity 2, was released on October 22, 2010. The popularity of the first two films intrinsically sparked more films in the Paranormal Activity series: the prequel Paranormal Activity 3, released on October 21, 2011, and sequel to 2, Paranormal Activity 4 released on October 19, 2012, a spin-off titled Paranormal Activity:The Marked Ones released on January 3, 2014 and Paranormal Activity:The Ghost Dimension where the scheduled release is on March 13, 2015.

Important Fact about Paranormal Activity 

Paranormal Activity was originally set out as an independent film yet was acquired by Paramount Pictures and was modified most noticeably with a new ending on the first movie. This occurred after the first release and all the other spawning films in the series were distributed solely by Paramount. The film was given a limited U.S. release on September 25, 2009, and then a nationwide release on October 16, 2009.

Exhibition&Distribution

One of the most effective promotional techniques that Paranormal Activity utilized was the innovative idea of letting consumers be the distribution chief. To explain this in further detail, fans nationwide were able to literally demand by hitting a "Demand" button on its website -- that the movie screen in their area. Consequently, Paramount would select for a series of midnight screenings -- all achieved by using a bare minimum of select TV spots featuring reaction shots from Hollywood screenings and a smattering of online and radio ads.This initial campaign is an effective use of Web 2.0 creating a mass buzz for the demographic to be part of. 

Furthermore, there were midnight screenings pre-release in Los Angeles and select college towns, this generated unprecedented amounts of demand at the studio and at local theaters. Discussing the exhibition of Paranormal Activity in more detail, the film earned over $500,000 the weekend of Oct. 2, after being exclusively presented at midnight in 12 markets, including five sellout screenings at Los Angeles' ArcLight theater, encouraging Paramount to increase "Paranormal" to a fixed showtime routine in 46 markets in 170 theaters on the opening weekend.

By the end of the weekend, Paramount was predicted to surpass another goal, having announced on Oct. 5 that the film would receive a wide release once it hits 1 million demands on its Eventful page. The "Demand" ticker had surpassed 860,000 by mid-afternoon on the Friday, nearly triple the amount of demands logged 72 hours before, with "Paranormal Activity" becoming a constant trending topic on Twitter during the midnight hour for many consecutive weeknights. A sponsored Twitter account, @TweetYourScream, already had over 4,700 followers after the opening weekend and a Facebook page that had 47,000 fans who had been uploading their video reactions to the film also just after release.

Production

Orin Peli decided to focus on believability rather than action and gore, the producer chose to shoot the film with a very ordinary home video camera. In deciding on a more raw and stationary format (the camera was almost always sitting on a tripod or something else) and eliminating the need for a camera crew (to save money), a "higher degree of plausibility" was created for the audience as Peli thought they were to be "more invested in the story and the characters". Peli says that the dialogue was "natural" because the actors improvised, they knew the rough outlines of the plot yet there was no real script, this is known as retroscripting. 

Peli interviewed around 200-300 people, yet he decided on Katie and Micah due to their exceptional chemistry and bond. The film was shot out of sequence as a consequence of Peli's self-imposed seven day shooting schedule, though Peli would have preferred the story to unfold for the actors as he had previously envisioned it. Sloat, the figure who controlled and instigated the camerawork for the majority of the film, was a former cameraman at his university's TV station. "It was a very intense week", Peli said, stating that the film would be shot day and night, edited at the same time, and would have the visual effects added to it as the acting footage was being finalized.