The Children 2008 Analysis
Synopsis
Elaine and Jonah and their teenage daughter and young son daughter, come to spend New Year with her sister Chloe and husband Robbie and their two young children at their isolated country home. One by one the children, after apparently being sick, become increasingly malevolent.'
The children is 2008 British horror thriller film directed by Tom Shankland, produced by BBC films, distributed by Vertigo Films in the UK and Ghost House Underground in the US. As it was a low production/ low budget film it opened at no.10 in the UK, grossing only £98,205 at 132 cinemas. In the weeks after its release, the film dropped to no.13 and then again to no.22.
Producers & Distributors
Elaine and Jonah and their teenage daughter and young son daughter, come to spend New Year with her sister Chloe and husband Robbie and their two young children at their isolated country home. One by one the children, after apparently being sick, become increasingly malevolent.'
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172571/
The children is 2008 British horror thriller film directed by Tom Shankland, produced by BBC films, distributed by Vertigo Films in the UK and Ghost House Underground in the US. As it was a low production/ low budget film it opened at no.10 in the UK, grossing only £98,205 at 132 cinemas. In the weeks after its release, the film dropped to no.13 and then again to no.22.
BBC Films is the feature film-making arm of the BBC. It was founded on June 18th 1990, and has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years. BBC Films co-produces around eight films a year, working in partnership with major international and UK distributors. Christine Langan is of BBC Films, responsible for the development and production slate, strategy and business operations.
Productions of Note:
Truly, Madly, Deeply, 1990
Chef 2014
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen 2011
Jane Eyre 2011
Nativity! 2009
Billy Elliot 2000
Vertigo Films distributed the film in the UK and Ghost House Pictures distributed the film in the US. Vertigo Films was created in July 2002, by producers Allan Niblo (producer of Human Traffic and South West 9), James Richardson (producer of Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang), director Nick Love (screenwriter and, prior to company formation, director of Goodbye Charlie Bright and The Football Factory), distributor Rupert Preston (distributor of Chopper, Chasing Amy and Bride of Chucky, among others), and entrepreneur Rob Morgan. Ghost House Pictures is an American horror movie production company that was founded in 2002 by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi which works with big and independent films, this falling under the independent category. Ghost House Pictures is an American horror movie production company that was founded in 2002 by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi which works with big and independent films.
Timeline
Setting
Opening- credits end at 05:09, setting established by 02:41
00:00-00:04: Here 'vertigo films//' appears on screen fading to black every second so 4 times and every time it reappears the background colour changes, starting with white then blue, green and then red. The text remains black, capitalized and bold throughout the transitions.
00:04-00:16: This title screen contains 4 extreme close ups of the credits 'protagonist pictures', to begin the credits pan on screen vertically and horizontally several times with a mixture of speed until the end when ' protagonist pictures' is displayed clearly in the middle of the screen. The sound and movement resembles the style of old film roles. The credits are white and capitalized with a black background.
00:16-00:29: During this period of film credits the background is black, at 00:18 the credits fade on from left to right in the center of the screen and reads ' VERTIGO FILMS presents' in a light blue colour and swipes off again in the reversed direction. Then at 00:23 credits re-appear on the right side of the screen in a small paragraph and in the same style of font.
00:29-00:44: At 00:31 credits appear again in the same style 'a VERTIGO FILMS production' fades on in the same style as previous. At 00:37 ' a TOM SHANKLAND film' fades on the screen in the same style again.
00:44-00:55: This is when the title screen is introduced. 'THE CHILDREN' comes on screen central and in large writing, it remains the same colour as previous font but is larger and although is displayed visibly, throughout the shot the title is shadowed. The shadow transfers from the top to the bottom and then fades the title out from right to left until 00:53 where it cuts to a black screen.
00:55-01:04: Here there is a slow fade transition to footage of a medium close up shot branches in a forest, it is night time and the camera is very slightly panning down but not noticeably. At 01:01 'EVA BIRTHISTLE' Fades on in the left of of the screen and fades off again quickly.
01:04-01:12: There is a straight cut to an extreme close up of icicles on the end of a branch and there is a strand of spider web being caught by the light as it moves with the wind. The camera movement is constant but little, creating the effect that it is swaying in the wind. At 01:06 the credits reappear fading in the constant style and read "STEPHEN CAMPBELL MOORE" and then fade off screen at 01:11.
01:12-01:28: Here there is a straight cut to a long shot of trees in a forest, the lighting is dark however there are areas highlighted by what seems to be 'moonlight'. At 01:16 the same style of credits appear on the left side of the screen - 'JEREMY SHEFFIELD'. At 01:21 there is a straight cut to an extreme close up of the forest ground dimly lit by natural lighting, it is frosty and there appears to be a discarded bird egg shell and directly above it the credits wipe on screen to say 'RACHEL SHELLEY' and wipe off again.
01:28-01:53: Here there is a straight cut to an extreme close up of frost formed on a branch and the camera movement is more noticeable than previous shots with its swaying like movement. The lighting caught by the frost is also moving more suggesting the branch is moving or there is a new introduction of light, most likely artificial. at 01:32 credits enter the screen which say 'HANNAH TOINTON' in the same style as previous. Then at 01:36 there is a straight cut to a long shot of trees in the forest and credits fade on screen, after that the camera begins to pan down slowly from the top of the trees to ground level. In the same shot a car enters from off screen on the right side and makes its way along the road at 01:51 and non-diegetic music begins to play.
01:54-02:03: In this shot there is a straight cut to a close up of a young lady, probably a teenage girl, who looks slightly distressed and angry and we can hear that there is children in the car. The lighting changes to portray her in a moving car and the background seems to be the boot filled with luggage, towards the end of the shot she then turns to left and looks out the window. She is wearing dark eyeliner, and a black hat and a lacy black neck choker, so far displaying a classically 'emo' look. It would be assumed by the audience that this is taken inside the car seen in the previous shot.
02:03-02:16: Now there is a straight cut to a long shot of the car driving slowly on screen from the from the right along the road from behind the first set of trees, the car is a standard family 5 seater car, looks reasonably old however this movie was released in 2008 and its lights are on. Credits appear in the left corner at 02:06 for the casting director on trend with the set style of credits throughout the opening. As the car is driving slowly and seems to be a family car it seems nonthreatening, which is juxtaposition with the atmosphere being set with the spooky forest night time setting and non-diegetic creepy music, reminiscent of a child's mobile music.
02:16-02:29: Here there is a straight cut back to the close up of the teenage girls face in the car looking in the direction of the car door window. At 02:21 there is a straight cut to an extreme long shot of a large estate house. It is a tracking shot with shaky camera movement almost as if it is the view from the car and this is the teenagers POV because the sound of children talking is the same volume as the previous shot. As the shot tracks more of the house is revealed from behind a small grass mound. There are also credits that fade on screen at 02:23 in the right bottom corner overlaying the shot for the hair and make up department. The type of font etc follows the set type.
02:29-02:37: This shot begins with a straight cut to a mid shot of a car pulling into a driveway, it is taken from in front of the car, and there is the sound of a car horn beeping. At 02:31 credits form on the bottom left corner of the screen which read "COSTUME DESIGNER ANDREW COX". At 2:33 there is a straight cut to a long shot of an open garage with fairy lights hung on the front, possibly Christmas lights, the shrubbery and ground is frosty throughout this scene. There's a wall which separates the garage in two, on the right there is a parked land rover. On the left there is an led light on and 4 people come running out towards the pulling in car, a man, a woman and two children and the children are happily shouting towards the car shown in the previous shot which comes on from the bottom of the screen at 02:35. There are credits in the bottom right corner which say 'MUSIC BY STEPHEN HILTON".
02:37-02:41: This is a straight cut to a mid shot of the two children running towards the car, they are smiling and it is a boy and a girl, the girl is holding a baby doll. It is a tracking shot, following in the same direction the children run. At 02:39 there is a straight cut to a mid shot of a man and young girl getting out of the pulled up car and being greeted by the running children with a hug.
02:16-02:29: Here there is a straight cut back to the close up of the teenage girls face in the car looking in the direction of the car door window. At 02:21 there is a straight cut to an extreme long shot of a large estate house. It is a tracking shot with shaky camera movement almost as if it is the view from the car and this is the teenagers POV because the sound of children talking is the same volume as the previous shot. As the shot tracks more of the house is revealed from behind a small grass mound. There are also credits that fade on screen at 02:23 in the right bottom corner overlaying the shot for the hair and make up department. The type of font etc follows the set type.
02:29-02:37: This shot begins with a straight cut to a mid shot of a car pulling into a driveway, it is taken from in front of the car, and there is the sound of a car horn beeping. At 02:31 credits form on the bottom left corner of the screen which read "COSTUME DESIGNER ANDREW COX". At 2:33 there is a straight cut to a long shot of an open garage with fairy lights hung on the front, possibly Christmas lights, the shrubbery and ground is frosty throughout this scene. There's a wall which separates the garage in two, on the right there is a parked land rover. On the left there is an led light on and 4 people come running out towards the pulling in car, a man, a woman and two children and the children are happily shouting towards the car shown in the previous shot which comes on from the bottom of the screen at 02:35. There are credits in the bottom right corner which say 'MUSIC BY STEPHEN HILTON".
02:37-02:41: This is a straight cut to a mid shot of the two children running towards the car, they are smiling and it is a boy and a girl, the girl is holding a baby doll. It is a tracking shot, following in the same direction the children run. At 02:39 there is a straight cut to a mid shot of a man and young girl getting out of the pulled up car and being greeted by the running children with a hug.
There are two forms of setting established in the opening, both quite contrasting with one another. The first setting established is the forest with the sequence of close ups of long shots. It is dark and clearly winter times due to the frost and snow etc. The only form of light is moonlight. The forest is very empty but there is also small signs of life with the discarded egg shell for example. Forests are often classically used in horror films due to their overwhelming barren nature and size. The trees are very close together and tall giving a sense of entrapment and intimidation. However then the house is introduced which is well lit, large and has a homely feel. This is highly contrasting, as it goes from dark and harsh blues to the wooden warm house with a mixture of colours from fairy lights.
The forest:
From research I found that the primary film location was Cookhill, Alcester, Warwickshire, England, UK. As you can see the opening is set as night and the first location shown in a long shot is this forest. I find that setting the opening at night portrays a threatening nature for the setting just as it is commonly associated with darkness, the unknown and vulnerability. There is a lot of black and blue due to the moonlight. The colour black connotes evil and mystery setting the pace/ theme for the rest of the movie throughout, achieving the role of a movie opening for me. I also find this compliment the colour scheme of the credits to create an isolating and creepy atmosphere.
The second location in the film opening is this large country estate looking house.This suggests the residents are wealthy. There are also no surrounding estates demonstrating to the audience how isolated the residents are. This could show them as outsiders but also portray danger to the audience as they are cut off from society and therefor 'venerable'. Large houses are often used in horror as although usually appealing, they have a fear factor as there is a lot of places for things to hide etc. The house also seems wuite an old fahioned style, telling us it could have a history, and from the rest of the setting, quite possibly a dark history. There are also christmas lights almost confirming the time of year as suggested by frost in the forest, it also thickens the plot line being set as it tells us that the family are probably meeting for the christmas holidays. This sense of danger both in the forest and house location creates tension, compelling the viewer to watch on.
The forest:
From research I found that the primary film location was Cookhill, Alcester, Warwickshire, England, UK. As you can see the opening is set as night and the first location shown in a long shot is this forest. I find that setting the opening at night portrays a threatening nature for the setting just as it is commonly associated with darkness, the unknown and vulnerability. There is a lot of black and blue due to the moonlight. The colour black connotes evil and mystery setting the pace/ theme for the rest of the movie throughout, achieving the role of a movie opening for me. I also find this compliment the colour scheme of the credits to create an isolating and creepy atmosphere.
The second location in the film opening is this large country estate looking house.This suggests the residents are wealthy. There are also no surrounding estates demonstrating to the audience how isolated the residents are. This could show them as outsiders but also portray danger to the audience as they are cut off from society and therefor 'venerable'. Large houses are often used in horror as although usually appealing, they have a fear factor as there is a lot of places for things to hide etc. The house also seems wuite an old fahioned style, telling us it could have a history, and from the rest of the setting, quite possibly a dark history. There are also christmas lights almost confirming the time of year as suggested by frost in the forest, it also thickens the plot line being set as it tells us that the family are probably meeting for the christmas holidays. This sense of danger both in the forest and house location creates tension, compelling the viewer to watch on.
Costume
Costume doesn't particularly play a large role in the opening of this film mainly due to only a protagonist being introduced and no clear antagonist.
I find the most effective shots are mostly before character introduction but the large range of close ups which establish the setting. I particularly like the shot of the broken bird egg because of the many connotations it can create. The whole film is basically about children who begin to try and murder their family, so the loss of innocence and false security are prominent themes. This egg links to infancy but the fact its broken and discarded, besides the obvious reason, could foreshadow these themes.
The transitions are largely standard straight cuts. I find these work as the majority of shots are long anyway so using straight cuts doesn't ruin the slow pace conventionally set in openings.
Typography
the main colours throughout the opening credits are white, black and teal. These colours when used together are very cold shades and reminiscent of the opening setting and time of year/ season portrayed, especially the teal colour which is slightly unconventional of the horror genre but has achieved a good atmosphere . The use of the colour black isn't uncommon in the horror genre as it connotes evil and darkness creating tension in the audience.
Throughout the opening the Person or company has been put in larger and bolder font than the other information. This is clearly to bring attention to the creators of the film especially as its independent so they're would be multiple companies involved.
This is one of the producer credits, unique to that company.
This is the title screen which is at the end of the credits section, it follows the same colour scheme however is much larger and a thicker font. The text is also more central and has a longer screen time with a moving shadow over the text, creating a sense of lurking and danger as shadows are associated with the unknown.
This follows the same theme and style however is over the footage and always in the corner of the screen, alternating between left and right to avoid distraction form the plot line.
Sound
The sound in the opening is mostly compositional music. The soundtrack for the film was written by Eva Abraham and Andrew Waterworth.
The first sound heard is a heartbeat sound effect that plays in time with the flashing transitions of the opening credits, I believe this works well with the horror conventions as a loud heartbeat is usually the consequence of extreme fear.Then the the credits change and so does the sound at 00:06 to what seems to be the sound of old school film roll being played, I feel this is more to associate with the film company and their brand rather than the movie.
Then once the movie credits start the sound of wind and woodland creatures are heard then as it is coming up to the title screen the sound of children screaming gradually gets louder. Once footage of the forest begin the sound returns to creepy whistling and animal sounds, and creaking from tree branches in the wind. These sound effects makes the forest seem alive and has a dramatic impact on creating a spooky atmosphere.
Once the car is introduced there are engine sounds and the shots inside of the car contain sounds of children talking, introducing other characters without showing them.
non-diegetic music:
Once the car is introduced there are engine sounds and the shots inside of the car contain sounds of children talking, introducing other characters without showing them.
non-diegetic music:
Music begins to play at 01:42 with a classically inquisitive sounding range of notes and high pitches, which is conventionally used to peak curiosity. Then after about 10 seconds, more layers are added of similar sounding notes but scattered differently and at different pitches (these play throughout) which begins to portray chaos or build up. It is noticeable that during this there are single low organ notes widely spaced apart to give the impression that there is lingering danger. At 2:05 violins begin to play which are quite emotive, holding long notes but getting higher each time, until after about ten seconds the pitch tends to range from high to low more.
By mixing this overall creepy and tension building music with sounds of diegetic laughter and family greetings it is quite an effective contrast. It creates the impression of false security because although the surroundings and current settings seem calm and safe, the music reminds us of an 'impending doom'.
How it will Influence my Film Opening
As the children was an independent film it was made on a low budget, therefor I admire its a ability to create a scary atmosphere and be an effective horror piece without a big Hollywood budget, so under this aspect i find it inspiring for our piece and to look to be resourceful with what we have. I also liked the use of credits and how they kept with the pace of the opening but did not distract from the footage. I also appreciate the use of consistent colour and font to fit the setting and will make sure too really keep this in mind when creating our credits. I also find the whole concept of mixing innocent appearance and dark intentions, as the whole movie is about children who murder the family, and I find this particularly effective as in the opening the mood is a large part 'light and fluffy' but has an underlying them of doom. This has inspired our film concept as our main protagonist may come across as 'normal' and has aspects of innocents, however the continuing film would reveal otherwise.
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