Analysing the opening sequence of a Horror Alone in the dark (2005) Written by: Elan Mastai, Micheal Roesch

h Starring: Christian Slater, Tara Reid and Stephen Dorff

Setting/Location The setting of this film takes place in a station near a orphanage however the location of the orphanage is in a forest. When thinking of a forest you automatically think dark, damp and gloomy and away from everyone else and because of the forest setting it will be easier for the audience to understand the convention of the film. Due to the colours being damp and dull will also help the audience understanding the convention due to the lack of light being portrayed in the opening sequence. The character in the sequence is shown to be scared, frustrated and lonely as he is in the middle of a cold isolated forest this can mean that he is from a poor background having nowhere to live. However there is a hint as to why he is in a forest because next to the forest is an orphanage;. The young boy in the film was taken away by a rich business man somehow the boy ends up in an orphanage. At this point the audience will find this suspenseful because he has now end up in a orphanage and the look on his faces looks as if something is about to happen which is why he afraid to go outside in the forest due to may be something he has seen before or knows something may happen. The young boy escaped from the business men so this could be a reason why he is afraid to even step foot because he may well now know that he is being looked for by men who want to take him away again, the boy looks as if he has been though some trauma whether its the past or the present in the film the boy just has a vision or a stare and then just him thinking about creatures fighting in front of him. While the young boy is having this stare the camera angles have an extreme close up of the young boys eye which can show suspense to the audience and making them wonder but the scene is ended by the boy waking up from a bad nightmare which was about the two creatures fighting it seems to be a flashback in the audiences eyes because it may have happened in the past from his waking up will make the audience jump out of their seats. Clothing/Costume The clothing is causal by the boy being in pyjamas and in sequence you can see that it is a dirty which can show that there not being washed or that he has attempted to run into the forest to get away from the orphanage to maybe due to past experiences in his life when he was maybe with his family when he was taken care off rather than being in a orphanage not treated right. The boys costume is showing that the character is normal like any other person who has tried to run away from home however the only thing he took from his home was his pjs and nothing else the audience may find this rather odd because he has nothing else with him but that no photo or remembrance to his family life.

Lighting/Camera shots In the film the lighting is dull and dark which gives the audience an ambience of a horror convention. The shot of the forest and the orphanage is dark and spooky giving that effect to the audience and questioning themselves. In the station the boy is shown as weak and vulnerable, in one scene his arms and legs are crossed which shows that he is thinking about his situation about what to do as he doesnt feel that he is wanted or more or less just unhappy at where he is this is an effective shot because it enables the audience to think what is going to do, is she going to do what they think he is going to do such as running away close ups of his body angle are used to show his movement

Sound Non diegetic and diegetic noises are both used in the film. Diegetic noises would be the sound visible such as the danger to towards him being near a electric voltage box which is danger and can spark at any time. Non diegetic is the sound not visible such as sombre music which will make the audience feel emotional towards the boy knowing his past experiences now and what he is experiencing now The title Alone in the dark is an effective title because as he was young he has been in darkness and running away from things which then meant him ending up in a orphanage near a dark forest which was a dull setting alongside the orphanage and his experiences have led him to be alone without no one shadowing him or having no guidance in his life.