The Others (2001)

The production company Dimension films is represented to the target audience through this first shot of the opening sequence. They will identify the company and as fans of the horror genre may identify that this company as they have produced other horror films before such as Scream, Halloween, Scary Movie and Darkness. Fans of the genre may have watched these films before therefore are more likely to identify and recognise the company. This would attract them to the film and make them keep watching as if they have liked the previous films they have produced; it is likely they will enjoy this film also.

The next shot represents the production company being Warner Bros. Warner Sogefilms represents that the company have distributed it in Spain. This links to the director as he is Spanish himself. As the Warner Bros is iconic and known to be a hugely successful major production company, the target audience will identify the Warner Bros icon and instantly be attracted to the film as they know it was produced by a wellknown and trusted company. This is the uses and gratification theory as the target audience identify the production company and then watch the film for their entertainment as they believe that the film is likely to be good if a reputable and successful company produced it. This is the dyer star theory as a huge production company is attracting audiences to the film and gaining the film popularity.

The typography is in the colour white against a black background. The colour white connotes ghosts, creating the idea of spirituality for the target audience. Also, the colour black connotes darkness and death which allows the target audience to identify (uses and gratification theory) that it is a horror film as these are common conventions of the genre. Also, the contrasting colours of black and white could represent binary oppositions of light vs darkness or good vs evil. This foreshadows that there will be conflict and problems in the narrative if there are binary oppositions, particularly with two characters, most likely to be the hero and villain. This foreshadows a dis-equilibrium in the narrative, linking to the Todorovs theory as it creates the idea that something will go wrong. Also, the white against the black background allows the titles to stand out against the background to allow the target audience to be drawn straight to the titles and be attracted to the film. The typography of Dimension films is in capital letters to give the production company significance. The font is also pointed; this is a common font style for horror films as it connotes dominance and makes the typography on the screen appear as dominant and important. It makes it stand out in the shot and grabs the viewers attention. To add, this is the first title shot represented in the opening sequence. It reinforces to the target audience who the production company are. The target audience have already identified this through the first shot of the logo of the company, yet the audience are shown again so they can remember it. This makes the target audience more likely to watch more of the production companies films in the future as they will have remembered that they produced The Others. If they are fans of the film, they will watch more of the production companys films with the expectation that they will be just as good as this one.

This shot represents the title of the well-known actor Nicole Kidman. The target audience will immediately identify her name on the screen and recognize her as she is a popular actor who has starred in many well known films. This is the uses and gratification theory as audiences identify a big star in the film. Having an actor such as Nicole Kidman who is a highly successful and celebrated actor means that target audiences will be attracted to the film as they will have a hope that the film will be of the same quality as the previous films Kidman has starred in. Therefore, they are more likely to be attracted and will watch the film for their entertainment purposes (uses and gratification theory). This is the dyer star theory as a well-known actor is used to attract a target audience, gain viewers and popularity for the film; making it more successful. This would gain a huge profit for the film and the production company.

Also, the typography of the actors name is in capital letters making it stand out and grabs the viewers attention, making them identify immediately that she is an actor in the movie. The background represents a young boy looking out at nature. The right side of the shot is represented as bright and is the lightest part of the shot, while the left side is dark. This represents binary oppositions of light vs dark, further representing good v bad. Also, the fact that the young boy is in the light emphasises that he is the good one as he is stereotypically young, innocent and pure.

This shot represents the title of the film The Others. Firstly, the typography is white which stands out against the dark background, grabbing the target audiences attention instantly. Also, it is centred in the middle of the rule of thirds to allow us to identify the title as soon as look at the screen. This draws us in to the film and keeps us engaged. To add, binary oppositions can be linked here as the darkness of the background and the white of the typography hugely contrast with each other, representing good vs bad.

This foreshadows that there will be this opposition in the narrative and that there will be conflict and possibly something that goes wrong a disequilibrium; linking to the todorovs theory. The fact that others is written in capital letters puts emphasis on this word and draws the target audiences attention to it. The title creates a sense of ambiguity as it doesnt give too much away and leaves the audience questioning who the others are. This links to Barthes enigma code theory as an enigma is created and the audience are questioning the title. This means the audience will continue to watch the film to find out who the others are and what the narrative is about. The background of this shot represents the staircase of a vintage house. It appears to look like a house from an old time period and creates the idea that it could possibly be a mansion. The audience will identify this (the uses and gratification theory) and would possibly link it to haunted houses and the supernatural as they already have identified that it is a horror film. This foreshadows the narrative.

This shot represents the Spanish director of the film Alejandro Amenabar. The typography is in the centre of the rule of thirds which allows the target audience to easily identify who the director is as they are instantly drawn to the typography on the screen. The target audience will identify the director and some may even recognise the director and therefore be attracted to the film as they have watched previous films he has directed and are hoping that the film will match the same quality. Also, for those who do not know who the director is, by the end of the film, if they enjoyed it, it allows them to be able to follow the actors career by watching other films he has directed for their entertainment.

The background of the shot represents a huge mansion situated in an isolated and secluded location where no other houses are to be seen. The fact that the house is represented to be detached and on its connotes loneliness and could reflect the segregation from the world. This could further represent another world of the supernatural that only some people are known to be able to see, while others cannot. This foreshadows that there will be the supernatural in the narrative which would appeal to the target audience and make them continue watching for their entertainment purposes, which links to the uses and gratification theory.