Nightmare on Elm street 1984 opening analysis

Synopses

Nancy is having nightmares about a frightening, badly-scarred figure who wears a glove with razor-sharp "finger knives". She soon discovers that her friends are having similar dreams. When the kids begin to die, Nancy realizes that she must stay awake to survive. Uncovering the secret identity of the dream killer and his connection with the children of Elm Street, the girl plots to draw him out into the real world

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087800/plotsummary 


The film was directed / written by Wes Craven and is a very significant film for the horror genre, setting the bar for many that followed. It stars Heather Langenkamp as the main protaganist (Nancy Thompson). Distributed by 'New Line Cinema' it was said to have made an over all $26,505,00 US dollars by the 31st May 1985, and has had many sequels/ spin offs since. 

Estimated Budget: $ 1,800,000

Opening Weekend: $1,271,000 (USA) (9 November 1984)  

Producers & Distributors

The film's production and distribution company was New Line Cinema, which was founded by Robert Shaye in 1967. It is an American-French film studio and was a film distributor, but is now an independent film studio. It has produced a wide range of motion pictures often in the horror and comedy genre and is very well known in the industry. It's parent organisations are Warner Bros and Time Warner.

'A Nightmare on Elm Street was produced and released by New Line in 1984. The franchise was New Line's first commercially successful series after a devastating financial slump, leading the company to be nicknamed "The House that Freddy Built". The film had a production cost of $1.8M and grossed over $25.5M at the US box office. It was the first film to feature actor Johnny Depp. A year later, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge was released. It grossed $3.3M in the first three days and over $30M at the domestic box office. Nightmare 3 was released in 1987. In its first weekend it grossed more than any previously released independent film and went on to make almost $45M at the US box office.

In November 1990, New Line purchased a 52% stake in television producer RHI Entertainment, which would later be sold to Hallmark Cards. In May of the following year, New Line purchased the home video and foreign rights to 600 films held by Sultan Entertainment Holdings, aka Nelson Entertainment Group; the deal also included an 11-film distribution deal with Castle Rock Entertainment. On November 27, 1991, New Line purchased Sultan outright.

On January 28, 1994, New Line Cinema was acquired by Ted Turner's Turner Broadcasting System, which then merged with Time Warner in 1996. While fellow Turner-owned studios Hanna-Barbera Productions and Castle Rock Entertainment eventually became units of Warner Bros. New Line was kept as its own separate entity until February 28, 2008, when Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes announced that New Line would shut down as a separately operated studio.

Productions and Distributions of Note:

Friday the 13th, 1980

The mask, 1994-2005

Dumb and Dumber, 1994-2001


Austin Powers, 1997-2002 

Final Destination, 200

Lord of the Rings, 2001-2003

The Conjuring, 2013-present

Timeline

Opening 1.08 mins long

• 00:00-0:10 : The video begins with a black screen. There is a straight cut to horizontal red lines flickering on and of screen to form the words 'from New Line Cinema ', till 0:06 where it is presented clearly in bold red font with a black background alternating these two colours between the background and font with a flickering effect.

• 00:10-0:19 : Here there is a cross fade to a pan shot at ground level, tracking the figures feet until the camera stops panning at 0:18 and the figure picks up a bag and walks off shot .The lighting is very dark, possibly candle light and from the concrete structures and numerous discarded materials it seems to be a work shop/ blacksmith type setting.  The shot doesn't fill the whole frame, as credits fade on screen below stating 'New Line Cinema, Media Home Entertainment, Inc. & Smart Egg Pictures present" in white comic sans type font. Like the previous shot, the background is black. 

• 00:19- 00:30 : Here there a straight cut to a high angle shot of a cluttered table and the characters arms emptying the bag out on to the table and picking up a knife. Then at 00:27 there is a straight cut to close up/ side angle shot of the character's hands picking up gloves off another cluttered table and water dripping from above. There are no credits below in these 2 shots.

• 00:30- 00:40 : Here there is a straight cut to a close up of the characters hand picking up a sharp metal object and carving into material, the lighting is still dark (natural fire lighting) with white credits that fade on under the footage reading "a Robert Shaye production". Then there is a second cut transition at 00:37 to a mid shot of the characters arms shaping metal, there are no credits in this shot. 2 shots.

• 00:40- 00:52 : Here there is a straight cut to a side angle close up of the unrevealed characters hands blow torching a blade, similar lighting and setting to previous shots. At 00:44 there is a cut to the same angle however the camera tracks a close up of character testing the hinge of the glove. Then at 00:48 there is a straight cut to a close up shot the character tilting the glove, allowing it to glint in the light and showing its mobility. 3 shots

• 00:52- 00:58 : Here there is a straight cut to an extreme close up of the character slowly sliding his hands into the gloves, in candle lighting. Below the shot there is credits which read " a Wes Craven film" in the same recurring white comic sans font. 1 shot

• 00:58- 1:07 : At 00:58 there is a straight cut to a high angle, possibly a POV of the character with the glove on, the character seems to have a red jumper. The lighting is natural (candle light), However there seems to be bright lighting above to highlight the blades of the gloves while the character is opening their hand. The frame of this shot fades out and at 1:05 the title 'A Nightmare on Elm street' travels from off screen to the center in a zoom in from the bottom of the screen. The words 'A NIGHTMARE' are in a red, dramatic horror style font and the words 'on elm street' are in a smaller white font over the top of 'A NIGHTMARE'.  

Setting

Costume

The opening of this film does a good job of not revealing too much of Freddy Krueger's costume and features to add to the air of mystery, while at the same time showing enough to peak interest in the audience and highlighting key elements of Krueger such as his murder weapon (the glove) to reveal he has bad intentions. The famous Freddy burn scars on his face aren't revealed, in fact all that is revealed is his bottom half, forearms and his bladed glove.  

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  The first thing revealed is his boots and trousers, which seem to replicate the colours in the background of the shot, although darker, but are just brownish blackish , something perhaps a manual labor would wear as they're practical boots and trousers and grubby, this links to the setting in hinting to the audience about the characters past, and that he's not with society as he is not visually meeting the common standards.

• The next thing to be revealed is his hand and red sleeve. What I notice about the hands is that they're very dirty, which can be used to portray a character as low class, poor, below society, manual worker etc telling us more about this character and making him seem 'scummy'. It also contrasts with the way the hand is displayed later with the glove on as his bare hands aren't very intimidating. His red sleeves particularly stand out on screen which I believe is used to associate him with danger when introducing him as red connotes many things such as blood, danger, warning, fury etc. in our society
  

• The glove is fully revealed right at the end of the opening and then this leads to the title. I believe this was to build suspense as the whole opening is him crafting something and once it is revealed it is clear that the character has malevolent intentions and it suggests to the audience that the character must have an psychotic obsession as he has been crafting a 'torture device'. The sharp blades have connotes thoughts of danger, evil, murder which links to Freddy's intentions, and the leather gloves could provoke thoughts of protection and hiding which could link to the fact that he is protected indestructible in a way as he is hidden in peoples dreams, making the whole character scarier.

• Movement- Krueger's movement throughout the whole opening is very slow and 'delicate', usually may suggest weakness, however this paired with the music, setting, props etc portrays a whole different idea for the audience. The fact that he is being so slow and delicate while crafting the glove makes him seem very sinister as it shows that it's important to him and he's taking time with something that will be used to bring harm to someone. The audience is also being shown that this is what he dedicates his time to so therefor this is the only dimension to the character at that moment. The only 'quick' movement he makes is when he opens his hand to demonstrate the gloves movement, this makes the glove seem even more dangerous as it shows its potential and we all know not to run with knifes. 

Effective Shots & Transitions

Only fade and straight cut transitions are used throughout the opening, as these are pretty standard transitions its not very in your face therefore it fits with the characters movement and behavior as its creepily slow and calm, adding to the sinister effect. These type of cuts are also very stop start, this helps give the impression the character is in a routine and is carrying out an ordered task. There is a quick cut at the end of the opening, once Freddy has finished making the glove, this may be to display the excitement and also alerts the audience and portrays the glove an important and dangerous element within the film.

This is a tracking shot.

I find this shot effective as it has used the tracking shot to follow the character which is introduced, giving the impression to the audience that this is a an important character especially as it is the first footage shown. Also the camera tracks from right to left until the character pauses and pickws up the bag mirroring the characters movement and the pause adds significants to the characters action of picking up the bag, the tracking speed is also slow, again mirroring the characters movement and therefor creating a creepy persona for the character

This is a high angle mid close up

This is an effective shot as it creates an almost POV shot to giving the audience the characters perspective, the close up allows us to focus on the characters movement rather than appearance which combines well with the way the character does move as it allows the audience to pay attention to the small odd detail in the way the character acts and focus on the task the character is carrying out. As the shot is high angle it could also portray the character powerful as it is as if he is looking down on the area due to the POV nature of this specific shot.

This is an extreme close up

This is another example of using camera technique to allow the audience to pay attention to detail. As it is an extreme close up we are able to see how dirty the characters hands are etc. Like extreme close ups are often used to show characters emotion, it allows us here in a similar way to see more of how the character moves and interacts with objects in a slow and fixated manor, telling us about the emotional state/ persona of the character.

This is a high angle close up

As this is the last shot before the title screen I find it effective as it is a much shorter shot than the majority in the opening, contrasting significantly for the audience and displaying danger and tension. It is another high angle shot which again portrays power. It also doesn't reveal much of the character creating suspense for the rest of the film.

Typography

Being the first thing the audience sees, I feel this form of animation to make a strong impact on the audience right from the start of the film while using typography to display the company responsible for the film. The colour scheme is simple with red and black being displayed in different ways within a short space of time, red and black have many negative connotations and paired together could be used to link to the main iconic character Freddy Krueger's costume and the general colour scheme throughout the film. However, by just using these colours in the opening it foreshadows many themes throughout the film as it could be associated with blood, danger, darkness, night time etc. The animation effect on these credits are also effective as it almost portrays a flickering light, and light is used constantly within the horror genre to create a spooky atmosphere. It also is linked to the next shot as it is then someone entering an old dingy abandoned seeming room, so its as if the character was turning on the light. The actual text itself is very fitting to the time of production as this type of font was often used within video games, technology etc. and as the company is  'New Line Cinema' I believe they used it to set a 'new age' brand for their target audience, and the jaded effect sets a theme of chaos.

The rest of the underlying credits are white, bold comic sans to contrast with the black background. I find it interesting that the credits are not within the camera shot, perhaps as it is introducing the main protagonist it is to avoid distraction, however film technology in the 80's was not as advanced as it is today so this could be the reason also. The comic sans font gives it a fictional theme and again was commonly used at the time. The font is significantly smaller, again to avoid distraction form the shots.

This is the last shot of the opening before introducing the rest of the story is prevailed. The font is obviously of  a typical horror style. It is again red with a black background linking to the 'villains' famous costume and the genre as a whole as these colours have many negative connotations as I stated earlier. A nightmare is a lot more prevalent on the screen, this being the more negative word therefor sets up the theme of the film and meets the expectations of the horror genre.  'On elm street' is in white over the top in white to create an aesthetically pleasing contrast to draw the audience in.

Sound

Music by Charles Bernstein

There are few sound effects throughout the opening that don't resinate with the characters movement, however there is non diegetic music throughout the opening, which is very popular within the horror genre to help create certain atmospheres or suspense especially within this time period. 



Overall the music is reminiscent of the classic horror genre with synthesisers, electric keyboards, dragged out organ like notes and lots of minors to create that creepy halloween feel. The mix of long low notes and sharp high notes ever so often over the top creates an inquisitive effect and can sound similar to ghost like moans which connotes themes of the paranormal and dark power.It also seems that the further on into the opening, the more layers there are, creating a build up until 1:05 when its the main title screen when it is one loud low note with crashing sounds, I believe this is to signify the end of the opening and create fear through loud sounds.

Noted sound effects

As well as the non-diegetic composed piece throughout the opening, they're are also diegetic sound effects throughout to help emphasis certain events and portray the introduced character in certain ways. One of the most prominent sound effects is the heavy breathing/ grunts, suggested by the character, over the top of the whole opening. I believe the main purpose of this sound is to help add to the creepy persona being created for the currently faceless character, his has many connotations especially as in society it is the norm to breathe through your nose and has also been noted as a sign of unintelligent or something not being quite right with someone, therefor successfully making this character seem disturbed and fixated on the task in hand.

Another common sound effect that is often placed over the top over the music is the sound of metal work in sync with the characters construction work. This could be con-screwed with just making the shots logical because obviously if you bang a hammer, it makes a noise, however it seems to be certain parts which are particularly isolated as they contrast with the music and I believe this variation in sound makes the audience more aware of whats occurring and pay attention to detail. An example of this is from 00:37-00:40 when he is shaping metal by banging it with a hammer.

How It will Influence My Opening

What I find most inspirational in this opening is how they have showed little to create suspense, and as we have a much lower budget than big production companies this would be more practical as well as effective when coming to make our opening, as I find it suspensful and by giving the character mystery it creates more fear in my opinion. I also like how it contrasts with the other two films in age but manages to still be relevant today and continues to inspire newer films, there is also an increase in popularity of 'retro' and old clothing, technology etc and this is now being represented in current shows such as Stranger Things, this has inspired us to look at incorporating some of these things into our open to appeal to the current market. I like the idea of introducing the 'villan' first and giving the audience a contrasting perspective between the opening and the rest of the film. However I find having the footage in one part of the screen and the credits below to be less affective as it can take away from the content of the opening, isn't aesthetically pleasing and outdated so we will avoid this in our opening.