Insidious

At the start of the opening scene we see a young child in bed, sleeping.
The camera then leads us, the audience, through the empty house and
numerous shadows flash around us. One of the shadows turns out to be a
ghostly woman holding a candle. The title of the film jumps up and loud
music rings with it, usually done to get the audience on the edge of their
seats already. After the title, the camera turns to another location and we
see different rooms throughout the house. In all of the shorts, there is
either a shadow or a ghostly figure lurking.

Mise-en-scene
Costume- In the opening scene, the only character we see is the ghostly
woman amongst the shadows. Apart from this, we only see shadows on
the walls. When the camera zooms in and the audience can see the
woman closer, it looks as if she is wearing a dark lace veil and black, old
fashioned clothing. Typically in a horror film, if a character is dressed like
this, it suggests that they are evil.
Lighting- During the entire opening scene, the lightning is dull and low
key aside from a few angles where certain areas are highlighted. This is
done to suggest that the house is mysterious because if it was in clear,
artificial lightning, it wouldnt look anywhere near as interesting. The rest
of the rooms are black which ties into the conventions of the genre horror.
Actors- The first time we briefly meet the main characters is in a family
photo. The camera zooms in on the family photo and they appear to be
happy, as they are all together and smiling for the photo. They are all
dressed in pale, light clothing which suggests their innocence. However,
the adult male in the photo isnt smiling like the rest of his family which
creates a twist for the audience. Is he as innocent as the rest of them?
Make up- In the opening scene, the only character face we see is the
ghostly woman. When the camera zooms in on her face, we can see that
she is pale and wrinkly, suggesting that she is an older woman. The area
around her eyes is dark suggesting two things. It is either done to create
darkness and to give her face depth, or it is suggesting there is more of
her to tell.
Props- The most important prop in the opening scene is the grandfather
clock featured repeatedly in the opening scene. Later on in the film, the
clock becomes of relevance, which is why it is shown repeatedly in the
opening scene. This clock also fits the conventions of the horror film.
Setting- The location of the opening scene is in the home of the main
characters that we see in the family photo. The audience get to see all of
the different films in the opening scene and it is portrayed as creepy and
eerie. It is also evident that the family are new to the house as there are
 brown cardboard boxes lying around waiting to be unpacked.

Camera angles
At the beginning of the opening scene, the audience are showing an
establishing shot at the location of the new house. This is done to show
the audience where the film will be set but also what the setting looks like
outside. Once inside the house, there is an aerial shot looking down the
staircase, in the middle of the screen. There is a shadow at the bottom,
suggesting that something is watching them. This camera angle is
effective for the audience because the slow, aerial shot makes the
audience wonder what is lurking. The canted angle on the grandfather
clock gives the audience a sense of confusion and disorientation. The
camera also pans from scene to scene so that it is smooth. Each room
transitions smoothly from one to another so that it goes along with the
slow, eerie music that is being played.

Editing
The most obvious part of the editing is that it is all slow. There are no fast
transitions; this is to give the audience a chance to take in all that is going
on within each frame. After each shot, there is a faded after from one shot
to another to make it look mysterious. Each new shot is slightly
unfocused, encouraging confusion within the audience as to what is going
to happen in the house. The film opening is in black and white. The most
typical convention of 'black and white' is that black is evil and white is
purity and innocence. This suggests that throughout the film there will be
a clash of good and evil, which excites the audience for the twist to
happen. The titles are in a bright red shade; this format represents danger
or blood that is likely to happen in the film.
The camera shot on the clock is unrecognizable because of the distance,
and then there is a jump cut closer to the clock with light around it to
highlight its features. This suggests that the clock is significant and has a
meaning, which is also a typical convention of the horror genre.

Sound
Throughout the opening there is non-diegetic sound. At the beginning of
the film, there is a ringing sound played to echo in the audiences ear.
When we are first shown a ghostly shadow, there is a high pitch violin
being played to emphasise the fear/shock of seeing something in the
house. The music dims down on the womans face but speed sup with the
high pitch music again when the titles pop up. This is done to make the
audience jump which is a key factor of the horror genre. Most of the music
in the opening scene has a eerie, creepy feel to give a sense of unease.