Research: The Secret Window

As part of my research, I am going to analyse the conventions that I learned about previously that are used in another film, The Secret Window. The Secret Window is a film that uses what is known as an opening sequence; a short clip before the actual film starts that is played before the credits. This is used to evoke a sense of what the film is about, and in this instance the clip was very dark and mysterious. This darkness was also portrayed during the credits - all of the credits were written in white, aside from the title "Secret Window" which turned blood red.

The effect this created was to mirror the mysteriousness which was first established through the opening sequence. The use of white/red titles suggests that the colour of the credits is essential and can be used to portray what the producers want to portray. This information will be useful when it comes to making my own film opening with my group.

Another convention which can be found in just the first few minutes of The Secret Window is the non-diegetic music. Music is very atmospheric and, again, can have a huge impact on the film that it is used in. For this film, the music is dramatic, but in a very subtle way. It has a certain edge to it that makes the viewer feel uneasy, but as the music is also quite calm it is done very subtley. This suggests that the film will be quite dark in genre, but also mysterious and will not be done in an in-your-face kind of way; this idea is accentuated by the secret aspect of the title.

The opening of the film also introduces the setting/location of where the action is going to take place, which is done so in The Secret Window (as shown in the picture above). Often, films have interesting and unique ways to take the viewer from the outside of the building to the inside of the building, and this film very cleverly goes through an open window whilst the credits are taking place.

The film also incorporates the use of time, date and period to determine when the film is set. An example of this is shown in the image below, which states that the film takes place "six months later". It is assumed - but not stated - that this is in relation to the opening sequence.