Orphan (2009) - Film Opening Deconstruction

Synopsis

"Orphan is a 2009 American psychological thriller film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson. The film stars Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, and Isabelle Fuhrman. The plot centers on a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious 9-year-old girl.
Orphan was produced by Joel Silver and Susan Downey of Dark Castle Entertainment, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran of Appian Way Productions. The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 24, 2009 by Warner Bros. Pictures. Some critics compared Fuhrman's performance as Esther to that of Linda Blair in The Exorcist and Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed."

Orphan (2009 film) n.d. In Wikipedia. Retrieved 21st November 2016 from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_(film)

Producers: Dark Castle Entertainment

"Dark Castle Entertainment is an American film production label, it is a division of Silver Pictures, a production house formally affiliated with Warner Bros., now affiliated with Universal Studios. It was formed in 1999 by Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and Gilbert Adler. Susan Downey was the Vice President of Development until February 2009, a term running congruent to her tenure as a VP of Production at parent company Silver Pictures.

Dark Castle Entertainment's name pays homage to William Castle, a horror filmmaker from the 1950s and 1960s. When first formed, the goal was to remake Castle's horror films (very similar to another production company Platinum Dunes). After two remakes, it moved on to producing original material, along with remakes of non-Castle films. Starting with RocknRolla, the company began producing films in genres other than horror. Initially, most of the company's films were mostly critically panned, however recently their film Splice has received better reviews by critics."

Dark Castle Entertainment n.d. In Wikipedia. Retrieved 21st November 2016 from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Castle_Entertainment

Productions of note include:

• House on Haunted Hill (1999) Budget: $37 million. Gross: $44.3 million.

• Thirteen Ghosts (2001) Budget: $42 million. Gross: $68.4 million.

• Ghost Ship (2002) Budget: $20 million. Gross: $$68.3 million.

• Gothika (2003) Budget: $40 million. Gross: $141.5 million.

• RocknRolla (2008) Budget: $15 million. Gross: $25.7 million.

• Orphan (2009) Budget: $20 million. Gross: $78.3 million.

• Splice (2010) Budget: $30 million. Gross: $23.9 million.

Distributors: Warner Bros

"WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. is a fully integrated, broad-based entertainment company and a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment and their related businesses. A Time Warner Company, the fully integrated, broad-based Studio is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry from feature film, television and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to DVD and Blu-ray, digital distribution, animation, comic books, video games, product and brand licensing, and broadcasting.

The company’s vast library, one of the most prestigious and valuable in the world, consists of more than 75,000 hours of programming, including nearly 7,000 feature films and 5,000 television programs comprised of tens of thousands of individual episodes.  Warner Bros. Entertainment’s employee population ranges from 5,000 to 10,000 on any given day in North America (depending on the level of television and movie production) and some 2,000 employees overseas.

Warner Bros. Pictures produces and distributes a wide-ranging slate of some 18-22 films each year, employing a business paradigm that mitigates risk while maximizing productivity and capital.  Warner Bros. Pictures either fully finances or co-finances the films it produces and maintains worldwide distribution rights.  It also monetizes its distribution and marketing operations by distributing films that are totally financed and produced by third parties."

Warner Bros Pictures n.d. in Warner Bros. Retrieved 21st November 2016 from

https://www.warnerbros.co.uk/info/about-warner-bros

Distributions of note include:

• Batman (1989) - Domestic gross: $251,188,924

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) - Domestic gross: $317,575,550

• I Am Legend (2007) - Domestic gross: $256,393,010

• The Dark Knight (2008) - Domestic gross: $534,967,647

• Inception (2010) - Domestic gross: $292,576,195

• Godzilla (2014) - Domestic gross: $200,676,069

• Suicide Squad (2016) - Domestic gross: $318,146,466

Timeline

• 00:00 - 0:06: The video begins with a dark screen that gets lighter before red text transitions onto the screen by going from big jumbled letters to small text to then read 'Warner Bros. Picture Present'. Music sounds before a picture is shown, starting with a long low note before playing quick high notes, connoting a tense and eery atmosphere. (1 shot)

• 00:06 - 0:17: A straight cut is used to transition to a background close up image of tiles. The music is carried on to this scene using a sound bridge. Then a blanket type layer of red seeps down from the corner of the screen whilst text transitions onto the screen from jumbled up to display 'In association with dark castle entertainment'. When the red blanket type image travels further down the screen we can see that it is portraying blood but not too graphical and animated. The sound effects fit with the image of blood travelling down the screen to further emphasise this part. (1 shot)

• 00:17 - 0:24: The image then fades to transition to a close up picture of a building surrounded by trees. A blood splat appears in the corner as if a gunshot, and seeps further across the screen whilst the words 'Directed by Jaume Collett' appear. (1 shot)

• 00:24 - 0:31: The blood splat disappears first and then the rest of the image fades into the next scene portraying a low angle shot of trees that typically have dark connotations due to their creepy image. Another blood spat appears whilst the sound effect of a knife slicing against a hard surface is heard over the music. There is a metal construction with three chains hanging from it perhaps being attached to a swing. Parks also have dark connotations at night due to the creepy sounds made, therefore further illustrating it is a dark film. The words 'Screen Play David Leslie' then appear. (1 shot)

• 00:31 - 0:34: Another fade transition is used to then follow a finger pointing at text on paper as they are reading it.The text is mainly unreadable apart from a clear date, representing the importance of this and perhaps the occurrance of when the film is set. (1 shot)

• 00:34 - 0:38: A blood splat from the last cut is transitioned across to this scene as well as the text appearing in the last scene before becoming clear to read 'Director of Photography Jeff Cutter' in this scene. The background displays a picture of a smiling girl with her hair down giving us an idea of the main characters.It then fades into another picture of a girl who is not smiling and looks serious with dark eyes and her hair tied back. (1 shot)

• 00:38 - 0:45: A fade transition is then used to cut to an image of stairs going down which can have dark connotations especially at night. The red writing then unjumbles to read 'Executive Producers Steve Richard'. Over the music, there is sound that could represent a sword fight or something similar such as metal clashing, giving dark and harsh connotations. (1 shot)

• 00:45 - 0:53: A fade transition is used to cut to an image of a woman in a mirror. She has dark eyes and hair showing that she is not her usual self. Blood then seeps down from the mirror along with the red text reading 'Story by Alex Mace'. (1 shot)

• 00:53 - 0:59: A fade transition then cuts to a moving image of a close up of a woman distressed and screaming as she is giving birth, reflecting how this film surrounds children. The text 'Production Designer Tom Meyer' then appears along with a blood splat. (2 shots)

• 00:59 - 1:07: The screen then goes dark before transitioning to an image from behind a chair of a person sitting down with blood dripping down. It then fades to the same wheelchair being pushed along by a person all in white. The surroundings are all white and the wheelchair leaves a long trail of blood. This can be seen as something dark happening to somewhere peaceful as white connotes peace and red connotes danger. The words 'Film Editor Tim Alverson' appear when it cuts to a birds eye angle of the blood trail. (2 shots)

• 1:07 - 1:14: A fade transition then fades into a close up shot of a moving image of a hand holding a knife and follows the knife downwards to exaggerate how big it is. This links to the earlier sounds of a knife, foreshadowing what is going to happen later on in the film. The text 'Ronnie Yeskel' also appears using the same transitions as before. (1 shot)

• 1:14 - 1:21: A straight cut is then used to transition into an image of a young girl wiping a cloth down her face in an exaggerated manner. All around her eyes are covered in black and it then cuts to an extreme close up of her attempting to wipe it off. It then cuts to a further away image of her wiping the cloth over her mouth as if to communicate that she cannot say anything. (3 shots)

• 1:21 - 1:27: A fade transition is used to cut to a young girl looking near the camera. The picture is slightly blurred possibly to illustrate how she has no identity anymore. (1 shot)

• 1:27 - 1:37: A fade transition is used to cut to a dark scene where a young girl is barely visible. At first a doll behind the girl is in focus before focusing on the girl at the front who is wiping her face with a cloth. The image then fades to a girl walking to look in front of a mirror that is shattered which reflects how dark the story is within the film and how 'bad' their luck is following the superstition of 'seven years bad luck'. (2 shots)

• 1:37 - 1:42: A fade transition then cuts to a bright image of the building surrounded by trees again before the letters 'Orphan' unjumble in big red text whilst the sound of glass shattering is heard. (1 shot)

Mise en scene

Setting

• In the film opening we can see the corner of a building surrounded by trees. As we do not see much of the building it creates a sense of fear as it is unknown whereabouts this is, and unknown what or who is inside. The scene then cuts to a low angle shot of these same type of trees which typically have dark and eerie connotations.

Lighting

• Low-key lighting is used throughout the opening to demonstrate how it is a dark theme. It also has mysterious connotations and leaves the viewer wandering what is happening. Shadows are illuminated with the dark lighting, introducing a sense of fear.

Costume and Makeup

• The photo of the girl we see is wearing a dress that typically looks old-fashioned giving us an idea for when this film was set. She is also wearing a choker necklace which was popular to wear then. In the second photograph we can see that her eyes are dark giving the impression that she has been possessed.

• The eyelids of this girl are dark and greyish to illuminate them and perhaps to show she is possessed as eyes can be seen as to represent the gateway to a persons soul. Her face and neck are thin which exaggerate her features further but also makes her look quite ill - or not human.

• This girl is made to look quite doll-like especially by her pale, smooth, porcelain-like skin which links to the idea of the supernatural and her not even being human. The obvious use of make-up on the eyes and lips highlights to idea that girls typically wear make-up.

Key Shots, Camera Movements and Edits

00:00 - 00:17

• The opening of this film begins with a black screen before tilting up. The shot is close-up so the viewer is unsure of what is being shown. The music starts playing at the beginning with one long note and short high pitched notes following. This creates a tense atmosphere and the black screen at the beginning depicts the uncertainty of what is going to happen. The shot then fades into a close up of a tiled wall perhaps representing the cold cruelness that is happening. A blanket-type layer of red seeps down the frame which could be seen as a euphemism for blood but is animated to make it seem child-like, linking to the main characters of the film being children.

00:24 - 00:31

• This shot is a low angle shot of trees which typically have dark connotations due to their appearance and typicality of being placed in a forest which is seen as creepy. There is also a metal construction which three chains hanging from it in a circular motion perhaps being attached to a swing. Parks can be seen as dark, particularly at night due to the sounds made being creepy and chains link to an idea of torture. The low angle shot could be in the point of view of a child who would most likely use the swing as parks are built for children.

1:08 - 1:14

• This shot is a close up high angle shot of a long knife someone is holding whilst walking. The camera follows the knife from the top down to the bottom of the blade, emphasising the size of this and the danger it can cause. It is also emphasised by the use of slow motion to prolong the shot and highlight the importance of the dangerous object. The low-key lighting also highlights the danger and darkness of the weapon.

1:15 - 1:20

• This shot is a close up and an extreme close up of a young girl rubbing a cloth over her face perhaps in attempt to remove the black inky substance from her face. She looks upset and as if she is about to cry, giving us the idea she is being forced to do this and the substance on her face was put there by something else. This shot also links to the fact that it is a thriller film about young children.

1:27 - 1:32

• In this close up shot we can see a doll in the background behind the child, giving us an idea of who is manipulating these children. This child is also wiping their face with a cloth to remove a similar substance to the other girl. The way the camera focuses on the doll and then on the child gives us the idea that the child may not see the doll. It also links to the genre of thriller as dolls are typically seen to be creepy, and links to the characters of children as dolls are children toys. The low-key lighting and low notes of the music highlights the tension and makes the viewer feel uncomfortable seeing the child unknowingly being watched.

1:32 - 1:37

• This shot shoes another girl with dark eyes surrounded by the substance previously shown. The close up presents the girl slowly walking up to a smashed mirror with a shocked expression on her face, giving us the idea that it is someone else who is haunting them and manipulating them. The music elongates to a high pitched note to exaggerate the tension when she sees the mirror. The idea of a smashed mirror is "7 years bad luck" which is also shown through the low key lighting and facial expression.

From this film opening I have learnt how low-key lighting and close up shots contribute to building up tension, and are effective in thriller films. Therefore, in my media product I can take these conventions into consideration.