Flim Title Sequence Analysis.

Title sequence starts with nothing showing, and the only thing heard is diegetic and is the voice of a woman addressing 'children' ("now children, are you sitting comfortably? Then we will begin.") Her voice is soft and motherly, and her tone (as well as the traditional, story-telling opener "are you sitting comfortably") is comforting and engaging, reinforcing the idea that the woman is some kind of guardian, like a teacher or mother. Her voice and nothing else being heard or shown implies she's addressing the audience as 'children' and is speaking directly to them, which is confusing and slightly eerie, drawing in the audience straight away.

As soon as the voice says 'then we will begin', the centre of the screen illuminates, while the rest remains in the shadows, creating a chiaroscuro effect. It reinforces the 'creepy element' of the title sequence, and the hazy, light in darkness has conations to poltergeists or the unknown. The light seems to be coming from a page of a book, implying that the woman is reading a story.

As the woman continues, it becomes clear she is telling the biblical story of how the world is created. She conveys her own opinion, 'Only God existed, so that means He created them,' which suggests that she (and possibly the 'children' she is addressing) are religious. Religion, and the mystery of whether Heaven and Hell exists is a common theme in supernatural thrillers, therefore already the convention of the film, and the possibility of life after death being explored, is being established to the audience. The non- diegetic sound of an orchestra plays in background, which adds to the uncertainty and slight unsettling feeling of the title sequence.

The woman's audio finishes with "that means only He could've created them, and He did," as the music reaches a climatic moment and the title of the film is revealed. The font of the title is simplistic and traditional (which may have conations to the personality traits of the woman in film and of the time period it is set in). The font is white and again illuminates slightly against the darkness in a ghost-like manner, which, along side the classical music played in a minor key, makes the audience feel unsettled and on edge. The camera doesn't cut to another shot, but instead follows on across the illustrations of the page, as if the audience too is reading the book.

As the camera continues to pan over the book, the illustrations seem to suggest possible themes or events in the film, as children are shown with a womanly guardian looking after them. Some of the illustrations also show traditional thriller conventions, such as candles, puppets, a door being locked and a mysterious figure. These illustrations draw the audience in without revealing too much of the storyline of the film, but instead establish the convention and set up the viewers for the rest of the film.

The last shot is a match on action, as an illustration of house fades into a scene of actual house surrounded by fog. This suggests mystery and relevance the drawings shown in the title sequence to the story of the protagonists of the actual film, setting up the audience for the events ahead.