"The Ring" (2002):

"The Ring", directed by Gore Verbinski, is an American remake of the Japanese horror film "Ring" (1996). The film is classed as a 'psychological horror', which was a critical and commercial success.


Plot
The film focuses on a mysterious, cursed video-tape, which contains a seemingly random and obscure series of disturbing images. After watching the tape, the viewer receives a phone call, in which a girl's voice announces that the viewer will die in seven days. Two teenage girls, 16-year-old Katie Embry, and 17-year-old Becca Kotler discuss a supposedly cursed videotape while home alone at Katie's house. Katie reveals that, seven days before, she viewed the video tape with a group of friends. The girls laugh it off, but after a series of strange occurrences in the next few minutes, Katie dies mysteriously and horrifically. The film follows Rachel (Katie's auntie, and also a journalist) as she investigates her niece's murder. It is her mission to find out what this cursed tape is all about, and what she can do to save it's future victims...


The opening sequence
The opening sequence starts by showcasing 'Dreamworks', an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming. They display the Dreamworks title in a way which links very nicely with the scary nature of the film. The design of the short clip is the same as it is for any other Dreamworks film; however, the colour and font are designed differently. Very dark hues, such as black, white and grey are used, again, to link with the scary nature of the film. Just before the actual title is shown, a quick image of a ring flickers on the screen, which is a very effective touch.

Katie (left) and Becca (right)

Enigma codes are created from the very start of the film, which is a good convention of horror (in my opinion), as it jumps straight into the story-line, and allows the audience to make assumptions right from the start. One of the first questions raised is "who are these two girls?". First impressions lead you to believe that they are two friends, casually spending some time together. They do not look alike, so you automatically assume that they're not related; however, they are both wearing the same school uniform, so they obviously go to school together. 


Another question raised very early on is "what is on this tape that the girls speak about?". They describe it in quite some detail, which makes the audience eager to view the tape; however, the tape isn't actually shown to the audience until later on in the film, so mentioning it early on is a good way to keep the viewers hooked right until the end. These are two of the main questions, but there are certainly more that I could list - is this mysterious tape actually real? When the TV turns off, what does this have to do with the viewing of the tape? Who is on the phone after you view it? And what is the dark, oozing liquid that seeps out of the doorway? All of these questions are included in the opening sequence, as enigma codes are renowned for keeping audiences hooked. The fact that a horror movie is being discussed within another horror movie leaves the viewers confused, as they are unsure whether to watch the tape in question. This is a very powerful, psychological aspect.


The characters shown in this particular opening sequence don't actually possess a huge role in the film; however, they are a huge addition to the overall story-line. This could be seen as an example of foreshadowing, as you don't find out about these characters in depth until later on in the plot, as the story unravels. As I mentioned previously, I came to the conclusion that these two girls are friends, who attend the same school. Young schoolgirls are quite often used in horror films, as they come across as unwise and vulnerable. Male characters are sometimes used in horror films; however, if they are, they are made to look quite weak, young and foolish. Strong characters that possess a huge amount of wisdom are seldom used, as this would just defeat one of the director's objectives - to kill off the characters. 


The roles of the two girls are represented using a number of techniques - their appearance, costume, and overall, the way they act generally. They are young, moderately attractive, and they seem quite naive about some things (for example, when Katie is talking about waves entering the brain). Both of the girls also come across as quite immature, as they talk about sex-related gossip, which is then followed by a childish pillow-fight. They seem quite dismissive of the whole concept of 'the tape', as they make a joke about it, which could be viewed as an example of dramatic irony - the audience are automatically aware that something terrible will happen to these girls. Their appearance, along with all of their characteristics combine to create two perfect horror film roles.

Location and Mise-en-scene are very important in all opening sequences, as they establish the director's intended mood/feel of the film very early on. Like many other horror films, this is set at night, in a large, scary-looking house. Two girls are home alone in quite a secluded area, which is a very typical convention of horror films. An establishing shot is displayed at the very start of the film, which informs the audience of the girls current location. The girls are then shown sitting in Katie's bedroom, watching TV. I gathered that this was Katie's bedroom, as the furnishings are quite immature i.e. the single bed. The lighting is dim, with a large amount of the light coming from the TV in front of them. I think that this is an effective type of light source for horror, as it sticks to the dull, eery feel. When the girls turn off the TV, the lighting becomes eve darker, and they then go on to discuss the tape. The timing of this was perfect, as the eeriness continues to increase as the story becomes more un-nerving. 

(Notice the rain in the right hand corner)

When the girls leave the bedroom, the lighting becomes a lot darker. This is another typical convention of horror - having no light sources on in the surroundings. Again, the lighting from the TV is a huge addition to the lighting in the scene, but I think the director has done this for a reason - perhaps, to show how significant the TV is to the story-line? Another important feature of the mise-en-scene is the fact that it is raining outside. This is a example of pathetic fallacy, as people associate rain with gloom and dreariness.


The use of editing and camera techniques in this opening sequence definitely add to the scariness of this film.   In my opinion, the camera angles applied to this film are some of the most effective camera angles I've ever seen, simply because there is such a wide variety. Slow close-ups shots are used, in order to clearly show the character's reaction/emotion. They are also used to lure the audience in, as (in my opinion) they make you feel as if you are actually being reeled into the story! This technique is used from 1:20 - 1:46, as Becca is telling Katie all about the tape. Still close-up shots are also used a lot, to show the emotion on the girls' face's. Along with these close-ups, shot/reverse shots are used, to focus on the conversations between the characters in close detail. Also, there are a few examples of fast close-ups, to focus on significant things that are put in place to really scare the audience (for example, when the camera zooms in on the clock, and it is exactly 10:00).

There were two particular camera angles that really stood out to me when I watched this opening sequence for the first time. At 4:41, a close-up shot is used as Katie opens the fridge. The audience automatically flinch at the sight of this, as they expect something to scare them once she shuts the fridge door. This builds suspense massively, which is another good way to keep viewers hooked. The second camera technique that stood out to me was at 6:00, when Katie sees something in the TV. Using the TV as a way to reflect what is behind her is a very powerful editing/camera technique, as it allows the viewer to see the scenario from a different angle. In continues to increase the suspense levels, as the audience want to know what it was that Katie saw.


The sound used in this opening sequence is all diegetic, as there is no music to accompany the situation. The use of silence is a very powerful technique when the characters aren't speaking, as it leads the audience to believe that something terrifying is about to happen. The sequence opens with the sound of rain pouring outside; however, it swiftly moves on to the young girls having a conversation. Overall, there isn't much to say about the sound, as when the character's aren't speaking, it is either completely silent, or the sound of breathing fills the space. Simple, but very effective indeed.


Unlike "IT", titles are not displayed in this opening sequence, in order to keep the audience hooked to the action. Titles often distract you from what is going on, so this is a really useful technique.


In conclusion, I feel that this film is aimed at people over the age of 15. Although it doesn't contain adult features (very inappropriate language, murder, etc) it does contain some things that may play with your mind psychologically...it certainly played with mine! I really liked the subtlety of this opening sequence; therefore, I will keep many of the conventions that I listed in mind.


Below is the opening sequence to "The Ring"
(0:00 - 7:31)