Title Research American Horror Story: Coven

 The titles that are displayed during the opening sequence are the names of the main actors, as well as the names of two producers. The images prioritized in the opening sequence are short clips, also known as jump cuts of some different events. For instance, we see clips of a group of people dressed in black gowns with black hats. Moreover, we see clips of voodoo practice and sacrifices, as well as images of animals, which are about to be used for certain rituals. All these clips are mixed and played alternatively throughout the opening sequence. These shots represent the overview of the film. They are meant to make the audience feel uncomfortable and give them an idea what they are about to see after that opening sequence. The film is very unsettling and is trying to prove to the audience that the genre of the production is horror, and gore. This is meant to engage with the audience, make them intrigued and eager to see what American Horror Story is about. Some strategies used to make the film appeal to its target audience and appear scary are by including short, fast paced clips of frightening settings. Because it all goes so fast, it makes the audience not able to process everything that is happening and confused, because there is not much of a meaning nor storyline behind it. And because they do not have to focus on the big image, the viewers are paying attention to the specific clips chosen. Editing, sound, and camera angles heavily impact the overview of the opening sequence. For example, between each clip, the screen sizzles and gets a bit blurry which automatically makes the viewers feel a bit uncomfortable. Furthermore, the sound is the most frightening part. There is no music, but hissing, frizzling sounds between each clip, which go with the sizzling transitions. Another type of sound used is an exceptionally low piano note, playing repeatedly throughout the whole sequence. Moreover, the majority of the opening sequence is in black and white, except for the last clips, which showed someone burning at the stake, which portrayed the production as a whole: witchcraft. Finally, the camera angles used are mostly low angles. This technique is used to make the audience feel little and weak, which once again, contributes to the overall genre, horror.