Research and Planning: First Deconstruction "The Others"

The Others Opening scene

Duration 1minute 47 seconds

The Other’s opening scene begins with an in depth series of shots taking both audience and family on a tour of their house and life. It begins with a completely black frame. And then there is a fade in to reveal a glow of a candle in the centre of the frame. When the light of the candle is brought up to see behind a piece of a drawn image. Yet it is at the start somewhat unclear as to what that image is.

In the centre of the frame the first titles appear, the font used is that of an older period and adds age to the beginning of the film. The use of the candle light behind the titles adds a sense that there are two worlds. The real world and the one that this family live their lives with. Within the opening you can already establish that we are not alone. The camera then pans across the image to show the drawn image of a man and a women looking out.

The camera then begins to tilt up the stair well this creates the idea to begin with that we are merely being taken on a tour of the house. Yet as no actual human beings are present it creates the idea that the house is isolated and we are breaking in. Then with in the space where the candle is still glowing the title “the others” is placed directly in the candle light. There is the non-diegetic music playing in time with the camera music. The music creates tension and also a somewhat comical look at the start of the film as though even though the images we are seeing are making the audience uneasy the music suits the piece but brings the audience in to an uneasy sense of calm.

After leaving the stairwell the camera moves to pan across what appears to be a small nursery. Showing a boy playing casually whilst his Nanny watches over him; establishing that this family are somewhat well off, also by the way the nanny in particular is dressed the film is not set in modern times. These images still do not contradict the idea that this is a normal happy family in a normal happy house, even though the lighting and music connote darkness and evil.

Yet after this there is a black out and the music suddenly changes to something more sinister and faster pace acting as a catalyst suddenly changing the mood of the current piece. The camera tilts down an illustration of a candle. Once again showing that the piece is set in a time period that is not modern. The shot continues to tilt down to show someone about to place a key in the lock, the close up showing that the person has not yet placed the key in the lock creates tension and suspense. Making the shot even more uneasy.

The camera tilts up the staircase to show a child being frightened by an unknown women, the music creates tension between the two characters as their confrontational stance connotes an unfriendly as well as tense relationship between the two drawn characters. The shot fades out and then pans down to the drawn face of a terrified person. The use of an extreme close up shows that the person is terrified and makes the audience concerned for the person’s wellbeing as the person appears innocent.

The candle light increases in the next scene and a mid-shot reveals a hand holding puppet strings. The title downwards reveals a child is being held on the puppet strings revealing that she is not in control of her own life. The blankness of her face shows that she is completely unaware of what she is doing and brings the idea that it is easy in this household to lose control of yourself.

The final shot begins unfocused and the illustration cannot be seen, the final opening titles appear and then the camera comes in to focus, bringing the illustration to reality justifying that the titles that have just been revealed are portraying the life of these people. In the bottom left of the frame appear the words “Jersey The Channel Islands 1945” revealing the place and time and the use of a long shot revealing the distance between the house and the surrounding areas.