The Ring Opening Sequence Analysis

Enigma Code
The enigma code used for the opening sequence for this film is extremely good. You are constantly asking yourself questions the whole way through and want to find out answers. Firstly we want to know who these two young girls are. Who the Josh person is they are talking about and what this 'tape' thing is all about. When the phone rings the music has completely stopped, we begin to ask who is it on the phone? And think back to whether the tape is actually real and is it something to do with the tape who is calling? The long pause between when she answers the phone and before the other girl talks makes the audience think as it leaves them hanging for quite a while not knowing what is going on or who is on the phone. As the opening sequence goes on we question whether the tape is real, at some points we believe it and others we don't. Not until the end do we really start to believe that the tape the girls are talking about is real. We want to know why weird stuff is starting to happen like the TV turning on and the fridge door opening by itself. Does this have relevance to the tape? The sound effects that sound like a whooshing or someone walking past make the audience feel like there is someone else in the room, and you start to hear footsteps. We want to know why there is water on the floor, and is the thing shown at the end the tape? Did the girl die when she entered the room and why did her face look the way it did? Is this all relevant to the tape?
Sound
There is not a lot of music used for this which intensifies the 'scariness' of it. At first all you can hear is the girls talking and you can hear what sounds like rain, which represents sadness or miserableness. In a lot of horror films bad weather is used to set the scene as it is dark. Slight music comes on when she pretends to die this is so the audience believe that she actually is so it builds the tension and surprises the audience when she stops.  You hear three different noises, the clock ticking fast, the rain and the phone and this is all you are focused on. The noise of the clock intensifies and makes it sound almost like a heart beat, beating really fast. When the phone rings at first it is off shot sound this means we can hear it but can't see where it is coming from. When the girl is talking to her mum on the phone we are listening as we want to know what the conversation is about, because the girl says 'my mum says hi she's glad your here' this tells us that the girls are most provably home alone which amps up the fear factor.
Camera: Shots, Frame, Movement, Angle.
   To engage the watcher, when the girl is telling the story the camera zooms very slowly towards her face which almost drags in the watcher with her. When you first hear the noise of the TV turning on the camera pans slowly round the corner so we get a view of the whole room and it is building up to the main focus which is the TV. It builds up suspense until we know what is actually making the sound. Many of the camera shots used are close ups, this is so we can see the expression on the girls face, and the fear in her face. There is also long shots and medium long shots so that we can see the surrounding but also the main focus is still on the girl. The close up of the door knob at the end represents that there must be some importance to it.
Costume & Makeup
We get an insight to the characters by the costume they are wearing, the fact that they are in something that looks like a school uniform tells us that they are probably around the age in which they are still in education, probably between 15-18. The girls are also wearing minimal makeup this keeps them looking fresh faced so we know they are young, and also keeps there innocence.
Setting 
The setting of the film is in a typical American house which makes it look normal as people tend to think that things like this don't happen to 'normal' people that's what makes the film so intriguing.
Lighting 
    The lighting of the film is also very dark, which is a technique used by lots of horror films as people associate the dark with danger so this automatically adds to the fear factor and danger level.
Actors
The actresses chosen for the particular roles that we see the opening sequence are perfect as they are age appropriate. It would be odd if there was a 30 year old actress playing someone that is meant to be a school girl. Also they are not famous actresses so most people are unfamiliar with there work which makes it seem more real, and because they are age appropriate it makes them seem far more innocent.
Props
The main prop that shows the most importance is the phone, the phone is the thing linked most with the tape so when this is shown it automatically triggers a signal in the audiences mind to remind them this object has a level of danger. The other props used are pillows when the girls through them at each other, this is a typical stereotype of young girls sleepovers this also reminds us of the characters innocence.
Editing
The only editing that is used is clean cut transitions. This is where the shots go from one to the other. It does this very fast pace in some places and slow in others this is to represent the climax of the film. At the end when the girl touches the door knob and is standing in the entrance to the door, it zooms in very fast to her face. This is probably edited to get the speed that they wanted. The lighting also looks as if it has been edited, as it is so dark its slightly green and grey in places.