Title Research: The Nightmare on Elm Street

 The title of the movie as well as the title of the production company were displayed. Along with these titles actors, directors, and writers were included. During this other important people such a casting directors and, theatrical producers and engineers were introduced. The special effects people and editors came in closer to the end. There were a lot of producers and directors personally listed towards the end again aside from the production company in the very beginning. The image of the making of the knife glove was prioritized in the opening sequence. This was important because it is the murder weapon used in all the films. The girl running in a night gown in somewhere with a lot of pipes is also prioritized since it is shown for the majority of the opening sequence. In this scene she was running away from Freddy who grabbed her which led to her waking up from the nightmare. These images carry an unsettling connotation due to a girl running away from apparent danger in a dark setting while someone with a knife glove is chasing her. This film establishes the feeling of horror by zooming in on the weapon being made but by someone you can’t see. The audience actually can’t even see the “killer” until he grabs the girl at the end of the sequence. Even then it is a fast shot so you can’t really make him out. The thought of running from something not shown in somewhere mysterious and darks invokes an unsettling and scary feeling for the audience. These feelings are associated with horror. The grabbing of the girl at the end also acts like a jump scare, preparing the audience for what’s to come. Strategies such as scary or ambiguous music was used as well as dark lighting and setting. The use of a definitive weapon also appeals to the audience. For example: Chainsaw for Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or A knife for the Scream movies. The act of running away from something not shown also appeals to the audience as it is a very fear causing tactic. Technology like the use of shot reverse shots in the opening were very effective. They were used to show the girl then the camera would change to looking at where a supposed sound came from only to go back to showing the girl with a terrified face. This raised the feeling of suspense in the audience. The transitions in this sequence were also very well thought out. Since the scene took place somewhere with pipes and there were many tracking shots, the camera would zoom in on the girl running with the pipes then transition to her in a different position by the pipes. The multiple close up shots showed the feeling of the girl throughout while keep the focus on the fact that she was scared and running. The way that they edited the titles in the sequence were effective since the white contrasted with the dark setting. The font was also a good choice since it wasn’t very formal and fit well with the theme of the movie.