Camera: 

• Starts off with an XLS that shows us where the movie will take place.
• The camera zooms in and sweeps over a lake.
• There is a birds eye view shot which follows a car travelling along a road surrounded by trees and water. The camera carries on like this at a high angle.
• The camera overtakes the car and sweeps to the side of the mountain. It then tracks along the road when the car is closer to the destination therefore the opening titles finish.
• At the end of the opening sequence there is an establishing shot of a big house with the rocky mountains in the background. This suggests to the audience that it is the prime location of where the movie will take place.

Mise-en -scene

• The location of the place looks isolated therefore no one being present. This is typical for a horror movie.
• Rocky mountains and trees are shown in the opening sequence, which puts emphasis on the isolation of where it is taking place. This causes a slight tension and mystery to the film.
• The opening scene is in daylight which is unusual for a scary movie so this causes the tension to be less for the audience. 
• There is a car being followed by the camera, as the car drives more distance, the weather changes and there is snow on the mountains which connotes coldness and changes the mood and setting of the film to more mysterious.
• The final shot is of a big house. The big house is a generic place for a horror movie to take place, therefore it starts to build up tension as the audience know that spooky things happen in big houses.
• The colour of house and the surrounding land/mountains is very grey and dull in contrast to the sky which is a bright blue. This suggests that the film will feature elements of surprise which causes the audience to feel on edge.

Sound

• At the start the music is deep sounding with single notes playing as well as pitch changes. It is very dramatic and fits well with what is being shown.
• A bit further on in the sequence high pitch sounds can be heard along side the low notes which builds up tension.
• The high pitch sounds also start to sound like subtle screams which emphasises on the tension.
• The non-diegetic music plays throughout with the scream sounds starting midway with a sustained one sounding at the end the fading out as the sequence ends on the big house. This sets the dark and mysterious tone for the rest of the film.
• The music on whole makes the audience feel uncomfortable. Without the music, the opening sequence would not feel as tense. The music, I think, is the main aspect of the opening sequence that indicates to the audiences that the movie will be a horror.

American Psycho Opening Scene Analysis

Camera: The long shot of Bateman doing stretches in front of his window demonstrates his physique.

The close up of Bateman in the mirror highlight the unnatural look of the face mask he’s wearing.

The panning that follows Bateman’s hands as he picks up beauty products from his cabinet frame his dedication to his appearance as excessive. The opening is critical of superficiality.

Mise-en-scene: The white colour of Bateman’s apartment and the clean metallic surfaces of his kitchen make the sets seem eerily cold and sterile.

Bateman’s face being reflected in a poster for Les Miserables symbolises the melancholy he lives in and the zoom on his face reinforces how deep his sadness runs.

The detail Bateman goes during his narration about the contents of the various balms and scrubs he uses reveal his obsessive persona and how deeply he cares about his appearance.

Sound: A smooth piano track plays throughout the extract, which is fitting of Bateman’s extremely middle class lifestyle.

The soundtrack adopts a more sinister tone when Bateman begins to pull off his face mask, becoming one sustained note. The tonal shift is justified by Bateman’s narration, which highlights his struggle with his lack of identity-“I simply am not there”.

Editing: Slow cutting rate makes events seem relaxed; Bateman is simply going about his daily routine.

The match cuts between Bateman and his products in the shower, showcase his priority in the morning, which is his appearance.

He has prevalence during the opening. The are no cuts to other characters and he has no love-interest. He is extremely self-centred.

Genre: The insight into Bateman’s thoughts from the narration, and the core character study driving the film, lends itself to psychological horror.

The opening scene of Jaws (Spielberg, 1975) displays and number of film making techniques that are common to the horror genre and create a sense of tension and threat. The following are some of the main points of interest in this opening scene that help to generate the horror atmosphere in this sequence: 

• Track and dolly shots show the two young people running along the sand bank, silhouetted against the sea and sky. The contrast between the sea and the shapes of the people make it imposing, providing a sense of threat in an otherwise harmless part of the scene. This also represents the girl as youthful and impulsive.
• Dialogue from the boy confirms that they are drunk, by his unconvincing claims that they aren’t. A medium long shot of the boy on the beach falling asleep is set against either a sunrise, which connotes the appearance of a new situation, or a sunset which would connote an ending, perhaps foreshadowing the Crissie's death.
• In the various long shots of Crissie swimming there are only the diegetic sounds of the sea, her swimming and the bell on a buoy. This provides tension and an expectation of something approaching, reinforced by the following shots from beneath the water looking up.
• She is pulled under slightly, accompanied by a sharp section of music, a shocking contrast to just before. This provides the first real scare of the film, which is coming from a threat not shown on screen. This strengthens the sense of threat provided by the creature. Close up and medium close up shots, combined with dramatic, disjointed music and the shrill screams and pleas of the girl make for a sudden and distressing sequence during the attack.
• All the shots are dark and from a fairly low angle, contributing to the sense of danger. This sequence of events portrays the girl as being foolish, while also giving the audience a genuine fear for her, made stronger by the inter-cutting of this sequence with silent shots of the boy on the beach.