Film opening 3: Poltergeist (2015)

WHAT I CAN APPLY + POSSIBLE INFLUENCES ON MY WORK 

Director: Gil Kenan

Writers: David Lindsay-Abaire, Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, Mark Victor

Actors: Rosemarie DeWitt, Kennedi Clements, Sam Rockwell

Production Companies: Fox 2000 Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Ghost House Pictures,

Vertigo Entertainment, TSG Entertainment

Budget: $35.000.000 (estimated)

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Storyline: 

A family whose suburban home is invaded by angry spirits. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and takes their youngest daughter, the family must come together to rescue her.

Titles: 

In this movie, the idents of Fox 2000 Pictures, Metro Goldwyn Mayer and Ghost House Pictures come up as normal and there hasn't been a change of coloring or anything else to emphasise on the genre.

All of a sudden, there is a multicolored pattern on the entire screen, that comes across as futuristic and sci-fi genre. It is moving in an odd way, which suggests mystery and somewhat a ghostly aspect to the movie.
The titles of the production company appear on this in a white font.

After this, there are no titles or credits, and we are immediately introduced to the main character's and the entire family.
We meet all 5 family members when we see them driving around in their car through a street full of houses. Through the chosen mise-en-scene of the what they are waering and the way they are sitting in the car, we are introduced to who they are, and find out that they are about to move into a new house on that street. Then, the camera pans to the right and shows the audience a high angle shot and estbalishing shot of the fields and houses. This shot is very useful to establish the peaceful setting and show the audience where it has been filmed.

Moreover, the shot is being shown on screen for a very short time, due to this, you have to re-watch the opening sequence 3 times before noticing that the title of the movie "Poltergeist", is actually written in the grass on the field.
Since it is very well hidden and the last bit of the title "Geist" means ghost in German, we could interpret that the movie will definitely be about ghosts who are hiding in the beginning, but will play a big role in the film at a later point.

Semiotics:

Since there isn't a big opening in this film, and the font chosen is in a neutral white color and font, we can state that the color doesn't really play any signifying role in this film opening.
However, when the multicolored pattern comes up at the beginning of the movie, there is a significant sign that emphasises on the horror genre of the film. For example, the pattern turns into being a skeleton or a zombie on an I-Pad game, which the boy is playing. This emphasises on the horror genre.

After, seeing that it is just a game on an I-Pad, the film continues by introducing the audience to all five family members. There is established a very familiar and peaceful setting within the audience, since it is just an everyday situation of a family sitting in a car.

Narrative exposition:

For this opening sequence you could apply two of the four key theories. One of them would be Todorov's Narrative Formula, since there is established an equilibrium in this first scene. We know that all is well, since the sky is blue and the family come across as very happy to move into their new house. On the other hand, we can also apply Barthes theory of the Narrative Enigma, since there is an enigma code of clues being given. Especially after we see the title written in the field and we can interpret it as a ghost being hiding.