Title Research: The Conjuring

 What titles are displayed during the opening sequences?

The first title seen is "The Perron Family", "The Warren Family," showing black-and-white photographs of families. It then shows the director, writers, producers, etc. of the film 

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?

The first set of images shows the Perron and Warren family of their black-and-white family photos. A newspaper called the "Connecticut Daily Campus" with a subheading of. "Ghost-hunter gives second lecture here." Then is followed up with another black-and-white photograph of what appears to be lecture with many people attending, and two people talking up front. Other newspapers is shown with the titles, "Ritualistic Sacrifices Plague Small Towns", "Ghastly Apparition Image Captured", "Haunted Artifacts Museums", and "Ghost Hunter Describe New England Hauntings." This followed up with a series of another black-and-white images of people and graveyards, and a house with a rope on the tree. 

What connotations do these images carry?

This suggest that there's some supernatural phenomenon in a small town somewhere that is driving the town to be filled with eerie headlines on newspaper. With the images of families, it could be assumed that they may be directly affected from these supernatural events, and their circumstances has caused a upheaval throughout their communities. 

How does the film establish a feeling of the genre from the outset?

The use of imagery with newspapers with ominous titles, black-and-white photographs of families, graveyards, and house it creates anticipation for viewers to expect something menacing will happen in the film later on. The title sequence establishes to viewers that there's something 'haunting' a small town. These elements are very common and conventional to horror films, so with just the title sequence, it's easily distinguished as a horror genre.

What strategies are use to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?

The target audience is clearly for viewers that watches horror films. The series of images of newspaper that suggests there's a trend of supernatural events occurring in the film and is investigated from "ghost hunters." There's also a series of ominous black-and-white photographs that may connect to the newspaper titles seen. This grasps horror-loving audiences as the title sequence seems to have visual puzzles that will connect later on in the movie, creating a heightened sense of anticipation. 

How has technology been used effectively? You want to consider camera angles, transition and editing techniques.

There's animation used in the newspapers, particularly the motion of them being flipped and slid upon a surface. With the animation, it seems that person interaction with the newspapers seem to be deliberately investigating upon them. This creates sense of realism to title sequence, and it immerses audience to look for visual clues as well when the pages of the newspapers are being flipped. The use of animation effectively immerses audiences into the film, as it simulates the same feeling of skimming throughout paper to look for visual clues.