Opening scene of 'The Happening'

The opening scene of 'The Happening' starts with clouds flowing across the screen in sync with the music. The music playing is non digetic and connotes sadness, which would add to the thriller genre. As the sound tract builds, it adds more layers which builds more tension. Also drums and violins start to play which signifies something bad is going to happen and is depressing to the audience. Wind also creeps through as part of the sound track, which is the main attraction as the wind is the cause of the deaths happening.

The mise-en-scene of the first scene is a very typical and normal day in  New York. Long shots are used to set the scene which is in a park and just shows how normal everything is going. The camea then builds to the two female characters (a two shot) sitting on a park bench reading. The two characters are blonde so it's a bit sterotypical. Speech is just involved here, which would be completly normally with two characters talking. An unconventional scream is then heard which leads to the camera to show a reaction shot of one the characters. (a close up) The camera then pans across the scene to show how everything seems to have gone weird. It shows how a dog if now off it's lead heading to it's owner where she seems to be standing still and acting different. The reaction shot also shows the confussion in how the characters feeling. Non digetic sounds are added to the background (chimes) which would build suspence. Fragmental dialogue occurs which shows something's going wrong, the camera then shows facial expressions to show their emotion.

There is then a high angle shot added to one of the characters, a feeling that you're creeping up on someone, the camera then suddenly zooms onto the murder weapon (which the character pulls out from her hair), music dies down at this point so you can hear the women stabbing herself in the neck. (non digetic sounds) It also shows the reaction shot from the other girl beside her. More non digetic sounds (drums) appear to be playing in the background to add to the tension and could connote to a death march. The wind adds to the pressure and becomes more heavy which would make the women look with confussion thinking what's happening.

A final cut is then used to go to the next scene, which leads to the explaination of the film.