2. What happens in the opening?
• The scene opens to the film title: “Orphan” in large white letters. The shot begins to flicker between
“Orphan” in the first font to a more sinister font that looks like it’s been scratched onto the screen with
finger print smudges across the top. This cuts to a two shot of couple walking towards the camera, behind
them light is blaring so the audience is unsure of where exactly the couple are. The woman approaches
the camera till we see a close up of her face. The shot rapidly cuts to a long shot of the couple heading
towards a desk, the setting is now more distinguishable. The shot switches to a close up of the woman’s
face as she thanks someone for bringing her a wheelchair. We now know that they are in a hospital.
Another cut and we see a low angled shot of the woman sitting in the wheelchair. The shot cuts again to a
close up of her throwing her head back in what I'm assuming is AGONY. The shot switches to a close up of
her husband reassuring her he’ll be right there once he’s dealt with whatever it is he’s dealing with.
They’ve used shot-reverse-shot here as it goes again from a close up of him to a close up of her replying.
Another cut and we see a nurse pushing the wheelchair forward from a low angled shot. The camera cuts
to a close up of the nurse’s face asking whether this is the woman’s first baby. The woman in the
wheelchair replies with a no that is shown in a close up...again. This is another shot-reverse-shot as the
camera cuts again to a close up of the nurse smiling in response. Guess what’s next? Another close up! The
woman in the wheelchair is speaking to her unborn baby (again i’m assuming) and telling herself it’s all
going to be okay. This then cuts to a cut-in shot of the nurse’s feet as she pushes the wheel chair along.
The next shot is from a bird’s eye view of the wheelchair being pushed along. It cuts to a close up of the
woman again crying out in AGONY. The woman then reaches up and to show the tips of her finger tips
which are covered in blood (...At this point I was cowering in my seat because I hate blood.) I’m not quite
sure what the next shot is but I think it’s a cut in shot of the woman’s feet as she’s being pushed
along, blood is trickling from above.
• The next slide will continue this as there is thousands of shots that i’m going to bore you with. I’m sorry. :)
3. I’m sorry if my next descriptions are either brief or not quite accurate...blood is one thing...but
trickling blood I just can’t stand so I was hiding behind my dad having him tell me what he
thought was going on.
• Another bird’s eye view of the woman being pushed through a hall way leaving a trail of
blood behind her (My worst nightmare). The screen then goes black, this lasts for a maximum
of 5 seconds before a low angled shot of lights comes on. The shot cuts to a close up of the
woman now lying in a bed in a hospital gown looking weary. She looks around and it cuts to
a wide shot of her lying down with a surgeon beside her pulling on gloves. Another close up
as the surgeon is pulling on her bloody (not in a angry: “BLOODY HELL.” way but I mean that
the gloves are covered in blood) then cuts to a close up of the woman looking bewildered.
The camera goes back to the close up of the nurse’s hands and slowly pans upwards till we
can see the surgeon’s face. It cuts again to a close-up/mid-shot...I’m not sure...of the
woman’s stomach being touched by the gloved hand. Switches to a close up of the surgeon
reassuring her it’s going to be okay then cuts to a close up of her looking confused. This cuts
to a side shot of her surrounded by surgeons. Another close up and we can see she is
breathing deeply. The audience begins to think she’s having the baby. The woman asks what’s
happening and it cuts to another side shot of her staring at the surgeons. The nurse at the
beginning reappears in a close up and says: “I’m so sorry for your loss.” So now the audience
is lost as to what is happening, well I was. The shot switches to a close up of the woman who
is still confused. Another shot-reverse-shot as we go back to a close up of the nurse saying:
“Your baby is dead.”
4. To save you the trouble of reading all
of that i’m going to list the shots
instead.
• A two shot
• A close up • A cut-in
• A long shot • Bird’s eye view
• A close up
• A close up, • A cut-in
• A low angled shot • A bird’s eye view
• A close up • A low angled shot
• A close up • A close up
• A shot-reverse-shot • A wide shot
• A close up
• A low angled shot • A close up
• A close up • A close up that pans upwards
• A close up • Close up/mid shot
• A shot-reverse-shot • A close up
• A close up • A side shot
• A shot-reverse-shot.
• A close up
5. The emphasis.
• The opening of this film doesn’t give away any hints to what the later plot
may be about. They’ve obviously decided to go with an abstract opening
sequence (much like our second part) that seems irrelevant to the actual
storyline. However as you find out later on it is relevant to the
proceedings. I think the emphasis of the scene is on the woman being
pregnant or being in labour as everything in the scene is revolving around
her giving birth/losing her child in the womb – an example of how they
emphasised this is through the excessive use of blood to represent death
or maybe even a gruesome death though I don’t like to think that was
what they were portraying. From watching the opening I think the fact
that they made the scene abstract is suggesting to the audience that this
is a dream showed from the woman in the wheelchair’s point of view.
Everything around her is quite exaggerated and dramatic and it gives off
the impression that this was how she was feeling during the loss of a child.
6. Similarities to the 1st film I analysed.
• Much like ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ the film I
chose to analyse before I did this one there
were no credits played during the opening.
• Both of the openings include alot of close ups.
• I have run out of similarities...there isn’t any
other similarities really...
7. Differences to the 1st film I analysed.
This slide will have alot more points as both film opening’s were very different.
• The opening of ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ is filmed in a way to make the
audience believe it wasn’t filmed professionally. ‘Orphan’ doesn’t take
this approach.
• ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ tries to convince the audience that all the footage
is real in the opening because it really happened (it didn’t but that’s what
they want people to believe) whereas ‘Orphan’ has used an abstract (as
mentioned in the last slide) opening to show that what is happening isn’t
real or isn’t necessarily happening in that moment.
• No title comes up at the beginning of ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ but one does
for ‘Orphan’ though that’s a fairly obvious point.
• The lighting is much brighter in the ‘Orphan’ opening than it is in the
‘Paranormal Activity 2’ opening.
8. The lighting.
I mention this because it had a huge impact in our opening sequence as it had to fit in
with our themes of Death and Satanism. :(
The lighting of this opening surprised me as it in no way
foreshadowed the possibility of what could/does
happen later on in the film. The lighting was
bright, almost blindingly bright and gives off a misty
effect when behind the couple at the beginning. It’s
probably the least threatening lighting they could’ve
used however I believe this was to give off the
impression of it being a dream which I mentioned in
an earlier slide.
