Deconstruction of The Grudge

We decided to de-construct the beginning of 'The Grudge' because it is a well known 'Horror' film, and therefore includes all the features of a typical film from this genre.

The opening scene really sets the scene, and prepares people for the rest of the film, so it needs to include things that will frighten the audience, otherwise it will become an unsuccessful film.

First Still
The first still gives an overview of what is going on, so that people can understand the film fully, making it possible for them to access the full potential of the horror this film can provide. The background colour is black, which is the darkest shade achievable, which links to the whole idea of a dark story, and dark stories are generally more frightening than others. The writing in white stands out against the black, indicating to people that it is necessary for them to read it if they are to understand the plot to the full extent.
There is also an intense background sound of someone breathing deeply, this is played through the first couple of clips, the effect of this is that they create tension.

Second Still
This still sets the scene, it shows the city and all the people in it, we can hear the sounds of the traffic and builders working. This creates a sense of reality and makes the film easier to relate to, which again makes it more frightening because it leads people to believe that this could happen to them personally. It creates conflicting emotions for the audience as they are still tense from the previous scene, but reassured by this familiar setting.

Third Still
This still shows the first dramatic scene of this film. It shows the first character that we come across throwing himself off of a high balcony. We can still hear the sounds of distant traffic, but then it moves onto a woman talking to the man who is about to kill himself in a very casual tone. She asks him 'Are you okay?' and says 'You're up early today' trying to create a conversation. We also hear his name, we causes us to become more familiar with him, making it possible to make a bond with the character, but before we can fully understand him, he commits suicide. We hear the sounds of air rushing past him and then the sound of him hitting the ground, and what could be bones cracking and blood splattering. It is a disturbing idea, and completely eradicates any feelings of reassurance we got from the previous still.

Fourth Still
The fourth still shows the man who killed himself lying on the ground in the middle of the street, and then other civilians stopping what they are doing to investigate what has just happened. You can see blood on the ground, surrounding his head. During this image you can hear whispering and a sharp-high pitched noise. These sounds are quite disturbing, because whispering is quite a creepy sound and high pitched sounds tend to make people feel uneasy and on edge.

Fifth Still
The fifth still includes the film title. 'The Grudge' is written in black, which contrasts to the blood-red colour of the background. The colour red is generally associated with danger and anger, which links the colour of the background to the events that occur within the film. Leading up to this shot are sounds of running water and eerie music playing through it, it sounds as if something is crawling through a puddle, which creates horrific images in the minds of the audience, therefore putting them on edge, and then as the title appears the sound of someone breathing in deeply returns.

Sixth Still
This still is set in the house of a woman, and it shows an old woman and her carer sitting in one of the rooms. As we are watching this, we see the names of the executive producers come on screen in the bottom left corner, written in red, which continues the theme of anger/danger. All we hear is the carer trying to talk to the woman.