By Shanelle Peters

Mise en scene
The leaves floating across the screen are seemingly calm and project an atmosphere of tranquillity despite the reddish tinge of the leaves which could be a subliminal link to blood.

Drops of blood appear at random points of the sequence evoking curiosity and confusion as blood is typically associated with pain and death yet there is no evidence of death.

Mise en scene
The use of low key lighting throughout the opening sequence highlights the naturalistic features of the sequence such as the water, leaves, frogs and insects which are all linked with the natural phenomena of the ten biblical plagues.

The deliberate exaggeration of colour shown in the close up of an eye enhances the psychological impact of the sequence. The proximity of the eye creates an uncomfortable closeness with the pupil which is perhaps a signal of what is to come.

Camera (Mainly Macro Photography)

The establishing shot of the leaves at the beginning of the sequence leads to an extreme close up of the leaf and then a magnification of the cell membrane indicating an extreme penetration.

The extreme close ups of the hairs on a fly emphasise the extreme proximity of between the audience and the insect. This is suggestive of an invasion of personal space and a breach in the limitations of the typical closeness between a fly and a human.

Typography
The computerised writing is similar to that of a typewriter and it creates a juxtaposition between the eerie red text and the images of nature.

The disjointed movement of the texts has connotations of the mechanical which could be interpreted as being man-made and so it could be interpreted that aspects of the film will be, to some degree of a man made nature. However when the title The Reaping appears this is then replaced with God-like images as the word reaping has religious connotations.

Sound
The silence as the title The Reaping appears directs the audience to the two words serving as not only an explanation for the images that have been shown but as a way to accentuate the unknown and perhaps serves as a signifier to the audience that the concept of the mysterious and indefinite is a theme in the film. The use of contrapuntal sound heightens the intensity of the sequence as the images appear at a faster pace. As the music stops and starts, each beat seems louder. This is effective as it is used to construct a representation of the infiltration of the ten plagues.