Analysis of the opening of Silent Hill

This post will analyse the beginning of the film Silent Hill. I have chosen to analyse this film as it links to the chosen genre of my groups film, horror.

When there are titles and then it leads into the film, it is a sound bridge of the dialogue coming from the woman. This makes the audience begin to feel tense, as they aren't sure what's going to happen.
The film begins with dull lighting being used, this makes the film seem as if it is starting off negative, as using bright lighting gives a positive feeling.
The sound begins with dialogue from a female character, screaming the name of her daughter. It becomes apparent it is about a child as the female character picks up a teddy bear, which assumeably belongs to the child. This gives an idea to the audience that the film is based on the child and what happens to them.
Synchronised sound is used to amplify the sounds of the forest, e.g bugs making noises. This is so that it becomes clear to the audience of the setting of the film, that it is in the forest. As typically a film that is set in a forest shows danger, as the house is abandoned and if the people living in the house get into danger, there is no one else to save them. The synchronised sounds of the car adds tension to the scene, as there is not a lot of sound and then suddenly there is the loud sounds of cars passing by. This also gives the idea that the film is set somewhere that's busy, as there is cars driving around even late at night.
An aerial shot is used of the woman running along the rocks near to a waterfall, this is to clearly show the setting and her costume. The setting is near to a waterfall, suggesting danger as being that near to a cliff is dangerous. Her costume (clothes she would most probably wear in bed) shows she has panicked about whatever is happening and whoever has gone missing, as she has gone out late at night without a coat, showing the rush and panic.
The diagetic sound of the waterfall really emphasises the setting for the audience. An establishing shot is then used to show where the woman character is. This shot shows how high up the waterfall is, and emphasises the danger. A close up shot is then used on the woman's face to clearly show the fear of seeing her daughter standing on the edge of a cliff.
A mid shot is used of the daughter. This shows how the daughter is acting possessed, muttering to herself with her eyes not properly opened. She is also swaying, making the audience feel as if she's going to fall. An aerial shot is then used to show how close she is to the edge of the cliff, this creates tension as she may fall.
Creepy music begins to play when the daughter is shown on the screen. This creates tension as the audience do not know what is going to happen, but as this music is used it is guaranteed to be something bad, as in most horror films.
The aerial shot then looks as if the camera is falling over the cliff. Computer edited objects then appear, slowly turning to a red colour with black surrounding. As red is the colour of danger this then creates tension as the audience doesn't know where the camera is leading. A face is then shown surrounded by fire. The fire makes the audience know that this is dangerous, and a face is then shown quickly. This makes the audience question what is going on, what that face is about too. The non-diagetic sounds and music speed up as the camera is falling.
After the face is shown with the fire, a close up of the little girl is shown. She still seems possessed, which makes the audience know that there is a connection between the computer generated face and this little girl. The little girl has black hair and pale skin, suggesting she may be something evil. As typically in horror films, little children with black hair and pale skin are to be feared. Examples of this are The Grudge's child and Damien from The Omen.
A quick long shot of the girl about to fall and her mother saving her is used. Also included in this shot is a prop, a glowing cross. This is used to make the audience question whether religion is relevant to this little girl being possessed, because it isn't just a coincidence that the cross is there. In this shot it is also clear that the setting is very misty, creating a more tense feeling, as not everything can be seen in the surroundings, meaning something more could be there and this builds suspense for the audience. 
When the little girl is screaming and moving, it is clear something is very wrong with her. As before she was silent, and as she was knocked over by the woman she has begun screaming. She says "Silent Hill" which is the name of the film. As it seems she still may be possessed when she says this, it is clear this place is clearly a main factor of the film, and something for the audience to look out for and focus on.
Further on there is a long shot of the family after the girl has stopped screaming. This shot again shows the misty, dull setting, showing what has just happened is clearly negative. But also in this shot, the glowing cross is shown again in the light. Emphasising this, as well as Silent Hill, will be a key factor of the film for the audience to focus on. A sound bridge is used from this scene to the next, which is the title of the film. This slow, non-diagetic music shows what has just happened is upsetting for the adults, as it is slow piano music, used so the audience empathise with the adults, even know they aren't certain what is happen. As the title Silent Hill comes across the scene, drums are added in over the soft piano music, creating tension and suspense for the audience, as they know now something bad happens in Silent Hill. 
In the beginning of Silent Hill, a lot of short takes and quick cuts happen with each shot, this is to show the action in the film is happening quickly, so the audience is panicing. Also if the shots were longer than ten seconds long each, this would make the audience bored and not feeling tense and scared about what is happening in the film, as it wouldn't be fast paced.