KG - Analysing an Opening Sequence: Child's Play

Analysing an opening sequence: Child’s Play (Holland, 1988)

Genre

1. Horror
2. The audience’s expectations are challenged as the opening to this film has one that is more conventional to a thriller, by use of the chase sequence and men firing guns at each other, than one of a horror.
3. The opening conforms to characteristics of horror by use of the atmospheric music throughout the opening, by the technique of enhancing the breathing of characters, by use of lighting – as everything is partially hidden in darkness throughout, but ultimately the first 2 minutes of this film fit more comfortably with the conventions of a thriller rather than a horror, because of the guns, the chase scenes and the dialogue used.

Film Language

1. The mise-en-scene in this opening conveys meaning of initially antagonists and protagonists by the characters and their costumes, one is an police officer whilst the other is a convict. The city it is located in creates a sense of verisimilitude and urbanisation suggesting rules and regulations, along with civilization. The fact that the convict seeks refuge in a toy shop, not only connects the title and establishes the film, but also creates a sense of fun and childishness about this film that perhaps results in it not being taken seriously as a horror in its own right.
2. Camera movement is very slow, but the cut rate is fast and jumpy, creating a sense of unease in the audience. Many of the camera shots are obscured by something, whether it be lighting, windows, or other props, all magnifying the unease in the audience as well as using conventions of the genre creatively.
3. The music layered over the top of the images is very atmospheric and unnerving, it adds to the sense of unease in the audience as well as anchoring the images as something that is, if not yet, in the genre of horror and will haunting.
4. Through dialogue we learn that the character being chased is an escaped criminal, the man chasing him is clearly a police officer, and the man in the car is an accomplice of the criminal who drives away to save himself. The non-verbal language tells us that both men are trying to outsmart the other, with the criminal wanting to get away and the officer wanting to catch him, we can also see their reactions to sound, lighting and each other.
5. The director cuts to a police car starting up with the sirens on, establishing that the man who was calling for backup is a police officer. Shot of the window being broken by the gun shot shows the severity of the weapons and the risk to both men whilst heightening action. The use of neon signs creates a sense of realism and is a suggestion as to which area of town they are located in. LS of toy shop as the criminal hobbles towards it, establishing shot of where everything begins. P-O-V shot is used when the officer enters the toy shop to position the audience with him as he searches the area and to add suspense and horror.

Narrative

1. There is very little narrative in this opening, enough to establish the criminal and the officer, and the dysfunctional relationship between the criminal running and the one sitting in the car. The narrative is structured more like that of a thriller with cliché lines such as: ‘give it up’ and ‘don’t leave me’.
2. The audience is positioned as a third party, as if this is a chase scene they may be watching on the news, because of society’s values the audience automatically positions themselves with the officer unless the narrative is clearly stating otherwise, in this case it is ambiguous as the audience seems to be just an onlooker, once the officer enters the toy shop is clear that the audience is positioned with him by use of the P-O-V shot.
3. A technique of alienation is that the criminal is wearing a large over-coat and is hidden for the most part which makes the audience hostile towards him, whereas the officer discards his large coat in the first few seconds and is clearly seen for the rest of the opening making him more identifiable to the audience.
4. The major theme in the narrative are that of a criminal trying to escape from an officer by any means necessary, and then seeking refuge in a toy shop after being shot. The other theme is the criminal’s accomplice leaves him after the police cars begin to chase them, resulting in him being found dead in the toy shop which sparks the whole basic narrative for the film, that of revenge.
5. Tension is created and maintained by use of the music, it is ominous and dramatic, and by the constant gun fire which makes audiences feel on edge, as well as the obscured shots meaning that there is tension purely because it is not clear what is happening.

Representation and Ideology

1. Social groups: criminals and police officers; those who break the rules and those who enforce them. This is represented by the narrative and mise-en-scene.
2. The values and beliefs are that the law will be enforced hence the officer chasing the criminal; and that the ‘good’ people can work as a team, like the police, and that the ‘bad’ people can’t. There is also the underlying idea of vengeance, and whether or not it will be enforced.
3. The semiotics construct these ideas as the criminal is shot by the police connoting good over bad, law over unlawful etc. and the whole basis of the film is in itself a framework of vengeance being taken.

Media Audiences

1. I think the target audience is a younger audience around student age, 15-29 the core target audience perhaps.
2. The probable reading is that this is a sort of comical horror film, which is more playful and less serious than others, but that the concept was an innovative one. The possible reading is that this film will make people scared of toys, particularly dolls and may make them believe that a sort of magic is possible [as unlikely as this is], if young children were to see this film their reading would be like that of Toy Story: how amazing it would be if toys came to life, but negatively inclined as this toy goes on a rampage unlike the ones in Toy Story.
3. Personally, I enjoy this film but I don’t see it as a horror, I find it difficult to take this film seriously as a genuine horror; I see it as more of a playful experimenting with horror conventions and styles that is fun and interesting to watch. I don’t think my reading is influenced by age/gender, perhaps my background, but ultimately what I think about this film is different to every other person in the world, it is impossible to represent everybody when talking about audiences.

Institutional Context

1. Bankable stars used: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon and Brad Dourif. Bankable stars are important for marketing and advertising the film, and for filling up cinemas.
2. Production company: United Artists. It was an industrial film.
3. I don’t know about the marketing: it had posters and trailers as usual, but I don’t know anything more. I know that is had a production budget of $9 million and was initially released into 1,377 theaters, having an opening weekend of $6,583,963. The domestic gross was $33,244,684 with it making $10,952,000 overseas. Worldwide, the film made $44,196,684 and was #1 at the box office. When it was released there was a lot of controversy as people believed it would encourage violence in children.
4. Not really no.