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.