Inspiration of Opening Credits - Bedlam
There are many things in this film opening which I feel are very effective for the genre, which is a British Supernatural Drama. Some of the ideas such as sound, camera angles, mise-en-scene, typography and editing from this opening can be used to inspire our group coursework practical task.
The main conventions of a supernatural drama are:
- Set at places that are close to the main character
- Characters appear to be 'normal'
- Main character troubled by something in their past
- Costumes of the main characters is usually conservative and simple, nothing out of place in a family house
- Creaking of doors and curtains blowing in wind, symbolise entry of th unknown
- Use of mirrors to reveal what is behind them
- The discovery of the spirits past
- Weapons are usually household appliances or things found around the house
- Contrapuntal sound is usually used to create juxtaposition
- Use of shadows is common as they can be seen but not exposed
One of the first shots of the opening sequence shows a long shot of a young male character in a straight jacket who is bound to a chair. The room looks like it is from an asylum or hospital and the low lighting increases the number of shadows in the room, which is a convention of the supernatural genre. The mise-en-scene of the straight jacket also makes the genre evident from very early on in the opening credits.
A long shot of an abandoned hospital then sets the scene for the audience, and highlights to them the themes which may be present in Bedlam, as hospitals are associated with death and illness. Again, the use of low lighting increases the amount of the frame which isn't seen by the audience, adding suspense of the unknown and of what is lingering in the shadows. The hospital setting shown is portrayed as being dirty and abandoned, which increases the fear in the audience as they would not be in an environment which the characters are in.
A long shot then shows an older man sitting at his desk in an office environment, whilst burning pieces of paper or documents fall from above. The use of fire, which is a destructive element, puts the audience on edge as the man seems unresponsive to what is going on around him and he could potentially be in danger. The focus of the frame is on the centre of the room, where the man is sitting. By blurring out the edges, there is a sense of distortion in the scene and the audience are forced to focus solely on the man in the centre.
The next shot is then a over the shoulder close up of one of the female characters. The mies-en-scene of her jewellery may potentially highlight her wealth and status to the audience. The use of mirrors, which is a convention of the supernatural genre, enables the audience to see more than they usually would. This increased vision adds suspense to the scene, as they not only want to directly look at the character, but also at their reflection. In this shot, the audience can clearly see the presence of a supernatural being, as the reflection does not match.
Dolls are usually associated with psychological horror, so this suggests that the programme is a hybrid or has areas of psychological horror within the supernatural drama genre. The dolls obvious deformities, the expressionless look and no eyes, adds tension into the opening as the audience find the use of a children's toy creepy. The shot is a close up shot of the dolls face, which exaggerates the lack of emotion which is present in the porcelain figure.
Editing
The whole of the opening credits uses fast-paced editing. This adds suspense as the audience are not given enough time to see everything in each shot in detail. This therefore suggests that there are a lot of unknowns in the scene which adds mystery.
There is also a use of slow motion in the frame where the man in his office watches the fire surround him. This highlights to the audience his separation from his surroundings, as he is unaware of what is going on around him. The slow motion effect on an element such as fire contrasts the destructive nature. There is also a rewind effect used in the shot below, which makes the woman move out of a room into the corridor. This distortion in the shot is effective as it creates a sense of confusion as the audience are unaware of where she has been and where she is going.
The medium shot of a patient sitting on a hospital bed begins as a long shot, but the camera makes a sudden zoom to focus on the girl, who has her back turned to the camera, removing her identity and adding suspicion to the audience. After zooming in on the girl, the camera pans right slightly, teasing the audience into thinking that the girl's identity is going to be revealed, but instead it cuts to the next shot.
Sound
In the opening credits, the non-diegetic soundtrack begins with a screaming sound. There is a very upbeat tempo and it is a heavy rock soundtrack although there are slowed down piano sections and certain points during the opening which focuses the audiences attention on the visuals. The initial screaming shows the audience the genre as it highlights fear and conforms to the horror genre.
Credits
I also looked into the order and timings in which the credits appear. They all appear in the same font in the same format, of the black box with the names cut out of it, meaning that the scene behind it is seen through the letters. The editing of the titles also happens so that they appear and flicker, before disappearing. The order of the credits is below:
00:02 - THEO JAMES
00:03 - WILL YOUNG
00:07 - CHARLOTTE SALT, ASHLEY MADEKWE
00:12 - AND HUGO SPEER
00:16 - CREATED BY NEIL JONES, DAVID ALLISON, CHRIS PARKER
00:20 - PRODUCER MATTHEW BIRD
00:24 - DIRECTOR JOHN STRICKLAND
00:28 - BEDLAM
The way that the credits are presented, in a distorted way, highlights how the actors are presented within the TV show, as the font and editing of the titles is effective for the genre.
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