The Sixth Sense - Opening Sequence

The title of the film:

The title of this well known thriller film is called 'The Sixth Sense', but it appears on the screen after we see who the film is made by and who's starring in it, and when it does appear we see the title 'The Sixth Sense', it's positioned in the middle of the screen with a black background but as it appears the music becomes more sinister, almost high pitched warning the audience that something might happen.

The way the setting/location is revealed:

The setting/location is revealed in a creepy way, almost like it is drawing in the viewer, almost forcing them to watch the film. We first see the location of a basement in a home; this can suggest that the house is very large so that very creepy things are easier to happen making it more like a thriller. Afterwards we then see a large room with a large staircase suggesting to the viewer that something might happen in a posh home to people with money.

Costumes/Props used in the opening:

During the opening sequence many props are used, for instance throughout the opening sequence we see the prop of a wine bottle and then it is followed by the use of a wine glass, and this suggests that the setting for the thriller is a large home with a lot of money, making it a prime target for something to happen. Followed on by the idea of wealth, the characters costume almost show a higher class person like the man in a sweater vest and the woman in a formal dress, and this also shows the viewer them two people could be a prime target due to their wealth.

Camerawork/Editing in the opening:

The opening sequence is edited in the style of continuity, as it will show something that is going happen but has the build up then the event, followed by the consequences. Also, ‘shot, reverse, shot’ is used during the opening sequence and this shows the viewer that something normal happening but could be broken. The camerawork in the opening sequence is very basic as close-ups and mid-shots are used a lot, maybe to build tension for the viewer and this can be shown by the shot of seeing the basement.

The title and font style:

The titles of text are very basic, as they are on a black background and then the text is placed in the centre of the screen. Also, all of this creates a creepy atmosphere but it changes as the text is in blue almost calming the viewer, suggesting that something will happen but it’s drawing the viewer in slowly.

How the opening sequence sets the story:

Seeing the basement scene where the woman comes down to get some wine sets the story. The audience could automatically think that something would happen to the woman there and then, as it is very dark and creepy, like something could jump out on her.

How the opening suggests that it's a Thriller:

I believe that the music suggests that this opening sequence is a thriller and this is because it starts of very calm and quite, but then when the title ‘The Sixth Sense’ appears on the screen the music becomes very loud and sharp, almost warning the viewer that something is going to happen but they have to watch to find out what it is.


The characters introduced in the opening:

During the opening sequence we are introduced too two characters, firstly we see a woman and she is presented as very beautiful, wearing a formal dress and high heels telling the viewer that she is of a higher class, but seeing the woman in the basement she is presented as vulnerable. But when we see the other character, the male, she automatically is presented as safe due to being with him and he is also presented as a person of higher class.

Special effects in the opening:
During the opening I feel that there are no real special effects, except for the clip either being cut one after each other, also some shots are slowed down almost to build tension for the viewer.